“Conversion is the Christian Confession”
SUBJECT: “Conversion is the Christian Confession”
TEXT: Genesis 42:1-43:34, KJV
Youth Focus this week: Repentance means to not only confess but to change the behavior
Key Verse: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” Genesis 42:21,KJV
Key Words: Repent
Transliteration: Metanoia Phonetic Spelling: (met-an’-oy-ah) Definition: change of mind
Introduction:
Previous Points:
- God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit created man, the highest earthly species in His own image and For specific Purpose
- Man’s purposes on earth are to, Reproduce (Gen 1:28), Replenish (1:28) to Be Responsible (1:28) and Responsive (1:29 Behold – 2:17)
- Angels are also created beings capable of love, logic and liberty
- Lucifer, once a gifted Angel was removed from Heaven and has become the enemy of God known as satan or the devil
- Satan only has one power….. to convince us that we have none which he does by tempting us to sin through 3 tricks: Lust of Flesh, Lust of Eyes and Pride of Life!
- God has given man the power to resist sin with love, logic and liberty!
- CR: Job 2:3 The Hebrew Word: Chazaq (khaw-zek) means to grow firm inculcating that God will often teach us life lessons through curriculums we may not like.
THREE PRIMARY LESSONS WE LEARN FROM STUDYING GENESIS
- God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit created everything in this world For Purpose!
- Man has been given Love, Logic and LibertyI
- Holding to Gods unchanging Hand through hard times is the harbinger of Biblical Christianity
PREVAILING PRESUPPOSITIONS
- Bible is oldest religious book
- Genesis 1 most likely written around 4000 years before Christ to earth
- Joseph dreams his dreams around 2000 years before Christ came to earth
- Christophanies are signs of Jesus in the Old Testament and tonight study is one of the best:
GOD: God Loves the World and all of His Creation Within It
MAN: Man was created for the purpose of serving God
SIN: The evil one has made it his business to stop man from serving God and seeing the fruit from doing so
SALVATION: Gods plan for saving man from sin through His grace can be seen best through the life of Joseph
BACKGROUND BIBLICAL CONTEXT:
| Leah | Zilpah | Rachel | Bilhah |
| Reuben | Gad | Dan | |
| Simeon | Asher | Naphtali | |
| Levi | |||
| Judah | |||
| Issachar | |||
| Zebulun | |||
| Joseph | |||
| Benjamin |
“Twenty-One Compelling Reasons to Convert from Sin”
Chapter 42
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
Egypt- the name Egypt originated from an ancient Greek word “Aígyptos. The Greek forms of the word were derived from the Late Egyptian “Hikuptah” which translates to “home of the soul of Ptah”. Ptah is what the Egyptians used to refer to the city of Memphis where the chief deity being worshipped there was none other than the potter god, Ptah.
Egypt was among the most advanced civilizations on the planet with massive leaps in writing, urbanization, organized religion, and others. For this reason, ancient Egypt is considered to be a cradle of civilization.
| Diety | Area of Power | Depicted as |
| Osiris | Agricultural fertility | |
| Isis | Motherhood | female |
| Horus | Sky god | |
| Seth | Chaos, storms & death god | |
| Ptah | Crafts and Building | |
| Re | Sun god | |
| Hathor | Fertility god | Female/cow |
Egypt – Israel’s redemption from Egypt is a picture of our deliverance from sin and death through faith in Jesus Christ. While initially seen as a place of refuge in famine or threat, Egypt becomes a place of oppression and slavery. For New Testament believers, Egypt represents our old life of slavery to sin. CR: Galatians 3:13; 4:5; Titus 2:14.
2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
The time frame is after 7 years of plenty now into 7 years of famine
300 miles/ a six week journey
- Sin will always lead us further than we want to go & costs far more that we want to pay
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Joseph means He will Increase; He will add
Joseph had already been in Egypt 20 years before this verse
- God sent someone ahead of us to experience sin before we ever did
4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
Benjamin- means “son, house or foundation” CR: King Saul, Esther, Apostle Paul and Jerusalem was originally Benjamite territory CR: Joshua 18:28, Judges 1:21
- A firm foundation for sin forgiveness was made just outside Jerusalem on a hill called Mt. Calvary
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
- Freedom from sin is available to EVERYONE who BOWS to Jesus!
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
- Gods Word addresses/convicts sin strongly/seriously!
CR: Prov 3:11, KJV
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
We all have weaknesses/vulnerabilities that the devil desires to exploit through sin but increase is available
Name Joseph means “God will increase/add”
- On the other side of temptation is Elevation!
10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
Transliteration: kenim Phonetic Spelling: (kane) Definition: Honest/Righteous
- All have sinned and come short the glory of God!
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
Joseph yet lives and has great power, while his conspirators believe him to be deceased
- Because He Lives, all sin is gone!
14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
17 And he put them all together into ward three days.
All ten brothers jailed for sins though not all equally
- Punishment for letting sin dominate our lives is the same for all: isolation
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
- Without Jesus, there is no remission of sin: 20 years
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Muy Buen
- God understands our every prayer and is waiting on us to confess our sin
24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.
Spotted the money
28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
Why do the think God has done something to them?
Fear of what may happen
- Believers should so Fear/Respect God that sin becomes something we shun
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
The presence of the unpleasant does Not mean we’ve become the unclean!
In this case, God is positioning the Israelites for Increase
- It is true that our sins can negatively affect a lot of people we love
37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Chapter 43
1 And the famine was sore in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
- Sin will always leave us empty, broken, hurt and hungry
3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
Judah means Praise
The argument here is that a man send his only remaining son to Egypt
- The primary point for praising God is Not the house, car and job but that He has settled our Sin debt through His Son, Jesus
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
Jacob/Israel says in essence its your fault! And/or why didn’t you lie?
- The only one to blame for sin, is the sinner because satan is just a suggester.
7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
- The time to confess sin and repent is always immediately
11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: 14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
- Repentance is the least we can give the God who gave us His Best!
CR: 2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”
15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
High noon or the 6th hour of the day is seen often in Jewish writing
It was the 6th hour when Jesus died on the Cross
These brothers are being served and shown undeserving favor
- There is No greater demonstration of Love towards us than the Crucifixion.
17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.
- God’s thoughts towards us are pure, regardless of our sin!
19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,
20 And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: 21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
- Confession is good for the Soul
22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.
24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
- Gods Word concerning sin and everything else will always come to pass!
27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of their’s. And they drank, and were merry with him.
ILLUSTRATION:
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
CONCLUSION:
PRAYER LIST:
QUESTIONS?
HOMEWORK: None