43, please. Genesis chapter 43, and we'll read from verse number 1. What I want to preach on this morning, I want you to take it personally this morning. In other words, I want you to hear what God has to say to you this morning. Sometimes we can hear what God has to say and say, well, he would need to give that up. She would need to give that up. And the title of my message this morning is Let It Go. And if God's asking you to let something go because it's between you and the Lord, would you hear what God has to say this morning? Not be too concerned about what someone else does. Just between you and the Lord this morning. I should nearly give a health warning with the message this morning. This message could change your life. Let's read what God has to say in Genesis 43. And the famine was sore in the land. 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. And Judah spake unto them, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food. But if thou wilt not send, we will not go down. For the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me as to tell the man whether ye had a brother? And they said, The man asked us straightly of her state and of her 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? And Judas 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. 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 this shame forever, blame forever. For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. 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, a little honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds. 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. Take also your brother. Arise and go again unto the man. 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. 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. And we're trusting the Lord to bless the public reading of his own precious, infallible, inerrant, and inspired word to our hearts this morning. There's a story told, a true story, about a man called Ed Spencer. He was an Olympic athlete. I think he had won medals in swimming. He was at his university on one occasion, and someone came in and raised an alarm. A vessel out in Lake Michigan had sank, and people were going down. They were going to be lost. And he jumped in, and he swam, and he saved one, and he saved another, and he kept going on and going on and going on. And when he was absolutely exhausted, someone said, listen, you can't do any more. He says, I just want to make sure I have done enough. He certainly had done enough. And because of that, his health suffered, and eventually his own life would go in a few years' time. "'Have I done my best?' he said. "'Fellows, have I done my best?' A man heard that story, and he penned the words of a hymn. "'I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus, "'who died upon the cruel tree, "'to think of his great sacrifice at Calvary? "'I know my Lord expects the best from me.'" Have I done my best for the Lord Jesus? When we come into Genesis chapter 43, Joseph's brothers, as you may remember, have already been down in Egypt to make the first trip for corn. It was during the seven years of famine. They failed to recognize who Joseph was, but Joseph knew who they were. And remember what Joseph said, I'm going to hold Simeon in prison. And you can go back to your father When you bring your young brother back down again, bring Benjamin down with you. Then I let Simeon go. But if you don't bring them down, then I will know that you really were spies. And of course, Joseph was testing them. But I want to look at it a little bit different this morning. I want you to see the picture exhibited here as we apply this passage in a different way this morning. We've already said that Joseph is a wonderful type of Christ. I could go through so much about Joseph. He was the delight of his father. This is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased. He came unto his own and his own received him not. He was rejected by his brothers. He resisted temptation just like our Lord Jesus Christ. He was betrayed. He was sold for a sum of money. He was put into prison. He was as good as dead. And then the word came that Joseph is alive. There's so much about Joseph. And of course, we mentioned before how when he went down into Egypt, he'd been rejected by his brethren and he took a Gentile bride. And of course, that's what's happening in these days when the Lord Jesus says, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Think about Joseph as a type of Christ. And Joseph sends a message to Jacob. The message is very simple. you have to let Benjamin go. You have to let Benjamin go. Benjamin, at that point, was the most cherished thing, if I can use that word, that old Jacob had. It was the last remnant of his darling Rachel. The last thing he wanted to do was to let Benjamin go. But you see, there was a problem. Unless he would let him go, was going to be this difficulty with Joseph. Let me ask you again, is the Lord Jesus asking you to give up something that's precious in your life? Is there something there? The Lord says, you're going to have to let it go. you're gonna have to let it go. This is what he seeks. And then you see the stubbornness. If you glance back to chapter 42, verse 38, he said, my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and if he's left alone, if mischief be fallen by the way in which he go, then you shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Old Jacob's saying, and we understand Jacob, I want you to look at it differently. Jacob's saying, this will kill me. It'll kill me if I have to let Benjamin go." And Jacob says, I'm not letting him go. Joseph says, I want Benjamin. Jacob says, I'm not parting. I'm not letting him go. Think about the space here. Jacob is in Canaan. Joseph is in Egypt. There's a space between them. There's a distance between them. Let me paint the picture for you this morning. Remember, Joseph makes me think of Jesus. And you have Jacob here, and you have Joseph there, and there's a distance between them. The only way that Jacob will ever get close to Joseph is if he lets Benjamin go. What is between you and the Lord this morning? What has become so important, so special, that you're not willing to let it go? And there's a distance this morning between you and the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord's saying to you this morning, let it go. Let it go. Is it time? I know time's scarce. I have somewhere to be every night this week. I know time's difficult. Time is scarce. And there's so much that has to be done, and there doesn't seem to be enough days, is the Lord saying, I want you to spend more time with me. But you won't let it go. Is it an interest you have? Not necessarily anything sinful. an association, something that has got between you and the Lord. And there was a time it wasn't any big deal, but now it's got so big in your life that it's put a distance between you and the Lord. And the Lord says, if you want to be as close to me as is possible to be, you have to let it go. Is it some hurt? You've been wounded. You've been hurt. You've been grieved. And there's a root of bitterness in there. And that root of bitterness has the potential to take over your life. And the Lord's saying to you this morning, you're going to have to let it go, because it's getting between you and me. I say, I want you to take it personally this morning. Maybe it's a business interest. Maybe it's a friendship. Maybe a relationship. And that relationship's not bringing you closer to the Lord. That relationship, that friendship, that association is getting you further and further from the Lord. Many of these things, there's nothing sinful or if there was something sinful, the Lord would want you to let it go straight away. This can be something that started off small and it has mushroomed and it's just taken over your life so much that it's come between you and the Lord and there's a distance there. And the Lord's saying to you, you're going to have to let it go. You're going to have to let it go. Sometimes it can be a habit. Sometimes it's just our heart, isn't it? Stephen was talking about the M.O.T., and when I go in for an M.O.T., the first thing they check is the old heart to make sure the heart's okay. What's your heart like this morning? Has it grown cold? You know, we read about Absalom who stole the hearts of the men of Israel. He went around and he stole their hearts from their loyalty to King David. Has something stolen your heart this morning? Are you a little bit like the church in Ephesus in Revelation? You've left your first love, and there's something there. The idea of worshiping the Lord now is just something that you want to do when it's convenient for you. When it comes to the Word of God, the Word of God has become an old book that just sits there week by week, and it's not something you tend to open and delve into. And the old heart has got cold. And there seems to be very little interest now in the things of God. Something has come in and got between you and the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord's saying to you this morning, it's time to let it go. I read a story about a missionary who had gone to India and the Indians were building this temple to one of their gods. They have thousands of gods, thousands of gods. And the missionary said to the lady, how much will it cost? And she said, it's for the gods. We don't ask what it's going to cost. It may cost you to let it go. It may hurt to let it go. And old Jacob knew he's been asked to give up something very, very precious. But if he doesn't let it go, he'll never see Joseph again. He'll never have that close relationship. See the picture exhibited. Can you see that this morning? And then you see the painful experience. Look at verses 1 and 2. We'll try and do this quickly. The famine was sore in the land. And I've said this before, not every difficult circumstance comes into our lives because we're not walking right with the Lord. And I have to say that because bad things happen to good people and godly people. But sometimes, God allows things to come into our lives that we might let the Benjamins go, that we might let it go. And the famine is sore in the land. The food that they had has ran out. It came to pass, verse 2, when they'd eaten up the corn which he had brought out of Egypt, and what they had was gone. The resources were gone. This is a painful experience. And the only way that anything could be set right is if Jacob would let Benjamin go. He had to let it go. or this pain was going to get worse and worse and worse. Has the Lord been at work? Has circumstances been such as things happened and it has really troubled you? You're wondering, what's God doing? Is there something has come between you and the Lord? Is there someone has come between you and the Lord? And the Lord says, you're going to have to let it go. You're going to have to let it go. You see the painful experience. What they had depended on had ran out. Has the Lord taken something away? Because you were leaning on it, you were depending on it. It had nearly taken the place of the Lord. And so the Lord took the corn away and they ran out. And now Jacob's gonna have to think about this again. While everything ran smoothly, Jacob just ignored this, put it on the back burner. It's as if it never really was asked. It's as if Joseph had never sent the message, I want Benjamin. And maybe you've put it on the back burner, but now things have started to hurt. And God's got your attention again. You see the picture exhibited, you see the painful experience. Let me show you a pathetic example here. And I'm always a fan of Jacob, but we have to be honest when it comes to the word of God. Look at verse number two. I've already mentioned this, something pitiful I've called this. It came to pass when they'd eaten up the corn which they'd brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, go again, buy us a little food. What about Benjamin? Do you see? what Jacob's doing, he's ignoring, just ignored it. And sometimes that's how we handle the Word of God. When God speaks into our hearts and God challenges us, it's as quick as we can get out of the meeting and get home, and we just ignore what God has to say. And we continually ignore what God has to say. We put it on the back burner. We try to put it out of sight and out of mind. Verse 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. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food. But if thou wilt not send them, we will not go down. For the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. And here, The son has to talk sense to the dad. Sometimes, our children can make us see sense, because children tend to be honest and tell us how it is. And they tend to be straight with us. Jacob thought he could just ignore, and Judah says, Dad, what about this? Benjamin has to come with us. Is there something has come between you and the Lord? You see something pitiful, he decided to ignore it. Then you see perjury. Look at his other idea in verse six. Wherefore dealt ye so well with me, so as to tell the man whether he had a brother? Do you know what he's basically saying? Why did you tell him the truth? Could you not have lied? Why did you let on you have a younger brother? Not an awful thing for a father to suggest to his sons that the best way out of a problem is to tell lies. And Jacob's not looking like a great father here, and I know there's much we can say about Jacob that is good. Proverbs says, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deed truly are his delight. But you know, could I just apply it like this? Have you been lying to yourself about it? And there's something going on in your life, someone in your life, something that has come between you and the Lord. And when I name things then, if it's don't name what's yours, then you tend to be off the hook. This is what the Spirit of God has to reveal to you this morning, not the pastor. And there's something between you and the Lord this morning, and there's a distance that wasn't there before. And the Lord's saying to you this morning, you're going to have to let it go if you want to have that relationship that you once had. And maybe you're lying to yourself and saying, I can handle this. I can have this in my life, and I can have the Lord in my life, and it's not coming between me. And you can lie to yourself and make yourself feel, I can cope with this. I can handle it. I can be as close to the Lord as I once was, and I can hold on to this and give this all my time, all my interest, all my energy, all my love. And I can still have that, and I can still have the Lord. I wonder, have you been lying to yourself this morning? You see the pathetic example here. You see that something pitiful You see the perjury. You see the presence in verse 11. And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so, now do this. Take of the best fruits in the land of your vessels and carry them in a present, a little balm, a little honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds. There were some things that Jacob could part with easily. Reminds me in the days of Malachi, do you remember when the prophet Speaking on God's behalf, God speaks through the prophet and said, you're bringing me the lame and the sick animals. God wants your best. And what they were doing in the days of Malachi, if they had a pen of sheep, they would see the best sheep and they would be put to the one side. And when they would get this sheep that was worth nothing, maybe it was lame. Maybe they were going to put it down anyway. That'll do the Lord. We'll give the Lord that one, because it'll not cost us too much. And there's things that Jacob could part with and give up and give away, and it didn't really cost him a thought. No, he says, I'm not looking at that. I want Benjamin. You're going to have to let it go. You can't try and fob the Lord off with something else. Indeed, in Malachi 1, verse 13, the Lord asked the question, shall I accept this at your hand? You know, God's saying to his people, should I take that which cost you nothing when you consider what I have given you? That's what the Lord was saying in the days of Malachi. Florence Nightingale wrote in her diary I am 30 years of age, the age at which Christ began his mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain. Now let me, Lord, think only of thy will." Years later, she wrote this. When she was asked about her secret of her life, she said, I can give only one expectation. I have kept nothing back from God. See the pathetic example here. And then in verse 12, he ups the payment. Again, there were things that Jacob didn't mind parting with, and it's good to give, but Jacob didn't mind giving the money. That didn't cost him anything. And then Jacob begins to see sense, and then he comes and he prays about it. Look at verse 14. And God Almighty give you mercy. Now he's praying about it. Paul said to young Timothy, first of all, prayer. Isn't it true that sometimes it's the last thing we do? The last thing we do is pray about it. Now, I don't know in a congregation like this, this morning, if the Lord is speaking to someone or not. Is there something in your life that has come between you and the Lord? And the Lord says, you're going to have to let it go. you're going to have to let it go. Have you tried to ignore it? Have you lied to yourself? Have you tried to fob the Lord off with other things? Lord, look what I'm doing already. Or have you got down and prayed about it? You see the painful picture exhibited, the painful experience, the pitiful example, the procrastination emphasized here. Is it any big deal? Did it really matter that Jacob was holding on to Benjamin? Look at verse 10 in chapter 43. For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. Is this lingering costing anything? Look at verse 8. And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live. It affected the nine boys that were there. Your testimony affects other people. You can only lift people as high as your own level. You'll not get them any higher. It's your level, that's as high as you'll bring them. And how you live for the Lord affects other people, and it was affecting the boys. Jacob's stubbornness to not let it go was affecting the brethren. But it went a little bit further. Look at verse 8, that we may live and not die, both we and thou and our little ones. Not only the brethren, but even the babes. What about your little ones? If we were to ask them, what's important in mommy's life? What's important in daddy's life? I wonder how many were started off with the Lord, the Bible, church. It could be a football team. It could be some interest. It could be shopping. It could be fashion. Look, I'm just saying things out of my head. There's nothing wrong with those things. But have some of those things become bigger to you than Christ? You see, it affected the brethren, it affected the babes. Do you know who else it was affecting? We know from the previous chapter that Simeon was in prison. It says he was bound and thrown behind bars. Do you have anybody you know behind bars? I mean, they're not saved this morning. They're held prisoner by Satan. And as long as Jacob held on to Benjamin, Simeon would rot in a prison. And maybe this morning, and I don't want to take away from the sovereignty of God, maybe this morning, there's someone you know, someone you care about, someone you love, they're on their way to hell. And they need someone to shine for Jesus Christ. But there's something you're holding on to. And you won't let it go. But you could be that soul winner. You could be that example to other brothers and sisters in the Lord. You could be that one that the babes look up to and see someone who really loves the Lord Jesus Christ and give them that appetite and interest in the things of God. There are those who are behind bars and like the stone over the grave of Lazarus, it was blocking the light getting through and had to roll the stone away. What is God asking you to let go this morning? For except we had lingered, surely now we have returned the second time. Jacob eventually realizes what he has to do. Verse 13. Take also your brother and arise and go again unto the man. The worst thing that could happen, Jacob, turned out to be the best thing. that ever happened to Jacob. He gave up one son, and he got three back. He got Simeon back, and he got Joseph back. And over in chapter 46, Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel, his father. And I don't want to steal from that. No doubt we'll get there by and by, if the Lord wills. And Jacob let Benjamin go, the worst thing that I could be asked to do, and yet it turned out to give him the best experience of his life. He saw Joseph face to face, and he was as close to Joseph as it was possible to be. Indeed, they hugged and they wept on each other. That's how close they got. Wouldn't you love that relationship with Jesus Christ? so close he could nearly feel his arms around about you. And here's old Jacob who said, all these things are against me. He didn't know that God was working for him. I don't want to repeat myself over and over again. Francis Havergill, the hymn writer, had been writing hymns and She read a little booklet one time entitled All for Jesus, and she said it changed her life. And then she penned that hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be. Consecrated Lord to Thee, take my moments and my days. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. And here's what she said. If you want full blessing, there has to be full surrender. Are you saying to Jesus this morning, no surrender? No surrender. Or will you say to him this morning, I surrender all? The closing hymn we're going to sing is All to Jesus I Surrender. I remember as a young Christian in Coke Baptist Church when Pastor Hughes would have preached perhaps a message like this. He would have said, now, we're going to stand, we're going to sing all to Jesus, I surrender. And he used to say, now, don't you sing it if you don't mean it. I'm not going to say that this morning. But I hope from our hearts this morning that whatever is got between you and Jesus Christ, you'll see it for what it is, and you'll let it go. and say all to Jesus, I surrender. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for thy word to our hearts this morning. And Lord, what a challenge it has been in the study. What a challenge it has been even in this pulpit to preach. Yet Lord, we thank you for the attention of the people of God here this morning. And Lord, we believe there's a band of people here who really want to know Jesus and to know Him more intimately. Lord, will you encourage the people of God this morning? If there's something, someone that's between them and Jesus, Lord, will you help them and give them the grace to let it go? It's in our Savior's precious name we pray. Amen. That closing hymn, the words will be on the screen if you want to follow in the book. It's number 607. All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will ever love and trust Him in His presence, daily live. I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. We'll stand as we sing together. Thank you. I'm really Blessed Savior, I surrender all. Call to Jesus, I surrender. Hungry at his feet I run. Burning pleasures all forsaken. Be not miserly. I surrender, name and Savior, holy I. Let me feel the Holy Spirit, truth and love of heart and mind. I surrender. In my blessed Savior I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender. Lord, I give myself. Lord, forgive us for those times when we've said no surrender. And Lord, perhaps someone this morning will throw down those arms of rebellion. Just simply say all to Jesus, I surrender. Lord, give us the help that we need to let it go, whatever it is. Be with those who must leave us now. And Lord, give us a special time around this table. It's in our Savior's precious name we pray. Amen. you