The late Mexican novelist, Carlos Fuentes, though no friend
of Christianity, wrote of the “epochal shift” in the theology for native
cultures in the Spanish Conquest: “One
can only imagine the astonishment of the hundreds and thousands of Indians who
asked for baptism as they came to realize that they were being asked to adore a
God who sacrificed himself for men instead of asking men to sacrifice
themselves to the gods, as the Aztec religion demanded.”
The good news of the Gospel is such stupendously good news
because God completely and perfectly fulfills what His holiness requires. Christ sacrificed Himself for men and thus
God’s law which required perfect, unremitting obedience was thoroughly
fulfilled. The law of the Holy God
allowed no exceptions, no mitigating circumstances, no discounts, no rebates,
no compromise, no grace. The law bluntly
pronounces the bad news: blessings if we obey and curses if we fail to obey
(Deut. 27-28). And we all miserably fail
to obey.
But that’s where the good news comes to our rescue. Paul declares that Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). Christ took our place. He paid our legal debt. He bore our guilt and punishment on
Himself. He gave to us (imputed) what
God’s holy perfection required of us, what we were utterly incapable of
offering – perfect obedience. And all of
this is based on Christ’s perfect performance, not ours. As Tim Keller writes, “It’s not only in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance.” By the grace of the Gospel, performance will
follow, but in justification the verdict is already in: we are forever
righteous in Christ. And that’s
immeasurably good news!
Now many of us know these things with our head. Many of us have heard this truth of the
Gospel for years. And yet, what is clear
to me, in my own life, is that what’s comprehended by my head often dissipates
substantially before reaching the heart.
Last week Tim preached a message entitled, “E is for
Evangelist”. And in it he talked at
length about the role of the evangelist in presenting the good news of the
Gospel by which we are saved. And yet,
for so many Christians the trouble is not that they’re unsaved, the trouble is
that they haven’t gone very far in realizing just how much!
Someone has said, “The principle problem for Christians in
living the Christian life is their inattention to the goodness of the
Gospel. They fail to grasp the amazing
scope of His grace because they fail to hear of it, to read it, to think of
it.” This Sunday I want us to read,
hear, and think about the magnitude of His grace by taking another look at our
Joseph.
Remember, two weeks ago we were looking at Joseph and his
brothers at the end of the biblical account – Genesis 50. And in that look we saw Jesus! What Joseph does there is exactly what Jesus
did for us. He doesn’t punish his
brothers he saves them by a flood of overwhelming grace.
This week I want to go back in the story to Genesis 45 where
Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers. For here, in Joseph’s words to his brothers,
he clearly and powerfully articulates some of the same features of divine grace
we too have received. Here again, Joseph
is just like Jesus. We are just like
those brothers. And interestingly,
Pharaoh is a lot like God the Father.In preparation for Sunday’s message, “Taking Another Look at Our Joseph,” (Genesis 45:16-28), you may wish to consider the following:
1. Why
does Paul reference Isaiah 52:7 in Romans 10:15 when he’s talking about
preaching the Gospel?
2. What
is the meaning of Isaiah’s words?
3. What
would you say if you were to ask someone, “Are you saved?” and they replied,
“From what?”
4. What
is meant by the statement: “The trouble
with most Christians is not that we’re unsaved, it’s that we just don’t know how
much.”
5. Why
would Pharaoh extend all those privileges to Joseph’s brothers and father and
all their households?
6. What
does Pharaoh mean when he says through Joseph, “Leave all your stuff behind.”
(v. 20)
7. What
is the significance of the clothes and the money in verse 22?
8. How
important are the wagons or carts sent from Pharaoh to Jacob?
9. How
is every one of these benefits a response to the sin of the brothers against
Joseph?
10. How
is a deeper appreciation of all our Joseph has done an antidote to every
problem we have?
See you Sunday!
