Genesis chapter 42. You'll recall that God revealed to Pharaoh a dream concerning what was going to happen. Pharaoh didn't understand what it meant, but God revealed the meaning of the dream to Joseph. And Joseph gave all the credit to God, but shared the meaning and shared a strategy in terms of what to do in light of what was going to happen. How to prepare. for what was going to happen. And so Joseph was then put in charge of Egypt. The only person who had greater authority or status in all the land of Egypt was Pharaoh. Joseph was in charge of everything. And so now in chapter 42, after Joseph has been dealing out grain to the people in Egypt, word is spreading that this is the one place that has food. Of course, the only reason they had food was because they had been saving when they had an abundance. Genesis chapter 42, this is God's word. When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, why do you keep looking at each other? "'Listen,' he went on, "'I've heard that there is grain in Egypt. "'Go down there and buy some for us "'so that we will live and not die.'" So 10 of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought something might happen to him. The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Joseph was in charge of the country. He sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. Where do you come from? he asked. From the land of Canaan to buy food, they replied. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said to them, You are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land. "'No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food,' they said. "'We are all sons of one man. "'We are honest. "'Your servants are not spies.' "'No,' he said to them, "'you have come to see the weakness of the land.' But they replied, "'We, your servants, were twelve brothers, "'the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. "'The youngest is now with our father, "'and one is no longer living. Then Joseph said to them, I have spoken, you are spies. This is how you will be tested. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies. So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days. On the third day, Joseph said to them, I fear God. Do this and you will live. If you are honest, let one of you be confined to the guardhouse while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households. Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed. Then you won't die." And they consented to this. Then they said to each other, Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us." But Reuben replied, "'Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must account for his blood.'" They did not realize that Joseph understood them. since there was an interpreter between them. He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man's silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there. At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver there at the top of his bag. He said to his brothers, my silver has been returned. It's here in my bag. Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, what is this that God has done to us? When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country, but we told him we are honest and not spies. We were 12 brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan. The man who is the lord of the country said to us, this is how I will know if you are honest. Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.' As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his bag of silver. When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid. Their father Jacob said to them, It's me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin? Everything happens to me.' Then Reuben said to his father, You can kill my two sons if I don't bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you.' But Jacob answered, My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, You will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow. May God add his blessing to this reading from his holy and inspired word. A guilty conscience will absolutely eat you up. These guys were consumed by guilt. They had done something horrible, and it seemed for a long time as if they'd gotten away with it. But when something bad happened, famine, they stood around looking at each other like, we know why this is happening, don't we? There's food in Egypt, but there's none where we are. We sold our brother as a slave to a bunch of people who were on their way to Egypt. God's reminding us of what we've done. Their dad sees that something's going on. He's heard the reports about food in Egypt. There really is famine in the land where they are. In fact, he says, go and get food so that we may live and not die. You say, well, they weren't down to skeletal status yet. No, not yet. They were still well enough to travel. They still had silver that they had saved. They had some other things we'll see later on in this story that were like nice things, but they didn't have the basics. Grain is essential and they didn't have grain we gotta have it and So they're looking at each other Dad sees it and he says why are you looking at each other? What's going on Listen There's food there's grain in Egypt. I've heard you need to go get us some And so all but one of the remaining sons are sent to Egypt Now I I don't know why it was necessary to send so many They were taking animals down. Maybe it was in order to fight off attackers and violence tends to become greater in times when people lack the basics so the Contingent from Israel Are sent down to Egypt and when they get there There's this Egyptian guy Or so it seems Joseph Walks like an Egyptian. Some of you are old enough to get that. Joseph dresses the part. Joseph speaks the language of the Egyptians. And when he's going to deal with them, he has an interpreter. He doesn't say, oh, no, I can talk to you. I know your language. They think he can't understand what they're saying. My son Stephen greatly enjoyed playing basketball at the community center in Pigeon Forge with some guys who were speaking Russian to each other who had no idea that Stephen could understand them. And they could not figure out why he always knew what they were going to do next. That's what Joseph is doing here. He knows what they're saying. He can tell what's going on. They don't know that and so when they appear before him he recognizes them, but they don't recognize him and So he speaks to them very harshly Who are you where did you come from what are you doing here, and they answer? We just came to buy food That's the only reason we're here. He says, that's not true. I know you. I know what kind of people you are. You're spies. You're here looking for the ways that you might be able to come in here and do bad things to us. They respond, and I love it, because they say it over and over again. No, we are honest men. You can say a lot of things about these guys. one thing you could not say honestly is that they are honest i mean they could say we are sons of the same father they said that that's true uh... we're just here to buy food we're not here to spy out the land that's true but they couldn't say truthfully that they are honest men And believe me, you will encounter many people in life, you have already, I'm sure, who will say to you, trust me. Believe me, just trust me. I'm honest, I would never lie to you. When a person has to promise a lot, it's not a good sign. I remember my dad, when I was a preschooler, was sitting on the sofa, it was Christmas morning, He was sitting on the sofa reading his Bible. I was playing with some new toy I'd just gotten for Christmas. And all of a sudden, Dad looked up, and he spoke to me. And I try sometimes to imitate his voice. I can't really do it, because Dad's voice is about two octaves lower than mine. So I mean, if some people speak like this, and some people speak like this, my dad spoke like this. I mean, it was like the voice of God coming from the mountain. My dad spoke to me and he said, Jimmy. Yes, sir? Never lie. Yes, sir. Do you understand? Yes, sir. And if you ever do lie, you need to come and tell me the truth. Yes, sir. I'm 63 years old. I'll be 64 this summer." I still remember that. Okay? It made an impression. He was exactly right. The older I got, being able to read the Scriptures, I learned how important that is to God. There's one group that is singled out for special emphasis in the book of Revelation when it talks about who's going to spend forever in the lake of fire. That one group is not those who practice witchcraft. They'll be in the lake of fire, but they don't get special emphasis. It's not adulterers. They're going to be in the lake of fire, but they don't get special emphasis. It's not the cowardly. They're going to be in the lake of fire because their lives were governed by fear instead of by faith. But they don't get special emphasis. There is one group only that gets special emphasis. All liars. And I think one reason that that gets special emphasis is not just because God hates lying, but because so many of us, being guilty of lying, think that God will make an exception for us. Let me tell you something these guys were a bunch of liars Like their dad And their dad Was a liar like his dad Lying and deceit were a family trait It was a way of life Before I move on let me tell you this it is possible for a liar or an adulterer Or a person who has practiced magic arts Or a person who's been a coward it is possible To be forgiven and to have a new identity in Christ Jesus What you have done does not have to define who you are and But I will tell you this, God hates lying. And these guys, we're a bunch of liars. And so they are saying, we're honest. Do you realize that for a liar to claim to be honest is not a stretch? Well, how can they say that? It's not true. Well, yeah, they're liars, remember? There are people who will claim all kinds of things and it's utterly false. Christian organizations are frequently taken over by people who do not share our faith. How does it happen? I could never go join some anti-Christian organization and pretend to be anti-Christian in order to join. You know, I think we ought to take over from the inside. Well, how are you going to do that? Well, I'm just going to tell them I believe like they do. How could you do that? If you're a Christian, you can't pretend that you're not. But if you're not a Christian, you can pretend that you are. If you are not a person who tells the truth, you can say, I promise. I swear. I guarantee it. I would not lie to you. I'm telling you the truth. Liars don't have any problem lying about whether or not they're lying. That's what's happening here. These are not good guys. These are guys who have a guilty conscience, but they've not repented. They haven't gone to their dad and said, listen, just so you know, we don't really know if Joseph's alive or dead. Assume by now if he was alive he would have made his way back home because how could he keep away from us? Meditate on that I mean if if your siblings Ambushed you tied you up and sold you as a slave to a foreign country wouldn't you want to go back and hang out with them? Okay but They've never gone to their dad and told him the truth. They're living with a lie and it's making them miserable. And some of you know what that's like. Some of you know what it is to be hoping nobody finds out. These guys were looking at each other, standing around looking at each other while their stomachs were grumbling and their kids were asking for food. These guys were married with children and everybody's running out of food and they're just looking at each other. And there's food in Egypt, but they're like, Egypt kind of brings back some bad memories for us. I don't really want to go there. That's where we sold our brother into slavery. Or at least that's where the caravan said they were going, but they may have been lying like we are. So, their dad says, go down there and get us some food so that we don't die. So they pack up and go. And when they get there, Joseph is questioning them, and they say, oh no, believe us, we're honest men. We are truth tellers. Joseph says, I've spoken. You are spies. This is how you'll be tested. And he says this to them in Egyptian. So there's this back and forth, but they have no idea he can understand. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you'll not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here. Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies. So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days. Now they're sitting there in prison. This is the prison where Joseph used to be a prisoner. They are now in the prison getting just a little tiny taste of what joseph endured for years for years on the third day joseph said to them i fear god do this and you will live pieces everybody can go back except one and for some reason he chooses simeon i don't know why but i'll bet you there's a back story I'm just guessing, okay, but I'm pretty sure. I've lived long enough to know there's almost always a back story for everything, all right? And so, Simeon is bound, thrown in prison, and the rest of them are sent home. What is their attitude? Well, no, I never really liked Simeon. Anyway, is that their attitude? No, look at it verse 21 then they said to each other Obviously we are being punished for what we did to our brother We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us Guilty conscience They know they did wrong. They still remember vividly what they did wrong. And they say it's obvious. They don't say, do you think maybe? They say, obviously, this is why these things have happened. One of the benefits of having a clear conscience is that when bad stuff still happens to you, and it will, people with a clear conscience still have bad things happen to them, okay? But at least you can say, I have no idea why that happened. And it feels so much better. Still have to go through the bad stuff, but at least you know, I don't think I did anything to cause this. And that really is something of a comfort. I remember a friend of mine who was seeking to do God's will and he drove, well I shouldn't say he was a friend of mine, he was an acquaintance. He drove over a hill, got down to the other side and his car totally conked out. And I mean it was just like, and he couldn't even get it off the road before somebody came over the hill and crashed into the back of him and totaled his car. They were okay, he was okay and he said, Am so glad this wasn't my fault Okay He didn't run into anybody He just got his car totaled by somebody else who ran into him and he wasn't parked in the road. He was just broken down It's a good feeling when your conscience is clear and he got a replacement car out of the deal so These fellas It's obviously God Reuben at this point and again Joseph can understand them. He knows what they're saying Reuben speaks up and he says Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? How many years has it been Didn't I tell you But you wouldn't listen Now we must account for his blood It's a hard thing. So, Joseph, hearing this, turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes. He gave orders to fill their containers with grain and return each man's silver to his sack and give them provisions for their journey. He was actually kind to them. Even though his manner was gruff, what he did was very kind. But because their consciences weren't clear, they were not in a position to receive kindness. If they had had a clear conscience when they found the silver in the sack, what would they have said? Praise the Lord! Can you believe this? But instead, because they had a guilty conscience and they knew God was not pleased with their lives, when they find the silver in their sack, they say, oh, we're in trouble. We are in trouble. We don't know how this happened, but this is not good. Something really weird is going on. Let me tell you, if you've got a guilty conscience, it gives the enemy a foothold for a spirit of fear. It gives the enemy a foothold for a spirit of fear. Because when things happen, your interpretation is going to be, I bet this is God punishing me. I bet this is a sign that something bad is about to happen. I wish I had time to tell Ronald Reagan's favorite story, but that's all right. I'll tell you this. You don't want to have a guilty conscience. How do you get rid of a guilty conscience? Go to the cross The Bible says in first John chapter 1 if we say that we're without sin We're only deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I You can have a clear conscience knowing that everything's okay, not because it wasn't a problem, what you did really wasn't all that bad. No, that's not it. The reason your conscience is clear is because Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. The debt we owe has been paid in full. And so God isn't looking at me right now saying, you again? God sees me as his dearly loved child because of Jesus. All because of Jesus. So, the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack and said to his brothers, my silver's been returned, it's here in my bag. Their hearts sank, trembling, they turned to one another and said, what is this that God has done to us? When they reached their father, they start telling him the story. They emphasize again, we're honest men. And as they began emptying their sacks there, and each man's sack was his bag of silver. And when they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were overjoyed. Is that what it says? They were afraid. That's what happens when your conscience isn't clear. Their father Jacob said to them, well, guys, I think on the whole it was still a good trip. We only lost one. Is that right? No. He said, you know, I've got 12 sons I started with. At this rate, I'll be dead before you're all dead. That's all that matters. No. The father says something that shows him to be very much like many people in our culture today. It's me that you make childless. Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin? Everything happens to me. Don't you love this guy? Okay? The boys are a bunch of liars. They're creeps. I'll grant you that. But Jacob was a liar. And Jacob, in every situation, believes that it's about him. It's about me. It's all about me. Let me just tell you something. It's not all about you. It's really not. Even if it feels that way, even if you have a tragically self-centered view of life so that everything on the planet is about you, you're wrong. You're crazy. Get over it. It isn't all about you. Do we want sunshine today or do we want rain? Well, I want sunshine. Why? Well, I'm working on my tan, can't you tell? I have to stay out of the sun. But here's the thing. Would I rather have a tan or a garden? Because if I'm concerned about eating, maybe we need some rain. You understand? Well, so would it be better? I mean, we don't want too much rain. Flooding is bad, isn't it? Yes. So what should I pray for? Let me suggest. Here's just kind of an outline. Try praying something like this. Our Father, who are in heaven, may your name be hallowed. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Now if you pray like that, that would be a good prayer because it recognizes our dependence on God and the fact that He knows better than we do what we need and when we need it. Now when I took the young ladies who had memorized the scripture to Florida, I prayed for sun and I asked other people to pray for sun too. And God was merciful. We did get some rain, but we also definitely got sun, didn't we? Amen? Amen? But the bottom line is, I want God to do what's best. I want God to do what's best. If it had rained all day, every day there, I would have been disappointed. They would have been disappointed. But somebody might have been saved from melanoma or shark attack. You just don't know. So God knows, and we're going to trust Him. But God was merciful and gave us sunshine. They were afraid, and their father, Jacob, said to them, everything happens to me. Reuben speaks up. You can kill my two sons if I don't bring them back to you. And in the background, Reuben's son said, what? Dad said, what? You gotta be kidding, he offered us as a human sacrifice if he doesn't have another successful trip like the last one? But Jacob said, no, we're not doing that. We're not doing that. My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. That's part of the family dynamic. Did you hear what he just said? He alone is left. Well, what are we, chopped liver? Eh, pretty much. You guys are good help with the flocks. But as far as my affection, you're a bunch of jerks. This is my son, Benjamin. Okay, because I loved his mom more than your mom's Would you say that's an unhealthy family dynamic Yeah on about five different levels Okay, I mean there's so much wrong with that picture But those are the patriarchs Those are the people that God chose to use Despite all their faults, despite all their sin, God chose to use them in order to bring about salvation for all who would trust in Jesus. Let me tell you something. If you think that salvation is dependent on you, you need to get saved. God sent his son to save sinners. That means I qualify. And you do too. Call on the Lord. Seek him while he may be found. Ask him to save you. because He came for people like us. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much that when we are saved, we're not just forgiven, we are made new creatures in Christ. I pray that you would help us this day to honor you in what we say, in what we do, that you would be pleased And we'll give you the praise in Jesus' name. Amen.