Forgive and be forgiven – Preaching
Preaching Outline on Genesis 45:1-2 – Then Joseph could not contain himself before all who were with him; and he cried out: Bring out every man from here; and no one remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he lifted up his voice with weeping, so that the Egyptians heard him, and the house of Pharaoh heard him.”
Mark 11:25-26 – “And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses.”
Introduction to Genesis 45:1-2
There is no gospel without forgiveness. We all long for God’s forgiveness, but we often find it difficult to forgive. But there is a teaching in the Word that forgiveness is a testimony that the church leaves to the world.
Despite all the circumstances of the past, Joseph wanted to see his brothers and his father again. Would you want to see your brothers if you were him? Wouldn’t there be a desire for revenge? Wouldn’t there be a desire to take justice into your own hands?
Development
Joseph prepares a whole environment for this reunion and when he stands there in front of his family, he can’t help himself. He makes a request to the Egyptians: “Make every male go away from here; and no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
“And he lifted up his voice with weeping, so that the Egyptians heard him, and the house of Pharaoh heard him.” That cry was the cry of someone who had released forgiveness. How difficult it is to forgive, how difficult it is to get rid of sorrow and resentment.
We said here at the beginning of this message that forgiveness is a testimony that the church leaves to the world. That day Egypt saw forgiveness. There was a servant of the Lord who forgave.
The apostle Peter says in his letter: “ Above all, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Only love can forgive. When you love your brother, you can forgive him, you can overlook his faults, you mitigate his faults.
Sorrow and resentment do not imprison the offender, but the offended. But forgiveness frees man, forgiveness heals the soul. There are people who cannot forgive, there are those who become physically ill because they hold on to their grievances for years and never forget.
One of the signs of forgiveness is forgetfulness. If you still regret a situation, it’s because you haven’t forgiven. The word forgiveness from the Greek means “to give up, to let go”. It’s like someone giving up payment on a debt. “You don’t have to pay me any more, it’s forgiven”!
“By this you will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. If you want to know whether you have truly been a disciple of Jesus, you just have to look at whether you have forgiven. If you haven’t forgiven, it’s because you don’t love your brother, and therefore you’re not a disciple of Jesus.
Conclusion of Genesis 45:1-2
Every day we need God’s forgiveness. But we have learned that in order to be forgiven we also need to forgive. Ask the Lord to generate forgiveness in your heart. Ask the Lord to rebuke this difficulty, this hurt, this resentment that is still there. If you have something to forgive, forgive it. Forgive your sibling, forgive your family member who hurt you, forgive that stone that was thrown at you years ago that you’ve never forgotten. Forgive and let the Lord write a new story about you.
Preaching Outline on Genesis 45:1-2 – Then Joseph could not contain himself before all who were with him; and he cried out: Bring out every man from here; and no one remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he lifted up his voice with weeping, so that the Egyptians heard him, and the house of Pharaoh heard him.”
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