Hebrews chapter 11. We're going to read verses
20 through 22. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith,
Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons
of Joseph and worshipped, leaning on the top
of a staff. By faith, Joseph... When he was dying,
made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel
and gave orders concerning his bones. Let's go
to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come to you
this Lord's Day. Father, we ask at this time
that you would be in our midst. Lord, we ask
that you would bless the ministry of your word
abundantly. In our weakness, come to our aid
by the power of your Spirit. Work in the hearts
and minds of your people to sanctify and grow
and to transform more and more into the image
and likeness of Christ. And Father, use your
word to pierce the hearts of the unbelieving
men, women, and young people that are present
that they would see the great faithfulness of...
Such a great God, Lord, that repentance and faith
would be worked into their hearts and that they
would freely and willingly come to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Father, we ask these things in the name
of the Lord Jesus. Amen. You may be seated. In
Hebrews chapter 11, verses 20 through 22, we
find... Abraham's immediate lineage. And we find
three of the patriarchs on their deathbed, Isaac
nearing his death. And we find that these three
patriarchs have a steadfast faith in the promises
of God that would be accomplished beyond... their
own lifetime. That God himself would bring about
and accomplish his promises and his purposes
even after they were long gone. We find in these
texts ultimately what is most important to the
patriarchs. But we'll also see what is ultimately
the most important thing for any believer on
their deathbed. Now, I want to ask you a question
that we'll answer eventually, and that is, what
is the most important thing in your life? What
is that thing or those things that are the most
important? the most significant realities in
your life. Now, let me ask you another question.
On your deathbed, what will be that which is
most important? What will be the most significant
realities in your life? Now, those are all with
reference to you and your consideration. And
what you see to personally be important and significant
in your life now. And on your deathbed. But there's
also something we have to ask and we have to
consider as well. And that is what is in reality
actually the most important thing when we come
to the end of our life? Is it our own faith or
faithfulness? Or is it something else? Is there
something even more significant than our own
personal faith that we have in Christ? Something
that transcends even that? Because ultimately,
brothers and sisters, a day will come when every
single one of us is passive, totally and completely,
and that we will die and it will be out of our
hands. So there must be some transcendent reality
which is even more important. That is more significant
than even our capacity to exercise faith as a
human being. There must be something more ultimate
than that. The first thing we're going to consider
in this text is the faith of Isaac. We'll then
consider the faith of Jacob and Joseph. come
in at the end with several applications for us
as New Covenant believers. So first, the faith
of Isaac. We see this in verse 20. By faith,
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding
things to come. Now, this is a reference or an
allusion to... Genesis chapter 27, and we'll
go ahead and turn there. Genesis chapter 27 and
28. If you've been raised in church, likely you
know this story of Isaac and Jacob and Esau and
Rebekah. You know of the deception which took
place. between Jacob and his mother and how they
were going to pull the wool over their aging
father's eyes. He was blind. He couldn't see.
They deceived Esau. But we also find in this
story that providence overrules all of those
things. We find that God's purposes are, in fact,
brought about. Isaac is one of the patriarchs
that we know the least about. We don't know that
much about Isaac in comparison to, say, Abraham
or even Jacob. We have a much more extensive
account of Jacob's life, and we have a very extensive
account of Joseph's life that is referenced in
verse 22, but we don't know that much about Isaac.
John MacArthur actually calls Isaac, he says,
if Jonah was the reluctant prophet, then Isaac
is the reluctant patriarch. Because it seems
as though he's a fairly materialistic man in
the account of his life, especially towards the
end. What did he want at the end of his days,
even? He wanted his belly to be full. He wanted
good food. He was... Playing favorites with his
children, brothers and sisters. He clearly liked
Esau more than he liked Jacob. He was going to
give the blessing. He intended to give the blessing
to Esau. But providence overruled it. Now, in
Hebrews chapter 11, we see two things that show
us. the faith of this patriarch, that evidence
or prove or demonstrate or show the faith of
Isaac. We see that he blesses his two sons, and
then it goes on and says, even with regards to
things concerning the future. In Genesis chapter
27, we read of the deception and the manipulation
by Jacob and his mother regarding... The stealing
or the procuring of the blessing. But we also
read that Jacob is the one that is blessed. Listen
to this in Genesis chapter 27. Then his father
said to him, please come close and kiss me, my
son. So he came close and kissed him. And when
he smelled the smell of his garments. He blessed
him and said, See, the smell of my son is like
the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed.
Now may God give you the dew of heaven and of
the fatness of the earth and an abundance of
grain and new wine. May people serve you and
nations bow down to you. Be master of your brothers
and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed
be those who curse you and blessed be those.
who blessed you. Notice in this, it's forward
looking. He's discussing, he's blessing with
regards to the future and what is to come in
the life of his offspring, in the life of his
children. Then what happens? Esau discovers this
and he's upset. And Jacob concludes that, and
Isaac concludes that Jacob is in fact the one
that will be blessed. And Isaac accepts this.
He accepts the fact that it is the younger and
not the older that is going to be blessed of
God. And the way we know that is by the beginning
part of Genesis chapter 28. So Isaac called Jacob
and blessed him and charged him and said to him,
You shall not take a wife from the daughters
of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan the ram. to the
house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and from
there take yourself a wife from the daughters
of Laban, your mother's brother. May God Almighty
bless you and make you fruitful and multiply
you that you may become a company of peoples.
May He also give you the blessing of Abraham
to you and to your descendants with you that
you may possess the land of your sojournings.
which God gave to Abraham. You see, he believes
the blessing that God had given to Abraham, and
now he's blessing his son with it. And he's dying.
That means that there's nothing he personally
can do to bring about its fulfillment. The fulfillment
and the accomplishment of the blessing that he
just proclaimed and declared over Jacob. has
nothing to do with his own ability to bring it
about. So if he's blessing Jacob and he believes
that these things will come about and these things
will take place in the future in Jacob's life,
who's he looking to to accomplish these realities?
To bless these realities? God, brothers and sisters.
He is believing that God himself The transcendent
God who is faithful will in fact bring about
these future realities which depend on God and
his faithfulness. So we see that the death or
the near death, the deathbed experience of these
patriarchs is meant to heighten the reality.
That they are believing and they are looking
to realities beyond their own lives. Things which
are unseen. Things which can only be observed
and seen by faith. Faith is confidence and assurance
of those unseen future realities which are wholly
and completely dependent upon God for truth.
their fulfillment. Brothers and sisters, they
are those future realities which hinge completely
and totally on the power of God to perform and
accomplish them. So this is the faith of Isaac.
But this brings us secondly to the faith of Jacob
in verse 21. We read this in verse 21. By faith,
Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons
of Joseph and worshipped, leaning on the top
of his staff. Now, once again, we all know the
story of Jacob or Israel fairly well. We know
the events of his life. We know the ins and outs
of his personality. We know his character. But
we also see this transformation progressively
take place over Jacob's life. This is a clear
reference to Genesis chapter 48, the account
of Jacob's passing. Genesis 48. may be titled
Israel's Last Days. Now, what evidence do we
have in Hebrews chapter 11? What proof do we
have that this patriarch was living by faith?
How do we see this in the text in the event that
it is putting forth? Well, we see it in two ways.
The blessing of Joseph's two sons, first of all.
Now, in Genesis 48, we'll read the account, starting
in verse 1. Now, it came about after these things
that Joseph was told, behold, your father is
sick. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim,
with him. When he was told, Jacob, behold, your
son Joseph has come to you. Israel collected
his strength and sat up in the bed. So clearly,
this is the event the author of Hebrews is referring
to. Then Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared
to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed
me. And he said to me, Behold, I will make you
fruitful and numerous and I will make you a company
of peoples. and will give you this land to your
descendants after you for an everlasting possession.
There's the promise, brothers and sisters. The
promise that we see so intertwined throughout
the book of Genesis and throughout the Old Testament
narrative. In verse 5, Now your two sons who
were born to you in the land of Egypt before
I came to you in Egypt are mine. Ephraim and
Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are.
Meaning they will be identified with me. They
will be identified with Israel and not with Egypt.
They will be identified with deliverance and
salvation and redemption as part of the people
of God and not with bondage and slavery and Egypt.
But your offspring that you have been born after
them shall be yours. They shall be called by
the names of their brothers in their inheritance.
Now, as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel
died to my sorrow in the land of Canaan on the
journey, when there was still some distance to
go, to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the
way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. When Israel
saw Joseph's sons, he said, Who are these? But
you have to recall, Jacob is blind as well. He
cannot see well. Just like Isaac, he cannot see
in his old age. Joseph said to his father, They
are my sons whom God has given to me here. So
he said, Bring them to me, please, that I may
bless them. And here's the blessing again, brothers
and sisters. Now the eyes of Israel were so dim
from age that he could not see. Then Joseph brought
them close and he kissed them and embraced them.
Israel said to Joseph, I never expected to see
your face. And behold, God has let me see your
children as well. He's recounting the faithfulness
of God in his life. Then Joseph took them from
his knees. and bowed with his face to the ground.
Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right
hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh with
his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought
them close to him. But Israel stretched out his
right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim,
who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's
head, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was
the firstborn. So, he's going against convention.
He's going against that which is traditionally
done throughout the life of Israel and in that
culture, which was what? The firstborn has inheritance
rights. The oldest of the boys will be blessed.
But here we find Jacob in his old age in an explicit
act of faith, trusting in God's choice, trusting
in God's sovereign purposes to choose as he will.
So what does he do? He takes his hands and he
crosses his arms. And he blesses the one that
God chooses. He explicitly acts in faith. Then
we read, He blessed Joseph and said, The God
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life
to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from
all evil, bless the lads. And may my name live
on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham
and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude.
In the midst of the earth. So it's the blessing.
He's bestowing the blessing on the future generation.
As he's dying. Yet again we find a dying patriarch.
Brothers and sisters. Looking to the future.
For God to fulfill something. He's going out.
And the boys are coming in. He's going out. So
who's going to take care of the promise? Who's
going to fulfill it? Who's going to bring it
about? Who is he looking to to accomplish the
blessing that he just bestowed? God Almighty.
Now, his faith is also evidence, not just in
his explicit act of faith, but it's evidence
in the fact that he worships as he is dying.
I love this scene. And the reason I love this
scene is because this is how I want to die, brothers
and sisters. I want to die joyful, content, and
grateful, and peaceful, and worshiping God, ready
to go and be with Him. I love this scene because
here we find an old man. We have an old man who's
not angry, who's not bitter, who's not... harsh,
who's not mean, but we find an old man who's
blind. He can't see in front of him. He can't
see the boys that are in front of him. And now
we have an old man who's blind and old and aging
and he's dying. He knows he's about to die. But
brothers and sisters, he is happy in the Lord.
He is at peace with God. And how is that possible?
Because He's believing in these future glorious
promises that God has given to him and he believes
that God will bring about. I want to die like
Jacob, worshiping the one true living God that
has given me glorious promises in Christ. Do
you want to die like Jacob? The only way to do
that, brothers and sisters, is to have the faith
that Jacob has. The faith that looks to the promises
of God, that rests in the promises of God, that
is passive in receiving Christ, and the faith
that works and obeys and worships. That's the
only way you're going to die like this man. As
if you have the faith of this man. I want you
to die like Jacob. I want every single member
of Grace Fellowship Church to die worshiping
the God that made them and the God that saved
them. I don't want you to die angry and bitter
and mean and resentful or unhappy and regretful
about how you lived your life. Press on and look
to the promises, brothers and sisters. We are
all nearing that day. Every single one of us
is inching a little bit at a time, day by day.
We're getting closer and closer, nearer and nearer
to the day where it's the last act. That day
is approaching. And I want to die. I want to
go out worshiping God like Jacob went out worshiping
God, believing what he had said. So faith, we
see, as in Jacob, faith is resting on the transcendent
faithfulness of the living God and the promises
that he has made. And this faith enables the
believer, by stirring up the graces of God that
we have been given, To be joyful, peaceful, content,
and happy in the Lord in the face of the most
difficult trials in our life. Even death. That's
what the author wants to convey. Now, we also
see the faith of Joseph in this text. And of
all the three, I think that Joseph has the strongest.
the most vibrant faith of all of them, not speaking
of Abraham necessarily. I believe that Joseph's
faith, it's not simply a confidence, it's not
simply a conviction, which we need that, that's
how Hebrews defines it, but we find that Joseph's
faith actually starts becoming anticipation and
expectation in his life for these realities to
actually come about. Meaning, he is living now,
expecting and anticipating those realities in
his life as if they were right in front of him.
That they are just as real, more real than that
which we can see and that which we can touch
physically or naturally. In this life. We all
know the story of Joseph. The famous one. Joseph
and the coat of many colors. We know his. Difficult.
Providences that God. Brought him through. But
we also know. The exaltation of Joseph. Likely
he is still in. At his death. He died. Likely
a. Powerful, wealthy, influential man. Possibly
the second in command to all of Egypt still.
There's no reason not to think that. Yet, here's
this man with all this power, with all this wealth,
who rules over an entire nation. Yet, what do
we find in Joseph? He doesn't identify with that
nation in his death. He doesn't identify with
Egypt. Listen to what it says in verse 22. By
faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention
of the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave
orders concerning his bones. So here's Moses.
Here's Joseph. And he is thinking about that
which is to come. He's thinking about those things
which are yet to be fulfilled and yet to be realized.
And once again, there's a clear reference to
his deathbed. This is a reference to Genesis
chapter 50, where we find the account of Joseph's
death. We read this in verses 22 -26 of Genesis
chapter 50. Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and
his father's household, and Joseph lived 110
years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim's
sons, also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh,
were born on Joseph's knees. Joseph said to his
brothers, I am about to die. But God will surely
take care of you and bring you up from this land
to the land which he has promised on oath to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Then Joseph
made the sons of Israel swear. He made them take
an oath, saying, God will surely take care of
you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.
So Joseph died at the age of 110 years and he
was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Brothers and sisters, do you see Joseph's confident
assertion with regards to the exodus of the sons
of Israel? He is confidently asserting, you will
not be here forever. What's he saying to his
brothers? Listen, you're not going to remain
in Egypt indefinitely. A redemption is coming.
A deliverance is on its way. God will be faithful
to his covenant that he has made to Abraham.
God will give you what? The promised land. And
then he demonstrates this. By pledging his bones
as a testimony to the covenant faithfulness of
God. Now, the interesting thing about this is
that Moses did, in fact, in Exodus chapter 13,
take Joseph's bones out of Egypt. Also, Joshua
does in fact bury his bones in the promised land
in Shechem in Genesis, in Joshua 24, 32. So how
in the world do we have dying old man Joseph
getting ready to pass on who can confidently
and expectantly anticipate what is going to happen
in the future? Because God has made promises
to his people. Because God has said, I will accomplish
this in the future. I will bring this about.
I will do this thing. And he believed it. He
was trusting it. It was faith. He knew that they
would take the promised land. Faith anticipates
and expects divine fulfillment of all God's promises,
brothers and sisters. It doesn't just accept
the fact that things may or may not happen. Faith
is not wishy -washy. It is not wishful thinking.
Faith, brothers and sisters, when vibrant and
strong and assured and full of conviction, actually
anticipates and expects God to bring about everything
He has ever promised to His people. How do we
apply this to you and I as New Covenant believers,
brothers and sisters? Well, New Covenant believers
ought to live and die for realities that outlive
themselves. Don't we see this in each of the
patriarchs? They lived and they died for realities
that outlived their own lives. Are there those
realities that remain for New Covenant Christians?
Are there still things yet to come for New Covenant
believers? Are there still those things which
depend wholly and completely on the transcendent
faithfulness of God to accomplish them and bring
them about and bring them to take place? Absolutely.
There's a whole bunch of promises that are not
fully and finally realized in the life of the
believer, in the life of the church, and in the
world. We could think about that which is yet
to come. That which is beyond my own life. Will
Christ build his church long after I'm dead?
Yes, he will, brothers and sisters. Will Christ
build his church long after you are dead? Yes,
he will, brothers and sisters. Will Christ...
Usher me into the presence of God upon my death?
Yes, he will, brothers and sisters. Will Christ
usher you into the presence of God upon your
death? Yes, he will, brothers and sisters. Will
Jesus Christ return in glory and power one day?
Yes, he will. That is not realized yet. Those
are things yet to come. Will Christ bring about
the resurrection and give believers glorified
bodies? Will the beatific vision take place?
Yes, it will, brothers and sisters. Will the
great tribunal of Christ where men and angels
stand before the throne of God take place? Yes,
it will, brothers and sisters. Will the wicked
be judged and punished in the future and time
to come and in the future history of the world?
Yes. Will all things be renewed? Will the new
heavens and the new earth come about by the sovereign
transcendent faithfulness and power of God? Those
are things yet to come, brothers and sisters.
Those are promises that are not fully and completely
and finally realized yet. There are eternal realities
that we ought to live for, and we ought to die
for, things which do in fact outlive us. The
possession of faith in these realities is the
only means of dying well. For anyone. If you
want to die well. Then that means possessing
a faith. Which is assured and confident. And
expectant and anticipatory. Of those glorious
promises. That God has given to us. It means
facing death head on. Looking at the promises
that God has given us. With a vibrant. Faith.
Turn to Philippians chapter 3. In Philippians
3, we read this great text by the Apostle Paul.
And here's what we read. I'll start reading in
verse 7. But whatever things were gained to me,
those things I have counted as loss for the sake
of Christ. More than that, I count all things
to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them
but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may
be found in him, not having a righteousness of
my own derived from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ. The righteousness which
comes from God. On the basis of faith. That I
may know him. And the power of his resurrection.
And the fellowship of his sufferings. Being conformed
to his death. In order. That I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have
already obtained it. Or have already become perfect.
But I press on so that I may lay hold. of that
for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid
hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting
what lies behind and reaching forward to what
lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, if we want... to die well,
then this needs to be our attitude in life. That
of Paul. Pressing on in faith with the resurrection
and future things in front of us. Ahead of us,
brothers and sisters. If we want to have a Philippians
1 perspective on Christ, where Paul says, for
to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. then
we need to have a Philippians 3 perspective on
knowing Jesus Christ in this life. To be a people
that even if they have nothing at all, they have
everything because they have Jesus Christ. And
to know that if they have Christ, they have everything.
To be a people who considers everything to be
nothing in light. Of having Christ. And pursuing
him. Because he has pursued us. Laying hold of
him. Because brothers and sisters. He has laid
hold of us. Seeking to apprehend. The person
of. The work of Jesus Christ. And to be conformed
to his image and likeness. Why? Because he has
already apprehended us. By saving us from our
sins. Live by faith now. Live fully for Christ
in this life. So that when you come to the grave,
you can worship like Jacob. Because you have
a vibrant faith in the God that you're going
to meet. You already know in your life. You've
walked with him how many years? He's been the
shepherd of your life how many years? He will
not forsake you, brothers and sisters. And this
is the only way that a believer can leave a legacy
of faith. What is the greatest legacy that a
person can leave for future generations? A godly
life. What does God recall? What does God remember?
What does God commend in the life of the old
covenant saints? Does he commend their wealth?
Does he commend their businesses? Does he commend
the accomplishments they brought about in society
or culture? No, brothers and sisters, he commends
faith. Hebrews 11. shows us and teaches us what
God himself commends, what God himself remembers.
If we want to leave a legacy like Jacob, Joseph,
like Isaac, and brothers and sisters, it means
leaving a legacy of faith. Now, is that what
is most important in your life? The legacy that
you leave or the faith that you possess at the
end of your life? Is that the most important
thing for a person on their deathbed? What is
the ultimate thing when you come and you face
the grave? The ultimate thing. When you come
and you face the grave, it is the transcendent
faithfulness of God to bring about and accomplish
His promises in the life of His people. God's
faithfulness is the ultimate thing, brothers
and sisters. Not even your faith. When we die,
the promises of the gospel remain. When you die,
the gospel does not expire. When we pass on from
this life, brothers and sisters, Christ is risen.
He raised that he would never die again. He conquered
the grave. Brothers and sisters, the gospel of
Jesus Christ has secured and guaranteed the accomplishment
of every single promise that God has ever made
to his people. So when we come to the grave,
when you come to the grave, You can do so boldly
and worshipful how? By looking by faith to the
work, to the person of Jesus Christ. By looking
at the cross and recognizing my sins are forgiven.
There is no condemnation for me. By looking to
Christ and his righteous life and knowing and
finding out. That I am justified. I am made righteous
in the sight of God. He will receive me. He has
received me. He will always receive me because
of Christ. He will glorify me because it is the
promised fruit of sanctification in this life.
And He will complete all of His promises to His
people. He will renew all things because Christ
died. He will accomplish every single promise.
that He has ever made to His people. Even though
we die, the promises and the faithfulness of
God do not die. 2 Corinthians 1, 19 -20 says
this, For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was
preached among you by us, by me and Silvanus
and Timothy, Was not yes and no but yes in him.
For as many as are the promises of God. In him
they are yes. Therefore also through him is our
amen. To the glory of God through us. All the
promises of God. Are yes and amen. In the person
and work of Jesus Christ. So what is the ultimate
thing? Are you in Christ because of the grace
of God? Do you possess God -given faith as a
result of the gracious and merciful work of the
gospel?