Faith beyond the grave

Faith That Conquers Death: Trusting Beyond the Grave

Bible Passage: Hebrews 11:20-22

Hebrews 11:20-22 highlights how the patriarchs Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph expressed their faith in God’s promises even in their dying moments, showcasing a deep conviction in things hoped for and yet unseen.

We are all living consciously with our time limit. We know we have a limited time to be around. This can make us anxious about the will of God, as we consider our time limit.

We need to remember that our time with God is not for this life only, but also for the life to come. “Where will you spend eternity?” is the most important question we could ask somebody.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

In the Patriachs, Abraham, Isaac and jacob and Joseph, we see that kind of faith. A faith that looks beyond this present life into the future. A life beyond mortality and the grave.

This passage teaches us that true faith is demonstrated not only in our current time but also in our end-of-life decisions and confessions. It emphasizes that faith remains a vital principle that shapes our legacy, impacting how we face death and influence future generations.

Christ is the fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs. His resurrection assures us as believers of our own future resurrection and the hope of eternal life, emphasizing that faith in Him is central to understanding life beyond the grave.

Genuine faith transcends death, guiding us to trust God’s promises wholeheartedly, both in life and at life's end.

1. Isaac: Imperfect Yet Faithful

Hebrews 11:20 ESV

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

Isaac's blessing of Jacob and Esau demonstrates the conviction of faith. Even though Isaac had been deceived into blessing Jacob, he still recognizes God's providence in his decision. This suggests that faith often means trusting God's sovereignty, even in our imperfect understanding. Isaac's story encourages us to relinquish control and trust God, knowing that our faith influences the unfolding of His plans, even beyond our comprehension.

Isaac missed it. If he had his way, Esau would have been the one who was blessed, not Jacob.

Genesis 27:27–29 ESV

So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said,“See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

Genesis 27:30–40 ESV

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

2. Jacob: Worship in Weakness

Hebrews 11:21

Jacob, when dying, worshipped and blessed each of Joseph's sons. Despite his life's difficulties and being in a foreign land, his faith remained unshaken. His act of worship shows that true faith leads us to acknowledge God's sovereignty, even in uncomfortable or unforeseen circumstances. Jacob’s assurance of God’s future promises serves as a model for enduring faith that looks beyond present hardships into the certainty of God's eternal purposes.

Hebrews 11:21 ESV

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

Genesis 48:1–2 ESV

After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

Genesis 48:8–19 ESV

When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). And 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 long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

3. Joseph: Future-focused Faith

Hebrews 11:22

Joseph, at the end of his life, demonstrated faith by speaking about the exodus of the Israelites. He made his brothers swear to carry his bones out of Egypt, a testament to his belief in God's promise. This act illustrates that faith is forward-looking, grounding one's present life in the future realities God has assured. Joseph’s anticipation of God's deliverance embodies a hope that transcends present circumstances and trusts in God's redemptive plan beyond death.

Hebrews 11:22 ESV

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Genesis 50:24–25 ESV

And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

Exodus 13:19 ESV

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”