Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

"I AM YOUR BROTHER"

1. You will recall that the sons of Jacob sold Joseph and told their father that a beast had killed him:
2. They had forgotten Joseph altogether; never did they dream of meeting him under the circumstances they did:
3. And now, to be told by him, "I am your brother", must have given their conscience a rude awakening:
   1. "What will he do to us now?"
   2. "How will we explain this thing to our old father?"
   3. "What will our father think of us now, discovering how we lied to him, and what we actually did to our brother?"
   4. Their minds must have been the center of unusual torment and accusations.

1. That is the language of the children of God:
   1. "We be brethren" - Gen. 13:8; 14:14
   2. "Our brother" - Gen. 37:27
   3. "I am distressed for thee, my brother" 2 Sam. 1:26
   4. "All ye are brethren" - Matt. 23:8
2. Joseph, a true pattern of the brotherhood of men:
   1. He made himself known to his brethren -
      1. Open-hearted
      2. Without guile - Ps. 32:2
   2. Nothing seemed more dangerous to Paul than to fall among false brethren - 2 Cor. 11:26
3. This is in sharp contrast to pretense by false brethren:
   1. Judas betrayed his Master - Matt. 26:49
   2. Paul considered false brethren the most dangerous to his life - 1 Cor. 11:26
   3. We are told to beware of them - Matt. 10:17
4. He had a forgiving attitude:
   1. "Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves" - Gen. 45:5
   2. "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." - Eph. 4:32
   3. This attitude of forgiveness toward our brethren cannot be terminated by us at any time and under any circumstances - Matt. 18:21, 22
   4. This spirit of forgiveness is a test of discipleship - Matt. 6:14, 15
5. He sees the brighter side of his experience:
   1. He sees that God had a hand in his experience - Gen. 45:6-8
   2. Can we see the brighter side in our relationship with the brethren?
   3. If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8:28

1. They had changed their attitude toward their brethren: Read carefully Gen. 44:32-34
2. Had deep sorrow in their hearts because of what they had done to Joseph:
3. They repented of their deeds:
4. They asked for forgiveness: Gen. 50:16, 17
5. They became his messengers: Gen. 45:26, 27

1. They show that they have passed from death unto life because they do love the brethren: 1 John 2:10; 3:14
2. They will forgive from the heart, hold no grudge against one another: Jas. 5:9; Lev. 19:18
3. They seek to carry out the golden rule in their relationship with others: Matt. 7:12
4. They have the mind of Christ, and for that reason they are a new creation: Phil. 2:1-11
5. That makes the difference between the old and the new; between the carnally minded and those that are spiritually minded: 2 Cor. 5:17