How a Believer Dies

Introduction

Well good morning!

If you’ve got your Bible, go ahead and open it up with me to Genesis chapter 48…We’re gonna walk through this whole chapter today and then that’ll leave us with two more chapters left to go.

It’s been a long 4 year journey but we’re almost to the end. And listen I hope, as we’ve walked through this…if you’ve been us…I hope us walking through Genesis verse by verse, chapter by chapter…I hope it’s helped you see just how important expository preaching really is.

Because here’s the thing, when you move slowly through God’s Word, you start to see patterns and promises you would otherwise miss. You notice how God works across generations. You notice how He orchestrates events, sometimes quietly, sometimes dramatically, to accomplish His purposes. And you start to see that nothing in Scripture is wasted…every single story, every detail, its all pointing to God’s faithfulness.

And so, as we come to Genesis 48, there’s no more famine. No more dramatic betrayals. There’s no shocking reunions. Instead, we walk into a quiet room, and we find an old man… Jacob…nearing the end of his life.

And I want you to notice something, there’s power in quiet moments like this. Sometimes the greatest truths in Scripture, they come when the crowd’s have left, when the noise has died down, when a faithful man or woman, when they’re reflecting on the life God’s given them. That’s what we see here. Jacob’s story isn’t flashy in this chapter. But what he does is far more significant than any triumph on a battlefield or in a palace.

And listen, this reminded me…as it so often does…of The Lord of the Rings. And I know some of you are rolling your eyes. But hear me out… In The Return of the King, after the battles are won and Middle-earth’s at peace, Frodo has to leave. He’s been carried along by forces outside himself, he’s been protected, and sustained, and preserved even when he thought all hope was lost. And in the quiet of the Grey Havens, he finally rests, not because of his own strength, but because of the mercy and protection that carried him there.

That’s exactly the kind of moment Genesis 48 gives us with Jacob. He’s not the young schemer anymore. He’s not the runaway. He’s not the wrestler in the night. He’s an old man who’s lived through deceit, and hardship, and exile, and loss—and yet here he is, strong in the one thing that matters: he remembers God’s promises, he submits to God’s sovereign will, and he testifies to God’s redeeming grace.

And that’s really the heartbeat of this chapter. Because what Genesis 48 shows us is this: The end of a faithful life magnifies the shepherding and redeeming grace of God.

It’s not about what Jacob accomplished. It’s about what God accomplished through him. And that’s exactly what matters for every believer in this room…young or old, just starting your walk with Christ or walking toward the sunset of life…because the way we finish, its a reflection of God’s work, not ours.

And so, as we dive into this chapter today, I want you to watch for that thread—God’s faithfulness across generations, His sovereign choices, His redeeming care—and I want you ask yourself: How will the end of my life magnify the grace of God?

…

If you’ve found your place there in Genesis 48, let’s stand together as we read our passage starting in verse 1:

Genesis 48:1–22 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. And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath (Ef-raft), and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (Ef-Raft) (that is, Bethlehem).” 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.” So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Our three points this morning…Number 1, He [Jacob] Remembered God’s Promise…Number 2, He Trusted God’s Sovereign Grace…and then Number 3, He Testified to God’s Redeeming Care.

And so, if you’re ready to dive in, let’s look at this first thing together.

I. He Remembered God’s Promise (vv. 1-7)

Point number 1, Jacob remembered God’s Promise.

Look back, with me, at verse 1:

“After this, Joseph was told, ‘Behold, your father is ill.’ So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.”

And so, Joseph doesn’t come alone. He brings the next generation, right?

This isn’t just a hospital visit. This is covenant succession.

And then verse 2 says, “Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.”

That detail’s so important. His body’s failing, but when Joseph walks in, and those boys walk in, something rises up in him…Because listen, this moment isn’t about comfort. It’s about covenant. The whole book of Genesis, its all about covenant.

And the first words out of Jacob’s mouth aren’t about Egypt. Or about Joseph’s political success. Its not about how comfortable they are in Goshen.

He goes backward.

Verse 3:

“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me…”

He takes Joseph and those two boys all the way back to Luz—to Bethel. Back to that moment recorded in Genesis 28, when he was a fugitive with a rock for a pillow. No wealth. No wives. No children. Just a promise.

And he uses the covenant name: God Almighty—El Shaddai.

That’s not accidental.

He’s saying, “Joseph, before there was Egypt…before there was famine…before there was a palace…there was a promise.”

Verse 4, God’s promise:

“Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.”

Notice what he emphasizes: fruitfulness. Multiplication. Land. Everlasting possession.

At the end of his life, Jacob’s mind, its not filled with regrets. It’s filled with promises.

Listen, that’s how a believer dies.

Not clinging to their accomplishments. Not recounting trophies. We should die rehearsing what God’s said.

As one theologian once wrote, “God’s promises are the firm ground under the feet of faith.” And here’s Jacob, standing on that ground even as death overtakes him.

And then something unexpected happens.

Verse 5:

“And now your two sons…are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”

That’s kinda strange, right? What’s he doing here?

He’s adopting them. He’s elevating Joseph’s sons—born in Egypt, raised in Egyptian culture—and he’s folding them fully into the covenant line. They’re gonna receive tribal inheritance just like all of his other firstborn sons.

Now think about that. These boys have Egyptian names. Egyptian education. Egyptian influence. And yet Jacob still says, “They’re mine.”

Why?

Because Jacob knows the promise isn’t fragile. It’s not geographically limited. It’s not threatened by Egypt. God’s covenant grace, its strong enough to claim sons born in exile.

That should encourage every parent in this room. Every grandparent praying over wandering grandchildren. The promise of God, its not confined by culture.

And don’t miss this: by giving Joseph a double portion through Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob’s acting by faith. Hebrews 11:21 tells us, “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph…”

By faith.

He hasn’t seen the land possessed. He hasn’t seen the nation formed. But listen, he believes it as surely as if it’s already happened.

That’s what faith does at the end of life. It treats the future promise as present certainty.

And then verse 7 almost feels out of place:

“As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died…”

Why bring that up? Why, in this covenant moment, does he mention Rachel?…Because listen, the promises of God were carried through deep sorrow. Rachel died on the way to Bethlehem. No midwife miracle. No dramatic rescue. Just grief on the road. And yet, God’s promise didn’t die with her.

Church, that’s important.

Jacob’s life wasn’t a straight line of triumph. It was deception, exile, family chaos, loss, famine. But through all of it, the promise held strong. That’s what he’s remembering.

Not that his life was easy. Not that he was strong. But that God was faithful.

As Charles Spurgeon once said, “God’ll be true to His promises, and He won’t suffer one word to fall to the ground.”

That’s what fills Jacob’s mind as he prepares to die. And listen very carefully, this is deeply instructive for us.

When the end comes for each of us, what’ll surface from your heart?…Your investments? Your career? Your disappointments?

Or listen, will it be God’s Word? Because what you rehearse at the end, it reveals what you’ve treasured your whole life.

Jacob dies looking backward to Bethel and forward to Canaan. He’s physically in Egypt. But his heart’s anchored in the promise.

That’s how a believer dies.

Remembering what God said. Resting in what God guaranteed. Trusting that not one syllable of His covenant will fail.

Which presents a question for us this morning: Are you storing up promises now, so that you can lean on later? Because when your strength fails, theology won’t be theoretical for you anymore. It’ll either be your pillow…or listen to me, it'll be your demise.

Be in God’s in Word…Learn His promises…Cling to ‘em…so that at the end, they’ll be your hope for a better future.

II. He Trusted God’s Sovereign Grace (vv. 8-14)

Point number 2…At the end of his life, Jacob trusted God’s sovereign grace.

Look back with me at verse 8:

“When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, ‘Who are these?’”

Now at first glance, that almost sounds strange, right? Joseph’s been in Egypt for years at this point. Jacob already knows these boys exist. And so why ask that question?

Well, this isn’t confusion, again this is ceremony.

Jacob’s slowing the moment down. He’s intentionally drawing attention to what’s about to happen. Because what follows isn’t just a grandfather blessing his grandsons…this is a covenant act. This is God’s promise moving forward to another generation.

Verse 9:

“Joseph said to his father, ‘They’re my sons, whom God has given me here.’”

Even Joseph recognizes something important, these sons, they’re gifts of grace. They’re not achievements. Or accidents. They’re gifts from God.

And then verse 10 tells us:

“Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see.”

Listen, that detail matters too. Jacob can’t see physically…and yet spiritually, he sees more clearly than ever before.

Isn’t that typically how God works? As outward strength fades, inward clarity grows. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

Jacob’s eyesight might be failing, but his faith, it’s still sharp.

And so, Joseph brings the boys close. Jacob embraces them, kisses ‘em…and then you can feel the tenderness of the moment. Verse 11:

“I never expected to see your face; and behold, God’s let me see your offspring also.”

Jacob recognizes this moment as sheer mercy. Everything about this moment defies what he thought his story would be. He thought Joseph was dead. He expected grief, not grandchildren.

And notice who gets the credit:

Not luck or circumstance. God’s let me see this.

Grace again.

…

But now the tension in the passage begins.

Verse 13 tells us Joseph carefully arranges the boys. Manasseh, the firstborn, he’s placed at Jacob’s right hand; the hand of primary blessing. And then Ephraim, the younger, Joseph places him at Jacob’s left hand.

Joseph’s doing what anyone in that culture would do. He’s honoring tradition. Following custom. Respecting the birth order.

Everything’s orderly here. Everything makes sense.

And then verse 14:

“And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim… crossing his hands.”

He crosses them. This is Intentional. He places his right hand on the head of Ephraim standing on his left side. That’s the sign of blessing…to the younger son.

Joseph thinks it’s a mistake…but Jacob knows exactly what he’s doing.

And church, if you’ve been with us through Genesis, this should feel familiar. Because God’s been doing this same thing the entire book of Genesis.

Abel over Cain. Isaac over Ishmael. Jacob over Esau. Joseph over his brothers.

Again and again, God overturns human expectations.

Why?…Because God’s blessing doesn’t operate according to human merit, or natural privilege, or cultural order. God’s blessing, it operates according to sovereign grace.

Jacob, of all people, he understood this. He was the younger son chosen over Esau. His entire life is proof that God’s grace isn’t earned…it’s given. And now, at the end of his life, he submits fully to that reality.

He doesn’t argue with God’s ways anymore. He doesn’t manipulate outcomes like he once did. He trusts.

This is a transformed Jacob.

John Calvin writes about moments like this that God “chooses whom He wills, not because He finds them worthy, but because He purposes to make them so.”

That’s what’s happening here.

God’s grace is free. God’s grace is sovereign. God’s grace is undeserved.

And listen, this confronts something very deep in all of us. Because we instinctively believe blessing should follow fairness.

We think: The stronger deserves it. The older deserves it. The more faithful deserves it. But Scripture keeps telling us something entirely different.

Romans 9:11 and 12 reflects directly on moments just like this in Genesis:

“Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue… she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’”

Before works. Before merit. Before performance.

We have grace.

And listen very carefully—this doesn’t make God unjust. It reveals God as merciful. If blessing depended on deserving, none of us would receive it.

As Spurgeon once said, “Grace is the free favor of God to men who deserve the very opposite.”

And that means Jacob’s crossed hands aren’t random here, they’re a picture of the gospel itself. Because every believer is an Ephraim. We’re not naturally first in line for blessing. We don’t stand before God by right. And yet God places His hand of favor upon us through sheer mercy.

Ephesians 1 says:

“He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”

Not because we climbed our way to Him…it was because grace came down to us.

And here’s what’s beautiful: at the end of his life, Jacob’s finally at peace with that.

The younger Jacob fought for blessing. The older Jacob rests in God’s freedom to give it.

That’s maturity.

A young believer oftentimes wrestles with God’s sovereignty. A mature believer learns to worship because of it.

And church, this is so practical for us. Because trusting sovereign grace means we stop measuring God’s goodness by our circumstances or our opinions. It means we trust Him when life doesn’t follow expected order.

When the promotion doesn’t come. When the diagnosis changes everything. When prayers seem delayed.

Faith says: God’s hands may look crossed to me… but they’re never confused. He knows exactly what He’s doing.

Jacob can die in peace because he knows the future of God’s people doesn’t rest on human control…it rests on divine grace.

And that raises another question for us: Do you trust God only when His plans match yours…or do you trust Him when His hands cross your expectations? Because a faithful life ends not only remembering God’s promises…but listen to me, it ends with you trusting in God’s sovereign grace.

III. He Testified to God’s Redeeming Care (vv. 15-22)

Point number 3…At the end of his life, Jacob testified to God’s redeeming care.

Look at verse 15 again:

“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…’”

Listen, this blessing is really remarkable. Because Jacob doesn’t begin by talking about Joseph’s success, or Egypt’s prosperity, or even the boys themselves.

He begins with God.

And notice how he describes God. Jacob piles up three descriptions…or three testimonies…three ways of explaining what God’s been to him over the course of his entire life.

First, he calls Him:

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked.”

That phrase “walked before God,” it describes a life lived in covenant fellowship with the Lord. It’s language of faithfulness. It’s language of relationship.

Jacob’s saying: The same God who carried my grandfather Abraham… the same God who sustained my father Isaac… that’s the God who’s been faithful to me.

In other words, Jacob sees his life as part of a much bigger story. He’s not the starting point of God’s work. He’s just another link in the chain of covenant grace.

And that’s important for believers to understand. Because our faith didn’t start with us either.

Every Christian stands in a long line of grace. Saints before us. Witnesses before us. The faith once delivered to the saints that we now carry forward.

Jacob’s saying: The God of my fathers, He’s been faithful to me.

.…

But then the second description becomes very personal.

“The God who’s been my shepherd all my life long to this day.”

That’s the first time in all of Scripture that God’s explicitly called a shepherd. And of all the titles Jacob could use for God at the end of his life—king, or judge, or creator—he chooses shepherd.

Why that one?

Because when Jacob looks back over his life, that’s exactly what it felt like. Like he was a wandering sheep constantly needing to be guided, corrected, rescued, carried.

Think about Jacob’s life for a moment.

He was a deceiver as a young man. He manipulated his brother. He lied to his father. He fled his home in fear. He spent years under Laban’s exploitation. His family life was marked by rivalry and heartbreak. He believed Joseph was dead for decades.

And yet here he says: God shepherded me through all of it.

Not just the good moments.

All my life long to this day.

Through foolish decisions.

Through painful consequences.

Through valleys and losses.

God shepherded me.

That language should immediately remind us of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

And here’s the remarkable thing about all this…Jacob says this long before David ever writes that psalm. Long before Psalm 23, Jacob’s already experienced this reality.

God guided him.

God protected him.

God disciplined him.

God provided for him.

Every step of the way.

As John Calvin once wrote, “There’s no part of our life in which God doesn’t show Himself a faithful shepherd to His people.”

Jacob’s saying: That’s been my experience.

.…

And then listen, the third description, it deepens even further.

“The angel who’s redeemed me from all evil…”

That word redeemed is very rich covenant language. It means to rescue, to deliver, to buy back from danger or bondage.

And many commentators throughout church history—Calvin included—they’ve understood this “angel” to be the Angel of the Lord, the same mysterious figure who appeared to Jacob earlier on in Genesis…even the one he wrestled with at Peniel…The same Angel of the Lord who appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18…The same one who appeared to Hagar in the wilderness.

In other words, Jacob’s talking about God who personally intervened in his life again and again and again.

Rescuing him from Esau.

Delivering him from Laban.

Preserving him through famine.

Restoring Joseph to him.

Looking back, Jacob doesn’t see luck. He doesn’t see coincidence. He sees redemption.

And notice what he says: “redeemed me from all evil.”

Not from some trouble. Or from some hardship. From all evil.

Now listen, that doesn’t mean Jacob’s life was free from suffering. We know it wasn’t.

Again, Rachel died. Joseph was gone for decades. His family fractured repeatedly. But Jacob’s looking back and he’s saying something profound here: None of it ultimately destroyed me. God used even the darkest moments to bring about good.

Which is exactly what Joseph says later on in Genesis 50: “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.”

Jacob’s testimony agrees to that.

God redeemed it.

God overruled it.

God used it.

As one catechism beautifully says, God “so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head.”

Jacob’s life is proof of that.

And listen, don’t miss the significance of this moment. Jacob isn’t merely reminiscing. He’s testifying. He’s passing down a witness to the next generation.

Notice verse 16:

“…bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac…”

Jacob wants these boys to know the God he’s known.

He wants them to inherit not just land…not just tribal identity…he wants them to inherit a testimony. That the God of Abraham…and Isaac…and Jacob, He’s a redeeming God. A shepherding God. A faithful God.

And then the chapter ends with Jacob speaking one final word of confidence.

Verse 21:

“Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.”

Listen, that is amazing faith. Because Jacob knows he won’t see it himself. Israel’s gonna remain in Egypt for centuries after this moment. Enslavement’ll come. Generations’ll pass. And yet Jacob speaks with absolute certainty.

“God will bring you back.”

Not maybe.

Not hopefully.

God will do it.

Why does he believe that?

Because the God who shepherded his past, He’ll remain faithful to their future.

And church, that’s how believers face death.

Not with despair. But with testimony. Looking back and saying: God’s been faithful to me. Looking forward and saying: God’ll remain faithful to me.

That’s exactly what we see here in Jacob. At the end of his life, he’s not talking about his achievements. He’s talking about his Shepherd…He’s not glorifying his own strength. He’s magnifying God’s redeeming care.

Again…that’s how a believer dies.

Closing

And so listen, as we come to a close in this passage, I want you to step back for a moment and just see the big picture of what we’ve just watched unfold.

Genesis 48, it shows us a man at the finish line of his life.

Jacob’s body’s weak. His eyesight’s fading. His time on earth, its almost over. And yet in those final moments, what fills his mind and what comes out of his mouth tells us everything about the kind of life he lived.

He remembered God’s promises. He trusted God’s sovereign grace. And listen, he testified to God’s redeeming care.

That’s the main point of the chapter. The end of a faithful life, it magnifies the shepherding and redeeming grace of God.

Jacob doesn’t die talking about himself. He dies talking about God.

He looks backward and he says, “God’s been my shepherd all my life long.” And he looks forward and says, “God’ll be with you and bring you back.”

Church, that’s how a believer dies.

And I know talking about death can feel uncomfortable. Our culture avoids it. We distract ourselves from it. We pretend it’s far away. But listen to me, the Bible doesn’t do that.

Scripture constantly calls us to live with the end in view.

The apostle Paul uses the language of a race. In 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, “I’ve fought the good fight, I’ve finished the race, I’ve kept the faith.”

Guys, that’s the goal of the Christian life. Not just starting well…finishing well.

Every one of us in this room, we’re running that race right now.

Some of you, you’re just getting started. Some of you, you’re somewhere in the middle. Some of you…you’re closer to the finish line than you realize.

But here’s the question Genesis 48 puts in front of us, its the same for all of us: When your life comes to an end…what will your testimony be?

Will your life point people to your achievements…Or will it point to God’s grace? Will you be able to say, like Jacob, “God’s shepherded me all my life long”?…Because the truth is this, the way we finish doesn’t suddenly appear at the end. It’s shaped by the way we live every day right now.

You don’t drift into a faithful finish. You pursue it.

You pursue it by walking with Christ. By saturating your life in God’s Word. By trusting His promises when life gets hard. By resting in His sovereign grace when His plans don’t match yours.

And so if you’re a believer, let me ask you this this morning: How are you running your race? Are you running with your eyes on Christ…or are you running distracted by the things of this world?

Because one day, every one of us, we’ll have a Genesis 48 moment. A moment where life slows down and eternity gets very close and very real. And on that day, what’ll matter most isn’t what you built, it won’t be what you owned, or what people thought of you. What’ll matter the most is whether your life magnified the grace of God.

That starts with you thinking about the end right.

.…

Now listen before we close, there’s something even more important we need to talk about.

Because some of you here this morning aren’t just thinking about how you’ll finish the race…you’re realizing you’ve never actually started the race of faith at all. And the Bible speaks very clearly about the reality every human being faces.

The bad news it lays out. Every single one of us, we’re all sinners.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We’ve all rebelled against God. We’ve all broken His commandments. We’ve all chosen our way instead of His. And sin isn’t a small thing. The Bible tells us the consequence of sin is death.

Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”

That means physical death, yes—but more importantly, eternal separation from God.

That’s the bad news.

But here’s the worse news. There’s absolutely nothing we can do to fix that reality on our own.

No amount of good works can erase sin. No amount of religion can make us right with God. No amount of effort can earn salvation.

We can’t climb our way to heaven no matter how hard we try.

But here’s the good news. God did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He came into this world. He lived the perfect life we failed to live. He never sinned. He perfectly obeyed the Father. And then He went to the cross.

And listen, on that cross, Jesus took the punishment our sins deserved. The wrath of God against sin was poured out on Him entirely. He died in our place. And three days later, He rose from the grave, proving that sin and death had been defeated.

That’s the good news.

But here’s the best news. Salvation isn’t something you earn. It’s all a free gift.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, “For by grace you’ve been saved through faith. And this isn’t your own doing; it’s the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Forgiveness is a gift. New life is a gift. Eternal life is a gift.

And that gift is received through repentance and faith. Turning away from your sin. Trusting in Jesus Christ alone to save you.

And so listen, if you’re here this morning and you’ve never done that, let me just urge you—don’t wait. Turn to Christ today.

Repent of your sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus. And receive the grace that only He can give.

Because the same God who shepherded Jacob… And the same God who redeemed him from all evil… He’s the same God who offers that same grace to you today.

And so as we close this morning, I wanna invite you to respond to that message.

.…

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

Listen, the praise team’s gonna come and lead us in worship again in just a moment. And this is your time to respond to what you’ve heard.

Maybe you need to pray where you’re sitting. Maybe you need to come forward and talk with someone. We’ll have some pastors up front, I’ll be in the back if anyone needs prayer or wants to talk about following Christ.

But listen, however the Spirit’s leading you this morning…don’t ignore His voice.

And so, you take this time and I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]