This sermon focuses on the powerful message of total forgiveness as exemplified by the story of Joseph forgiving his brothers. It emphasizes the importance of letting go of bitterness, anger, and the need for vengeance, and instead choosing to forgive, bless, and pray for those who have wronged us. The sermon highlights how total forgiveness is a life-long commitment that leads to spiritual growth, anointing, and blessings from God.

Would you open your Bibles to the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 1, Genesis chapter 1. My plan is I'll start reading in maybe five minutes. There may be someone here you don't know the story of the life of Joseph and so I want everybody to feel you're up to date. Here's what we have. Joseph who was the favorite son of Jacob has become prime minister of Egypt and his eleven brothers have come to Egypt to buy food but they do not have a clue that this prime minister is their brother. Joseph always knew this day would come but he thought it meant he could throw the book at them and get even because what had happened twenty-two years before these brothers very very jealous of Joseph you can't blame them. Their dad Jacob not a good father gave him this coat of many colors showed favoritism bad for a parent to do that and Jacob did that made his brothers jealous they were going to kill him and then Ishmaelites turned up they said well let's not kill him. They took this coat of many colors off Jacob's back dipped it in blood put it before old Jacob who took the bait and said a wild beast has devoured my son I will go to my grave in mourning. The brothers tiptoed away and said we got away with it. The Bible says be sure your sin will find you out. Twenty-two years later now because of a famine in the land they have to go to Egypt. They have to go to the prime minister. Joseph knows who they are. He's speaking through an interpreter. He's wearing Egyptian garb members of the cabinet they as I said have no idea this is their brother. He always thought that when this dream would be fulfilled he could throw the book at them and say gotcha but by the time the dream was fulfilled it's a new Joseph. I wonder if there's anybody here you've been given a word way back and you've wondered why has it taken so long and you cried out how long how long how long and I've come to Enfield to tell you how long as long as it takes to bring you to the place Joseph came to when it was a new Joseph and so instead of saying gotcha and throwing the book at them he starts to cry he sobs and so we begin the reading Genesis 45 verse 1 then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants and he cried out have everyone leave my presence so there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers and he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and Pharaoh's household heard about it Joseph said to his brothers I am Joseph is my father still living but his brothers were not able to answer him because they were terrified in his presence then Joseph said to his brothers come close to me when they had done so he said I am your brother Joseph the one you sold into Egypt and now do not be distressed do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you for two years now there's been famine in the land for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping but God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance so then it was not you who sent me here but God may God be pleased to bless the reading and the preaching of this is most holy and infallible word brief word of prayer Heavenly Father I pray now for the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus by your spirit to rest upon every mind that their perception of what I say will be received grasped understood applied as you intend on my tongue that I might be cleansed that I might be a transparent vehicle to convey everything you want said nothing you don't want said let this be a life-changing word I ask that no person hearing this word will ever be the same again I pray this in Jesus name amen the message that I believe I am to bring to you today was born in what was at the time the darkest hour that my wife Louise and I had ever gone through it was while I was minister of Westminster Chapel in London those days were the best of times and they were the worst of times and while I was there we went through the most hurtful period of our lives worst trial we never had what happened was not right the future was bleak I thought I was finished I was angry I was bitter how could God let this happen to me an old friend from Romania his name was Joseph soon happened to be in London because I knew Joseph wouldn't tell anybody I decided to tell Joseph so what they did and if I'm honest I thought he would put his arm around me and say RT you ought to be angry get it out of your system instead he just looked at me and said anything more I said no that's it I wasn't prepared for what followed if I could narrow 25 years in London down to 15 minutes they would turn out to be my finest hour it's when Joseph so looked at me and said RT you must totally forgive them for until you totally forgive them you will be in chains release them and you will be released nobody had ever talked to me like that in my life faithful of the wounds of a friend I said Joseph you know I just remembered more I haven't told you everything he stopped me RT and I can hear him now in his Romanian accent you must totally forgive them for until you totally forgive them you will be in chains release them and you will be released I said Joseph I can't he said you can and you must I tell you now it was hardest thing I've ever had to do almost certainly the hardest thing you will ever have to do because this is going right against nature because when someone has hurt you or maligned you a bit an enemy I've been hurtful you'll want to see them punished and so when you totally forgive them means you let them off the hook you kiss vengeance goodbye and if you're ready for this you even pray for them and when you pray for them you don't just say Heavenly Father I just commit them to you because you're hoping God will kill them no that's not the idea Jesus has blessed them blessed them yes God did bless them you say RT I could never do that I understand it was right against nature hardest thing you ever have to do but you see I'm not the first to say it Jesus taught it we all know he taught it bless your enemies pray for them love them we all know he taught it doesn't seem to bother us does it we rush right through Matthew Mark Luke John sermon on the night get to Acts Romans Galatians get to our doctrine listen what I hadn't realized this is a no-joke thing he's serious about this forgiveness is essential it's not the way you're saved it's not even the way you keep saved but it's the way you maintain the anointing of the Holy Spirit now that's the only hope I've got that you want to listen to me because you're not gonna like a word of it unless anointing matters to you you're all on a fast 21-day fast if it weren't for that I was gonna get to have lunch with your pastor but I don't want to make you feel bad but about mmm 45 minutes to now while you're fasting I'm gonna have chicken tikka masala enjoy it my favorite food in the world if I were to tell you my story I could win you over I could but if I were to hear your story I would be embarrassed to think that I've suffered at all as I doubt not that there are people here to suffer a lot more than me chances are there's someone here you were abused as a child I wasn't I can't imagine what that's like you were raped your spouse was unfaithful to you you were lied about and everybody believes the lie and you live your life under a cloud knowing what they think it's hurtful he's RT am I to forgive them and pray for them yep if anointing matters to you let's suppose we have in this audience today the person who has suffered more than anyone in England suppose you were here we call you up we interview you maybe you've thought well in my case I don't have to forgive because God would understand in my case you see that's the thing with all of us we all feel that our situation is the worst and then there's a loophole for people like us let me say to you if you've suffered more than anybody else in this auditorium you've suffered the most and and that person is here there would be at least one that no one is suffering as much as you I've got a word for you it's a word from the angels are you ready for it congratulations you have a promise of blessing that the person in front of you doesn't have the person next to you doesn't have they haven't suffered like you because here is the principle the greater the suffering the greater the anointing and whereas up to now you've seen it as a rationale to stay bitter and angry and always point the finger it's the end of an era the beginning of a new why should you forgive well it's the anointing I can give you other reasons health reasons did you know not forgiving is injurious to your health medical people will tell you holding a grudge leads to arthritis high blood pressure kidney disease I'm not saying if you have these this is why I bet it could be and you know sometimes do you know just forgiving reverses the physiological process that got you to that moment I don't remember where I was I'm just a kick myself I think it was South Africa a year or so ago lady came up to me after the service and said I've been wanting to tell you something she said two years before that's why I think it was South Africa because it's been going there every year for about eight nine years so two years before you preached your sermon total forgiveness she said in the middle of the sermon I was healed I said really how this happened she said as you enumerated the points I just said yes Lord yes Lord I was healed two years ago this should not be surprising not forgiving gives the entry point to the devil you see you hold a grudge the devil says good I love it and he will take advantage of that moment you wonder why you're angry all the time irritable no one can get along with you you're negative devil got in you say well I need is an exorcism you know you can go on a 21 day fast and if you're angry when you start and you're angry when you finish it's fast and I'm gonna do you any good because total forgiveness is an act of the will and I can tell you now if you listen to me for the next 20 minutes you don't need to have somebody lay hands on you I'm not against that this is different the moment you totally forgive him Satan knows to go Holy Spirit comes down the question is how do you know you've done it I'm sure if I said how many have forgiven hands to go up I believe you but I want to make a proposition the proposition if I were to show in the next 19 minutes that you have not totally forgiven would you then do it that's the deal all right how do you know you've done it proof number one you tell nobody what they did to you you don't tell anybody that's hard RT yep but you see we learned from the life of Joseph verse 1 then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants and he said have everyone leave my presence so there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers so here he is Prime Minister his interpreter because Joseph has learned Egyptian his interpreter speaks in Hebrew aids cabinet 11 brothers and suddenly Joseph says everyone out and they all follow that they don't know why I totally interpret it probably hangs around so you're gonna need me is out and then Joseph speaks behind closed doors to 11 brothers in Hebrew and says I'm Joseph I'm Joseph his brothers are scared to death but why did you make everybody leave he's got a strategy he wants to get those 11 brothers to come and live in Egypt he wants to make sure nobody in Egypt knows what they did there was a day he wanted everybody to know first thing you want to do is tell everybody new Joseph he knows that he's popular it he knows that he's a hero in Egypt he saved Egypt he wants his brothers to be heroes he knows if the word leaks out every Egyptian to a man will hate those men he wants to make sure nobody knows what they did that's total forgiveness you don't tell anybody tell God Psalm 142 verses one two he can eat and cope with it tell God and you can tell one other person for therapeutic reasons but not two not ten not five hundred tell one don't tell anybody else one exception if it's a crime you must report it a lady came into my vestry at Westminster Chapel said they found my rapist they want me to testify in court I said well you might well you've taught me to forgive I'm not going to test I said this is different it's not personal he's a danger to society so she did tell it but what's the real reason we tell get on the phone can't bear the thought that anybody would like them we don't want anybody to admire that we want to smear them ruined them as for that verse where God says vengeance is mine I will repay we say yes Lord but you are so slow God says leave it to me my job totally to forgive them proof number two you don't let them be afraid of you you see Joseph always wanted them to be afraid of him but it's a new Joseph they're terrified he says come close to me come close to me he just wanted to love on one to convey to them they couldn't believe it he's one of them perfect love casts out fear fear has to do with punishment he wanted to punish them at one time no more you see when we don't forgive we want the other person to be nervous and afraid husbands and wives play this game keeping the other nervous and fearful husband says to the wife I will remember that Bible says love keeps no record of wrongs why do we keep records to prove we've paid why do we keep a record of wrong to use it against our wives our husbands anybody do you know that this little talk today could heal any broken marriage any marriage on the rocks my son down today if both of you will stop pointing the finger love keeps no record of wrongs tear up the record it doesn't exist you don't tell what they did you don't let them be afraid of you proof number three you don't even let them feel guilty listen to Joseph he says don't be angry with yourselves he wants them to forgive themselves he wants them to be at peace if you ever say to somebody I forgive you for what you did but I hope you feel bad about it you see you're still wanting to feel guilty you want to give them a guilt trip and you say I don't have to forgive them until they're sorry really where did you get that you say well you don't have to forgive them until they repent I recall Jesus saying on the cross father forgive them they don't know what they've done they don't even know there's no repentance of the cross if you wait until they're sorry and you think you've got a right to hold the grudge until they're sorry the devil has convinced you of something that will take you to your grave in bitterness they're not going to be sorry they don't even think they've done anything nine out of ten people we ever have to forgive they don't even think they've done anything anyway the people I had to forgive you could have put them under a lie detector they didn't think they did any wrong and by the way when the sermon is over today don't walk across the room go up to somebody and say well in the light of our key sermon I forgive you they will say for what you'll say well you know what well no I don't oh you do well I don't actually well you should and you got a fight you see what gets your goat they don't know how hurt you are and you think you have to tell them let me tell you how to get a major victory there's minor and major was like a major victory minor victory you wait for them to be sorry and then you forgive them didn't take much grace for that I mean unsaved people soft words turn away wrath get a major victory forgive them when they don't even know you're hurt forgive them when they don't even think they've done anything wrong you don't have to point it out tell him this is Jesus father forgive them they don't know what they've done we're talking about wanting more anointing here's you I'm telling what to do this is better than a 21-day fast why don't you just go eat with me today no I'm joking at 20 I'm I am impressed with that at Westminster Chapel we did it one day a year and we thought we were doing something great you embarrass me total forgiveness is an act of the will you see what I need is somebody lay hands on me and I'll fall to the floor if you're bitter when you fall you'll be bitter when you get up you make a choice and don't be surprised if the people you have to forgive are close to you and just between you and me what if they are godly really spiritual you know some that we think are so godly meanest people in the world you've heard the poem living with the Saints above oh that will be glory living with the Saints below well that's another story don't tell what they did don't let them be nervous afraid of you helping to forgive themselves proof number four you let them save face what's that well that's when you cover for them you protect their fragile ego instead of rubbing their noses in it you act like you don't even know what they did or you give them a way out you let him save face here's Joseph so don't be angry with yourselves he said God sent me here he knew in advance this famine was going to come and somebody had to get here first for our sakes and God says Joseph you go first that's all I just got here first he lets him save face they can't believe their luck the very man they were going to kill now saying God did it that was too good to be true but I've got a little test how to know what you've really heard the gospel you want to hear my test today how to know you've really heard it here's the proof you've really heard the gospel when it was too good to be true until it was too good to be true haven't heard it yet but when the penny drops you think that's too good to be true that's when you heard it and I did something earlier today that I had not planned to do spontaneous I'm gonna do it now it takes two minutes out of the sermon here goes do you know for sure you if you were to die today would you go to heaven do you know that question if you were to stand before God and you will and he were to ask you he might why should I let you into my heaven what would you say what would you say what will you be a hundred years from now I asked Yasser Arafat that first time I've met him I said Raish where will you be a hundred years from now issue is not whether you or the Israelis get Jerusalem where will you be a hundred years from now what will you be and you're standing before God he says why should I let you in you got to give an answer wrong answer go someplace else you don't want to go there only one answer will do what comes to your mind I'll cut right to it two words do nicely Jesus died I was giving the gospel to a man in in South Africa the other day I ask him the same question what do you stand before God he says why should I let you in he said is there a password I said yeah he said what is it I said I'll tell you in a minute I gave me the gospel first the password is Jesus died it's too good to be true gotta be more to it than that mm-hmm if there's more to it than that ain't good news Jesus died and I have to say with respect if it didn't cross your mind to say that or the equivalent trusting his death on the cross okay here you are I wouldn't want to be in your shoes for anything in the world but that can all change right now if you know you gave the wrong answer I want you to pray this prayer you don't need to say it out loud you say it in your heart you ready Lord Jesus I need you tell her I want you I'm sorry for my sins wash my sins away by your blood I welcome your Holy Spirit into my heart as best as I know how I give you my life that's it did you pray that prayer did you some did in the first service some did in the second I think somebody just did question are you ashamed that you prayed it why do you ask RT because Jesus said if you're ashamed of me I'll be ashamed of you Jesus said if you confess me before men I'll confess you before my father in 15 seconds if you prayed that prayer I'm gonna ask you to stand he's in front of all these people yep well that's kind of scary and people know yeah eight seconds four three two one if you pray the press then your feet right now copy one have a look you're all over the place and remain standing now look two kinds of people standing right now one first time for you to do this never prayed a prayer like that before never stood publicly do you know what the Bible says about you you've just been born again God says to you happy birthday remain standing but there's a second category of people standing you were saved before today this is not the day you got converted but when you heard the gospel as I just presented it it gave you the assurance that you haven't had so you stood and you did the right thing you can be seated God bless you proof number five total forgiveness you protect them from their darkest secret what was the dark secret of these brothers well they deceived their dad they took that coat of many colors dip it in blood lay it before old Jacob who took the bait they'd rather die than have to go back to Canaan tell him what they did they'd rather die Joseph knew that he won't let them tell you read the rest of the scripture when you get home he tells them exactly what to say he won't let them tell the old man he protects them from their darkest secret chances are you know something about somebody they could destroy them assure that person no one will ever know see the gods that way with us we've all got skeletons in the cupboard God's not one to embarrass anybody and so with you assure that person no one will ever know proof number six very important arguably the most important point of my sermon total forgiveness is a life sentence it's like when your physician gives you a tablet says you're gonna have to take this the rest of your life I've got one like that life sentence total forgiveness is that that means you've got to do it today you gotta do it again tomorrow day after tomorrow a week from now two years from now maybe ten years from now for all I know because some people never ever change and they're still out to get you or hurt you keep praying for them just bless them you say well once is enough wrong you've got a faulty doctrine of sanctification the heart is deceitful you do it once you feel good then five days from now you realize what you had to forgive they're still doing it this is why it's a life sentence keep it up this is where the anointing is this is where that's with me pray for your enemy bless them I've got an enemy's prayer list pray for them that pray for the day one you're not on it yet proof number seven this is my last point you'd be pleased to know you bless them 17 years later Jacob died the brothers panic they say Joseph just been waiting for our dad to die now he's going to go for us and they come running to Joseph please forgive us for what we did and Joseph starts to cry what is the matter with you man I told you 17 years ago I forgave you I forgave you then forgive you now you see it was a life sentence he still forgave them but the big thing is he says don't worry I will look after you I will bless you it's when you pray for them God will bless them I came into the pulpit at Westminster Chapel those days the minister led the worship we were singing praise my soul the king of heaven out in the audience was a woman who has done irreparable emotional damage to one of our children and I saw her out there I lost it I could hardly sing I didn't read the scripture I don't know how I did it I didn't go through another hymn and then pastoral prayer whole time I was thinking of her what saved me offering time the gifts another man came up lifted the offering made the announcements I'm sitting there next to the pulpit I wasn't expecting this never happened before or since God entered into a conversation with me I don't say this is verbatim but it's pretty close so the Lord says RT you're wanting to see revival Westminster Chapel right yes good how much do you want to see revival a lot which would you rather have revival or for me to send judgment on that woman out there revival good pray for her I pray for her he says not good enough ask me to bless her bless her say it again bless her say it again bless her now what if I take your word seriously and I bless her the Lord you wouldn't do that would you but that's the point and I just started saying bless her bless her knowing full well God's gonna bless her it was killing me to prove I managed I'd have put on my prayer list the next day pray for every day what was at first so hard it became so easy that's when I got my enemies prayer list you know people what I'm about to say you could misunderstand try not to they want to RTL could be written all these books they think it's my brain my education it's the Holy Spirit from that day I began to get insight into the Bible that I've never had before publishers queue up wanting a book get more thoughts I can't write them down fast enough anointing all started this is where it was he'll do it for you I don't say you're gonna be an author but you've got a gift nobody else has at the moment you wonder why God isn't using you can't trust you he doesn't want a bitter person you see this is the problem with leaders today small men scrambling for power God's looking for somebody free of bitterness they can be trusted with this anointing