WEBVTT

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I am Pastor Nathan, and today, believe it or

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not, we are going to conclude our study of the

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book of Genesis. Right? Wow, you're like, do

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we clap for that or not, you know? It has been

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two years and 75 messages, but we are at the

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end of the book of beginnings. And as we conclude

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this book today, we're going to be talking about

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viewing life. from the end. You know, I read

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this story about an angel that appeared to a

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businessman and he said, hey, I'm going to give

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you one wish. And the businessman was like, really?

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He goes, what I want is the business section

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of the newspaper from one year from today so

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that I could see who's doing well or not. And

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his whole idea was he's going to be able to invest

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now and take advantage of knowing the future.

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And so an angel goes, poof. The newspaper's in

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front of him. He's like, oh, it's the whole newspaper.

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Cool. And so he starts flipping through it real

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quick to find the information he wanted, imagining

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the fortune he was going to make. And as he was

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flipping through that newspaper, though, he came

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by the obituary section, and he saw his name

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in it. Everything changed in that moment. In

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that moment for that man, the profits didn't

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matter. The fortune didn't matter. The success

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didn't matter. Investments didn't seem nearly

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as important. His perspective completely changed.

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Why? Because he knew the end was near. You know,

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the end has a way of forcing us to shift our

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perspectives, to look at things slightly different,

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to adjust maybe what's important to us. And,

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you know, nothing really clarifies life like

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the certainty of death. In the book of Genesis,

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way, way, way, way, way back then, we began with,

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in the beginning, God created the heavens and

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the earth. But this book ends, as a verse we'll

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see today, that says simply this, and Joseph

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died, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

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So when you look at the book of Genesis as a

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whole, it goes from creation to coffin. That's

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a pretty exciting message, right? But isn't that

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the snapshot of every single one of our lives?

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Every single one of us go from creation, where

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God knits us together in the womb of our mothers,

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to the coffin, to the end of our life here on

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this earth. And you know, although that is a

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snapshot, it's not meant to be something that

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causes us despair. It's meant to be something

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that teaches us how to live faithfully. It's

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meant to be something that teaches us how to

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face suffering in this life as we live. And it's

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meant to be something that causes us to face

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death with hope. Because for the believer, death

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is not the end. It's simply a transition. And

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yet preparing for that moment really is a life

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that God gives us. And so this is what we're

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going to be looking at today as we close the

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book of Genesis. Looking at the death of Jacob.

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and the death of Joseph, and talking about what

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the Lord wants us to see from the end of this

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book of beginnings. But first, we're going to

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worship God. And so, like I said a couple weeks

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ago, I do have the opportunity to drum with you

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guys today. And so if it's too loud, I'm so sorry.

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All right? But I pray with all of us, anytime

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we enter into worship together, it's an opportunity

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to praise Him, to let Him know how much we appreciate

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Him. to sing our hearts and our gratitude and

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our thankfulness to him. And it's his name that

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we bless. And so we're going to do that now.

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Let's pray. Father, we love you so much. We thank

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you, God, for the lives that we have here on

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this earth. We thank you, God, for the opportunity

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to know you. And Lord, as we have studied this

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book over two years, Lord, you've taught us so

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many things. And God, this book that is literally

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named Genesis, Beginnings, God, Lord taught us

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that from the very beginning, you wanted us to

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know about the certainty of death so that, Lord,

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we would prepare for that moment to be sure of

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the most important possible truth, God, that

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we would know where we're going to go after this

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life, Lord, that we would know about the the

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place you've prepared for us and the path you've

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laid before us to know you, to be reunited with

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you, our creator. And so, God, as we reflect

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today on the end of the lives of two major figures

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in the history of salvation, God, that it would

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cause us to know that when our time comes, Lord,

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that we want to make sure we can look back to

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the beginning of our lives and see you. to see

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your blessing, to see your presence in our lives,

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all of that, God. Because, Lord, you are what

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matters. And so we bless your name today. We

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love you. We thank you. It's in Jesus' name we

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pray. Amen. All right. We are finishing the book

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of Genesis today. And in our last study, we looked

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at the blessing that Jacob had given to his sons,

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his final words, gonna be passing on to be with

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the Lord. And in Genesis 49, 28, it just summarized

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it and said, these are the tribes of Israel,

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12 in all. And this is what their father said

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to them. He blessed them and he blessed each

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one with a suitable blessing. And so... You know,

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as we're transitioning to the end of the book,

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that is kind of the handoff, right? This is where

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the 12 sons of Jacob are going to transition

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into the time where they become the nation of

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Israel. And so the words that he spoke to them

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weren't just words of, you know, Oh, I love you

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so much, and da -da -da -da -da. They were words

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of prophecy. They were prophetic blessing and

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words of God that shaped the future of not only

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these men's lives, but then the tribes that came

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from them and ultimately the future of the entire

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nation. And so in these blessings, we saw that

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God continued to work the history of salvation

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in the blessing to Judah. as he was given the

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tribe or the scepter and the staff and told that

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it would not depart from Judah until the one

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whose right it is comes. And we know that is

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Jesus Christ. And so each one of these 12 sons

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got a blessing that reflected their character

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and their future tribal destiny. And it's just

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a neat picture of when we're talking about the

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end here, as we're at the end of this book, that

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even though Jacob's life had been very messy,

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it had been full of deception, full of lies,

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full of favoritism, full of family conflict.

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At the end of his life, he was able to bless

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his sons and speak of the future that God had

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prepared for them. And it just reminds us, you

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know, the most flawed life, the most challenged

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life can still become a vessel for God's blessing.

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And don't ever forget that, you know. All of

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us struggle. All of us have issues. All of us

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make mistakes. All of us have times of doubt.

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All of us have times of faithlessness. All of

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us fall into sin. And at the same time, all of

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us have the opportunity to confess and to come

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back and to repent and start walking again. And

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God loves us because he loves us. Right? God

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saves us because we just simply come to the place

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of saying, God, I believe you are real. And I

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am messed up. And can you please forgive me?

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And that is when salvation happens. And so it

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doesn't matter how messed up your life is. You

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are not beyond being a vessel of blessing to

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be used by God, especially in your family, to

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your kids, and so on and so forth. And so Jacob,

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here at the end of his life, he had this messed

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up life, but he still is this vessel for God's

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word and God's blessing to carry forward. And

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then in chapter 49, verse 29, this is where we're

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gonna pick up the story today. It says, then

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he commanded them, I am about to be gathered

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to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the

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cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite. The

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cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre

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in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham

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purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.

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Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there.

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Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there.

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And I buried Leah there. The field and the cave

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in it were purchased from the Hethites. So these

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are very specific instructions Jacob is giving

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to his sons, but they show us something that

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is just incredibly encouraging. He's saying,

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here's the cave. I want you to take me back,

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not just to the promised land. I want you to

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take me back specifically to this exact place,

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right? It's like, here's the plot. We prepaid

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for the plot. This is the one at Forest Lawn.

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Make sure I get buried there. But it's far more

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than just make sure I'm buried in the right place.

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He's reminding his sons about the legacy that

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their family holds, the legacy that has been

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given to them by God that is carrying forward

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through the generations. And so he's like, hey,

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this is the cave that Abraham purchased. The

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one who God spoke to originally, the one who

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God spoke these promises to in Genesis 23, he's

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like, look, this is where I want you to bury

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me. Abraham and Sarah are buried there. Isaac

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and Rebecca are buried there. I buried my first

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wife Leah there. And so, you know, you might

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think, well, I mean, why a detail like this,

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right? It seems like, you know, a small insignificant

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detail, but it reveals something very important

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to us about Jacob, something we learn from the

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end of his life. And it's this, even though Jacob

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had lived for, at this point, 17 years in Egypt,

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that's how long it's been since they arrived

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to this point, although he's lived in this land

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of wealth and abundance and prosperity, I mean,

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this is like, even though he has lived his retirement

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years in the best old folks home you could possibly

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find, with all the amenities, and everything

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you could possibly need, he still wanted to be

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buried in the place of God's promise. He still

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wanted to be in the place where God had spoken

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to his people, because Canaan was the land that

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God had promised to Abraham, and then to Isaac,

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and then to Jacob himself. This was the place

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where God said that your descendants are going

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to own this one day. This is going to go to you

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and your people. Jacob believed that promise,

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but he's going to die in Egypt. He believed so

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powerfully in God's promise, even though it wasn't

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fulfilled in his lifetime. That's faith. That's

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a faith that God wants us to carry. Right, sometimes

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we might struggle with God gives us a promise

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and we expect it to be fulfilled in our lifetime.

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A lot of us struggle with we expect it to be

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fulfilled today. And when it's not, we're like,

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I guess God isn't real. But God's timeline spans

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far more than our lifetime. And the promises

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that God has given to his people, promises that

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he's given in your life, the fulfillment of those

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promises might, might take place far beyond your

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lifetime. The question is, does that affect your

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faith in the Lord? If God said, your family is

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no longer going to struggle financially, and

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you're like, sweet, but the next 80 years of

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your life are going to be financial struggle

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and struggle and struggle, then you're going

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to die, family still in the struggle. Are you

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going to be on your deathbed able to say, we

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are one day going to be free from the struggle

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because God said so? You see, we have to understand

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that God's promises are far beyond our vapor

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of a life. Now sometimes, yeah, God does make

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direct promises to us and they're fulfilled in

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our lifetime, but here Jacob is taking this huge

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step of faith. Even though he's in Egypt, even

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though he's in the best possible place from a

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material perspective, he's going, this isn't

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it. This isn't what matters. And I lived my whole

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life. God has spoken to me. I believe this land

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is ours. And guess what? I'm not going to die

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in that land, but that doesn't change my belief

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in his promises that this land is going to go

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to us one day. And so because I know so beyond

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a shadow of a doubt that I want to be buried

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there so that when you all come back home in

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whatever time in the future it happens, I'll

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be there with you. Faith often means trusting

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promises that we never personally see fulfilled.

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And are you okay with that? Can you be okay with

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that? We should be okay with that. And so, verse

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33, when Jacob had finished giving charges to

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his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and took

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his last breath and was gathered to his people.

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So, the death of the great patriarch Jacob is

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just recorded here with just remarkable simplicity,

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right? And he died. And it uses these interesting

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phrases. He drew his feet into the bed and took

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his last breath. It's just this picture of him

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just kind of curling up and going to sleep. It's

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a picture of peacefulness. And it's a peace that

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he had because he knew the Lord and he knew ultimately

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where he was going. But the detail that is really

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key for us is it doesn't say he died. It says

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he was gathered to his people. That phrase implies

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something very important about our theology of

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death. That death does not end our personal existence.

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Physical death is not the end of your existence.

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Do you guys realize that? Right? This body you're

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living in here, it's just a shell. The Bible

00:15:04.549 --> 00:15:09.649
calls it a tent. This body is not the real you.

00:15:10.929 --> 00:15:14.059
This is... just the vehicle you're driving while

00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:18.639
you live here on this earth. And when it says

00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.860
he was gathered to his people, the verb tense

00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:28.639
of gathered is immediate. What that tells us

00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:33.240
is that when Jacob passed, when his physical

00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:36.519
body died, the reunion with his people immediately

00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:41.559
happened. That implies that the people that had

00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:46.740
died before him still existed, and he was gathered

00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:50.139
together with them. This is speaking of Isaac

00:15:50.139 --> 00:15:53.539
and Abraham and the others. You see, even though

00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:56.519
his body was buried sometime after this because

00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.600
they're going to travel back to the land of Canaan,

00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:01.879
the moment Jacob's eyes closed and he physically

00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:04.840
passed here on this earth, he was in the presence

00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:08.860
of those who had gone before him. This is a big

00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:11.159
part of our theology of death as Christians.

00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.919
When people talk about, will I see my loved ones?

00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:19.519
Will I see my spouse who passed before me? Will

00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.980
I see my children who have passed before me?

00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.440
Will I see this person or that person? If they

00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:30.279
knew the Lord, yes, you will. Because you will

00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:34.179
be gathered to your people. And your people is

00:16:34.179 --> 00:16:38.580
the family of Christ. Spiritual understanding

00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:46.419
tells us that death is not the end, that our

00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:49.039
lives go far beyond, and the Bible supports this,

00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:52.309
right? In Matthew chapter 22 verse 32, Jesus

00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:55.409
was talking to the Sadducees. The Sadducees were

00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:58.250
some Jewish religious leaders that denied that

00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:00.870
there would be a resurrection. They denied the

00:17:00.870 --> 00:17:04.869
idea of this afterlife. And when Jesus was talking

00:17:04.869 --> 00:17:07.809
to them, he quotes Moses from Exodus chapter

00:17:07.809 --> 00:17:11.369
3. And he says to them, I am the God of Abraham

00:17:11.369 --> 00:17:15.940
and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And

00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.240
this was a difficult thing for them because what

00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:22.599
he didn't say is, I was the God of Abraham, Isaac,

00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:28.220
and Jacob. In Jesus' time, he says, I am currently,

00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:32.799
present tense, implying that Abraham and Isaac

00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:39.900
and Jacob still lived and still existed. The

00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:41.500
implication was that they're still alive with

00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:43.539
God as Jesus was speaking to those Sadducees.

00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:47.119
This is a reality. You see, gathered to his people,

00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.240
when it says Jacob was gathered to his people,

00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:52.400
it anticipates this truth that Jesus later declared,

00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:56.200
that God's people continue to live with him beyond

00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:59.900
physical death. And this is what we call eternal

00:17:59.900 --> 00:18:03.220
life. This is what we call heaven. This is what

00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:05.799
we call the afterlife. And so here, even in the

00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:08.559
Old Testament, amongst God's people, there was

00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.019
a growing awareness that physical death was not

00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:14.779
the ultimate end. And that's what we have. recorded

00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:18.299
here he didn't die he was gathered to his people

00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:22.480
and so chapter 50 verse 1 we pick it up again

00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.319
here it says then joseph leaning over his father's

00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:28.400
face wept and kissed him he commanded his servants

00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:30.740
who were physicians to embalm his father and

00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:33.940
so they embalmed israel they took 40 days to

00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:36.079
complete this for embalming takes that long and

00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:40.059
the egyptians mourned for him 70 days So we don't

00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:41.880
really pick it up here in the English nuance,

00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.579
but in the original language, the implication

00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:46.680
is that this morning was great. It was deep.

00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:49.900
It was heavy, right? Middle Eastern people, people

00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:53.240
from this area of the world, express emotion

00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:56.599
very, very overtly and loudly. I mean, so much

00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:58.759
so that when we get to the New Testament, we

00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.140
see that there were people whose full -time job

00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:03.980
was to come cry at funerals, right? Professional

00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:06.640
mourners who were hired to do this. Can you imagine

00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.809
having that job? Right? I've met some of you.

00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:12.829
You would be great at that job. You know, somebody

00:19:12.829 --> 00:19:15.750
goes, today, you just start crying, right? You're

00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:20.160
just so empathetic, right? We've had people do

00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.480
announcements over the years, and sometimes there

00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.579
was just people that did announcements here at

00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:27.319
Hosanna that were so empathetic that every single

00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:28.819
Sunday they would do announcements, and they're

00:19:28.819 --> 00:19:33.279
crying. Junior high camp is coming. It's like,

00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:37.460
wow, that's a gift to be that empathetic. I would

00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:40.680
not do this job well. They would hire me, and

00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:42.539
I'd come up, and I'm like, well, they're dead.

00:19:43.619 --> 00:19:47.829
You're fired. Get out of here, right? But emotion,

00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:50.970
right, in the culture was just very loud and

00:19:50.970 --> 00:19:55.049
very deep. And so, you know, Joseph, he's broken

00:19:55.049 --> 00:19:58.269
over his father being dead. And these details

00:19:58.269 --> 00:20:00.269
it gives us here about him being embalmed and

00:20:00.269 --> 00:20:04.180
how long they mourned, it shows us how... greatly

00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:07.400
Joseph and his family were respected in Egypt

00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.059
by this time. Because remember, Joseph is still

00:20:10.059 --> 00:20:13.160
number two. He's the prime minister of this nation.

00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.839
And then all these shepherd people came 17 years

00:20:16.839 --> 00:20:20.240
prior to the land, and shepherds were despised

00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:23.079
by Egyptians because Their nation had once been

00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:25.380
conquered by shepherd kings, and so they didn't

00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:28.140
like shepherds. They considered them abominations

00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:30.539
and filthy and dirty people. And yet here we

00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:33.559
are, 17 years later, we're seeing this great

00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:37.119
respect being showed to Jacob as he's being buried.

00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:40.640
Embalming was reserved for the pharaohs and the

00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.019
rich and the powerful, right? And then 70 days

00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:47.359
of mourning, specifically, that detail there

00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:52.579
tells us How respected he was because Pharaohs,

00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:56.220
when a Pharaoh would die, the nation would mourn

00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:58.680
for him a few days longer than this. I can't

00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:02.240
remember the exact number. So they mourned for

00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:06.059
Jacob just a handful of days short of how long

00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:08.460
they would mourn for a Pharaoh who passed away

00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:12.200
in the land. So it tells us that, you know, God's

00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:15.390
people. These shepherds at this point in the

00:21:15.390 --> 00:21:17.829
culture and the timeline were greatly respected

00:21:17.829 --> 00:21:21.430
in Egypt, and rightfully so because God had worked

00:21:21.430 --> 00:21:25.609
through Joseph to enact so much good there in

00:21:25.609 --> 00:21:28.269
that country. But the bigger thing it tells us,

00:21:28.369 --> 00:21:31.650
and I've done a handful of funerals recently,

00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:35.730
and one of the things God has just put on my

00:21:35.730 --> 00:21:38.150
heart and I've been able to share is, you know,

00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:41.420
grief is not incompatible with our faith. And

00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:43.859
some people think, oh, you know, they're going

00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:46.160
to heaven. We shouldn't be sad. It should just

00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:48.980
be a big party. And, you know, and yeah, we call,

00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:51.720
you know, a memorial service for a believer a

00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.539
celebration of life, right? Because they have

00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:57.440
moved on. But that doesn't mean you can't grieve.

00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.160
I mean, hurt is hurt, right? Losing someone you

00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:06.359
love hurts. And it is okay to grieve. It's not

00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:10.250
okay to remain there forever. There's a time

00:22:10.250 --> 00:22:12.769
for grieving, and then there's a time for moving

00:22:12.769 --> 00:22:15.170
on with life, but grief is not incompatible with

00:22:15.170 --> 00:22:17.589
our faith. Even those who trust God and know

00:22:17.589 --> 00:22:19.549
the end and have the hope of heaven and the promise,

00:22:19.710 --> 00:22:22.549
they mourn when they lose someone they love,

00:22:22.650 --> 00:22:26.789
and that's okay to do. So, verse four, when the

00:22:26.789 --> 00:22:29.690
days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh's

00:22:29.690 --> 00:22:32.490
household, if I have found favor with you, please

00:22:32.490 --> 00:22:35.470
tell Pharaoh that my father made me take an oath,

00:22:35.630 --> 00:22:39.140
saying I'm about to die. You must bury me there

00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:40.920
in the tomb that I made for myself in the land

00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:43.799
of Canaan. Now let me go and bury my father,

00:22:43.900 --> 00:22:47.359
then I will return. So Pharaoh said, go and bury

00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:51.119
your father in keeping with your oath. Now, if

00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:54.279
you've been following the story of Genesis, you

00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:57.460
might wonder why the number two man in the entire

00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:00.940
country, the confidant and the advisor of Pharaoh,

00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:05.039
didn't go to Pharaoh directly to say, hey boss.

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:08.160
I'd like to go to the land of Canaan to bury

00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:11.480
my dad. And there's a couple possibilities for

00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:17.519
that. One, in ancient cultures, people were often

00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:20.339
restricted from being in the presence of royalty

00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:23.039
while they were grieving. When you were grieving,

00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:27.059
you were very often disheveled. You can imagine

00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:31.460
Joseph with all his Egyptian garb, his mascara

00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:35.400
was running because he'd been crying. You didn't

00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:38.140
look presentable. And so in ancient cultures,

00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:40.440
if you were in a time of mourning, you were not

00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.240
allowed to come into the presence of royalty.

00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:45.059
And so that might be the reason why he's asking

00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:49.579
the servants. But either way, Joseph is trying

00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:53.059
to follow protocol, and I believe he's basically

00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:56.500
trying to reassure Pharaoh that, I'm coming back,

00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:59.400
right? Because it's gonna be not just Joseph

00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:01.759
and his brothers, it's gonna be the entire family.

00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:05.220
It's gonna be all of these Hebrew people leaving

00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:08.299
the land of Egypt, these people who Egypt had

00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:10.619
come to know as a great blessing to our country,

00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:13.119
and they're all leaving. Are they moving back

00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:15.700
to Canaan, right? And so Joseph just wants to

00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:18.640
make sure that Pharaoh knows he's coming back.

00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:20.779
And so verse seven, it says, then Joseph went

00:24:20.779 --> 00:24:23.519
to bury his father. But look who went along,

00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:26.680
all of Pharaoh's servants. The elders of his

00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:29.119
household and all the elders of the land of Egypt

00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:32.059
went with him, along with all of Joseph's family,

00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:35.299
his brothers and his father's family. That's

00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:40.019
a lot of people. What it's telling us is the

00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:43.119
entire government of Egypt, all of the rulers

00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:46.119
and elders and people in charge, went to honor

00:24:46.119 --> 00:24:49.740
this man, Jacob. And why are they honoring Jacob?

00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.279
Because of the witness of his son, Joseph. and

00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:56.539
what he had done in this place. And so it says,

00:24:56.619 --> 00:24:58.440
only their dependents, their flocks, and their

00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:01.480
herds were left in the land of Goshen. Horses

00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:03.359
and chariots went up with them. It was a very

00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:06.279
impressive procession. When they reached the

00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:08.480
threshing floor of Atad, which is across the

00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.619
Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly. And Joseph

00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:14.900
mourned seven days for his father. When the Canaanite

00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:16.940
inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the

00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:19.200
threshing floor of Atad, they said, this is a

00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:21.740
solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.

00:25:22.750 --> 00:25:26.609
Therefore the place is named Abel Mizraim. It

00:25:26.609 --> 00:25:29.990
is across the Jordan. So Jacob's sons did for

00:25:29.990 --> 00:25:31.769
him what he commanded them. They carried him

00:25:31.769 --> 00:25:33.910
to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave

00:25:33.910 --> 00:25:37.250
at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham

00:25:37.250 --> 00:25:40.250
had purchased as burial property from Ephron

00:25:40.250 --> 00:25:42.809
the Hethite. After Joseph buried his father,

00:25:42.869 --> 00:25:45.269
he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all

00:25:45.269 --> 00:25:48.549
who had gone with him to bury his father. It's

00:25:48.549 --> 00:25:52.539
a very impressive funeral procession. tons and

00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:57.819
tons of people. It was basically a royal funeral

00:25:57.819 --> 00:26:02.079
procession, very akin to what you would see if

00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:05.099
Pharaoh himself died, right? Massive respect.

00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:09.720
This is all being built up as a contrast of what

00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:11.640
we're going to see 400 years later when we get

00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:14.880
to the book of Exodus, right? When a new Pharaoh

00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:18.180
arose who forgets about Jacob and Joseph and

00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:21.039
forgets and starts to oppress the people. It's

00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:25.900
such a dramatic shift that takes place. But here

00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:28.279
is just this huge procession. It tells us they

00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:31.420
stop at this threshing floor of Atad. The mourning

00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:33.859
is so intense that all the Canaanites there name

00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:36.619
the place Abel Mizraim. That means mourning of

00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:40.059
the Egyptians, right? The wailing, the crying,

00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:44.960
the grieving was so loud and so impressive in

00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:49.089
that sense. that the place became known as, dang,

00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:52.470
the Egyptians cry loud, right? That's how big

00:26:52.470 --> 00:26:57.329
it was, right? But it was a reminder of not just

00:26:57.329 --> 00:26:59.710
the mourning, but it would bring to mind all

00:26:59.710 --> 00:27:02.130
of who it was about and all of this type of stuff.

00:27:02.349 --> 00:27:05.029
And so his body was placed there in that cave.

00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:09.890
And again, this burial site was a place that

00:27:09.890 --> 00:27:13.509
testified to faith in God's promises. Abraham

00:27:13.509 --> 00:27:15.289
bought this cave because he said, God's going

00:27:15.289 --> 00:27:16.549
to give us this land and that's where I'm going

00:27:16.549 --> 00:27:20.470
to be buried. Then Isaac was like, God promised

00:27:20.470 --> 00:27:22.009
us this land, that's where I'm going to be buried.

00:27:23.130 --> 00:27:25.329
Jacob said, God promised us that land, that's

00:27:25.329 --> 00:27:26.650
where I'm going to be buried. And so it was a

00:27:26.650 --> 00:27:29.970
testament of faith. It was a symbol of faith.

00:27:30.069 --> 00:27:32.750
It was for generation after generation to see

00:27:32.750 --> 00:27:35.690
that God's promises are still unfolding. God's

00:27:35.690 --> 00:27:38.769
promises are still coming to pass. Just because

00:27:38.769 --> 00:27:40.829
it didn't happen in Abraham's time or Isaac's

00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:42.930
time or Jacob's time doesn't mean they're null

00:27:42.930 --> 00:27:48.730
and void. And so verse 15, when Joseph's brothers

00:27:48.730 --> 00:27:50.849
saw that their father was dead, they said to

00:27:50.849 --> 00:27:53.950
one another, if Joseph is holding a grudge against

00:27:53.950 --> 00:27:56.150
us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering

00:27:56.150 --> 00:27:59.569
we caused him. So they sent this message to Joseph.

00:28:00.210 --> 00:28:03.769
Before he died, your father gave a command. Say

00:28:03.769 --> 00:28:05.809
this to Joseph, please forgive your brother's

00:28:05.809 --> 00:28:08.089
transgression and their sin, the suffering they

00:28:08.089 --> 00:28:11.289
caused you. Therefore, please forgive the transgression

00:28:11.289 --> 00:28:14.490
of the servants of the God of your father. This

00:28:14.490 --> 00:28:16.450
is them referring to themselves in this very

00:28:16.450 --> 00:28:19.829
respectful way. Then it says, Joseph wept when

00:28:19.829 --> 00:28:22.549
their message came to him. His brothers also

00:28:22.549 --> 00:28:24.369
came to him, bowed down before him and said,

00:28:24.410 --> 00:28:28.170
we are your slaves. Why do you think Joseph wept?

00:28:32.109 --> 00:28:35.470
It's because he had forgiven them years earlier.

00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:42.210
Years earlier, right? Yet they still feared him.

00:28:44.069 --> 00:28:47.309
Their guilt still haunted them, and so they're

00:28:47.309 --> 00:28:49.869
worried, you know? Well, now that dad's gone,

00:28:50.130 --> 00:28:54.170
we got it coming to us, right? You know, the

00:28:54.170 --> 00:28:57.049
only reason Joseph hasn't taken us out was because,

00:28:57.089 --> 00:29:01.150
you know, dad was alive, and so they tell him,

00:29:01.470 --> 00:29:05.089
hey, dad said this. Now, do we know if dad really

00:29:05.089 --> 00:29:08.049
said that or not? We don't have it recorded that

00:29:08.049 --> 00:29:12.430
dad said that. But it kind of is in line with

00:29:12.430 --> 00:29:14.509
their character to believe that they made up

00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:18.769
this message. Hey, dad said this before you left,

00:29:18.849 --> 00:29:23.190
right? We see that type of stuff happen today

00:29:23.190 --> 00:29:27.039
when mom or dad passes away. And even though

00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:29.460
there's a will or whatnot, then it's like, well,

00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:31.640
no, you know, dad said this before he passed

00:29:31.640 --> 00:29:34.019
to me. And, you know, and people get in all these

00:29:34.019 --> 00:29:37.299
fights and stuff. And he may have said it. We

00:29:37.299 --> 00:29:39.980
don't know. But the point is, is Joseph wept

00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:43.180
when he got the message. Because his heart was

00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:45.339
broken that his brothers still didn't trust him.

00:29:45.819 --> 00:29:48.420
You think about it. For 17 years, he had cared

00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:51.720
for them. gave them the land when they arrived,

00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:53.880
he had provided for their families, he had protected

00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:57.160
them, all this stuff, and they still feared him,

00:29:57.299 --> 00:30:00.859
that he was gonna strike them down for their

00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:03.819
wrongdoing, their past wrongdoing. Now, I see

00:30:03.819 --> 00:30:06.480
in this a picture of the Lord, and I think it's

00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:09.480
a picture for us of the Lord's heart when we

00:30:09.480 --> 00:30:12.259
treat him the same way. This is what I mean by

00:30:12.259 --> 00:30:15.660
this. You know, God has given us this whole book

00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:18.819
called the Bible. to give us a story of how much

00:30:18.819 --> 00:30:22.319
he loves us. How much he loves us, right? He

00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:27.819
loves you beyond understanding. And he says,

00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:32.339
this is how much. I made a plan in the very beginning

00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:37.059
to come all the way here to die for every sin

00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:40.819
you've ever committed. And I've given you the

00:30:40.819 --> 00:30:44.019
whole story of how that developed. And then I

00:30:44.019 --> 00:30:48.789
died for you. I literally was tortured for what

00:30:48.789 --> 00:30:50.630
you've done wrong, and all you have to do is

00:30:50.630 --> 00:30:54.589
believe in me. Just accept what I've done for

00:30:54.589 --> 00:30:57.630
you, and you'll be forgiven. You'll be adopted

00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:01.230
into my family. You're my child now and forevermore.

00:31:03.990 --> 00:31:06.950
And then we come to Christ. We get saved. We're

00:31:06.950 --> 00:31:10.109
like, ooh, awesome. And then some of us at some

00:31:10.109 --> 00:31:12.549
point in our life will, for some reason, develop

00:31:12.549 --> 00:31:16.980
this idea that, oh, no, I sinned. God's mad at

00:31:16.980 --> 00:31:21.700
me now. And instead of coming to him the way

00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:24.539
he wants us to and saying, God, I messed up,

00:31:24.660 --> 00:31:27.180
but I trust your love and I trust your promises

00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:29.640
and please forgive me, knowing that he will do

00:31:29.640 --> 00:31:32.259
that, we start to fear him like, oh no, he's

00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.920
going to strike me down. I can't come to church

00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:36.400
anymore. I can't open my Bible because it's just

00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:40.099
going to blow up in my face. And how do you think

00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:43.940
that makes God feel? I think this is a picture

00:31:43.940 --> 00:31:46.980
of that right here. I think it breaks his heart.

00:31:48.779 --> 00:31:52.460
When we let lies and the devil and other things

00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:55.920
cause us to develop this inaccurate view of the

00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:58.799
God who loves us so much that, oh no, I sinned

00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:05.480
now, he's mad at me. He already died for your

00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:09.720
sin. Now he doesn't want you to continue because

00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:12.839
it's going to be harmful. He wants you to repent

00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:17.759
and confess and come to him. But he's done, I

00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:22.720
think, so much to make it so clear that he's

00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:25.380
like, just come talk to me. Just come be honest.

00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:28.759
I want to forgive you. I want to help you. I

00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:30.119
want to change you. I want to grow you. I want

00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.880
to minister. And yet sometimes we're like, oh,

00:32:32.900 --> 00:32:34.859
I can't because I've done something wrong. And

00:32:34.859 --> 00:32:39.940
I think it grieves his heart so terribly. And,

00:32:40.059 --> 00:32:41.900
you know, from the end of life, you know, so

00:32:41.900 --> 00:32:44.980
many people, you know, who... who I've been there

00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:47.400
at bedsides, and I've heard stories where, you

00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:49.400
know, they've wrestled with this, am I saved,

00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:51.680
am I not saved, did God let me, you know, and

00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:53.980
then at the end of life, they just, I think it's

00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:55.599
a grace of God where there's this revelation

00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:59.579
there that he loves me so much, I cannot wait

00:32:59.579 --> 00:33:05.400
to be with him, despite things, right? And I

00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:09.180
just think every day where we don't let that

00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:12.220
penetrate our mind and our heart is a tragedy.

00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:16.410
Because we're gonna mess up. We're gonna sin.

00:33:16.509 --> 00:33:20.910
We're gonna stumble. We're gonna fall. And the

00:33:20.910 --> 00:33:23.170
devil capitalizes on every single one of those

00:33:23.170 --> 00:33:25.190
to try to make us the most ineffective we can

00:33:25.190 --> 00:33:27.210
be because he knows that we have limited days

00:33:27.210 --> 00:33:32.829
on this earth. And we have limited time to grow

00:33:32.829 --> 00:33:35.849
in the Lord and to share that with people and

00:33:35.849 --> 00:33:38.390
to be used of him to bless and to bring others

00:33:38.390 --> 00:33:40.769
to know him. And the devil is like, if I could

00:33:40.769 --> 00:33:43.819
just get you to stop for one day. That's one

00:33:43.819 --> 00:33:47.279
day where you didn't do anything for the kingdom.

00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:54.900
And so his tears, the sadness that he has, that

00:33:54.900 --> 00:33:57.599
the relationship hasn't fully healed, you know.

00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:00.119
But then in verse 19, he goes on and says, Joseph

00:34:00.119 --> 00:34:02.759
said to them, don't be afraid. That's how we

00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:05.940
know they were afraid. He says, am I in the place

00:34:05.940 --> 00:34:09.849
of God? You planned evil against me. But God

00:34:09.849 --> 00:34:11.630
planned it for good to bring about the present

00:34:11.630 --> 00:34:14.530
result, the survival of many people. Therefore,

00:34:14.630 --> 00:34:16.710
don't be afraid. I will take care of you and

00:34:16.710 --> 00:34:19.030
your children. And he comforted them and spoke

00:34:19.030 --> 00:34:22.690
kindly to them. And his answer shows just amazing

00:34:22.690 --> 00:34:26.989
humility. And it shows a deep understanding of

00:34:26.989 --> 00:34:31.750
forgiveness. Like, guys, you don't need to be

00:34:31.750 --> 00:34:36.070
afraid of me. And it's not based upon, because

00:34:36.070 --> 00:34:40.059
look what I've done for you. What he says is

00:34:40.059 --> 00:34:43.099
he goes, am I in the place of God? You don't

00:34:43.099 --> 00:34:45.599
have to be afraid of me because I'm not the judge.

00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:49.679
God is the judge. I think as believers we need

00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:54.480
to remember that, right? We get caught up sometimes

00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:58.519
in wanting to be the judge. We can get caught

00:34:58.519 --> 00:35:02.139
up at times in wanting to be the one to point

00:35:02.139 --> 00:35:05.400
the finger and, you know, and. And we'll use

00:35:05.400 --> 00:35:07.480
verses like, well, you know, it says that you'll

00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:09.960
know them by their fruits. And so, and then James,

00:35:10.159 --> 00:35:13.420
you know, James says, well, you know, you say

00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:15.300
you have faith without works. I'll show you my

00:35:15.300 --> 00:35:17.320
faith by my works. And so we take those verses

00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:19.780
and we go, I don't see works and I don't see

00:35:19.780 --> 00:35:22.059
this. And we want to, you know what? I think

00:35:22.059 --> 00:35:27.320
God put those verses in the Bible for us. You

00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.989
know why God put in James? You say you have faith

00:35:30.989 --> 00:35:32.750
without works, I'll show you my faith by my works.

00:35:32.829 --> 00:35:34.570
It's not so that you can go around and be the

00:35:34.570 --> 00:35:37.989
judge of other people. It's so that you will

00:35:37.989 --> 00:35:40.489
evaluate yourself consistently and regularly

00:35:40.489 --> 00:35:47.369
and go, am I bearing fruit? I call myself a Christian,

00:35:47.429 --> 00:35:51.070
but if I'm not bearing fruit, hmm, but that's

00:35:51.070 --> 00:35:53.969
for you to look inward. You will know them by

00:35:53.969 --> 00:35:55.590
your fruits. Is that so we could go around and

00:35:55.590 --> 00:35:56.730
say, you don't have any, you don't have any?

00:35:56.769 --> 00:35:59.940
No, it's so that you could look inside. You go,

00:35:59.960 --> 00:36:04.039
am I bearing fruit for the kingdom? God is the

00:36:04.039 --> 00:36:09.420
judge. God is the judge. You see, I had a friend

00:36:09.420 --> 00:36:11.920
once, and I've told this story before. He was

00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:13.920
a business partner of mine. We were good friends.

00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:16.719
We worked together. And one day, we were sitting

00:36:16.719 --> 00:36:20.460
in my office, and we were talking about the gospel.

00:36:20.599 --> 00:36:23.940
And he tells me, he goes, oh, yeah, I'm a Christian.

00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:30.800
And I laughed. And I didn't just chuckle laugh.

00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.920
I belly laughed. It struck me as the funniest

00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:36.579
thing I've ever heard in my life. Now, I don't

00:36:36.579 --> 00:36:38.500
recommend this as a means of evangelism, okay?

00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:46.119
But I laughed hard. Tears in my eyes. And he

00:36:46.119 --> 00:36:48.780
just sat there. And I was like, I was just overcome

00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:50.960
with how silly it was because I knew how he lived,

00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:53.599
right? I knew his life. I knew what he did. And,

00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:56.360
you know, yeah, sure. You know, if I was to evaluate,

00:36:56.599 --> 00:36:58.659
there's no fruit there. But it just struck me

00:36:58.659 --> 00:37:00.440
as funny. And I didn't laugh on purpose, but

00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:04.019
I just was like, oh, my gosh, this is. And in

00:37:04.019 --> 00:37:05.880
hindsight, he told me, you know, sometime later,

00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:11.320
he goes, I was so offended. He goes, but then

00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:14.730
I thought. if the thought of me confessing to

00:37:14.730 --> 00:37:20.110
be a Christian is this funny to him, maybe I

00:37:20.110 --> 00:37:22.929
should look at my life. And he says, that was

00:37:22.929 --> 00:37:26.230
a moment when his life changed. I laughed him

00:37:26.230 --> 00:37:31.670
into the kingdom. Because he, at that point,

00:37:31.690 --> 00:37:34.590
said, do I really know the Lord? And was like,

00:37:34.630 --> 00:37:36.409
yeah, I do believe in God. I need to start living

00:37:36.409 --> 00:37:39.050
like it. My life needs to be one of, not perfection,

00:37:39.170 --> 00:37:42.309
but one of obedience and all that. And, you know,

00:37:42.309 --> 00:37:44.769
to this day, he just has this wonderfully just

00:37:44.769 --> 00:37:50.210
radical relationship with God. But, you know,

00:37:50.230 --> 00:37:54.969
we're not the judge. Sure, we're called to sharpen

00:37:54.969 --> 00:37:56.849
one another and hold one another accountable.

00:37:57.449 --> 00:37:59.730
But, you know, when someone tells me, like, oh,

00:37:59.750 --> 00:38:03.389
I'm a Christian, I try and treat them as a Christian.

00:38:04.570 --> 00:38:06.409
I don't have the place to go, no, you're not,

00:38:06.449 --> 00:38:09.030
because I don't know their heart. But if I know

00:38:09.030 --> 00:38:11.190
that they have, like, a... a life that doesn't

00:38:11.190 --> 00:38:12.750
reflect anything, and they go, well, I'm a believer,

00:38:12.849 --> 00:38:14.329
then I'm gonna talk to them like a believer.

00:38:14.449 --> 00:38:16.750
Oh, brother, cool. Hey, man, you wanna study

00:38:16.750 --> 00:38:19.329
this word together? Oh, hey, brother, we're supposed

00:38:19.329 --> 00:38:21.650
to sharpen one another, and yeah, you kinda said

00:38:21.650 --> 00:38:23.949
that the other day, and I just wanna encourage

00:38:23.949 --> 00:38:25.690
you, that's not how we're supposed to live, brother.

00:38:25.949 --> 00:38:28.349
And hey, this is what the Lord says, brother.

00:38:28.690 --> 00:38:31.389
And eventually, they're either gonna say, stop

00:38:31.389 --> 00:38:36.800
calling me that, because I'm not, or... They

00:38:36.800 --> 00:38:38.199
might get their act together. But it's not me

00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:40.219
judging them. I'm not saying you are going to

00:38:40.219 --> 00:38:43.719
hell. Because I don't have that place. We don't

00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:46.940
have that place, right? God's role is to be judged.

00:38:47.139 --> 00:38:50.079
Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Our job is

00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:53.559
to be vessels of grace and blessing and mercy.

00:38:53.780 --> 00:38:56.099
And yeah, we challenge one another, but never

00:38:56.099 --> 00:39:01.500
to judge. Never to condemn. And it's this mindset

00:39:01.500 --> 00:39:04.260
that I believe is what allowed Joseph to be free

00:39:04.260 --> 00:39:07.559
to forgive them. You know, he says this line

00:39:07.559 --> 00:39:09.659
we've talked about a few times, right? You planned

00:39:09.659 --> 00:39:12.880
evil against me. God planned it for good to bring

00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:17.619
about the present results. This is forgiveness.

00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:23.780
He doesn't deny what they did, right? Sometimes

00:39:23.780 --> 00:39:26.260
we might struggle with forgiveness because we

00:39:26.260 --> 00:39:29.219
think forgiveness means saying what they did

00:39:29.219 --> 00:39:34.000
is okay. No. He says you planned evil. What you

00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:39.769
did was wicked. What you did was wrong. Now,

00:39:39.809 --> 00:39:42.389
he doesn't spend 35 minutes talking about how

00:39:42.389 --> 00:39:46.269
wrong it was. But forgiveness doesn't mean ignoring

00:39:46.269 --> 00:39:50.530
or saying what the wicked evil thing was not

00:39:50.530 --> 00:39:52.550
evil and wicked. That's not what forgiveness

00:39:52.550 --> 00:39:54.949
is. But forgiveness is saying, but I'm going

00:39:54.949 --> 00:39:57.670
to choose to see the bigger reality, God's sovereignty.

00:39:59.210 --> 00:40:01.989
Right? He uses the word planned for them and

00:40:01.989 --> 00:40:04.550
planned for God. Those are important words there.

00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:07.099
They imply something that's very difficult for

00:40:07.099 --> 00:40:13.679
us to deal with. They planned evil. They thought

00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:16.519
in their mind, we hate our brother. We're going

00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:19.119
to kill him. Throw him in the pit. Let him starve

00:40:19.119 --> 00:40:21.940
to death. No, we can't do that. Pull him out

00:40:21.940 --> 00:40:24.260
of the pit. Sell him into slavery. They planned

00:40:24.260 --> 00:40:27.460
it. And it was hurtful and it was harmful and

00:40:27.460 --> 00:40:29.559
it was difficult. But what does Joseph say here?

00:40:29.900 --> 00:40:36.739
But God planned it for good. What that means,

00:40:37.179 --> 00:40:40.719
and I want to be very delicate in saying this,

00:40:40.860 --> 00:40:50.800
that in God's sovereignty, God went, yes, I'm

00:40:50.800 --> 00:40:54.360
planning for the brothers to hate him, and I'm

00:40:54.360 --> 00:40:55.760
planning for the brothers to throw them into

00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:58.079
the pit. It's going to hurt. I know it's going

00:40:58.079 --> 00:41:00.639
to hurt, but I'm planning for them to pull him

00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:03.500
out. I'm planning for them to sell him into slavery.

00:41:04.619 --> 00:41:06.880
I'm planning for him to get sold into Potiphar's

00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:09.800
house. I'm planning for Potiphar's wife to just

00:41:09.800 --> 00:41:13.099
be a dirty girl and try and go after him. And

00:41:13.099 --> 00:41:15.780
I'm planning for him to get falsely accused.

00:41:16.159 --> 00:41:18.400
And I'm planning for him to get thrown into jail.

00:41:18.920 --> 00:41:22.880
Right? Now, if you knew God was planning this,

00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:24.760
you'd be like, okay, Lord, how long am I going

00:41:24.760 --> 00:41:26.219
to be in jail? It's going to be a long time,

00:41:26.280 --> 00:41:29.559
Joseph. But there's going to be a guy, a cupbearer.

00:41:29.619 --> 00:41:31.599
And then, psych, you're going to stay for a little

00:41:31.599 --> 00:41:35.630
bit longer. It says God planned these things.

00:41:35.789 --> 00:41:40.769
Here's the difficulty. Many of us have had evil

00:41:40.769 --> 00:41:43.849
happen in our lives. Evil happened to us. Bad

00:41:43.849 --> 00:41:47.309
things, horrible things. And those things are

00:41:47.309 --> 00:41:48.849
bad, and they're horrible, and they're evil,

00:41:48.949 --> 00:41:53.210
and they're wicked, and they're terrible. But

00:41:53.210 --> 00:41:59.530
if we believe God is sovereign, we can't only

00:41:59.530 --> 00:42:06.059
apply that to when the good things happen. If

00:42:06.059 --> 00:42:08.679
God is sovereign, that means he's sovereign above

00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:14.599
everything. Now, again, I say this very, very

00:42:14.599 --> 00:42:21.019
delicately. But there is a place in maturity

00:42:21.019 --> 00:42:23.280
and spiritual growth and stuff to be able to

00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:27.139
look at something that happened to you and go,

00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:31.340
if I believe God is sovereign, there is a reason

00:42:31.340 --> 00:42:35.420
that happened to me. Now, do I wish it didn't

00:42:35.420 --> 00:42:37.900
happen? Of course. Was it terrible? Yes. Did

00:42:37.900 --> 00:42:46.780
it hurt? Yes. But it happened. And what was God's

00:42:46.780 --> 00:42:50.500
purpose on the other side of that? That doesn't

00:42:50.500 --> 00:42:54.619
make it less evil. That doesn't mean, it doesn't

00:42:54.619 --> 00:42:57.159
mean any of that. But there's a place of growth

00:42:57.159 --> 00:42:59.199
and maturity in the Lord where we come to a place

00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:03.389
of saying, God allowed that to happen. God planned

00:43:03.389 --> 00:43:05.510
for that to happen because of this good on the

00:43:05.510 --> 00:43:07.969
other side that was greater than anything we

00:43:07.969 --> 00:43:13.530
could imagine. This mindset has allowed Joseph

00:43:13.530 --> 00:43:18.250
to be free to forgive and to let it go and to

00:43:18.250 --> 00:43:20.030
move on. You see, forgiveness isn't I forgive

00:43:20.030 --> 00:43:22.309
you but I still hold it against you. That's not

00:43:22.309 --> 00:43:27.909
forgiveness. Forgiveness is I forgive you and

00:43:27.909 --> 00:43:35.030
I release you of responsibility to me. You did

00:43:35.030 --> 00:43:39.050
it and it was bad and it was horrible. But I'm

00:43:39.050 --> 00:43:41.590
choosing to see on this side of it that God did

00:43:41.590 --> 00:43:43.489
something good out of it or will do something

00:43:43.489 --> 00:43:48.909
good out of it. It's the same mindset that allows

00:43:48.909 --> 00:43:51.329
us to forgive in that way. You see, we can't

00:43:51.329 --> 00:43:54.869
see the big picture as God does. We simply don't

00:43:54.869 --> 00:43:59.170
have that ability. And so we have to be able

00:43:59.170 --> 00:44:03.110
to get to the place of considering in every circumstance,

00:44:03.409 --> 00:44:08.050
in every circumstance, I don't know why this

00:44:08.050 --> 00:44:15.369
happened to me. And I can't even imagine a good

00:44:15.369 --> 00:44:20.329
or a positive reason. But we can stand in absolute

00:44:20.329 --> 00:44:26.650
confidence that God does know. And God does know

00:44:26.650 --> 00:44:32.190
and allowed. and even planned for some things

00:44:32.190 --> 00:44:36.469
to happen to us, and if he is sovereign, and

00:44:36.469 --> 00:44:40.030
we believe that, and this thing happened to us,

00:44:41.030 --> 00:44:47.889
then that means he allowed it for a reason. And

00:44:47.889 --> 00:44:50.590
if the reason is his reason, it's a good reason

00:44:50.590 --> 00:44:56.889
because he's a good God. No matter what. That

00:44:56.889 --> 00:44:59.769
is where peace is found. That is where you find

00:44:59.769 --> 00:45:04.650
peace. A peace, the Bible says, that surpasses

00:45:04.650 --> 00:45:07.989
all understanding. How can you be at peace when

00:45:07.989 --> 00:45:13.250
that happened to you? God. I believe him. I trust

00:45:13.250 --> 00:45:17.789
him. Am I saying that's easy to do? No. Am I

00:45:17.789 --> 00:45:21.929
saying that? I'm not saying any of that, but

00:45:21.929 --> 00:45:24.710
I am saying that there's a peace that comes on

00:45:24.710 --> 00:45:27.369
the other side of tragedy and wickedness and

00:45:27.369 --> 00:45:32.829
evil. That allows us to say, I forgive and I'm

00:45:32.829 --> 00:45:37.789
at peace because God is sovereign. You know,

00:45:37.829 --> 00:45:39.670
the New Testament speaks of the same truth. It

00:45:39.670 --> 00:45:41.710
says in Romans 8 .28, we know that all things

00:45:41.710 --> 00:45:44.610
work together for the good of those who love

00:45:44.610 --> 00:45:48.670
God, who are called according to his purpose.

00:45:50.170 --> 00:45:55.050
Do you know what all things means? All things.

00:45:57.289 --> 00:46:01.809
Forgiveness flows from trusting God to handle

00:46:01.809 --> 00:46:09.010
justice. Our task is to let the Spirit move through

00:46:09.010 --> 00:46:13.130
us in grace and mercy and forgiveness. And pray

00:46:13.130 --> 00:46:16.530
for that if you struggle with that. Verse 22.

00:46:17.570 --> 00:46:19.889
Joseph and his father's family remained in Egypt.

00:46:20.829 --> 00:46:23.989
Joseph lived 110 years and he saw Ephraim's sons

00:46:23.989 --> 00:46:26.789
to the third generation. The sons of Manasseh's

00:46:26.789 --> 00:46:30.630
son, Makir, were recognized by Joseph. So here

00:46:30.630 --> 00:46:35.349
we are at the end of Joseph's life. Joseph lived

00:46:35.349 --> 00:46:39.170
to be 110 years. And notice what God's word emphasizes

00:46:39.170 --> 00:46:41.570
here in the summary of the tail end of his life.

00:46:42.079 --> 00:46:44.340
It's not his political achievements. It's not

00:46:44.340 --> 00:46:46.000
the fact that he was prime minister of the most

00:46:46.000 --> 00:46:48.159
powerful nation in the world. It's not that he

00:46:48.159 --> 00:46:50.039
came up with these civic plans and saved millions

00:46:50.039 --> 00:46:53.659
of lives, right? What is emphasized at the end

00:46:53.659 --> 00:46:59.739
of his life? It's Joseph holding his great grandkids

00:46:59.739 --> 00:47:05.380
on his knees, hugging them and loving them. True

00:47:05.380 --> 00:47:08.960
success is not defined by career achievements.

00:47:09.949 --> 00:47:14.110
True success is not defined by your bank account

00:47:14.110 --> 00:47:17.309
or your cars or your houses. I mean, none of

00:47:17.309 --> 00:47:20.030
that stuff is inherently bad, but I believe true

00:47:20.030 --> 00:47:22.510
success is defined by your spiritual legacy within

00:47:22.510 --> 00:47:27.690
your family. God created a family. God created

00:47:27.690 --> 00:47:30.760
mankind to be the vessel. Through which he is

00:47:30.760 --> 00:47:32.980
known and then that faith is passed down to generation

00:47:32.980 --> 00:47:34.960
after generation after generation after generation.

00:47:35.280 --> 00:47:37.320
This is what we see taking place from Abraham

00:47:37.320 --> 00:47:40.760
to Isaac to Jacob, now to Joseph. This is what

00:47:40.760 --> 00:47:43.579
we see through here. It's this legacy of faith.

00:47:43.719 --> 00:47:45.940
It's this legacy of who God is. It's this legacy

00:47:45.940 --> 00:47:50.960
of what he's about and why we are here. And that's

00:47:50.960 --> 00:47:57.840
what it's all about. He saw Ephraim's sons to

00:47:57.840 --> 00:48:04.800
the third day. Leaving behind the legacy in your

00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:06.679
family, your kids, your friends, whoever it may

00:48:06.679 --> 00:48:08.199
be, that's the most important thing, a legacy

00:48:08.199 --> 00:48:13.800
of faith, a legacy of God, a legacy of who he

00:48:13.800 --> 00:48:17.179
is, what he wants from us, the free gift of salvation.

00:48:17.619 --> 00:48:19.980
It's passing that on and passing that on and

00:48:19.980 --> 00:48:23.280
passing that on. And so verse 24, Joseph said

00:48:23.280 --> 00:48:27.579
to his brothers, I'm about to die. But God will

00:48:27.579 --> 00:48:29.519
certainly come to your aid and bring you up from

00:48:29.519 --> 00:48:31.860
this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham,

00:48:32.019 --> 00:48:35.280
Isaac, and Jacob. So Joseph made the sons of

00:48:35.280 --> 00:48:37.699
Israel's taken oath. When God comes to your aid,

00:48:37.760 --> 00:48:40.719
you are to carry my bones up from here. Joseph

00:48:40.719 --> 00:48:44.320
died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and

00:48:44.320 --> 00:48:48.639
placed him in a coffin in Egypt. And with those

00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:53.960
words, we end the book of Genesis. Right? The

00:48:53.960 --> 00:48:57.739
final words here of Joseph's life are centered

00:48:57.739 --> 00:49:02.820
on God's promise. God's promise, right? He's

00:49:02.820 --> 00:49:08.679
going to bring you to this land. Jacob didn't

00:49:08.679 --> 00:49:13.139
see it. Joseph didn't see it. But Joseph believed

00:49:13.139 --> 00:49:16.500
it. Why? Because his dad passed that on to him.

00:49:17.769 --> 00:49:21.090
His dad emphasized that. He reminded the people

00:49:21.090 --> 00:49:23.710
of Israel, like as Joseph is passing, people

00:49:23.710 --> 00:49:25.349
of Israel, which there are probably a number

00:49:25.349 --> 00:49:29.070
of them at this point. Egypt is not your home.

00:49:32.150 --> 00:49:34.630
It just happens to be where you live right now.

00:49:37.050 --> 00:49:39.250
And that is the message for us and the message

00:49:39.250 --> 00:49:43.849
we pass on. Earth is not our home. It just happens

00:49:43.849 --> 00:49:48.650
to be where we live right now. That's the message

00:49:48.650 --> 00:49:51.949
to pass on to your kids and every generation

00:49:51.949 --> 00:49:54.230
after. Joseph believed God would one day bring

00:49:54.230 --> 00:49:56.630
Israel out of Egypt. And this was a faith he

00:49:56.630 --> 00:49:58.969
inherited from his father. And it was a faith

00:49:58.969 --> 00:50:00.590
that was passed to him. And now he's passing

00:50:00.590 --> 00:50:02.969
on and so on and so forth. And then, of course,

00:50:02.989 --> 00:50:05.909
centuries later, the promise is fulfilled, right?

00:50:06.170 --> 00:50:09.050
In Exodus chapter 13, verse 19, it says, Moses

00:50:09.050 --> 00:50:13.269
took the bones of Joseph with him. because Joseph

00:50:13.269 --> 00:50:15.409
had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath,

00:50:15.909 --> 00:50:18.170
saying, God will certainly come to your aid,

00:50:18.250 --> 00:50:20.769
then you must take my bones with you from this

00:50:20.769 --> 00:50:27.389
place. So for hundreds of years, the coffin of

00:50:27.389 --> 00:50:33.110
Joseph set as a silent testimony of faith in

00:50:33.110 --> 00:50:37.650
God and his promises. Some may have looked at

00:50:37.650 --> 00:50:41.969
it and say, oh, death, sad times. But what it

00:50:41.969 --> 00:50:43.650
was meant to be, and I believe what the children

00:50:43.650 --> 00:50:49.909
of Israel looked at it as, was the promise. The

00:50:49.909 --> 00:50:52.070
promise he left with us. You see, Genesis ends

00:50:52.070 --> 00:50:56.269
with a coffin, but it is not hopelessness. It

00:50:56.269 --> 00:51:01.010
is not, and then you die. So live however you

00:51:01.010 --> 00:51:04.809
want because it doesn't matter. No. It ends with

00:51:04.809 --> 00:51:06.750
a coffin, but it's not a hopeless ending because

00:51:06.750 --> 00:51:10.050
that coffin pointed towards the future. It pointed

00:51:10.050 --> 00:51:11.750
towards the fact that God's promises were still

00:51:11.750 --> 00:51:13.929
unfolding. It pointed towards the fact that the

00:51:13.929 --> 00:51:18.210
story was not over. And of course, as we're heading

00:51:18.210 --> 00:51:22.949
into Easter, right? His coffin is pointing towards

00:51:22.949 --> 00:51:28.050
the tomb. The tomb that is empty because Jesus

00:51:28.050 --> 00:51:32.710
defeated death. He defeated sin. He is alive

00:51:32.710 --> 00:51:34.929
forevermore. He's sitting at the right hand of

00:51:34.929 --> 00:51:37.389
God. And all those people who have believed in

00:51:37.389 --> 00:51:42.460
him over the centuries, They're with the Lord.

00:51:43.280 --> 00:51:45.139
The Bible tells us to be absent from the body,

00:51:45.139 --> 00:51:48.059
to be present with him. And they're waiting for

00:51:48.059 --> 00:51:51.059
you. I don't know if they're waiting for you,

00:51:51.119 --> 00:51:54.519
but they're there. They're like, I'm in the presence

00:51:54.519 --> 00:51:56.739
of Jesus. I'll see you when you get here. But

00:51:56.739 --> 00:52:02.199
the idea is that this life is going to end. And

00:52:02.199 --> 00:52:04.760
so what does this last chapter of Genesis teach

00:52:04.760 --> 00:52:07.099
us? A few things. One, God's promises extend

00:52:07.099 --> 00:52:12.460
far beyond our lifetime. Two, that God is sovereign

00:52:12.460 --> 00:52:17.019
even over the evil and the wickedness that happens.

00:52:18.679 --> 00:52:20.840
True success, I believe, should be measured by

00:52:20.840 --> 00:52:24.440
our spiritual legacy and nothing more. And then

00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:27.940
God's people, we live with hope beyond death.

00:52:30.199 --> 00:52:32.300
And that hope is found in the ultimate offspring

00:52:32.300 --> 00:52:35.440
of Abraham, right? The lion of the tribe of Judah,

00:52:35.500 --> 00:52:39.739
Jesus Christ, God the Son, the one whose life...

00:52:39.980 --> 00:52:42.639
Joseph's life pointed towards, as we call Joseph,

00:52:42.639 --> 00:52:45.179
a type of Christ in the Old Testament. That so

00:52:45.179 --> 00:52:48.900
much of his life was parallel to what happened

00:52:48.900 --> 00:52:52.380
to Jesus Christ, right? Joseph, he was one who

00:52:52.380 --> 00:52:55.539
suffered at the hands of men, and yet his suffering

00:52:55.539 --> 00:53:00.539
led to salvation for many people. And Jesus himself

00:53:00.539 --> 00:53:05.719
suffered at the hands of men, and yet his suffering

00:53:05.719 --> 00:53:11.559
saved countless. What humans meant for evil by

00:53:11.559 --> 00:53:14.559
nailing Jesus to the cross, what they planned,

00:53:14.659 --> 00:53:17.119
right? They came up with an idea. We are going

00:53:17.119 --> 00:53:19.559
to nail him to the cross and crucify him publicly

00:53:19.559 --> 00:53:22.500
so that everybody would know, don't do what he

00:53:22.500 --> 00:53:26.219
did. Don't try and, you know, upset the power

00:53:26.219 --> 00:53:28.440
of the Pharisees and all that. They planned it.

00:53:29.159 --> 00:53:31.059
But on the backside, God said, no, no, no, I

00:53:31.059 --> 00:53:34.099
planned it far before you guys even existed.

00:53:34.839 --> 00:53:37.019
That he would die exactly that way. In fact,

00:53:37.019 --> 00:53:40.239
I have prophecy that speaks of it in detail.

00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:44.360
Because as you thought it was going to be something

00:53:44.360 --> 00:53:47.579
to squash his message, all it did was spread

00:53:47.579 --> 00:53:52.500
it far and wide. And so we leave the study of

00:53:52.500 --> 00:53:56.159
this blessed book of Genesis with a couple questions.

00:53:56.199 --> 00:53:59.079
And one is to ask yourself, what will your life

00:53:59.079 --> 00:54:03.519
leave behind? What will your life leave behind?

00:54:03.739 --> 00:54:05.599
Joseph's life left behind a few things here.

00:54:05.639 --> 00:54:09.420
One, faith in God's promises. Hey guys, when

00:54:09.420 --> 00:54:11.679
you leave, not if you leave, when you leave,

00:54:11.679 --> 00:54:14.960
take my bones with you. Hope in God's future.

00:54:16.820 --> 00:54:18.920
Joseph didn't say it might happen. He was like,

00:54:18.980 --> 00:54:21.119
it's gonna happen, so make sure you take my bones

00:54:21.119 --> 00:54:23.519
with you. And then grace and forgiveness towards

00:54:23.519 --> 00:54:27.619
those who wronged him. They didn't necessarily

00:54:27.619 --> 00:54:31.300
receive it in full, but he just like... I just

00:54:31.300 --> 00:54:35.639
forgive my brothers. But I believe the final

00:54:35.639 --> 00:54:38.380
most important question that Genesis presses

00:54:38.380 --> 00:54:44.900
on all of us is are you ready to die? Wow, isn't

00:54:44.900 --> 00:54:47.760
that a great question, right? Are you ready to

00:54:47.760 --> 00:54:53.519
die? Hebrews 9 .7 says, just as it is appointed

00:54:53.519 --> 00:54:57.420
for people to die once, and after this, the judgment.

00:55:00.449 --> 00:55:05.309
You see, when your time of death comes, and your

00:55:05.309 --> 00:55:10.050
little eulogy or whatever records that, and Nathan

00:55:10.050 --> 00:55:16.010
lived to be this many years old, what is it going

00:55:16.010 --> 00:55:20.449
to say? What is going to be the summary? Is it

00:55:20.449 --> 00:55:22.570
going to be like, and wow, look at his bank account,

00:55:22.690 --> 00:55:31.150
how impressive? Because it's not. Look at his

00:55:31.150 --> 00:55:34.289
car, how impressive. It's a 2012 Ford Escape

00:55:34.289 --> 00:55:41.630
and it's dirty. Look at... Right? None of that

00:55:41.630 --> 00:55:46.409
matters. Except the Lord and what you've done

00:55:46.409 --> 00:55:50.059
for Him. And so is that spiritual legacy something

00:55:50.059 --> 00:55:52.099
that you're investing in now and working on now

00:55:52.099 --> 00:55:54.300
because nobody knows when their day of death

00:55:54.300 --> 00:55:55.780
comes. You might think, oh, I've got another,

00:55:55.920 --> 00:55:58.820
you know, 80 years ahead of me. Like, I would

00:55:58.820 --> 00:56:00.880
like to think I got 200 years ahead of me still,

00:56:00.980 --> 00:56:04.019
right? It's not going to happen. I want to live

00:56:04.019 --> 00:56:06.039
as long as God would have me on this earth, but

00:56:06.039 --> 00:56:11.059
I could drop dead today. And the legacy left

00:56:11.059 --> 00:56:13.159
behind is not going to be anything more than

00:56:13.159 --> 00:56:16.420
Jesus Christ. It shouldn't be anything more than

00:56:16.420 --> 00:56:20.599
Jesus Christ. Do my friends know Jesus? Does

00:56:20.599 --> 00:56:23.800
my family know Jesus? Do my grandkids know Jesus?

00:56:25.300 --> 00:56:27.159
Do they know who he is and what he's all about

00:56:27.159 --> 00:56:29.219
and how much he loves them? Because that is the

00:56:29.219 --> 00:56:31.280
only thing that matters, and the gospel is the

00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:33.119
only thing that offers real hope in this world.

00:56:33.960 --> 00:56:36.099
John 3 .16, it says, For God loved the world

00:56:36.099 --> 00:56:38.099
in this way. He gave his one and only Son so

00:56:38.099 --> 00:56:40.639
that everyone who believes in him will not perish

00:56:40.639 --> 00:56:44.960
but have eternal life. And because Christ died

00:56:44.960 --> 00:56:47.500
and rose again, death is not the final word for

00:56:47.500 --> 00:56:51.960
us as his people. One day the trumpet will sound.

00:56:52.920 --> 00:56:55.579
The dead in Christ will rise to dwell in his

00:56:55.579 --> 00:56:59.820
holiness forever. And it's only through trusting

00:56:59.820 --> 00:57:03.519
in Jesus that we can live and die with hope.

00:57:05.880 --> 00:57:09.340
But if you don't know Jesus today, you have no

00:57:09.340 --> 00:57:14.360
hope. If you were to die today and you have never

00:57:14.360 --> 00:57:16.920
put your faith in Jesus Christ, it says it is

00:57:16.920 --> 00:57:19.300
appointed for you once to die and then the judgment.

00:57:21.280 --> 00:57:24.760
The judgment for those without Jesus Christ as

00:57:24.760 --> 00:57:27.519
their Lord and Savior is going to be a judgment

00:57:27.519 --> 00:57:29.679
against all the sin you've committed your entire

00:57:29.679 --> 00:57:34.380
life. And a holy and a righteous and a just God

00:57:34.380 --> 00:57:37.559
is going to say the penalty due for that is eternal

00:57:37.559 --> 00:57:39.900
death. And you might think, oh, I'm just dead.

00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:43.099
No, what that means scripturally is eternal separation

00:57:43.099 --> 00:57:47.340
from God, suffering in eternity, the penalty

00:57:47.340 --> 00:57:56.699
that is due. But through faith in Christ, even

00:57:56.699 --> 00:57:58.400
though we know we're sinners, even though we've

00:57:58.400 --> 00:58:01.320
broken his law, the hope is that when we die,

00:58:02.670 --> 00:58:04.730
We close our eyes and then we're gathered with

00:58:04.730 --> 00:58:06.849
our people and we open our eyes as Jesus is standing

00:58:06.849 --> 00:58:08.309
right there and he says, hey, well done, good

00:58:08.309 --> 00:58:10.250
and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your

00:58:10.250 --> 00:58:11.650
Lord. And you're like, what? What's going on?

00:58:11.670 --> 00:58:14.429
Hey, that's Peter. You know, well, that's Paul.

00:58:15.329 --> 00:58:20.369
And then, hey, I remember them. That was my spouse

00:58:20.369 --> 00:58:22.769
on earth. Oh my gosh, I'm so glad to see you.

00:58:23.949 --> 00:58:28.590
And my friends and whoever it may be. And then

00:58:28.590 --> 00:58:31.309
it's eternal love and joy and peace and perfection.

00:58:32.960 --> 00:58:35.059
Not because you were a good person, but because

00:58:35.059 --> 00:58:38.260
Jesus bled and died to pay the price for your

00:58:38.260 --> 00:58:42.960
sin. That is what this book of beginnings points

00:58:42.960 --> 00:58:46.699
us towards. That is where we're going as we continue

00:58:46.699 --> 00:58:49.800
through the scripture. To see this story unfold

00:58:49.800 --> 00:58:52.059
through his people, the promise of a savior for

00:58:52.059 --> 00:58:54.900
the whole world. That all who would call upon

00:58:54.900 --> 00:58:57.079
the name of the Lord would have the opportunity

00:58:57.079 --> 00:59:01.619
to be saved. Amen? Let's pray. Father, we love

00:59:01.619 --> 00:59:07.829
you. We're so grateful, God, for your word. We're

00:59:07.829 --> 00:59:10.409
so grateful for this study of the book of Genesis,

00:59:10.530 --> 00:59:14.389
Lord. That God, as it is a book of beginnings,

00:59:14.489 --> 00:59:18.210
it really is all about our end here on earth.

00:59:20.150 --> 00:59:22.170
Because, Lord, we learn that in the beginning

00:59:22.170 --> 00:59:27.170
you created us not to die, but to dwell in eternal

00:59:27.170 --> 00:59:33.219
fellowship with you, our creator. But then, Lord,

00:59:33.260 --> 00:59:35.159
because we disobeyed, death entered the world.

00:59:36.400 --> 00:59:39.860
Physical death and a spiritual death as we were

00:59:39.860 --> 00:59:45.360
separated from you, our creator. And so this

00:59:45.360 --> 00:59:50.260
whole book, Lord, is about us living in light

00:59:50.260 --> 00:59:55.380
of the fact that physical death comes for every

00:59:55.380 --> 01:00:00.679
single one of us, Lord. But what happens after?

01:00:04.460 --> 01:00:09.239
The solution created by you is available to all

01:00:09.239 --> 01:00:13.940
of us. That, Lord, we would be able to live and

01:00:13.940 --> 01:00:18.360
die with hope. That, Lord, instead of our story

01:00:18.360 --> 01:00:20.480
being like, and they died, our story would say,

01:00:20.539 --> 01:00:25.900
and they were gathered to their people. Lord,

01:00:25.980 --> 01:00:28.280
that the legacy that our life led behind was

01:00:28.280 --> 01:00:34.420
one of spiritual truth and living. In a way that's

01:00:34.420 --> 01:00:36.639
striving to know God more and more every single

01:00:36.639 --> 01:00:38.619
day. Not to live as perfect people, because we're

01:00:38.619 --> 01:00:40.739
not, but to live as people who walk in grace.

01:00:41.920 --> 01:00:45.059
Who walk in hope and holiness and love. People

01:00:45.059 --> 01:00:49.000
who say, I'm going to judge. That is God's job.

01:00:49.119 --> 01:00:52.559
But that we would be confident in the truth.

01:00:55.820 --> 01:01:00.820
That we would live in the truth. Lord, that we

01:01:00.820 --> 01:01:05.449
would share the truth. And so, God, we thank

01:01:05.449 --> 01:01:07.130
you, Lord. And I pray for anyone in this room

01:01:07.130 --> 01:01:09.750
today or watching online that doesn't know you.

01:01:10.670 --> 01:01:12.550
Lord, if you've spoken to them today and they

01:01:12.550 --> 01:01:15.849
realize today they need you, they know that tomorrow

01:01:15.849 --> 01:01:18.750
is not guaranteed. They know the reality, Lord,

01:01:18.869 --> 01:01:20.630
that this could be the last day of life here

01:01:20.630 --> 01:01:23.510
on this earth, God. And you have spoken to them

01:01:23.510 --> 01:01:26.130
about the most important thing to know before

01:01:26.130 --> 01:01:32.820
you die is where you're going. That, Lord, is

01:01:32.820 --> 01:01:34.880
your Holy Spirit has convicted their heart of

01:01:34.880 --> 01:01:39.019
their sin, convicted them of how far they've

01:01:39.019 --> 01:01:41.239
fallen of the righteousness that we see in you,

01:01:41.320 --> 01:01:46.880
Jesus, and has convicted them of a judgment that

01:01:46.880 --> 01:01:49.500
is coming upon them. That, Lord, today they would

01:01:49.500 --> 01:01:55.760
cry out to you and say, God, I believe you. Jesus,

01:01:55.920 --> 01:02:00.280
I believe in you. I believe in what you did for

01:02:00.280 --> 01:02:09.840
me. Please forgive me. Please save me. Please

01:02:09.840 --> 01:02:17.320
change my life. Because Lord, I know I'll die

01:02:17.320 --> 01:02:21.440
one day. And I don't know when that day is coming.

01:02:24.260 --> 01:02:26.739
But God, I do want to know that when that day

01:02:26.739 --> 01:02:34.139
comes, I'll be with you. Thank you for loving

01:02:34.139 --> 01:02:38.079
me, Lord, in Jesus' name. Father, for the rest

01:02:38.079 --> 01:02:41.219
of us, God, just let us live lives where, Lord,

01:02:41.239 --> 01:02:44.860
in the end, we'd be able to look back, seeing

01:02:44.860 --> 01:02:48.019
your grace, not our failures, not our problems,

01:02:48.059 --> 01:02:51.059
not our issues, but seeing your grace and being

01:02:51.059 --> 01:02:56.760
ready to share that blessing forward of who you

01:02:56.760 --> 01:02:58.840
are and what you want. And God, may we do this

01:02:58.840 --> 01:03:02.019
until you come back. We love you and we thank

01:03:02.019 --> 01:03:05.360
you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well,

01:03:05.380 --> 01:03:06.280
God bless you guys. Let's worship.