Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Faith, Heave, and Your Future, Part 12 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: Our faith in God's promises is reflected in the way we face death.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that faith in God's promises enables us to face death with the confidence that when life is over, it is not over.
If you were to suggest some things that people should do to confront death, what would you include in that list?
I. Some time ago a newspaper columnist suggested five things that ought to be done about death:
Accept the fact that you will die.
Make arrangements, especially if you're past age 50, for the mechanics of dying.
Make provision for those you are leaving behind (insurance, etc.).
Make a will.
Make an appointment with God, but I don't know how to suggest that you do that.
II. Centuries ago, Jacob faced death with these things in mind, Hebrews 11:22.
He accepted the fact that he would die: "when his end was near . . ." Is it easy to accept the fact that you will die?
He made arrangements for the mechanics of dying.
He made provision for those he left behind.
His family was doing well because of Joseph. They had come to Egypt and Egypt was good for them.
They lived in Goshen, a fertile and beautiful part of Egypt. It was an irrigated land ideal for flocks, and they were shepherds.
They were favored by Pharaoh because of Pharaoh's liking for Joseph.
He made a will: he made his desires known about what would happen to his bones.
What was significant about his request that they carry his bones back to Canaan?
Canaan had not been good to him or to his family. Why would they ever want to go back?
In Canaan he had lost his mother, Rachel.
He grew up with 10 or 11 of his brothers hostile to him.
His father, brothers, and their families had not found Canaan a particularly happy place. They were drawn out of Canaan by hunger and came to Egypt to get something to eat.
III. Joseph's commandment about his bones reflected a faith in God's promises to Abraham that were repeated to Isaac and Jacob that they would inherit Canaan.
That meant that at his death Joseph had faith in something beyond Egypt. What was that? How does this suggest that we make our appointment with God?
