The Principles of Forgiveness: Part 1

0:00 This week's message is the principles of forgiveness. Part one, forgiveness. I want to start a new series today about forgiveness. Forgiveness, forgiveness. It's a very important topic.

0:27 Failure to forgive can and will impact your life. and over the next several weeks, I'm not sure how many weeks, but over the next several weeks, I want to talk about and give you some principles. Matter of fact, if I would have called this series, it's the principles of forgiveness.

0:50 It can hinder your walk with God. It can hinder God's ability to prosper you and bless you, And I want to challenge you to hear and receive and accept the teachings of the word of God on this matter. Because if you don't forgive somebody else, God cannot forgive you. Go ahead, tell your neighbor. They didn't hear me. Tell them what I just said. Yeah, if you don't forgive, God cannot forgive you.

1:28 Now, what I want to do today is preach a narrative story. It's a narrative message, a story. I want to tell you a story. And I want to wait and give you my main scripture at the end. now look to your neighbor and say can you stay awake to the end What I want to do today is talk through the story of a gentleman in the Bible named Joseph.

2:09 Joseph is in the Old Testament Genesis. Matter of fact, I'm going to give you several scriptures from Genesis. He has such a remarkable story. And I want to just walk you through his journey and his story because he had a situation. Joseph was born one of several sons. Joseph found himself in a peculiar situation. He had been, he found himself in a place where he was his father's favorite child. His father's favorite child. And one day he had a dream that he told his brothers. He told his brothers about his dream.

3:04 And his brothers didn't like the dream. because in his dream, his brothers bowed down to him and had to obey him. And because of that dream, his brothers hated him, disliked him. Matter of fact, they disliked him so much that they decided to kill him. They decided to put him in a ditch and leave him there to die. And while he was in the ditch, some fellas, some other hoodlums came by and purchased Joseph from them. So they pulled him up out of the ditch, out of the pit. They pulled him up and sold him into what ultimately becomes some hoodlums, some jokers. and those jokers in fact turned and sold Joseph into to some people who made him a slave.

4:12 He became a slave and he ended up in the house of a general and the army of the Egyptians, a fellow by the name of Potiphar, General Potiphar. Are y'all still with me? he ended up in Potiphar's house and while he was in Potiphar's house Potiphar's wife took a liking to Joseph and she tried to sleep with Joseph I feel tension in the room. All sexual abuse is not done by men. she got mad because he didn't he did not respond to her aggressive act he did not respond and she told her husband the general of the army and of the egyptian army she told her husband that Joseph tried to rape her.

5:32 She lied and told that Joseph tried to rape her. And Potiphar cast Joseph in the prison. While he's in prison, he has some jailmates. He has a butler and a baker that were his jailmates. And they both had dreams. Are y'all still with me? they both had dreams and he interpreted both of their dreams he told the butler you're gonna get out but you're gonna be killed he told the one you're going to die he told the other you're going to live and he said when you get out and you live and you get elevated you get your job back remember me of course they both got out and forgot all about Joseph till ultimately one day the pharaoh had a dream that nobody else could interpret nobody else could interpret and so the the butler finally remembered about joseph and said joseph can joseph uh is able i know a fellow in jail he can interpret your dream and so they called joseph and joseph came out and interpreted pharaoh's dream and the pharaoh's dream he said you there's your dream means there's going to be seven years of famine and and there's going to be seven, slow down, Pastor.

7:04 Seven years of prosperity, and then there's going to be seven years of famine. And so he said to the Pharaoh, what you need to do is store and save during prosperity so that when the famine come, we can survive the famine. Do y'all know this? See, if y'all knew the story, I wouldn't have to tell y'all this. I wouldn't have to walk in mind. If y'all would read the Bible, I wouldn't have to tell you the story. And so, in fact, everything that Joseph said comes to pass. The famine comes. And after the famine goes, I'm sorry, the prosperity comes. And they save during the prosperity. Then the famine comes and they're able to survive during the famine. It's a remarkable thing. As a matter of fact, when Joseph interpreted the dream, the Pharaoh elevated him and made him the number two man in all of the land. You're going to get me right there.

7:58 and during the famine during the time when the crops died and there was a famine in the land they had saved up and Joseph was in charge of managing the money of managing the resources that they had saved all during the time of prosperity and those brothers Joseph brothers had to come to Egypt and ask Joseph for some food. Y'all missed it. Y'all missed the story. The same brothers who sold him into slavery years before now have to come and ask him for help. You better be careful how you treat people on your way to wherever you're going. Joseph learned some lessons during his difficult days.

9:02 He learned some lessons. He was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, lied on by Potiphar's wife, forgotten about by his jailmates, but ultimately one day God elevates him to a place of prosperity and authority. it's great it's wonderful so I want to talk to you about this because you are going somewhere God has a destiny for you he has a future for you and it's important how you treat your people on your way to wherever you're going Go ahead, lean over, tell your neighbor. He's preaching better than you're saying amen. how did Joseph do it how did he how did he get to a place of doing what he did I'm grateful for this man's life in chapter 39 if you have your Bibles open up to chapter 39 and I'm going to start by looking at how he behaved how Joseph responded when he was in slavery.

10:17 Sold into slavery by his brothers, rejected, hated. They had planned to kill him. This is just a dramatic story, but he had an attitude that you and I can learn to have. In chapter 39, I'm going to read these first six verses. Here's what it says. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house and all that he had he put under his authority.

11:17 So it was from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had that the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph's sake. Stick a pen right there. Can I pause for a second? I'm coming back to that spot. Hold your finger right there. Amen. Some of y'all don't know just the fact that you're in a place will cause God to bring favor to that place. Thank you. And the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Here's a man, here's the thing I'm trying to get you to see. While he was a slave, he had the right attitude. Let me say that again.

12:10 While he was a slave, he had the right attitude. See, if that had been you, you would have an attitude the whole time. You would be mad. You would be cussing people out. Every time you had a chance to talk to somebody, you'd be saying what you said. This man, while he was a slave, while he was a slave, he had a right attitude. Did I say while he was a slave? He had the right attitude. He was so hated by his brother, sold into slavery. But while he was a slave, while he was in that posture, he had the right attitude. Some of y'all need to learn to have the right attitude. slide down to verse 21 and 23. Now he's in prison. Potiphar's wife had lied on him. Now he's in prison. What's his attitude in prison? Verse 21. And, but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and he gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand, all the prisoners who were in the prison, whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority because the Lord was with him and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

13:33 I feel a shout right there. The picture I'm trying to get you to see through all of the stuff that Joseph has gone through, he has the right attitude. I want y'all to get this, hear me on this. all the things that happened, his brothers hating him, his brothers selling him into slavery, him becoming a slave, him becoming lied on and cast into prison during the whole time. Guess what the scripture says? In both cases, the Lord was with him. I'm here to tell you, I don't care what you're going through, what your drama is, remind yourself that the Lord is with you. The Lord was with him. And then in chapter 41, I don't have time to go there. Read it when you get a chance. Let me tell you, write this down. Chapter 41, verses 37 through 46. Write it down. God elevates Joseph, elevates him to a place of prestige, a place of power. He gets elevated.

14:28 But I want to ask the question, how did Joseph have such a positive attitude? how could he go through all of the stuff that he's gone through and he has a great attitude I'm glad you asked the question because you need to learn what he did so that you can have a positive attitude wake the person up next to you can y'all stay awake with me doing this just punch him to the side say wake up the pastor is talking to you how was he able to go through all of that with a positive attitude? How could he go through being lied on, hated? How could he go through being cast into a pit? They threw Joseph into a pit, his brothers did. They hated him, they threw him in the pit, they were going to kill him, they wanted him to die, but all of this, he has a positive attitude.

15:26 He has a right, how could he do that? I'm glad you asked the question. Go to chapter 45. I'm almost finished. Are y'all with me so far? Have I confused anybody yet? Y'all following this story? Okay, chapter 45, Joseph teaches us a couple of critical lessons. it's in chapter 45 that his brothers come to him and Joseph reveals himself to them chapter 45 he recognized his brothers. They come to him to ask for some food.

16:12 And in chapter 45, verse 4, here's something you got to learn. Joseph said to his brothers, please come near to me. Stop, stick a pen right there. That's your first problem. You're trying to stay away from the people who have hurt you. you hating on them. You want them to hurt as bad as you hurt. But he had an attitude to say he drew his brothers near to him. I know that's the opposite of what your flesh wants to do. Your flesh don't want to be nowhere near anybody that tried to hurt you. Your flesh, you don't even want to take their phone call. When you see their name pop up on caller ID, you don't answer their phone. But that's not the attitude of a Christian. The best for a person who has a relationship with Jesus. You are the person that God wants to use to show somebody the love of God.

17:07 You are the instrument that God wants to use. And Joseph, I love what he did. He could have paid his brothers back. He could have hurt his brothers. He could have sent them to jail. He could have denied them. He could have said, I ain't helping y'all. Y'all treated me. Y'all tried to kill me. You threw me into a pit. You sold me into slavery. He could have, but he didn't. What did he say? come near to me I feel tension in the room he said please come near to me so they came near then he said I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt let me help you out I'm the one you tried to get fired I'm the one that you you tried to hurt I'm the one that you didn't think I was going to be anything I'm the one that you thought I was going to be defeated.

18:03 You thought, you thought that by selling me into slavery, you would end my journey. You thought by throwing me into a pit, you would hurt me. You thought, but look at where I am now. I like to say to people today, look at me now. Come on, somebody. I want y'all to practice. Here's what you got to practice. Look, practice this. Look at me now.

18:30 Go ahead. Come on, y'all, say, look at me now. You thought I was going to be, look, I had to confess. Can I confess my sins to y'all? Let me confess my sins. Before I became the pastor of First Baptist, I had a whole lot of churches I applied for, but none of them, some of them never even called me to tell me I wasn't selected. but when they call me now I like to say to them look at me now come on somebody say amen look at me I'm telling y'all practice look at me now you didn't think I was going to be much but look at me now you thought I would never achieve anything go anywhere be anything but baby look at me now look at the doors that God has opened look at the prayers he's answered look at the resources he's put under my authority Look at the things he has done on my behalf.

19:26 I don't know who I'm talking to, but you got to start practicing because where God's going to take you, you're going to be able to say, look at me now. What you did didn't hurt me, didn't defeat me. You thought you would frustrate me, but look at me now. Somebody high five your neighbor and say, look at me now. I'm the one you sold. I'm the one you lied on. I'm the one you tried to get fired. I'm the one you wanted me to be defeated. Ah! Ah! Ah!

20:06 I wish I could holler. I'd say, ah! Keep that in mind for how you treat somebody who has hurt you. You don't pay them back. You don't try to do to them what they did to you. You are a Christian. Don't reject your offenders. That's my word. Don't reject your offenders. But here's one more thing. I got one last thing and then I'm done. chapter 45 look at verse 5 through 8 but now this is Joseph talking to his brothers but now do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here for God sent me before you to preserve life What a mess.

21:23 for these two years the famine has been in the land and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing or harvesting and God sent me before you to preserve a posterity to reserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now, I like this verse 8. It was not you who sent me here, but God.

22:07 Wooo! Butt gone! Woo! Hey! Somebody say, but God. somebody got to learn how to say but God tell your neighbor but God you didn't do it but God it was not your doing you thought you did it but it was God it was God who knew that there was a famine coming in the land. It was God who knew what the circumstances were going to be. It was but God who made a plan. It was God who worked it out. Here's what I'm trying to get you to understand. Whatever somebody done to you, whatever they said to try to hurt you, to defeat you, to frustrate you, get you fired, get you hurt, God had a plan all the time. And what you need to do is recognize it wasn't them who did it, but it's God who orchestrated the events of your life to get you to where he wanted you to be.

23:31 Somebody say, but God. Tell your neighbor, but God. High five somebody, say, but God. Joseph had an attitude through all of the journey, through all of the things that he went through, he had an attitude that God was in control. Y'all keep looking at people thinking that they did something to you when God had to do it to train you, to teach you, to prepare you, and to bring you to a place that he wanted you to be. Somebody say, but God. You see, Joseph stood in front of his brothers. And here is what he said without saying. Let me put it to you in street language.

24:21 The reason I'm here in front of you, able to give you food in the midst of this famine, I'm here because I interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams. Hold up. I'm the number two man in all the land. And the number, he says, the reason I'm the number two man in all the land is because I interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams. And the only reason I could interpret the Pharaoh's dream is because I was in jail and I was able to interpret his dream. I heard about his dreams. They asked me and I interpreted. And so I interpreted his dream and he made me the number two man in the land. And the only reason I can interpret his dream is because I was in jail. And the only reason I was in jail is because I was in Potiphar's house. And I was in Potiphar's house. His wife lied on me. And the reason she lied on me is because I got sold into being a slave. And the reason I got sold into being a slave is because my brothers didn't like me.

25:16 And my brothers didn't like me because I had a dream that I told them about. And my brothers didn't like me because I had that dream. And they got upset with me because I told them about my dream. and they didn't like me because I was my father's favorite child. And all I'm trying to say is I got...