Faith Which Overcomes Death

Hebrews 11:20-22

There are a lot of reasons that I prefer to preach through books of the bible straight through. We don’t get to avoid passages that make us uncomfortable; we are forced to deal with difficult doctrines. I think it helps us guard against creating God in our own image because we have to deal with what he has said at all of the points.

But another reason I prefer it is because we will often come across passages that would normally be preached at particular times. For example, I think Luke 2 in the summer time helps us see things we wouldn’t normally see when we are surrounded by poinsettias. I also find that we come across passages that I would love preached at my funeral. Sometimes it’s hard to hear a funeral passage when you’re at the funeral.

Now I realize that death isn’t any normal person’s favorite topic of discussion, however I think all Christians should agree that we want to die well. What do I mean by die well?

There is no dignity in death. Death is the enemy. So I don’t mean that we want a dignified death, I don’t think there is such a thing.

I also don’t mean that we want to go out a hero, that we want our death to be purposeful. So many people die senselessly. Murder, accidents…

What I mean by dying well is that we have our eyes set on an eternal hope. Are you in a place where you would be able to talk about hope while laying in your death bed?

That question really betrays what you think about hope doesn’t it? How can a person gasping for their final breath think about hope? See earlier in Hebrews 2:15, Jesus says he delivered his people who were slaves to the fear of death. That’s a sign of whether or not you’ve been freed by Jesus. Are you enslaved to the fear of it? Is there hope beyond the grave?

Well this morning we’re going to see that faith in the same delivering Jesus displayed by Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The author chooses three dying men beaming with a Christ-filled hope to encourage us that Jesus is better.

Let’s look at these together.

First let’s look at Isaac from verse 20.

This is interesting isn’t it? Do you remember the story from Genesis 27? This is the passage where Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac into giving him the blessing instead of his brother Esau. I’ve always wondered how hairy Esau must have been for Isaac to think Jacob covered in wool was his brother.

Anyway, Hebrews tells us… from this story… of Isaac’s faith. Does that strike any of you as weird? Remember Isaac was irate when he found out he had been tricked. The ESV says he trembled violently.

There are some names and some stories of faith in Hebrews 11 that give me such hope. Did you know Samson’s name is in this chapter? Tells you something about the work of Christ, doesn’t it? It is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but it is according to his mercy that he saved us.

This story of Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau is fascinating because Isaac believed the word of God that he was going to bless his people through his son. He trusted God, and was able to rejoice even in his death knowing that God’s promises were sure. Isaac just wanted the wrong guy to get the blessing! He knew Esau wasn’t the right guy, but insisted that he get the blessing. But he believed God’s promise nevertheless.

People throughout church history have commented on how God’s perfect infinite will is always accomplished, even when his people sin and fail. Isn’t there such hope in that? If you get to your deathbed and you have the luxury of thinking back over your life, and you are tallying up on the scale if your obedience outweighs your disobedience, you don’t understand what Christ came to do. He accomplished his purposes and even in fallen sinful people like us, counts our faith as righteousness.

Second we have Jacob.

Now if there is a bigger scoundrel in the Bible you’ll be hard pressed to find him. Hebrews here uses his dying blessing to his grandsons as evidence of his faith as well. Now this story comes from the end of Genesis 47 and all of 48. Two accounts really. One of him bowing over his staff and the other of him blessing his grandsons.

Now there’s something being highlighted in this accounts that is so important. Their bodies are wasting away, but their spiritual strength is not. Now listen, I know the text said Abraham was as good as dead last week and some of you feel that way, don’t you? But that’s only physical. Don’t tell me you don’t have a ministry if you are advanced in years. Look at the ministry these patriarchs had in their final days. Their bodies weak, but their spiritual strength strong.

What a ministry it is to talk to a younger person in the faith as you grow older and explain to them the hope you have in Christ. We need that, don’t we? We’re a relatively young church on average here these days. What do we need desperately? We need some of you older folk to sit us down and tell us just how good Jesus is. I know he’s good in my 20s and 30s. Is he still good in my 70s and 80s?

I think this is why the author highlights Jacob’s staff, by the way. Jacob had lived quite a life hadn’t he? He stands up and leans on his walking staff, this staff had maybe walked with him for many years, and he could look back to the very beginning of his life and see that God had always been faithful.

He blesses his grandsons by recounting to them of the goodness of God. But the goodness of the promising God who had promised to bless the nations through them. See don’t see these blessings and merely these men saying nice things about their kids. No they are telling them that there is great hope in their God. God had promised that the offspring was going to come and crush the serpents head. That death would be no more.

And he had promised that he would come through this family. And so they could die in hope explaining this blessing and promise to these boys.

Third Joseph gives direction at the end of his life concerning his bones.

Joseph essentially ruled the world in Egypt, second only to Pharoah. Think of the tomb he would have received. He said, no, bring my bones with you to the promised land.

They do, they bring the bones in the exodus, Joshua brings them into the land when they enter. See his citizenship was in heaven. Understand the picture here as the Israelites are carrying out the bones of a guy who had been dead for 400 years into the promised land. Who cares? The guy is dead! See Joseph had a hope beyond the grave.

Do you have a hope beyond the grave? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ has not been raised from the dead then we are most of all to be pitied. We’re wasting our lives. There is no hope. Live it up while you have time because when it’s over, it’s over.

No see in fact there is hope beyond the grave. The promises are for us. We can face death confidently because Christ has been raised. Death has been swallowed up in victory. It has no more sting! The great enemy of God’s people has become merely the last pain we suffer before entering into glory with Christ.