A Plea for the Guilty

God's kingdom is unshakable. We have an obligation we have a duty to live in this world, according to a Christian ethic, according to a biblical ethic were not called in any way to run from the world record run right into it to live within it. According to her Christian convictions.

If you just simply live by a Christian ethic you will stand out you will have to let people know that you are Christian and figure out some sort of scheme to drop Christ into the conversation. If you live according to biblical ethics in a post-Christian culture. You are an apologetic and you will be pointing folks to the gospel and will be easy conversation starters time for competence but book by Dr. Stephen J. Nichols.

Reserve your copy, call 800-4353 three or visit the Reformation trust.com. One brother is in prison. The life of another brother hangs in the balance, and my brothers feel the weight of a decades-old sin, the life of Joseph next on Renewing Your Mind. Everything was going wrong for Joseph's brothers. They were in Egypt to buy food for their families. But Simeon was arrested and Benjamin was accused of stealing the Gov.'s cup, or did he let's continue Dr. RC Sproul's look wife of Joseph. As we continue now with the topic. Narrative of the life of the patriarch Joseph will recall that we left off this narrative, with the moment where Judah had pled with Joseph that he and his brothers would all assume responsibility for the missing cop that had been found in the sack of Benjamin and Joseph said no no no no no, I'm only going to make the one who was guilty my slave. The rest of you go on home.

But remember what Joseph said to them, you may go in peace to your father and I wonder how carefully Joseph chose the Lewis works. He didn't just say you can go on home. Dear father: please dear father, there's kind of a underlying hint of irony. There isn't there because Joseph knew that the last why they Ever approach their father.

In the circumstances was in case it would've been more accurate for Joseph to us that God had home go in anguish to your father, but instead he asked us if hey there completely innocent.

He continues this charade. I want follows in verse 18 of chapter 44 of Genesis is the plea of Judah, who becomes the spokesman for the brothers trying to intercede for the safety of Benjamin and I would be tempted to just skirt over this portion of the text because so much of it is recapitulation of what's already gone before. Where Judah is merely bringing the story up to date. But there is an element contained within this recapitulation that I don't want us to miss. So let's look quickly at Judah came near to him and said oh my Lord please let your servant speak a word in my Lord's hearing and do not let your anger burned against your servant for you even like Pharaoh, please let me talk with you.

Let me have your ear, let me make my case and hear me out patiently shoot it to say I don't get mad at what I'm about to tell you because I know it's like talking to Pharaoh and I understand the power and authority that Pharaoh has invested in you. And if I provoke you to anger. I realize the depth of trouble I'm in.

Please hear me, my Lord asked his servant, saying, have you a father or brother and we said to my Lord.

We have a father, an old man and a child of his old age, who was young his brother is dead and he alone is left of his mother's children and his father loves him.

Now this is recapitulation then you remember you asked us when we were here before about who was left at home and whether our father was still alive and I told you that we had a father and his youngest son who was the child of his old age, her father lives within you said to us, bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him and we said to my Lord lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father. His father would die, and you said to your servants unless your youngest brother comes on with you. You shall not see my face any more than what's Judah doing here he's pleading with Joseph. They Sanko to remember the circumstances that you set forth the conditions that you gave us for this return to Egypt and now consider our fate.

This isn't just about the younger brother that we brought the father that you inquired about will surely die. If we go home without our brother so was when we went up to your servant my father that we told him the words of my Lord and our father said go back and buy us a little food we said we cannot go down if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down for.

We may not see the man's face unless our youngest brothers with us and then your servant my father said to us, you know that my wife bore me to sons and one went out for me and I said surely he is torn to pieces and I have not seen him since. But if you take this one also for me and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.

Judah is trying to explain to Joseph about the agony that their father has endured all these years. It's as if he's pleading with a complete stranger saying to this Imperial figure of authority in Egypt. Sire, you don't understand, and there was no one in the world who understood good more clearly what Judah was talking about. Then Joseph, this is irony and that's God. God, who brings his will to pass his providence forth through the details through the subtle nuances the turns and the twists of seemingly minor events in history become major moments of importance in his hand, but here we see the irony in Judah is daring and presuming to inform Joseph about the concern that Jacob would have your servant my father said to us, you know that my wife bore me to sons and the one went out for me and I said surely he is torn to pieces.

Have not seen him since verse 29 of chapter 44 Genesis but if you take this one also from me and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave to see Joseph Judah is clearly that if you punish the boy and not just punishing him.

I know that you don't want to punish the innocent with the guilty but this will kill our father. He's pleading for mercy. He saying think of this old man who loves his youngest son. His other son from his wife Rachel was torn from his pain doesn't volunteer that they did it but he reminds Joseph that the double calamity would be more than Joseph could bear. Verse 30 now therefore when I come to your servant my father and the lad is not with us since his life is bound up in the lad's life.

It will happen when he sees that the lad is not with us that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant are father with sorrow to the grave for your servant became surety for the lad to my father saying if I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever. Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my Lord and let the lad go up with his brothers for house. So I got to my father. If the lad is not with me less, perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father when Norm's plea for clemency. Judah is not asking that Joseph overlook the transgression. He's not saying listen, forget all of this for the sake of our ancient father and let Benjamin go and forget about the incident but what he is saying in this recapitulation to Joseph, is this I had to bang my father left this young one, come with us, and the only way he would part with them was on the condition that one of us would be a surety for him and I am the surety for my brother and so what Judah proposes here is an act of vicarious punishment. An act of substitution.

Let me take his place. Let me act as though surety for my brother let him go, Joseph, for the sake of our father and take me in his place.

I will be your slave. Keep in mind the original account of the treachery of the brothers against Joseph.

How there were varying degrees of viciousness among the brothers in terms of their intentions and their hostilities against Joseph.

I remember that Judah had proposed a lesser treatment than the brothers were want to do.

Originally, and remember that among the brothers of the sons of Jacob, the firstborn, Ruben does not receive the patriarchal blessing.

The second born Simeon does not receive the was called the Primo, Jennifer, the patriarchal blessing of the inheritance, nor does Levi receive it now Judah doesn't receive it either. But what Judah is given is the scepter. When Jacob later blesses us sentence he says, the scepter shall not depart from Judah, until Shiloh come for Judah is the Lions while and so consequently subsequently the kingdoms of Israel, particularly from the line of David came from the tribe of Judah, to whom the kingdom was promised and Judah is greater son greater than David was Jesus who became the king of the kinks and Jesus again was from the tribe of Judah, unless very significant that he is called the Linehan of Judah that is a title ascribed to Christ in the New Testament will here is one of those moments in Old Testament history where a forebear of the Messiah. Temple logically foreshadows the work of the Messiah. It is Judah who offers himself as surety for his brother know what is this offer of surety. It is the manifestation and the promise of being a guarantee to cover somebody else's debts and the supreme surety that is provided for the people of God comes from the loins and the lineage of Judah. Jesus is our surety, Jesus is the one who takes upon himself the debts that we owe the King of the universe. Jesus is the one who stands in our place.

Jesus is the one who substitutes himself for us in bearing the just punishment of our sins. That's why when we speak of the atonement of Christ. We call it the vicarious substitutionary atonement.

Vicarious means something that is done for us by someone else.

If I experienced something vicariously.

That means I do not experience it in of myself but I experience it through the experience of someone else and that's what happens here in in the offer. Here is an offer to submit to slavery that the younger brother who is perceived at this point the big guilty of a car is set free. Now that imagery is replete in the New Testament with respect to the work of Christ who comes to set the captives free.

He binds himself to the law and to the judgment of God, that he may set at liberty those who have been held captive by their sin. Do you see in this brief recapitulation. You see, why didn't want to just gloss over because do you see we have here the gospel in a nutshell, the gospel of vicarious sacrifice. The gospel of vicarious punishment. Many of you have read Charles Colson's book born-again then recalled that as part of the fallout of the Watergate affair. He was sent to prison not for his role in Watergate before his role in the Pentagon papers the Ellsberg case and when Charles Colson was sentenced to prison his friend who became the governor of the state of Minnesota, Al Corti went to the judge and asked the judge if he could take Colson's place in person.

The judge disallowed it, but that was squeeze action for a new convert. He said let me suffer in his place.

I'll never forget that offer that was made by Gov. Quinn, but that's the offer.

Judah makes to this Prime Minister of Egypt as he is keeping his vow to be a surety for his brother. Amazing.

Judah's offer of self-sacrifice to Joseph is a powerful part of the story. Thanks for listening to Renewing Your Mind on the Saturday were working our way through Dr. RC Sproul series the life of Joseph as we heard today. It is an intriguing story and that we can learn a great deal from it. We likely to have the complete series for your own library. There are 20 messages at all part of a bundle of teaching series. In fact we call the RC Sproul teaching collection you requested, you'll receive eight full teaching series, including the parables of Jesus knowing Scripture. Ecclesiastes Galatians and knowing Christ request this bundled resource when you contact us today with a donation of any about our web address is Renewing Your Mind.org and that our phone number is 800-435-4343 what ever wish that this someone will explain theology in a way that doesn't require a theology degree. Simply put, is a short podcast about warm words each week.

My colleague Gary Cooper sheds light on the different biblical or theological term using helpful illustrations to apply to your life. He covers topics like the five solos of the Reformation predestination the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the spirit. I have a friend who told me just a couple days ago that I use the episode on why Jesus is called the Christ in preparing his family for worship. That day, so let's listen to a portion of that podcast in the Middle East 2000 years ago people didn't have lost names which meant, of course, that they needed a way to distinguish between people who shared the same name. One way to solve the problem was by using the name of your hometown.

Hence Jesus of Nazareth. Other people were identified by adding titles that were specific to the given that there was no shortage of that time of men with the name Jesus, the subject of the Gospels is often identified by his given title. He is Jesus Christ. What a title that is in the original New Testament Greek it's Christos which is a translation of the Hebrew would mushy from which we get out what Messiah it's a word that means anointed one. So when we say Jesus Christ were actually saying is Jesus the Messiah all Jesus the anointed one. Subscribe on Apple podcast or Google play or go to simply put podcast.com what we hope you'll make plans to join us next Sunday as Dr. Strohl continues his series on the life of Joseph, but before we go today. Here's a final thought. Have you ever had to be a surety for somebody else. Have you ever had to cosign the note.

Have you ever had to assume the responsibility of someone else's debts. I think most of us have had to do that, particularly if were parents and if we try to help our children get started in life, you might help sign for a car or whatever. What we're doing on those occasions is acting as a guarantor as a surety for our children and were willing to do that.

In fact, this very day. As I speak soon as this lecture is over I'm going to write a check of earnest money for my son for the purchase of his new house. He's out of town. They need the check I'm going to write it for him. We all do that sort of thing and were happy to do that sort of thing but it's one thing for me to be sure that the for my son for my loved ones. Don't ask me to be surety for my enemies which is what Jesus did for us and which is done for you if you place your trust in