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September 11, 2005
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 50:15-21
Pastor Ben Berger

Get Rid of the Guilt!

Guilt is a terrible feeling. Dave was married but when he saw her he couldn't take his eyes off of her; he couldn't stop thinking of her. He finally got the chance to talk to her, but they did more than talk. Later he found out that she was pregnant. She was married too. Dave hoped that when her husband came home, he would think the baby was his; he didn't. Dave didn't want anyone to know so he killed her husband before he had a chance to say anything. For years after the guilt of adultery, lying and murder ate away the soul of King David. Guilt is a terrible thing. We may or may not have a Bathsheba in our lives, but we all have experienced guilt. Some of us may be carrying guilt right now. Today the story of Joseph and his brothers shows us how to Get Rid of the Guilt! 1) Confess your Sin. 2) Receive forgiveness.

Joseph's brothers knew guilt. They had been carrying the guilt of selling their brother into slavery for almost forty years. Joseph had ten older step-brothers. His brothers hated him because their father loved him the most. They hated him even more when he had dreams that said they would all bow down to him. They really wanted to kill Joseph, but decided to sell him into slavery instead. Joseph ended up in Egypt.

About twenty years after selling Joseph, his brothers saw him again. Now he was second in command in Egypt and they came to beg for food during the famine. When they found out that Joseph had so much power, they were afraid. They feared his revenge. At that time Joseph forgave them and sent them home to get their father, Jacob. He invited all of them to move to Egypt where he would care for them. Now Jacob had died. The brothers never really trusted Joseph's forgiveness. They must have thought he was just being nice to them because of their father. Now that their father was dead, they again feared Joseph's revenge. When they saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" (15). Guilt is a terrible thing.

When we're guilty, don't we fear revenge too? I know we fear revenge because when someone hurts us, we want revenge. Let's ask the grade schoolers. If someone calls you a nasty name or pushes you down on the playground or makes fun of you behind your back, don't you want revenge? Teens and college students, if your buddies ditch you or if your girlfriends betray you, don't you want revenge? We're not any better as adults either. We just can't let someone else get the better of us at home, or at work or at play. We always want revenge. When the tables are turned and we have hurt others, we know they want revenge and we fear that revenge.

We also fear revenge from God. If we don't, we should. Every time we sin against one another, we also sin against God. God has commanded us not to hurt or harm our neighbor, not to lust after another man's wife, not to steal other people's property, not to destroy the reputations of others. Every time we sin, we sin against God. And we should expect his revenge. Our conscience lays the guilt on us and we know that we should be punished. God certainly has the power and the right to punish us. He ought to send us right to hell!

Even when God offers forgiveness, we often still fear his revenge. Like Joseph's brothers we're just not sure if God has REALLY forgiven us. The brothers thought Joseph was just being nice because their father was alive. We might think that God is just waiting for us to slip up again. Maybe God is holding back until he can release his full fury on us. Maybe he just wants us to suffer a little longer. We know in our minds that he couldn't really have forgiven us.

Joseph's brothers finally stepped forward to confess their sin. Twenty years ago they had admitted their sin to each other, but they had never confessed to Joseph and asked his forgiveness. Now they laid everything out on the table. First they appealed to their father. "Joseph, before dad died he told us to tell you that you should forgive us" (16-17). The appeal to their father also included an appeal to God. Please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father (17b). Finally, they threw themselves at Joseph's feet and begged for his mercy (18). The brothers really wanted to get rid of their guilt. The first step was confessing their sin.

If we want to get rid of our guilt and the fear that accompanies it, the first step is to confess our sin. We can begin by confessing our sin to God since every sin is against him. We want to confess because we have a real desire for forgiveness. We don't want to confess just to avoid the punishment. We don't want to give a fake "I'm sorry" hoping that will cover it. We want to get rid of our guilt. Most people don't understand that admitting to the sin and the guilt is the first step to getting rid of the guilt. When we confess, we should offer everything. Admit the sin; admit that we deserve death; admit that we deserve eternal torture in hell; admit that we are at the mercy of God.

After we have confessed to God, we can confess to one another. When we confess to other believers, we want them to offer us forgiveness. We are asking them to offer us God's forgiveness and also their forgiveness. When we confess to unbelievers, we witness to them. They can't really offer us God's forgiveness, but they see our willingness to admit guilt.

If you want to get rid of the guilt you're carrying around today or if you never want to carry guilt around again, then confess your sin. That's the first step to get rid of guilt. The second step is to receive forgiveness.

Even though Joseph had forgiven his brothers twenty years earlier, he needed to reassure them of his forgiveness. When they confessed to him, Joseph wept. He was probably hurt that they didn't trust his forgiveness and that they had carried around this guilt for so long. But, he was probably also happy that they now desired forgiveness.

First Joseph offered forgiveness from God. He said, don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? (19). Joseph knew that God's forgiveness was more important than his; only God has the real authority to forgive sins. God also used the brothers' sin for his good purposes. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (20). Joseph suffered greatly because of his brothers. Not only did he serve as a slave, later he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. But God watched over Joseph. Now Joseph was second in command in Egypt and the world. With God's help Joseph devised a plan to save an entire nation from famine. In the process God also saved his nation of Israel and kept alive his promise to send a Savior.

Joseph also offered his brothers his forgiveness. Again he told them, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them (21). Joseph reassured his brothers in action and in word. He told them that he loved them and forgave them. Then he proved it by continuing to take care of them and their families. The brothers no longer had to fear revenge; forgiveness got rid of their guilt.

When we confess our sins, God offers us forgiveness. Like Joseph he forgives us in word and in action. In his Word God plainly tells us that he has forgiven our sins. He tells us repeatedly and he speaks from his heart with tears. He says: I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11). I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34). As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

God backs up his word with action. God sent his one and only Son to forgive our sin and remove our guilt. Jesus Christ came to live and die as our Substitute. He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5). When God raised Jesus from the dead, he proved to us that he had indeed forgiven our sin. His forgiveness gets rid of our guilt.

Forgiveness gets rid of guilt. So far we have talked only about how to get rid of our guilt. Before we finish, we should also mention the power we have to get rid of other's guilt. Because God has forgiven us, we will also want to offer forgiveness to others.

We want others to experience the same joy and relief Joseph gave his brothers and God has given us. Sometimes it's hard for us to forgive. We like holding the power of revenge. We don't think we have it in us to forgive. We don't think others deserve forgiveness from us. Holding a grudge is sin. When we withhold forgiveness from those who confess, we sin. On the other hand, when we offer forgiveness, we get rid of guilt - their guilt and ours.

Guilt is a terrible thing. There are two steps to get rid of guilt: 1) confess your sin and 2) receive forgiveness. Let's practice (a good idea for home). Think of your sin and say, "I have sinned." God forgives you and so do I.