A Bitter Generation

We are part of a bitter generation.  Many of us are overwhelmed by past slights and offenses.  So overwhelmed that there’s no room for forgiveness and in our zeal for revenge we hurt others and the hurts we inflict on them lead to their own bitterness.  This is a generation that demands redress for past hurts…often we are driven by revenge.

In the book Moby Dick there is a violent confrontation at sea, the great whale had sliced off Ahab’s leg.  He was then carried to his bunk and forced to endure the trip home; long days and nights, thinking about the pain and suffering laying blame on the whale.  Look at Melville’s description of this episode:

For long months of days and weeks, Ahab and anguish lay stretched together in one hammock, rounding in midwinter that dreary, howling Patagonian Cape, then it was that his torn body and gashed soul bled into one another and so interfusing, made him mad.

Ahab responded to this, as a man possessed of bitterness.  Obsessed with hate, he set his face to search out and destroy Moby Dick, whatever the cost.  He fitted a ship, hired a crew, and mounted a voyage of vengeance, which led to his death, the destruction of his ship, and the loss of all men except one, Ishmael, who lived to tell the tale.

Ahab is a picture of our generation.  Road rage is a manifestation of bitterness, as the driver who made an error is pursued and injured or killed.  Racism and prejudice are manifestations of bitterness.  We aren't accepting people at face value, allowing past hurts and misunderstandings to color our view of another person, judging them on their skin color rather than their character.

We've used bitterness as a way of achieving political goals.  Bitterness doesn't unite it divides.  Bitterness doesn't heal it undermines.  Bitterness is bred by cynicism.  Bitterness is a condition of the heart:

Proverbs 14:10 (NKJV)
^14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.

Cynicism and bitterness are a symptom of sin and rebellion.  They’re carnal thoughts; they’re of the flesh and when we’re in our flesh we’re enemies of God. 

Today I want to post on bitterness from this text:

Genesis 49:5-7 (NKJV)
^49:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. ⁶ Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

The Separation of Bitterness

Robertson McQuilkin, first president of Columbia International University, once said:

“The sin of unforgiveness is a cancer that destroys relationships, eats away at one’s

own psyche, and – worst of all – shuts us off from God’s grace.”

Our text takes place as Jacob is preparing to die.  He’s called his sons to himself in order to bless them.  These are his final words.  These are the things that he is trying to speak into their lives.  This is the moment when he is trying to impart something personal to each son, he’s speaking to their future; he’s speaking to their character and in what those things will result.  He’s prophesying over their lives.

The prophecy that he speaks over Simeon and Levi isn't a blessing, is it?   He’s speaking of them being divided, “Let not my soul enter into their council:  Let not my honor be united to their assembly.”  He’s saying that he doesn't want to be associated with them.  He’s their father, why would he seek to be separate them from himself?  What’s caused this separation between them?  We can look at the story in Genesis 34 and see the problem as it arises.  First, there was an offense:

Genesis 34:1-4 (NKJV)
^34:1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. ² And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. ³ His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. ⁴ So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as a wife."

Shechem has violated their sister.  They’re undoubtedly angry…and rightfully so.  Shechem has caused injury to this young woman and they’re righteously angry.  We don’t have to stand by and watch as those we love are violated; as we ourselves are violated.

Ephesians 4:26 (NKJV)
^4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

There will be anger in our lives, toward injustice and violation, but allowing that anger to control us is sin.  Look at what happens next:

Genesis 34:8-9 (NKJV)
^34:8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. ⁹ And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.

Genesis 34:11-12 (NKJV)
^34:11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. ¹² Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."

Shechem violated Dinah, but we see a desire on his part to make it right.  Shechem wants to do the right thing here.  She’s been defiled and so she’s undesirable for any other man, but Shechem wants to marry her.  Look at Simeon and Levi’s response to this situation:

Genesis 34:14-15 (NKJV)
^34:14 And they said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. ¹⁵ But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,

Genesis 34:25-26 (NKJV)
^34:25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. ²⁶ And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out.

Genesis 34:29 (NKJV)
^34:29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

They destroyed all that was in Shechem, because the bitterness that had arisen in them over the violation of Dinah, had exploded into rage.  The whole scene is an act of rage, but it’s in response to bitterness.  Look at what happens in the end:

Genesis 34:30 (NKJV)
^34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."

Relationships were destroyed.  Jacob became offensive to the people who lived in the area, because of the cruelty of Simeon and Levi.  This is an interesting moment in scripture, because they were offended, there was a horrendous thing that was done to their innocent and decent sister.  Many times in our lives when things happen to us, we’re justified in our indignation at an event or over some terrible thing that’s been perpetrated on us.  Bitterness is not an answer, because it divides, it destroys relationships and often results in even more horrendous things being done.  In this situation, innocent men were killed.  Children were deprived of their fathers.  Women and children were taken into slavery.  Now it isn't one person who suffers but many, many more.

A number of years ago, there was a young man who killed thirty-two people at Virginia Tech University.  His rationale was that young woman rejected him, she was the first person killed, but he went on a rampage and killed thirty others and finally himself.  In the midst of all of this he’d sent a press release to the local television news, outlining and detailing every hurt that he’d received.  He focused on wealthy young people and women who had hurt him.  His bitterness had coalesced into rage and revenge, and damaged hundreds of people.

Think about his family, his parents.  How has this affected them?  Think about the families of those innocents who’d been killed.  Maybe this young man had legitimate cause for anger.  Maybe he was justified in that.  Maybe he had been mistreated and beaten down, but the question is, “Has his bitterness and revenge liberated him?”  No, he’s been destroyed; killed by his own bullet, and he’s destroyed innocent lives. 

What will bitterness buy you and I?  We may never commit and act like this.  We may never act out on our bitterness is rage like this.  We may just store it up, seething at the mention of a name, becoming enraged by this person’s good fortune and as a result isolating ourselves from everyone else.

Think about this for a moment.  Have you ever known someone who is consumed with hatred for someone else?  How much fun are they to be around?  How often do you go looking for them to spend a pleasant afternoon?  I find it tedious, at best, to be around people who can’t ever get off the subject of someone who’s hurt him or her.  Most people do, and so what we do is stay away from that person.  Bitterness isolates.

The Loss of Inheritance

Genesis 49:7 (NKJV)
^49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.

This portion of our text speaks of our inheritance.  We must understand that Jacob is speaking in prophecy here.  In other words this is God speaking through the lips of Jacob.  Prophetically, he’s speaking of their inheritance.  He’s looking into the future.  He’s looking into the promise of God to Abraham, that they will be given the land of Canaan.  He’s telling them that because of what they’ve done they won’t see an inheritance of their own.  Their portion will go to Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manassas.  The portions of Simeon and Levi’s descendants will be scattered throughout the land given to other tribes.

In the book of Joshus we see the fulfillment of this prophecy:

Joshua 19:9 (NKJV)
^19:9 The inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah, for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people.

Joshua 21:3 (NKJV)
^21:3 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their common-lands:
 

The tribe of Simeon was scattered throughout Judah.  The same is true of the Levites, they were given cities throughout Israel.  Bitterness and rage cost them their own inheritance and it will cost us as well.  Bitterness is a spiritual poison that leads to our being bound by iniquity or the “stain of sin.”  Look at what Peter says to Simon who has offered money for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He’s seen the power and he wants it for himself for his own gain:

Acts 8:23 (NKJV)
^8:23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."

You are POISONED by BITTERNESS and bound by iniquity.

Do you remember the story of a former KGB agent who received a dose of Polonium?  Polonium is a radioactive isotope.  It acts like a poison in the system.  He lost his hair, his organs slowly shut down, and eventually he died.  Bitterness is a spiritual poison that will eventually result in spiritual death. The book of Hebrews also speaks of bitterness:

Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV)
^12:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

A root of bitterness defiles us; we are made foul, or filthy.  Those that were defiled were unable to enter into the temple or the presence of God.  We will be unable to enter in to the kingdom, if we are defiled by bitterness.  In other words, straight out, bitterness is sin.  The bitter will not receive the inheritance that God has for them.  We are living in a generation that is defiled by bitterness.

The Antidote is Forgiveness

Every cat knows, some things must be buried – Ruth Bell Graham

Someone else said, “When you bury the hatchet, don’t bury it in your neighbors head.”

The problem for us is that we have a tendency to dwell on injury and that causes the injury to become larger in our eyes.  We had this dog that had a cyst on his foot.  It was swollen and I would imagine that it was a little tender.  He continued to lick it; he licked it all the time.  Any time he wasn’t engaged in something else, he was licking his foot.  The result was it became more visible.  He licked the hair off it, it seemed larger, and it was shiny and more noticeable.  It looked worse than it really was.  We took him to the bet and the only way to cure that cyst was to cut it away.

The same thing is true with dwelling on past hurts.  The hurt becomes larger and has more impact on us than before.  If the dog continued to mess with that cyst it would become an open wound and become infected.  The same thing is true of our psyche; we must cut the injury free.  The cutting takes place through forgiveness.

We must allow the injury to be removed to rid ourselves of the pain.  At some point you just have to let it go, before it destroys you.

A number of years ago a man walked into an Amish school and lined up a number of young girls and killed them.  This was a powerful injury to that community.  What a horrible thing to face; the death of innocent young girls.  If anyone had a right to seek revenge it was this community.  If anyone had been horribly wronged it was this community.  But they didn’t dwell on the hurt.  They grieved; they buried the children and then as a community they forgave this man who murdered their daughters.

Did the forgiveness help the murderer?  No, he still suffered the in the guilt of what he had done.  He was still prosecuted for the crime and will still face the punishment as set by the courts, but the Amish were released.  They were able to get beyond the pain.  Do you think those parents felt like forgiving?  How would you feel if your child was murdered?  Would forgiveness be the first thing you felt for the murderer?  Probably not, most of us would want to return the favor wouldn’t we?  We love the scripture “an eye for and eye…” don’t we?  It appeals to our sense of justice, but what does Jesus say?

Matthew 5:38-39 (NKJV)
^5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Jesus says, that we should endure injury without inflicting injury back.

Luke 6:27-28 (NKJV)
^6:27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

These things aren’t easy, though.  There not things we would do naturally. He’s telling us we must forgive.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV)
^6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

So we need to make a choice to forgive.  It isn’t a natural reaction; it’s a reaction of will.  It’s something we must make ourselves do.  If you seek forgiveness you must first forgive.

When John Wesley was traveling by ship to America he heard a strange noise in the cabin of General Oglethorpe, the Governor of Virginia.  Wesley stepped in to see what was happening.  The General’s servant had stolen and drunk the entire stock of the general’s favorite wine.

“But I will be avenged,” the general shouted.  Then he ordered the servant bound hand and foot and taken away for severe punishment.  “For you know Mr. Wesley, I never forgive.”  Wesley replied, “In that case sir, I hope you never sin.”

The general was chastened by Wesley’s rebuke, took out his keys and threw them at his servant saying, “There, villain, take my keys and behave better in the future.”

His natural instinct was for revenge and punishment; he had to make an effort to forgive.  Wesley pointed out what it means to live out the scripture.  If you can’t forgive how can you expect to be forgiven.

Finally, there is the example of Jesus.  He’d been scourged; He’d been beaten.  He’d been mocked, ridiculed and humiliated.  He’d been hung on a cross to die a slow and agonizing death.  As he hung there, there was no repentance on the part of his tormenters and murderers.  The Romans didn’t care about his death.  The Temple leaders were delighted in His death; they continued to mock Him.  Jesus, himself says he could have called down twelve legions of angels to protect Him.  Instead of crying out for vengeance, He cried out “Father, forgive them.”  He’s not asking us to do anything He hasn’t done himself.  We gain nothing by bitterness but more suffering.  By forgiving we gain eternal life.

Our Lord and Rescuer: The Straight Skinny

I listen to a lot of preaching and I read a lot of sermons and books, and I find it surprising how much of it is on the deeper things of God:  Deep heavy theological thoughts, on obscure passages and ideas.  For the place where I’m ministering these things are too deep and complicated to get across with all the cultural and language barriers.  It’s not because people couldn't grasp it, but because I have a difficult time communicating it to them within their cultural context.  The problem is mine, not theirs.

But in reading these things I realize that the gospel was meant to be simple. It’s meant to be understood in all cultures and by all people.  The Gospel works everywhere it’s tried, but a failure to reach people is usually the fault of the communicator.  So in thinking about this today, I want to approach the Gospel with some simplicity.  The Gospel is intended to be straightforward; it’s good news. 

In the US we have a term for that, it’s called the “Straight Skinny.”  That term merely means the unembellished truth.  I’m going to tell a story that I think will illustrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So here it is, the straight skinny…

In 1991 something took place that rarely happens.  Three storm fronts collided to create a situation that meteorologists referred to as the “The Perfect Storm.”  During this storm in 1991, a warm front, a cold front and a hurricane combined to create 100-foot waves, high winds and torrential rains. 

If you know anything about sailing this is a very bad time to be at sea.  However, in this storm a thirty-two foot sailing vessel, the Sartori by name, found itself in high seas.  The crew consisted of a very experienced captain and two somewhat inexperienced women.  The women became frightened as the vessel slammed its sail against the sea and then righted itself, and called the US Coast Guard, who came out in a helicopter to rescue the crew of the Sartori.

What makes this a powerful story isn't that the people needed rescue, but it was the action of the Coast Guard that’s important.  The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter into the high winds of the hurricane.  They flew out to the Sartori, and then a lone man, called a rescue swimmer, jumped into the high winds and huge waves to evacuate the crew: A lone man swimming against the power of a hurricane and 100-foot seas. 

This man put his life at risk in order to rescue these people.  He was jumping into an extremely dangerous situation; not for himself; not for the glory or recognition, but selflessly for other people.  He was fully prepared to give his life to rescue them; he was the first into the water and the last one out.

John 15:13 (NKJV)
^15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
 

We have a friend that was willing to do exactly that:  To give His life for us.  That’s what I want to declare to you today our Lord and Rescuer.

1 Timothy 1:12-15 (NKJV)
^1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

God Can Use Us, Even Though

In verse 12 of our text, Paul is speaking of the trust that God has placed in him.  I am often amazed by the grace of God.  God’s gracious, Paul is a blasphemer and a persecutor, and yet God is using him.  I want you to take a moment and think about this, because we are in the same boat as Paul.  We love Jesus and we’re trying to live out his will…now.  But it wasn't always that way, was it?  At one point we were as bad as Paul.  Look at this scripture.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
^6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

That pretty much sums most of us up.  We all are at least one, if not all, of those things.  We were opposed to the will of God.  We were at enmity with God.  We were opposed to living the will of God; in fact, we were opposed to anything other than what made us feel good.  Am I right or am I wrong?

Even though we were all that, now God has entrusted us with His purpose and will on earth.  We are God’s plan for salvation for the world.  It’s up to us to draw others.  It’s up to us to lead others to Jesus.   It’s a sacred trust between God and Christians.   Maybe you’re reading this and you’re not a Christian.  Maybe you’re just here, on this website, exploring what this is all about.  Maybe you've been attending church, but you still don’t see the value in Christianity.  The value in it is right here in what Paul is saying.  Even though we have been a rebel and a sinner, God has had mercy and given us a way out of the punishment of our sin.  The sin and the filthiness are all taken away.  It’s not just that we are forgiven; the Bible tells us that the sin is removed; washed away.  We’re cleansed, we’re sanctified, (holy; literally made as saints), and we’re justified; made innocent.  God did that for us, even though.  Even though we were rebels and enemies of God, because we did those things in ignorance.  We didn't know what we were doing. 

Isn't that what Jesus said, as he looked at those who brutalized and crucified Him.  In the midst of all that he looked down from the cross at the people who were murdering Him and called out, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”  Look at His words:

Luke 23:33-34a (NKJV)
^23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."…

He said, “They don’t know what they’re doing.”  They didn't know what they were doing.  Do you think if they knew they were crucifying God that they would have done it?  That’s just like us; we don’t see our sin from God’s perspective before we have Jesus in our life.  We don’t know we’re offending God.  It just doesn't occur to us.  If we knew God was real and that we were offending the Creator of the Universe, we wouldn't do it, would we?  Some of us maybe, but most of us wouldn't want to offend the creator.  After all, we’re ignorant; we’re not crazy. 

God used Jesus in the same way the US Coast Guard uses rescue swimmers.  Think about this, rescue swimmers jump out of the relative safety of a helicopter, into the storms and troubles that others are facing, risking death, in an attempt to rescue them.  That’s what Jesus did.  He became man:  He took on the troubles and storms of life that we are facing to rescue us.  We face certain death…the Bible says we are dead in our sin.  He jumped into the world from the safety of Heaven to rescue us from certain death.

In this same storm, another man, another rescue swimmer, in the midst of another rescue died.  He disappeared into the storm and was lost at sea.  The people were rescued but the rescue swimmer died.  He gave his life for those people.  This is exactly what Jesus did.  His death rescued us:  His spilled blood was the payment for our sin, our wrong behavior.  Because of his death we are rescued; saved and then we are entrusted to be a part of the rescue of other people.  “The grace of our Lord is exceedingly abundant.

God’s Mercy is Abundant

That’s what mercy is all about.  The whole thing is amazing to me.  In the beginning of time, Adam and Eve rebelled from God.  They did the one thing He told them not to do and because of that they lost the Garden.  They lost the place that God gave them that met every one of their needs, because they chose themselves over God’s will.  That’s basically what happened.  They chose to be like God rather than to obey God.  That’s the choice that they made and it cost them the Garden.  They were kicked out.  God separated Himself from them.

The tree of life was now off limits for them.  The thing that gave eternal life was now out of reach.  We can’t have eternal life and sin at the same time.  It’s one or the other.  So they were separated from God and they were to remain separated for centuries. 

So about now you might be thinking, where’s this mercy, you've been hearing about; this exceedingly abundant mercy.  The mercy is found in the beginning, immediately after they sinned.  This is an interesting moment:

God is laying curses on them.  Eve would have pain in childbirth.  She was crested to be the mother of all, that’s what Eve means, mother of all.  But now that blessing would be the curse.  God had given Adam food, shelter, and everything he needed.  He even gave Eve to him.  Now Adam is going to have to work for it.  What was freely given before would require sweat and struggle.  There will be thorns and thistles, pain and setbacks. 

He said these things after he had cursed Satan.  What He told Satan was that an offspring of Eve would come and destroy his power.  His power was the power to lead us into hell; to keep us in the bondage of rebellion:  A slave to sin.  That’s what we all are:

John 8:34 (NKJV)
^8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

We all do things that we know are wrong; even though we know we shouldn't do them we do them anyway.  We’re slaves to it.  It’s sin and we’re slaves to it.  This is what God’s mercy is all about; we didn't deserve what God did for us.  What would we do if someone did something wrong that hurt us?  We would want to get revenge.  That’s what we do when we’re angry…”It would serve them right if ______________ (fill in the blank with something horrible.)

Look at what God did.  He said, they did wrong and they hurt Me, so I will send someone to make it right.  Someone who will pay the price for what they have done. Someone to take their punishment for them, even though they hurt Me.  Someone who will go to His death so they won’t have to, just the same way that the rescue swimmer who died to rescue other people did.

In the storm, the people who were out in the in Sartori shouldn't have been there.  They’d heard about the storms converging.  They knew what was coming.  They were ignorant.  They ignored the warning, that’s ignorance.  Even though they knew all that, a rescue swimmer was sent to go in after them.  A man was sent to rescue them…even though.

That’s mercy, they didn't deserve it but a rescuer was sent for them anyway.  That’s mercy.  That’s also what God did for us.  We didn't deserve it but it was done for us, anyway…that’s God’s mercy.  What makes it exceedingly abundant mercy is the price that God paid to rescue us. 

Think about the family of the rescue swimmer who died trying to rescue those people who were out where they shouldn't have been.  Do you wonder how they felt?  “ We've lost a heroic, selfless man, because he wanted to rescue some idiots who had no business being out there in the first place.  Look what we traded for them.”  That’s what they were thinking, probably.  That’s what I would have been thinking.  Look at the price we paid for them.

Look at the price God paid for us.  Some of us though, we make that sacrifice of little value because we continue in sin. We remain ignorant of the price that was paid for us, or we neglect to help others to understand the price that was paid for them.

I was reading something on the Internet the other day that made me want to throw my computer on the floor:  Made me want to just toss it out the 10^th floor window.  Some guy, some pastor said he hates when we say things to people about their sin and the ultimate result of sin…hell.  He said we shouldn't do that.  He said we should let people just find his or her own way to God.

That goes against everything I believe as a Christian.  There was a price that was paid for that sin; a heavy price.  As a Christian I shouldn't let that price be wasted by not bringing it to people’s attention.  Otherwise, how will people know they’re doing it? 

Jesus confronted the woman at the well.  She’d been married five times and now she was shacking up with another man.  Jesus said, “Bring your husband to me.”    She’s telling him how religious she is and he says, “Bring your husband to me.”  That’s confrontation.  Jesus didn't hold back and neither should we.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  They don’t realize that it’s sin and that they will have to pay a heavy price for it.  Somebody needs to tell them, so they can escape the price.  When we continue to sin or refuse to warn others we make that price that was paid worth nothing.

What if the people who were rescued through the death of the rescue swimmer, went into the next storm, and the next, and continued to need to be rescued.  It would mean that that man gave his life for nothing.  Those people would be frivolous with the lives of those who risk it all to rescue them.  When we continue in our si,n or allow others to do the same we are being frivolous with God’s mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice.

Jesus went to the cross to free us from slavery to sin. He did it to destroy Satan’s power over mankind.  He did it to rescue us

He Saves Sinners

Finally, here’s the good news.  That what the Gospel is, that’s what I said at the very beginning of this.  Gospel literally means the good news.  So here it is:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)
^1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Paul says that Jesus’ purpose was to come into the world to save sinners.  Then he says that he’s the worst of the worst:  The Chief of all sinners.  He’s saying that if Jesus can save him, He can save us, too.  You haven’t killed Christians just for being Christians, have you?  Paul did.  He stood by and consented to their death, that’s the same as throwing the stones.  God forgave him and he can forgive you.  In fact, there are many people whom we would consider to be horribly evil sinners:  Murderers and rapists.  People who have done horribly evil things and God forgave them.  

They've repented and they’re saved.  They've been given a second chance.  They are free from sin.  If they could be forgiven what would hinder you?

I talk to people sometimes and they tell me, “God can’t forgive me.”  But the Bible says that if we will confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive.  “But you don’t know what I've done, is the response.”  No I don’t, but I know what Paul has done.  I know what others have done and God forgave them.  God can forgive you as well.  That’s the good news today.  Jesus came to save sinners like you and I.  He came for us.  He’s our Lord and Rescuer.

Don't Listen to the Depression

Editor's Note:  Thank you to Catherine Shu of the blog "Shu Flies," for her kind permission to use her writing in this post.  While I have encouraged the use and reprinting of my work on this blog as long as it is not used to make a profit for anyone.  (I believe the word of God should remain free.)  I would ask that you respect Catherine's copyright and not use or reprint her work without permission.  Thank you.

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According to suicide.org:

Untreated Depression is the Number One Cause of Suicide

www.suicide.org

I struggled with those feelings for a long time.  My parents came to visit me during my first semester of graduate school.  I started crying during lunch and apologized for being a horrible daughter.

My Dad said, “I know what that is.  That’s the depression talking.  It will say things like that, but you just can’t listen to it.”

I remember feeling surprised that I had the option not to listen.  My anxiety was almost a talisman.  If I fretted about doing poorly in school, I would succeed.  If I worried about something bad happening to the people I loved, I could somehow protect them.

          Catherine Shu, Shu Flies, Dealing With Depression and Living Abroad Part 2

It seems as if there is an epidemic of depression throughout the world today.  I talk to people all the time who complain about depression.  I think this passage from Shu Flies illustrates an interesting point about depression:

"My Dad said, 'I know what that is.  That’s the depression talking.  It will say things like that, but you just can’t listen to it.'”

I’ve lived through major depression.  I’m not talking about that feeling of having “the blues” or feeling kind of sad for a day or two.  I’m talking about the type of depression that demobilizes you: a spiral into hopelessness.  I can tell you, Ms. Shu’s father has it exactly right.  It does speak to you. 

It speaks to you about your worthlessness.  It tells you that you can never be happy.  It tells you that people can never care for you or love you.  It speaks. 

But as a Christian I’ve learned a bit about depression.  Depression is a spirit.  If depression can speak, then it’s a spirit.  Depression is spiritual.  It's a form of demonic influence.  There are others:  Schizophrenia, Paranoia, Bi-polar Disorder, and Depression, they all have the common symptom of hearing voices that speak to you. 

 Today I want to write about the root of depression.  I’ve studied this out.  I think the saddest thing in the world is a Christian; a follower of Jesus who struggles with depression and I want to deal with this from a Christian perspective.  There is a root to depression and I believe it can be overcome.

Matthew 18:21-35 (NKJV)
^18:21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. ²⁶ The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' ²⁷ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' ³⁰ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. ³² Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. ³⁵ So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

Who Speaks

This scripture mentions “the torturers.”  I think this is an interesting choice of words.  Jesus, in this parable, refers to them as torturers or in the King Kames version, they’re called “the tormentors.”  Look at the definition of torture:

1 : anguish of body or mind
2 : the infliction of severe pain especially to punish or coerce
Mirriam-Webster Dictionary

A torturer is one who inflicts torture on others.  So what does Jesus mean when he refers to the torturers?  Look at the book of Job for a moment.

In the first chapter of the book, Job, a blameless and upright man, loses his wealth, his family and his health all in one day.  He loses everything.  We know the story:

Job 1:6-7 (NKJV)
^1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

So God calls the angels and among them comes Satan.  God points out Job to Satan as a blameless and upright man who worships God.  But Satan tells God that Job worships Him because God has protected and blessed Job.  If things went wrong in Job’s life, Job would curse God.  So God allows Satan to attack Job.   Satan takes all of Job’s possessions, kills his servants and his children and afflicts Job with boils.  Does that accurately depict what we have defined as torture?  I would say it is an exact picture of torture.  In addition, look at this scripture for a moment:

Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJV)
^12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

I believe these are the torturers.  It is certainly a strategy of Satan to torment, wear people down and try to turn them away from God.  This is exactly what he was attempting with Job.  He attacked Job in a way that would cause him to turn away from God.

The devil attacks us mainly with lies.  Jesus refers to him as the “father of lies.”  If we look at the Garden of Eden, he deceived Eve through a series of lies.  In those things he lied about God’s character and made Him out to be a liar, “You will not surely die.”  Through that one lie Satan took down the entire human race.  His strategy today is the same.  He continues to attack with lies and attempts to turn us away from God.

He does that by lying to us about our worth and value not only to ourselves, but our worth to God as well.  It is an attempt to turn us away from God by impugning God’s character and desire for relationship with people.  If we know God and his desire for us then we should be joyful.  After all, Joy is the character of salvation.  Our relationship with God should be defined by joy. 

1 Peter 1:7-8 (NKJV)
^1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Joy inexpressible; we should be unable to express how joyful we are in Jesus.  If that's true than why do so many Christians suffer with depression?  Why are so many Christians tormented and beaten down by depression?  I believe the answer to that is found in scripture.

Opening the Door to the Torturers

As Christians, God protects us.  He has built a hedge around us.  This was Satan’s complaint about Job.

Job 1:8-10 (NKJV)
^1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" ⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

Satan complains that Job only worships God because God has protected and blessed him.  As Christians, that’s something that God does for us as well. That isn’t to say that we don’t have troubles and afflictions, of course we do.  Life is full of trouble and affliction, but God has built a hedge around us to protect us.

The problem is that we open the door to demonic influence on our own.  Through certain actions we pierce the hedge of protection that’s built around us.

Ecclesiastes 10:8 (KJV)
^10:8 He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

The phrase, “a serpent will bite him,” is interesting.  Who is the serpent of old?  Satan is referred to as the serpent of old.  If we pierce the hedge then we’re in danger of a serpent’s bite. 

We can do things that open the door to demonic influence.  There are a number of things that pierce the hedge.  Involvement in the occult or the paranormal will open that door to demonic influence.  Certain sins like alcohol or drug use, fornication and pornography are all sins that carry a link to demonic influence.  There is one thing that’s more common.  How we deal with hurt and disappointment, especially with regard to other people can open the door to demonic influence.  According to our text unforgivensss can pierce the hedge of protection around us.

Look at what our text is about.  A man comes to settle accounts with his servants.  He is looking to be repaid for loans that he’s made to them.  There is one man who has borrowed a huge sum of many from the master:  An amount that he can never repay.  When the master asks for that repayment, this man begs for more time and the master forgives the debt. 

This same man who has been forgiven this huge debt comes to a man who owes him a small amount and demands payment.  When the man begs for the same mercy the first man received, the Bible tells us that he is sent to prison until the debt is paid.  The first man shows no mercy and refuses to give him more time or to forgive the debt.  It is at this point, because he, the first man, doesn’t forgive that he is sent to the torturers.

So a lack of forgiveness also pierces the hedge of protection.  And opens us up to demonic assault, “A serpent will bite him.” It’s so sad because I’ve met so many people who can’t forgive.  A woman one time came to our church in Riverside who was suffering.  I preached a sermon on forgiveness; simple forgiveness.  This woman was very angry at me, because she said, “I refuse to forgive my father.” 

The interesting thing about forgiveness is that forgiveness is for us.  Our forgiveness does nothing for the other person.  The chances are, they don’t even know you’re suffering, or if they do, they don’t care.  When we forgive we release ourselves from the bondage and torment of unforgiveness.

Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV)
^12:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Unforgiveness causes a root of bitterness to spring up in us.  Have you met someone who can’t forgive slights or hurts?  They become bitter and angry about everything.  It really ruins their lives in so many ways.  People lose relationships because of their bitterness.  Who wants to be around a bitter, angry person?  Bitterness is an ugly thing.  Some diseases, specifically arthritis has a root in bitterness.  Bitterness comes from unforgiveness.  People can’t forgive others and it begins to torment them. 

Our text warns us about the consequences of not forgiving those who’ve hurt us.

Matthew 18:35 (NKJV)So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

What does this say?  If we won’t forgive then we are also in danger of being delivered to the torturers.  Forgiveness is essential to our salvation. 

Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV)
^6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If we want to be forgiven of our sin, we must first forgive.  We need to forgive those who have mistreated us.  We also need to forgive ourselves.  Sometimes, the ones who we’re hardest on are us.  We have done things that we don’t think can be forgiven. 

I have always found it very sad when someone is looking for the forgiveness and love of Christ, but can’t find it, because they don’t think what they’ve done can be forgiven by God.  People have told me, “God can’t forgive me.”  And I quote scripture to them:  “If we will confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive.” (1 John 1:9)  They always say, “But you don’t know what I’ve done!”  Do you know what they’re really saying?  How can God forgive me when I can’t forgive myself? 

How much self-inflicted torment do we accept when we think God won’t forgive us because we can’t forgive ourselves?  When we think we're unforgivable, we're saying that the peace of God is out of reach.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
^4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We need the peace of God.  It’s the peace of God that guards our hearts…and what else?  The peace of God guards our minds.  It surpasses all understanding.  We can’t even understand the peace of God, but it protects us.  Forgiveness is key to the peace of God.

Overcoming Depression

So in order to protect ourselves from depression we need to practice forgiveness.  We need to be forgiving.  That’s not always easy, though, is it?  People have inflicted us with some painful things.  We have beaten ourselves down.  It’s not always easy to let go of hurts and sufferings.  Look at this:

Luke 17:3-5 (NKJV)
^17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." ⁵ And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

Jesus is telling the disciples they need to forgive.  These are the men who spent three years with him.  These are the men who knew Jesus intimately; they met him in the flesh.  He tells them they need to forgive and what is their prayer?  “Increase our faith.”  A lot of forgiveness is just simply turning it over to God.  God has said, “I will Judge, I will avenge.”  He has said he will avenge our hurts.  But it takes faith to turn those things over to Him, doesn’t it? 

We can see from this that we need to forgive.  Forgiveness keeps us within God’s hedge of protection.  We want to treat these things with medication, but in my mind medication opens us up to even more demonic influence.  Look at this that I saw on Twitter, recently.

“In the 60’s and 70’s people took acid to make the world weird.  Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it look normal.”

Prozac doesn’t cure anything; it only changes the way your mind works.  It masks and hides the problem but it doesn’t cure them.  If you want peace, peace comes from God.  What good does it do you to hold onto hurts and all those things that make you bitter.  What is the good thing about bitterness and suffering?  I have never understood why people don’t forgive.  God requires forgiveness from us.  It’s in our best interest to forgive.

The Trouble With Joseph

Pain, trouble and turmoil always come from the devil. The devil has no desire to give you a happy life. Unless making you happy and content with your life is the thing that will keep you from the Gospel. He’s only nice to us if it will move us away from the will of God for us. All Good things come form God and all evil comes from the pit of hell.

God doesn’t inflict us with suffering. It’s not his nature. In the Garden of Eden He created a paradise for mankind. In fact the word Eden, literally translates as pleasure or delight. So God created this place and in doing that He met every need of mankind. He provided us with food, a place to live, meaning and purpose for our lives and the wonderful comfort of companionship.

It was sin that destroyed that. Satan tempted Eve and took both her and Adam out of the will of God. And God had to evict them from his paradise. But even in the curses that they were given was the promise of redemption. He still desired good for us. and that’s his character God doesn’t change.

Genesis 50:20
20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

This is Joseph speaking, and he says you meant it for Evil but God meant it for good. And this tells me that occasionally we may suffer things, but that God can bring something good from those sufferings. I want to examine this idea from the following passages of scripture:

Genesis 39:1-6
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.2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.4 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.5 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 Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.6 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. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

Genesis 39:19-20
19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

Joseph’s Story

We all know Joseph’s story. He ticked off his brothers and they sold him into slavery. They hated him and they wanted to kill him, but Reuben intervened and so they threw him into a pit and sold him to Egyptian slave traders. This is God’s chosen man. God had spoken to him in two dreams, prophetic dreams, telling him that he would rule over his brothers.

These dreams were the beginning of God’s plan for Joseph. We don’t always see what God is doing do we. He’s given this prophecy to Joseph that he would rule over his brothers but those same brothers have just sold him into slavery. Where’s God’s plan? How can Joseph rule from slavery? How can the prophecy come true from this? It must have seemed to Joseph that God had abandoned him.

Do you ever feel like that? We’ve heard it preached a million times that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, but we look at what’s going on in our lives and we wonder Where’s God in all this? Where’s the plan of God?

Joseph is sold into slavery and he’s taken to Potiphar’s house and because of his faithfulness, he prospers, and Potiphar gets blessed.

Genesis 39:2-5
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.4 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.5 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 Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

Potiphar’s trust in him is so complete that he turns over everything to him. Joseph is in charge of it all. Everything he has is placed under Joseph’s authority. Potiphar believed in him because he saw the hand of God in all that he did.

But Potiphar had a wife: She was the only thing that wasn’t turned over to Joseph. Potiphar’s wife saw something also in Joseph. She wanted him and tried to seduce him. But Joseph resisted her charms. He didn’t want to betray Potiphar. He didn’t want to sin against God, and so he fled from her. He did the right thing. Potiphar’s wife was angry, she was bitter and she accused Joseph of Rape and he was sent to prison.

Can you imagine that? He is being sent to prison because he did the right the thing. Because he refused to sin, he’s being punished. When bad things happen to us, often, we think that God is punishing us for some misdeed. As a pastor I’ve heard that so many times, “I don’t know why God is punishing me.” But here’s Joseph, he’s done the right thing and he’s going to prison. God isn’t punishing him. What reason would God have to punish him, he’s been nothing but faithful and righteous.
But what we’re seeing here is a strategy of Satan. It’s a strategy designed to wear us down and cause us to doubt God. So we’ll begin to think that “God’s Plan” is a lie.

Think about this for a moment. What did Satan tell Eve in the Garden?

Genesis 3:4-5
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

“You’ll not surely die,” God lied when he said that. God’s a liar. “He knows that in the moment you eat of it you’ll be like him.” God wants to keep you down. He doesn’t want you to be like him. He doesn’t want you to have wisdom. Eve began to doubt God. That’s what the devil is trying to do to you. “These things you’re going through, that’s God punishing you.” “He’s not a gracious God, He wants to get you.”

If that’s what God wanted for mankind he would have killed everyone in the flood. Why leave a remnant, why send a redeemer, if all he’s looking for is to punish us. The truth of the matter is that God is always looking to reconcile with us.

Isaiah 1:18
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

“Let us reason together.” “Your sin can be white as snow.” This is the way of God. God is looking to reconcile with us, not to punish us. Joseph was right in the will of God. He was doing the right thing and he landed in prison. God’s not punishing him; the devil is trying to take him out.

But in all of this Joseph maintains the right attitude. How do you react when things go wrong? How do you deal with frustration and setbacks in life? Do you become angry and bitter? Keeping a good attitude is the hardest part isn’t it? Joseph, didn’t fall into anger and bitterness, in fact in prison he did the same thing he did at Potiphar’s house.

Genesis 39:21-23
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.22 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.23 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.

God had mercy; He worked in Joseph’s life even in prison. God helped him in this time of setback. But do you think God can act in your life independent of your actions. Joseph continued to act in faithfully. He remained diligent. If he has a bad attitude it doesn’t show, does it? God continued to be with him. And when you’re facing setbacks in life, God remains with you, too.

God’s Plan Doesn’t Always Mean Smooth Sailing For Us.

In Genesis 50:20 Joseph speaks something powerful.

Genesis 50:20
20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

This verse speaks of God having a plan. It speaks of God bringing things to a specific end. But Joseph had to endure some things to “bring it about as it is this day.” Look at the sequence of events that led to this moment. It takes place after Joseph has been made the Governor of Egypt, second only in power to Pharaoh; after God’s plan has played out.

1. His brothers sell Joseph into slavery.
2. He ends up in the house of Potiphar whose wife accuses Joseph of rape.
3. Joseph is sent to prison.
4. While in prison he is given authority over all that happens in the prison.
5. He meets the King’s cupbearer and interprets his dream.
6. The cupbearer remembers him to Pharaoh, when he has been released and
Pharaoh has a dream that needs interpretation.
7. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is elevated to Governor of Egypt.
8. Joseph puts in place a system that provides for all of Egypt during a famine.
9. It also provides for the family of Israel.

If he hadn’t been sold into slavery he wouldn’t have been in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s wife never would have falsely accused him of rape. If she hadn’t he never would have gone to prison and been given authority over the prison. If not, he wouldn’t have had access to the king’s cupbearer to interpret his dream. If he hadn’t interpreted the cupbearer’s dream correctly, he wouldn’t have had opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. If he hadn’t done that he wouldn’t have been given the authority he needed to save Egypt and the family of Israel. All of these events led to the fulfillment of God’s plan for his life.

All of the things that Joseph endured led to the plan of God playing out in his life. It may be just as true that the things you endure may be the things that bring about God’s plan for your life. The devil may mean these things for evil but God means them for good.

Who Knows the Plan of God for Their Life?

I wonder what Joseph thought as they took him to prison. He knew what God had prophesied after all his telling his brothers is what started all the trouble in the first place. But look at the first part of Genesis 42:9:

Genesis 42:9a
9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them,

This moment took place after he had gone through all of these things. It took place after he had been made Governor of Egypt, after it had all played out. It was after he had endured all that he had endured, and then he remembers the prophecies. While he was going through it all he forgot that God had a plan for his life.

The key to seeing our destinies play out is in the endurance. Even through the setbacks and the suffering Joseph remained steadfast in continuing to serve God. God finally brought him to his destiny. Joseph never knew hoe his life was going to play out. He had no more idea of what God was trying to do in his life than you or I do. But he pressed on and the plan of God was fulfilled.

It’s easy to become discouraged and disillusioned when suffering setbacks, but those setbacks may be the key to God’s plan. None of us know what God is going to bring to pass through our lives. But I do know this God has a plan and it can only pay out, if we will allow God to work…even when it hurts.