Hello and welcome to another broadcast. We are in Genesis chapter 44. Have your Bible ready if you can. Well, in our last broadcast, we find that Joseph had his brothers over to his place for lunch. They didn't know yet that he was their brother. He sent them away, but what he did was he had his special silver cup put in the sack of Benjamin and sent them on their way. Well, then he sent his servant. to accuse them of stealing the cup and brought them back, and they are brought into a place of absolute fear at this point. Now, the whole story here is a tremendous story in the Old Testament concerning the subject of repentance. The Bible is very plain about the fact that there can be no forgiveness without repentance. It's just that simple. Jesus said, if thy brother offend thee, if he repent, forgive him. The guilty person needs to repent in order to be forgiven. And everything that is happening here in this portion of Scripture is happening for the purpose of these men being brought into the position of Repentance and understand repentance. First of all, there's conviction of sin Second, there's sorrow the Bible says godly sorrow work of the repentance then there's confession of the sin at that point There's going to be an absolute change in the person's life and he's going to have a brand new appetite Things are going to be different without those things. There's no salvation. Well, we read here that the men were brought back to this place of distress and realization that they had to go back and face Joseph And we have repeatedly seen that Joseph is a type of Christ, and it is only when we are brought into the realization that we will bow before Christ and give an account of our sinful lives that we will see our need for repentance. It's interesting and important to understand that the Bible says more about those of us who are God's people repenting than it does about unsaved people repenting. Joseph and all his brothers were all part of the same family. The Bible says this in 2 Chronicles 7, 14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land." Well, the word wicked here is an interesting word in the Hebrew. It just means wrong way. It's kind of a strong word. We think, well, it must be immorality, it must be something really bad. No, it's just the wrong ways. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wrong ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and heal their land. Well, every verse in the Bible has a singular interpretation, and every verse has a many applications. The interpretation in this verse is obviously for Israel, my people, Israel. But the application is very plain. Those of us who named the name of Christ, we are his people. If my people, which are called by my name. Christian means Christ one. We are called by his name. And the fact is the majority of us who call ourselves fundamental independent Baptist Christians are in much need to repent as Joseph's brothers were in need to repent. We need to realize the situation before us is serious. We think we've got it all together because we call ourselves fundamentalists or something. No, if my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked or wrong ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive. That's exactly what we need to see today. And that is what happened in the heart of Judah, the amazing change in his heart. It is not by accident that we see the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of the book of Genesis here to begin this verse with the phrase, and Judah. We will see in the verses ahead here, the tremendous change in Judah's life as a result of his decision to repent. It says in verse number 14, And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was yet there, and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? What ye not, that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah, it says, said, number one, what shall we say unto my Lord? Number two, what shall we speak? Notice the change attitude. Or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold, we are my Lord's servants, both we and he also with whom the cup is found. Well, in verse 17, Joseph answers and he said, God forbid that I should do so. But the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant, and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father." Then we have the phrase again, then Judah came near unto him, and he begins to talk to him, and he begins to plead with him, and he begins to tell him about their guilt, and he confesses his whole story all the way through here down to verse number 33. and then in verse 33 he says now therefore judah says this now therefore i pray thee let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord and let the lad go up with his brethren well as previously mentioned the holy spirit has put the focus on judah in this whole portion of scripture And for the first time, we find him speechless. He says, what shall we say unto my Lord? What shall we speak or how shall we clear ourselves? He's continued in verse 16, God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. He is totally confessing here, total repentance on his part. Judah then reveals the story to Joseph concerning the family. And then in verse 38, he offers to take Benjamin's place as a bondman to this governor of Egypt, not realizing at this point that he is talking to Joseph. Well, at this point, 2 Chronicles 7 14 has become a reality in the life of Judah. He has changed, he has repented, and he has turned from his wicked way. It is interesting that we see the tremendous change in his life as recorded in Jacob's final message with the family in Genesis chapter 49 and verse number one. We read, Jacob called unto his sons and said, gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. And throughout this chapter, he deals with all of his sons. In verse eight, he refers to Judah, and here's what he says. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, thy father's children shall bow down before thee judah is a lion's welt from the prey my son thou are gone up he stooped down he crouched as a lion and as an old lion who shall rouse him up interesting we see here that as taught in other portions of the scripture the way with God, the way up is down. In verse 9 we see that Judah went up because he stooped down. He was told that he would have victory over his enemies, and the worst enemies that Judah had was the world, the flesh, and the devil. He has repented, his life has changed, he's going to have a victorious Christian life from here on through. We read in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 8 the last mention we have of Judah and it says, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Well, as we get into chapter 45, we see it is at the point of repentance that Joseph reveals himself to his brethren. And remember, Joseph is a type of Christ. What follows in this chapter is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful chapters in all of the Word of God. In verse number one, we read, then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him. And he cried, cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Genuine repentance preceded Joseph making himself known to his brothers as done genuine repentance make it possible for our Lord to make himself known unto us. Well, Joseph's love for his brothers revealed. It says here in verse two, And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. Can you imagine the flood of emotion that came into the hearts of his brothers at this point? when it made it impossible for them to answer him. They were stunned. They were confounded. They were terrified. They were wondering in unbelief, considering what he was saying. He then added the fact that they had sold him into slavery so that they would believe it was him. For how else would he have known that? Well, in verse four, we read, And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come nearer to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life." He said, I am Joseph your brother. He explained that God was in charge of all that had happened. This was not to say that they were justified in their actions. God just simply used their wicked hearts to accomplish his will for Joseph. However, this was not a time for his brothers to hear that particular message. In verse number six, we read, For these two years has the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you of posterity in the land and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God. and he hath made me a father to pharaoh and the lord of all his house and a ruler throughout all the land of egypt now he gives some instructions he says in verse 9 hg and go up to my father and say unto him thus saith thy son joseph god hath made me lord of egypt come down unto me Tarry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty and behold your eyes see and the eyes of my brother benjamin that is in my mouth that speaketh unto you and ye shall tell my father all of my glory in egypt and of all that ye have seen and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither well we get to verse 6 through 13, we have a family reunion. And it says here in verse 14, they fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and he wept and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren and wept with them. And after that, his brethren talked with him. What an interesting phrase. after that his brethren talked with him no doubt they talked a long time after that noon meal was over all that we are told is after that his brethren talked with him well we see Pharaoh's reaction after that in verse 16 the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house saying Joseph's brethren are come and it pleased Pharaoh well and and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brother, This do ye, laid your beasts, and go, and get you into the land of Canaan, and take your father and your household, and come unto me, and I will give you the good of the land, Egypt and ye shall eat of the fat of the land well in the next verse we find that Pharaoh says you got to get some wagons together very interesting it says now thou art commanded this do ye take your wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives and bring your father and come also regard not your stuff for The good of all the land of Egypt is yours, regard not your stuff. I feel a sermon coming on here. What an interesting phrase, regard not your stuff. Well, we read in verse 21, and the children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons. according to the commandment of Pharaoh and gave them provision for the way. Well, they're heading back to get the family and he gave them wagons to do it. We're going to look at it in our next broadcast. We're going to look at the words and the wagons that had tremendous effect on Jacob. Tune in again tomorrow. We'll try to make it plain and we will try to make it simple. you