1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,460 Please have your Bible open at Genesis Chapter 46 2 00:00:04,460 –> 00:00:07,760 and also 47 as it’s being read for us. 3 00:00:07,760 –> 00:00:10,480 Our series is In the Life of Joseph. 4 00:00:10,480 –> 00:00:14,160 We have seen that Joseph is very, very like Jesus. 5 00:00:14,160 –> 00:00:16,200 He is the loved and favored son, 6 00:00:16,200 –> 00:00:18,780 he is the one who was humiliated 7 00:00:18,780 –> 00:00:21,180 and then is exalted to the highest place 8 00:00:21,180 –> 00:00:22,620 provides all that is needed, 9 00:00:22,620 –> 00:00:24,780 to save the lives of his people 10 00:00:24,780 –> 00:00:27,520 as he feeds them bread during the famine. 11 00:00:27,520 –> 00:00:29,559 Then we’ve been looking at the story of the brothers 12 00:00:29,580 –> 00:00:32,000 who are very, very like us. 13 00:00:32,000 –> 00:00:36,480 By nature we are in the same position as they were. 14 00:00:36,480 –> 00:00:38,840 What did they do, they grieved their father 15 00:00:38,840 –> 00:00:40,639 and they resisted, resented 16 00:00:40,639 –> 00:00:43,200 even hated the dearly loved son. 17 00:00:43,200 –> 00:00:44,959 And we followed the story of how 18 00:00:44,959 –> 00:00:46,959 there was a remarkable change 19 00:00:46,959 –> 00:00:49,439 in the lives of these brothers. 20 00:00:49,439 –> 00:00:52,700 And last time we got to the great point in the story 21 00:00:52,700 –> 00:00:55,619 where the brothers are reconciled 22 00:00:55,619 –> 00:00:58,419 to the dearly loved son. 23 00:00:58,840 –> 00:01:01,259 And there is forgiveness 24 00:01:01,259 –> 00:01:03,180 and there is reconciliation 25 00:01:03,180 –> 00:01:04,239 and there is peace 26 00:01:04,239 –> 00:01:05,400 and there is joy. 27 00:01:05,400 –> 00:01:07,620 And then Joseph says to the brothers, 28 00:01:07,620 –> 00:01:08,580 now you must go 29 00:01:08,580 –> 00:01:09,820 now you must tell 30 00:01:09,820 –> 00:01:12,220 and you must go particularly to my father 31 00:01:12,220 –> 00:01:14,660 and you must tell him this great good news. 32 00:01:14,660 –> 00:01:17,339 The loved and favored son is alive 33 00:01:17,339 –> 00:01:18,820 and he is exalted 34 00:01:18,820 –> 00:01:21,120 and he bids you to come to him. 35 00:01:21,120 –> 00:01:23,059 That’s the message that the brothers 36 00:01:23,059 –> 00:01:27,699 had to take back to Joseph, their father. 37 00:01:28,260 –> 00:01:30,680 And so today we come to the point in the story 38 00:01:30,680 –> 00:01:34,320 where we look at Jacob’s journey to come 39 00:01:34,320 –> 00:01:39,120 to be reunited with his dearly loved son, Joseph. 40 00:01:39,120 –> 00:01:41,699 And today and also next week 41 00:01:41,699 –> 00:01:43,620 where we’ll continue on the last chapter 42 00:01:43,620 –> 00:01:45,599 of Jacob’s life, 43 00:01:45,599 –> 00:01:46,940 we’re going to look particularly 44 00:01:46,940 –> 00:01:49,239 at the difficult or undesirable journey 45 00:01:49,239 –> 00:01:51,120 that this man had to take. 46 00:01:51,120 –> 00:01:53,320 The sure foundation that he discovered 47 00:01:53,320 –> 00:01:55,120 in his faith in God 48 00:01:55,120 –> 00:01:57,459 and the great joy that came to him 49 00:01:57,459 –> 00:02:01,199 through a very unexpected blessing. 50 00:02:01,199 –> 00:02:03,360 So I hope you have the Bible open in front of you 51 00:02:03,360 –> 00:02:06,800 and we begin in chapter 46 and verse 1 52 00:02:06,800 –> 00:02:08,820 where we read these words. 53 00:02:08,820 –> 00:02:13,320 So Israel, that’s Jacob, the name that God gave to him, 54 00:02:13,320 –> 00:02:16,759 Israel, or Jacob, took his journey 55 00:02:17,679 –> 00:02:19,960 with all that he had. 56 00:02:21,399 –> 00:02:23,679 Now, change is never easy. 57 00:02:23,699 –> 00:02:26,660 And Jacob was an old man, 58 00:02:27,500 –> 00:02:29,080 his grandfather, Abraham, 59 00:02:29,080 –> 00:02:31,419 had journeyed to Canaan, settled there. 60 00:02:31,419 –> 00:02:33,380 Isaac had spent his life in Canaan. 61 00:02:33,380 –> 00:02:36,460 Most of Jacob’s life had been spent in Canaan. 62 00:02:36,460 –> 00:02:38,160 This was everything that was familiar. 63 00:02:38,160 –> 00:02:40,679 And now at this later stage in his life, 64 00:02:40,679 –> 00:02:44,740 he’s being called to leave everything that is familiar 65 00:02:44,740 –> 00:02:48,259 and to move into a new life that is entirely unknown. 66 00:02:48,259 –> 00:02:49,300 He’s going to Egypt. 67 00:02:49,300 –> 00:02:52,380 He has no idea of what lies ahead of him. 68 00:02:52,380 –> 00:02:54,860 And obviously, this is not easy. 69 00:02:54,860 –> 00:02:59,360 Clearly, this is a story that speaks in a very special way 70 00:02:59,360 –> 00:03:03,800 to those times when life takes an unexpected turn 71 00:03:03,800 –> 00:03:07,339 and God calls you to something new. 72 00:03:07,339 –> 00:03:09,600 You leave what is familiar. 73 00:03:09,600 –> 00:03:11,320 The church that you love, 74 00:03:11,320 –> 00:03:12,919 the home that you have enjoyed, 75 00:03:12,919 –> 00:03:15,320 the job that you know. 76 00:03:15,320 –> 00:03:16,699 You’re off to a new school. 77 00:03:16,699 –> 00:03:18,059 You take a new position. 78 00:03:18,059 –> 00:03:19,399 You arrive in a new city. 79 00:03:19,419 –> 00:03:23,119 There’s a whole new chapter of your life 80 00:03:23,119 –> 00:03:25,639 and you’re leaving what you know 81 00:03:25,639 –> 00:03:28,919 and you’re moving into something that is entirely new. 82 00:03:28,919 –> 00:03:32,419 You are uprooted and from now on, 83 00:03:32,419 –> 00:03:35,399 you are going to be in another place and another life 84 00:03:35,399 –> 00:03:37,559 and you do not know what that is going to be like. 85 00:03:37,559 –> 00:03:40,039 Well clearly, that is Jacob’s position 86 00:03:40,039 –> 00:03:41,899 at the beginning of this chapter. 87 00:03:41,899 –> 00:03:46,899 He is in a major transition of his life. 88 00:03:47,000 –> 00:03:49,300 And clearly, there’s something very wonderful 89 00:03:49,300 –> 00:03:50,419 that’s going on here. 90 00:03:50,419 –> 00:03:51,979 He’s going to meet with Joseph 91 00:03:51,979 –> 00:03:53,660 and that’s almost a marvelous thing 92 00:03:53,660 –> 00:03:57,500 and he’s looking forward for sure to that. 93 00:03:57,500 –> 00:04:00,600 But beyond this, the journey was difficult 94 00:04:00,600 –> 00:04:04,899 and what would a life in Egypt actually be like? 95 00:04:04,899 –> 00:04:07,279 Very clearly, the Scripture tells us 96 00:04:07,279 –> 00:04:10,899 that Jacob had many fears, 97 00:04:10,899 –> 00:04:12,699 and we know that from verse three 98 00:04:12,699 –> 00:04:14,940 because look at what God says to him. 99 00:04:14,940 –> 00:04:18,500 Do not be afraid. 100 00:04:18,500 –> 00:04:21,019 Well, why would God say that to Jacob? 101 00:04:21,019 –> 00:04:23,760 Well, because that’s exactly what he was experiencing. 102 00:04:23,760 –> 00:04:27,760 What is this new life in Egypt going to be like? 103 00:04:27,760 –> 00:04:31,239 What lies now ahead of me? 104 00:04:31,239 –> 00:04:32,579 Now, we read then in verse one 105 00:04:32,579 –> 00:04:35,299 that Israel took his journey 106 00:04:35,299 –> 00:04:37,619 with all that he had 107 00:04:37,619 –> 00:04:41,559 and he came to Beersheba. 108 00:04:41,559 –> 00:04:44,779 Now, the significance of this place Beersheba 109 00:04:45,079 –> 00:04:46,959 is of course that this was the place 110 00:04:46,959 –> 00:04:49,160 where years earlier God had met 111 00:04:49,160 –> 00:04:53,399 in a special way with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, 112 00:04:53,399 –> 00:04:56,679 and then later with his father, Isaac. 113 00:04:56,679 –> 00:04:58,799 You have these stories in Genesis 21 114 00:04:58,799 –> 00:05:00,459 and in Genesis 26. 115 00:05:00,459 –> 00:05:01,679 So, here’s Jacob. 116 00:05:01,679 –> 00:05:03,959 He goes to Beersheba. 117 00:05:03,959 –> 00:05:07,420 He says, that everything’s changing in my life. 118 00:05:07,420 –> 00:05:09,480 If ever there was a time in my life 119 00:05:09,480 –> 00:05:12,079 where I really need to meet with God, 120 00:05:12,140 –> 00:05:14,500 it’s now, and I know that God met 121 00:05:14,500 –> 00:05:17,019 with my grandfather at this place Beersheba 122 00:05:17,019 –> 00:05:18,420 and he met with my father 123 00:05:18,420 –> 00:05:21,619 that perhaps I will go to Beersheba 124 00:05:21,619 –> 00:05:25,299 and perhaps God will meet there with me too. 125 00:05:25,299 –> 00:05:28,559 And he goes and he offers sacrifices. 126 00:05:28,559 –> 00:05:30,279 In other words, he goes to worship 127 00:05:30,279 –> 00:05:32,540 as we’ve come to worship here this morning 128 00:05:32,540 –> 00:05:34,859 and what’s hungering in his heart, 129 00:05:34,859 –> 00:05:38,380 he longs that there should be a fresh encounter 130 00:05:38,380 –> 00:05:39,540 with the living God, 131 00:05:39,540 –> 00:05:42,380 because with everything that he’s facing in his life. 132 00:05:42,380 –> 00:05:44,739 He says, that more than anything else 133 00:05:44,739 –> 00:05:49,459 is what I need right now. 134 00:05:50,559 –> 00:05:53,179 And I want you to see what happens there. 135 00:05:53,179 –> 00:05:55,440 We’ve just looked briefly at this journey. 136 00:05:55,440 –> 00:05:57,660 Let’s look secondly, at the foundation, 137 00:05:57,660 –> 00:06:00,459 the unshakable foundation that he discovers. 138 00:06:00,459 –> 00:06:03,839 Verse two, God spoke to Israel 139 00:06:03,839 –> 00:06:07,220 in visions of the night 140 00:06:07,260 –> 00:06:10,440 and said, Jacob, Jacob. 141 00:06:11,380 –> 00:06:14,739 And he said, here I am. 142 00:06:14,739 –> 00:06:19,739 Now, God spoke to Israel, to Jacob. 143 00:06:21,679 –> 00:06:23,619 Now, it’s easy when you read words like that in the Bible, 144 00:06:23,619 –> 00:06:25,119 you just skip over this 145 00:06:25,119 –> 00:06:28,019 as if that was just happening all the time. 146 00:06:28,019 –> 00:06:32,140 It’s more than 20 years since anything like 147 00:06:32,140 –> 00:06:35,100 this happened in the life of Jacob. 148 00:06:35,100 –> 00:06:37,540 You have to go back to Genesis chapter 35, 149 00:06:37,540 –> 00:06:39,079 years before when there was 150 00:06:39,079 –> 00:06:42,239 for any experience that is like this, 151 00:06:42,239 –> 00:06:44,059 God spoke to Jacob at the time 152 00:06:44,059 –> 00:06:48,619 when Rachel died, giving birth to Benjamin. 153 00:06:48,619 –> 00:06:52,600 But more than 20 years had passed since that time. 154 00:06:52,600 –> 00:06:54,619 And these had been years that were marked 155 00:06:54,619 –> 00:06:57,720 by great sorrow for the now old man. 156 00:06:58,700 –> 00:07:03,000 But here, when his life takes an unexpected turn 157 00:07:03,000 –> 00:07:06,440 and he feels his need to come near to God 158 00:07:06,440 –> 00:07:10,700 in a whole new way, he comes to Bathsheba, 159 00:07:10,700 –> 00:07:15,700 he worships, goes to sleep and God speaks to him 160 00:07:16,380 –> 00:07:19,059 in visions of the night. 161 00:07:19,059 –> 00:07:22,660 Now, here’s how we apply that to ourselves. 162 00:07:22,660 –> 00:07:25,899 God may not speak to you in a vision of the night 163 00:07:25,899 –> 00:07:27,260 but here’s the principle 164 00:07:27,260 –> 00:07:30,339 that you can be absolutely sure of. 165 00:07:30,339 –> 00:07:35,339 If you draw near to God, God will draw near to you. 166 00:07:36,779 –> 00:07:38,679 That’s James chapter four and verse eight. 167 00:07:38,679 –> 00:07:43,679 Draw near to me God says and I will draw near to you. 168 00:07:43,839 –> 00:07:45,299 You come here to church today, 169 00:07:45,299 –> 00:07:47,500 you’re not sure about what’s lying ahead, 170 00:07:47,500 –> 00:07:51,079 you feel in your heart a particular need of God, 171 00:07:51,079 –> 00:07:53,720 you draw near to him, this is his promise. 172 00:07:53,720 –> 00:07:55,579 Jeremiah puts it this way, 173 00:07:55,579 –> 00:07:59,339 if you seek me, you will find me 174 00:07:59,339 –> 00:08:03,859 when you seek me with all of your heart. 175 00:08:03,859 –> 00:08:06,459 And this is what happened for Jacob 176 00:08:06,459 –> 00:08:09,220 and it will happen for us as we draw near to the Lord 177 00:08:09,220 –> 00:08:10,260 knowing our need of him. 178 00:08:10,260 –> 00:08:12,899 And I want you to see particularly today 179 00:08:12,899 –> 00:08:17,899 how it is that God strengthens Jacob 180 00:08:18,040 –> 00:08:22,700 when he draws near to face all of the uncertainty 181 00:08:22,760 –> 00:08:26,260 in this new chapter that lies ahead of him. 182 00:08:26,260 –> 00:08:27,739 Because In Visions of the Night 183 00:08:27,739 –> 00:08:32,020 what God reveals to Jacob, it God reveals himself. 184 00:08:32,020 –> 00:08:37,020 And Jacob finds strength in who God is. 185 00:08:37,340 –> 00:08:39,080 So just looking at what happens here, 186 00:08:39,080 –> 00:08:43,599 you can see everything that you need to know about God 187 00:08:43,599 –> 00:08:47,719 especially in times when your life is changing. 188 00:08:47,719 –> 00:08:48,760 Here’s what you need to know. 189 00:08:48,760 –> 00:08:49,719 Number one. 190 00:08:49,799 –> 00:08:52,700 God is always the same. 191 00:08:52,700 –> 00:08:54,440 You see that in verse four. 192 00:08:54,440 –> 00:08:59,440 Jacob, Jacob, I am God the God of your father. 193 00:09:02,760 –> 00:09:05,140 Now you see the force of that. 194 00:09:05,140 –> 00:09:08,380 Jacob everything in your life is changing right now, 195 00:09:09,479 –> 00:09:11,619 but I never change. 196 00:09:11,619 –> 00:09:13,159 I am the God of your father. 197 00:09:13,159 –> 00:09:14,440 I am the God of Abraham. 198 00:09:14,440 –> 00:09:17,119 I am the God of Isaac. 199 00:09:17,119 –> 00:09:19,840 You’re living in a day that’s a different day, 200 00:09:19,840 –> 00:09:20,679 a different time. 201 00:09:20,679 –> 00:09:23,859 Now you’re gonna be in a different place. 202 00:09:23,859 –> 00:09:26,559 You feel that everything around you is changing. 203 00:09:26,559 –> 00:09:29,820 Jacob, I am the Lord and I change not. 204 00:09:29,820 –> 00:09:33,239 I guarded and kept your grandfather, Abraham. 205 00:09:33,239 –> 00:09:36,340 I have guarded and kept your father, Isaac. 206 00:09:36,340 –> 00:09:39,260 And I will guard and I will keep you. 207 00:09:41,479 –> 00:09:45,479 I was reading in Isaiah and looking at some other verses 208 00:09:45,500 –> 00:09:48,000 and then just was struck by this one 209 00:09:48,000 –> 00:09:51,840 from Isaiah and chapter 33 and verse five, 210 00:09:51,840 –> 00:09:55,200 what it says, the Lord is exalted 211 00:09:55,200 –> 00:09:59,619 and he will be the stability of your times. 212 00:09:59,619 –> 00:10:00,659 Ain’t that great? 213 00:10:00,659 –> 00:10:02,500 The Lord is exalted 214 00:10:02,500 –> 00:10:05,859 and he will be the stability of your times. 215 00:10:05,859 –> 00:10:08,179 When everything’s changing, 216 00:10:08,179 –> 00:10:10,539 I am the God of your fathers. 217 00:10:10,539 –> 00:10:12,419 I am the God and I change not. 218 00:10:12,419 –> 00:10:14,900 Second thing you need to know about God 219 00:10:14,919 –> 00:10:16,599 in changing times, 220 00:10:16,599 –> 00:10:18,080 the God is always the same. 221 00:10:18,080 –> 00:10:21,020 That God always keeps his promises. 222 00:10:21,020 –> 00:10:22,659 Always keeps his promises. 223 00:10:22,659 –> 00:10:23,500 Verse three. 224 00:10:24,400 –> 00:10:26,719 Do not be afraid 225 00:10:26,719 –> 00:10:29,119 to go down to Egypt 226 00:10:29,119 –> 00:10:31,080 for there 227 00:10:31,080 –> 00:10:33,219 I will make you 228 00:10:33,219 –> 00:10:35,400 into a great nation. 229 00:10:36,479 –> 00:10:37,539 Now you read these words, 230 00:10:37,539 –> 00:10:39,559 God says, I will make you into a great nation. 231 00:10:39,559 –> 00:10:41,440 You say, we’ve seen that in the Bible somewhere before. 232 00:10:41,440 –> 00:10:42,260 What’s that? 233 00:10:42,260 –> 00:10:43,739 That’s the great promise 234 00:10:43,739 –> 00:10:45,739 that God gave to Abraham isn’t it? 235 00:10:45,739 –> 00:10:48,559 I will make of you a great nation, 236 00:10:48,559 –> 00:10:51,619 that’s Genesis chapter 12 and verse two 237 00:10:51,619 –> 00:10:55,419 and here God repeats the promise 238 00:10:55,419 –> 00:10:58,059 and that’s very significant at this point 239 00:10:58,059 –> 00:10:59,900 because think about it. 240 00:10:59,900 –> 00:11:04,340 In all the times since God gave that promise to Abraham, 241 00:11:04,340 –> 00:11:07,140 there was not a whole lot of progress 242 00:11:07,140 –> 00:11:09,179 that had been made. 243 00:11:09,179 –> 00:11:10,140 Think about it. 244 00:11:10,140 –> 00:11:13,020 Abraham had Isaac 245 00:11:13,059 –> 00:11:16,020 and Isaac had Jacob and Esau. 246 00:11:16,020 –> 00:11:17,900 Well, some progress there except 247 00:11:17,900 –> 00:11:19,700 that Esau despised his birth right, 248 00:11:19,700 –> 00:11:21,979 didn’t want anything to do with the promises of God. 249 00:11:21,979 –> 00:11:24,859 Off he goes on his own, no interest in the great promise 250 00:11:24,859 –> 00:11:26,979 and so it’s all down to Jacob so 251 00:11:26,979 –> 00:11:28,700 I mean think about it, if you, 252 00:11:28,700 –> 00:11:31,479 if Abraham had 10 sons 253 00:11:31,479 –> 00:11:33,340 and Isaac and Jacob the same 254 00:11:33,340 –> 00:11:34,900 then after these three generations 255 00:11:34,900 –> 00:11:36,140 you would be at a thousand 256 00:11:36,140 –> 00:11:38,580 and you would be well on your way towards a great nation 257 00:11:38,580 –> 00:11:41,140 and another few generations you’d be at a million. 258 00:11:41,979 –> 00:11:43,460 But what actually happened 259 00:11:43,460 –> 00:11:45,179 after God gave the promise was this, 260 00:11:45,179 –> 00:11:49,619 Abraham was one, Isaac was one 261 00:11:49,619 –> 00:11:52,320 and then Esau goes off and Jacob is one 262 00:11:52,320 –> 00:11:55,460 with three generations on, zero progress 263 00:11:55,460 –> 00:11:57,799 in regards to the promise of God 264 00:11:57,799 –> 00:12:01,559 and that is why in Genesis chapter 35 265 00:12:01,559 –> 00:12:03,739 you have God appearing to Jacob 266 00:12:03,739 –> 00:12:05,940 and saying to him, giving the promise again, 267 00:12:05,940 –> 00:12:08,359 he says, I am God almighty, 268 00:12:08,359 –> 00:12:10,859 be fruitful and multiply a nation 269 00:12:10,900 –> 00:12:14,320 and a company of nations shall come from you, Jacob 270 00:12:14,320 –> 00:12:16,619 and kings shall come from your own body. 271 00:12:16,619 –> 00:12:17,979 Hasn’t been much progress up to this point 272 00:12:17,979 –> 00:12:19,979 but the promise will be kept. 273 00:12:20,840 –> 00:12:22,539 So now Jacob has 12 sons, 274 00:12:22,539 –> 00:12:24,299 ah, now we’re making some progress 275 00:12:24,299 –> 00:12:27,359 except think about his experience. 276 00:12:27,359 –> 00:12:30,580 12 sons and things are going wrong 277 00:12:30,580 –> 00:12:32,700 because, for 20 years he’s believed 278 00:12:32,700 –> 00:12:35,700 that Joseph was dead, Simeon’s been in the prison, 279 00:12:35,700 –> 00:12:37,820 Benjamin he fears will be abducted 280 00:12:37,820 –> 00:12:39,460 and now there’s a famine that threatens 281 00:12:39,760 –> 00:12:41,520 to wipe the entire line out. 282 00:12:43,340 –> 00:12:47,580 And so now God appears to him again in a fresh way. 283 00:12:47,580 –> 00:12:52,340 Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, verse 3. 284 00:12:53,260 –> 00:12:58,260 For there, I will make you into a great nation. 285 00:13:02,340 –> 00:13:05,780 Jacob I have not forgotten my promise. 286 00:13:06,780 –> 00:13:10,340 Egypt is not where you expected to be, 287 00:13:10,340 –> 00:13:12,039 this turn in your life is not 288 00:13:12,039 –> 00:13:14,140 what you had anticipated for yourself. 289 00:13:14,140 –> 00:13:17,219 But I am telling you that I will fulfill 290 00:13:17,219 –> 00:13:20,320 my promise to you there, and in Egypt 291 00:13:20,320 –> 00:13:22,859 the great purpose of your life will be fulfilled. 292 00:13:24,580 –> 00:13:27,340 And this is extraordinary in the life 293 00:13:27,340 –> 00:13:30,500 of Jacob that the great purpose of God 294 00:13:30,500 –> 00:13:34,820 in his life, the fulfillment of the promise 295 00:13:34,820 –> 00:13:39,820 to Abraham takes place not in Canaan. 296 00:13:41,359 –> 00:13:44,239 But it actually takes place in Egypt. 297 00:13:44,239 –> 00:13:47,380 So the numbers are given to us in 46, 298 00:13:47,380 –> 00:13:49,700 in verse 27, there’s a small group 299 00:13:49,700 –> 00:13:52,679 of just 70 people, 66 who traveled 300 00:13:52,679 –> 00:13:55,820 plus the Joseph family who were already there. 301 00:13:55,820 –> 00:13:59,419 Just 70 people go into Egypt. 302 00:13:59,419 –> 00:14:01,679 But Numbers chapter one and verse 46 303 00:14:01,679 –> 00:14:05,039 tells us that the number who came out of Egypt, 304 00:14:05,039 –> 00:14:10,039 that was over 600,000 men of the age of 20 305 00:14:10,440 –> 00:14:12,880 and above, more than 600,000. 306 00:14:12,880 –> 00:14:15,679 So if you add the equivalent number of women 307 00:14:15,679 –> 00:14:17,719 and an appropriate number of children, 308 00:14:17,719 –> 00:14:19,940 you have more than two million. 309 00:14:19,940 –> 00:14:23,900 70 go into Egypt, more than two million come out of Egypt. 310 00:14:23,900 –> 00:14:26,260 There’s the fulfillment of the great promise 311 00:14:26,260 –> 00:14:27,760 of God to Abraham. 312 00:14:27,760 –> 00:14:29,359 And renewed to Jacob, 313 00:14:29,380 –> 00:14:31,659 I will make of you a great nation. 314 00:14:31,659 –> 00:14:34,280 And I’m not gonna do it where you thought I’d do it. 315 00:14:35,219 –> 00:14:37,640 But I’m gonna do it in Egypt. 316 00:14:37,640 –> 00:14:42,219 So don’t be afraid to go down there. 317 00:14:43,200 –> 00:14:46,640 So, what do you need to know, when changing times, 318 00:14:46,640 –> 00:14:48,559 that God is always the same, 319 00:14:49,479 –> 00:14:52,659 that God always keeps his promises. 320 00:14:52,659 –> 00:14:55,020 And then here’s the third thing that you need to know, 321 00:14:55,020 –> 00:14:58,320 that God is always with you, he is always with you. 322 00:14:58,359 –> 00:15:00,200 Look at verse four. 323 00:15:00,200 –> 00:15:05,200 I, myself, will go down with you to Egypt. 324 00:15:05,760 –> 00:15:07,640 I’ll go down with you. 325 00:15:07,640 –> 00:15:12,179 And I will also bring you up again 326 00:15:13,239 –> 00:15:18,239 and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes. 327 00:15:19,619 –> 00:15:21,280 Now look at this great promise. 328 00:15:22,219 –> 00:15:26,880 I will go down with you to Egypt. 329 00:15:27,840 –> 00:15:31,440 Jacob, here’s what you need to hear from me right now. 330 00:15:31,440 –> 00:15:34,479 I will walk with you every step of the way 331 00:15:34,479 –> 00:15:36,820 into this new and unfamiliar world. 332 00:15:36,820 –> 00:15:38,200 I will be with you. 333 00:15:39,440 –> 00:15:41,119 My presence will go with you, 334 00:15:41,119 –> 00:15:43,320 and I will give you rest. 335 00:15:43,320 –> 00:15:45,460 I will never leave you, 336 00:15:45,460 –> 00:15:47,119 and I will never forsake you. 337 00:15:47,119 –> 00:15:50,679 Don’t be afraid to go down into this new chapter of life 338 00:15:50,679 –> 00:15:52,320 into which I am leading you. 339 00:15:52,320 –> 00:15:55,820 I will be with you. 340 00:15:57,080 –> 00:16:00,059 And then God says something fascinating here. 341 00:16:01,159 –> 00:16:06,080 And I will also bring you up again. 342 00:16:07,719 –> 00:16:11,239 Now that is a remarkable statement for this reason, 343 00:16:11,239 –> 00:16:14,280 that Jacob, of course, died in Egypt. 344 00:16:14,280 –> 00:16:16,599 We will see that later in the story. 345 00:16:17,640 –> 00:16:20,599 So what does God, who knows the end from the beginning, 346 00:16:20,599 –> 00:16:22,719 knows all things that will transpire, 347 00:16:22,719 –> 00:16:25,200 what is God referring to 348 00:16:26,200 –> 00:16:29,460 when he says I will bring you up? 349 00:16:31,099 –> 00:16:35,179 Now it could, of course, be that this refers to the fact 350 00:16:35,179 –> 00:16:40,179 that after Jacob died, Joseph carried his body 351 00:16:40,500 –> 00:16:42,080 all the way back to Canaan 352 00:16:42,080 –> 00:16:44,520 so that his wish could be fulfilled, 353 00:16:44,520 –> 00:16:48,700 that his body would be buried with his father’s. 354 00:16:49,799 –> 00:16:53,719 But if the reference was to Joseph 355 00:16:53,760 –> 00:16:56,960 taking the body of his father back to Canaan 356 00:16:56,960 –> 00:17:01,960 after he died, the verse would naturally say 357 00:17:01,960 –> 00:17:05,319 Joseph will close your eyes, 358 00:17:05,319 –> 00:17:08,060 that’s what happens when a person dies, 359 00:17:08,060 –> 00:17:10,339 and then you will be brought up 360 00:17:10,339 –> 00:17:12,479 and buried with your father’s. 361 00:17:13,400 –> 00:17:16,119 But I want you to see, if you look closely at verse four, 362 00:17:16,119 –> 00:17:17,640 that the order is different. 363 00:17:17,640 –> 00:17:20,079 In fact, it’s precisely the opposite way around. 364 00:17:20,119 –> 00:17:24,300 God says I will bring you up, 365 00:17:24,300 –> 00:17:26,119 and then he says, 366 00:17:26,119 –> 00:17:29,439 Joseph will close your eyes. 367 00:17:30,760 –> 00:17:34,099 Now, I belief that, for that reason, 368 00:17:34,099 –> 00:17:35,640 that what we have here 369 00:17:35,640 –> 00:17:40,640 is a very wonderful, marvelous Old Testament glimpse 370 00:17:41,040 –> 00:17:43,319 into the experience of a believer, 371 00:17:43,319 –> 00:17:47,560 Old Testament or New, at the end of life. 372 00:17:47,560 –> 00:17:48,800 What is that experience? 373 00:17:48,800 –> 00:17:50,420 The New Testament makes it very clear 374 00:17:50,420 –> 00:17:52,680 to be away from the body 375 00:17:52,680 –> 00:17:57,479 is to be at home with the Lord. 376 00:17:57,479 –> 00:18:00,959 So, here is what God is saying 377 00:18:00,959 –> 00:18:02,859 if we put these pieces together. 378 00:18:04,439 –> 00:18:09,380 Jacob, you’re afraid of what is going to happen 379 00:18:09,380 –> 00:18:10,640 in the future. 380 00:18:11,459 –> 00:18:14,020 So, let me tell you what is going to happen. 381 00:18:15,060 –> 00:18:17,680 You’re gonna go down to Egypt, 382 00:18:17,680 –> 00:18:19,380 and I am going to walk 383 00:18:19,380 –> 00:18:22,319 with you every step of the way, 384 00:18:22,319 –> 00:18:23,380 so don’t be afraid. 385 00:18:24,540 –> 00:18:26,920 And then, the day will come 386 00:18:26,920 –> 00:18:29,900 when I will bring you up. 387 00:18:29,900 –> 00:18:31,680 You will be away from the body, 388 00:18:31,680 –> 00:18:33,760 and you will be at home with the Lord. 389 00:18:33,760 –> 00:18:35,760 And when that happens, 390 00:18:35,760 –> 00:18:36,880 Joseph will say, 391 00:18:36,880 –> 00:18:37,719 oh! 392 00:18:38,739 –> 00:18:39,920 Dad’s gone. 393 00:18:41,239 –> 00:18:44,900 And then, he will close your eyes. 394 00:18:45,780 –> 00:18:48,339 So, Jacob, do not be afraid. 395 00:18:48,339 –> 00:18:50,300 In life and in death, 396 00:18:50,300 –> 00:18:51,339 I will be with you. 397 00:18:51,339 –> 00:18:52,819 I will never leave you. 398 00:18:52,819 –> 00:18:55,780 I will never forsake you. 399 00:18:55,780 –> 00:18:59,619 And when Joseph closes your eyes, 400 00:18:59,619 –> 00:19:04,219 you will already be up here 401 00:19:04,219 –> 00:19:05,699 with me. 402 00:19:05,699 –> 00:19:06,739 Now, when you think about it, 403 00:19:06,739 –> 00:19:08,280 I mean, everyone who has been 404 00:19:08,280 –> 00:19:11,319 by the bedside of a loved one 405 00:19:11,319 –> 00:19:12,420 in their last days 406 00:19:12,420 –> 00:19:14,199 and in their last hours, 407 00:19:14,199 –> 00:19:15,459 this is your experience. 408 00:19:15,459 –> 00:19:18,000 You see, it is not 409 00:19:18,000 –> 00:19:20,140 that someone dies, 410 00:19:20,140 –> 00:19:21,599 that one of the Lord’s people dies 411 00:19:21,599 –> 00:19:22,579 and then God says, 412 00:19:22,579 –> 00:19:24,439 Oh, oh dear, they’ve died. 413 00:19:24,439 –> 00:19:26,260 I’d better bring them up. 414 00:19:26,260 –> 00:19:27,300 No, no. 415 00:19:27,300 –> 00:19:29,380 What happens, 416 00:19:29,380 –> 00:19:32,540 God at some point says, 417 00:19:32,540 –> 00:19:34,979 I’m bringing you up. 418 00:19:34,979 –> 00:19:36,640 And when God brings 419 00:19:36,640 –> 00:19:40,520 the soul of one of his own children up, 420 00:19:40,520 –> 00:19:43,140 our experience here 421 00:19:43,140 –> 00:19:44,800 by the bedside is to say, 422 00:19:44,800 –> 00:19:46,640 Oh, 423 00:19:46,640 –> 00:19:48,819 he’s gone. 424 00:19:48,819 –> 00:19:50,900 And then you close their eyes. 425 00:19:50,900 –> 00:19:52,500 That’s what happens. 426 00:19:52,500 –> 00:19:54,119 And it’s so beautifully 427 00:19:54,119 –> 00:19:56,079 depicted for us here 428 00:19:56,079 –> 00:19:58,540 and we’ll look more at this next time 429 00:19:58,540 –> 00:20:00,060 from Hebrews in Chapter 11 430 00:20:00,060 –> 00:20:01,660 that makes it very, very clear 431 00:20:01,660 –> 00:20:03,900 that that Jacob 432 00:20:03,900 –> 00:20:07,339 had genuine faith 433 00:20:07,339 –> 00:20:10,400 and shared the faith of Abraham 434 00:20:10,400 –> 00:20:12,000 in regards to a city 435 00:20:12,040 –> 00:20:14,000 whose builder and maker is God 436 00:20:14,000 –> 00:20:16,199 and that he glimpsed from afar 437 00:20:16,199 –> 00:20:17,280 the great things that were 438 00:20:17,280 –> 00:20:20,239 beyond the things of this earth. 439 00:20:20,239 –> 00:20:24,079 So that when Jacob was at his worst 440 00:20:24,079 –> 00:20:25,239 he said, 441 00:20:25,239 –> 00:20:26,400 Oh, every day of my life 442 00:20:26,400 –> 00:20:27,359 is gonna be sorrow 443 00:20:27,359 –> 00:20:28,959 until I go down to the grave, 444 00:20:28,959 –> 00:20:32,219 go down to Sheol. 445 00:20:32,219 –> 00:20:33,880 But by the end of his life 446 00:20:33,880 –> 00:20:36,040 he had really grasp the promise of God 447 00:20:36,040 –> 00:20:37,839 which is that 448 00:20:37,839 –> 00:20:40,780 one who is in Him 449 00:20:41,160 –> 00:20:42,699 before the eyes are closed 450 00:20:42,699 –> 00:20:46,079 the Lord has already taken you 451 00:20:46,079 –> 00:20:48,560 into his nearer 452 00:20:48,560 –> 00:20:51,439 and his most marvelous presence. 453 00:20:51,439 –> 00:20:53,119 So here friends, 454 00:20:53,119 –> 00:20:55,420 here’s the unshakable foundation 455 00:20:55,420 –> 00:20:58,540 for the whole of your life. 456 00:20:58,540 –> 00:21:02,380 You can face anything with this. 457 00:21:02,380 –> 00:21:04,459 God is always the same. 458 00:21:04,459 –> 00:21:06,920 He always keeps his promises. 459 00:21:06,920 –> 00:21:09,020 He is always with you. 460 00:21:09,020 –> 00:21:10,359 He says I’ll go down with you 461 00:21:10,380 –> 00:21:12,199 into every new experience 462 00:21:12,199 –> 00:21:13,439 and all that is unfamiliar 463 00:21:13,439 –> 00:21:14,599 I will be with you 464 00:21:14,599 –> 00:21:16,300 and when the time comes 465 00:21:16,300 –> 00:21:19,939 I will bring you up. 466 00:21:19,939 –> 00:21:21,619 He has everything that relates 467 00:21:21,619 –> 00:21:23,459 to your life and your death 468 00:21:23,459 –> 00:21:24,959 and your eternal future 469 00:21:24,959 –> 00:21:27,839 entirely secure in his hands. 470 00:21:27,839 –> 00:21:29,060 What a marvelous thing it is 471 00:21:29,060 –> 00:21:30,500 to be a child of God. 472 00:21:30,500 –> 00:21:32,939 And Jacob knew something of that 473 00:21:32,939 –> 00:21:34,800 and we know so much more of it 474 00:21:34,800 –> 00:21:37,739 this side of the cross. 475 00:21:37,739 –> 00:21:40,579 So a very difficult journey 476 00:21:40,579 –> 00:21:42,420 but an unshakable foundation 477 00:21:42,420 –> 00:21:43,900 that is renewed for this man 478 00:21:43,900 –> 00:21:46,699 as God ministers to him 479 00:21:46,699 –> 00:21:48,420 at this major transition 480 00:21:48,420 –> 00:21:51,140 of his life. 481 00:21:51,140 –> 00:21:52,140 And then there’s a third thing 482 00:21:52,140 –> 00:21:53,420 that I want us to see here today 483 00:21:53,420 –> 00:21:56,859 and it is the unexpected blessing 484 00:21:56,859 –> 00:22:00,479 that comes to this man Jacob 485 00:22:00,479 –> 00:22:02,319 and the real surprise of this story 486 00:22:02,319 –> 00:22:05,579 is that God had a whole new 487 00:22:05,579 –> 00:22:07,380 and other chapter for Jacob 488 00:22:07,479 –> 00:22:10,959 that he clearly did not anticipate. 489 00:22:10,959 –> 00:22:13,619 The old man chapter 47, verse 28 490 00:22:13,619 –> 00:22:15,579 tells us that he lived in Egypt 491 00:22:15,579 –> 00:22:20,140 for a further seventeen years 492 00:22:20,140 –> 00:22:21,459 and will again look at more 493 00:22:21,459 –> 00:22:22,900 of this next week 494 00:22:22,900 –> 00:22:24,459 but I am convinced 495 00:22:24,459 –> 00:22:25,939 and will try to make the case 496 00:22:25,939 –> 00:22:27,280 that the last season of his life 497 00:22:27,280 –> 00:22:29,339 was the most fruitful season 498 00:22:29,339 –> 00:22:30,400 of spiritual growth 499 00:22:30,400 –> 00:22:32,079 that had ever taken place 500 00:22:32,079 –> 00:22:35,420 in all of his life. 501 00:22:35,420 –> 00:22:36,739 Now the fascinating thing here 502 00:22:36,819 –> 00:22:37,579 is that the old man 503 00:22:37,579 –> 00:22:38,920 did not expect this. 504 00:22:38,920 –> 00:22:40,979 He’s an old man, 505 00:22:40,979 –> 00:22:43,099 he’s going on a journey, 506 00:22:43,099 –> 00:22:45,319 he thinks it will be 507 00:22:45,319 –> 00:22:47,119 the last thing that he will do, 508 00:22:47,119 –> 00:22:50,760 he’s been very sad for twenty years. 509 00:22:50,760 –> 00:22:54,619 He says, last verse of chapter 45, 510 00:22:54,619 –> 00:22:56,280 it is enough. 511 00:22:56,280 –> 00:23:00,199 Joseph my son, is still alive, 512 00:23:00,199 –> 00:23:03,439 I will go and see him 513 00:23:03,439 –> 00:23:05,640 before I die. 514 00:23:06,599 –> 00:23:10,280 Now you can’t miss the sadness in these words. 515 00:23:10,280 –> 00:23:12,760 Joseph is alive 516 00:23:12,760 –> 00:23:15,239 but my life is over now. 517 00:23:15,239 –> 00:23:17,400 I can’t get back the 20 years 518 00:23:17,400 –> 00:23:20,439 where he hasn’t been in my life. 519 00:23:20,439 –> 00:23:22,479 I am an old man. 520 00:23:22,479 –> 00:23:25,920 I can’t turn the clock back. 521 00:23:25,920 –> 00:23:28,819 So I will go and see Joseph. 522 00:23:28,819 –> 00:23:32,479 I am so glad to know that he’s alive 523 00:23:32,479 –> 00:23:35,300 but after that I am done 524 00:23:35,300 –> 00:23:38,380 because there is no future beyond that for me. 525 00:23:39,540 –> 00:23:41,520 And it’s fascinating to me that 526 00:23:41,520 –> 00:23:46,520 when the reunion between Jacob and Joseph takes place 527 00:23:47,180 –> 00:23:50,800 it’s like a kind of anti-climax. 528 00:23:50,800 –> 00:23:53,199 When the brothers come to Joseph, 529 00:23:53,199 –> 00:23:54,979 I mean that’s one of the most marvelous scenes 530 00:23:54,979 –> 00:23:55,920 in all of the Bible. 531 00:23:55,920 –> 00:23:57,719 You preach a whole series on that. 532 00:23:57,719 –> 00:24:00,020 I mean, it’s just marvelous. 533 00:24:00,020 –> 00:24:02,219 And I was thinking in kinda sketching out this series 534 00:24:02,219 –> 00:24:03,979 well, there’s definitely something 535 00:24:04,719 –> 00:24:09,579 with Jacob coming and being reunited with Joseph. 536 00:24:09,579 –> 00:24:11,079 But when you look at it more closely, 537 00:24:11,079 –> 00:24:12,500 you say well, what in the world is there 538 00:24:12,500 –> 00:24:13,540 to say about this? 539 00:24:13,540 –> 00:24:17,420 Look at it, it’s in chapter 46 in verse 29. 540 00:24:17,420 –> 00:24:19,859 So here’s Joseph’s part that is wonderful. 541 00:24:19,859 –> 00:24:23,140 “‘Joseph prepared his chariot, 542 00:24:23,140 –> 00:24:26,500 and he went up to meet Israel his father, 543 00:24:26,500 –> 00:24:28,400 Jacob his father in Goshen. 544 00:24:29,300 –> 00:24:31,839 And he presented himself, huge occasion, 545 00:24:31,880 –> 00:24:34,339 to Jacob, and fell on his neck, 546 00:24:34,339 –> 00:24:38,359 and wept on his neck a good while.’” 547 00:24:38,359 –> 00:24:40,160 Now that’s Joseph’s part. 548 00:24:40,160 –> 00:24:41,819 Now look at Jacob’s part. 549 00:24:41,819 –> 00:24:44,000 “‘Israel,’ that is Jacob, 550 00:24:44,000 –> 00:24:45,920 said to Joseph,” 551 00:24:45,920 –> 00:24:46,780 imagine this, 552 00:24:48,099 –> 00:24:49,500 “‘now let me die 553 00:24:50,520 –> 00:24:52,500 since I have seen your face 554 00:24:53,400 –> 00:24:55,380 and know that you are still alive.’” 555 00:24:56,560 –> 00:24:58,500 Really, dad? 556 00:24:58,500 –> 00:25:01,800 After 20 years, that’s the best thing you can say to me? 557 00:25:02,839 –> 00:25:04,180 I mean, what about, son, 558 00:25:04,180 –> 00:25:05,859 it is so good to see you? 559 00:25:06,719 –> 00:25:07,560 What about, son, 560 00:25:07,560 –> 00:25:09,800 we must treasure every moment of every day 561 00:25:09,800 –> 00:25:11,239 that we now have? 562 00:25:12,560 –> 00:25:14,599 I have seen you for 20 years, dad, 563 00:25:14,599 –> 00:25:15,959 and the best you can say to me 564 00:25:15,959 –> 00:25:17,819 in this great moment of reunion 565 00:25:17,819 –> 00:25:21,459 is, “‘Now let me die.’” 566 00:25:24,000 –> 00:25:27,199 And Joseph does not even answer. 567 00:25:27,199 –> 00:25:28,040 You know, the Bible says, 568 00:25:28,040 –> 00:25:30,680 do not answer a fool according to his folly. 569 00:25:30,699 –> 00:25:33,160 And what Jacob is speaking here actually 570 00:25:33,160 –> 00:25:34,560 is out of foolishness. 571 00:25:35,699 –> 00:25:37,319 And so Joseph very wisely 572 00:25:37,319 –> 00:25:39,119 doesn’t try and address that. 573 00:25:40,020 –> 00:25:41,020 He just says to his brothers, 574 00:25:41,020 –> 00:25:42,319 you know what, let’s go 575 00:25:42,319 –> 00:25:44,300 and we’ll introduce you to Pharaoh 576 00:25:44,300 –> 00:25:46,099 and we’ll tell Pharaoh that Dad’s here 577 00:25:46,099 –> 00:25:46,939 and you’re here, 578 00:25:46,939 –> 00:25:48,959 and he just moves on. 579 00:25:49,819 –> 00:25:52,900 Now, what then emerges in this story is this, 580 00:25:52,900 –> 00:25:56,260 that having arrived in that rather miserable fashion, 581 00:25:56,260 –> 00:25:58,739 God has something better for Jacob, 582 00:25:58,739 –> 00:26:01,180 something much better than dying on arrival, 583 00:26:01,180 –> 00:26:04,380 which is clearly at what he had anticipated. 584 00:26:04,380 –> 00:26:08,380 And again, chapter 47 and verse 28 tells us 585 00:26:08,380 –> 00:26:10,619 that Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 586 00:26:10,619 –> 00:26:12,579 for a further 1 years, 587 00:26:12,579 –> 00:26:16,660 17 years he clearly never expected to have. 588 00:26:17,719 –> 00:26:20,339 Now we will look again at this more in detail next time, 589 00:26:20,339 –> 00:26:23,000 but I want you to see that these last years 590 00:26:23,000 –> 00:26:26,339 were indeed the most fruitful season of his life, 591 00:26:27,060 –> 00:26:28,619 and here’s why I say that. 592 00:26:29,739 –> 00:26:33,119 Jacob gives two testimonies. 593 00:26:34,099 –> 00:26:38,880 One he gives to Pharaoh when he arrives in Egypt. 594 00:26:39,739 –> 00:26:44,180 The other he gives 17 years later on his deathbed 595 00:26:44,180 –> 00:26:46,260 as he’s in the process of blessing 596 00:26:46,260 –> 00:26:49,660 his sons and his grandsons. 597 00:26:49,660 –> 00:26:52,099 The two testimonies, 17 years apart 598 00:26:52,099 –> 00:26:53,239 when he arrives in Egypt, 599 00:26:53,880 –> 00:26:57,400 and when he is about to go and be with the Lord, 600 00:26:57,400 –> 00:26:59,680 the two testimonies could not be more different 601 00:26:59,680 –> 00:27:02,800 and therefore reflect the work of grace 602 00:27:02,800 –> 00:27:06,119 that God did in the 17 years 603 00:27:06,119 –> 00:27:08,640 that Jacob was given in Egypt. 604 00:27:08,640 –> 00:27:10,400 Now look at the two testimonies just briefly. 605 00:27:10,400 –> 00:27:13,819 The first is in 47, verse seven. 606 00:27:14,800 –> 00:27:16,920 So here’s Jacob when he arrives 607 00:27:16,920 –> 00:27:20,040 and he’s in his now let me die mode. 608 00:27:20,040 –> 00:27:22,040 He’s introduced to Pharaoh. 609 00:27:22,119 –> 00:27:23,579 Pharaoh says to him, 610 00:27:23,579 –> 00:27:27,239 how many are the days of the years of your life? 611 00:27:27,239 –> 00:27:28,099 How old are you? 612 00:27:29,079 –> 00:27:30,599 By the way, I like the way they say this. 613 00:27:30,599 –> 00:27:35,479 How many are the days of the years of your life? 614 00:27:35,479 –> 00:27:36,619 In other words, 615 00:27:36,619 –> 00:27:40,119 you count your life in days, not just years. 616 00:27:40,119 –> 00:27:43,479 Teach us to number our days 617 00:27:43,479 –> 00:27:45,839 that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 618 00:27:45,839 –> 00:27:48,180 Every day is a gift from the Lord 619 00:27:48,180 –> 00:27:50,819 and you have that very clearly here. 620 00:27:50,920 –> 00:27:53,160 Pharaoh says, how many are the days 621 00:27:53,160 –> 00:27:54,760 of the years of your life? 622 00:27:54,760 –> 00:27:55,800 And look at the answer. 623 00:27:55,800 –> 00:27:58,020 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 624 00:27:58,020 –> 00:27:59,520 here’s his first testimony. 625 00:28:00,500 –> 00:28:03,959 The days of the years of my sojourning 626 00:28:04,839 –> 00:28:07,959 are 130 years. 627 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:11,680 Few and evil 628 00:28:11,680 –> 00:28:16,099 have been the days of the years of my life 629 00:28:16,099 –> 00:28:19,020 and they have not attained 630 00:28:19,079 –> 00:28:23,540 to the days of the years of the life of my fathers 631 00:28:23,540 –> 00:28:25,619 in the days of their sojourning. 632 00:28:25,619 –> 00:28:28,219 Now you cannot miss the disappointment there. 633 00:28:29,079 –> 00:28:31,020 This is a very sad man. 634 00:28:32,040 –> 00:28:33,619 How old are you? 635 00:28:33,619 –> 00:28:35,300 Pharaoh says, 636 00:28:35,300 –> 00:28:39,540 well, 130 years, but you know that’s not much 637 00:28:39,540 –> 00:28:41,099 compared to my father 638 00:28:41,099 –> 00:28:43,500 and compared to my grandfather, 639 00:28:43,500 –> 00:28:45,920 the years of my life there are few. 640 00:28:45,920 –> 00:28:48,020 I don’t really amount to much 641 00:28:48,020 –> 00:28:49,920 alongside either of them. 642 00:28:50,680 –> 00:28:52,060 And you know what, Pharaoh, 643 00:28:52,060 –> 00:28:53,780 if I was to pick one word 644 00:28:53,780 –> 00:28:55,719 that was to describe these few years 645 00:28:55,719 –> 00:28:56,839 that have been given to me 646 00:28:56,839 –> 00:28:59,040 that have passed all too quickly, 647 00:28:59,040 –> 00:29:01,660 the word that I would use to describe my years 648 00:29:01,660 –> 00:29:03,439 would be evil. 649 00:29:03,439 –> 00:29:05,579 Yeah, that’s the word. 650 00:29:05,579 –> 00:29:09,459 All of my life I’ve known sorrow and loss. 651 00:29:09,459 –> 00:29:12,040 I wish my life had been different. 652 00:29:12,040 –> 00:29:14,459 I wish I had done more with it. 653 00:29:14,459 –> 00:29:17,540 It all seems to have passed so quickly. 654 00:29:17,540 –> 00:29:19,780 Some of the memories of my past years 655 00:29:19,780 –> 00:29:21,060 and the things that I did 656 00:29:21,060 –> 00:29:23,060 are just with me all of the time. 657 00:29:23,060 –> 00:29:26,180 Pharaoh, you ask me about my years, 658 00:29:26,180 –> 00:29:28,099 here’s what I would say, 659 00:29:28,099 –> 00:29:29,859 they are few 660 00:29:29,859 –> 00:29:32,099 and they are evil. 661 00:29:32,099 –> 00:29:35,500 Now, this is obviously a man 662 00:29:35,500 –> 00:29:37,020 full of regret, 663 00:29:39,439 –> 00:29:43,500 but to Jacob’s great surprise, 664 00:29:43,500 –> 00:29:45,680 thinking that this is gonna be the end of his life 665 00:29:45,680 –> 00:29:47,500 and that he can only look back with sorrow 666 00:29:47,500 –> 00:29:48,540 and a sense of loss. 667 00:29:49,939 –> 00:29:52,619 God gives to him another 17 years 668 00:29:52,619 –> 00:29:54,579 and He lives these 17 years 669 00:29:54,579 –> 00:29:55,839 in the company of Joseph 670 00:29:55,839 –> 00:29:57,660 who always points us to Jesus. 671 00:29:58,760 –> 00:30:01,660 And look at what He says in his second testimony 672 00:30:01,660 –> 00:30:03,219 then 17 years later, 673 00:30:03,219 –> 00:30:05,479 that’s chapter 48 674 00:30:05,479 –> 00:30:07,819 and verses 15 and 16, 675 00:30:07,819 –> 00:30:11,040 verses 48, 15, and 16 676 00:30:11,040 –> 00:30:13,900 and now He’s imparting these blessings 677 00:30:13,900 –> 00:30:15,540 to his sons and his grandsons 678 00:30:15,540 –> 00:30:16,920 and He blessed Joseph 679 00:30:17,920 –> 00:30:19,079 and He said, 680 00:30:20,000 –> 00:30:25,000 the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, 681 00:30:25,900 –> 00:30:30,900 the God who has been my shepherd 682 00:30:30,920 –> 00:30:34,180 all my life long 683 00:30:34,180 –> 00:30:35,859 well that’s different 684 00:30:35,859 –> 00:30:37,459 to this day, 685 00:30:37,459 –> 00:30:42,459 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil 686 00:30:43,020 –> 00:30:44,339 notice the word, 687 00:30:45,900 –> 00:30:47,380 bless the boys, 688 00:30:47,380 –> 00:30:49,260 I love that phrase 689 00:30:49,260 –> 00:30:52,540 and in them, let my name be carried on 690 00:30:52,540 –> 00:30:53,979 you see the transformation here 691 00:30:53,979 –> 00:30:55,500 it could not be more striking 692 00:30:56,579 –> 00:30:57,739 here is this man, Jacob 693 00:30:57,739 –> 00:30:59,699 and he has arrived 694 00:30:59,699 –> 00:31:01,260 in the presents of Joseph 695 00:31:01,260 –> 00:31:03,579 full of regret 696 00:31:03,579 –> 00:31:04,939 I look back on my years 697 00:31:04,939 –> 00:31:06,839 they’re few it they’re evil 698 00:31:06,839 –> 00:31:08,300 they passed to quickly 699 00:31:08,300 –> 00:31:10,140 so much has been wasted 700 00:31:10,140 –> 00:31:11,859 but now, after 17 years 701 00:31:11,859 –> 00:31:13,920 he is a completely different view 702 00:31:13,920 –> 00:31:15,420 of his entire life 703 00:31:15,420 –> 00:31:16,579 He says, now I see 704 00:31:16,579 –> 00:31:18,500 that God has been my shepherd 705 00:31:18,500 –> 00:31:20,739 not only during this last 17 years 706 00:31:20,739 –> 00:31:23,780 actually, He’s been my shepherd all along 707 00:31:23,780 –> 00:31:24,699 and now I see that 708 00:31:24,699 –> 00:31:26,619 though, I’ve experienced great evil 709 00:31:26,619 –> 00:31:28,459 And have come through many many trials 710 00:31:28,459 –> 00:31:29,959 that actually God is the one 711 00:31:29,959 –> 00:31:33,660 who has redeemed me from evil 712 00:31:33,660 –> 00:31:34,959 so there’s much more here 713 00:31:34,959 –> 00:31:37,239 than God giving Jacob an extra chapter 714 00:31:37,239 –> 00:31:38,540 at the end of his life 715 00:31:38,540 –> 00:31:41,459 an extra 17 years thrown-in, so to speak 716 00:31:41,459 –> 00:31:43,260 No, during this time 717 00:31:43,260 –> 00:31:45,500 there is a spiritual growth 718 00:31:45,500 –> 00:31:47,339 that happens in this man 719 00:31:47,339 –> 00:31:48,540 and he comes to see 720 00:31:48,540 –> 00:31:50,260 that the good hand of God 721 00:31:50,260 –> 00:31:51,339 who is his shepherd 722 00:31:51,339 –> 00:31:52,560 and this is his Redeemer 723 00:31:52,560 –> 00:31:53,920 has been on his life 724 00:31:53,920 –> 00:31:55,300 all the way along 725 00:31:55,300 –> 00:31:56,500 and a man, who arrived 726 00:31:56,500 –> 00:31:57,939 in the presence of Joseph 727 00:31:57,939 –> 00:31:59,260 full of regret 728 00:31:59,260 –> 00:32:01,099 is a man, who 17 years later 729 00:32:01,099 –> 00:32:02,520 looks back on his life 730 00:32:02,520 –> 00:32:03,979 and is able to testify 731 00:32:03,979 –> 00:32:05,180 to the shepherding 732 00:32:05,180 –> 00:32:06,400 and the redeeming 733 00:32:06,400 –> 00:32:07,400 of almighty God 734 00:32:07,400 –> 00:32:09,239 Isn’t that marvelous? 735 00:32:09,239 –> 00:32:10,280 Isn’t there hope here 736 00:32:10,280 –> 00:32:12,219 for a person who feels regret 737 00:32:12,219 –> 00:32:14,500 who feels wasted years 738 00:32:14,500 –> 00:32:15,500 who says 739 00:32:15,500 –> 00:32:19,900 I can’t get this and that back? 740 00:32:19,900 –> 00:32:20,900 Here is the last thing 741 00:32:20,900 –> 00:32:23,819 Joseph always points us to Jesus 742 00:32:23,819 –> 00:32:29,260 There is a loved and favored son of God 743 00:32:29,260 –> 00:32:33,219 and He is the exalted Lord 744 00:32:33,219 –> 00:32:34,479 And He is the Savior 745 00:32:34,479 –> 00:32:35,479 that’s what Joseph 746 00:32:35,479 –> 00:32:36,479 is to the family 747 00:32:36,479 –> 00:32:37,479 is the Savior 748 00:32:37,479 –> 00:32:38,479 because when they come to Him 749 00:32:39,479 –> 00:32:40,479 when their lives are saved 750 00:32:40,479 –> 00:32:42,140 the food saves them from the famine 751 00:32:42,140 –> 00:32:44,420 And it’s dispenned right from His hand 752 00:32:44,420 –> 00:32:45,819 So He points us 753 00:32:45,819 –> 00:32:47,699 to the one who is the Son 754 00:32:47,699 –> 00:32:49,780 And who is the exalted Lord 755 00:32:49,780 –> 00:32:50,959 And is the Savior 756 00:32:50,959 –> 00:32:52,540 And what that means is 757 00:32:52,540 –> 00:32:53,739 and it’s for this purpose 758 00:32:53,739 –> 00:32:55,280 that these stories are in the Bible 759 00:32:55,280 –> 00:32:56,339 That you can look through 760 00:32:56,339 –> 00:33:00,359 the lens of what Joseph did 761 00:33:00,359 –> 00:33:01,359 for His Father 762 00:33:01,359 –> 00:33:02,359 and for His brothers 763 00:33:02,359 –> 00:33:03,619 And you can see 764 00:33:03,619 –> 00:33:05,939 what Jesus is able to do for you 765 00:33:06,079 –> 00:33:10,939 So let me in this last minute 766 00:33:10,939 –> 00:33:14,680 Just re-run this story 767 00:33:14,680 –> 00:33:17,479 using the name Savior 768 00:33:17,479 –> 00:33:18,680 instead of Joseph 769 00:33:18,680 –> 00:33:19,800 because He is the Savior 770 00:33:19,800 –> 00:33:23,339 and He points to the Savior 771 00:33:23,339 –> 00:33:25,060 and lets ourselves 772 00:33:25,060 –> 00:33:28,439 You stand in the place of Jacob 773 00:33:28,439 –> 00:33:29,439 and instead of running 774 00:33:29,439 –> 00:33:36,400 the Joseph Savior of Jacob story 775 00:33:36,400 –> 00:33:44,040 let’s run the Jesus Savior of you story 776 00:33:44,040 –> 00:33:46,880 and it goes like this 777 00:33:46,880 –> 00:33:48,839 The Savior says to you, 778 00:33:48,839 –> 00:33:49,839 Come 779 00:33:49,839 –> 00:33:51,040 like Joseph said to Jacob, 780 00:33:51,040 –> 00:33:52,040 Come 781 00:33:52,040 –> 00:33:53,439 I want you to come 782 00:33:53,439 –> 00:33:55,920 I want you to come near to me 783 00:33:55,920 –> 00:33:57,199 I want you to come quickly 784 00:33:57,199 –> 00:33:58,359 I want you to come now 785 00:33:58,359 –> 00:33:59,640 do not tarry 786 00:33:59,640 –> 00:34:02,160 you will be near me 787 00:34:02,160 –> 00:34:06,000 and I will provide for you 788 00:34:06,000 –> 00:34:07,719 when you first hear this message 789 00:34:07,719 –> 00:34:10,120 your heart is numb 790 00:34:10,120 –> 00:34:14,679 you do not believe that the Savior is alive 791 00:34:14,679 –> 00:34:18,639 but when you hear all the Savior’s words 792 00:34:18,639 –> 00:34:20,520 and when you see the wagons 793 00:34:20,520 –> 00:34:22,239 that the Savior has provided 794 00:34:22,239 –> 00:34:25,320 you agree to take this journey 795 00:34:25,360 –> 00:34:28,439 you are carried to the Savior 796 00:34:28,439 –> 00:34:30,879 the Savior welcomes you 797 00:34:30,879 –> 00:34:34,040 the Savior rejoices over you 798 00:34:34,040 –> 00:34:37,360 the Savior provides for you 799 00:34:37,360 –> 00:34:40,000 when you come to the Savior 800 00:34:40,000 –> 00:34:43,239 you are full of many regrets 801 00:34:43,239 –> 00:34:46,520 you look back on the wasted opportunities of your life 802 00:34:46,520 –> 00:34:49,159 and how much has passed so quickly already 803 00:34:49,159 –> 00:34:51,320 and you feel sometimes that your days 804 00:34:51,320 –> 00:34:53,679 have been few and that they have been evil 805 00:34:53,879 –> 00:34:55,280 that too much has been lost 806 00:34:55,280 –> 00:34:57,320 and too much has been wasted 807 00:34:57,320 –> 00:34:58,679 too much of it has gone 808 00:34:58,679 –> 00:35:00,639 and you cannot get it back 809 00:35:00,639 –> 00:35:05,639 but now living close to the Savior changes you 810 00:35:05,639 –> 00:35:09,439 and over time you come to see 811 00:35:09,439 –> 00:35:12,719 your life with all of its sadness 812 00:35:12,719 –> 00:35:14,239 and with all of its loss 813 00:35:14,239 –> 00:35:16,840 you see it in a completely different light 814 00:35:16,840 –> 00:35:18,280 and you are able to say 815 00:35:18,280 –> 00:35:20,600 now God has been my Savior 816 00:35:20,600 –> 00:35:23,439 and He is the one who redeems me 817 00:35:24,120 –> 00:35:27,159 from all evil 818 00:35:27,159 –> 00:35:30,600 And when you come to the end of your life 819 00:35:30,600 –> 00:35:32,919 it’s the Savior 820 00:35:32,919 –> 00:35:35,639 who gives you this marvelous promise 821 00:35:35,639 –> 00:35:40,840 this solemn oath on which you can depend 822 00:35:40,840 –> 00:35:45,760 It will be the Savior who closes your eyes in death 823 00:35:45,760 –> 00:35:48,959 and it will be the Savior 824 00:35:48,959 –> 00:35:52,239 who carries you home 825 00:35:52,239 –> 00:35:56,959 and with a Savior like that, you could face anything in life, couldn’t you? 826 00:35:56,959 –> 00:35:58,639 Hallelujah 827 00:35:58,639 –> 00:36:00,199 what a Savior 828 00:36:00,199 –> 00:36:02,439 Father 829 00:36:02,439 –> 00:36:06,360 We bless you for every glimpse that we get of our glorious 830 00:36:06,360 –> 00:36:09,000 redeeming Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 831 00:36:09,000 –> 00:36:13,199 your wonderful, loved and favored Son 832 00:36:13,199 –> 00:36:15,760 and we thank you for all that He is to us 833 00:36:15,760 –> 00:36:22,199 May the person who is going into an uncertain 834 00:36:22,919 –> 00:36:23,340 future 835 00:36:23,340 –> 00:36:27,719 find in a new way today 836 00:36:27,719 –> 00:36:29,919 that you are the God who never changes 837 00:36:29,919 –> 00:36:33,439 that you are the God who always keeps His promises 838 00:36:33,439 –> 00:36:36,760 you are the God who is with us every step of the way in life and death 839 00:36:36,760 –> 00:36:39,320 and then you’ll be with us and we will be with you for 840 00:36:39,320 –> 00:36:40,320 ever and ever 841 00:36:40,320 –> 00:36:42,080 and thank you 842 00:36:42,080 –> 00:36:44,459 that in Jesus Christ your dearly loved Son 843 00:36:44,459 –> 00:36:46,800 you are our Savior 844 00:36:46,800 –> 00:36:49,120 and therefore we cling to you 845 00:36:49,120 –> 00:36:51,379 and find all our good in you 846 00:36:51,379 –> 00:36:53,300 and rejoice in you 847 00:36:53,300 –> 00:36:54,780 for Jesus’ sake 848 00:36:54,780 –> 00:36:55,219 Amen