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[ Silence ] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] ♪ I should bring every hope ♪

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♪ Here's how to use how we live ♪ ♪ God in the office of faith ♪ ♪ Grace always seeking to shine ♪ Give Him the rest of your life.

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Give all your rest, O Master. Give all the strength of your youth. Let it's salvation go on. ♪ Joined in the battle for you ♪

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♪ Give up your best to the last one ♪ ♪ No mountain's worthy to climb ♪ ♪ He gave himself for the last one ♪ ♪ Give of His glory above ♪

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♪ Take down His white withered crown ♪ ♪ New from sin's golden crowns make ♪ ♪ Give Him your heart's adoration ♪ ♪ Give Him the rest of your life ♪

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♪ Give all your grace to the Master ♪ ♪ Give all the strength of your youth ♪ ♪ That in salvation you'll find ♪ ♪ Born in the miracle ♪

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- Possess us with your spirit, oh God, we may seek to give to you our best. Speak now to our hearts the word that we need to guide and govern our lives.

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Amen. In Genesis, the 44th chapter, in the latter part of the 23rd verse, are these words,

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"Except your youngest brother come down with you, "ye shall see my face no more." Would you repeat that after me? Except your youngest brother.

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>> Except your youngest brother. >> Come down with you. >> Come down with you. Ye shall see my face no more.

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>> You shall see my face no more. >> The subject of the message, bring your brother. Bring your brother. These words that constitute the focal passage

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for the message are words that were first spoken by Joseph to his brothers. As they appear in the 44th chapter, they are a part of the speech that is being made

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by Judah to Joseph as he is rehearsing the sequence of events. Judah and Joseph are brothers. Judah does not recognize Joseph as his brother,

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even though Joseph recognizes Judah as his brother. Some more than 20 years have passed since they were at home together. A lot of water had passed underneath the bridge

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since that time. The story of Joseph is about his relationship with his brothers. As a child in the family, he was estranged

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from his brothers. He was the favorite child, given special clothes, accorded special favors. And then again, he was always sharing his dreams

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about the future, time when he thought of ruling over his father and his brethren. That wasn't popular at all with the family. The fact that brethren become estranged from one another is the problem of the human family. We are related.

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We have a common origin. We share common experience. And yet, there is a strange me. We're strangers to each other.

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Joseph is mistreated by his own brethren, sold into slavery. Here he is in Egypt, his prime minister, second in command to Pharaoh.

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And his brethren have come to Egypt for food. They stand before Joseph, but they do not recognize him. Joseph knows them, but they do not know him. Joseph questions them about the family on their first visit,

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particularly his youngest brother, Benjamin. Many families today, he would have been called baby brother. And he provides them with the food that they need seek, the money that they bring is put back into their sacks, but then they are

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given an ultimatum. He says to them, "Unless you bring your brother Benjamin, you shall not see my face. When you come back, if you should come back, you must bring your brother. This story seems to contain many varied experiences and lessons, brotherly relations. The brethren had sold Joseph into slavery. They were unable to relate to Joseph

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as a member of the family. What does it really mean to have brotherly relations? What does it really mean for us to have that kind of relationship one to the other

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where we treat each other as equals and as comrades and where there is a true fellowship, Where there is sharing, where there is goodwill. What does it really mean to have this kind

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of brotherly relationship? I often think of the time when I was in college and we had what we called a brotherly relationship, just about four of us, and for a while there were eight.

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Whatever one had, the other had. We shared our cigarettes. One had a package, the other one had a cigarette that we could get.

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We shared our clothes. I was in a play and I was supposed to change clothes and when I went out to Gramman College to appear in the play I was the best dressed person

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because I had something from John Favors, I had something from Harold Thompson, I had something from this one and that one. And whatever one needed, if I really needed a dollar and John had that dollar, he was willing to let me have it.

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And it was this kind of brotherhood that we shared. But yet, so often in life, we find it difficult to have this kind of relationship. We talk about it, but we find it difficult to have this kind of relationship. The difficult task here has to do with this relationship even within the family here of Joseph.

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They're not able to treat each other as persons of equal value. It's most difficult task here as Joseph has given this ultimatum because the brethren had sold Joseph into slavery. The family thinks he's dead.

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takes his place in the home with his father's affection. And since the father has already lost Joseph, he surely doesn't want to lose Benjamin. His heart has been pierced by the loss of Joseph and if he should lose Benjamin that will just send him on to his grave.

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And so yet Joseph in his questioning of his brothers insists, it's a demand, you come back bring your brother, bring your brother. This is a difficult task, difficult task, and being rightly related to each other as as members of a family is many times the difficult task, bring your brother. Maybe the brother doesn't

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want to come, maybe there are circumstances, maybe there are obstacles, Bring your brother. Sometimes the person nearest and dearest to us is the most difficult for us to bring to Christ. Nevertheless the command remains, bring your brother, your youngest brother. Jacob had 12 sons by different wives and

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and concubines, yet they were all brethren because they had the same father. They were all members of the human family. And we are all members of the human family, though we may belong to different races, some black, some brown, some yellow, whatever may be the color of the race.

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Let there be no strife among you. We are brethren. We are made to be comrades in the human struggle, companions on the pilgrim journey. We are brethren. Now this estrangement between brethren expresses itself in the dawn of human existence.

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Cain and Abel are brothers, but Abel offers up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and so Cain kills Abel. Then the Lord speaks to him, saying, "Where is your brother?" And Cain answers, "Am I my brother's keeper?

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Am I responsible for him? Am I his keeper?" And this is a question that's asked over and over in our world today. Am I my brother's keeper? Well, when you really listen to that question, it seems to suggest a kind of paternalism.

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That someone else is going to look over us like a big brother, watching us and telling us what we're to do. It's a kind of paternalism. Am I my brother's keeper in that sense? No, heaven's sake, no. I'm my brother's brother. I remember a story in the life of Bishop College when it was started. Nathan Bishop, who gave the initial gift of $10,000 from Boston,

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a philanthropist, a man of God. He said this when he made that gift, for the education of blacks in the South, that those freedmen and I are brothers,

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and I expect to stand side by side with them in the judgment and I plan to be prepared for the meeting. Brothers, it's difficult now for these brethren to bring Benjamin back to Egypt.

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There are barriers, there are considerable barriers when we face with the challenge, bring your brother. Barriers to doing what the Lord commands And yet, many times what he expects us to do,

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he hasn't promised us it would be easy. In fact, on the first visit, when Joseph makes this demand, he says, "Now leave Simeon here

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"till you bring your brother back." He's not to have his freedom until Benjamin comes. Well, after this visit, They go home and they tell Jacob, their father,

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what this man in Egypt has required of them. Now we may need some more food, father, but if we're going back there to this same man in Egypt, he's already told us that don't come back here

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unless you bring your brother. So we've gotta carry Benjamin. Jacob said, "Oh no, no, no." Over my dead body.

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And then Reuben speaks and says, well, Daddy, I'll be responsible for him. In fact, you may kill my two sons if I don't bring him back.

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Jacob says, no. My son will not go down with you to Egypt. Then the time comes when they really have to go to Egypt to get some corn.

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They've got to go now. And when Jacob tells them that they've got to go back, they say, "Now, you know, we've got to carry Benjamin, "but he told us don't come back."

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And Judah says, "Father, let Benjamin go, "and I will be responsible for him. "I'll be the one to guarantee you that he'll come back." So Jacob agrees.

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And now here they are, standing before Joseph. Jacob has consented for him to go, and the boys, the sons, the brethren, have all journeyed to Egypt.

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They've carried Benjamin, and they've gotten the food, and they're on their way back, and the silver cup of Joseph is in Benjamin's sack, and Joseph has him to come back,

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and they say, "You fellas have been fair with me. "I've been very kind to you, and you've returned my kindness with evil? What kind of men are you anyway?

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One that has the silver cup must be kept here and placed in jail. Brethren know all of this, that they know how they have been so concerned

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about bringing the brother, but they also wanted to be sure that he was returned safely to the father. And here is Judah who likes to plead,

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And he pleads there before Joseph, says to Joseph, that this is my brother, this brother is a burden in a sense because my father's life is wrapped up with this brother. I've promised to bring him back,

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and if I don't bring him back, he'll go down to his grave. so, so stricken was Judah with the condition that he pierced the heart of Joseph as he makes this plea. He said, "You know, you know, you required this,

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"but I've got to carry it back." No doubt he had tears in his eyes as he makes this plea. And many times, the command to bring your brother involves overcoming certain barriers.

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There are certain barriers that you've got to overcome. If we would carry out this commission, we have got to overcome certain barriers. It's said that there was an elevator

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in one of the tall buildings in a metropolitan center that became stuck between the floors. There was a great deal of concern about getting the elevator moving again.

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They didn't know who was in it. They tried to find out, and there was some tapping here and there to try to find out who it was.

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The building owner was concerned about the persons that were trapped in the elevator. And finally, the word was revealed to him as to who was in the elevator.

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And he said, "Tear down the walls, that's my brother. "My brother's in there, tear down the walls." And so, when we recognize that this is my brother, we're to tear down the walls,

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tear down the walls of misunderstanding, tear them down, that's your brother. Your brother, Marius, must be overcome. Tear down the walls.

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Well, since the decision is made by Joseph that his brother is to be brought, and they find themselves at this moment of crisis, and the plea is made by Judah

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to let him go back home with Benjamin. Joseph is so touched by the plea. These same brothers that had sent him off into slavery. He's so touched by the plea that he cries out,

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I'm Joseph, I'm your brother, I'm your brother. And oh, what a blessing it was that somehow Benjamin is used as a channel of grace to bring Joseph into a relationship with his brothers

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that they had long since left and overcome. So bring your brother. It's difficult. We talk about outreach in our church. It's a difficult task, many times, to bring your brother.

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Difficult task in the home. It's a difficult task in the church. It's a difficult task in the community. But that's the task that if we would fulfill

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the order of our commander in chief, we will bring our brother. In fact, that's why Jesus came. He came all the way from earth to heaven.

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He's our elder brother. And he came to bring us back to God. He came to bring us into a right relationship with God. He came, he humbled himself, born in a stable.

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He came and suffered humiliation, yes he suffered humiliation, even to the death of the cross to bring us into a relationship with God. And that's why, that's why he has commanded us,

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go bring your brother, go to Jerusalem, go to Judea, go to Samaria to those strangers, Go to Samaria, to those strange places, but for heaven's sake, go and bring your brother. And in bringing your brother, that's a blessing.

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The burden is involved, but there is a blessing in bringing your brother. Thanks be to God that he has acted for us through Jesus Christ, our elder brother. And he has come to us in a far country to enable us to live the life that he has designed. As we come to this time of commitment, we invite you to join on this pilgrim journey,

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to make the decision for Jesus Christ that you're going to seek to carry out his word, that you're going to be faithful in the course of the journey, obedient to the divine command. As we sing, "I'm Going Through," we invite you to come.

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Doors open. Lord, I have started to walk in the light. ♪ Shining upon me ♪ ♪ From heaven so bright ♪

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♪ I'll take the world ♪ ♪ And it's parted ♪ ♪ Or due ♪ ♪ You know I started ♪

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♪ In Jesus ♪ ♪ And I ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm going through ♪ ♪ Mmm, I'd ♪

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♪ I'd live a while ♪ ♪ With the Lord ♪ ♪ The Lord ♪ ♪ And have ♪

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♪ For my pillow ♪ ♪ I'd take a ♪ ♪ The star ♪ ♪ Living ♪

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♪ Living each moment ♪ ♪ With his face ♪ ♪ With the Lord's face in view ♪ ♪ And stream ♪

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♪ From the pathway ♪ ♪ And fail to go, to go through ♪ ♪ Don't you know that I'm going through ♪ ♪ I'm going through ♪

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♪ Yes I am, I'm going through ♪ ♪ One more thing to do ♪ ♪ I'll take a ride ♪ ♪ I'll take a ride ♪

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♪ Whatever I do ♪ ♪ Whatever I do ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, I'll take a ride ♪ ♪ I'll take away ♪

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♪ I'll take away ♪ ♪ With the Lord ♪ ♪ Despise me ♪ ♪ I started ♪

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♪ I started ♪ ♪ In Jesus ♪ ♪ And in Jesus' name ♪ ♪ I'm coming to you ♪

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♪ Oh, beautiful God ♪ ♪ I'm coming to you ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm coming to you ♪ ♪ I'm a warrior, I'm a warrior ♪

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♪ I feel great, I feel great ♪ ♪ Yes, I feel great ♪ ♪ I'm a warrior, I'm a warrior ♪ ♪ I'm a warrior ♪

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♪ I'll take the wave ♪ ♪ I'll take the wave ♪ ♪ I'll take the wave with the Lord ♪ ♪ With the Lord ♪

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♪ It's my spirit ♪ ♪ Long can I go as I should ♪ ♪ As I should ♪ ♪ Oh, and God is with me ♪

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♪ Oh ♪ ♪ I'm going to ♪ ♪ You got it ♪ ♪ I'm going to ♪

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♪ I'm going home ♪ ♪ I'll pay the price, I'll pay the price ♪ ♪ I'll pay the price ♪ ♪ Oh, whatever I've lost ♪

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♪ Oh, oh, I'll take the weight ♪ ♪ I'll take away ♪ ♪ With the laws ♪ ♪ With the laws ♪

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♪ This past week ♪ ♪ I started, I started ♪ ♪ All time I'm gonna start it again ♪ ♪ I ain't seen ♪

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♪ He's gone ♪ ♪ And I ♪ ♪ And I ♪ [MUSIC]

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