12. 5 and 5 For Divine Forgiveness
Genesis 45:1-15 (Audio Only)
I want to start by acknowledging the teaching of R.T. Kendall on the subject of Forgiveness. R.T. Kendall is a preacher born and raised in Kentucky but spent his preaching career at Westminster Chapel in London, England. His teachings on total forgiveness are sown through many of my forgiveness messages and throughout my life.
Last week, the message was “Correct Perspective” and we said it was the crescendo text in the life of Joseph. After everything Joseph had experienced after all those years, Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, and he did it in a way that is the heavenly example of how we are called to live in Divine Forgiveness. Joseph forgave his brothers immediately, completely, and with no strings attached. It was total, unconditional forgiveness.
And if we call Jesus Christ our Lord today, then we must make sure the supernatural gift of divine forgiveness is operating in our lives. Because God’s Word is overwhelmingly clear… we are called to forgive in the proportion that Jesus Christ has forgiven us. And so divine forgiveness becomes a crucial test of how truly surrendered our lives are to Jesus Christ.
If we would stand up and say proudly with the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me . . . then I would say, if Jesus Christ is truly living in me AS Lord, then one of the most supernatural evidences will be, “Am I living in divine forgiveness?” Maybe if we would want to say, “Lord, what fruit is there? What proof is there that you live in me? What can I look at in my life?” Divine forgiveness is a good place to look because if you have truly forgiven in the same manner as you have been forgiven, I promise you that is divine. There is nothing human about that.
So, today, I’d like to look at the 5 and 5 For Divine Forgiveness. Five tests – 5 steps. Five tests that you can apply to your life to see if you have totally forgiven someone and five steps to take if you fail those five tests.
I know this can be a very painful process. I know there are hurts in some of our lives that seem too big. They seem too big to simply apply five tests and five steps and BAAM! We’re healed. Perhaps you would say, “Not in this case. Not in this situation.” I know there are some events that seem too big even for God to bring divine forgiveness into. But I promise you, there is no offense that cannot be overcome by God’s divine forgiveness. If there were, then there would be a sin that couldn’t be covered by Jesus’ blood. There are some that may seem too big, but I promise you, they are NOT too big for God. Even if you don’t feel it. Even if you don’t think so. Even if you don’t believe it. It doesn’t change it. There is no offense too big to be overcome by God’s forgiveness.
We’ve said all along that Joseph is a “type” (picture) of Christ. And never more so than when we study his total forgiveness of his brothers. Joseph, here, is a “type” (picture) of Christ forgiving us… and he is an incredible example of how we are called to live in divine forgiveness.
Now, this level of forgiveness can’t be worked up in the flesh. This is not logic or reasoning. This is not with something you come up with yourself. This divine forgiveness is an evidence (a fruit) of Jesus Christ truly being Lord of your life and the Holy Spirit truly being in charge of your life. So today, as we “re-look” at Joseph’s total forgiveness of his brothers, I’d like to use it as a test (five tests) that we can apply to our own lives to see if we have truly, totally forgiven those in our lives who have hurt us (even sinned against us).
Let’s reopen that crescendo text we looked at last week. Remember (from last week) at the end of Chapter 44, Judah is making that impassioned plea for Benjamin, and then at the beginning of Chapter 45, we see test number one.
Test #1. Are you willing to keep the offense just between those involved?
If you’re talking to everybody about it, then you haven’t received divine forgiveness. Look at how Joseph did it.
Genesis 45:1 (ESV)
45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Joseph sent everyone out of the room. This was between Joseph and his brothers, no one else.
Now I say here, keep it between those involved because I realize that very often, especially in difficult situations, you need a counselor. You need someone to come alongside to hold up your arms, walk through it with you. But you don’t need to be talking to people who aren’t involved, or who can’t do anything about it.
Joseph made everyone leave the room and he was about to release them forever of their offense, so there was no need for anyone else to be there. He didn’t want his brothers to have to endure the gossip around the palace… “Oh did you hear what Joseph’s brothers did to him?” This type of gossip is actually bringing a form of judgment/revenge upon those who’ve wronged us…
When you say, “Oh, we just need to pray for ‘so-and-so’… did you hear what they did?” that’s a sin. I don’t care if you put “we need to pray” in front of it. If you’re pouring out some kind of critical gossip about somebody, then you are bringing vengeance on them by doing it.
Joseph wouldn’t do it. True divine forgiveness actually protects the person from the pain of enduring slander, if you will. It protects the person from having to live in the shame of what they’ve done.
Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)
34 . . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
God says he will choose to not remember our sin! And in divine forgiveness, we are called to do the same, and that is what Joseph is preparing the way for.
Test #2. Are you willing to put your offender at ease?
Genesis 45:2-4(a) (ESV)
2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
3 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. . .
Remember from the message last week, in Hebrew, this phrase “Come near to me” is an invitation to come intimately close (used even for “to kiss”). Joseph wanted his brothers to come close enough to him to see there was no hate, no vengeance in his eyes. He wanted them to know by the look on his face that they could be at ease.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God wants to put us at ease regarding our own sin and he calls us to put others at ease regarding their offenses toward us.
Test #3. Are you willing to totally release your offender from ALL debt?
Joseph’s incredible statement of forgiveness starts at the end of verse 4.
Genesis 45:4(b)-5 (ESV)
4 . . . And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
As they’re looking into his tear-swollen eyes – Joseph says; "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt . . . And then immediately, in the same breath, he says to them; "now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here . . ."
If we ever work up our own forgiveness (in the flesh), it will sound something like this: “Well. . . I forgive you. . . but I certainly hope you’ve learned a good lesson here. I certainly hope you understand the pain your actions have caused.” And we pile on the “I forgive you… but’s”!!!
That’s not what divine forgiveness looks like, and that’s not what divine forgiveness sounds like. Divine forgiveness releases the offender from all debt. You may say, “It’s not fair!” That’s right. It’s not fair. I always tell people, listen, you can if you want, say to God, “Be fair with me. Give me what I deserve and then let me give my offender what they deserve.” And people say, “Well, no, no, no, no. No, I want grace and forgiveness from God, but I want judgment to my offender.” Sorry. You just can’t have it both ways.
We pile on the “I forgive you, but… I’m going to make your life miserable for a while.” The “I forgive you, but’s” are not divine forgiveness.
Psalm 103:10 (ESV)
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
If God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins and he calls us to forgive in like manner as we’ve been forgiven, then we are not to deal with our offender according to their sins. You say, “that’s impossible. I can’t do it.” That’s right. That’s why it’s a test to see if Jesus Christ is alive and well in you. Because if you’re doing this, you’re saying, “Wow! That’s supernatural. I wouldn’t even do that.” That’s right. That’s the Lord.
God calls us to forgive “in the same way” that we’ve been forgiven.
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Approving of or Excusing sin
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Denial (or turning your head) to sin
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Pretending we’re not hurt
Divine Forgiveness is being aware of what’s been done . . .
And right in the midst of that awareness – making a choice of the will to forgive in the same proportion that we have been forgiven.
I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying Christ living in you is your power (by the Holy Spirit) to forgive – in the same proportion that he has forgiven you. Christ living in you is your power to do things that you otherwise never could do.
Test number four is the hardest one. It’s the one that at times, is excruciating for me to even consider, much less have to say. It’s the one that can’t be done by logic, or understanding, or human reasoning. And though it’s number four, it’s actually the ultimate test, and I will tell you there are areas in my life that I am still fighting to believe this by faith. I am leaning into this by faith; still clinging to believe this by faith. Not because I feel it, but because I believe that when God said it, he meant it. Maybe you’ll feel the same when you see it.
Test #4. Are you willing to believe that God was actually AT WORK in the midst of this offense (sin) FOR GOOD?
At times this seems impossible to even consider but by faith, we can trust that it is true, and we have to cling to it.
Genesis 45:5(b)-8(a) (ESV) (Joseph continuing)
5 . . . for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
I want you to know, that would be one of the most impossible things in the world to say in certain situations, in certain offenses. But I’m telling you, it’s supernatural. I don’t understand how. I don’t understand why. I’m not God and I can’t grasp his mind but he says he’s at work and I believe him because he says it. Not because I see it; not because I feel it but because he said it.
Notice – Joseph says, "God sent me . . . to preserve FOR YOU" and then "to keep alive FOR YOU many survivors."
Not only are these the famous BUT GOD verses!!!
Not only does Joseph see God At WORK for GOOD
But he sees God AT WORK for the GOOD of those who sinned against him!!!
That’s a type of Christ, where Joseph is saying, “God sent me through the pain. God sent me for your good.” Who does that sound like? That’s what Christ said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “If there’s any way, Lord, that this cup could pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done.” He knew the pain and he knew God was sending him through the pain, and he knew it was to forgive those who were crucifying him. And then he says, “Now you forgive the same way I’ve forgiven you.” And we say, “No way! Can’t do it!” But we can. We always say, “No way!” at first, but we can do it. Not “WE”, not our flesh, but Jesus Christ living in us. If we have truly been crucified, he is truly alive in us then he’ll forgive just as we’ve been forgiven. I promise you he will.
And Joseph reassures them that it was God at work in the midst of their sin that landed him in Egypt and then, to top it off, he tells them that God was at work, not just for his good – but for their good. That is understanding by faith that God is at work – in all things.
There are times when it takes everything in me to look at a person in the eyes and tell them this! But I know my God. And I know he is at work. And I know he is at work in all things, and I know his plan for you and for me is good. And he has a purpose for us that is good and we must decide whether we believe Romans 8:28 (NIV) or not.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
And we have to get to where we say, “I don’t understand, I don’t feel it but I believe by faith that God was at work for good.” We have to get there by faith. We can’t imagine what Jesus went through when he screamed out at the Cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus Christ asking the Father, “Why?” It’s okay to ask God, “Why?” But it’s not okay to demand an answer unless you plan to take his place, otherwise, you can ask him, “why?” but you let him be God.
Test #5. Are you willing to never bring up the offense again; to the offender; to others; to yourself?
Are willing to bury it? To be done with it? To never bring up the offense again? You know the videos you play in your mind about these things? We remind ourselves of the offense. Look at what Joseph does.
I promise you, at this point, this is finished for Joseph it’s over, done, never to be brought up again. Notice, there is no indication he ever had his brothers confess to their father what they had done to him. Never. There’s never an indication that Jacob ever knew what the brothers had done to his favorite son. Never.
Genesis 45:9-15 (ESV)
9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry.
10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’
12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. [NLT = talked freely with him]
This little issue of Joseph’s brothers trying to kill him and then selling him into slavery, it’s done. Finished. Never to be brought up again (and it never is brought up again). There’s no indication Jacob ever knew the events that led up to Joseph being Prime Minister of Egypt. In fact, the subject starts to come up again just after Jacob’s death and Joseph squashes it. Even then he will have nothing to do with it! Joseph has removed this offense as far as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:12 (ESV)
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
How far is the east from the west? It’s a long way. Just past where you could measure – an immeasurable distance. And God calls us to forgive just as (in the same way) that he has forgiven us in Christ. That is humanly impossible. It is only possible with the divine power of the Holy Spirit and the Person of Jesus Christ living in us. It’s an incredible way to live.
Here’s a quick review of the five tests. These are all the things we see Joseph do in his total forgiveness of his brothers.
Test #1. Are you willing to keep the offense just between those involved?
Test #2. Are you willing to put your offender at ease?
Test #3. Are you willing to totally release your offender from all debt?
Test #4. Are you willing to believe that God was actually AT WORK in the midst of this offense (sin) – FOR GOOD?
Test #5. Are you willing to never bring up the offense again; to the offender, to others, to yourself?
If you can answer, “Yes! Yes! Yes! By the power of God, yes!” then you’ve received the gift of divine forgiveness. But, if you would say, “Ummm, not really. Nope. Not at all. Well, maybe, kind of. No. No. Actually, none of the above.” you are who the next five steps are for. If you fail any of these tests, I’m going to quickly give you five steps that you can take.
I don’t say this very often, and so I need to say it here. God gave me these steps while I was eating an overpriced omelet at IHOP. I was sitting with Walt Stoermer, and we were talking about forgiveness, and all of a sudden it just came to me, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And it doesn’t happen that often to me. Most of what I give you, I learn from real scholars, and then I just give it to you. Because this is so core in my life these come from my heart.
These five steps are taught in detail in the message, “Divine Forgiveness in Marriage” and although it’s part of the marriage study, it’s highly recommended for everyone. Because they are taught in detail in that message, and because we are running out of time here, I can only give you a review of these five steps to Living in Divine Forgiveness.
Step #1. Recognize unforgiveness in your heart
That’s the first step. Recognize – say, “God! Search me, try me, see if there be any wicked way in me. Oh! There is! I failed the tests of diving forgiveness. I recognize the sin of unforgiveness in my heart.”
Not justifying! (“Yeah, but you don’t know what they did to me!” “Yeah, but they don’t deserve…”) (“Yeah, but…”)
When are you going to say this? “I’m a sinner!!! I have the sin of unforgiveness and it’s destroying my life.”
Unforgiveness is a sin that “grieves the Holy Spirit” and it separates us from God and from those in our lives and we end up feeling “tortured” just like the “Unforgiving Servant” in Matthew Chapter 18 verses 21 and following. Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Jealousy. Envy. All are signs you must recognize as unforgiveness.
Step #2. Receive God’s command to forgive (by faith)
Faith is the opposite of feeling. “God, I receive your command to forgive just as I have been forgiven. I receive it, I hear it. Just like I received you as my Savior, I receive your command to forgive. Not because I feel like it; not because I understand, but by faith.”
“I believe your Word and I will crucify my own self-will in order to receive your command.”
If you will receive God’s command to forgive without reservation, then you will begin to experience the supernatural transformation of divine forgiveness in your life. You must receive God’s command to forgive (by faith).
Step #3. Repent of your sin (with godly sorrow)
Repent of your sins, not theirs. It’s not, “Well, as soon as they repent enough then I’ll think about it.” When you say that it means “as soon as you bring enough vengeance, or a soon as you bring enough judgment.” That’s kind of like God – only opposite!
You repent of your sin. “God, forgive me.”
Unforgiveness is a sin that separates you from God and gives the devil a wide-open door to wreak havoc in your life. It is a sin that must be repented of – just like any other sin.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; . . .
Repentance means “a change of mind, your thoughts, purpose, and action.” Godly sorrow is agreeing with God about your sin. If you will have godly sorrow over your sin of unforgiveness it will bring repentance over your sin of unforgiveness, and you will change your mind and your actions as soon as you begin to agree with God that you are in sin.
The greatest display of repentance in the Bible is Psalm 51. If you desire to move toward divine forgiveness, Psalm 51 must be the prayer of your heart. We must repent with godly sorrow of our sin of unforgiveness.
Step #4. Replace your hard heart with God’s heart (be transformed)
This is the key, by the way. It seems like the crescendo test and the crescendo step both are in number four.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
At the Cross, there was that “exchange of hearts.” Jesus Christ took upon himself our heart of sin and he gave us his own heart. (2 Corinthians 5:21 and Romans Chapter 6.)
Romans 12:1-2 explains how this transformation takes place and Ephesians 4:22-24 explains our role of putting off the old nature and putting on the new nature.
Do you know what is keeping you from forgiving? It’s your unforgiving heart. Replace it. Replace it with God’s heart.
This is the massive step and I can’t go through it all here, so you have to get the message from our "Give Up" series "Living in Divine Forgiveness" and study it. But God has made a way for us (in Christ) to have the attributes of God’s own heart and not our own. We must replace our hard heart with God’s heart.
And then finally step number five. It’s the easy one.
Step #5. Repeat as often as necessary
This is the secret to living in divine forgiveness.
Repeat. That means go back to number one and do it again. How often? Now. How often? Now. How often? Now. Repeat.
So, if you failed in any of the five tests of divine forgiveness then here are the five steps you must begin to take.
1). Recognize unforgiveness in your heart
2). Receive God’s command to forgive (by faith)
3). Repent of your sin (with godly sorrow)
4). Replace your hard heart with God’s heart (be transformed)
5). Repeat as often as necessary
I have seen it do miracles – not only in my own life but in other people’s lives as well. And sometimes when I see people forgive like this, they walk away, and I think, “Whoa! Lord! I don’t know that I could have forgiven like that.” But I’m still believing. I’m still walking in it. I’m still experiencing the supernatural power of divine forgiveness.
You don’t have to be a slave to your unforgiveness. Anger, bitterness, and resentment don’t have to destroy your life.
Have you found yourself feeling comfortable in your anger, in your bitterness, in your resentment for some offense? Do you have a right? Boy, you do. You have a right to be angry. You have a right as long as Jesus isn’t your Lord. If Jesus is your Lord, you don’t have a right because he told you to forgive the same way he forgave you. Is he Lord, or not?
There is no offense that cannot be overcome by God’s divine forgiveness.
There’s no offense too big for God. No offense and they’re all too big for you. The devil will use unforgiveness to get his hook, his claw, in you, and destroy your life. But there is no offense too big for God.
You can begin to get victory over the sin of unforgiveness – right now. And you can begin this process right now.
God is waiting for you.
Last week, the message was “Correct Perspective” and we said it was the crescendo text in the life of Joseph. After everything Joseph had experienced after all those years, Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, and he did it in a way that is the heavenly example of how we are called to live in Divine Forgiveness. Joseph forgave his brothers immediately, completely, and with no strings attached. It was total, unconditional forgiveness.
And if we call Jesus Christ our Lord today, then we must make sure the supernatural gift of divine forgiveness is operating in our lives. Because God’s Word is overwhelmingly clear… we are called to forgive in the proportion that Jesus Christ has forgiven us. And so divine forgiveness becomes a crucial test of how truly surrendered our lives are to Jesus Christ.
If we would stand up and say proudly with the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me . . . then I would say, if Jesus Christ is truly living in me AS Lord, then one of the most supernatural evidences will be, “Am I living in divine forgiveness?” Maybe if we would want to say, “Lord, what fruit is there? What proof is there that you live in me? What can I look at in my life?” Divine forgiveness is a good place to look because if you have truly forgiven in the same manner as you have been forgiven, I promise you that is divine. There is nothing human about that.
So, today, I’d like to look at the 5 and 5 For Divine Forgiveness. Five tests – 5 steps. Five tests that you can apply to your life to see if you have totally forgiven someone and five steps to take if you fail those five tests.
I know this can be a very painful process. I know there are hurts in some of our lives that seem too big. They seem too big to simply apply five tests and five steps and BAAM! We’re healed. Perhaps you would say, “Not in this case. Not in this situation.” I know there are some events that seem too big even for God to bring divine forgiveness into. But I promise you, there is no offense that cannot be overcome by God’s divine forgiveness. If there were, then there would be a sin that couldn’t be covered by Jesus’ blood. There are some that may seem too big, but I promise you, they are NOT too big for God. Even if you don’t feel it. Even if you don’t think so. Even if you don’t believe it. It doesn’t change it. There is no offense too big to be overcome by God’s forgiveness.
We’ve said all along that Joseph is a “type” (picture) of Christ. And never more so than when we study his total forgiveness of his brothers. Joseph, here, is a “type” (picture) of Christ forgiving us… and he is an incredible example of how we are called to live in divine forgiveness.
Now, this level of forgiveness can’t be worked up in the flesh. This is not logic or reasoning. This is not with something you come up with yourself. This divine forgiveness is an evidence (a fruit) of Jesus Christ truly being Lord of your life and the Holy Spirit truly being in charge of your life. So today, as we “re-look” at Joseph’s total forgiveness of his brothers, I’d like to use it as a test (five tests) that we can apply to our own lives to see if we have truly, totally forgiven those in our lives who have hurt us (even sinned against us).
Let’s reopen that crescendo text we looked at last week. Remember (from last week) at the end of Chapter 44, Judah is making that impassioned plea for Benjamin, and then at the beginning of Chapter 45, we see test number one.
Test #1. Are you willing to keep the offense just between those involved?
If you’re talking to everybody about it, then you haven’t received divine forgiveness. Look at how Joseph did it.
Genesis 45:1 (ESV)
45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Joseph sent everyone out of the room. This was between Joseph and his brothers, no one else.
Now I say here, keep it between those involved because I realize that very often, especially in difficult situations, you need a counselor. You need someone to come alongside to hold up your arms, walk through it with you. But you don’t need to be talking to people who aren’t involved, or who can’t do anything about it.
Joseph made everyone leave the room and he was about to release them forever of their offense, so there was no need for anyone else to be there. He didn’t want his brothers to have to endure the gossip around the palace… “Oh did you hear what Joseph’s brothers did to him?” This type of gossip is actually bringing a form of judgment/revenge upon those who’ve wronged us…
When you say, “Oh, we just need to pray for ‘so-and-so’… did you hear what they did?” that’s a sin. I don’t care if you put “we need to pray” in front of it. If you’re pouring out some kind of critical gossip about somebody, then you are bringing vengeance on them by doing it.
Joseph wouldn’t do it. True divine forgiveness actually protects the person from the pain of enduring slander, if you will. It protects the person from having to live in the shame of what they’ve done.
Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV)
34 . . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
God says he will choose to not remember our sin! And in divine forgiveness, we are called to do the same, and that is what Joseph is preparing the way for.
Test #2. Are you willing to put your offender at ease?
Genesis 45:2-4(a) (ESV)
2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
3 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. . .
Remember from the message last week, in Hebrew, this phrase “Come near to me” is an invitation to come intimately close (used even for “to kiss”). Joseph wanted his brothers to come close enough to him to see there was no hate, no vengeance in his eyes. He wanted them to know by the look on his face that they could be at ease.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God wants to put us at ease regarding our own sin and he calls us to put others at ease regarding their offenses toward us.
Test #3. Are you willing to totally release your offender from ALL debt?
Joseph’s incredible statement of forgiveness starts at the end of verse 4.
Genesis 45:4(b)-5 (ESV)
4 . . . And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
As they’re looking into his tear-swollen eyes – Joseph says; "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt . . . And then immediately, in the same breath, he says to them; "now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here . . ."
If we ever work up our own forgiveness (in the flesh), it will sound something like this: “Well. . . I forgive you. . . but I certainly hope you’ve learned a good lesson here. I certainly hope you understand the pain your actions have caused.” And we pile on the “I forgive you… but’s”!!!
That’s not what divine forgiveness looks like, and that’s not what divine forgiveness sounds like. Divine forgiveness releases the offender from all debt. You may say, “It’s not fair!” That’s right. It’s not fair. I always tell people, listen, you can if you want, say to God, “Be fair with me. Give me what I deserve and then let me give my offender what they deserve.” And people say, “Well, no, no, no, no. No, I want grace and forgiveness from God, but I want judgment to my offender.” Sorry. You just can’t have it both ways.
We pile on the “I forgive you, but… I’m going to make your life miserable for a while.” The “I forgive you, but’s” are not divine forgiveness.
Psalm 103:10 (ESV)
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
If God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins and he calls us to forgive in like manner as we’ve been forgiven, then we are not to deal with our offender according to their sins. You say, “that’s impossible. I can’t do it.” That’s right. That’s why it’s a test to see if Jesus Christ is alive and well in you. Because if you’re doing this, you’re saying, “Wow! That’s supernatural. I wouldn’t even do that.” That’s right. That’s the Lord.
God calls us to forgive “in the same way” that we’ve been forgiven.
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Approving of or Excusing sin
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Denial (or turning your head) to sin
Divine Forgiveness is NOT Pretending we’re not hurt
Divine Forgiveness is being aware of what’s been done . . .
And right in the midst of that awareness – making a choice of the will to forgive in the same proportion that we have been forgiven.
I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying Christ living in you is your power (by the Holy Spirit) to forgive – in the same proportion that he has forgiven you. Christ living in you is your power to do things that you otherwise never could do.
Test number four is the hardest one. It’s the one that at times, is excruciating for me to even consider, much less have to say. It’s the one that can’t be done by logic, or understanding, or human reasoning. And though it’s number four, it’s actually the ultimate test, and I will tell you there are areas in my life that I am still fighting to believe this by faith. I am leaning into this by faith; still clinging to believe this by faith. Not because I feel it, but because I believe that when God said it, he meant it. Maybe you’ll feel the same when you see it.
Test #4. Are you willing to believe that God was actually AT WORK in the midst of this offense (sin) FOR GOOD?
At times this seems impossible to even consider but by faith, we can trust that it is true, and we have to cling to it.
Genesis 45:5(b)-8(a) (ESV) (Joseph continuing)
5 . . . for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
I want you to know, that would be one of the most impossible things in the world to say in certain situations, in certain offenses. But I’m telling you, it’s supernatural. I don’t understand how. I don’t understand why. I’m not God and I can’t grasp his mind but he says he’s at work and I believe him because he says it. Not because I see it; not because I feel it but because he said it.
Notice – Joseph says, "God sent me . . . to preserve FOR YOU" and then "to keep alive FOR YOU many survivors."
Not only are these the famous BUT GOD verses!!!
Not only does Joseph see God At WORK for GOOD
But he sees God AT WORK for the GOOD of those who sinned against him!!!
That’s a type of Christ, where Joseph is saying, “God sent me through the pain. God sent me for your good.” Who does that sound like? That’s what Christ said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “If there’s any way, Lord, that this cup could pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done.” He knew the pain and he knew God was sending him through the pain, and he knew it was to forgive those who were crucifying him. And then he says, “Now you forgive the same way I’ve forgiven you.” And we say, “No way! Can’t do it!” But we can. We always say, “No way!” at first, but we can do it. Not “WE”, not our flesh, but Jesus Christ living in us. If we have truly been crucified, he is truly alive in us then he’ll forgive just as we’ve been forgiven. I promise you he will.
And Joseph reassures them that it was God at work in the midst of their sin that landed him in Egypt and then, to top it off, he tells them that God was at work, not just for his good – but for their good. That is understanding by faith that God is at work – in all things.
There are times when it takes everything in me to look at a person in the eyes and tell them this! But I know my God. And I know he is at work. And I know he is at work in all things, and I know his plan for you and for me is good. And he has a purpose for us that is good and we must decide whether we believe Romans 8:28 (NIV) or not.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
And we have to get to where we say, “I don’t understand, I don’t feel it but I believe by faith that God was at work for good.” We have to get there by faith. We can’t imagine what Jesus went through when he screamed out at the Cross, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus Christ asking the Father, “Why?” It’s okay to ask God, “Why?” But it’s not okay to demand an answer unless you plan to take his place, otherwise, you can ask him, “why?” but you let him be God.
Test #5. Are you willing to never bring up the offense again; to the offender; to others; to yourself?
Are willing to bury it? To be done with it? To never bring up the offense again? You know the videos you play in your mind about these things? We remind ourselves of the offense. Look at what Joseph does.
I promise you, at this point, this is finished for Joseph it’s over, done, never to be brought up again. Notice, there is no indication he ever had his brothers confess to their father what they had done to him. Never. There’s never an indication that Jacob ever knew what the brothers had done to his favorite son. Never.
Genesis 45:9-15 (ESV)
9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry.
10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’
12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. [NLT = talked freely with him]
This little issue of Joseph’s brothers trying to kill him and then selling him into slavery, it’s done. Finished. Never to be brought up again (and it never is brought up again). There’s no indication Jacob ever knew the events that led up to Joseph being Prime Minister of Egypt. In fact, the subject starts to come up again just after Jacob’s death and Joseph squashes it. Even then he will have nothing to do with it! Joseph has removed this offense as far as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:12 (ESV)
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
How far is the east from the west? It’s a long way. Just past where you could measure – an immeasurable distance. And God calls us to forgive just as (in the same way) that he has forgiven us in Christ. That is humanly impossible. It is only possible with the divine power of the Holy Spirit and the Person of Jesus Christ living in us. It’s an incredible way to live.
Here’s a quick review of the five tests. These are all the things we see Joseph do in his total forgiveness of his brothers.
Test #1. Are you willing to keep the offense just between those involved?
Test #2. Are you willing to put your offender at ease?
Test #3. Are you willing to totally release your offender from all debt?
Test #4. Are you willing to believe that God was actually AT WORK in the midst of this offense (sin) – FOR GOOD?
Test #5. Are you willing to never bring up the offense again; to the offender, to others, to yourself?
If you can answer, “Yes! Yes! Yes! By the power of God, yes!” then you’ve received the gift of divine forgiveness. But, if you would say, “Ummm, not really. Nope. Not at all. Well, maybe, kind of. No. No. Actually, none of the above.” you are who the next five steps are for. If you fail any of these tests, I’m going to quickly give you five steps that you can take.
I don’t say this very often, and so I need to say it here. God gave me these steps while I was eating an overpriced omelet at IHOP. I was sitting with Walt Stoermer, and we were talking about forgiveness, and all of a sudden it just came to me, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And it doesn’t happen that often to me. Most of what I give you, I learn from real scholars, and then I just give it to you. Because this is so core in my life these come from my heart.
These five steps are taught in detail in the message, “Divine Forgiveness in Marriage” and although it’s part of the marriage study, it’s highly recommended for everyone. Because they are taught in detail in that message, and because we are running out of time here, I can only give you a review of these five steps to Living in Divine Forgiveness.
Step #1. Recognize unforgiveness in your heart
That’s the first step. Recognize – say, “God! Search me, try me, see if there be any wicked way in me. Oh! There is! I failed the tests of diving forgiveness. I recognize the sin of unforgiveness in my heart.”
Not justifying! (“Yeah, but you don’t know what they did to me!” “Yeah, but they don’t deserve…”) (“Yeah, but…”)
When are you going to say this? “I’m a sinner!!! I have the sin of unforgiveness and it’s destroying my life.”
Unforgiveness is a sin that “grieves the Holy Spirit” and it separates us from God and from those in our lives and we end up feeling “tortured” just like the “Unforgiving Servant” in Matthew Chapter 18 verses 21 and following. Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Jealousy. Envy. All are signs you must recognize as unforgiveness.
Step #2. Receive God’s command to forgive (by faith)
Faith is the opposite of feeling. “God, I receive your command to forgive just as I have been forgiven. I receive it, I hear it. Just like I received you as my Savior, I receive your command to forgive. Not because I feel like it; not because I understand, but by faith.”
“I believe your Word and I will crucify my own self-will in order to receive your command.”
If you will receive God’s command to forgive without reservation, then you will begin to experience the supernatural transformation of divine forgiveness in your life. You must receive God’s command to forgive (by faith).
Step #3. Repent of your sin (with godly sorrow)
Repent of your sins, not theirs. It’s not, “Well, as soon as they repent enough then I’ll think about it.” When you say that it means “as soon as you bring enough vengeance, or a soon as you bring enough judgment.” That’s kind of like God – only opposite!
You repent of your sin. “God, forgive me.”
Unforgiveness is a sin that separates you from God and gives the devil a wide-open door to wreak havoc in your life. It is a sin that must be repented of – just like any other sin.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; . . .
Repentance means “a change of mind, your thoughts, purpose, and action.” Godly sorrow is agreeing with God about your sin. If you will have godly sorrow over your sin of unforgiveness it will bring repentance over your sin of unforgiveness, and you will change your mind and your actions as soon as you begin to agree with God that you are in sin.
The greatest display of repentance in the Bible is Psalm 51. If you desire to move toward divine forgiveness, Psalm 51 must be the prayer of your heart. We must repent with godly sorrow of our sin of unforgiveness.
Step #4. Replace your hard heart with God’s heart (be transformed)
This is the key, by the way. It seems like the crescendo test and the crescendo step both are in number four.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
At the Cross, there was that “exchange of hearts.” Jesus Christ took upon himself our heart of sin and he gave us his own heart. (2 Corinthians 5:21 and Romans Chapter 6.)
Romans 12:1-2 explains how this transformation takes place and Ephesians 4:22-24 explains our role of putting off the old nature and putting on the new nature.
Do you know what is keeping you from forgiving? It’s your unforgiving heart. Replace it. Replace it with God’s heart.
This is the massive step and I can’t go through it all here, so you have to get the message from our "Give Up" series "Living in Divine Forgiveness" and study it. But God has made a way for us (in Christ) to have the attributes of God’s own heart and not our own. We must replace our hard heart with God’s heart.
And then finally step number five. It’s the easy one.
Step #5. Repeat as often as necessary
This is the secret to living in divine forgiveness.
Repeat. That means go back to number one and do it again. How often? Now. How often? Now. How often? Now. Repeat.
So, if you failed in any of the five tests of divine forgiveness then here are the five steps you must begin to take.
1). Recognize unforgiveness in your heart
2). Receive God’s command to forgive (by faith)
3). Repent of your sin (with godly sorrow)
4). Replace your hard heart with God’s heart (be transformed)
5). Repeat as often as necessary
I have seen it do miracles – not only in my own life but in other people’s lives as well. And sometimes when I see people forgive like this, they walk away, and I think, “Whoa! Lord! I don’t know that I could have forgiven like that.” But I’m still believing. I’m still walking in it. I’m still experiencing the supernatural power of divine forgiveness.
You don’t have to be a slave to your unforgiveness. Anger, bitterness, and resentment don’t have to destroy your life.
Have you found yourself feeling comfortable in your anger, in your bitterness, in your resentment for some offense? Do you have a right? Boy, you do. You have a right to be angry. You have a right as long as Jesus isn’t your Lord. If Jesus is your Lord, you don’t have a right because he told you to forgive the same way he forgave you. Is he Lord, or not?
There is no offense that cannot be overcome by God’s divine forgiveness.
There’s no offense too big for God. No offense and they’re all too big for you. The devil will use unforgiveness to get his hook, his claw, in you, and destroy your life. But there is no offense too big for God.
You can begin to get victory over the sin of unforgiveness – right now. And you can begin this process right now.
God is waiting for you.