Thursday, July 28, 2011

Faith, Heaven, and Your Future, Part 19 of 20

TEXT: "By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones" (Hebrews 11:22).

IDEA: Faith in God's promises should not depend on our circumstances even though circumstances may reflect our faith.

PURPOSE: To help listeners see that Joseph's experience in Egypt was not the basis on which he trusted God for the future. Our experiences today ought not be the basis of our faith in the future.

John D. Rockefeller was a religious man. It was reported that he was asked which verse in the Bible explained his wealth. He replied, "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."

Besides ripping the verse from its context, do you think he gave a good explanation for his fortune?

I. Do you think that wealth is an evidence of faith or a hindrance to faith?

Can you think of times when money may have indicated God's blessing on people?

Can you see how wealth can also be a hindrance to faith in God's people?

II. Joseph is mentioned in Hebrews 11:22 as a person of faith who had a rags-to-riches story.

By the time he was 39 years old, he had become one of the high officials in Pharaoh's government. He possessed the emblems of power and wealth in Egyptian society (Genesis 41).

He was given Pharaoh's signet ring. The signet was an oval surrounded by hieroglyphics used to seal official documents. Joseph did business in Pharaoh's name.

Pharaoh dressed Joseph in linen and placed a gold chain around his neck. These conveyed rank, status and office.

The text also said that he had chariots—the limousines of that day.

The men running before him were like secret-service people who protect dignitaries today.

God blessed Joseph with position and money and he used his status and wealth to benefit others.

He blessed other nations with his power, Genesis 47:23.

That was part of God's covenant with Abraham, Genesis 12:3.

He blessed his own family through his power.