A Pilgrims Progress

“A Pilgrim’s Progress”

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The last part of gives us the picture of Joseph’s brothers returning to the land of Canaan with the carts and the clothes and the provisions to tell their dad what they had experienced in Egypt.

Joseph had told his brothers, do not quarrel on the way. I wonder what the brothers talk about as they made their way from Egypt back to Canaan.

One of the brothers might have said; my heart stopped when they pulled that silver cup out of Benjamin’s sack; I knew we were in big trouble! Another brother says, I was absolutely shocked when the Egyptian prime minister said those words,” I am Joseph”. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I didn’t see that coming! Wasn’t it amazing when he took his headdress off; and we began to recognize, it was our brother. What about when he said come near to me; I noticed that none of you were in a hurry to step up.

Another brother says; I cannot believe how kind, and forgiving, and compassion he was; especially when you think about what all we did to him.

But then one of the brothers says; yeah, but what are we going to tell our father?

How are we going to tell him that Joseph is alive?

He will know that we lied to him 22 years ago when we showed him the bloody coat of many colors, and that we been deceiving him for 22 years?

They come to their father and they tell him that Joseph is alive; and Joseph wants you to come to Egypt. And what takes place in through is Jacob leaving Canaan, making his way to Egypt to reunite with Joseph in one of the greatest family reunions in the Bible. We’re going to follow along with Jacob as he makes his last pilgrimage. Were told in “that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were pilgrims; looking for a city which had foundation, whose builder and maker is God. And they all died in faith and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on earth” When Jacob arrived in Egypt; and met the Pharaoh he told him in -“I have been a Pilgrim in this world”. Jacob knew something that we need to be reminded of this morning; if you are a Christian this is not your home, you’re a Pilgrim, you’re just passing through this world; our permanent home is in heaven!

Don’t drive your tent stakes down to deep; you’re going be pulling them up and moving on of these days.

There are four scenes in Jacob’s pilgrimage; that teach us what it means to be a Pilgrim in this world.

· The first scene is at the end of chapter 45, where Jacob’s sons tell him that Joseph is still alive.

· The second scene is at the beginning of , word Jacob sacrifices to God and is assured by God that he will be with him.

· The third scene is in , where Jacob meets his son Joseph, and declares that he is ready to die.

· The fourth scene is found in , where we have Jacob witnessing to the Pharaoh.

Scene number one, to start the pilgrimage we must:

1. Hear the Message; and be Responsive!

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Joseph told them exactly what to tell his father in -“go to my father and tell him your son Joseph said to tell you, God has made me the Lord of all Egypt: come down to me, and hurry”.

Get the picture in your mind as these brothers of Joseph come to their father and give him the message, 45:26-Read.

We’re not told if they broke the ice by telling a joke, or just eased into the story, are just blurted it out. But they told him and notice how he responded.

a. Jacob was confused by what he heard.

45:26-“Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not”.

For 22 years Jacob had believed that Joseph was dead. He had seen the bloody coat, he had accepted the fact that Joseph was attacked by and killed by a wild animal. He had mourned and cried over his favorite son; he had said to himself Joseph is dead and gone forever.

If you had of asked Jacob, tell me about some of the best days and some of the worst days of your life. There is no doubt; that he would tell you the worst day of his life was when he sent his son Joseph to go check on his brothers and he never returned again. Joseph was 17 years old when he left that morning; and said bye to his dad, and walked out of sight. Jacob had waited for his son Joseph to return; but he never returned. But the brothers returned carrying the beautiful coat of many colors that he had given to Joseph covered in blood, torn and ripped, apparently from the attack of a wild animal.

Jacob fell on the ground, tore his clothes, and mourned for days. He was devastated, heartbroken at the loss of his favorite son Joseph.

And now the same brothers who had brought the bloody coat to him, are standing in front of him saying Joseph is alive. And not only is your son alive, he’s the Prime Minister over all the land of Egypt.

At that moment Jacob is confused, for 22 years he had been convinced that Joseph was dead; and now he’s being told he’s not dead; he’s alive, and living in Egypt. He is taking in this information; but his brain can’t compute it; it’s more than he can take, he simply does not believe his boys.

He’s probably thinking I don’t know what to believe from these boys anymore, I don’t know when they’re telling me the truth, and when they’re not. I don’t know if they were lying when they gave me the coat covered with blood; or their lying now by telling me Joseph is alive.

They tell Jacob the story, about how Joseph had revealed himself to them, and how he had been compassionate, and forgiving. And as Jacob listened to their message and looked into their eyes the hope that Joseph was alive begin to rise in his heart.

a. Jacob was confused by what he heard.

b. Jacob was convinced by what he saw.

45:27-“they told him all the words of Joseph, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived”.

When Jacob saw the wagons, carts and the animals, and provisions that Joseph had sent he believed them; that Joseph was alive. He knew they got the carts from somewhere, they weren’t Canaanite carts; the steering wheel was on the wrong side. He saw that these carts were from Egypt; and they weren’t just average carts, they were royal carts, loaded down with supplies and food and clothes for Jacob and the family and their journey to Egypt.

Having heard their message, and seen the carts and supplies; he says I believe it, enough said; Joseph my son is alive: I will go and see him before I die.

I want to stop here for a moment and make a couple of applications to our lives.

This morning there is a message that’s greater than the message that Jacob heard, when he heard that his son was alive. That is the message that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and was put in a borrowed tomb, rose from the dead on the third day! And this morning Jesus Christ, the son of God is alive; and he invites you to come by faith and meet him and be saved and forgiven and made right with God! That is the message of all messages; Jesus is the Savior, and he desires to forgive you of your sins and give you spiritual life today if you will hear the message, and respond in faith.

Jacob heard the message that his son was alive; but he would have never saw him, unless he responded to the message.

You can hear the gospel message today; but unless you respond in faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be your savior you will never be saved!

For those of us who are saved; it is our joy to share the message of the gospel and invite people to respond by placing their faith in Jesus Christ.

But many people will never believe our message until they see some evidence in our life’s that Jesus Christ is alive!

It was when Jacob saw the carts and supplies that he believed the message that Joseph was alive.

And there needs to be some carts, supplies, evidence in my life in your life that we have met the living Lord Jesus Christ!

A person should be able to look at our lives, and say they are a Christian, look at their life. The way they talk, the way they treat people, the kindness, compassion, and priorities of their live testifies that Jesus Christ is alive!

There are a lot of people that do not want to hear or believe the gospel because of the broken down, raggedy, dilapidated, empty, loud carts attached to so-called Christians lives. Empty carts make the most noise; by the way.

What will convinced the world that Jesus is alive; is the carts of Christians loaded down with the love, grace, joy, and worship!

Jacob saw the carts and he believed that Joseph was alive.

The best news that Jacob had ever heard, was Joseph your son is alive!

And he believed it; and he said my son Joseph is alive I’ll go and see him.

That should be the greatest desire of every fathers and mothers in here today; for your boys and girls to be not just physically alive; but to be spiritually alive. We thank God for our children’s physical life and strength; but that is only temporary.

Jacob and Joseph could hang out and enjoy being together for a while as they did. But both Jacob and Joseph were going to die. Fathers and sons, and daughters and mothers can play baseball together, go shopping together, have picnics, go to the playground, take walks, listen to music together, and make trips. But father and son, and daughter and mother are going to die one day. And unless there is spiritual life in both father and son, and mother and daughter; there spiritually dead and cannot truly enjoy life as it is meant to be; and when they die, there relationship will be over for eternity!

My mind races ahead to another story in , where a father welcomes home his son and says,

“My son was dead, and he is alive again; he was lost and now he is found”.

The joy that Jacob had seeing his son alive physically; is nothing compared to the joy of seeing your children made alive spiritually!

When a person comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ; they are brought back from the worst kind of death; spiritual death!

Without Jesus Christ people are dead in their trespasses and sins. And spiritual death, combined with physical death, leads to eternal death; which the Bible calls hell, eternal separation from God.

So the greatest need a person has is to be made alive spiritually, saved and delivered from spiritual death and eternal death!

Jacob said I’m convinced Joseph my son is alive!

That should be the longing of every parents heart; that your children are alive spiritually, there saved and have spiritual life! There’s nothing equal to that; not a business deal, nor a vacation, nothing is as wonderful as knowing your children are spiritually alive, and will live eternally!

Scene number two, a pilgrim needs to:

2. Meet with God, and be Encouraged!

46:1-4.

Jacob starts on his journey and travels about 25 miles and stops at Beersheba. This was a very significant place in Jacob’s family; Abraham planted a tree there and called on the name of the Lord, Isaac dug a well there, set up his tent there, and built an altar, and worshipped God.

So Jacob on his journey stops at this special place, on purpose to meet with God.

Notice what Jacob did there:

a. To offer a sacrifice.

46:1-“and offered sacrifices…

Every sacrifice offered in the Old Testament, was an acknowledgment by the person that they were a sinner, in need of forgiveness. Every sacrifice in the Old Testament, pointed to a better sacrifice that would one day come to take away the sin of the world. That sacrifice was the Lord Jesus Christ; the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world! So he is acknowledging he is a sinner in need of pardon. He also stopped to worship God, and receive instructions from him! Jacob was a worshiper and worshipers worship!

Jesus said the father seeks worshipers; who will worship in spirit and truth!

It was during this time of worship and sacrifice that Joseph received encouragement and instruction from God!

God spoke to Joseph in 46:3-“I am God, the God of your father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will make of you a great nation there”.

Why did Jacob need this encouragement from God to go down to Egypt and meet Joseph? Will back in , God had told Isaac do not go down into Egypt, but live in the land of Canaan that I give you”.

Jacob was aware of what God said to Isaac; so he was concerned that his great desire to be reunited with his boy, did not lead him to disobey God. Jacob was more concerned about obeying God; than anything else in his life! What Jacob is doing here is affirming that no matter how excited he was about seeing his son, no matter how much that meant to him, being obedient to God was more important to Jacob than even seeing his son Joseph alive again.

God and eternity meant more to Jacob; then time and temporary happiness.

You say pastor, what does that have to do with me?

It means that obedience to God is more important family relationships, friendships or anything else.

If God calls you to go Indonesia for the sake of the gospel; you better go. Not because your family is not important; but because obedience to God is more important! Notice how Jacob was encouraged, and assured by God 46:3-4-“fear not to go down into Egypt; I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also bring you up again: and Joseph will close your eyes in death”.

What great words of encouragement and assurance to Jacob. God promised to make of Jacob a great nation in Egypt; there were only 70 of them that went down into Egypt, but God promised to bring them out a great nation. What is the ultimate fulfillment of this great nation that God would make; it is the great multitude of people from every nation, tribe and tongue around the throne of God in heaven, worshipping the Lamb of God.

Jacob met with God, was encouraged and he obey God. You say well if God came to me in a vision and told me these things I would obey him too; would you really?

God has spoken to you; he has spoken to you right here in this book! -“We have the word of the prophets made more certain”.

There’s nothing else that God has to say to us, he says it all to us right here in this book! All we have to do is read the book, and obey the book!

God tells Jacob I’ll be with you, I will take you, and I will make of you a great nation.

As pilgrims we need to meet with God and be encouraged, and directed every day.

Scene number three, in the pilgrimage: a pilgrim need to:

3. Rejoice in the Savior, and be Satisfied!

46:29-30-Read.

I can picture Jacob and his sons and their wives and children and the carts and the animals like a great big caravan headed out of Canaan. Looked like the Beverly hillbillies times 12!

All of Jacob’s neighbors must have said, where you going Jacob, he says well I’m a millionaire, my boy Joseph is alive and he’s the Lord over all the land of Egypt. He wants us to move down there, that’s why we have these carts with the steering wheels on the wrong side. We’re moving to Egypt! And Jacob and his family rolls into the land of Egypt; can you imagine the anticipation in Jacob’s heart to meet Joseph? You know how it feels when you’ve been separated from somebody you love for long time. And you’re anticipating seeing them; you comb your hair, brush your teeth, and check your breath. You’re excited about seeing them. Jacob was excited about seeing his son Joseph.

And all of a sudden Joseph appears on the horizon; the last time he had seen him he was a 17-year-old young man, walking out of sight. And now he sees Joseph coming on the horizon.

46:29-“and Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet his father, and presented himself; and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck and good while”.

Can you picture what this scene was like; when Joseph jumps out of his chariot, chariot 2, and Jacob climbs down from the wagon and their eyes meet, and tears begin to flow, and they hug and cry and hug and cry?

This is one of the great hugs of the Bible!

Jacob was quite a hugger-Laban gives Jacob a big hug after he kisses Rachel. He gets a hug from Esau after they had been separated. But none of those hugs even come close to this hug! I don’t think there’s any doubt that this is the crowning moment of Jacob’s earthly life; over 20 years of missing each other is squeezed into this hug.

Past sorrows are forgotten, evil deeds are forgiven; and great satisfaction is expressed!

Jacob says as he rejoices in the arms of his son, 46:30-“Jacob said unto Joseph now let me die, since I’ve seen your face because you are yet alive”.

He is saying in other words there’s nothing that can top this! There’s nowhere else to go, there is no trip to take, there’s nothing to do; this is as good as it gets! This reminds us of what Simeon said in

, when he took Jesus in his arms and said now let your servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen your salvation”.

What you have in these words is an expression of deep satisfaction! Let me ask you a question; are you satisfied in your life? When you look at your life are you satisfied? Jacob said, I’m satisfied and I’m ready to die. This is not a satisfaction that materialism brings, or earthly success, or fame and popularity brings. This is a satisfaction that is grounded in something much deeper. This is the satisfaction that comes from being in right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

-“In righteousness I will see your face; I’ll be satisfied when I wake with your likeness”.

Why do we live in such a dissatisfied world this morning? We have so many things to enjoy, so much freedom to go and come and relax. Yet there are so many people who are not satisfied. “I can’t get no satisfaction, but I try, and I try, and I try…. And Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones couldn’t get no satisfaction and neither can you if you look in the places they looked! If you’re thinking this morning; if I could just get that job, start that business, get that car, buy that house, marry that girl, fix my retirement; then I will be satisfied. It’s not going to happen! Are you satisfied? The place to find satisfaction is in a relationship with Jesus Christ the Savior!

Scene number four, you need to:

4. Remember You’re a Pilgrim, and be a Witness!

47:7-8-Read.

Jacob meets the Pharaoh and were told that he blesses the Pharaoh two times. And he tells the Pharaoh two times in V:9, I am a Pilgrim, stranger in this land. Jacob knew that Egypt was not his home, and the Pharaoh was not his King to bless him; God was the king of all the earth and since Jacob knew God, he’s the one that blessed Pharaoh.

Jacob blessed Pharaoh and said I am a Pilgrim.

Joseph had arranged for Jacob and his family to be in the land of Goshen; which was the best place to live in all the land of Egypt. I am sure that Jacob thanked the Pharaoh for giving him such a great place to live; yet Jacob knew that he was a Pilgrim.

Egypt was not his home!

The way that we respond to the place we live, and the things we have, is a great indication whether or not we believe we are pilgrims in this world.

Tess and I had the privilege of watching McCartney and Rush last week, while Jared and Kim were at youth camp. And I was reminded all over again of how hard it is to turn loose of the thing you think are yours! Rush would take something that was McCartney’s; and he would clutch it to his chest, and say over and over mine, mine, mine.

When the truth was it was not his at all!!

If were not careful we can go through life clutching the things that we possess to our heart saying mine, mine, mine. When the truth is nothing you own is yours. All that you are, and all that you have belongs to God; and you are just a steward. And we don’t need to hold on to anything in this world to tightly! How we spend our money, take our vacations, and live our life is an indication of whether we are living for time or for eternity.

If Jacob would have known the song, he would have sung to the Pharaoh; “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through but my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the Angels beckoned me from heaven’s open door and I can’t be at home in this world anymore.

I think you should do all you can to take care of yourself physically, and try to make our country a better place to live, but friend this is not where you’re going to live for eternity.

Have you forgotten about heaven; because you think Egypt is so nice? No matter how nice Egypt is, it’s still Egypt; and were not going to stay here, where pilgrims headed to heaven! Jacob is not afraid to bless the Pharaoh of the land of Egypt with the testimony of God. When you look around at this world do you ever feel like I don’t belong here? That’s because you don’t, if you are saved your citizenship is in heaven. And you’re an ambassador of heaven; and you’re here in this foreign land, to tell people to be reconciled to God so they can spend eternity with him in heaven.

What we have in these four scenes is the progress of a Pilgrim, let’s follow in his footsteps:

Hear the message, and the responsive.

Meet with God, and be encouraged.

Rejoice in the Savior, and be satisfied.

Remember you’re a Pilgrim, and be a witness