1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,060 Well, this is the series that I have not wanted to end, 2 00:00:03,060 –> 00:00:04,940 The Story of Joseph, 3 00:00:04,940 –> 00:00:07,480 marvelous story in which God speaks 4 00:00:07,480 –> 00:00:10,500 so very, very wonderfully and directly into our lives. 5 00:00:10,500 –> 00:00:12,440 I’ve been a pastor for 35 years. 6 00:00:12,440 –> 00:00:15,060 The first time I’ve preached on The Story of Joseph 7 00:00:15,060 –> 00:00:16,400 and I’ve been thinking to myself, 8 00:00:16,400 –> 00:00:18,080 what in the world took me so long 9 00:00:18,080 –> 00:00:22,139 to get to such a rich part of the scripture as this? 10 00:00:22,139 –> 00:00:24,639 But we’re at the last chapter of Genesis today 11 00:00:24,639 –> 00:00:29,379 so please open your Bible at Genesis and Chapter 50. 12 00:00:29,639 –> 00:00:33,360 I want you to notice that the last chapter of Genesis 13 00:00:33,360 –> 00:00:38,360 begins with the theme of grieving over the death of Jacob. 14 00:00:38,419 –> 00:00:43,099 The old man blessed his sons in Chapter 49, 15 00:00:43,099 –> 00:00:46,000 at the end of that chapter he breathes his last, 16 00:00:46,000 –> 00:00:49,680 he dies, he’s gone and verse one of Chapter 50, 17 00:00:49,680 –> 00:00:53,040 we read that Joseph fell on his father’s face 18 00:00:53,040 –> 00:00:57,380 and wept over him and kissed him. 19 00:00:58,320 –> 00:01:01,180 And the striking thing in the verses that follow 20 00:01:01,180 –> 00:01:03,320 that are all about the grieving and mourning 21 00:01:03,320 –> 00:01:05,239 over the death of Jacob is that 22 00:01:05,239 –> 00:01:08,120 it’s not only the family who are grieving. 23 00:01:09,000 –> 00:01:12,820 Verse three tells us that the Egyptians 24 00:01:12,820 –> 00:01:17,459 wept for him and they did this for 70 days. 25 00:01:17,459 –> 00:01:19,639 So when the old man dies, 26 00:01:19,639 –> 00:01:23,300 having spent just the last 17 years of his life in Egypt, 27 00:01:23,300 –> 00:01:26,339 there’s this outpouring of affection 28 00:01:26,379 –> 00:01:28,760 that comes across the whole of the community, 29 00:01:28,760 –> 00:01:31,720 which is just another evidence of the remarkable change 30 00:01:31,720 –> 00:01:35,699 that took place in Jacob’s life in the last years. 31 00:01:35,699 –> 00:01:38,019 Remember, he was a rather miserable old man 32 00:01:38,019 –> 00:01:39,339 when he arrived in Egypt. 33 00:01:39,339 –> 00:01:42,699 My ears, well, they’re few and they are evil. 34 00:01:42,699 –> 00:01:45,180 But there was a transforming work of grace 35 00:01:45,180 –> 00:01:47,500 in the last years of his life, 36 00:01:47,500 –> 00:01:50,059 to such an extent that when the old man died, 37 00:01:50,059 –> 00:01:51,860 the whole community was grieving 38 00:01:51,860 –> 00:01:56,860 because he had been such a blessing to so many people. 39 00:01:56,900 –> 00:01:59,059 That’s a wonderful encouragement, 40 00:01:59,059 –> 00:02:02,660 that even late in life, God can do a work in you 41 00:02:02,660 –> 00:02:06,500 that will cause you to be a remarkable blessing 42 00:02:06,500 –> 00:02:10,160 to many, many other people. 43 00:02:10,160 –> 00:02:13,500 Now, cultures are very different in regards to the way 44 00:02:13,500 –> 00:02:16,380 in which we deal with grief and with loss, 45 00:02:16,380 –> 00:02:18,960 but I think that there’s something very significant 46 00:02:19,000 –> 00:02:24,000 and valuable to be learnt from these 70 days of grieving. 47 00:02:24,559 –> 00:02:26,979 The Bible says there is a time to grieve, 48 00:02:26,979 –> 00:02:28,559 that’s in Ecclesiastes. 49 00:02:29,660 –> 00:02:32,559 And 70 days of grieving, think what that means. 50 00:02:32,559 –> 00:02:37,399 It means that for more than two months, 51 00:02:37,399 –> 00:02:42,039 Jacob was the focus of attention. 52 00:02:42,039 –> 00:02:45,600 People told stories about Jacob. 53 00:02:45,600 –> 00:02:49,479 The old man who had gone, they were thinking about him, 54 00:02:49,479 –> 00:02:51,539 they were speaking about him, 55 00:02:51,539 –> 00:02:55,139 and they did this for some period of time. 56 00:02:55,139 –> 00:02:58,320 Now, there’s a very practical application of that. 57 00:02:59,500 –> 00:03:04,500 When a person is grieving the loss of a loved one, 58 00:03:05,800 –> 00:03:10,080 you may sometimes hesitate to speak to them 59 00:03:10,080 –> 00:03:12,179 about the person who has died 60 00:03:12,179 –> 00:03:15,419 because you don’t want to upset again 61 00:03:15,419 –> 00:03:18,740 the person who is grieving their loss. 62 00:03:19,960 –> 00:03:21,699 But let me suggest to you 63 00:03:21,699 –> 00:03:25,539 that it is almost always helpful 64 00:03:25,539 –> 00:03:28,419 to speak about the one who has died 65 00:03:28,419 –> 00:03:31,860 to the one who is grieving, and here’s why. 66 00:03:31,860 –> 00:03:34,100 The loved one who has died 67 00:03:34,100 –> 00:03:37,500 is constantly in the mind 68 00:03:37,500 –> 00:03:41,220 and in the heart of the one who is grieving. 69 00:03:41,220 –> 00:03:43,979 And a very special bond is formed 70 00:03:43,979 –> 00:03:45,820 when it becomes evident 71 00:03:45,820 –> 00:03:49,779 that the one who has died is also in your mind 72 00:03:49,779 –> 00:03:53,619 and in your heart as well. 73 00:03:53,619 –> 00:03:58,100 So, this chapter starts with this grieving over Jacob, 74 00:03:58,100 –> 00:04:00,220 and think about the old man’s life. 75 00:04:00,220 –> 00:04:04,419 He was so twisted in his earlier years. 76 00:04:04,419 –> 00:04:09,220 He was such a sad character in his middle years, 77 00:04:09,220 –> 00:04:11,820 but he became such a remarkable blessing 78 00:04:11,820 –> 00:04:14,259 in his later years. 79 00:04:14,259 –> 00:04:17,779 And Jacob, therefore, stands as a wonderful testimony 80 00:04:17,779 –> 00:04:20,579 of what the grace of God can do 81 00:04:20,579 –> 00:04:24,420 in the saddest and most twisted of lives 82 00:04:24,420 –> 00:04:26,420 for His praise and His glory, 83 00:04:26,420 –> 00:04:30,420 and in the end Jacob is safe 84 00:04:30,420 –> 00:04:33,720 and he is secure in the hands of the living God. 85 00:04:33,720 –> 00:04:35,339 So that’s where the chapter, 86 00:04:35,339 –> 00:04:37,859 the last chapter of Genesis begins. 87 00:04:37,859 –> 00:04:40,380 It begins with the theme of grief. 88 00:04:40,380 –> 00:04:42,980 Second, and we’re gonna spend a little longer on this, 89 00:04:42,980 –> 00:04:44,820 there’s this theme of assurance 90 00:04:44,820 –> 00:04:46,940 and these are the verses that were read to us 91 00:04:46,940 –> 00:04:48,700 a few moments ago. 92 00:04:48,700 –> 00:04:50,559 Verse 15. 93 00:04:50,559 –> 00:04:55,559 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, 94 00:04:55,600 –> 00:05:00,600 they said it may be that Joseph will hate us 95 00:05:01,519 –> 00:05:06,519 and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him. 96 00:05:06,660 –> 00:05:09,119 Now notice that when the old man dies, 97 00:05:09,119 –> 00:05:11,880 there’s a change that comes to the brothers. 98 00:05:11,880 –> 00:05:13,260 Something new happens. 99 00:05:13,260 –> 00:05:15,500 They’re gripped with fear 100 00:05:15,500 –> 00:05:17,820 and they begin to reason like this. 101 00:05:17,820 –> 00:05:20,000 They say, now maybe it was that Joseph 102 00:05:20,000 –> 00:05:23,779 was just being kind to us for the sake of the old man 103 00:05:23,779 –> 00:05:25,579 and now that the old man is gone, 104 00:05:25,579 –> 00:05:28,260 we could be in trouble. 105 00:05:28,260 –> 00:05:30,500 Now think about this. 106 00:05:31,480 –> 00:05:35,299 17 years had passed 107 00:05:35,299 –> 00:05:37,820 since the marvelous day 108 00:05:37,820 –> 00:05:40,859 when Joseph and his brothers were reconciled. 109 00:05:40,859 –> 00:05:42,940 We looked at that together a number of weeks ago 110 00:05:42,940 –> 00:05:45,339 in chapter 45 how they came 111 00:05:45,339 –> 00:05:47,920 and Joseph made himself known. 112 00:05:47,920 –> 00:05:49,940 At first they were absolutely dismayed. 113 00:05:49,940 –> 00:05:52,160 Joseph says, now come near to me 114 00:05:52,160 –> 00:05:54,140 and he weeps over them, he kisses them, 115 00:05:54,140 –> 00:05:58,220 he tells them how God has used all that has happened 116 00:05:58,220 –> 00:06:01,119 to advance his own great and glorious purpose 117 00:06:01,119 –> 00:06:03,920 and there is the most marvelous reconciliation. 118 00:06:03,920 –> 00:06:05,440 They go back to the Father. 119 00:06:05,440 –> 00:06:07,160 They bring their wives, their children, 120 00:06:07,160 –> 00:06:08,820 the whole family, 70 in all. 121 00:06:08,820 –> 00:06:10,980 They’re settled in the land of Goshen 122 00:06:10,980 –> 00:06:13,700 and every day for the last 17 years 123 00:06:13,700 –> 00:06:16,339 Joseph is the one who has been providing for them 124 00:06:16,339 –> 00:06:18,980 homes, food, everything that is needed. 125 00:06:18,980 –> 00:06:20,899 It’s all come from the kindness 126 00:06:20,899 –> 00:06:22,540 of the hand of Joseph. 127 00:06:22,540 –> 00:06:25,059 That’s been their life for 17 years 128 00:06:25,059 –> 00:06:26,380 since they were forgiven 129 00:06:26,380 –> 00:06:28,019 and since they were reconciled. 130 00:06:29,299 –> 00:06:31,739 So isn’t it remarkable 131 00:06:31,739 –> 00:06:35,059 that after 17 years 132 00:06:36,059 –> 00:06:38,679 they still have this suspicion 133 00:06:38,679 –> 00:06:41,940 somewhere deep within their hearts 134 00:06:42,820 –> 00:06:44,239 that at the end of the day 135 00:06:44,239 –> 00:06:47,540 Joseph may actually turn on them 136 00:06:47,540 –> 00:06:50,359 and that he may in some way repay them 137 00:06:50,359 –> 00:06:52,279 for the evil that they have done? 138 00:06:52,279 –> 00:06:53,619 You see what’s happening here 139 00:06:53,619 –> 00:06:55,239 when they have that phrase there 140 00:06:55,239 –> 00:06:58,579 the evil that we have done he may pay us back for that. 141 00:06:58,579 –> 00:07:00,899 See the evil that they have done 142 00:07:00,899 –> 00:07:02,980 even though it is forgiven 143 00:07:02,980 –> 00:07:05,899 from time to time it comes back to their minds. 144 00:07:05,899 –> 00:07:09,299 That’s just part of how it is the human memory 145 00:07:09,299 –> 00:07:12,179 and we do remember things we’ve done 146 00:07:12,179 –> 00:07:13,859 and so they’re wondering 147 00:07:13,859 –> 00:07:15,500 Will it comes back to our minds? 148 00:07:15,500 –> 00:07:18,220 Maybe it comes back to his mind as well. 149 00:07:19,559 –> 00:07:22,760 And so you see this deep suspicion 150 00:07:23,600 –> 00:07:26,160 that even after all these years 151 00:07:26,160 –> 00:07:28,519 of experiencing the great love, the goodness, 152 00:07:28,519 –> 00:07:30,920 the provision that comes from the hand of Joseph 153 00:07:30,920 –> 00:07:34,019 they are still wondering if in the end 154 00:07:34,019 –> 00:07:36,440 he may actually turn against them 155 00:07:36,440 –> 00:07:40,200 and they may be done for after all. 156 00:07:41,160 –> 00:07:42,820 Now I wouldn’t suggest to you today 157 00:07:42,820 –> 00:07:45,959 that this is actually a remarkably common experience 158 00:07:45,959 –> 00:07:48,239 in the Christian life. 159 00:07:48,239 –> 00:07:49,100 Think about it. 160 00:07:49,980 –> 00:07:53,000 You came to Jesus Christ and trusted him. 161 00:07:53,000 –> 00:07:54,459 You were reconciled to him. 162 00:07:54,459 –> 00:07:55,940 Your sins were forgiven. 163 00:07:55,940 –> 00:07:59,000 Perhaps that happened for you 17 years ago 164 00:08:00,040 –> 00:08:04,880 or seven years ago or 70 years ago or six months ago, 165 00:08:06,019 –> 00:08:08,779 but you came to Christ and you put your trust in him 166 00:08:08,779 –> 00:08:10,420 and since then he has guarded you 167 00:08:10,420 –> 00:08:14,160 and he has walked with you and he has provided for you, 168 00:08:15,160 –> 00:08:20,160 but when something really hard comes up in your life, 169 00:08:20,200 –> 00:08:22,839 your first thought and you might say it to me, 170 00:08:22,839 –> 00:08:24,839 even you might say, pastor, 171 00:08:24,839 –> 00:08:28,279 do you think God is punishing me 172 00:08:30,100 –> 00:08:31,359 and why do you say that? 173 00:08:31,359 –> 00:08:32,979 Why does that thought come up in your mind? 174 00:08:32,979 –> 00:08:34,520 Because somewhere in your heart, 175 00:08:34,520 –> 00:08:36,440 despite being forgiven, 176 00:08:36,440 –> 00:08:37,919 despite being reconciled, 177 00:08:37,919 –> 00:08:39,320 there is some sense, 178 00:08:39,320 –> 00:08:41,419 some lurking suspicion in you 179 00:08:41,419 –> 00:08:43,359 that at the end of the day, 180 00:08:44,200 –> 00:08:46,380 God may actually be against you. 181 00:08:47,239 –> 00:08:48,539 After all, 182 00:08:49,440 –> 00:08:50,880 or here you are a Christian. 183 00:08:50,880 –> 00:08:51,960 You’re a child of God. 184 00:08:51,960 –> 00:08:53,640 You’re reconciled to him. 185 00:08:53,640 –> 00:08:55,280 But if I were to ask you now, 186 00:08:55,280 –> 00:08:58,460 will you go to heaven when you die? 187 00:08:59,940 –> 00:09:02,960 Some of you would say to me, 188 00:09:02,960 –> 00:09:03,979 well I hope so. 189 00:09:05,179 –> 00:09:06,580 And the reason you would say, 190 00:09:06,580 –> 00:09:10,280 I hope so is that you’re not really sure. 191 00:09:10,280 –> 00:09:12,380 You would like to think that this will happen, 192 00:09:12,460 –> 00:09:14,520 you’re not confident in regard to it. 193 00:09:14,520 –> 00:09:16,419 You don’t really have peace about it. 194 00:09:16,419 –> 00:09:19,320 And so this problem that I’m saying 195 00:09:19,320 –> 00:09:22,179 is actually quite common among Christians. 196 00:09:22,179 –> 00:09:26,700 It’s usually referred to as the problem of assurance. 197 00:09:26,700 –> 00:09:29,260 That is, that a person is forgiven, 198 00:09:29,260 –> 00:09:31,299 they are truly reconciled to God, 199 00:09:31,299 –> 00:09:36,299 but they are not sure about their relationship with him. 200 00:09:36,599 –> 00:09:38,400 They have a lurking suspicion, 201 00:09:38,400 –> 00:09:41,239 a sort of fear that at the end of the day, 202 00:09:41,239 –> 00:09:45,039 God may harbor some ill will towards you. 203 00:09:45,039 –> 00:09:47,260 And perhaps because from time to time, 204 00:09:47,260 –> 00:09:50,419 the evil that you have done comes back into your memory. 205 00:09:50,419 –> 00:09:52,539 You think, what if it’s the same with God 206 00:09:52,539 –> 00:09:55,619 and what if when it comes up in some way in his memory, 207 00:09:55,619 –> 00:09:57,299 he actually turns against me. 208 00:09:57,299 –> 00:09:58,940 And when I get to the gates of heaven, 209 00:09:58,940 –> 00:10:01,940 he remembers it all and and then I’m gone. 210 00:10:01,940 –> 00:10:03,859 And then I’m done for it. 211 00:10:03,859 –> 00:10:06,260 These are very, very real issues 212 00:10:06,260 –> 00:10:09,619 and there’s a perfect picture 213 00:10:09,640 –> 00:10:12,719 of this problem of assurance 214 00:10:12,719 –> 00:10:16,299 in the impulse that arises from the brother’s heart 215 00:10:16,299 –> 00:10:18,700 when the old man dies and they think, 216 00:10:18,700 –> 00:10:20,359 now maybe in the end after all, 217 00:10:20,359 –> 00:10:21,500 after all this kindness, 218 00:10:21,500 –> 00:10:26,179 maybe at the end, Joseph is gonna repay us 219 00:10:26,179 –> 00:10:29,900 for the evil that we have done. 220 00:10:29,900 –> 00:10:32,619 So this passage, I think raises for us 221 00:10:32,619 –> 00:10:34,979 this very practical question, 222 00:10:35,059 –> 00:10:40,059 how as a Christian can you deal with this fear? 223 00:10:41,119 –> 00:10:45,340 How can you as a Christian establish assurance 224 00:10:45,340 –> 00:10:49,820 or confidence in your standing before God 225 00:10:49,820 –> 00:10:52,099 as a forgiven son or daughter 226 00:10:52,099 –> 00:10:54,960 as one who is reconciled to Him 227 00:10:54,960 –> 00:10:57,700 not just for seven, 17 or 70 years, 228 00:10:57,700 –> 00:11:01,979 but in time for eternity forever and forever? 229 00:11:01,979 –> 00:11:03,119 And I want to suggest to you 230 00:11:03,140 –> 00:11:04,599 just from this story, 231 00:11:04,599 –> 00:11:08,840 the way in which Joseph brings assurance to the brothers, 232 00:11:08,840 –> 00:11:10,599 that we can kind of look through the eyes 233 00:11:10,599 –> 00:11:13,119 of what Joseph does to assure the brothers 234 00:11:13,119 –> 00:11:18,119 and we can see how Jesus Christ brings assurance to us. 235 00:11:18,859 –> 00:11:20,280 And I want to suggest to you today 236 00:11:20,280 –> 00:11:22,760 that our assurance in Jesus Christ 237 00:11:22,760 –> 00:11:25,440 has a fourfold foundation. 238 00:11:25,440 –> 00:11:28,619 It rests first on His love 239 00:11:28,619 –> 00:11:30,440 and I want you to see in verse 17 240 00:11:30,479 –> 00:11:35,119 the expression of the love of Joseph that we have here. 241 00:11:35,119 –> 00:11:39,859 The brothers when the father dies send a message to Joseph 242 00:11:39,859 –> 00:11:42,840 and their message is that the father had said 243 00:11:42,840 –> 00:11:43,960 before he died, 244 00:11:43,960 –> 00:11:46,559 please forgive the transgressions of your brothers 245 00:11:46,559 –> 00:11:49,559 and their sin because they did evil to you. 246 00:11:50,599 –> 00:11:54,200 And I want you to notice verse 17 how Joseph responds. 247 00:11:55,400 –> 00:12:00,400 It says Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 248 00:12:01,280 –> 00:12:02,260 Why did he weep? 249 00:12:06,179 –> 00:12:09,780 Because after all he had done for his brothers 250 00:12:09,780 –> 00:12:13,020 they still did not in their hearts believe 251 00:12:13,020 –> 00:12:14,619 that he really loved them. 252 00:12:14,619 –> 00:12:19,619 And he wept and if you really love someone 253 00:12:19,780 –> 00:12:24,080 and in their heart of hearts they keep doubting your love 254 00:12:24,080 –> 00:12:25,659 that would make you weep to. 255 00:12:25,659 –> 00:12:30,659 We do, John Owen says, that the greatest sorrow, 256 00:12:31,460 –> 00:12:34,940 the greatest burden, that a Christian can lay on God 257 00:12:34,940 –> 00:12:37,880 the Father, the greatest unkindness that we can do to him 258 00:12:37,880 –> 00:12:41,140 is not to believe that he loves us. 259 00:12:41,140 –> 00:12:44,359 It wounds the very heart of the one who loves. 260 00:12:45,719 –> 00:12:49,520 Now here’s the first basis of assurance. 261 00:12:49,520 –> 00:12:54,520 Joseph loves them and the weeping is an unfolding, 262 00:12:54,739 –> 00:12:56,559 a manifesting of that. 263 00:12:57,520 –> 00:13:02,520 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son 264 00:13:03,780 –> 00:13:07,400 that a person like you who believes in him 265 00:13:07,400 –> 00:13:10,539 will not perish, but have everlasting life. 266 00:13:10,539 –> 00:13:13,460 It all flows out of the love of God. 267 00:13:13,460 –> 00:13:16,679 And this is the great argument that is presented before us 268 00:13:16,679 –> 00:13:19,340 in Romans and chapter eight. 269 00:13:19,340 –> 00:13:23,000 God has demonstrated his love in the giving of his Son 270 00:13:23,059 –> 00:13:25,700 and Romans 8, 32, puts it like this. 271 00:13:25,700 –> 00:13:29,780 God did not spare his one and only son. 272 00:13:29,780 –> 00:13:32,679 There’s love, God gives his son. 273 00:13:33,840 –> 00:13:36,299 And if God did not spare his one and only son 274 00:13:36,299 –> 00:13:39,919 but freely gave him up for us all, 275 00:13:40,840 –> 00:13:43,500 then how will he not also along with him 276 00:13:43,500 –> 00:13:46,979 graciously give us all things? 277 00:13:46,979 –> 00:13:50,239 So you want to get assurance, you wanna get confidence, 278 00:13:50,239 –> 00:13:53,000 you wanna get joy in your relationship with God. 279 00:13:53,000 –> 00:13:57,239 Get your eyes off your own failures in your Christian life, 280 00:13:57,239 –> 00:13:59,320 the inadequacy and weakness of your faith 281 00:13:59,320 –> 00:14:00,599 and you prayer life and all of that. 282 00:14:00,599 –> 00:14:03,559 Get your eyes onto this, the great love 283 00:14:03,559 –> 00:14:06,219 that God has for you in Jesus Christ. 284 00:14:06,219 –> 00:14:09,520 Assurance is birthed and it is grounded there. 285 00:14:10,599 –> 00:14:14,419 Second, our assurance in Christ 286 00:14:14,419 –> 00:14:18,760 rests on his authority. 287 00:14:18,760 –> 00:14:23,760 Now here, Joseph points to Jesus by way of contrast. 288 00:14:24,020 –> 00:14:27,119 In other words, the opposite is true 289 00:14:27,119 –> 00:14:30,219 with regards to Jesus of what Joseph says here. 290 00:14:30,219 –> 00:14:31,859 But you’ll see the connection straight away. 291 00:14:31,859 –> 00:14:33,119 Look at verse 19. 292 00:14:34,460 –> 00:14:37,440 Joseph said to them, 293 00:14:37,440 –> 00:14:42,440 Do not fear, for Am I in the place of God? 294 00:14:42,679 –> 00:14:47,679 Now, the brothers are afraid because they think 295 00:14:49,760 –> 00:14:53,119 that Joseph might pay them back 296 00:14:53,119 –> 00:14:55,219 for the evil that they have done. 297 00:14:56,320 –> 00:14:57,900 And Joseph says, 298 00:14:57,900 –> 00:15:02,359 Look, recompense for evil is something 299 00:15:02,359 –> 00:15:05,340 that belongs to God, not me. 300 00:15:05,340 –> 00:15:08,380 I am not God. 301 00:15:08,380 –> 00:15:10,919 It’s not my job to recompense 302 00:15:10,919 –> 00:15:13,700 the wrong that was done to me. 303 00:15:14,780 –> 00:15:15,960 Now in this, of course, 304 00:15:15,960 –> 00:15:19,479 Joseph is giving us a marvelous example. 305 00:15:19,479 –> 00:15:23,000 We are never to pay back evil for evil. 306 00:15:23,919 –> 00:15:27,219 That’s the principle of Romans chapter 12 and verse 19. 307 00:15:27,219 –> 00:15:30,159 These words were written first in the book of Deuteronomy 308 00:15:30,159 –> 00:15:32,460 many, many years after the time of Joseph, 309 00:15:32,460 –> 00:15:34,119 but Joseph already knew the principle. 310 00:15:34,119 –> 00:15:34,960 What is it? 311 00:15:34,960 –> 00:15:37,880 Never avenge yourselves 312 00:15:37,900 –> 00:15:39,719 because God says, 313 00:15:39,719 –> 00:15:41,960 vengeance is mine, 314 00:15:41,960 –> 00:15:44,520 I will repay says the Lord. 315 00:15:44,520 –> 00:15:45,919 Now, you see what Joseph is saying 316 00:15:45,919 –> 00:15:47,940 and the force of it, he’s got this principle. 317 00:15:47,940 –> 00:15:50,359 It’s not for me to recompense evil. 318 00:15:50,359 –> 00:15:51,179 That’s not my job, 319 00:15:51,179 –> 00:15:52,880 that’s God’s job. 320 00:15:52,880 –> 00:15:55,080 And am I in the place of God? 321 00:15:55,080 –> 00:15:56,559 Look, I’ve forgiven you, 322 00:15:56,559 –> 00:15:59,000 you’ll have nothing to fear from me, 323 00:15:59,000 –> 00:16:01,500 and I am not in the place of God. 324 00:16:01,500 –> 00:16:05,440 Do not fear for am I in the position of God. 325 00:16:06,400 –> 00:16:07,440 Now, think about this, 326 00:16:07,880 –> 00:16:11,400 Jesus Christ comes now into the world. 327 00:16:12,640 –> 00:16:14,960 And he is in the place of God. 328 00:16:14,960 –> 00:16:16,559 There’s the contrast, right? 329 00:16:17,859 –> 00:16:22,859 He was in the beginning was the Word, 330 00:16:22,880 –> 00:16:24,080 and the Word was with God, 331 00:16:24,080 –> 00:16:26,320 and the Word was God. 332 00:16:26,320 –> 00:16:29,239 And so what he says God says 333 00:16:29,239 –> 00:16:32,119 and what Jesus does is what God does. 334 00:16:32,119 –> 00:16:33,760 And what does Jesus do? 335 00:16:33,760 –> 00:16:36,280 He goes to the cross 336 00:16:36,280 –> 00:16:40,239 and he bears our sin in his body on the tree. 337 00:16:41,179 –> 00:16:44,640 And that takes us to a second great argument 338 00:16:44,640 –> 00:16:47,619 for assurance or a great foundation of assurance 339 00:16:47,619 –> 00:16:50,200 also in Romans and chapter eight. 340 00:16:51,080 –> 00:16:56,080 If God be for us who can be against us? 341 00:16:56,739 –> 00:16:58,640 Look, nobody is above him, 342 00:16:58,640 –> 00:17:02,280 he is in the supreme place of authority. 343 00:17:02,280 –> 00:17:04,959 If God be for us who can be against us? 344 00:17:04,979 –> 00:17:07,680 If he has forgiven you, 345 00:17:07,680 –> 00:17:10,760 then who else can bring any condemnation against you? 346 00:17:10,760 –> 00:17:14,479 It’s an argument from him being in the highest place, 347 00:17:14,479 –> 00:17:18,160 and that’s why the apostle Paul goes on to say, 348 00:17:18,160 –> 00:17:21,079 it is God who justifies, 349 00:17:21,079 –> 00:17:25,319 so who then in the world is going to be able to condemn? 350 00:17:25,319 –> 00:17:27,359 Jesus Christ died and he rose 351 00:17:27,359 –> 00:17:30,319 and he’s at the right hand of the father on high. 352 00:17:30,319 –> 00:17:34,319 There’s the basis of your assurance. 353 00:17:34,319 –> 00:17:38,560 So who can speak any charge against you? 354 00:17:38,560 –> 00:17:40,359 God justifies you, 355 00:17:40,359 –> 00:17:44,160 he justifies you on the basis of his son 356 00:17:44,160 –> 00:17:46,520 and his finished work on the cross. 357 00:17:46,520 –> 00:17:48,760 And the son who finished the work on the cross 358 00:17:48,760 –> 00:17:53,520 is right at the right-hand side of the father in heaven. 359 00:17:53,520 –> 00:17:54,680 His work is finished, 360 00:17:54,680 –> 00:17:57,839 therefore no one can condemn you. 361 00:17:57,839 –> 00:18:00,699 It’s the argument from the position of God, 362 00:18:00,699 –> 00:18:03,520 it’s the argument from the authority 363 00:18:03,579 –> 00:18:05,699 of our Lord Jesus Christ, 364 00:18:05,699 –> 00:18:08,579 who said all authority is given to me. 365 00:18:08,579 –> 00:18:11,459 So how do you ground assurance? 366 00:18:12,660 –> 00:18:15,619 It comes first out of a knowledge of the love 367 00:18:15,619 –> 00:18:16,959 that God has for you. 368 00:18:17,800 –> 00:18:20,359 It comes secondly out of a recognition 369 00:18:20,359 –> 00:18:23,219 that there’s no higher authority in all of the cosmos. 370 00:18:23,219 –> 00:18:26,099 And if he has said that it is right with you, 371 00:18:26,099 –> 00:18:27,239 you have nothing to fear 372 00:18:27,239 –> 00:18:29,339 even if your own heart condemns you, 373 00:18:29,339 –> 00:18:31,060 even when Satan condemns you, 374 00:18:31,079 –> 00:18:33,219 even if other people may condemn you, 375 00:18:34,199 –> 00:18:37,380 if God has said you are justified in Jesus Christ, 376 00:18:37,380 –> 00:18:39,339 you are justified in Jesus Christ, 377 00:18:39,339 –> 00:18:42,040 and who can condemn you 378 00:18:42,040 –> 00:18:46,339 when the highest authority has said you are forgiven 379 00:18:46,339 –> 00:18:48,180 and you are reconciled? 380 00:18:48,180 –> 00:18:52,160 And through my son, you are made right with me. 381 00:18:53,260 –> 00:18:57,339 Third great foundation of assurance is this, 382 00:18:57,339 –> 00:18:59,239 it rests on his goodness. 383 00:18:59,280 –> 00:19:01,640 And here perhaps the most famous story at verse 384 00:19:01,640 –> 00:19:05,319 in all of the story of Joseph, verse 20, 385 00:19:05,319 –> 00:19:07,359 as for you Joseph says to his brothers, 386 00:19:07,359 –> 00:19:12,359 you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, 387 00:19:13,199 –> 00:19:17,819 to bring it about that many people should be kept alive 388 00:19:17,819 –> 00:19:21,479 as they are today. 389 00:19:23,000 –> 00:19:25,719 So God’s goodness has Proved to be greater 390 00:19:25,760 –> 00:19:29,239 than all of the brothers sin, 391 00:19:30,560 –> 00:19:34,219 and as often as the brothers thought 392 00:19:34,219 –> 00:19:35,439 about what they had done, 393 00:19:35,439 –> 00:19:38,560 they would have some measure of grief and of sorrow, 394 00:19:39,400 –> 00:19:43,239 but notice that what Joseph does is he says look, 395 00:19:43,239 –> 00:19:48,239 there’s what you did, but there’s also what God did, 396 00:19:50,099 –> 00:19:54,439 and what God did is bigger than what you did, 397 00:19:54,479 –> 00:19:57,079 marvelous, now think about this, 398 00:19:57,079 –> 00:19:59,199 if you look at the story of Joseph 399 00:19:59,199 –> 00:20:02,339 from the perspective of what people did, 400 00:20:02,339 –> 00:20:05,300 it really is a story of one evil after another, 401 00:20:06,140 –> 00:20:11,140 so the brothers hate him and they sell him as a slave, 402 00:20:11,680 –> 00:20:15,239 Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him 403 00:20:15,239 –> 00:20:19,380 and when he shows no interest in her advances, 404 00:20:19,380 –> 00:20:23,459 she then lies about him and ends up with him in prison. 405 00:20:23,459 –> 00:20:26,079 The butler who he meets and ministers to in prison 406 00:20:26,079 –> 00:20:29,859 then gets released and put to the right hand of Pharaoh 407 00:20:29,859 –> 00:20:31,839 and completely forgets about the one 408 00:20:31,839 –> 00:20:33,560 who has done him so much good. 409 00:20:34,699 –> 00:20:39,500 If you look at your life, you may be able to come up 410 00:20:39,500 –> 00:20:43,540 with a list of evils that have been done against you, 411 00:20:43,540 –> 00:20:45,780 you may be able to come up with a list of people 412 00:20:45,780 –> 00:20:48,800 who have hurt you, people who have disappointed you, 413 00:20:48,800 –> 00:20:52,079 people who have let you down and if that’s all you can see, 414 00:20:52,079 –> 00:20:53,880 the evil that is done against you, 415 00:20:53,880 –> 00:20:56,020 your life will be very miserable indeed. 416 00:20:58,060 –> 00:21:00,040 But Joseph, while being fully aware 417 00:21:00,040 –> 00:21:02,140 of the evils that were done against him, 418 00:21:02,140 –> 00:21:05,079 he said you meant it for evil, there’s what you did 419 00:21:06,219 –> 00:21:07,579 but here’s what I’m looking at. 420 00:21:07,579 –> 00:21:10,579 I’m looking at what God did. 421 00:21:10,579 –> 00:21:14,099 His mind is filled with the greater work, 422 00:21:14,099 –> 00:21:17,060 He looks beyond the evil that was done to Him 423 00:21:17,060 –> 00:21:21,680 and he sees the hand of God at work redemptively 424 00:21:21,719 –> 00:21:24,000 in his life. 425 00:21:24,000 –> 00:21:26,680 And what has God brought out of all this 426 00:21:26,680 –> 00:21:29,099 that happened in the life of Joseph? 427 00:21:30,160 –> 00:21:32,300 Well, it’s the one thing that’s been at the center 428 00:21:32,300 –> 00:21:35,180 of our series right from the beginning. 429 00:21:36,319 –> 00:21:38,079 Joseph 430 00:21:38,079 –> 00:21:39,319 looks 431 00:21:39,319 –> 00:21:40,760 remarkably 432 00:21:40,760 –> 00:21:42,060 like 433 00:21:42,060 –> 00:21:43,839 Jesus. 434 00:21:43,839 –> 00:21:45,199 What God has done 435 00:21:46,479 –> 00:21:47,599 through all of this, 436 00:21:47,599 –> 00:21:49,180 all of this pain and loss and sorrow 437 00:21:49,180 –> 00:21:50,280 and disappointment and everything. 438 00:21:50,280 –> 00:21:52,239 What God has done supremely 439 00:21:53,420 –> 00:21:55,260 beyond even what has been done 440 00:21:55,260 –> 00:21:57,079 in terms of supplying the food in Egypt. 441 00:21:57,079 –> 00:21:59,819 The great thing that has been done 442 00:21:59,819 –> 00:22:03,119 is that out of all of this has come a life 443 00:22:04,339 –> 00:22:06,619 that looks remarkably 444 00:22:06,619 –> 00:22:07,979 like 445 00:22:07,979 –> 00:22:09,760 Jesus. 446 00:22:09,760 –> 00:22:11,800 And of course, that is the great truth 447 00:22:11,800 –> 00:22:14,420 of Romans chapter eight and verse 28 448 00:22:14,420 –> 00:22:16,140 that most of us know well. 449 00:22:16,140 –> 00:22:17,359 We know 450 00:22:17,359 –> 00:22:19,339 that God works 451 00:22:19,380 –> 00:22:21,660 in all things for the good 452 00:22:21,660 –> 00:22:23,500 of those who love him. 453 00:22:25,099 –> 00:22:27,280 And what is the good 454 00:22:27,280 –> 00:22:29,280 that God is always working for 455 00:22:29,280 –> 00:22:31,380 in every circumstance of your life, 456 00:22:31,380 –> 00:22:32,900 the worst as well as the best, 457 00:22:32,900 –> 00:22:34,260 the evil as well as the good? 458 00:22:34,260 –> 00:22:35,239 In all things, 459 00:22:35,239 –> 00:22:37,319 what’s the good He’s about? 460 00:22:37,319 –> 00:22:38,239 Here’s what it is. 461 00:22:38,239 –> 00:22:40,439 It’s in Romans chapter eight and verse 29, 462 00:22:40,439 –> 00:22:42,260 the very next verse. 463 00:22:42,260 –> 00:22:43,540 It is 464 00:22:43,540 –> 00:22:45,359 that you should be conformed 465 00:22:45,359 –> 00:22:47,180 to the image of His Son 466 00:22:48,060 –> 00:22:50,579 that Jesus might be the firstborn 467 00:22:50,579 –> 00:22:52,260 among many brothers. 468 00:22:53,420 –> 00:22:54,900 What’s the great purpose of God 469 00:22:54,900 –> 00:22:56,900 through everything that happens in your life? 470 00:22:56,900 –> 00:22:57,900 The best and the worst, 471 00:22:57,900 –> 00:22:59,439 that in you, 472 00:22:59,439 –> 00:23:03,199 there will be a remarkable likeness to Jesus? 473 00:23:04,280 –> 00:23:06,339 And why is that His great purpose? 474 00:23:06,339 –> 00:23:08,380 Because the great purpose of God 475 00:23:08,380 –> 00:23:10,160 over all history 476 00:23:10,160 –> 00:23:12,739 is He has one Son who He loves. 477 00:23:13,660 –> 00:23:15,560 And He wants to multiply 478 00:23:15,640 –> 00:23:18,439 the image of the Son He loves 479 00:23:18,439 –> 00:23:21,119 so that in every one of our lives, 480 00:23:21,119 –> 00:23:22,459 there will be formed 481 00:23:22,459 –> 00:23:25,280 often through the crucible of disappointments 482 00:23:25,280 –> 00:23:27,180 and sometimes of great pain 483 00:23:27,180 –> 00:23:28,459 and even of suffering, 484 00:23:28,459 –> 00:23:30,300 there will be formed in our lives 485 00:23:30,300 –> 00:23:33,459 a remarkable likeness to Jesus Christ. 486 00:23:35,459 –> 00:23:37,079 That there will be a reflection 487 00:23:37,079 –> 00:23:38,040 of His goodness 488 00:23:38,040 –> 00:23:39,020 and His kindness 489 00:23:39,020 –> 00:23:40,079 and His patience 490 00:23:40,079 –> 00:23:41,319 and His faithfulness 491 00:23:41,319 –> 00:23:42,359 and His love 492 00:23:42,359 –> 00:23:44,339 and it’s going to be formed in us 493 00:23:44,439 –> 00:23:46,660 through every circumstance of life. 494 00:23:46,660 –> 00:23:47,560 So, Joseph says, 495 00:23:47,560 –> 00:23:48,459 yeah, yeah, yeah, 496 00:23:48,459 –> 00:23:49,479 that’s what you did. 497 00:23:51,180 –> 00:23:52,939 But, look at what God did. 498 00:23:54,260 –> 00:23:55,839 You meant it for evil. 499 00:23:56,800 –> 00:23:58,260 But, God 500 00:23:58,260 –> 00:24:00,099 meant it 501 00:24:00,099 –> 00:24:01,500 for good. 502 00:24:01,500 –> 00:24:02,520 Always remember this friends, 503 00:24:02,520 –> 00:24:05,540 the great purpose of God 504 00:24:05,540 –> 00:24:08,000 is not that we will be 505 00:24:08,000 –> 00:24:10,099 healthy, prosperous, 506 00:24:10,099 –> 00:24:12,420 sipping and savoring the joys of life 507 00:24:12,420 –> 00:24:13,560 in a trouble-free world. 508 00:24:13,780 –> 00:24:15,479 That’s not the great purpose of God 509 00:24:15,479 –> 00:24:17,280 for you and for me in this world. 510 00:24:18,640 –> 00:24:20,439 The great purpose of God 511 00:24:20,439 –> 00:24:23,099 for you and for me in this world 512 00:24:23,099 –> 00:24:27,140 is that we will become, increasingly, 513 00:24:27,140 –> 00:24:29,239 like Jesus. 514 00:24:29,239 –> 00:24:31,140 And that there will be for all eternity, 515 00:24:31,140 –> 00:24:32,719 from people from all nations 516 00:24:32,719 –> 00:24:35,280 redeemed by Christ 517 00:24:35,280 –> 00:24:38,400 and filled by the Spirit of Christ, 518 00:24:38,400 –> 00:24:40,939 a beautiful reflection of Jesus 519 00:24:40,979 –> 00:24:44,199 like a diamond reflecting all the facets of life 520 00:24:44,199 –> 00:24:46,359 for His glory, forever and forever, 521 00:24:46,359 –> 00:24:49,619 and He’ll do that through every circumstance of your life. 522 00:24:49,619 –> 00:24:52,859 Nothing is beyond the reach of God 523 00:24:52,859 –> 00:24:55,359 to advance His great purpose 524 00:24:55,359 –> 00:24:57,699 of making you like Jesus 525 00:24:57,699 –> 00:25:00,319 through all the experiences of your life. 526 00:25:00,319 –> 00:25:02,859 And so, this good is never overwhelmed. 527 00:25:02,859 –> 00:25:05,380 It’s always advanced, and supremely 528 00:25:06,599 –> 00:25:09,140 at the cross where you see the greatest 529 00:25:09,140 –> 00:25:11,739 expression of what was meant for evil. 530 00:25:12,839 –> 00:25:13,880 And what does God do? 531 00:25:13,880 –> 00:25:15,459 He advances the greatest good 532 00:25:15,459 –> 00:25:17,420 in all of the history of the world. 533 00:25:17,420 –> 00:25:21,800 The Redeemer bears the sins of all the redeemed. 534 00:25:21,800 –> 00:25:23,500 So where are you gonna find assurance? 535 00:25:23,500 –> 00:25:25,079 Where are you gonna find confidence 536 00:25:25,079 –> 00:25:26,920 in a troubled world like this? 537 00:25:26,920 –> 00:25:30,520 Where are you going to establish yourself as a Christian? 538 00:25:30,520 –> 00:25:31,920 Well, it’s gonna come from God’s love. 539 00:25:31,920 –> 00:25:33,439 It’s gonna come from God’s authority. 540 00:25:33,439 –> 00:25:35,920 It’s gonna come from the knowledge of God’s goodness, 541 00:25:35,920 –> 00:25:37,380 which always reigns, 542 00:25:37,380 –> 00:25:38,900 and it’s gonna come from the knowledge 543 00:25:38,959 –> 00:25:43,420 of his promises, verse 21, his promise. 544 00:25:43,420 –> 00:25:45,979 So do not fear. 545 00:25:45,979 –> 00:25:48,359 Joseph says to his brothers, 546 00:25:48,359 –> 00:25:52,660 I will provide for you. 547 00:25:54,000 –> 00:25:56,040 Now the significance of these five words, 548 00:25:56,040 –> 00:25:57,239 I will provide for you, 549 00:25:57,239 –> 00:26:00,280 is that they are exactly the same words 550 00:26:00,280 –> 00:26:03,180 that Joseph spoke to his brothers 17 years before, 551 00:26:04,040 –> 00:26:05,599 and so you see the force of that. 552 00:26:05,599 –> 00:26:08,760 I will provide for you. 553 00:26:08,760 –> 00:26:13,500 Now look, brothers, I gave you my word 17 years ago. 554 00:26:13,500 –> 00:26:16,739 I said this to you then, I say it again to you now. 555 00:26:16,739 –> 00:26:18,560 You can rely on my promise. 556 00:26:18,560 –> 00:26:23,560 I gave you my word, and my word will never, never change. 557 00:26:23,880 –> 00:26:27,140 You find assurance not by looking into your own heart, 558 00:26:27,140 –> 00:26:29,959 but by resting on the promise of God. 559 00:26:31,160 –> 00:26:32,339 And friends, that is why we come 560 00:26:32,339 –> 00:26:35,000 around the communion table so regularly together. 561 00:26:35,000 –> 00:26:37,579 What happens when we come to the Lord’s table? 562 00:26:38,300 –> 00:26:41,180 We are remnded of his great promise. 563 00:26:41,180 –> 00:26:45,060 It is held before us, not because we haven’t heard it before 564 00:26:45,060 –> 00:26:47,380 but because so often our hearts condemn us 565 00:26:47,380 –> 00:26:49,219 and we begin to wonder if it will be all right 566 00:26:49,219 –> 00:26:50,619 with us in the end. 567 00:26:51,699 –> 00:26:54,719 So what happens, we come around the Lord’s table 568 00:26:54,719 –> 00:26:56,780 where Jesus was the one who took the cup 569 00:26:56,780 –> 00:26:58,599 and after he had given thanks he said, 570 00:26:58,599 –> 00:27:01,319 drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood 571 00:27:01,319 –> 00:27:04,699 of the covenant which is poured out for many 572 00:27:04,699 –> 00:27:07,439 for the forgiveness of sins. 573 00:27:08,560 –> 00:27:11,280 A covenant is a promise. 574 00:27:11,280 –> 00:27:15,459 And God says to us, here’s my promise. 575 00:27:16,500 –> 00:27:18,959 Jesus says, my blood is shed 576 00:27:18,959 –> 00:27:23,819 for the forgiveness of your sins. 577 00:27:23,819 –> 00:27:25,479 All of your sins. 578 00:27:26,599 –> 00:27:29,040 And whenever we come around the Lord’s table 579 00:27:29,040 –> 00:27:31,260 the promise is held up before us 580 00:27:31,260 –> 00:27:33,859 just like Joseph held up the promise again 581 00:27:33,859 –> 00:27:35,739 exactly the same promise 582 00:27:35,819 –> 00:27:38,119 because it’s what they most needed to hear 583 00:27:38,119 –> 00:27:40,160 and this promise never changes. 584 00:27:40,160 –> 00:27:41,719 It never goes away. 585 00:27:41,719 –> 00:27:45,699 And it’s held before us again today by the word. 586 00:27:45,699 –> 00:27:50,699 And it’s held before us around the table 587 00:27:50,959 –> 00:27:54,280 because when we see our own sins 588 00:27:55,239 –> 00:27:59,339 sometimes we lose sight of the promise, 589 00:27:59,339 –> 00:28:02,119 and when that happens all kinds of fears 590 00:28:02,280 –> 00:28:05,839 can rush into our minds and into our hearts 591 00:28:05,839 –> 00:28:08,060 and then we wonder if God really loves us 592 00:28:08,060 –> 00:28:12,660 and he says, let me remind you of my promise. 593 00:28:13,819 –> 00:28:15,560 Now this is really practical stuff. 594 00:28:15,560 –> 00:28:18,400 This is how you set your heart at peace 595 00:28:18,400 –> 00:28:21,760 in the presence of God when your own heart condemns you. 596 00:28:21,760 –> 00:28:25,439 And every one of us knows what that experience is like. 597 00:28:25,439 –> 00:28:28,020 You don’t look into your own heart. 598 00:28:29,020 –> 00:28:34,020 You rest upon his love, his authority, 599 00:28:34,739 –> 00:28:38,800 his goodness and his promise, 600 00:28:38,800 –> 00:28:42,199 all of which are held before us today. 601 00:28:43,599 –> 00:28:47,380 Now the last thing in this marvelous chapter 602 00:28:47,380 –> 00:28:49,380 is the great theme of hope. 603 00:28:49,380 –> 00:28:53,180 So it starts with grief, it moves through assurance 604 00:28:53,180 –> 00:28:56,479 and it ends on the note of hope. 605 00:28:56,520 –> 00:28:59,099 So we began chapter 50 with the death of Jacob, 606 00:28:59,099 –> 00:29:02,020 very quickly now we move at the end of the chapter 607 00:29:02,020 –> 00:29:03,719 to the death of Joseph. 608 00:29:03,719 –> 00:29:06,319 Verse 24, he says, I’m about to die. 609 00:29:07,119 –> 00:29:11,459 And then, notice that he makes his brothers swear an oath 610 00:29:11,459 –> 00:29:14,780 saying, God will surely, verse 25, visit you 611 00:29:14,780 –> 00:29:19,780 and you shall carry up my bones from here. 612 00:29:21,939 –> 00:29:24,719 And then it says, Joseph being died, 613 00:29:24,719 –> 00:29:28,260 being 110 years old and they embalmed him 614 00:29:28,260 –> 00:29:32,520 and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. 615 00:29:32,520 –> 00:29:33,780 So there are your two funerals 616 00:29:33,780 –> 00:29:37,160 in the last chapter of the Book of Genesis. 617 00:29:37,160 –> 00:29:40,619 And think of this, that the Book of Genesis 618 00:29:40,619 –> 00:29:43,079 begins in a garden, you’ve heard me say 619 00:29:43,079 –> 00:29:45,239 the Bible begins in a garden and ends in a city 620 00:29:45,239 –> 00:29:47,459 and all the way through it’s about Jesus Christ. 621 00:29:47,459 –> 00:29:49,000 Well, here’s the take on Genesis. 622 00:29:49,000 –> 00:29:51,380 It begins in a garden and it ends in a coffin. 623 00:29:51,380 –> 00:29:53,439 That’s the last verse, 624 00:29:53,439 –> 00:29:56,260 which tells you the effects of sin in the world. 625 00:29:56,260 –> 00:29:59,359 That’s what’s being told to us in Genesis. 626 00:30:00,380 –> 00:30:04,199 Began with all this life of Adam and Eve 627 00:30:04,199 –> 00:30:06,540 walking with the Lord in the garden 628 00:30:06,540 –> 00:30:10,540 and it ends with a coffin in Egypt. 629 00:30:11,479 –> 00:30:13,959 When Joseph dies there, not in the Promised Land. 630 00:30:15,339 –> 00:30:17,520 And that reminds us for all the blessings 631 00:30:17,520 –> 00:30:20,300 that we enjoy from the hand of God in this world, 632 00:30:20,300 –> 00:30:22,260 we have not yet experienced the joy 633 00:30:22,719 –> 00:30:24,859 that Adam and Eve knew walking with God 634 00:30:24,859 –> 00:30:26,699 in the garden in the cool of the day 635 00:30:26,699 –> 00:30:29,500 and seeing Him face to face. 636 00:30:29,500 –> 00:30:32,560 We know Him by faith, we don’t yet see Him 637 00:30:32,560 –> 00:30:34,900 and enjoy His presence by sight. 638 00:30:34,900 –> 00:30:39,780 That is beyond us in this world. 639 00:30:41,099 –> 00:30:44,619 And here’s the great truth to which 640 00:30:44,619 –> 00:30:46,020 the whole Bible points us, 641 00:30:46,020 –> 00:30:48,880 thank God that the promise in Genesis 642 00:30:48,880 –> 00:30:51,140 extends right throughout the Bible 643 00:30:51,339 –> 00:30:55,619 and that the Bible doesn’t end in a coffin in Egypt. 644 00:30:55,739 –> 00:30:58,900 The last verse points beyond, it points to the Exodus, 645 00:30:58,900 –> 00:31:02,380 when that happens I want you to take my bones with me, 646 00:31:02,380 –> 00:31:06,040 Joseph says, huge significance in that. 647 00:31:06,959 –> 00:31:09,579 When a Christian dies, 648 00:31:10,719 –> 00:31:14,119 the life of a believer never ends in a coffin. 649 00:31:14,119 –> 00:31:16,260 That’s an amen moment, isn’t it? 650 00:31:16,260 –> 00:31:20,579 The life of a believer never ends in a coffin. 651 00:31:20,579 –> 00:31:24,339 Death is the separation of the soul and of the body. 652 00:31:24,339 –> 00:31:27,859 When a person dies, their body is laid to rest. 653 00:31:27,859 –> 00:31:30,800 But their soul is in the immediate conscious presence 654 00:31:30,800 –> 00:31:31,780 of the Lord Jesus. 655 00:31:31,780 –> 00:31:34,660 To be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord 656 00:31:34,660 –> 00:31:39,079 and I believe that Joseph knew this, I really do. 657 00:31:39,079 –> 00:31:40,619 Because Hebrews chapter 11 658 00:31:40,619 –> 00:31:44,780 is the God given commentary on the life of the Patriarchs. 659 00:31:44,780 –> 00:31:46,739 And if you put together what we are told there, 660 00:31:46,739 –> 00:31:50,780 we’re told that Abraham, along with Isaac and Jacob, 661 00:31:50,780 –> 00:31:54,500 they were looking for a heavenly city. 662 00:31:54,500 –> 00:31:58,280 So heaven was on their minds, even in these earliest days. 663 00:31:58,280 –> 00:32:01,459 They knew that they had been brought out of the place 664 00:32:01,459 –> 00:32:04,060 where Adam and Eve had begun in the presence of God, 665 00:32:04,060 –> 00:32:07,339 the Garden of Eden, this fellowship of God. 666 00:32:07,339 –> 00:32:10,680 And they had something beyond this world 667 00:32:10,680 –> 00:32:13,180 that was in their mind, and was in their heart. 668 00:32:13,180 –> 00:32:16,180 They knew that they were strangers and exiles 669 00:32:16,219 –> 00:32:20,319 on the earth, Hebrews 11 and verse 13, 670 00:32:20,319 –> 00:32:23,739 so that they knew that they had a future beyond this world. 671 00:32:24,660 –> 00:32:28,920 And we are told that they saw it from afar. 672 00:32:29,939 –> 00:32:32,140 So there really is, very clearly 673 00:32:32,140 –> 00:32:33,900 from what the Holy Spirit tells us 674 00:32:33,900 –> 00:32:36,619 in Hebrews and chapter 11, 675 00:32:36,619 –> 00:32:39,079 evidence that in these earliest times 676 00:32:39,079 –> 00:32:43,500 there was this great hope of life beyond the coffin, 677 00:32:43,500 –> 00:32:46,459 life beyond the shadow of death. 678 00:32:46,459 –> 00:32:48,900 And that’s why I think it’s really significant 679 00:32:49,859 –> 00:32:53,819 that when Joseph comes to his last command, 680 00:32:53,819 –> 00:32:55,260 not a request, it’s a command, 681 00:32:55,260 –> 00:32:56,560 he says, this must happen. 682 00:32:58,359 –> 00:33:00,819 His words are actually not about his soul 683 00:33:00,819 –> 00:33:03,099 which would be present with the Lord, 684 00:33:04,219 –> 00:33:06,119 his words are about his body. 685 00:33:07,040 –> 00:33:11,020 Carry up my bones 686 00:33:11,020 –> 00:33:12,839 from here. 687 00:33:12,859 –> 00:33:14,819 Which reminds us of the truth 688 00:33:14,819 –> 00:33:17,439 that is unfolded later in the scripture, 689 00:33:18,359 –> 00:33:20,000 that there is a great future 690 00:33:20,000 –> 00:33:22,520 not only for the soul of a believer 691 00:33:22,520 –> 00:33:25,619 but also for a believer’s body. 692 00:33:26,540 –> 00:33:28,459 And that, of course, is revealed much more fully 693 00:33:28,459 –> 00:33:31,359 in the New Testament but remember even Job 694 00:33:31,359 –> 00:33:34,319 who lived in these earliest days, 695 00:33:34,319 –> 00:33:38,319 Job had some seeing from afar of the resurrection, 696 00:33:38,319 –> 00:33:41,819 he said the worms destroy my body 697 00:33:41,819 –> 00:33:45,420 yet in my flesh I shall see God. 698 00:33:45,420 –> 00:33:48,540 And Abraham we’re specifically told in the New Testament 699 00:33:48,540 –> 00:33:52,500 had some seeing from afar with regards to the resurrection 700 00:33:52,500 –> 00:33:54,140 because we are told that he believed 701 00:33:54,140 –> 00:33:56,219 that God was able to raise the dead. 702 00:33:56,219 –> 00:33:59,540 Specifically when he took Isaac up Mount Moriah 703 00:33:59,540 –> 00:34:03,160 and anticipated that the son’s life may be laid down. 704 00:34:04,380 –> 00:34:07,660 And Joseph’s words here quite clearly indicate 705 00:34:07,660 –> 00:34:10,899 an anticipation, some promise relating 706 00:34:10,979 –> 00:34:15,860 even to his body in regards to the future. 707 00:34:15,860 –> 00:34:19,439 Well the request was made and the promise was kept. 708 00:34:20,699 –> 00:34:23,340 You get to the book of Exodus. 709 00:34:23,340 –> 00:34:25,760 Time of Moses 400 years later, 710 00:34:25,760 –> 00:34:29,040 this little clan of 70 people who came into Egypt 711 00:34:29,040 –> 00:34:31,399 have now become a great company of two million. 712 00:34:31,399 –> 00:34:33,520 Moses leads them out in the Exodus 713 00:34:33,520 –> 00:34:36,399 and guess what they took with them? 714 00:34:36,399 –> 00:34:38,260 The bones of Joseph. 715 00:34:38,260 –> 00:34:41,199 Exodus and chapter 13 in verse 19, 716 00:34:41,199 –> 00:34:45,620 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him 717 00:34:45,620 –> 00:34:49,760 and then quotes directly from this last verse of Genesis, 718 00:34:49,760 –> 00:34:53,800 the command of the patriarch, you shall carry up my bones. 719 00:34:53,800 –> 00:34:55,179 And if you follow the story 720 00:34:55,179 –> 00:34:59,060 through to the end of the Book of Joshua, 721 00:34:59,060 –> 00:35:02,739 you find that when they finally got into the Promise Land, 722 00:35:02,739 –> 00:35:04,520 these bones of Joseph, 723 00:35:04,520 –> 00:35:07,159 they were buried in this town of Shechem, 724 00:35:07,159 –> 00:35:11,780 and that is Joshua chapter 24 and verse 32. 725 00:35:11,780 –> 00:35:14,260 So just try and think about this. 726 00:35:15,239 –> 00:35:18,379 That’s the longest funeral procession in history. 727 00:35:19,280 –> 00:35:20,899 I mean, they carried these bones. 728 00:35:20,899 –> 00:35:24,159 They carried the embalmed body of Joseph. 729 00:35:24,159 –> 00:35:25,760 That’s more than 400 miles 730 00:35:25,760 –> 00:35:27,320 and you’ve got to account 731 00:35:27,320 –> 00:35:29,439 for all of their wanderings in the desert, 732 00:35:29,439 –> 00:35:34,439 and 40 years they carried the bones of Joseph. 733 00:35:34,879 –> 00:35:38,040 And yet what a marvelous picture. 734 00:35:38,040 –> 00:35:39,080 Here are these people 735 00:35:39,080 –> 00:35:41,439 and they’re carrying the great man’s bones, 736 00:35:41,439 –> 00:35:42,479 and why are they doing this? 737 00:35:42,479 –> 00:35:45,679 They’re saying, we’re going to a better land. 738 00:35:45,679 –> 00:35:48,979 We’re going to a better life, 739 00:35:48,979 –> 00:35:50,919 and it’s not only for us, 740 00:35:50,919 –> 00:35:53,060 it’s for all who died in faith 741 00:35:53,060 –> 00:35:55,439 who have gone before us as well. 742 00:35:55,439 –> 00:35:57,560 It’s a beautiful, beautiful picture. 743 00:35:58,739 –> 00:36:00,939 Now think about this. 744 00:36:00,979 –> 00:36:02,500 The bones of Joseph 745 00:36:04,000 –> 00:36:06,179 have been buried somewhere in Shechem 746 00:36:06,179 –> 00:36:09,860 for 4,000 years, 747 00:36:09,860 –> 00:36:13,620 4,000 years to this day. 748 00:36:14,659 –> 00:36:18,500 The soul of Joseph enjoying the presence of the Lord 749 00:36:18,500 –> 00:36:21,000 with all of those who have died in faith, 750 00:36:21,000 –> 00:36:23,459 including your loved ones in Christ 751 00:36:23,459 –> 00:36:25,139 who are already with him. 752 00:36:26,500 –> 00:36:28,800 But the bones of Joseph 753 00:36:28,800 –> 00:36:30,419 lie where they were buried 754 00:36:31,580 –> 00:36:33,060 thousands of years. 755 00:36:34,760 –> 00:36:36,320 And then the day will come 756 00:36:37,459 –> 00:36:40,479 when Jesus Christ will return in glory. 757 00:36:42,100 –> 00:36:45,699 And 1 Thessalonians tells us that 758 00:36:45,699 –> 00:36:48,719 those who have died in the Lord, 759 00:36:48,719 –> 00:36:51,840 and that includes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, 760 00:36:51,840 –> 00:36:55,219 the brothers and your Christian loved ones, 761 00:36:56,699 –> 00:36:58,760 their souls are gonna come with him. 762 00:36:59,639 –> 00:37:03,919 And then it says the dead in Christ will rise first. 763 00:37:03,919 –> 00:37:06,760 What that means is that at that moment 764 00:37:06,760 –> 00:37:10,179 they will be given resurrected bodies. 765 00:37:10,179 –> 00:37:13,540 Joseph will have flesh and bones, 766 00:37:13,540 –> 00:37:16,120 resurrected flesh, resurrected bones 767 00:37:16,120 –> 00:37:17,860 after 4,000 years. 768 00:37:17,860 –> 00:37:19,800 God doing a miracle of creation. 769 00:37:19,800 –> 00:37:23,080 He made man once out of the dust of the ground. 770 00:37:23,080 –> 00:37:27,399 He can make a body again from the dust of the ground 771 00:37:27,419 –> 00:37:29,780 and for Joseph and for the brothers 772 00:37:29,780 –> 00:37:32,659 and for Jacob and for your Christian loved one 773 00:37:32,659 –> 00:37:35,840 and for all who are present with the Lord right now 774 00:37:35,840 –> 00:37:37,379 together when he comes, 775 00:37:37,379 –> 00:37:40,939 given that marvelous gift of the resurrection body. 776 00:37:40,939 –> 00:37:43,219 And then it says something else, 777 00:37:43,219 –> 00:37:47,820 that we who are alive on that day when Jesus returns, 778 00:37:47,820 –> 00:37:51,379 we’re going to be caught up with them 779 00:37:51,379 –> 00:37:53,260 to meet the Lord in the air. 780 00:37:53,260 –> 00:37:56,739 And for us, because we have not gone through death, 781 00:37:56,780 –> 00:37:59,860 for us who are alive when Jesus Christ comes, 782 00:38:00,760 –> 00:38:03,760 our bodies are going to be changed and transformed 783 00:38:03,760 –> 00:38:05,840 in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, 784 00:38:05,840 –> 00:38:07,800 that’s one Corinthians in Chapter 15. 785 00:38:07,800 –> 00:38:09,419 That will happen at the last trumpet, 786 00:38:09,419 –> 00:38:11,959 when the trumpet sounds and Christ comes 787 00:38:11,959 –> 00:38:14,959 in power and in glory. 788 00:38:14,959 –> 00:38:16,879 We’re not gonna take these creaking bodies 789 00:38:16,879 –> 00:38:18,040 with us into his presence, 790 00:38:18,040 –> 00:38:20,600 we’re gonna take bodies that are transformed 791 00:38:20,600 –> 00:38:23,840 in a twinkling and in a moment 792 00:38:23,879 –> 00:38:27,959 and it will happen at the last trumpet. 793 00:38:27,959 –> 00:38:30,800 What a glorious anticipation. 794 00:38:30,800 –> 00:38:33,300 We are people who are headed for a better country, 795 00:38:33,300 –> 00:38:35,699 we are people who are headed for a better life 796 00:38:35,699 –> 00:38:37,280 and it’s not only for us, 797 00:38:37,280 –> 00:38:39,560 it’s for all who have gone before us 798 00:38:39,560 –> 00:38:43,280 who have died in the Lord. 799 00:38:43,280 –> 00:38:45,179 The very last thing is simply this, 800 00:38:46,600 –> 00:38:48,639 that it’s very striking to me after all 801 00:38:48,639 –> 00:38:50,879 that we’ve learned about Joseph in the Old Testament, 802 00:38:51,699 –> 00:38:56,040 that very very little is said about him in the New. 803 00:38:57,620 –> 00:38:59,239 A couple of passing references 804 00:38:59,239 –> 00:39:01,959 and Stephen of course refers to the story of Joseph 805 00:39:01,959 –> 00:39:04,360 in his great message 806 00:39:04,360 –> 00:39:07,540 going through the entire Old Testament history. 807 00:39:07,540 –> 00:39:09,320 But when you get to Hebrews 11, 808 00:39:09,320 –> 00:39:14,280 The Great Commentary on The Fathers of the Faith 809 00:39:14,280 –> 00:39:17,239 there’s only one thing that is said about Joseph 810 00:39:17,239 –> 00:39:18,179 and it’s this, 811 00:39:18,179 –> 00:39:20,040 it’s the bed about the bones. 812 00:39:21,379 –> 00:39:22,580 Hebrews 11, 22, 813 00:39:22,580 –> 00:39:27,179 By faith Joseph at the end of his life 814 00:39:27,179 –> 00:39:30,360 made mention of the exodus of the Israelites 815 00:39:30,360 –> 00:39:35,239 and he gave directions concerning his bones. 816 00:39:38,100 –> 00:39:39,100 Does that surprise you? 817 00:39:39,100 –> 00:39:42,459 I mean of all the things that could be said about Joseph 818 00:39:42,459 –> 00:39:45,860 record, why not say he forgave his brothers? 819 00:39:45,860 –> 00:39:48,459 Why not say he saved thousands of lives 820 00:39:48,459 –> 00:39:50,600 because he was the governor of Egypt 821 00:39:50,600 –> 00:39:52,260 he had the highest position in the land. 822 00:39:52,260 –> 00:39:53,879 Why wouldn’t you record that? 823 00:39:55,379 –> 00:39:56,219 Here’s why, 824 00:39:57,580 –> 00:39:59,899 because no matter what you suffer in this life 825 00:40:01,219 –> 00:40:04,080 and no matter what you achieve in this life, 826 00:40:05,300 –> 00:40:09,260 what ultimately matters is where you are when you’re gone. 827 00:40:10,159 –> 00:40:12,760 What shall it profit a man or a woman 828 00:40:12,760 –> 00:40:15,699 if we were to gain the whole world 829 00:40:15,699 –> 00:40:17,580 become the governor of whatever 830 00:40:19,219 –> 00:40:20,620 and then lose your soul? 831 00:40:22,020 –> 00:40:24,540 The greatest thing that is recorded 832 00:40:24,540 –> 00:40:26,979 about this great man whose life has 833 00:40:26,979 –> 00:40:30,419 spoken to us throughout this year 834 00:40:30,419 –> 00:40:31,739 it’s not what he suffered, 835 00:40:32,679 –> 00:40:35,419 it’s not even what he achieved. 836 00:40:35,419 –> 00:40:38,139 It is that he put his hope in the promise of God 837 00:40:38,139 –> 00:40:40,560 and he knew he was destined for a better land 838 00:40:40,560 –> 00:40:42,020 and for a better life. 839 00:40:42,020 –> 00:40:44,899 Here is the truth of the gospel 840 00:40:44,899 –> 00:40:48,280 that Joseph always points us to Jesus. 841 00:40:49,199 –> 00:40:52,340 And our Jesus is not in a coffin, 842 00:40:52,340 –> 00:40:55,159 the tomb was empty, he is risen 843 00:40:55,159 –> 00:40:57,620 and to all who believe he says, 844 00:40:57,620 –> 00:41:01,600 I live and because I live 845 00:41:01,600 –> 00:41:03,699 you will live also. 846 00:41:03,699 –> 00:41:04,820 Let’s pray together. 847 00:41:04,820 –> 00:41:05,659 Father, 848 00:41:06,699 –> 00:41:10,699 please settle around the communion table this morning 849 00:41:10,699 –> 00:41:15,120 an assurance of faith for all who are in Christ 850 00:41:15,620 –> 00:41:19,679 and grant to us a lively anticipation 851 00:41:20,620 –> 00:41:22,479 whatever good is happening to us 852 00:41:22,479 –> 00:41:24,939 and whatever difficulty we may be enduring 853 00:41:25,979 –> 00:41:30,780 of all that lies ahead through the promise of our Redeemer 854 00:41:30,780 –> 00:41:32,159 in whose wonderful name we pray 855 00:41:32,159 –> 00:41:34,340 and everyone said, amen.