There are 2 truths which we need to keep in minds at once and cling to equally firmly: mustn’t neglect either!
1. God loves us and accepts us just as we are; but at same time,
2. God loves us too much to leave us as we are – He works in us to change us and He calls us to change!
There are these 2 sides to our salvation
God’s side – God’s grace forgiving our sin and giving us free gift of eternal life
OUR side – repentance – turning away from sin – and receiving God’s gift by faith
17th century. John Milton “Repentance is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity.”
Three incidents in Story of Joseph teach us true meaning of repentance. They highlight for us 2 separate steps in repentance. And these stories focus, not on Joseph, but on his wicked brothers.
Repentance means being sorry for our sin
7 years of Famine followed 7 years of plenty. Jacob’s sons, Joseph’s brothers went down from land of Canaan to buy grain from Egypt. They didn’t realise that it was Joseph who was Pharaoh’s right hand man who would be selling them the grain! Joseph had to see whether they were still the same scumbags who had plotted to kill him, torn his multicoloured coat from his back, thrown him into a well to a slow lingering death but then sold him to be a slave instead. Were his brothers still villains – or had they changed?? Did they regret the way they had treated him at all? Or had they forgotten him completely? Joseph recognised his brothers, but they didn’t recognise him. So Joseph treated his brothers harshly and accused them of being spies, to test them, to see if they realised yet the wrong they had done..
42: 17 And he put them all in custody for three days. 18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21. They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realise that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
So Joseph knew that his brothers had acknowledged their sin – they realised what they had done was evil, and that they deserved to be punished. That’s the first step in repentance. Being sorry for our sin.
It is one thing to mourn for sin because it exposes us to hell, and another to mourn for it because it is an infinite evil; one thing to mourn for it because it hurts US, and another thing to mourn for it because it is wrong and offensive to GOD. It is one thing to be terrified; quite another, to be humbled.
The Apostle Paul wrote about GODLY SORROW THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE
2 Cor 7: 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while– 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
That’s the first step in repentance – to recognise our sin and to be sorry for it “to acknowledge and bewail our manifold sin and wickedness”. But sometimes we can be tempted to stop there – we’ve been sorry for sin, we’ve admitted it to God (and occasionally if appropriate to our minister, or to other Christians, or to the people we have hurt by our sins!). But that’s only the first step in repentance. There is a second step which sometimes we can forget about!
Repentance means living changed lives
John Locke :- “Repentance is a hearty sorrow for our past misdeeds, and a sincere resolution and an endeavor to the utmost of our power, to conform all our actions to the law of God. It does not consist in one single act of sorrow, but in doing works meet for repentance; in a sincere obedience to the law of Christ for the remainder of our lives.”
Repentance isn’t just being sorry for your sins. Repentance is being sorry enough to quit!
“Produce fruits in keeping with repentance,” as John the Baptist demanded. “Go and sin no more!” as Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery.
So Joseph set two tests for his brothers – to see if they really were changed men – if they really were sorry enough to quit and mend their evil ways!
Genesis 43 – The test of HONESTY
Years before the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, and deceived their father Jacob into believing that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Had they changed yet? Were they now honest? Here was the test. Joseph arranged that the silver the brothers used to pay for grain would be put back into their sack again – so they would get the grain for nothing. Would they keep quiet about this? Or would they own up and offer to pay again? When they went back for more grain again their father Jacob told the brothers what they had to do.
Jacob said 43:12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.” 19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver- the exact weight- in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.” 23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.”
The brothers showed they were now honest, men of integrity, not the lying rats of years before..
“To move across from one sort of person to another is the essence of repentance: the liar becomes truthful; the thief, honest; the lewd, pure; the proud, humble.” A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)
Falling into sin doesn’t condemn anybody, but staying in it does. A visitor at a fishing dock asked an old fisherman who was sitting there, “If I were to fall into this water, would I drown?”
“Naw,” he said. “Fallin’ into the water doesn’t drown anybody. It’s staying under the water that kills you!”
Repentance isn’t just being sorry for sin – we need to CHANGE !!
Genesis 44 – The test of LOVE
Years before his brothers had treated Joseph cruelly and heartlessly. They had hated him and plotted to kill him. But had they changed? Had they learned to love?
Joseph set up another test. He arranged for a cup to be hidden in his youngest brother Benjamin’s sack – framing Benjamin so it would look as though he had stolen the cup. How would the brothers react when Benjamin was falsely accused? Would they save their own skins and leave Benjamin to face the music alone – or would they stand by him? The cup was duly found on Benjamin and the sentence was a lifetime of slavery.
44: 16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves- we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” 17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” 18. Then Judah went up to him and said: “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
Judah explained how precious Benjamin was to their father Jacob – just as precious as Joseph had been all those years before. This proved to Joseph that his brothers weren’t jealous and full of hatred any longer!!!
32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, `If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ 33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.”
So Joseph was convinced that his brothers had changed! They were no longer heartless and cruel scumbags – but loving brothers. Instead theirs live were producing fruit in keeping with repentance. Honesty. Truth. Love. Compassion. Self-sacrifice.
And God calls us to do the same. Not only to acknowledge our sin, not only to be sorry for our sin, but in God’s strength actually to change – to become different people, new people whose lives are characterised with the kind of honesty and truth and the kind of genuine love that Joseph’s brothers had learned.
Years before those brothers had been scumbags – the worst of the worst! But God hadn’t given up on those brothers. These three stories from Genesis show us how God’s grace had enabled Joseph’s brothers. truly to repent. And God’s grace calls US truly to repent. That is the difference Jesus makes!
REFLECTION AND SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE
Response in prayer:-
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against your children, our brothers and sisters,
in thought and word and deed, in the evil we have done and in the good we have not done, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past;
and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. AMEN
Say together the Jesus Prayer from our notice sheets.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, a sinner
