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Sermons
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Renewed Conscience
Genesis 42 |
Pastor Howard Chang
November 5, 2000 |
Each one of us may have "skeletons in the closet." They may be times we intentionally criticized loved ones. They may be times when we did something shameful in private. Or, they may be times we lost control of our temper and said things we regret. Whatever those skeletons in the closet, God wants us to be rid of them. Our conscience needs to be awakened and renewed. Joseph's brothers faced their own wicked conscience, and found grace at the end of twenty years of guilt.
This week we journey back to Joseph's story. We have seen him go from the depths of mistreatment, the dungeon, and being forgotten. He has kept his faith through it all. But God was not done working through him. God had greater plans for him. God wanted to save his family from the famine. He wanted to save and establish a nation for Himself through Joseph and his
brothers. But before he could save his family, Joseph's brothers' sin against him had to be confronted.
The Brothers' Seared Conscience
When we pick up the story in chapter 42, twenty years have passed. Joseph's brothers had committed a despicable act--they had given up for dead their very own flesh and blood. They had thrown their half-brother into a cistern and sold him to passersby's like they would a slave. Then they lied about it to their father Jacob. They told their father that wild beasts had eaten Joseph. They covered up the deed by placing an animal's blood on Joseph's ornamented robe. After twenty years it seemed they had gotten away with it. No punishment. No consequences. And they were not about to bring it up.
The brothers had developed what we call a seared conscience. The guilt for their actions had been covered up by lies, rationalizations, and time. But God had not forgotten their deed. Before they could enter into Egypt and begin building up God's Chosen nation Israel, they had to come clean with God. God wanted to cleanse their conscience. And the only way was for them to come face to face with their past actions.
Some things do not change for us humans even after thousands of years.
When we feel the guilt of our sin, what do we do? Our human nature for us to stuff it down, to not look at the sins we have committed--the very things we are deeply ashamed of. We don't want anyone else to see them, and we don't even want to look at them ourselves.
But they always come to the surface sooner or later.
David and Bathsheba
A great example of one of God's people who had to have his conscience awakened was King David (we can find his story with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11).
King David did not go off to war with his troops as a king would normally do. Instead, he stayed behind in Jerusalem. In his lofty perch, he noticed Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Do you remember what happened? He sent a messenger to get her and he slept with her. She became pregnant. Now what was David to do?
After that act did he tell Uriah? Did he apologize to Bathsheba? No! He began a sequence of events that would lead to Uriah's death and wrongfully taking Bathsheba as his own wife.
Even though he was King and nobody kept account of his wrongdoing, God remembered. David was called one after God's own heart. He was the chosen King to lead Israel after Saul had failed. Yet, he allowed sin into his life. He covered it up. He lied about it. And he hoped everyone would forget about it.
We too, just like Joseph's brothers, just like David, may have skeletons in our closet. We may have said words that hurt our loved ones. Or we may have committed foolish actions. In our past we may have wrongdoing that still needs to be dealt with. Our seared consciences need to be awakened and renewed.
That is the Holy Spirit's ministry.
John 16:8: When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and
judgment.
We are not asked to search our souls for hours on end to find any and all sins. We are not asked to beat ourselves up, as if we were performing penance, in search of sins. The Holy Spirit will bring to mind the wrongdoings of the past through various circumstances. We are asked to be open to Holy Spirit's work as Convictor to deal with our guilty conscience. We can see him at work in Joseph's brothers.
Joseph's Brothers' Conscience Renewed
Joseph's Brothers' were in the same situation as David. They had been guilty of wrongdoing. They thought that time had healed all wounds. But God wanted to cleanse them. Through a series of events their guilt was brought to their consciousness.
If we look at this chapter we see just how God used the famine to bring about change in the brothers:
They had to go to Egypt to get food (42:1-5). It was natural for Jacob to command them to leave the youngest Benjamin, at home, since Jacob had already lost one son of Rachel. The thought of losing Benjamin, and their father's anguish would remind them of what they had done to Joseph.
Once they get to Egypt, Joseph is there to test their integrity (42:6-20). He calls them spies. The test is this: are they ready to receive God's grace in the form of famine relief and become subject to God's plan for them to live in Egypt? It may seem harsh, but the guilty conscience to be cleansed must be transformed. God would not have any of the brothers' former deceptive and selfish ways.
As they experience Joseph's questioning and testing (42:21-28) God convicts their guilty conscience. Read what they say about their past offense:
Gen 42:21-22
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."
Some of us may ask, Why does it matter if I have unresolved wrongdoing in my past? Aren't those past wrongdoings just water under the bridge?
The issue is this: Unresolved guilt dulls our spiritual sensitivity and ability to serve God in acts of righteousness. As God's servants we need to be spiritual sensitive to know God's will. If we desire to follow our God, we need to remove any barriers that may come in the way of our ability to serve Him.
David knew the consequences of his unresolved sin. He says in Psalm 32:1-4:
1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
There were some serious consequences to unresolved sin. When he kept it inside and kept quiet about it, literally his body wasted away. It affected his physical well being. He did not have the inner strength he needed to serve God.
Unresolved guilt affects our spiritual sensitivity, it eats away at us in every way--including spiritually.
What are we to do when past unresolved sin comes to our consciousness? We need to take responsibility for what we have done or thought.
· Enter into the throne of grace
Even for Joseph's brothers was extended instead of punishment. They received the grain they needed to live. Instead of hatred and vengeance from Joseph, they were given a chance to live and be reconciled with their God and their brother.
We too have an opportunity to receive grace for our past wrongdoing:
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
If there is a throne of grace before us, let us enter in to…
· Confess our sins to God (1 John 1:9)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
When we do so, God washes it away from us forevermore. We can then claim his Grace through His Son Jesus Christ.
· Confess our sins to one another (James 5:16)
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
We do not have to pray to a priest or pastor to confess to God, but there is a benefit in being in community. We can carry each other burdens and encourage one another.
Personal Illustration
At the DCLA conference for youth our group held a sharing night. I had recalled in high school a girl I dated only two weeks. I rejected her for reasons I was ashamed of. All these years I had stuffed that down out of shame for my actions. At DCLA, with the youth there, I wanted them to open up and share with one another before God. But how could I ask them to do that if I could not face up to own past? So for the first time I shared about what I had done and asked God for forgiveness. My wife did not even know about that incident, but God knew. He wanted me to be free of that shame.
That experience showed me that the mere passing of time does not erase a guilty conscience:
Even after everyone in the family grows up or passes away
Even after we're sure we've gotten away with our misdeeds
Even after our minds have been filled with years of information and learning
Only God through confession can erase a guilty conscience. And that is exactly what he promises to do when we confess our sins to him.
Silent Prayer
Spend a minute before we come to the table to confess any sins that God has brought to mind. Remember, it is the Holy Spirit Who convicts us of sin. If anything comes to mind, confess it to God. Then, after this service, find brothers and sisters in Christ you trust and share with them what you have done before God.
Communion
Reflect on these two verses from Hebrews concerning how Christ's blood washes away our guilty conscience. As we partake of communion together, let us be thankful for his gracious work on the Cross for you and I:
Hebrews 9:14, 10:22
14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.As we partake of the elements today, let us continue to reflect on what the LORD has done for us in giving us the gift of forgiveness through His death on the Cross.
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