June 14, 2026 - I Never Would
Scripture Reading — Genesis 50:15–20 (KJV)
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Sermon Summary
Finish the Journey Well
Rev. Johnson opened with gratitude—for those gathered in the sanctuary and for everyone joining on Zoom from across the world—and with a reminder that it is a gift to be in God's house one more time. None of us knows which Sunday will be our last, so the words we so easily repeat carry real weight.
The goal of this journey, he said, is to finish it properly. People like to say it is not how you start but how you end, and that is true. God is not preoccupied with what we did twenty years ago; He is far more concerned with what we plan to do going forward, and whether our plan is to spend the rest of our lives with Him.
We All Have the Same Testimony
If we are honest, every one of us has come through some storms—and some of them were horrific. Yet here we stand. That alone, the pastor said, is reason enough to shout. The next storm is coming, but the memory of what God has already brought us through is meant to be our encouragement when it arrives.
He pointed to David, who faced Goliath with a testimony his own brothers didn't even know about. When a bear and a lion came after his flock, God gave him the strength to overcome them. David understood that he survived only because God was at his side. We like to credit our own strength—good reflexes, quick feet—but if we keep living, we come to see the truth: it is only because of God that we are still standing.
The Problem in the House: Unforgiveness
The message turned to a problem the pastor said lives in every church, including this one: unforgiveness. We carry the impulse for revenge from childhood—"I've got to get my lick back"—and children who think this way usually learned it at home. The remedy is the same one Joshua chose: as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
It makes no sense, he warned, to attend church every Sunday, come to Bible study and Sunday school, and still miss heaven because we refuse to let go. We will be kind to a boss who insults us because we need the paycheck, yet hold a grudge against family. Scripture tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger; we can lie down to sleep and never wake, and we should not carry that sin to bed with us. We cannot pick and choose how we obey God.
Joseph's Long Road
Joseph had every reason to be bitter. His brothers were jealous of the favored son with the special coat, called him "the dreamer," and plotted against him—first to kill him, then to sell him into slavery. In Potiphar's house he did the right thing and still ended up falsely accused and imprisoned. A fellow prisoner promised to remember him, then forgot for two more years.
From age seventeen onward, Joseph spent some thirteen years moving from the pit to slavery to prison. Through it all he kept his routine of prayer and kept calling on God, trusting that God would answer by and by.
True Praise Is Born in the Valley
Anyone can praise God after winning the lottery, the pastor said. The real question is whether you can praise Him in the valley—when the job is gone, when your spouse looks at you like a stranger, when your children act as though they've lost their minds, when your pockets are empty. That is where true praise is born.
He believed Joseph praised God in the pit, in slavery, in prison, and right through the years he was forgotten—refusing to throw in the towel over a few things that didn't go his way. And everywhere Joseph went, he found favor. Favor doesn't only mean God opens doors in a crisis; it means that even in the storm, God lets you know, "I still have My eye on you."
Forgiveness—"God Meant It for Good"
When the brothers, afraid for their lives, came begging forgiveness, Joseph had already forgiven them—back in the pit, in slavery, in prison, even with his father in the grave. God may make our enemies our footstool, the pastor noted, but that doesn't mean we put our foot on their neck. Instead we model how we ourselves would want to be treated.
This is the heart of verse 20: "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good." Joseph could look back and say his brothers meant it for his harm, but God meant it for good—lifting him from slave and prisoner to second-in-command. He closed with Job, who lost everything yet never cursed God, not realizing God was using his suffering to elevate him. If you find yourself in the valley today, that is a sign God still has a plan for you. Hold on and faint not, and your testimony will be Joseph's: I never would have made it—if it had not been for our God.
Key Takeaways
• If you have made it through the storms of life, it is only because God was at your side—"I never would have made it" should be every believer's testimony.
• Finish the journey well. God cares less about your past than about whether your plan is to spend the rest of your life with Him.
• Unforgiveness can keep a faithful churchgoer out of heaven. Don't let the sun go down on your anger—let go, and let God.
• True praise is born in the valley. Praising God when everything falls apart is the praise that means the most.
• What others mean for evil, God can mean for good. Like Joseph, choose grace over revenge and trust God's plan in the waiting.
Baker's Chapel • All are welcome.