1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,860 Please open your Bible at Hebrews, chapter 11 as we continue our series, Living by Faith. 2 00:00:07,860 –> 00:00:14,960 We’re looking today at the story of Joseph. And again, the scene that the Holy Spirit 3 00:00:14,960 –> 00:00:22,160 has chosen to spotlight comes right at the end of Joseph’s life. Hebrews 11, verse 4 00:00:22,160 –> 00:00:43,799 22, we read these words, Now of all the statements or scenes from 5 00:00:43,799 –> 00:00:50,080 Joseph’s life that could have been chosen, this one seems to me to be a surprising selection. 6 00:00:50,080 –> 00:00:55,740 You think about the amazing life of Joseph and if you were to complete a sentence about 7 00:00:55,740 –> 00:01:00,520 Joseph that began with the words, By faith what would you expect to see there? 8 00:01:00,520 –> 00:01:06,260 I might think of, By faith Joseph resisted temptation. 9 00:01:06,260 –> 00:01:10,800 Or by faith Joseph interpreted dreams. 10 00:01:10,800 –> 00:01:14,980 Or By faith Joseph forgave his brothers. 11 00:01:15,019 –> 00:01:21,620 Or perhaps supremely by faith, Joseph, saved his family by providing food in a famine. 12 00:01:21,620 –> 00:01:29,059 But all of these remarkable acts of faith are passed over and the Holy Spirit has recorded 13 00:01:29,059 –> 00:01:36,639 the arrangements that Joseph made for his burial, as his greatest act of faith. 14 00:01:36,639 –> 00:01:41,599 Now last week we saw that where there is faith there will be worship and today we’re going 15 00:01:41,599 –> 00:01:46,379 to see that where there is faith there will be hope. 16 00:01:46,379 –> 00:01:51,580 And so the Scripture that we’re looking at today really speaks very directly to a 17 00:01:51,580 –> 00:01:58,040 question that I think is on all of our minds and it’s this. 18 00:01:58,040 –> 00:02:03,739 What does the future hold for God’s people? 19 00:02:03,739 –> 00:02:06,779 What does the future hold? 20 00:02:06,779 –> 00:02:12,520 And the Bible of course makes it clear that life for God’s people goes through different 21 00:02:12,520 –> 00:02:13,660 seasons. 22 00:02:13,660 –> 00:02:15,360 You see that in the story of Joseph. 23 00:02:15,360 –> 00:02:18,619 There were years that he had to endure. 24 00:02:18,619 –> 00:02:22,479 And there were years that he was able to enjoy. 25 00:02:22,479 –> 00:02:24,740 And the same will be true of us. 26 00:02:24,740 –> 00:02:31,339 There are times to be enjoyed and there are times to be endured. 27 00:02:31,339 –> 00:02:37,619 And when we see the world around us changing fast, we all wonder, what does the future 28 00:02:37,619 –> 00:02:41,600 hold for our children, and for our children’s children? 29 00:02:41,600 –> 00:02:48,559 Will they know times to be enjoyed or will they know times to be endured? 30 00:02:48,559 –> 00:02:53,199 And this was very clearly the question that Joseph faced at the end of his life. 31 00:02:53,199 –> 00:02:57,660 Here’s the family that God has chosen to bless and they’re living in Egypt. 32 00:02:57,740 –> 00:03:02,979 Now, what does the future hold for this family in Egypt? 33 00:03:02,979 –> 00:03:09,720 Well, Hebrews tells us in chapter 11 and verse 22 that when Joseph faced this question, he 34 00:03:09,720 –> 00:03:15,179 exercised faith and because he exercised faith he had hope. 35 00:03:15,179 –> 00:03:20,139 We’re saying that faith is really like a tree that’s just bursting with fruit. 36 00:03:20,139 –> 00:03:26,520 And hope is the fruit of faith, and Hebrews draws that out from the life of Joseph as 37 00:03:26,539 –> 00:03:30,419 the thing to which we should pay special attention. 38 00:03:30,419 –> 00:03:35,660 And that’s why we read from Genesis in chapter 50 a few moments ago, and you may like to 39 00:03:35,660 –> 00:03:41,940 turn back to that chapter at this point because in Genesis 50, the end of the book of Genesis, 40 00:03:41,940 –> 00:03:48,619 you have really a beautiful picture of a family finally at peace. 41 00:03:48,619 –> 00:03:53,479 We’re told that when Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid that he might want to 42 00:03:53,500 –> 00:03:57,779 pay them back for what they had done to him. 43 00:03:57,779 –> 00:03:59,539 But Joseph had forgiven them. 44 00:03:59,539 –> 00:04:04,699 And when he realized that they didn’t really believe that, he wept and he said, you meant 45 00:04:04,699 –> 00:04:10,479 it for evil against me, but God meant it for good. 46 00:04:10,479 –> 00:04:16,779 And then he said these beautiful words in verse 21, so do not fear, I will provide for 47 00:04:16,779 –> 00:04:19,739 you and your little ones. 48 00:04:19,739 –> 00:04:25,519 And thus he comforted them and he spoke kindly to them, it’s beautiful. 49 00:04:25,519 –> 00:04:32,500 So at the end of Genesis, you really have this picture-perfect scene of the family of 50 00:04:32,500 –> 00:04:37,720 God finally united and finally at peace. 51 00:04:37,720 –> 00:04:42,019 The brothers at the end of Genesis knew a time of blessing greater than they had ever 52 00:04:42,019 –> 00:04:45,440 known at any other time in their lives. 53 00:04:45,440 –> 00:04:47,320 The chosen family was united. 54 00:04:47,339 –> 00:04:54,440 All that they needed was provided, and they had nothing whatsoever to fear. 55 00:04:54,440 –> 00:04:56,399 And think about this. 56 00:04:56,399 –> 00:05:01,579 The smile of the culture was on them. 57 00:05:01,579 –> 00:05:09,940 Joseph was loved in Egypt, and his brothers and the extended family, they could all bask 58 00:05:09,940 –> 00:05:14,779 in the kind of reflected glory of being Joseph’s relatives. 59 00:05:14,899 –> 00:05:18,980 In fact, if you want to see the measure of that, look at chapter 50 of Genesis, and verse 60 00:05:18,980 –> 00:05:19,640 3. 61 00:05:19,640 –> 00:05:28,040 Genesis tells us that when Jacob, the father died, the Egyptians wept for him 70 days. 62 00:05:28,040 –> 00:05:32,779 How many people can you think of that the whole nation would weep for, for 70 days? 63 00:05:32,779 –> 00:05:37,480 That’s the level of affection that there was for the family of God. 64 00:05:37,480 –> 00:05:43,119 They lived under the smile of the culture, they were loved. 65 00:05:43,160 –> 00:05:52,679 And so at the end of Genesis, you have the chosen family supremely blessed. 66 00:05:52,679 –> 00:05:59,619 And you read it and you feel, oh, if only it could be like this forever. 67 00:05:59,619 –> 00:06:05,140 And there will be moments in your life where you say, oh if only I could hold onto this 68 00:06:05,140 –> 00:06:06,760 forever. 69 00:06:06,760 –> 00:06:09,540 If only we could just stay here. 70 00:06:09,540 –> 00:06:13,619 If only it could always be like this. 71 00:06:13,619 –> 00:06:15,019 And of course it never is. 72 00:06:15,019 –> 00:06:19,519 You can never hold the moment that you cherish. 73 00:06:19,519 –> 00:06:21,140 Life moves on. 74 00:06:21,140 –> 00:06:23,179 Things change. 75 00:06:23,179 –> 00:06:25,559 And not always for the better. 76 00:06:25,559 –> 00:06:30,359 And so when we come to the end of the book of Genesis, the obvious question is, what 77 00:06:30,359 –> 00:06:34,779 does the future hold for the family of God? 78 00:06:34,779 –> 00:06:38,140 And there are three answers to that question. 79 00:06:38,140 –> 00:06:42,320 First, the future for the family of God will involve a time of growth. 80 00:06:42,320 –> 00:06:44,500 Exodus 1 verse 6. 81 00:06:44,500 –> 00:06:49,100 When Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation. 82 00:06:49,100 –> 00:06:52,880 The people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly. 83 00:06:52,880 –> 00:07:00,859 They multiplied and they grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. 84 00:07:00,859 –> 00:07:02,380 So here’s what the future held. 85 00:07:02,380 –> 00:07:05,220 God multiplied his people. 86 00:07:05,260 –> 00:07:11,260 When the extended family of Jacob arrived in Egypt, they were about 70 people all together. 87 00:07:11,260 –> 00:07:15,880 When they left Egypt at the time of the exodus, they were probably around two million. 88 00:07:15,880 –> 00:07:18,799 That’s extraordinary growth. 89 00:07:18,799 –> 00:07:21,299 God’s people flourished in Egypt. 90 00:07:21,299 –> 00:07:23,019 They multiplied. 91 00:07:23,019 –> 00:07:25,579 They prospered. 92 00:07:25,579 –> 00:07:26,880 And this is true in our own lives. 93 00:07:26,880 –> 00:07:28,579 And it is true in the life of the church. 94 00:07:28,579 –> 00:07:30,459 There will be times of growth. 95 00:07:30,500 –> 00:07:35,779 And when times of growth come, brothers and sisters, we must seize every opportunity that 96 00:07:35,779 –> 00:07:36,779 we have. 97 00:07:36,779 –> 00:07:45,519 Jesus says we must work while it is day, because the night comes when no one can work. 98 00:07:45,519 –> 00:07:47,320 What will the future hold for the people of God? 99 00:07:47,320 –> 00:07:50,059 There will be times of growth. 100 00:07:50,059 –> 00:07:53,179 Second answer, there will be times of trial. 101 00:07:53,179 –> 00:07:59,679 Now, God had already revealed this to Abraham generations earlier that the future would 102 00:07:59,720 –> 00:08:02,739 hold a time of great trial. 103 00:08:02,739 –> 00:08:08,679 Genesis chapter 15 and verse 13, know for certain God says to Abraham that your offspring 104 00:08:08,679 –> 00:08:16,260 will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and they will be servants there and they will 105 00:08:16,260 –> 00:08:20,440 be afflicted for 400 years. 106 00:08:20,440 –> 00:08:23,880 400 years. 107 00:08:23,880 –> 00:08:28,700 Now this must have been really hard for Joseph to imagine at the end of his life. 108 00:08:28,700 –> 00:08:31,000 I mean, how could it be? 109 00:08:31,000 –> 00:08:38,359 That of all places in Egypt where God’s people were so loved and even revered that 110 00:08:38,359 –> 00:08:41,419 they would become slaves? 111 00:08:41,419 –> 00:08:47,400 How could they be afflicted in the land where previously they had been so blessed? 112 00:08:47,400 –> 00:08:53,380 And how in the world could this last for 400 years? 113 00:08:53,380 –> 00:08:56,760 … The world is constantly changing. 114 00:08:56,760 –> 00:09:00,280 And Joseph believed what God had revealed to Abraham. 115 00:09:00,280 –> 00:09:06,219 Your offspring will be sojourners and they will be afflicted for 400 years. 116 00:09:06,219 –> 00:09:09,559 And as you know, the story of the Bible, so it was. 117 00:09:09,559 –> 00:09:14,239 We read in the book of Exodus chapter 1 and verse 8 that there arose a new king over Egypt 118 00:09:14,599 –> 00:09:15,739 who did not know Joseph. 119 00:09:15,739 –> 00:09:19,960 And he said to his people, Behold, the people of Israel are too many and they’re too mighty 120 00:09:19,960 –> 00:09:20,960 for us. 121 00:09:20,960 –> 00:09:28,599 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. 122 00:09:28,599 –> 00:09:39,380 And so the Great Opression began and the culture no longer smiled on God’s people. 123 00:09:39,380 –> 00:09:42,739 But here’s what I want you to notice. 124 00:09:42,739 –> 00:09:48,599 But even then God continued to bless his people during the time of trial. 125 00:09:48,599 –> 00:09:56,619 Exodus 1, 12, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they 126 00:09:56,619 –> 00:09:58,739 spread abroad. 127 00:09:58,739 –> 00:10:03,539 The God who had blessed them in a time of growth continued to bless them in the time 128 00:10:03,539 –> 00:10:05,719 of trial. 129 00:10:05,719 –> 00:10:08,780 Our God is always with us. 130 00:10:08,780 –> 00:10:13,219 And our God is always for us. 131 00:10:13,219 –> 00:10:15,679 So what does the future hold for the people of God? 132 00:10:15,679 –> 00:10:18,200 Well, a time of growth. 133 00:10:18,200 –> 00:10:20,659 A time of trial. 134 00:10:20,659 –> 00:10:27,059 And then this third answer, God had revealed to Abraham that there would be a time of deliverance. 135 00:10:27,059 –> 00:10:32,760 Genesis chapter 15 and verse 14, I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve. 136 00:10:33,599 –> 00:10:38,299 And afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. 137 00:10:38,299 –> 00:10:45,000 Now, the world is always changing, but here’s what faith does. 138 00:10:45,000 –> 00:10:50,200 Faith looks beyond the changing moods of the culture. 139 00:10:50,200 –> 00:10:55,059 And like Abraham, we are looking for a heavenly city. 140 00:10:55,059 –> 00:11:00,359 God’s people know that however much we are blessed in this life, his plan for us cannot 141 00:11:00,359 –> 00:11:02,140 be fulfilled here. 142 00:11:02,140 –> 00:11:04,700 So, here’s the future for the people of God. 143 00:11:04,700 –> 00:11:11,460 There will be times of growth, there will be times of trial, and there will be a time 144 00:11:11,460 –> 00:11:17,580 of deliverance, and this is what Joseph spoke about at the end of his life and Hebrews shines 145 00:11:17,580 –> 00:11:19,179 the spotlight on this. 146 00:11:19,179 –> 00:11:28,219 By faith, Joseph at the end of his life made mention of the Exodus of the Israelites. 147 00:11:28,780 –> 00:11:35,179 Now, these last words of Joseph are recorded for us in Genesis chapter 15 and they are 148 00:11:35,179 –> 00:11:40,020 full of hope, so let’s try and take them in for a few moments. 149 00:11:40,020 –> 00:11:46,440 They speak to us of hope while we live, and they speak to us of hope when we die. 150 00:11:46,440 –> 00:11:48,979 First, hope while we live. 151 00:11:48,979 –> 00:11:55,760 Joseph said to his brothers, I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you 152 00:11:55,760 –> 00:12:02,400 up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob. 153 00:12:02,400 –> 00:12:08,559 Now, Joseph was speaking here as a prophet, and so what he says here is the very word 154 00:12:08,559 –> 00:12:10,559 of God. 155 00:12:10,559 –> 00:12:16,020 And through all of the years of oppression in Egypt, God’s people were able to hold 156 00:12:16,020 –> 00:12:22,500 on to this hope, God will visit you. 157 00:12:22,500 –> 00:12:25,559 God will bring you up out of this land. 158 00:12:25,559 –> 00:12:31,460 God will come down and he will deliver you. 159 00:12:31,460 –> 00:12:35,520 And you know that that is exactly what happened. 160 00:12:35,520 –> 00:12:41,320 God came down and visited his people, he made himself known to Moses, he said, I have come 161 00:12:41,320 –> 00:12:47,099 down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians, and God brought them up out of 162 00:12:47,099 –> 00:12:51,039 Egypt and into the promised land. 163 00:12:51,039 –> 00:12:53,900 I will visit you. 164 00:12:53,919 –> 00:12:57,000 And then what happened when they got into the promised land? 165 00:12:57,000 –> 00:13:02,460 The answer is that their experience followed the same pattern, it always does, they enjoyed 166 00:13:02,460 –> 00:13:04,739 times of growth. 167 00:13:04,739 –> 00:13:09,539 Think of the reign of David and the reign of Solomon but then they endured times of 168 00:13:09,539 –> 00:13:15,719 trial the great divisions that came after and the many enemies that overran them. 169 00:13:15,719 –> 00:13:19,640 And so they looked to God for a time of deliverance. 170 00:13:19,760 –> 00:13:24,679 And throughout all of these long years, the Old Testament prophets spoke of a day when 171 00:13:24,679 –> 00:13:32,359 God would visit, God would come down, God would deliver His people, God will visit you! 172 00:13:32,359 –> 00:13:40,359 And of course that is exactly what happened, God visited us in the person of His son Jesus 173 00:13:40,359 –> 00:13:47,859 Christ, the Word became flesh, God came down and dwelt among us. 174 00:13:47,859 –> 00:13:53,419 And Luke very beautifully records an occasion where Jesus came to the town of Nain, just 175 00:13:53,419 –> 00:13:55,419 a little town. 176 00:13:55,419 –> 00:14:01,419 And as he was approaching the gates there was a funeral procession coming out, a widow 177 00:14:01,419 –> 00:14:05,419 who was grieving the loss of her only son. 178 00:14:05,419 –> 00:14:10,900 And Jesus had great compassion, and He stopped the procession and He said, 179 00:14:10,900 –> 00:14:11,900 “‘Young man! 180 00:14:11,900 –> 00:14:13,479 I say to you, Arise!” 181 00:14:13,479 –> 00:14:16,619 And Scripture records that He sat up and He began to speak. 182 00:14:16,760 –> 00:14:19,539 And here’s how the people responded, they said, 183 00:14:19,539 –> 00:14:21,799 “‘Surely God has visited us.’” 184 00:14:21,799 –> 00:14:23,380 Visited us! 185 00:14:24,539 –> 00:14:28,059 That’s how it was in the exodus, that’s how it was in the coming of Jesus. 186 00:14:28,059 –> 00:14:30,159 Now, here we are today. 187 00:14:30,159 –> 00:14:35,460 Two thousand years have passed since Jesus died and rose and ascended into heaven. 188 00:14:35,460 –> 00:14:42,859 And through all these long years the experience of the church has been on the same pattern. 189 00:14:42,979 –> 00:14:49,479 There have been times of growth and there have been times of trial and through it all 190 00:14:49,479 –> 00:14:51,859 the church’s hope has been this. 191 00:14:51,859 –> 00:14:54,559 God will visit you. 192 00:14:55,559 –> 00:15:03,200 The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of the 193 00:15:03,200 –> 00:15:09,559 archangel, with the sound of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. 194 00:15:09,559 –> 00:15:14,219 And then we who are alive, who are left, we will be caught up together with them in 195 00:15:14,219 –> 00:15:20,380 the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so, we will always be with the Lord. 196 00:15:20,380 –> 00:15:27,979 Brothers and sisters, our exodus is coming, it is. 197 00:15:27,979 –> 00:15:30,119 God will visit you. 198 00:15:30,119 –> 00:15:35,580 That’s the hope of God’s people, was in the time of Joseph is today. 199 00:15:35,599 –> 00:15:41,099 This is what he has done in Jesus Christ and this is what he will do in Jesus Christ and 200 00:15:41,099 –> 00:15:47,000 because we believe we have hope. 201 00:15:47,000 –> 00:15:48,140 Hope while we live. 202 00:15:48,140 –> 00:15:51,799 God will visit you. 203 00:15:51,799 –> 00:15:55,979 And then I want you to notice that the Holy Spirit has spotlighted from the life of Joseph 204 00:15:55,979 –> 00:15:57,599 hope when we die. 205 00:15:57,599 –> 00:15:59,780 Look at verse 22 and the end of it again. 206 00:15:59,780 –> 00:16:03,099 By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, what did he do? 207 00:16:03,099 –> 00:16:10,159 He gave directions concerning his bones. 208 00:16:10,159 –> 00:16:13,299 Well how about that. 209 00:16:13,299 –> 00:16:16,059 Why would that be so important? 210 00:16:16,059 –> 00:16:19,760 Of all the things that could be said about Joseph in the New Testament, why is that the 211 00:16:19,760 –> 00:16:21,119 thing that is drawn out? 212 00:16:21,119 –> 00:16:24,500 That he gave directions concerning his bones? 213 00:16:24,500 –> 00:16:31,159 Why would it make any difference to this man where he was buried? 214 00:16:31,159 –> 00:16:38,460 It’s very clear from the Book of Hebrews that the early fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 215 00:16:38,460 –> 00:16:43,760 had at least some understanding of the glorious hope of the resurrection. 216 00:16:43,760 –> 00:16:50,739 We read in Hebrews 11 verse 19 that Abraham considered that God was even able to raise 217 00:16:50,739 –> 00:16:54,940 Isaac from the dead. 218 00:16:55,080 –> 00:17:02,859 God could raise the body of Joseph from a plot of ground in Egypt, just as easily as 219 00:17:02,859 –> 00:17:10,180 he could raise the body of Joseph from a plot of ground in Canaan or anywhere else. 220 00:17:10,180 –> 00:17:18,479 But Genesis tells us, chapter 50 and verse 25, that Joseph made his brothers swear, saying, 221 00:17:18,640 –> 00:17:20,560 So, he’s asking for an oath here. 222 00:17:28,599 –> 00:17:39,959 I want you to give me your word, an oath, promise, because this is really important. 223 00:17:39,959 –> 00:17:45,339 And it must have been really important because we find this not only at the end of Joseph’s 224 00:17:45,719 –> 00:17:53,199 but also his father, Jacob, similarly pressed for an oath that his body would be taken to 225 00:17:53,199 –> 00:17:55,780 the Promised Land. 226 00:17:55,780 –> 00:18:00,180 Jacob said to Joseph, this is Genesis 47, in verse 29, 227 00:18:00,180 –> 00:18:06,699 Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. 228 00:18:06,699 –> 00:18:11,439 Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place. 229 00:18:11,439 –> 00:18:13,260 And Joseph says, I’ll do it. 230 00:18:13,260 –> 00:18:15,579 And that’s not good enough for Jacob. 231 00:18:15,579 –> 00:18:18,280 He says, Now swear to me, I want an oath. 232 00:18:18,280 –> 00:18:21,819 I want your absolute sacred promise and word. 233 00:18:21,819 –> 00:18:27,380 And Joseph gave that and then finally, Jacob bowed himself upon the head of his bed, the 234 00:18:27,380 –> 00:18:28,380 scripture says. 235 00:18:28,380 –> 00:18:29,640 So, this really mattered. 236 00:18:30,479 –> 00:18:31,640 To Jacob. 237 00:18:31,640 –> 00:18:35,099 And it really mattered to Joseph. 238 00:18:35,099 –> 00:18:44,339 Swear an oath that when God’s people finally come out of Egypt, don’t leave my bonds behind. 239 00:18:45,339 –> 00:18:50,660 You take my bonds with you to the promised land. 240 00:18:51,520 –> 00:18:58,819 And the book of Hebrews shines the spotlight on this as Joseph’s great act of faith. 241 00:18:58,939 –> 00:19:00,619 Why? 242 00:19:02,619 –> 00:19:09,540 Well remember that in the Old Testament God wonderfully teaches us in pictures. 243 00:19:09,540 –> 00:19:16,420 I like to think of the Old Testament as God’s great book of visual aids. 244 00:19:16,420 –> 00:19:22,339 God uses what we can see to help us grasp the invisible. 245 00:19:22,339 –> 00:19:27,359 Uses what we can touch, to help us grasp the spiritual. 246 00:19:27,359 –> 00:19:33,520 He uses things in time to help us grasp the eternal. 247 00:19:33,520 –> 00:19:39,060 And God had chosen a land that he would bless. 248 00:19:39,060 –> 00:19:46,900 And the blessed land on earth really points us to the blessed life in heaven. 249 00:19:46,900 –> 00:19:49,000 And Abraham knew this right from the beginning. 250 00:19:49,000 –> 00:19:55,380 He understood that the promised land itself was pointing forward to something more wonderful 251 00:19:55,439 –> 00:19:57,979 that could never be fulfilled in this world. 252 00:19:57,979 –> 00:20:03,839 And that’s why it says that he was looking for a heavenly city, whose builder and designer 253 00:20:03,839 –> 00:20:05,819 is God. 254 00:20:05,819 –> 00:20:15,819 So when Joseph gave directions concerning his bones, he was saying, when I die, I’m 255 00:20:15,819 –> 00:20:21,939 going to enter into all that God has promised. 256 00:20:21,939 –> 00:20:30,880 And as a sign of that, I want you to take my bones to the promised land.” 257 00:20:30,880 –> 00:20:37,660 So the bones of Joseph were kept and they were carried as a sign of hope. 258 00:20:37,660 –> 00:20:42,680 It’s not just the living who are going to enter into all that God has promised. 259 00:20:42,680 –> 00:20:50,280 Those who have died in faith will enter into all that God has promised too. 260 00:20:50,319 –> 00:20:54,579 So think about this, Joseph was laid to rest in a coffin marked, 261 00:20:54,579 –> 00:20:58,640 destined for the Promised Land. 262 00:20:59,560 –> 00:21:06,400 And Joseph’s coffin was actually a sign of hope in Egypt during all of these years. 263 00:21:06,400 –> 00:21:11,699 The long years of oppression that God’s people endured, they could look at that coffin, 264 00:21:11,699 –> 00:21:17,160 destined for the Promised Land, and they could say, well he’s going there. 265 00:21:17,260 –> 00:21:19,760 And that means that one day we’re going there too. 266 00:21:21,560 –> 00:21:27,739 Brothers and sisters, we have a sign of hope, and it is not a coffin filled with bones. 267 00:21:27,739 –> 00:21:29,640 It is the empty tomb. 268 00:21:30,359 –> 00:21:35,979 Jesus Christ has risen, He has ascended, He is already at the right hand of the Father 269 00:21:35,979 –> 00:21:40,640 in the Promised Land, in heaven that the Promised Land points to, 270 00:21:40,640 –> 00:21:44,619 and because He is there we one day will be there too. 271 00:21:45,380 –> 00:21:55,859 Now the directions that Jacob and then Joseph gave in regards to their burial in the Promised 272 00:21:55,859 –> 00:22:04,400 Land point to two very wonderful and complementary truths that are the hope of all believers 273 00:22:04,400 –> 00:22:05,420 when we die. 274 00:22:05,420 –> 00:22:09,780 This is very wonderful, and I want us to take this in today. 275 00:22:09,780 –> 00:22:14,260 Remember, God teaches us in pictures in the Old Testament. 276 00:22:14,260 –> 00:22:17,380 Think about the picture that we have with Jacob. 277 00:22:17,380 –> 00:22:25,859 When Jacob died, his body was taken immediately, straight to the Promised Land. 278 00:22:25,859 –> 00:22:33,300 We read about this in Genesis chapter 50, verse 7, Joseph went up to bury his father, 279 00:22:33,300 –> 00:22:37,939 and then what a remarkable funeral procession this was, with him went up all the servants 280 00:22:37,939 –> 00:22:38,939 of Pharaoh. 281 00:22:38,939 –> 00:22:39,939 How many is that? 282 00:22:39,939 –> 00:22:41,380 All the servants of Pharaoh. 283 00:22:42,140 –> 00:22:47,900 All the elders of the land of Egypt, all the household of Joseph, his brothers and his 284 00:22:47,900 –> 00:22:48,900 father’s household. 285 00:22:48,900 –> 00:22:54,900 That’s an amazing, long funeral procession, it went all the way from Egypt to Canaan, 286 00:22:54,900 –> 00:22:57,500 and they carried the body of Jacob. 287 00:22:57,500 –> 00:23:04,979 When Jacob died, his body was taken straight to the Promised Land. 288 00:23:05,060 –> 00:23:11,699 And so the story of Jacob reminds us that believers who die are taken immediately into 289 00:23:11,699 –> 00:23:13,459 God’s promised rest. 290 00:23:13,459 –> 00:23:16,000 It’s very wonderful. 291 00:23:16,000 –> 00:23:23,260 Death separates the soul from the body, and for the believer to be away from the body 292 00:23:23,260 –> 00:23:27,540 is to be at home with the Lord. 293 00:23:27,540 –> 00:23:34,319 The thief on the cross said to Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 294 00:23:34,319 –> 00:23:38,359 You see, he was thinking of the resurrection, and he’s thinking, Oh it’s a long, long 295 00:23:38,359 –> 00:23:39,599 way in the future. 296 00:23:39,599 –> 00:23:42,819 And remember what Jesus said to him. 297 00:23:42,819 –> 00:23:45,040 Today you will be with me in Paradise. 298 00:23:45,040 –> 00:23:48,979 You needn’t worry about my memory, you don’t need to be thinking about how long 299 00:23:48,979 –> 00:23:51,699 is going to elapse until the day of the resurrection. 300 00:23:51,699 –> 00:23:55,520 I’m telling you that immediately upon your death, you’re going to be right there with 301 00:23:55,719 –> 00:23:59,280 me in the glorious presence of the Lord. 302 00:23:59,280 –> 00:24:03,300 Get this settled in your mind. 303 00:24:03,300 –> 00:24:13,959 The souls of those who have died in faith are taken immediately, consciously, joyfully 304 00:24:13,959 –> 00:24:18,300 into the presence of almighty God. 305 00:24:18,300 –> 00:24:24,219 The body of your believing loved one is laid to rest here. 306 00:24:24,219 –> 00:24:33,280 Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, but the soul of your believing loved one is joyfully at 307 00:24:33,280 –> 00:24:36,880 home with the Lord. 308 00:24:36,880 –> 00:24:43,199 And that is beautifully pictured in the Old Testament by the fact that when Jacob died, 309 00:24:43,219 –> 00:24:50,520 he was taken straight away, immediately, to the Promised Land. 310 00:24:50,520 –> 00:24:55,020 But when you come to the story of Joseph, it’s different. 311 00:24:55,020 –> 00:24:59,760 And that’s why I say that God teaches us here in the Old Testament Scripture, in the 312 00:24:59,760 –> 00:25:05,800 form of these pictures, two wonderful and complimentary truths, and we need to hold 313 00:25:05,800 –> 00:25:07,199 on to them both. 314 00:25:07,199 –> 00:25:08,479 How is it different with Joseph? 315 00:25:08,560 –> 00:25:14,520 Well, of course, the body of Joseph was not taken immediately to Canaan, but was only 316 00:25:14,520 –> 00:25:21,099 taken there a long time later, when God’s people finally left Egypt in the Exodus. 317 00:25:21,099 –> 00:25:26,880 And remember, that God’s people were in Egypt for 400 years! 318 00:25:26,880 –> 00:25:33,160 And the body of Joseph remained there, in that coffin, for all of that time. 319 00:25:33,160 –> 00:25:35,500 Until the Exodus. 320 00:25:35,579 –> 00:25:41,699 And then, in Exodus 13, and verse 19, we’re told this, that Moses took the bones of Joseph 321 00:25:41,719 –> 00:25:46,839 with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, 322 00:25:46,839 –> 00:25:53,540 God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here. 323 00:25:53,540 –> 00:26:01,439 So, do you see that the body of Joseph arrived in the promise lands together with all of 324 00:26:01,439 –> 00:26:02,640 the people of God. 325 00:26:02,760 –> 00:26:10,020 And so, here we have another complementary picture, the story of Joseph reminds us that 326 00:26:10,040 –> 00:26:18,239 believers enter into the full joy of all that God has promised together. 327 00:26:18,239 –> 00:26:22,819 And that day we are all still looking forward to. 328 00:26:22,819 –> 00:26:25,760 What happens to a believer after death? 329 00:26:25,760 –> 00:26:30,239 Well, you could compare it to a two-stage journey. 330 00:26:30,260 –> 00:26:38,239 At the moment of death, Christ will bring your soul immediately consciously, joyfully 331 00:26:38,239 –> 00:26:40,119 into His presence in heaven. 332 00:26:40,119 –> 00:26:44,000 To be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord, and that will be better by 333 00:26:44,000 –> 00:26:50,300 far than any joy that you can know in this world. 334 00:26:50,300 –> 00:26:54,300 But that is not the end of the story. 335 00:26:55,300 –> 00:27:02,739 For those who right now are in the presence of the Lord, the best is yet to be. 336 00:27:02,739 –> 00:27:08,579 Because the scripture makes it clear when Christ returns He will bring with Him the 337 00:27:08,579 –> 00:27:16,199 souls of those who are already in His presence and then, and only then, will they be clothed 338 00:27:16,199 –> 00:27:22,420 with resurrected bodies, adapted for everlasting life in the new heaven and the new earth, 339 00:27:22,640 –> 00:27:28,280 where we will enjoy the presence of the Lord in the home of righteousness forever and forever. 340 00:27:28,280 –> 00:27:34,000 And we will enter into that gift and that joy together – the whole family of God, 341 00:27:34,000 –> 00:27:37,699 those who have gone ahead of us and those who are still living at the time when Christ 342 00:27:37,699 –> 00:27:40,800 returns. 343 00:27:40,800 –> 00:27:47,239 Nancy Guthrie uses an illustration that I have found really, really helpful here. 344 00:27:47,239 –> 00:27:51,739 She speaks about when she and her husband David are taking a trip, and she says this, 345 00:27:51,739 –> 00:28:02,859 when we’re going on a trip to Paris, we have a stopover at the Atlanta Airport. 346 00:28:02,859 –> 00:28:08,319 We don’t spend our time talking about all the things we are going to do at the Atlanta 347 00:28:08,319 –> 00:28:09,319 Airport. 348 00:28:09,319 –> 00:28:16,319 Our hearts and our minds are filled with all that awaits us in our ultimate destination 349 00:28:16,319 –> 00:28:17,719 – Paris. 350 00:28:17,819 –> 00:28:21,699 Now think about this. 351 00:28:21,719 –> 00:28:27,420 Believers who have died are on a stopover, and it’s a lot better than a stopover in 352 00:28:27,420 –> 00:28:29,520 Atlanta Airport, by the way. 353 00:28:29,520 –> 00:28:33,900 It’s a wonderful stopover in the presence of the Lord – great joy. 354 00:28:33,900 –> 00:28:37,640 They’re with Christ. 355 00:28:37,640 –> 00:28:42,640 But like us they’re waiting for something and looking for something that is still to 356 00:28:42,640 –> 00:28:45,939 come when Jesus Christ returns in glory. 357 00:28:45,939 –> 00:28:53,939 Then we will enter together into the full joy of all that God has promised. 358 00:28:53,939 –> 00:28:56,959 So here’s what we learned from the story of Joseph. 359 00:28:56,959 –> 00:29:02,180 Here’s what the Holy Spirit has chosen to spotlight, and I’m so grateful for it this 360 00:29:02,180 –> 00:29:03,180 morning. 361 00:29:03,180 –> 00:29:07,000 Faith hopes in God. 362 00:29:07,000 –> 00:29:11,660 Where there is faith there will be hope. 363 00:29:12,339 –> 00:29:17,040 hope while we live and hope when we die. 364 00:29:17,040 –> 00:29:19,479 Brothers sisters, let’s try and take this in today. 365 00:29:19,479 –> 00:29:21,119 Where there is faith there will be hope. 366 00:29:21,119 –> 00:29:23,300 Do you need hope? 367 00:29:23,300 –> 00:29:30,459 Well, the way in which hope is birthed within you is as faith is fanned into flame. 368 00:29:30,459 –> 00:29:34,619 Listen, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. 369 00:29:34,619 –> 00:29:38,459 That’s the first thing we learned in Hebrews 11. 370 00:29:38,459 –> 00:29:40,859 We brothers and sisters of all the people in the world. 371 00:29:40,859 –> 00:29:46,020 They’re the ones who have been born again into living hope through the resurrection 372 00:29:46,020 –> 00:29:47,859 of Jesus Chrrist from the dead. 373 00:29:47,859 –> 00:29:49,979 And so Peter says, you’re a Christian. 374 00:29:49,979 –> 00:29:55,619 Always be ready to explain the reason for the hope that is within you. 375 00:29:55,619 –> 00:29:58,939 The world doesn’t and cannot know this. 376 00:29:58,939 –> 00:30:03,599 We have hope because we know that God has visited us and He will visit us. 377 00:30:03,599 –> 00:30:07,239 We have hope in life and we have hope for death. 378 00:30:07,280 –> 00:30:11,680 That’s why Paul says, he prays, and we must pray, that the eyes of our hearts will be 379 00:30:11,680 –> 00:30:17,939 open so we may know the hope to which we are called so that we will live with self-control 380 00:30:17,939 –> 00:30:20,459 as we wait for our blessed hope. 381 00:30:20,459 –> 00:30:25,239 The appearing of the glory of our God and saviour, Jesus Christ. 382 00:30:25,239 –> 00:30:30,219 Because the apostle says that when we are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 383 00:30:30,219 –> 00:30:34,280 we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 384 00:30:34,319 –> 00:30:41,900 Where there is faith there will be hope. 385 00:30:41,900 –> 00:30:47,900 And as your faith is fanned into flame, you will find that your hope rises. 386 00:30:47,900 –> 00:30:57,819 And therefore, this is the very last thing today, if we would have hope we must exercise 387 00:30:57,819 –> 00:31:01,400 faith. 388 00:31:01,400 –> 00:31:05,319 Because hope is the fruit of faith. 389 00:31:05,319 –> 00:31:13,459 So you remember when the disciples were in the boat when the storm blew up and Jesus 390 00:31:13,459 –> 00:31:15,579 asked them this question. 391 00:31:15,579 –> 00:31:20,900 Where is your faith? 392 00:31:20,900 –> 00:31:26,439 And they had faith, of course, they were the followers of Jesus. 393 00:31:26,439 –> 00:31:31,300 But they sure weren’t exercising it in relation to the particular circumstance in which they 394 00:31:31,300 –> 00:31:34,660 found themselves. 395 00:31:34,660 –> 00:31:37,839 Where is your faith? 396 00:31:37,839 –> 00:31:40,880 Where is your faith? 397 00:31:40,880 –> 00:31:48,020 I don’t know about you, but I feel the challenge of that question in my own life. 398 00:31:48,020 –> 00:31:53,439 It is so easy to live in fear. 399 00:31:53,439 –> 00:32:00,140 When the world changes, God’s people must exercise faith. 400 00:32:00,140 –> 00:32:05,979 We need to hear these words of Scripture, God will visit you. 401 00:32:05,979 –> 00:32:08,079 What does the future hold for God’s people? 402 00:32:08,079 –> 00:32:12,579 Well, there will be times of growth, there will be times of trial, and there will be 403 00:32:12,579 –> 00:32:16,540 a time of deliverance. 404 00:32:16,640 –> 00:32:25,640 And the future is glorious for all who believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 405 00:32:25,640 –> 00:32:27,680 Let’s pray together. 406 00:32:27,680 –> 00:32:37,300 Father, it would be a tragedy if we who profess to know You were not marked by living hope. 407 00:32:37,300 –> 00:32:44,400 And so we ask that You will indeed open the eyes of our hearts, that we might know the 408 00:32:44,400 –> 00:32:52,380 living hope, to which we are called, and that, in a world of many, many fears, we may 409 00:32:52,380 –> 00:32:56,640 be marked by faith. 410 00:32:56,640 –> 00:33:06,439 And because of living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Deliverer, that we may be marked 411 00:33:07,040 –> 00:33:16,060 extraordinary hope, birth that in us in ever-increasing measure, we pray, that we may be different 412 00:33:16,060 –> 00:33:19,140 from the world around us. 413 00:33:19,140 –> 00:33:23,060 And these things we ask in Jesus’ wonderful name. 414 00:33:23,060 –> 00:33:24,239 Amen.