marriage, now he or she is gone. Or perhaps like someone in our church, it's a relative
of yours, a teenager perhaps, whose life was taken to the very prime of life and you wonder
why. It may be a job that you had hoped to have and it didn't materialize. You had planned
on it, but it didn't appear. We all know the reality of shattered expectations and lost
hopes. Let me tell you something about lost dreams. On the screen you're going to see
a statement. That's not a statement. What I want to tell you, where it on the screen
is this. Losing dreams can make you or break you. It depends upon your reaction. Lost
dreams can lead to despair. Boy, this is a slick pulpit, Dave. Look at that. Lost dreams
can lead to despair and many in this world have taken the turn in that direction. I came
across some words this week to a song that has been sung by young people written by the
rock group Green Day. I've never heard the song, but the words say this. I walk a lonely
road, the only one that I've ever known. Don't know where it goes, but it's home to me and
I walk alone. I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams where the city
sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone. My shadow is the only one that walks beside
me. My shallow heart is the only one that's beating. Sometimes I wish someone out there
will find me. Till then, I walk alone. Do you hear the heart cry of those young men
who wrote this? I wish that they knew the shepherd who seeks them. Those who walk with
God never walk alone. If lost dreams lead us to seek God in a deeper way, then good
will come out of those lost dreams. Here's a statement I want you to see. I hope we can
get it up there. Are the slides working? There it is. It's at the dump site of broken dreams
and shattered expectations where the Spirit of God is at work planting the seeds of wholeness
which give us hope for a new tomorrow. The young man Joseph had had a dream. It was actually
a dream that God had given him that one day he would be the savior of his family and that
they would respect him. But that dream had been lost now for 20 years. And then after
20 years, God recovered those dreams and restored them. And as we come to our text today, we
are coming to a family reunion in Egypt. Joseph, the brother who was sold into slavery, has
become Joseph the ruler who will rescue his family and care for them. But it's not only
Joseph's dream that is being recovered in our text in Genesis chapter 46. It is Jacob's
dream as well that is being restored because you see Jacob had had lots of dreams for his
second to the youngest son, Joseph. He was the favorite of them all and he lost him.
But for these decades now, as far as he knew, Joseph was dead. But he has found out that
Joseph in fact is alive and his dream is about to be restored. What I want to write on your
heart this morning is this, that God never takes away a dream without giving it back
bigger and better than before. Now I'm not suggesting that that dream when it comes back
will look just the same as it did earlier. Only this, that God will never disappoint
you when that dream comes back. When you trust God and surrender your dead dream to Him,
the resurrection of that dream in God's time will be far beyond anything that you could
have imagined. Joseph would never have imagined that his divinely given dreams would be fulfilled
in the way they were. Jacob had given up on the dream of his son Joseph. He was dead.
And now Joseph is not only alive, he's very much in control down in Egypt. And so this
morning I hope that your heart will be encouraged. As you emerge from lost, your faith still
intact, you will experience God on a whole new level of reality.
Now we have a long text to look at this morning and we're going to move through it very quickly,
but there are five sections to it. And each one of them brings an encouraging reminder
to us about God. In chapter 46 the scene shifts back to Canaan where Jacob is packing for
his trip. I invite you to turn to Genesis chapter 46 as we read. And so Israel, or Jacob,
set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to
the God of his father, Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, Jacob,
here am I, he replied. I am God, the God of your father, he said. Do not be afraid to
go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt
with you and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your
eyes.
The first section of our text we see the revelation of Jacob's God. That Joseph was alive in Egypt
and offered care in this time of famine was all that Jacob needed to agree to take this
trip to relocate to Egypt. But it seems as though this plan created consternation for
Jacob. His grandfathers traveled to Egypt a couple of times, created only problems in
their family. When his father Isaac had sought to go down to Egypt, God had said to Isaac,
do not go down to Egypt. And now Jacob is headed there. And so as he travels most probably
from Hebron southward, westward, he comes to the city of Beersheba and he stops in Beersheba
to pray and to worship God. Beersheba is a place of family significance. Abraham had
dug a well there and lived there for a time after the offering or the test of the offering
of Isaac. Isaac himself had lived there and it was there that Jacob lived when he departed
and fled to Haran years earlier in fear of his brother. God appeared at Beersheba to
Isaac and it was there that earlier he had appeared to Hagar. This is a significant place
in the family of Jacob. And it is here that God appears now to Jacob to reassure him with
a promise. God's mission for Jacob's family was not changing. But God's strategy for accomplishing
that mission was entering a brand new phase. The promise that God had made to Abraham and
to his descendants, making them a great nation, God said to Abraham in chapter 12 verse 2,
was yet to be fulfilled. Undoubtedly, Jacob thought that that promise would be fulfilled
in Canaan. But that was not God's plan. God would make his descendants a great nation
in Egypt, not Canaan. And all of this aligned with what God had said to Abraham in chapter
15 of Genesis, which we'll get to later. But my point is this. When God restores your dream,
it may not look the same as it did before. But this is what you can count on. God follows
his plan. God does not give up. He does not grow weary with the passage of time. What
he starts, he finishes. If you have today lost a dream, or if perhaps you're in that
next phase where the dream is coming to pass, just remember, though it may not be exactly
what you expected, God is following a plan in your life. God has a plan for you. A wonderful
promise through Jeremiah says this, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the
Lord, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future. God knows what he is
about. And we have this word from the New Testament, the Philippians, he who began a
good work in you will what? Carry it on to completion. Now we move into the next part
of our text where it says, Jacob left Beersheba and Israel's sons took their father Jacob
and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport them.
They took with them everything they had, verse 7. He took with him to Egypt his sons and
grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters and all his offspring. And what we have in
the following verses is what I call the record of Jacob's family. It follows God's repetition
of the promise of a great nation. And yet the number that we see in the list of his
children is 70. It's 70. Now most likely this is in some respects a selective list.
Moses didn't list everyone he might have. Not counted for example are the wives of his
sons or the wives of his grandsons, the husbands of his daughters, his granddaughters. But
Moses counted 70 as the number of Jacob's descendants at this point. Now what was in
Moses' mind as he did this? Well most Bible teachers say that it's for a literary effect.
The Spirit of God is inspiring Moses as he records all of this for us. He's inspiring
him in a poetic sense. I don't fully understand this because I don't read Hebrew but I have
friends who read Hebrew and they tell me that the books of the Pentateuch are wonderful
poetry. That there is symmetry that can be seen in the original language that we entirely
miss in our English language. And even the number 70 here has significance. It seems
to go back to Genesis chapter 10 where there is a listing of the nations after the flood.
In counting those nations that descended through Ham, Shem, and Japheth, Moses numbers 70 nations.
It seems that this number 70 represents that which is complete. It's a number of fullness.
The point in listing 70 nations was that these 70 nations represented everyone on the earth.
And so Jacob's list here likewise means this represents the entirety of his family. God
had begun with 70 nations from one man who was Adam. In Genesis chapter 12 he begins
again with one man. His name is Abram. And now from him as this book comes to its close
he again counts 70, this time 70 descendants. And so it seems to represent that Abraham
represents a new kind of Adam. Just as the sons of Israel represent a new humanity, a
new race. And the implication of all of this is this, that through the covenant promises
to Abraham, God would restore all that the former Adam had lost to the race. And in doing
this the family of Abraham would bring blessing to all the earth, the 70 nations of the earth.
Now the reminder that I have for you here is this, that God remembers the nations. Even
though most of the book of Genesis has begun to focus on one single family, God has not
forgotten everyone else. He loves all races and all ethnicities. As he is writing and
weaving the story of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and his 70 descendants as they go down
to Egypt, God's view is on the whole world. As God fulfills the dream in this one family,
that dream is woven together with the story of everyone else. And what I want you to know
is that even though you feel like you're but one speck in this great universe, and that
your life doesn't account to very much perhaps, God is weaving your story too with everyone
else. None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself. Jacob, Joseph, his
other sons did not at all grasp what God was doing at this point in their family history.
Just as you may not be understanding what God is doing in your dream, in your family,
in your history. But what I want you to know is that God remembers the big picture. And
your life, small though it may seem to you, matters to God and to the whole story. That's
why God is committed to you and fulfilling the dreams that he puts into your heart. Even
though they may seem lost at points, he will resurrect that dream in ways that are beyond
your understanding. I've listed a number of scriptures here. I'm not going to take time
to read to demonstrate that God's interest is not merely in one family or one person,
but it's in the whole earth. And he weaves our stories together. I want to go on to the
third section, which is Genesis 46, beginning in verse 28.
Here we have the reason for Jacob's journey. Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph
to get directions to Goshen. And they arrived in the region of Goshen and Joseph had his
chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. And as soon as Joseph appeared
before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. It's a wonderful
reunion. And as you read this story, you cannot help but be deeply moved in your spirit. This
father and son coming together again after all of these years. But what you need to understand
is that the reunion with Joseph is only a sidebar in the record of God's purpose for
Jacob's move. It's a sidebar. In the immediate sense, the reason for Jacob's journey was
to provide for this chosen family. It was never God's intent that the family would
remain forever in Egypt. In fact, in the text, he calls it a sojourn. But it was there for
this period of time that God would provide for this family. And so it says, Pharaoh,
by God's design, gave them the best of the land. Now here's a ruler who is an idolater.
He is a pagan. But God uses him to provide for the needs of this family. It is a wonderful
thing that God can use whatever he wishes to accomplish his ends. And in the immediate
sense, that's what's happening here in this reunion. God is taking care of this family.
But there is a bigger sense in which something is happening here. It's the historic sense.
Because what God is doing is positioning this family in a place where they will now become
a great nation. From 70 people plus wives and children, from 70 people will come eventually
a nation of more than 2 million, perhaps even 3 million people. That's what God is up to.
God is here providing for his own as he fulfills his purpose. God will take care of you too
and provide for you. Some of you are dependent upon your investments for living. And your
investments have decreased over the last months, haven't they? And you're wondering, how am
I going to make it? What are we going to do? God will take care of his own. You don't have
to worry. I can remember my widowed mother standing at the sink doing dishes. Just as
a small child, I listened to her as she sang, God will take care of you through every day
or all the way. We didn't have much, but God took care of us. And from that experience
as a child, I'm not worried about today or next year or when retirement comes. God will
take care of our needs day by day. We need to live in today, not in fear of tomorrow.
Amen? God will take care of his own. And here God is doing that for Jacob and his family
and in the historic sense, he's providing a safe place, a place of much for them so
that they can begin to grow exponentially into this nation of millions. Jacob says,
God has been my shepherd all my life to this day. You know, that's a statement that I want
to be able to make in my old age when I eventually get there. God has been my shepherd. Isn't
that a wonderful thing to be able to say? Honor the Lord with your wealth with the first
fruits of all your crops and your barns will be filled overflowing and your vats will brim
over with new wine. We honor the Lord. He takes care of us. And my God will meet all
your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. God provides for his own.
The text moves on though in chapter 47 of verse 13. We come to another part of it. It's
really kind of a reflection on the big picture and it goes back to Joseph. It's the recognition
of Jacob's son. So Moses lays aside for the moment here the narrative about the family
of Jacob and he inserts some information about Joseph's rise in authority and how he extended
the rule of Pharaoh over the people. This kind of goes back to chapter 41 in verse 57 and
it picks up the theme there. Now you say, well, why did he do this? Because what we
see here is Joseph acting as the savior not only of his family but of the nation of Egypt
as well. Why? Because he has demonstrated that he is a man of blameless character. He
seeks the good of others who depend upon him. And because of this, God has seen that he
has exalted to this position. The reminder that I want to lay on your heart is this,
that God blesses character. He has done this with Joseph. I wish we had time to look through
here and to see how God blessed him. But because Joseph was a selfless man who sought the good
of others, not himself, God was pleased to use him to save a whole nation of people.
Thank God for those people who are in leadership in our country today who are selfless. May
their number increase on election day. Because if we ever needed them, we need them now.
You see, God is looking for men and women whose character is that way. Those whom he
can bless because they will take his blessings and bless others. God is looking to bless
you as you demonstrate that kind of character, a blameless and selfless character. Notice
what these verses say that I've written down for you. The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish. Those who are righteous. Blessed is the one
whose delight is in the law of the Lord. Whatever he does, prospers, God says. God always blesses
the man or the woman that focuses on character and makes that a priority in life. Not reputation,
not success, but character. Character. God blesses character.
Then we come to the last section, chapter 47. I'm going to begin with verse 27 where
it says, now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property
there and were fruitful. Boy, were they fruitful. And increased greatly in number. And Jacob
lived in Egypt 17 years. And the years of his life were 147. When the time drew near
for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, if I have found favor in
your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and
faithfulness. Do not bury me where? In Egypt. But when I rest with my fathers, carry me
out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried. I will do as you say, Joseph said. Swear to
me, he said. And Joseph swore to him and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
What we have here is a request for Jacob's burial. Moses here resumes the story of Jacob
summarizing his final years. We see that Jacob ended his life not in a bitter winter with
cold and storms, but he ends his life in the warm and golden sunshine of peace and the
bounties of God's gracious heart for him. That's how God wants all of us to end our
years. Jacob did not approach death looking backward. Rather he looked ahead. Not only
to the event of his death and his going to be with his fathers as he says, but he's
looking beyond that. Believing that God would one day keep his covenant promises to the
family of Abraham. And so he made his own funeral arrangements. And by the way, that's
always a good idea to plan ahead that way. You may not like what others plan for you.
And so he planned his burial place and he did this as a last opportunity for a testimony
of his faith. He said, I want to be buried where my fathers are buried and that is where?
In Canaan. Why? Why? What's the difference? Because that was the land that was promised
to his family. The burial of his bones next to the patriarchs who preceded him was a powerful
testimony of his faith in the promises of God. The text begins and it ends with Jacob
worshipping the God who keeps his promises. And the reminder I have is just this, that
God keeps his promises. God is not going to forget you. You may feel that your dreams
are evaporated, that nothing can bring them back, that everything is shot. Let me tell
you it's not true. God keeps his promises to you. Praise be to the Lord who has given
rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises
that God has made. That is true to God's promises, regarding God's promises to you as well. God
will not fail you. God keeps his promises. Are you waiting to recover your dream? If
you're waiting to recover your dream, I want you to remember something. If you think that
somehow this dream is never going to come to pass and that God has allowed it to slip
through his fingers and he's missed it and now you're the victim, let me remind you of
something. God uses all kinds of people, all of whom are less than perfect. What counts
is faith. What I want to encourage you to do today is to get out that faith that is
inside of you and put it to work. That faith that Chip Ingram talked to us so effectively
about two weeks ago. That faith that takes action. Remember that God uses all kinds of
people and every one of us is imperfect. What God looks for is that faith in our lives.
I want to encourage you today to trust God in the midst of your lost dreams, in the midst
of your life with its needs, in the midst of your disappointments. Even though things
aren't turning out perhaps the way you thought they would or they should, never lose sight
of the fact that God is faithful and you can and must trust him. The second thing I want
you to notice is this. God trains us through all kinds of experiences, all of which are
purposed. What counts is submission. The experiences you are going through now, some kind of transition
perhaps in your life or something that has come into your life that you didn't invite
but now here it is and it perhaps is a threat to your well-being. God uses all kinds of
experiences in order to train us. What you and I need to learn to do is submit to him,
surrender to him in the midst of these experiences he brings into our life. We see that in Joseph
and now we see it in Jacob. Jacob was a slow learner but he got there. Sometimes I am a
slow learner too. What we really see here is the simple idea of trust, faith and obey.
Trust and obey. There is no song that says something about that isn't there? Trust and
obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. Would you
bow with me please? Let's sing together that chorus, trust and obey.
Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. With
our heads bowed, Steve just plays a little bit there on the keyboard. Where does that
faith need to go in your life? Where is the area that you are under attack right now and
doubt is eating away your joy and your happiness in Jesus? What is it that you are missing?
What is God telling you to do? Listen to what he says. You say, well I can't do it. Yes
you can. If God says you can. You can trust him. You can surrender to him in the hard
circumstance that you are in and receive from him all that you need. Trust him and obey
him and know the powerful reality of God's restored dream in your life. Would you stand
together with me please? Father I pray that today wherever this message may find us, whichever
piece of it kind of fits the journey that we are on today, that you will bring that
home to us. Father it may be that some of us have kind of given up on you. We have given
up because we have seen our dreams evaporate and we have lost them. I pray that today we
will renew our faith. Renew our surrender to your Lordship in all of our experiences.
That out of that renewal you will bring to pass that restored dream that you have for
us. Lord may we like Jacob come to the end of our journey and see how you have been the
shepherd all the days of our lives. And it is in Jesus name that I pray this. Amen.