Forgiveness and the Family

Forgiveness and the Family

I recently preached a sermon on forgiveness and the family. We know that our homes are under attack today and that we need to do everything that we can to protect our home and heart.

My message was simple. Don’t give Satan an advantage in your life (2 Corinthians 2:11). How does Satan get that advantage? This advantage takes place when you allow bitterness to fester and root in your life.

The best example of protecting the heart is Joesph.

I. Joseph Made A Decision to Have Faith (Genesis 37:1-5)

Joseph had faith to believe in the revelation of God (a dream) and the confidence to recite that revelation to his brothers (1 John 1:1-5).

Our revelation is not found in dreams today but in the Word of God. It is God’s Word that will be a light for our pathway.

II. Joesph Made a Commitment to be Faithful to God (Genesis 37:27-28)

Can you imagine all that Joesph went through from his own family? His brothers envied him (Genesis 37:11), and they persecuted him. They planned to kill him but was convinced to sell him to slavery instead.

That was just the beginning of Joesph’s problems. He was accused of something that he did not do, and he was forgotten in prison.

Yet, Joesph determined that he would be faithful to God no matter what he faced, and that is what he did.

III. Joesph Made a Decision to Forgive (Genesis 45:1-5)

Joseph forgave his brothers. Wow! This is an incredible statement.

When his brothers came seeking for help, Joseph knew that this was the plan of God. It’s this attitude that made the difference in Joesph’s life.

Joseph could have gotten even with those no-good brothers, but instead, he showed them grace.

If Joseph would have become bitter at everything that happened in his life, then he would not have had the opportunity to be used in such a beautiful way.

In fact, Joseph's life is often used as a picture of the Lord Jesus.

His paradigm of life was seen through the lens of God’s clear revelation, and he is the example of what we do.

We have to be forgiving in our family, our marriage, our church.

We cannot control how people act! I wish I were wrong, but it is true. We can only control how we respond to how those people behave.

Don’t give Satan an advantage in our life. Pull out those bitter roots and keep trusting in God. 

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