Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church

Don’t Cover Up Your Sins

Genesis 50:15-21

July 13, 2025 anno Domini

Repetition is the mother of learning, so I’m going to repeat my sermon from last week. It’s not the same sermon, but the topic is the same. In the Old Testament reading we’re going to hear another one of Satan’s lies, which we’ve been studying in Bible class.

Satan’s sixth lie is “cover up your sins.” Remember that all of Satan’s lie have their origin in the first lie – the lie Satan told to Eve – eat the fruit, you’ll be like God, you will not die. Immediately after Eve and Adam swallowed the first lie it was easier to stomach all the Devil’s lies. They believed his lie that they would be like God, then they believed his lie that they could cover their sin up.  After they ate the fruit they attempted the first of many feeble attempts by us to cover our sins.

Adam and Eve give us a poignant picture of sin – sin is looking at yourself. If you think about yourself first, you are sinning. I know that smacks up against the wisdom of the world, but before Adam sinned he didn’t even know what he looked like. His eyes were fixed on God His Creator, and then his eyes were looking out for someone to love, someone like him. Then God created Eve out of Adam for Adam and he said, “Wow. I can’t take my eyes off her.” Or in the Bible, “this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

After they sinned Adam and Eve tried to cover up behind fig leaves – and they both took cover when God came to visit. This is the nature of sin – sin is putting yourself first – through disobedience of God and then through hurting others for your own benefit. The Devil lies by telling you the best remedy is to hide your sins, cover up, blame someone else, like Adam did Eve – point out the spec in your wife’s eye while ignoring the log in your own.

That’s what the 10 brothers of Joseph did when they sold him into slavery. Those sons of Jacob were fed up with Joseph. Joseph was daddy’s favorite. Joseph had dreams where he was in control. Joseph got a special coat from his dad. Joseph this. Joseph that. Then one day Joseph came out to where the boys were shepherding. They weren’t going to miss this opportunity to take care of the dreamer. Accidents happen all the time in the wilderness.

They sold Joseph to a bunch of Ishmaelites heading to Egypt. They took Josephs fancy coat, dipped it in goat blood, and went home to father Jacob. They presented the coat innocently, feigning ignorance, asking their father to identify Joseph’s coat. They covered their sin by letting their father believe the lie that Joseph was dead.

For 20 years they covered their sin, until Joseph himself uncovered it. A famine in Israel forced Jacob to send his sons to buy food in Egypt and they ended up having to buy their food from Joseph, who had, by God’s providence, risen to power in Egypt. He was in Pharoah’s cabinet, head of the FDA – in charge of the entire food supply for the nation. On their second trip to buy food, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and thus their sin was exposed. But Joseph never treated his brothers as they deserved. He loved them, cared for them, brought their families and his father Jacob to live on prime land in Egypt. For another 20 years Joseph treated his brothers with grace and kindness and then Jacob, their father died.

What was their first thought when dear old dad died? Their 40-year-old sin. The worst thing they had ever done. They had toyed with killing their brother – instead sold him into slavery – assuming he would die a slave. But now their sin – covered by their lies – popped up like Jason in Friday in the 13th. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”

Learn this about sin and unbelief – it is strong and powerful within you. Sin is easily committed. It is fun, pleasurable, even rewarding for a moment, but then comes its bite. The Devil lies to get you to sin, then he comes as Satan to soil your conscience, to maul you like a dog on a bone. Listening to the Devil’s lies, you’ll soon be devoured by his accusations – hiding like Adam and Eve, blaming someone else, ruining your relationships. Dr. Luther commenting on these verses said, “For this reason let us learn that sin is a horrible evil, not when it is committed – for then it gives pleasure and satisfaction in a strange way – but that when it has been revived through the Law, it is hell itself and far more powerful than heaven and earth.”

That is why sin needs to be confessed. It needs to be named. Joseph’s brothers had never confessed their sin to Joseph. He had forgiven them, but they had not heard that forgiveness spoken to their sins. Think about it like this. You’re are not feeling well so you go to the doctor. After the examination your doctor tells you, “You’re sick,” and sends you home. You quickly log into MyChart hoping for some help and all the doctor has written is “Patient is sick.” What good is that? Is it my heart? Do I have an infection? Is it shingles?  Tell me something doc, so that I can be treated and restored to health.

Hearing forgiveness for your particular sins is the only medicine that will heal you. Evidently Jacob knew how much his son’s sins weighed on them, for he commanded them to “say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’” Note the reason Jacob pleads forgiveness “please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” They did not deserve forgiveness. They had wished Joseph dead. They lied to their father. They tried to cover up their sin. Their only hope was God – the God of Jacob, the God of Scripture, their heavenly Father who is merciful.

When Joseph’s brothers confess, he tells them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? That might be a rhetorical question but the answer is yes and no. Joseph is in the place of God. He can forgive sins, as can every child of God. It’s one of the greatest gifts God has given you. You can give the forgiveness of Jesus to anyone who sins against you. Yes, Joseph is in the place of God, but no, he isn’t. He is not the final judge. He is not the Lord ruling over creation, mysteriously accomplishing his purposes. God has worked a good that Joseph and his brothers could never have imagined or accomplished – preserving the family of Jacob through whom Christ would come. Joseph didn’t do that – so no he isn’t God.

The brother’s forgiveness and God’s providence in keeping this particular family alive is done for the sake of Christ. There’s a hint of this at the beginning f the story. When the brothers got ahold of Joseph in the wilderness they were planning to kill him, but Judah intervened on Joseph’s behalf. He said, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?” Judah pleaded for Joseph’s life and It was from the clans of Judah that the Christ would come. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, Salmon, a descendent of Judah would marry Rahab. They would have a son Boaz who would marry Ruth. They had son named Obed who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. 1000 years later Jesus is born in the city of David, Bethlehem, among the little clan of Judah.

Here’s a twist on Judah’s words, “What profit is it if we kill our bother and conceal his blood?” That could be said of the cross. Our sins are the reason Jesus died. What profit is it if you conceal His blood by concealing your sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9–10, ESV)

Your greatest need is forgiveness. It will heal the deepest wounds in your life. That’s why Redeemer serves it up abundantly every week in the Divine Service. It’s also why we use the liturgy. The liturgy instructs silence before you confess so that you might ponder your sins. You know them. Should you forget Satan will bring them up and gnaw on you with them. Hear the Word of forgiveness spoken by your pastor, who like Joseph is and is not like God. I stand in the place but by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ. By His promise, the forgiveness you hear from me is God’s forgiveness. Don’t cover your sin. Sin and unbelief are strong in us, but the blood of Jesus Christ is stronger. Repent, confess, be forgiven, and your conscience will be clean. In the name of Jesus. Amen.