JOSEPH SAW HIS BRETHREN

Sunday Morning - September 13, 1998

Text: Genesis 42:7-8 "And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."

Genesis 42:2 "And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die."

Acts 7:11 "Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance." They didn't want to go!

Acts 15:18 "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world."

Genesis 15:13-14 "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14. And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance."

Genesis 12:2 "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:"

Genesis 46:3 "And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:"

Genesis 42:6 "And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren [TEN] came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth."

THE PAST REMEMBERED

Genesis 41:9 "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

ELEVEN SHEAVES AND STARS

Genesis 37:7 "For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."

Genesis 37:9 "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me."

THE PAST REMEMBERED

Genesis 42:13 "And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not."

STIR UP CONFLICT

Genesis 42:14 "And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:"

TURN UP THE HEAT

Genesis 42:17 "And he put them all together into ward three days."

NO ESCAPE

Genesis 42:18-20 "And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live [eat]; for I fear God: 19. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20. But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die [from starvation]. And they did so."

WE ARE GUILTY

Genesis 42:21 "And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us."

YET NOT ALL FELT GUILT

Genesis 42:22 "And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required."

TURN FROM HIS SIN

Ezekiel 18:20-23 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?"

GOD'S KINDNESS

Romans 2:4 "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness [kindness] and forbearance [self restraint] and longsuffering [patient]; not knowing that the goodness [kindness] of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

GODLY SORROW

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."

GOD TOUCHES THE HEART

2 Samuel 12:1-7 "And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: 3. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

4. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; ... 6. ... 7. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man...."

I HAVE SINNED

2 Samuel 12:13 "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die."

DAVID'S CONFESSION

Psalms 51:1-4 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: ..."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

SACRIFICES OF GOD

Psalms 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

GOD AT WORK

Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

GOD AT WORK

Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

GOD'S GYM

Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."