Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Genesis

Genesis 42 02/23/03

Intro: What a snow storm. Anyone have trouble getting their car out of their driveway? We did. There was snow to the roof on one side of the car and it was pretty deep all around it. I shoveled some and Kathy got into the car to move it to the street so I can clear the  driveway. But when she put the car in drive..it didn't move. When she put it in reverse, it didn't move. You know why? It was stuck!

 I suppose I could have just left it there till the snow melted away but who knows how long that might have been. That would have been the easiest thing to do..do nothing, wait. Go back to the house where it is warm and dry.

 But, I don't like being stuck, stuck in the snow, stuck in the cold, stuck in a long line at the food store. I suppose no one really likes being stuck. But sometimes when we get stuck, we don't want to or don't know how to get unstuck. This is particularly true in the emotional realm of our lives.

 The last few weeks in Genesis have challenged us to forgive and forget the past, especially those things that have hurt us.
We were challenged to say 'Not I, but God'. Taking the focus off of us and back to the Lord where it belongs. Last Sunday you left challenged...what did you do? Did you say 'that was a nice sermon, but I can't do it, you don't know my past.'

Well, perhaps you are stuck...
1. In the 'resent and remember' mode
2. In the bitterness of the hurts others have brought you
3. In the guilt over poor decisions in your past
4. In the depression associated with past sin

 Well...it is time to get unstuck!  It is time to arise...and Go!

 In my study, I was amazed by the number of times God told His people to arise and go, to leave their current situation and go. Do a word study in the Bible on the word 'GO' sometime.  It will make you wonder why we
                                               so often choose to remain stuck,    when God so often tells us to go.

Read: Genesis 42:1-5

 Jacob had a large family, many servants and livestock to feed. As the famine continued in Canaan, it got increasingly more difficult to feed them all. Certainly Jacobs sons knew what their father knew...there was food in Egypt, yet they didn't say a word. Why?

1. The trip was long, 250-300 miles, at that time a 6 week round trip.
2. Traveling that distance was dangerous.
3. There was no certainty the Egyptians would sell them any food.
4. They  would be the ones to go.
 
 But perhaps the main reason Jacobs sons didn't talk about going to Egypt was... Joseph. Well, what they had done to Joseph by selling him to slave traders heading to Egypt.

 Jacob's sons were stuck in the quicksand of guilt. And they chose not to do anything about it. In a way, this is almost amusing. Jacob looks his sons in the eyes, again knowing that they know what he knows about food in Egypt, and tells them don't just sit there, get up, go to Egypt and get us some food. What's with you guys? What's with them? Their conscious. It made them feel extremely guilty every time Egypt was mentioned. They had lived with a terrible secret for 20 yrs. which they never talked about. They needed to be set free from this guilt but they were stuck, unwilling to get up and go, to do anything about it. So God, once again interrupts their life of sin.

 You see, God could have given up on them. By their actions God could have deemed them unworthy of His grace and forgiveness...or were they? But God didn't give up on them. And He never gives up on any of His own, no matter what we are stuck in.

 God loves us/you too much to let you stay stuck in the mud of life's sin and despair.
 God cares for us/you too much to leave you stuck in spiritual lethargy.

 So at times, He brings a crisis into our/your lives to force us out of the muck and tells us..Arise, and Go!

Read: Genesis 42:6-17

 As second ruler in all Egypt, Joseph certainly didn't preside over all the grain sales. He had commissioners for that purpose. But in God's providence, Joseph was present when his 10 brothers arrived. Understand that they had been separated for 20 yrs.  The man before them was clean shaven, dressed as an Egyptian ruler and spoke Egyptian. There was no way his brothers could have recognized him. But, Joseph recognized them. And when his brothers bowed down before him, Joseph knew God had kept the promises made in his two dreams.

 There are some who have said that Joseph's harsh treatment of his brothers here in the text was an act of revenge. But again, that is not the Joseph we know. Remember he said 'Not I, but God!' So there must be a godly reason for his harsh treatment of his brothers. And there is.

 Notice that Joseph's brothers said over and over that they were honest men. Joseph knew that they were not honest men in the past. But he was giving  them the opportunity to prove they had changed. But  when one of his brothers said  'one is no more'. Joseph knew it was a lie. His brothers had every reason to believe that Joseph was not dead but living in Egypt as someone's slave. They kept up the lie of his death, it was their secrete, it was what kept them stuck in the mire of sin and guilt.

 Joseph placed them in prison to give them time to rethink what they said and perhaps let their guilty feelings lead them to repentance. His concern was not for personal revenge but their spiritual well being, their restoration to right fellowship with God.

Read: Genesis 42:18-24

 Well it seems to have worked. While in prison, at least some of Joseph's brothers were truly sorry for their part in how they treated him. Perhaps Joseph saw God at work in the hearts of his brothers and this moved him to tears.  His compassion for his brothers gives Joseph a change of heart. He reverses his condition for leaving Egypt and proving they are honest men.

 Joseph tested them to see if their words matched their actions. They said they were honest, they said they were sorry, they said they would come back with Benjamin...would they keep their word? This is a critical question facing Christians today. Do our actions match our words? Does what we say become a reality in our actions?
 
 Notice, Joseph wasn't just putting them to the test. He was giving them an opportunity to test him when he said 'I fear God'. 'I fear God' is not unlike saying that he was Born again. He was saying 'trust me with their brother, he will be safe until you return'.

 Look, if you are a Christian, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Let your walkie match your talkie. And you will be on your way to becoming unstuck from the mud and muck of sin and despair.

Read: Genesis 42:25-28

 There is no mention of God by Joseph's brothers in the text..until now when they found the money they had paid for the grain in their sacks. 'What is this God has done to us?' They thought God was just waiting for an opportunity to really get them good.

 Isn't it interesting, instead of thanking God, they accused Him. Why? Guilt. And a long time of not dealing with guilt often leads to a wrong view of God. They missed God's grace because of negative thinking about who God is.

ILL: There was a lady who was asked how she was doing. She said 'I'm doing quite well today but I'm sure that there are difficulties right around the corner.' That woman was missing out on joy because she was stuck looking for the negatives in life.

 Is it possible you can be missing God's blessings because you have an incorrect view of who God is...or as we will learn in the Adult SS Class beginning next Sunday...are you missing God's blessings because of an incorrect view of who God says you are?

Read: Genesis 42:29-38

 Did you notice Jacob's response? 'All these things are against me'. Jacob still struggled with his faith. This was the best possible thing that could happen, but he didn't see it  because Jacob was stuck in the muck of fear.  'I lost Joseph, now Simeon, and you want me to lose Benjamin too.' He was afraid to let go of Benjamin, even though he would have gotten so much in return had he trusted God.

Being stuck in the muck of fear delayed...
    1. Their provision of much needed food.
    2. The release of Simeon from prison.
    3. The reunion with Joseph.

Conclusion
 Being stuck in the muck of fear placed a barrier in Jacob's life to experiencing the blessings of God.

Are you stuck in the muck of fear?
    1. Fear that you won't be good enough to get  into heaven.
    2. Fear that the grave is just around the corner.
    3. Fear of ridicule if you share your faith.
    4. Fear that your past failures will catch up with you.
    5. Fear that all there is to the Christian life is  hardship and trouble.

ILL: The great philosopher Lucy explained to Charlie Brown at the end of the game why she had lost sight of the baseball and had failed to make the catch. 'Sorry I missed that easy fly ball, Charlie Brown. I thought I had it; but suddenly I remembered all the others I've missed and the past got in my eyes'.

 For Jacob and his sons, the past was in their eyes. They were stuck in both the sin and fear of their past. And it keep them from experiencing the joy and blessings of God in the present.

 Did they get unstuck? Yes! The brothers rose up and went to Egypt to face their sin. Jacob, as we will see later, also faces his fears by allowing Benjamin to go to Egypt. All were richly blessed because they acted when God said to them... Arise and Go.

 And God is calling you to Arise and Go this morning.
    1. Arise from the midst of a troubled marriage.
    2. Arise from the midst of a broken relationship.
    3. Arise from the midst of financial loss.
    4. Arise from the midst of a physical setback.
    5. Arise from the midst of depression.
    6. Arise from the midst of anger and bitterness.
    7. Arise from the midst of past hurts and scars.
    8. Arise from the midst of the lie that you are not     good enough, even though you are in Christ.

 Are you missing out on the joy and blessing God has promised to you because you are
     stuck in the muck,
             stuck in the mud,
                     stuck in the mire of............you?

 God is telling us this morning to arise and go. Go to God,
         for forgiveness,
                 for healing,
                         for comfort,

Arise and Go to God to meet your needs.  Saying 'Not I, but God' means nothing if you stay stuck... in you.
                                                                                   Arise and Go!