[Richard Kennebeck] You know, when I was a younger man – shortly after I was married, I believe it was – I watched the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo. I don’t know if many of you have watched that. It’s a fantastic movie. It’s based on a book written by Alexander Dumas back in the 1800’s. The movie has everything you would really like in a movie. It’s got intrigue. It’s got sword fights. It’s got good versus evil. It’s got betrayal. It’s got a love story. And it’s got vengeance – you know, everything that you really enjoy in a book. And I decided I’d go ahead and read the book after I saw the movie. Well, it took me a few years to even begin it, because the book is 1,500 pages long – 117 chapters and it covers twenty-three years of his life. But it’s worth every page. 

Edmond Dantès, who becomes the Count of Monte Cristo, is a handsome, promising young French sailor who loved a beautiful girl named Mercédès – now, that’s not the car – that’s the name of the woman. He went off to make his fortune as a sailor, because he can’t marry her yet, until he gets enough money to be able to do that – till he can get enough money to marry his sweetheart. And on one of these voyages his captain dies. And through cunning and good skills, Edmond Dantès brings the ship back and the captain is so pleased about this – so thankful about this – that he makes Edmond the captain of the ship. Now he can marry his beloved and all in life is going so well. 

Now, what kind of book would it be if everything went so well? You know something’s happening.  And, sure enough, it does. Not long after he gets back, one of his friends and an acquaintance betray him and falsely accuses him of treason, and he is sent to one of the worst prisons in France for the rest of his life. 

For many years, Edmond barely exists in his cell – his small tiny cell – isolated from the world – isolated even from the sky – nobody to talk to. He almost loses his mind. He almost loses his will to live. And during that time, he loses any trust in God – any faith in God. But one day he hears a noise, and he hears a fellow prisoner digging his way close by to escape. So he begins to dig and tunnel and before long, he reaches the other prisoner and the other prisoner is a priest. And they start working together. And over the course of many years, they try to dig out of this prison. During this time, this priest teaches him many things about philosophy, and math and, reading and the like. And he begins to get back a little bit of an understanding of what God is. But just before they break out and dig out to the light of the outside, the priest dies. But just before the priest dies, he tells Edmond about this hidden fortune – this hidden treasure that there is – and gives him a map to that treasure. And then he dies.  And Edmond actually escapes by posing as the body of the dead priest and they throw him overboard.

Well, in the course of time, Edmond is able to get a hold of that treasure. He finds that treasure and it is an immense treasure. He’s wealthy beyond his means – or beyond any of his wildest dreams – and he emerges into society as the very rich and very handsome Count of Monte Cristo. But the Count has one goal in life – one goal that he lives for – one goal that consumes him. It’s revenge – revenge to those that put him into jail, that took his youth away from him. He had spent fourteen years in prison barely surviving and, to him, that demanded the cruelest prolonged revenge he could think of. 

Now, the remainder of the book goes through how he proceeds with his revenge. And basically, every person who had caused him problems in his life as far as the major ones – sending him to prison and the like – had everything that was important to them taken away from them, and he was doing his revenge. 

Now, I’d like to tell you another story of a second person, whose life actually parallels very well with the life of Edmond Dantès. This man lived in a wealthy household. He dreamed of great success, but those that should have been able to have been trusted, he could not trust. And those he should have been able to trust, eventually turned him over and he was eventually put into prison – a king’s prison, at that. And he had much to be bitter about. He had been taken away from his family, taken away from his land – was carried to a foreign land – became a slave. He lost his youth. He was wrongly accused of a crime and put in prison. When he helped others, they overlooked how he helped them. He had everything to be bitter about, just like Edmond Dantès. He had every reason to seek revenge. But let’s take a look at that situation and see how he handles it. 

Now maybe you’ve already guessed who I am talking about in this…maybe you haven’t. Let’s turn to Genesis 37 and begin the story. This is the story of Joseph, Jacob’s son, the father of Ephriam and Manasseh. The story of Joseph spans 14 chapters in the book of Genesis, taking up nearly one third of the book of Genesis. That’s a lot to be told about this one man – about this one character. And I want to focus on one primary characteristic of Joseph that really makes him an extraordinary person in the Bible – that’s his forgiving heart. Unlike Edmond Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo, Joseph’s example was an example of forgiving – a man who didn’t hold grudges, even though he had every reason to – even though he went through similar events, just as Edmond Dantès did. 

You know, forgiveness is a difficult thing to give. Oftentimes, it’s easier to seek revenge than to forgive. Forgiveness can be as hard as saying, “I’m sorry,” which is pretty difficult for many of us to say, too. You know, when we send out the Good News magazine, whenever we have an issue that covers hell and heaven, that is one of the issues that causes quite a few people to say, “I no longer want the Good News magazine.” Why? Quite often they will say, “Because I cannot see how people that have done this many bad things will not be put in burning hell forever.” They say, “Cancel my subscription.” But they don’t understand that God has a plan for everyone – for everyone, as long as they repent and follow God’s way. But they want to seek revenge on these people – somebody that may have hurt them at some time in the past – because forgiveness is a difficult thing. At some point in the past, all of us have had some wrong done to us – we all have – something that’s difficult for us to maybe forgive. We may still have some deep, unhealed wounds from those. As much as you try, you may have a difficult time forgiving those. But, you know, through God’s help, we can forgive. Through God’s help, we can forgive. 

So the story of Joseph is the story of forgiveness. In Genesis 37, we begin that story, but rather than read 13 chapters, I’ll give you the short version of it – the CliffsNotes version, if you like. 

Jacob and his family are living in Canaan, as we enter the story in Genesis 37. Joseph is the favorite son. His brothers don’t like him, though. You can kind of see why as you read the story. 

When he’s seventeen, his father gives him this beautiful coat a many colors, and then he dreams two dreams that he is going to, one day, rule over his brothers. And this doesn’t sit very well, of course, with his brothers and they hate him even more. You can imagine, though, that Joseph was abused and treated horribly during those years of his life at home. You know, in fact, his brothers had a nickname for him, he’s called the “dreamer boy.” That’s what they call him – the dreamer boy.  I’m sure his brothers bullied him and treated him poorly in his young years, you know. And eventually this hatred became so great that they decided that they wanted to kill him. They were going to kill Joseph. 
That day came once when his father sent him out to find out how the flocks were doing. As he is a far off, ten of his brothers see him. Nine of them say, “Let’s kill him. Let’s kill him.”  And at the last minute, brother Reuben says, “No, let’s throw him in the pit. Let’s throw him in a pit, let’s not shed blood.” 

Shortly thereafter, Joseph is in the pit, and his brother, Judah, notices this caravan of traders coming their way. And Judah says, “Why don’t we sell him? Why don’t we make some money off of this?” So they do. They go ahead and sell Joseph to the caravan of slave traders – Ishmaelites. And as chapter 37 is closing, we see that this seventeen-year-old boy, sold to these traders, is then bought as a slave by an Egyptian, named Potiphar, who is the captain of the Pharaoh’s guard – Pharaoh, being the king of Egypt. Joseph’s young life is turned upside down. He is now a slave, living in a foreign land, all because of his brothers who were unjust to him. 

In chapter 39, we see that God is with Joseph during the time he’s in Potiphar’s household. Joseph could have been consumed with anger and moped around, but no, he did as he should. He lived God’s way. And the master of the house, Potiphar, gives him more and more authority, until he is over the whole household of Potiphar. But then, what happens? Potiphar’s wife’s eye notices Joseph and tries to seduce Joseph. And Joseph did what was right. He said, “I know this is against God’s will.” And he ran. So, Potiphar’s wife, upset at this, goes ahead and falsely accuses him – falsely accuses him and as chapter 39 ends, Joseph is being thrown into prison for this – for these false charges. Now, again, Joseph has every right for revenge – humanly every right to hate not only his brothers who put him into this place, but now Potiphar and Potiphar’s wife, who have turned him into prison. But Joseph continues a right attitude. He doesn’t get caught up in the need for revenge. He continues that right attitude and because of that, God shows mercy and favor on him. And before long, he’s in charge, pretty much, of the whole prison. He’s given a lot of responsibility – a lot of authority over this king’s prison, where he was thrown into. 

And then in chapter 40, Joseph is now in prison, and he’s confined there until he is 30 years old. That’s how old he is when he’s released from prison. But during this confinement, two of the Pharaoh’s servants – a butler and a chief baker – are sent to prison, because they might have been threatening or plotting against the Pharaoh’s life. And one day they wake up, and they say, “We’ve had this dream.”  Both of them have a dream. And they tell their dreams to Joseph, and Joseph, with God’s help, tells them the meaning of the dreams. The baker, his dream didn’t end very well – the interpretation – but the butler’s did. So Joseph asked the butler, “Hey, remember me when you’re out of here – when you’re in front of the Pharaoh. Remember me.” So three days later, all comes to pass and the baker is let go. But what happens? The baker forgets. Or the butler forgets. Again, Joseph, by now, should be able to say, “Hey, all is lost. You know, I’ll start getting mad and resentful.” But he doesn’t. 

As chapter 41 opens, we see that – or in chapter 41, we see that two years have passed since this occurred with the baker. One night the Pharaoh wakes up – in the morning he wakes – and he’s had these dreams and they’re bothering him. So he quickly calls the wise men of the country, and he asked them, “What do my dreams mean?” And the Pharaoh can get no answers from them – no answers at all.  And then the butler says, “Oh, I remember. Back in prison, there’s this young man” – well, he’s 30 now almost – “but this man, who was able to interpret my dream and it came true. His name is Joseph.” So the Pharaoh immediately calls Joseph, and he says, “Joseph, let me tell you my dream. Can you interpret it for me?” And, of course, God interprets, through Joseph, the meaning of the dream about this great famine that was going to occur in the land of Egypt – seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine. So the Pharaoh asks what needs to be done. And Joseph tells him what needs to be done – that they need to save up for those seven years of famine. And the Pharaoh looks around and says, “Well who else can we choose but you, Joseph, to be over this.” And so he gives Joseph this power, makes him second-in-command, with only the Pharaoh over him. And actually, if we go down into Genesis 41, verses 43 and 44, we find how much power he has. 

Genesis 41:41 – So I have set him over all the land of Egypt… 

V-44 – Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” He’s got power. He has power.

Now this is Joseph’s chance for revenge. He’s got all the armies of Egypt. He’s got all the power of Egypt. He’s got all the strength of Egypt. He’s got money. He’s got everything. But we see no evidence of any revenge on his part. He could have had revenge on his brothers. He could have had revenge on Potiphar and the wife. He could have had revenge against the butler. But we see absolutely no indication of that. And, as chapter 41 ends, we see that the seven great years of bounty harvest have happened, and then Joseph has been storing up all the grain during that time, and we see that seven years of famine have begun. The famine has struck.

Then in chapter 42, we see that this is affecting not only Egypt, but also Canaan – the land of Canaan – where Jacob and his brothers are – where they are dwelling. And the famine gets so bad that Jacob sends his sons down to Egypt to buy grain. At this point, they have no idea that Joseph is still alive, but they realize they have to go down to Egypt for famine relief. 

In chapters 43 through 45, we find that Jacob sends his sons again, after they had run out of food that they had gotten the first time. And this time, Benjamin comes along, because that was a request of Joseph who, again, Joseph’s brothers didn’t know he was really Joseph yet. But Benjamin comes along also – Joseph’s youngest brother. And Joseph invites them to this fantastic banquet – this fantastic feast in their honor. Again, up to this point, these brothers have no idea who this person is. They have no idea that this is the person they sold into slavery twenty-two years before. By now, they thought he was dead. 

You know, Joseph could have used this time. He could have used the time that he spent in prison – at the time – like Edmond Dantès did – a time to plan out revenge on all those people who had done wrong to him, because he had the power. Remember what it said? Not a foot could be lifted in Egypt without Joseph giving the okay for that. So he could have done revenge on all these people who had caused problems. But how did Joseph respond to his brothers? Let’s turn to chapter 45, and just enter into the story here – Genesis 45 – Joseph could no longer continue keeping a secret – verse 1:

Genesis 45:1 – Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood before him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 

V-2 – And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.  Joseph doesn’t have revenge in his mind. He’s weeping so loud, he’s got love and care so much that even with the doors closed his staff outside can hear him. 
V-3 – Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Does my father still live?” Does that sound like the mind of somebody who’s seeking revenge? It’s not, “I’m Joseph, the person you threw in that ditch way back then, wanted to kill me.” It was, “Is my father okay?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” So they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.” Now he finally does bring that out. 

V-5 – But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me there; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest – another five years of this famine. So Joseph holds no grudge against his brothers. In fact, it’s not that he just doesn’t hold grudge, he’s going to help them. He’s going to bless them. He holds no grudge. 

In verse 14, we read again about the love that he has for his brothers.

V-14 – Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him. 

In Genesis 46 through 49 we see and have insight into how they brought Jacob, the father, down to Egypt. The brothers lived in Egypt. And we read about the interesting prophesies of the twelve tribes that were going to come from these sons of Jacob. 

But, you know, the story’s not over yet. The story of Joseph isn’t over yet, because the brothers are still fearful of Joseph. How could a man who’s got so much power – and they’ve done so much wrong to him – not want to get revenge? So they started thinking, “Well, maybe it’s just while Jacob’s alive that he’s nice to us, but as soon as Jacob dies – as soon as Father dies – then Joseph’s going to come back on us. He’s going to seek revenge at that time.” But we see in Genesis, chapter 50, we see here that they really don’t believe Joseph won’t carry out that revenge. He’s got so much power – they had bullied him, tried to kill him – how could he not seek revenge? 

You know, even after they had lived apparently for several years with Joseph in the land, Joseph had given them protection and wealth and caring for them. But, you know, after Jacob dies, the brothers come to Joseph – or actually send him a message – and say, “Our father is asking...” Jacob had written a note apparently – or had written a message or told a message – and that request was that Joseph not seek revenge – that he forgive his brothers. But, you know, Joseph had forgiven them long ago. He didn’t have revenge in his mind or in his heart. He had a forgiving heart. He didn’t want revenge.  What he wanted to do was to comfort his brothers, because Joseph realized that God was working out something through him. And Joseph should be an example to us of a person who has forgiveness, of a forgiving heart, and that we shouldn’t take revenge on people that hurt us. 

You know, Paul Boese said, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” It enlarges our future because we don’t stay in that mode of revenge. 

And Oscar Wilde wrote, “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.” 

So, what is forgiveness? You know, I actually think Mark Twain said it best. He said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. 

So I’d like to spend a few moments talking about some aspects of forgiving and forgiveness. You know, we’ve got that wonderful example of Joseph – of forgiveness – and we, as Christians, need to use that example, and take that to heart. I have three points that I’d like to go through. You know, in studying this topic, I was amazed at how much the Bible has to talk about forgiveness – about that subject – and really how important it is in our spiritual lives. We realize that Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins is incredibly important. It’s incredibly important to us. It’s the foundation of the hope of our future. Without Christ’s sacrifice, there is no forgiveness of our sins. It’s our only hope of receiving that crown that’s waiting for us. It would be unachievable without that – without forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice. 

So, point 1: When we forgive we must let go of our right to revenge.  When we forgive, we must let go of our right to revenge. 

In the story of the Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès is consumed with the need for vengeance. That gave meaning to his life. That’s what he lived for. And to contrast – in the story of Joseph – that wasn’t what he lived for. He lived for God’s way. And God had a purpose and a plan for him. Revenge was really the furthest thing from his mind. 

Forgiveness means letting go of what we humans feel is our natural right – to revenge. Joseph wasn’t going to retaliate, even though he had every human reason to be able to. His brothers had mocked and bullied him, when he was young. He was sold as a slave. He was carried off to another land. He was sent to prison. Thirteen years of his life was spent as a slave or in prison. He could have retaliated when he got power, and when his brothers came back to him, but he doesn’t retaliate. In fact, he says, “Do not be afraid. Have peace.” That’s what he told them. He reaffirms his love and care for them – and support for them. 

You know, there’s a saying that goes, “Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. That’s what happens when we hold bitterness within ourselves. We slowly kill ourselves. It can eat us up, if we’re not careful. When we forgive, we must give up that right to vengeance and revenge. 

Now, recently I received a letter from an attorney in the State of Arizona. Apparently I’m part of a class action suit. We all get those from time to time. Apparently what happened is one of the car rental companies out of Las Vegas airport, which I had been to – I had picked up a car there when I went to see my mom several years ago – well, they had some hidden charges that they didn’t tell us about. Okay. So class action suit happens. They send out this letter. They are found guilty of this. And in the letter it says, “Hey, we’ll give you so much money, but...” If you read those letters, it always says, “If you accept this, you must give up all rights to take them to court in the future.”  You must give up rights for revenge or vengeance, as such. We can’t retaliate against them if we accept that money – if we accept that. And that’s similar to what we have to do in our lives. When we forgive, we give up the right to bring that up and/or to seek revenge against somebody. 

You know, if we want to get the ultimate revenge, Josh Billings says it pretty well. He says, “There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.” And it’s our responsibility to forgive and to give up those rights. How can we accomplish that? You know, it’s pretty difficult. We’ve heard some earlier, from Mr. Pulliam, on that – pray for your enemies, love your enemies. Well, what do you do if you still have unresolved feelings and hurts in you? Well, one answer is to put it in God’s hands. Put it in God’s hands. Romans 12:14-21 – we need to remember to put things into God’s hands. 

Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you – so, if anybody has bullied you, wronged you, persecuted you, we’re supposed to bless them – bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no evil for evil. We’re not to harm someone because they did something to us.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 

Now we come to the part that really gives justice to the wrongs that have been done to us. 

V-19 – Beloved – in verse 19 – beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath – other versions: that place to wrath, it says to give place for God’s wrath – for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. Now, that’s quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35, and it’s actually quoted twice in the New Testament – again in Hebrews 10, verse 30.  And then, verse 20 tells us what we can also do. 

V-20 – Therefore, “IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD.” 

V-21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

What’s God’s responsibility? It’s His responsibility to deal out righteous judgment. We’re supposed to give that responsibility over to God – for somebody who might have done something to us. What’s our responsibility? Well, when I read it, it says, “Feed the person that offended you. Provide for that person. Show kindness to that person. Show love to that person.”  In doing so, you might change his mind. You might fix the breach. But, you know, doing that may also have a profound effect on your life, and how you look at things, and on your heart, if you give it a chance to do that. 

You know, when I was a student at Ambassador College out at the Pasadena campus in the 1970’s – when I was a freshman – there was a gentleman I walked past – he was a staff member – walked past him every day on the way to work, and somehow we got off on the wrong foot. I don’t remember how anymore – can’t remember anymore. I’ve forgotten all that, but I do remember the lesson that it taught me. I had remembered that verse – heap coals on his head – and I thought, “Oh, wow, I can get back at him. This is going to be my silent version of revenge.” So I was going to be nice to him. I was going to smile to him. I was going to greet him with warm greetings, and I was going to heap coals of vengeance on him by doing this. You know, over time as I smiled at him and spoke nicely to him, I noticed a change in him and I noticed a change in me. But you know what happened? That motivation to heap coals of fire on his head actually changed my heart. Over time, I realized I no longer was doing it to heap coals of fire on his head. I was doing it because I cared about him. I wanted to brighten his day up and it taught me a lesson. My heart had changed. And that was the important part of it – that I had actually changed in that. Instead of planning vengeance, pray for them and do good to them.  That’s one way we can overcome evil with good.  That’s what happened in my life. 

You’ve probably heard that saying, “Let go, let God.” Let go, let God. That’s what we need to do with people who have caused problems maybe in our life – offended us or hurt us. We need to let God handle it. Put it in God’s hands. So, when we forgive, we must let go of our right to revenge. 

Point 2: We must make forgiving a way of life. We must make forgiving a way of life. It’s an essential quality of a Christian. Forgiveness isn’t just a single act or string of acts. It needs to be a way of life.  Can you imagine, if after you were baptized, God said, “Okay, you’ve got ten times. You sin ten times, you’re out – 25 times, 100 times, 490 times, you’re out. You’re not a Christian.” No, God gives us unlimited times to sin, but we need to repent. We may not live a life of sin, but God doesn’t say, “Hey, you get 490 times and you’re out.” 

In Matthew 18, verse 21 – you can turn there with me, if you want – Matthew 18:21. Peter brings this question to Jesus. Now you see, rabbis, during the time of Jesus, felt that you only had to forgive somebody three times. That was required by the law – three times.  And once you had forgiven them three times, you’ve met the requirements of the law. But in verse 21 of Matthew 18, we see Peter bringing this to Christ. And he says in verse 21:

Matthew 18:21 – Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? What Peter’s probably thinking? “Hey, twice, three, and I’ll even add one on top of that for good measure – seven times. That’s got to be real generous.” But, you know, the amount that Christ replied with is far beyond that.

V-22 – Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Seven times wasn’t sufficient. Seventy times seven really isn’t sufficient. That’s just basically saying, “Forgive him. It’s endless.” We shouldn’t be keeping track of people anyway – of their sins. If we are, there’s probably still something that we haven’t forgiven them of. Jesus is saying, “Peter, you’ve got it all wrong. Don’t count the number of times they’ve sinned against you. Forgive them.” That’s the key. And that’s the way God’s forgiveness is with us. It’s limitless. And we need to be limitless with those that commit offense against us. We need to be willing to forgive them many times. It needs to become a way of life, not just something that we delve out, or give out a few times here and a few times there.  And it doesn’t mean that we become punching bags. No, if that happens, we need to take additional actions for that, but that doesn’t tell us that we still can’t forgive them. We still must forgive them. 

You know, I’m thankful for my wife. When we were first married, she didn’t live by the seven times rule or the seventy times seven rule, because I was pretty immature when I first got married – pretty immature and she was very forgiving of me. I’m sure, within the first three months, she probably went way past beyond that. But we need to have forgiving as a way of life. So that’s point 2: We must make forgiving a way of life. 

Point 3 – Do we need to forgive even if the person hasn’t asked for forgiveness? You know, I’ll actually maybe twist that and say it another way. Are we required to forgive?  Are we required to forgive? Is forgiving a Christian characteristic that we should all have? Do we need to forgive those that aren’t in the household of God, because some may think – and you may be able to justify – “Well, this person is not in God’s belief system. Do I have to forgive them?” Because we can rationalize it that way. We can hold maybe a grudge against somebody we may work with – against your neighbor – because, “Well, they’re not in the church. They’re not in God’s belief system.” But, you know, if we look at the example of Stephen, in Acts 7 – Acts 7, verse 54 – we see an example that shows us that we must be forgiving, even to those who are not of the faith of God. 

Acts 7:54 – Stephen is accused of blasphemy so they bring him in front of the high priest on charges of blasphemy. And, as Stephen is giving his defense before them, he says some things that are so blasphemous that they feel that they must act immediately. So, beginning in verse 54, we read:

Acts 7:54 – When they heard these things – what they thought were blasphemous things – they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. And they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man, Saul – who would later become Paul.

V-59 – And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God, and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

What an example! Here Stephen, being stoned – being put to death – and yet he asked for their forgiveness. Could I do the same in that situation? I hope so. But this example shows me that I should. And we can even see that there’s more, if we look at the example prayer in Matthew 6. Mr. Pulliam went over this a little bit. But in Matthew 6, we see that forgiveness is a required act. It’s required of us. Matthew 6, verse 12, where Jesus teaches us how to pray. It’s an example of our prayers. It says:

Matthew 6:12 – And forgive us our debts – our transgressions – as we forgive our debtors – as we forgive those who transgress against us. That word for forgive us our debts is put away. 

V-13 – And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Then verse 14:

V-14 – For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. These verses show us that, not only do we need to forgive people, but it really shows that it should be part of our daily prayers – that it should be daily. It should be continually. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. So we are required to forgive others as our Father forgives us. It’s an important thing – an important quality as a Christian. 

And we see another example of forgiveness and prayer being put together in Mark11, verse 25 – Mark 11:25 and 26. We are given instructions on forgiveness in prayer. Verse 25 of Mark 11 says:

Mark 11:25 – And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Well, verse 26 is really powerful. If we don’t forgive those who trespass against us, it says that neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. So, as a Christian we are required to forgive. 

Now I want to go over just a couple of things that forgiveness isn’t. Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Forgiveness is something you do inside of you – towards somebody else. That’s what Stephen did. He did it inside him, towards those that were killing him. It doesn’t mean that the other person is going to be willing to forgive you. Those people throwing those stones at Stephen didn’t want his forgiveness, but Stephen forgave them. Reconciliation is when both people work it out and come together and work out their problems. Sometimes reconciliation comes about through forgiveness, but it doesn’t always. It may never come about. But you still need to forgive. 

Forgiveness doesn’t do away with God’s standards of right and wrong. God’s standards always stand.  So, you may forgive a person, but if they did something wrong, that doesn’t mean it makes it right – not at all. 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you excuse the other person’s actions. If you remember, even at the time of Joseph, that Joseph still remembered that they had thrown him into the pit and sold him. But he didn’t make that a part of his life. It didn’t control him. 

You know, we’ve all been on the receiving end of great forgiveness. There was once a Being that came down to this earth, divested Himself of His spiritual body, and came to live among us humans. He, too, was stripped of His robe, just as Joseph was. He, too, was betrayed and deserted by his brothers, just as Joseph was. He is the One who ultimately said, “Your sins are forgiven.” This person – Jesus Christ – He paid the price for our sins. He paid the price for forgiveness of our sins. And it’s through that price that He was able to say, “Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.” 

Christ left us an example as He hung on that cross, after being beaten and bruised, and now being crucified. He asked His Father for forgiveness for those people that were doing this to Him. Some of His last words, as recorded in Luke 23:34 – He said:

Luke 23:34 – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” What a perfect example! Here’s Jesus, on the cross, the One who’s paying the price for those people that are hanging Him on the cross and beating Him. 

Back to our story of Edmond Dantès. In the end, even the Count realizes that he had gone too far in his revenge. It took Edmond Dantès twenty-three years to learn that – twenty-three years to learn about forgiveness – twenty-three years of difficult, unhappy life. He finally came to the understanding of forgiveness. The lesson – the author of The Count of Monte Cristo – was quite clear in his book of saying: that revenge does not give one lasting satisfaction. As you read Dantès’ story, you would agree that he’s got every right for revenge – to be angry – but the author, Alexandre Dumas, strives to show in the story that despite all the efforts for happiness that Edmond thought revenge would give him, it didn’t. Ultimately he realizes that it’s a shallow satisfaction and that happiness only comes from forgiving and no longer giving revenge. And that’s how the story ends. 

The story of Joseph presents to us a man – who’s got a forgiving heart – who had every reason – every human reason – to take revenge on those around him, but he shows great mercy, love and forgiveness to his brothers.

So, let me ask you in closing today, who do you need to be a Joseph to?  Who do you need to be a Joseph to?  Who’s hurt you or wronged you so much that you can’t forgive them? 

The man, Louis Smedes once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.”