1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,560 marriage, now he or she is gone. Or perhaps like someone in our church, it's a relative 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:15,120 of yours, a teenager perhaps, whose life was taken to the very prime of life and you wonder 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:23,620 why. It may be a job that you had hoped to have and it didn't materialize. You had planned 4 00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:33,120 on it, but it didn't appear. We all know the reality of shattered expectations and lost 5 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:39,120 hopes. Let me tell you something about lost dreams. On the screen you're going to see 6 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:49,760 a statement. That's not a statement. What I want to tell you, where it on the screen 7 00:00:49,760 --> 00:01:02,900 is this. Losing dreams can make you or break you. It depends upon your reaction. Lost 8 00:01:02,900 --> 00:01:13,920 dreams can lead to despair. Boy, this is a slick pulpit, Dave. Look at that. Lost dreams 9 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:21,240 can lead to despair and many in this world have taken the turn in that direction. I came 10 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:26,560 across some words this week to a song that has been sung by young people written by the 11 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:32,200 rock group Green Day. I've never heard the song, but the words say this. I walk a lonely 12 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:41,240 road, the only one that I've ever known. Don't know where it goes, but it's home to me and 13 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:49,760 I walk alone. I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams where the city 14 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:58,560 sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone. My shadow is the only one that walks beside 15 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:09,160 me. My shallow heart is the only one that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there 16 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:19,360 will find me. Till then, I walk alone. Do you hear the heart cry of those young men 17 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:26,920 who wrote this? I wish that they knew the shepherd who seeks them. Those who walk with 18 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:35,800 God never walk alone. If lost dreams lead us to seek God in a deeper way, then good 19 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:41,360 will come out of those lost dreams. Here's a statement I want you to see. I hope we can 20 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:48,280 get it up there. Are the slides working? There it is. It's at the dump site of broken dreams 21 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:57,040 and shattered expectations where the Spirit of God is at work planting the seeds of wholeness 22 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:09,160 which give us hope for a new tomorrow. The young man Joseph had had a dream. It was actually 23 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:15,040 a dream that God had given him that one day he would be the savior of his family and that 24 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:22,800 they would respect him. But that dream had been lost now for 20 years. And then after 25 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:28,600 20 years, God recovered those dreams and restored them. And as we come to our text today, we 26 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:37,120 are coming to a family reunion in Egypt. Joseph, the brother who was sold into slavery, has 27 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:45,440 become Joseph the ruler who will rescue his family and care for them. But it's not only 28 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:54,000 Joseph's dream that is being recovered in our text in Genesis chapter 46. It is Jacob's 29 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:00,020 dream as well that is being restored because you see Jacob had had lots of dreams for his 30 00:04:00,020 --> 00:04:08,480 second to the youngest son, Joseph. He was the favorite of them all and he lost him. 31 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:15,960 But for these decades now, as far as he knew, Joseph was dead. But he has found out that 32 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:23,760 Joseph in fact is alive and his dream is about to be restored. What I want to write on your 33 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:30,680 heart this morning is this, that God never takes away a dream without giving it back 34 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:37,640 bigger and better than before. Now I'm not suggesting that that dream when it comes back 35 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:43,120 will look just the same as it did earlier. Only this, that God will never disappoint 36 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:52,260 you when that dream comes back. When you trust God and surrender your dead dream to Him, 37 00:04:52,260 --> 00:04:57,720 the resurrection of that dream in God's time will be far beyond anything that you could 38 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:04,880 have imagined. Joseph would never have imagined that his divinely given dreams would be fulfilled 39 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:11,840 in the way they were. Jacob had given up on the dream of his son Joseph. He was dead. 40 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:18,360 And now Joseph is not only alive, he's very much in control down in Egypt. And so this 41 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:26,720 morning I hope that your heart will be encouraged. As you emerge from lost, your faith still 42 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:34,280 intact, you will experience God on a whole new level of reality. 43 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:38,640 Now we have a long text to look at this morning and we're going to move through it very quickly, 44 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:46,160 but there are five sections to it. And each one of them brings an encouraging reminder 45 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:56,600 to us about God. In chapter 46 the scene shifts back to Canaan where Jacob is packing for 46 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:06,840 his trip. I invite you to turn to Genesis chapter 46 as we read. And so Israel, or Jacob, 47 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:14,080 set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to 48 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:22,640 the God of his father, Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, Jacob, 49 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:31,960 here am I, he replied. I am God, the God of your father, he said. Do not be afraid to 50 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:38,760 go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt 51 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:46,840 with you and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your 52 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:48,600 eyes. 53 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:57,400 The first section of our text we see the revelation of Jacob's God. That Joseph was alive in Egypt 54 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:03,420 and offered care in this time of famine was all that Jacob needed to agree to take this 55 00:07:03,420 --> 00:07:11,680 trip to relocate to Egypt. But it seems as though this plan created consternation for 56 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:19,720 Jacob. His grandfathers traveled to Egypt a couple of times, created only problems in 57 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:27,640 their family. When his father Isaac had sought to go down to Egypt, God had said to Isaac, 58 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:38,040 do not go down to Egypt. And now Jacob is headed there. And so as he travels most probably 59 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:46,320 from Hebron southward, westward, he comes to the city of Beersheba and he stops in Beersheba 60 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:55,560 to pray and to worship God. Beersheba is a place of family significance. Abraham had 61 00:07:55,560 --> 00:08:02,720 dug a well there and lived there for a time after the offering or the test of the offering 62 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:09,480 of Isaac. Isaac himself had lived there and it was there that Jacob lived when he departed 63 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:17,440 and fled to Haran years earlier in fear of his brother. God appeared at Beersheba to 64 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:25,740 Isaac and it was there that earlier he had appeared to Hagar. This is a significant place 65 00:08:25,740 --> 00:08:35,240 in the family of Jacob. And it is here that God appears now to Jacob to reassure him with 66 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:45,680 a promise. God's mission for Jacob's family was not changing. But God's strategy for accomplishing 67 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:52,420 that mission was entering a brand new phase. The promise that God had made to Abraham and 68 00:08:52,420 --> 00:09:00,400 to his descendants, making them a great nation, God said to Abraham in chapter 12 verse 2, 69 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:07,800 was yet to be fulfilled. Undoubtedly, Jacob thought that that promise would be fulfilled 70 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:16,480 in Canaan. But that was not God's plan. God would make his descendants a great nation 71 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:25,120 in Egypt, not Canaan. And all of this aligned with what God had said to Abraham in chapter 72 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:34,920 15 of Genesis, which we'll get to later. But my point is this. When God restores your dream, 73 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:43,120 it may not look the same as it did before. But this is what you can count on. God follows 74 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:50,920 his plan. God does not give up. He does not grow weary with the passage of time. What 75 00:09:50,920 --> 00:10:00,000 he starts, he finishes. If you have today lost a dream, or if perhaps you're in that 76 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:05,480 next phase where the dream is coming to pass, just remember, though it may not be exactly 77 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:16,680 what you expected, God is following a plan in your life. God has a plan for you. A wonderful 78 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:24,160 promise through Jeremiah says this, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the 79 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:32,720 Lord, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future. God knows what he is 80 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:39,240 about. And we have this word from the New Testament, the Philippians, he who began a 81 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:48,600 good work in you will what? Carry it on to completion. Now we move into the next part 82 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:56,240 of our text where it says, Jacob left Beersheba and Israel's sons took their father Jacob 83 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:01,820 and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport them. 84 00:11:01,820 --> 00:11:06,320 They took with them everything they had, verse 7. He took with him to Egypt his sons and 85 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:13,160 grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters and all his offspring. And what we have in 86 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:23,040 the following verses is what I call the record of Jacob's family. It follows God's repetition 87 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:30,720 of the promise of a great nation. And yet the number that we see in the list of his 88 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:40,560 children is 70. It's 70. Now most likely this is in some respects a selective list. 89 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:46,000 Moses didn't list everyone he might have. Not counted for example are the wives of his 90 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:58,400 sons or the wives of his grandsons, the husbands of his daughters, his granddaughters. But 91 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:06,960 Moses counted 70 as the number of Jacob's descendants at this point. Now what was in 92 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:16,540 Moses' mind as he did this? Well most Bible teachers say that it's for a literary effect. 93 00:12:16,540 --> 00:12:24,360 The Spirit of God is inspiring Moses as he records all of this for us. He's inspiring 94 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:31,240 him in a poetic sense. I don't fully understand this because I don't read Hebrew but I have 95 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:36,200 friends who read Hebrew and they tell me that the books of the Pentateuch are wonderful 96 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:42,760 poetry. That there is symmetry that can be seen in the original language that we entirely 97 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:51,180 miss in our English language. And even the number 70 here has significance. It seems 98 00:12:51,180 --> 00:13:01,800 to go back to Genesis chapter 10 where there is a listing of the nations after the flood. 99 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:14,240 In counting those nations that descended through Ham, Shem, and Japheth, Moses numbers 70 nations. 100 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:21,840 It seems that this number 70 represents that which is complete. It's a number of fullness. 101 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:31,160 The point in listing 70 nations was that these 70 nations represented everyone on the earth. 102 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:40,360 And so Jacob's list here likewise means this represents the entirety of his family. God 103 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:49,560 had begun with 70 nations from one man who was Adam. In Genesis chapter 12 he begins 104 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:58,580 again with one man. His name is Abram. And now from him as this book comes to its close 105 00:13:58,580 --> 00:14:07,320 he again counts 70, this time 70 descendants. And so it seems to represent that Abraham 106 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:16,160 represents a new kind of Adam. Just as the sons of Israel represent a new humanity, a 107 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:22,800 new race. And the implication of all of this is this, that through the covenant promises 108 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:33,940 to Abraham, God would restore all that the former Adam had lost to the race. And in doing 109 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:45,000 this the family of Abraham would bring blessing to all the earth, the 70 nations of the earth. 110 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:52,900 Now the reminder that I have for you here is this, that God remembers the nations. Even 111 00:14:52,900 --> 00:15:01,420 though most of the book of Genesis has begun to focus on one single family, God has not 112 00:15:01,420 --> 00:15:14,040 forgotten everyone else. He loves all races and all ethnicities. As he is writing and 113 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:22,840 weaving the story of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and his 70 descendants as they go down 114 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:35,480 to Egypt, God's view is on the whole world. As God fulfills the dream in this one family, 115 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:42,900 that dream is woven together with the story of everyone else. And what I want you to know 116 00:15:42,900 --> 00:15:50,120 is that even though you feel like you're but one speck in this great universe, and that 117 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:59,880 your life doesn't account to very much perhaps, God is weaving your story too with everyone 118 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:13,400 else. None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself. Jacob, Joseph, his 119 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:21,080 other sons did not at all grasp what God was doing at this point in their family history. 120 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:27,060 Just as you may not be understanding what God is doing in your dream, in your family, 121 00:16:27,060 --> 00:16:35,120 in your history. But what I want you to know is that God remembers the big picture. And 122 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:43,360 your life, small though it may seem to you, matters to God and to the whole story. That's 123 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:50,080 why God is committed to you and fulfilling the dreams that he puts into your heart. Even 124 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:57,280 though they may seem lost at points, he will resurrect that dream in ways that are beyond 125 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:03,480 your understanding. I've listed a number of scriptures here. I'm not going to take time 126 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:08,740 to read to demonstrate that God's interest is not merely in one family or one person, 127 00:17:08,740 --> 00:17:13,880 but it's in the whole earth. And he weaves our stories together. I want to go on to the 128 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:21,900 third section, which is Genesis 46, beginning in verse 28. 129 00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:27,840 Here we have the reason for Jacob's journey. Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph 130 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:34,600 to get directions to Goshen. And they arrived in the region of Goshen and Joseph had his 131 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:40,960 chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. And as soon as Joseph appeared 132 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:51,480 before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. It's a wonderful 133 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:57,720 reunion. And as you read this story, you cannot help but be deeply moved in your spirit. This 134 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:04,280 father and son coming together again after all of these years. But what you need to understand 135 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:11,100 is that the reunion with Joseph is only a sidebar in the record of God's purpose for 136 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:21,680 Jacob's move. It's a sidebar. In the immediate sense, the reason for Jacob's journey was 137 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:28,120 to provide for this chosen family. It was never God's intent that the family would 138 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:36,720 remain forever in Egypt. In fact, in the text, he calls it a sojourn. But it was there for 139 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:45,520 this period of time that God would provide for this family. And so it says, Pharaoh, 140 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:53,880 by God's design, gave them the best of the land. Now here's a ruler who is an idolater. 141 00:18:53,880 --> 00:19:03,440 He is a pagan. But God uses him to provide for the needs of this family. It is a wonderful 142 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:08,440 thing that God can use whatever he wishes to accomplish his ends. And in the immediate 143 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:13,520 sense, that's what's happening here in this reunion. God is taking care of this family. 144 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:19,800 But there is a bigger sense in which something is happening here. It's the historic sense. 145 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:27,240 Because what God is doing is positioning this family in a place where they will now become 146 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:39,100 a great nation. From 70 people plus wives and children, from 70 people will come eventually 147 00:19:39,100 --> 00:19:50,360 a nation of more than 2 million, perhaps even 3 million people. That's what God is up to. 148 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:59,520 God is here providing for his own as he fulfills his purpose. God will take care of you too 149 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:08,120 and provide for you. Some of you are dependent upon your investments for living. And your 150 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:15,040 investments have decreased over the last months, haven't they? And you're wondering, how am 151 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:24,760 I going to make it? What are we going to do? God will take care of his own. You don't have 152 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:35,360 to worry. I can remember my widowed mother standing at the sink doing dishes. Just as 153 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:44,560 a small child, I listened to her as she sang, God will take care of you through every day 154 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:55,000 or all the way. We didn't have much, but God took care of us. And from that experience 155 00:20:55,000 --> 00:21:03,600 as a child, I'm not worried about today or next year or when retirement comes. God will 156 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:11,120 take care of our needs day by day. We need to live in today, not in fear of tomorrow. 157 00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:16,940 Amen? God will take care of his own. And here God is doing that for Jacob and his family 158 00:21:16,940 --> 00:21:22,640 and in the historic sense, he's providing a safe place, a place of much for them so 159 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:35,520 that they can begin to grow exponentially into this nation of millions. Jacob says, 160 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:45,000 God has been my shepherd all my life to this day. You know, that's a statement that I want 161 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:55,240 to be able to make in my old age when I eventually get there. God has been my shepherd. Isn't 162 00:21:55,240 --> 00:22:01,460 that a wonderful thing to be able to say? Honor the Lord with your wealth with the first 163 00:22:01,460 --> 00:22:07,160 fruits of all your crops and your barns will be filled overflowing and your vats will brim 164 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:14,240 over with new wine. We honor the Lord. He takes care of us. And my God will meet all 165 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:24,040 your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. God provides for his own. 166 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:28,480 The text moves on though in chapter 47 of verse 13. We come to another part of it. It's 167 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:34,760 really kind of a reflection on the big picture and it goes back to Joseph. It's the recognition 168 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:41,320 of Jacob's son. So Moses lays aside for the moment here the narrative about the family 169 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:48,200 of Jacob and he inserts some information about Joseph's rise in authority and how he extended 170 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:55,280 the rule of Pharaoh over the people. This kind of goes back to chapter 41 in verse 57 and 171 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:01,000 it picks up the theme there. Now you say, well, why did he do this? Because what we 172 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:08,680 see here is Joseph acting as the savior not only of his family but of the nation of Egypt 173 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:16,960 as well. Why? Because he has demonstrated that he is a man of blameless character. He 174 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:24,000 seeks the good of others who depend upon him. And because of this, God has seen that he 175 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:31,360 has exalted to this position. The reminder that I want to lay on your heart is this, 176 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:37,080 that God blesses character. He has done this with Joseph. I wish we had time to look through 177 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:45,320 here and to see how God blessed him. But because Joseph was a selfless man who sought the good 178 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:57,240 of others, not himself, God was pleased to use him to save a whole nation of people. 179 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:03,060 Thank God for those people who are in leadership in our country today who are selfless. May 180 00:24:03,060 --> 00:24:14,220 their number increase on election day. Because if we ever needed them, we need them now. 181 00:24:14,220 --> 00:24:22,600 You see, God is looking for men and women whose character is that way. Those whom he 182 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:31,320 can bless because they will take his blessings and bless others. God is looking to bless 183 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:38,640 you as you demonstrate that kind of character, a blameless and selfless character. Notice 184 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,500 what these verses say that I've written down for you. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, 185 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:48,960 but the tent of the upright will flourish. Those who are righteous. Blessed is the one 186 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:56,540 whose delight is in the law of the Lord. Whatever he does, prospers, God says. God always blesses 187 00:24:56,540 --> 00:25:07,240 the man or the woman that focuses on character and makes that a priority in life. Not reputation, 188 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:17,320 not success, but character. Character. God blesses character. 189 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:25,880 Then we come to the last section, chapter 47. I'm going to begin with verse 27 where 190 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:32,480 it says, now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property 191 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:40,080 there and were fruitful. Boy, were they fruitful. And increased greatly in number. And Jacob 192 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:48,700 lived in Egypt 17 years. And the years of his life were 147. When the time drew near 193 00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:56,320 for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, if I have found favor in 194 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:01,360 your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and 195 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:11,480 faithfulness. Do not bury me where? In Egypt. But when I rest with my fathers, carry me 196 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:19,560 out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried. I will do as you say, Joseph said. Swear to 197 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:28,720 me, he said. And Joseph swore to him and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 198 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:36,320 What we have here is a request for Jacob's burial. Moses here resumes the story of Jacob 199 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:48,560 summarizing his final years. We see that Jacob ended his life not in a bitter winter with 200 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:59,520 cold and storms, but he ends his life in the warm and golden sunshine of peace and the 201 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:07,000 bounties of God's gracious heart for him. That's how God wants all of us to end our 202 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:16,960 years. Jacob did not approach death looking backward. Rather he looked ahead. Not only 203 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:22,880 to the event of his death and his going to be with his fathers as he says, but he's 204 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:31,440 looking beyond that. Believing that God would one day keep his covenant promises to the 205 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:38,480 family of Abraham. And so he made his own funeral arrangements. And by the way, that's 206 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:49,980 always a good idea to plan ahead that way. You may not like what others plan for you. 207 00:27:49,980 --> 00:28:01,860 And so he planned his burial place and he did this as a last opportunity for a testimony 208 00:28:01,860 --> 00:28:10,360 of his faith. He said, I want to be buried where my fathers are buried and that is where? 209 00:28:10,360 --> 00:28:19,640 In Canaan. Why? Why? What's the difference? Because that was the land that was promised 210 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:29,160 to his family. The burial of his bones next to the patriarchs who preceded him was a powerful 211 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:41,960 testimony of his faith in the promises of God. The text begins and it ends with Jacob 212 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:47,880 worshipping the God who keeps his promises. And the reminder I have is just this, that 213 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:55,040 God keeps his promises. God is not going to forget you. You may feel that your dreams 214 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,680 are evaporated, that nothing can bring them back, that everything is shot. Let me tell 215 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:05,640 you it's not true. God keeps his promises to you. Praise be to the Lord who has given 216 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:13,120 rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises 217 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:22,520 that God has made. That is true to God's promises, regarding God's promises to you as well. God 218 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:33,880 will not fail you. God keeps his promises. Are you waiting to recover your dream? If 219 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:40,920 you're waiting to recover your dream, I want you to remember something. If you think that 220 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:46,160 somehow this dream is never going to come to pass and that God has allowed it to slip 221 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:53,960 through his fingers and he's missed it and now you're the victim, let me remind you of 222 00:29:53,960 --> 00:30:04,240 something. God uses all kinds of people, all of whom are less than perfect. What counts 223 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:14,480 is faith. What I want to encourage you to do today is to get out that faith that is 224 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:20,960 inside of you and put it to work. That faith that Chip Ingram talked to us so effectively 225 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:30,480 about two weeks ago. That faith that takes action. Remember that God uses all kinds of 226 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:37,080 people and every one of us is imperfect. What God looks for is that faith in our lives. 227 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:45,080 I want to encourage you today to trust God in the midst of your lost dreams, in the midst 228 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:53,280 of your life with its needs, in the midst of your disappointments. Even though things 229 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:59,600 aren't turning out perhaps the way you thought they would or they should, never lose sight 230 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:07,520 of the fact that God is faithful and you can and must trust him. The second thing I want 231 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:13,800 you to notice is this. God trains us through all kinds of experiences, all of which are 232 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:25,440 purposed. What counts is submission. The experiences you are going through now, some kind of transition 233 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:31,240 perhaps in your life or something that has come into your life that you didn't invite 234 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:37,960 but now here it is and it perhaps is a threat to your well-being. God uses all kinds of 235 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:45,160 experiences in order to train us. What you and I need to learn to do is submit to him, 236 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:54,200 surrender to him in the midst of these experiences he brings into our life. We see that in Joseph 237 00:31:54,200 --> 00:32:01,480 and now we see it in Jacob. Jacob was a slow learner but he got there. Sometimes I am a 238 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:11,480 slow learner too. What we really see here is the simple idea of trust, faith and obey. 239 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:17,880 Trust and obey. There is no song that says something about that isn't there? Trust and 240 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:27,600 obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. Would you 241 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:34,800 bow with me please? Let's sing together that chorus, trust and obey. 242 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:53,840 Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. With 243 00:32:53,840 --> 00:33:03,280 our heads bowed, Steve just plays a little bit there on the keyboard. Where does that 244 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:09,920 faith need to go in your life? Where is the area that you are under attack right now and 245 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:25,000 doubt is eating away your joy and your happiness in Jesus? What is it that you are missing? 246 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:33,080 What is God telling you to do? Listen to what he says. You say, well I can't do it. Yes 247 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:43,520 you can. If God says you can. You can trust him. You can surrender to him in the hard 248 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:51,840 circumstance that you are in and receive from him all that you need. Trust him and obey 249 00:33:51,840 --> 00:34:03,000 him and know the powerful reality of God's restored dream in your life. Would you stand 250 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:10,240 together with me please? Father I pray that today wherever this message may find us, whichever 251 00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:15,800 piece of it kind of fits the journey that we are on today, that you will bring that 252 00:34:15,800 --> 00:34:27,280 home to us. Father it may be that some of us have kind of given up on you. We have given 253 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:36,920 up because we have seen our dreams evaporate and we have lost them. I pray that today we 254 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:46,040 will renew our faith. Renew our surrender to your Lordship in all of our experiences. 255 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:55,240 That out of that renewal you will bring to pass that restored dream that you have for 256 00:34:55,240 --> 00:35:03,000 us. Lord may we like Jacob come to the end of our journey and see how you have been the 257 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:11,320 shepherd all the days of our lives. And it is in Jesus name that I pray this. Amen.