Believe for It - Finishing Strong

The OT is full of men and women who lived in faith.

Abel - The man with the right heart. Enoch - The man who pleased God. Noah - The man who stood alone

Abraham and Sarah - The couple who believed God could do the impossible. Abraham - The man willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Isaac - The man who trusted God’s sovereignty.

Jacob - The man who finished strong.

Hebrews 11:21

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were recipients of the blessing.

Abraham - (Gen. 17:1-8)

Isaac - (Gen. 26:1-6)

Jacob - (Gen. 28:10-15)

Jacob made everything much harder than his predecessors.

“There’s one in every family.”

Jacob is proof that God can bless messy people.

Jacob’s family struggles.

Poor decision making.

For many years, he lost a son.

Famine.

If it was possible to ruin the blessings of God, Jacob tested the waters.

At the end of the story, Jacob is before his son, Joseph, and his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

A rich blessing.

1. Pass the Baton.

Genesis 48:13-20

13 Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel.

14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

15 Then he blessed Joseph and said:The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may he bless these boys.And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,and may they grow to be numerous within the land.

17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s.

18 Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”

20 So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”

As said two weeks ago, the blessing between a Father and Son was significant to the Hebrew mind.

The natural order was bypassed.

Ephraim (right hand) - Place of strength.

Manasseh (Left)

Jacob could not distinguish them by sight, yet they distinguish them by faith.

Each son received a separate and distinct blessing.

As if Jacob had known his grandsons forever.

The blessing was to pass the baton of faith to the next generation.

After investigating the lives of 400 women who had given birth 4 or more times outside of marriage, a college professor discovered one common denominator among them. The common denominator was not income, education, race, or religion. The common denominator was that in their childhoods, each lacked being embraced properly and lovingly by a father or grandfather.

Biblical blessings always contained beautiful and fitting words of description.

We have the privilege of pronouncing blessings over our children.

It is imperative for parents to dispense blessings regularly.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God - so bless your kids in faith.

2. Finish Well

Genesis 47:27-31

27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous.

28 Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, and his life span was 147 years.

29 When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.

30 When I rest with my ancestors, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”Joseph answered, “I will do what you have asked.”

31 And Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed.

By the time Jacob moved to Egypt, he was close to the end of his life.

“Worshiped leaning on the top of his staff.”

Translates “upon the bed’s head.”

Jacob wanted to be buried with his ancestors. Joseph swore he would grant his father’s request.

This assurance gave Jacob joyful gratitude to God.

Jacob was able to fall back in bed and die peacefully.

Couples who are finishing so well that I struggle to see that they ever faced problems.

There are many struggled throughout the stages of their Christian life.

We cannot control our past decisions, but we can finish well. Finish well. Set the tone. Pass the baton. Live in victory.

“The Christian experience, from start to finish, is a journey of faith.” - Watchmen Nee