Series: Faithful – The Story of Joseph

 Faithful in Forgiveness

Genesis 42-45

ways we get even with people. 

·      There’s legal retaliation. 

·      There’s financial retaliation.

·      There’s verbal retaliation. 

·      We recruit opponents.

·      We give the cold shoulder. 

why did Joseph hide his identity from his brothers? 

Œ Maybe it was because he was really toying with retaliation. 

 Joseph was going to determine if his brothers’ spirit had changed before he did anything. 

                  Test #1: The test of adversity

                        Test #2: The test of prosperity

Joseph’s faith statement  

5And now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God.

                        Genesis 45:5-8      

God can take the worst that men do to you and he can turn it around for the good. 

steps to forgiveness

ΠRelease your right to retaliate, forever.

            Only the Lord has the right to take revenge. 

 Do your part to reconcile the relationship.

            Forgiveness is an individual action,        reconciliation takes two parties. 

Ž Acknowledge the sovereignty of God, even in a terrible situation.