Thursday, July 21, 2011

Faith, Heaven, and Your Future, Part 14 of 20

TEXT: "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.  By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones" (Hebrews 11:20-22).

IDEA: Faith is the assurance of things promised and therefore a guarantee of things not seen.

PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate that God's promise to them is more solid than their experience.

Sometimes we're accused of spending too long in a passage of Scripture. How would you defend this?

It's interesting how sometimes New Testament writers make a great deal about what appears to be a mere detail.

I. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews points to the final scene in the life of Joseph with an illustration of his great faith.

Hebrews 11:22 tells us that "By faith Joseph as he was dying made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones."

What is that all about?

II. If you were writing about the faith of Joseph, would you have chosen this incident from Joseph's life as the evidence of his faith?

Think about his life:

Think about his response to Potiphar's wife when he says, "How can I do this great wickedness in the sight of God?"

Pharaoh wanted Joseph to interpret a troubling dream, and Joseph said, "The thing is established by God and God will bring it to pass."

He says to his brothers, "You meant evil against me but God meant it for good."

Why this incident about his death as the thing the writer of the letter to the Hebrews points to? It's based on the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

While the other incidents reflect Joseph's faith, this incident alone reflects his faith in the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Faith is a response to a promise made by God.