Eternal Rest in Faith
Beginnings: Eternal Rest in Faith • Sermon • Submitted
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· 10 viewsPeople of faith face death in peace knowing that God will fulfill His promises.
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A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’ “If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire. But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.”
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Genesis 12-50 Bible Project Video 8 min
Eternal Rest in Faith
Eternal Rest in Faith
Intro:
If I have counted correctly, we have been in the book of Genesis for 20 weeks as of today. Today we will complete this series, but we have by no means covered everything in the book of Genesis. After all, we have only spent 20 weeks on a book that is 50 chapters long. However, our overview of the book, points to the overall arching message of the Bible. That is, God’s work to save people and restore His creation. God created everything and when He was done, He pronounced it good. Then Satan slipped in and tempted people and they succumbed to the temptation bringing upon God’s creation the curse of death and separation from its Creator. But you cannot permanently foul up God’s plans. God was prepared. He had a plan. He shares it even as the curse is being explained. His words to Satan are...
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
How appropriate that the book of Genesis begins and ends with blessings despite the sin disruption. God’s initial creation ends up cursed, but God’s final restoration will be for all eternity. Under that knowledge, we can all live and die in peace and rest.
We see this kind of peace and rest with Jacob. His life had not been easy, but he had learned to put his trust in God. God had answered his prayers and dreams in ways beyond what he could have ever imagined. Now, as he prepares to breath his last, we see a man of faith. He had a rocky beginning, but he goes out in glory.
Stand with me as we read Jacob’s final will and testament found in Genesis 49:28-50:6. I am skipping the individual blessings to his son and resuming just after those.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.” When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ” Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Pray
I. Legacy of Faith (Genesis 47-50)
I. Legacy of Faith (Genesis 47-50)
Sermon Intro:
In the years before I attended the Nazarene Bible College, I lived in Yakima and was a corporate supervisor. A funeral home there had been given my name and began calling me on occasion to sing at funerals. The funerals I sang at were not people I knew, but they were people of faith wanting church songs to be sung. The woman who played the piano for me attended a Baptist church in town. One day she told me that she had told the funeral home that she just could not play for non-believers anymore as it was just too heart rending.
She shared her experience and told me that there was never any music played except for her organ playing. She said people seldom said anything and it was common for there to be no real program per se. People just sat in quiet weeping and sometimes people just screamed in torment over the loss. The worst she said she had ever witnessed was the death of a child and she said people were literally rolling on the floor in anguish. She knew in that moment, she just couldn’t attend again.
What a contrast to what we know. Yesterday was a prime example. There is peace and calm reigns over the service of a believer. There are fun stories shared and a life celebrated. There is sorrow also, but not the deep-darkness that accompanies the loss of an unbeliever. We recognize and have peace that even though we miss this person now for a while, we will one day be reunited with them.
As Jacob recognized his time to leave this earth was upon him, we find him at rest in his soul. He had had his struggles. In most cases, it was due to his own poor choices. He had wanted to serve God, but he had difficulty trusting God. However, despite his mistakes and his slowness of faith, God worked incredible miracles in his life. The greatest of all was to give back to him the son he had thought he had lost forever; Joseph.
In Egypt, Jacob had another glorious 17 years with Joseph as well as Joseph’s children. He even adopts Joseph’s oldest two boys giving Joseph’s family a double inheritance. Look with me at Genesis 48:8.
When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
Just prior to this Israel says that Manasseh and Ephraim will be reckoned to him as his sons. So, this question is not that Jacob doesn’t recognize the boys, but it is the opening of the ceremony to adopt. Just as in a wedding when the pastor says, “Who gives this woman?”
All Joseph’s other children will remain Joseph’s, but Manasseh and Ephraim are to become sons of Jacob providing Joseph a double portion of the inheritance. As the boys stand before Jacob in order of oldest to youngest, the oldest near Jacob’s right and Ephraim the younger on Jacob’s left, we find that God chooses through Jacob to raise the second son above the first. Jacob very purposely lays his right hand, the hand that symbolizes the higher blessing and crosses it over to Ephraim on his left. Joseph is disturbed by this (most assuredly, we can assume that Joseph has been grooming Manasseh to inherit the head blessing), but Jacob assures Joseph he knows what he is doing.
In this moment and later as Jacob progresses with blessing each of his sons, he demonstrates his faith in God and a clear understanding of what God is going to do among his family. His final legacy will be a legacy of faith. There is no fear displayed. Instead, we see Jacob...
A. Ending Life with Worship & Blessings (Genesis 47:28-49:27)
A. Ending Life with Worship & Blessings (Genesis 47:28-49:27)
Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” “I will do as you say,” he said. “Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Centuries earlier, God had revealed to Abraham that a time was coming when his descendents would leave the promised land and be slaves in another land. Jacob, or Israel I should say, would be aware of this prophecy. He probably has rightfully guessed, that this is the place where God said their descendents would be for 400 years. However, Jacob believes wholeheartedly that they will in time return to the land promised by God. Jacob wishes to be returned now to the land to await the return of his children. He stresses this by making Joseph take a vow. It is the same vow, or oath that Abraham required of his servant he sent for a wife for Isaac. This is so important to Jacob, that he later stresses it again to all his sons.
And then we find, Jacob leaning on his staff and worshiping God.
A lot has been said in recent years about making worship comfortable. People will worship more comfortably if they can have their coffee with them. People are more likely to worship if they do not have to dress up for church. People will more likely worship if they can have their preference of music.
The truth is, if people really have a heart for God, such affectations do not matter. Jacob was crippled. I am sure he could have found a more comfortable way and place to worship, but he was so overwhelmed in that moment that comfort was the last thing on his mind.
The church has gone to a lot of effort and cost to try to DRAW people to worship. Music is written and designed more to make us feel emotionally attached to God than to just be expressions of our worship for God. My personal opinion is that true worship is not something we put on, but is a wellspring bubbling up from our inner being out of our love for God. We do not put it on, it should naturally over flow and I believe we see this demonstrated in Israel in these final passages of his life.
Music is an awesome form of worship when it is centered on the right thing (God and His attributes). However, music used improperly can manipulate emotions without serving any real worship value. (The Voice-Coaches love people who sing in church because of the emotion they bring to music, yet if their emotion is centered in worship for God. Why do they talk about how they have always yearned for the day they could sing pop songs outside the church? This tells me that their god is music, not the God. They lead in church so they can sing, not so they can worship. Leading worship is the highest means of using our singing voice. Personally, I believe it is sad that people feel it is more worthy to sing and make money by it than to lead others in worship. (Some receive money appropriately).
For Jacob, even as he pronounces the blessings upon his children, as weak as he is, he makes an effort to sit up and share his final blessings and thanks to God.
Half way through the blessings, he is overwhelmed by the worship bubbling up from within. He is excited about the wondrous things God will do and he cries out...
“I look for your deliverance, Lord.
As Israel proceeds with the blessings, we find he is...
B. Ending Life with Clarity of God’s Divine Plan (Genesis 49:1-28)
B. Ending Life with Clarity of God’s Divine Plan (Genesis 49:1-28)
Have you ever sat by the bed of a dying saint? They will often tell you they see so clearly God’s work in their life and they yearn to be with Him. They sometimes even feel God has given them answers to lifelong prayers for loved ones.
Jacob has been given clarity regarding the outcome of each of his kids. For some it is great! Others, not so much.
I shared with you what he said about Judah last week. Judah’s is probably the most surprising of them all. Most people would expect the Savior to be a promise to Joseph’s descendants instead of Judah. However, as we saw, Judah had a life change that greatly impacted his life and God honored that.
Now, I want to briefly look at some of the others. I am not going to go through them all due to time constraints, but I want you to notice how right on Jacob is in his predictions for his sons.
Look with me at Rueben:
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.
And Jacob’s prophetic word came true. When Reuben’s descendants settled in the Transjordan, they soon disappeared from history, and no prophet or judge or king would ever come from the tribe of Reuben.
Now, Simeon and Levi:
“Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
And both tribes were divided and scattered, so that neither of them were given a portion of the land. The tribe of Simeon virtually disappeared after the time of the conquest of the promised land. And when the tribe of Levi was given the responsibility of the priesthood, its people were therefore disallowed from having their own territory.
Zebulun:
“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Brothers’ Blessings (vv. 13–21, 27)
Zebulun’s prime location would siphon prosperity from the sea, though in fact the tribe had no ports of its own. International trade fueled Zebulun’s prosperity.
Issachar:
“Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Brothers’ Blessings (vv. 13–21, 27)
Issachar settled in a fertile land and embraced a tarnished level of prosperity because her people chose to live as serfs rather than labor in a less fertile district. The descendants of Issachar traded their liberty for the humiliating comforts of slavery.
Dan:
“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Brothers’ Blessings (vv. 13–21, 27)
The tribe of Dan became the tribe of Samson, and medieval Jewish commentators understood the metaphor of the viper to be Samson, who by his stealth and trickery defeated the Philistines. Dan’s descendants would excel in stealth in battle
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Brothers’ Blessings (vv. 13–21, 27)
Gad, Asher, Naphtali, and Benjamin. Jacob’s shout was followed by cleverly worded blessings that prophesied more victories and prosperity to Gad, Asher, and Naphtali:
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Brothers’ Blessings (vv. 13–21, 27)
Like Judah, Benjamin would be fierce and successful in battle. In coming centuries, when Israel went to war, they cried out, “After you, O Benjamin!”
The two longest blessings were those of Judah and Joseph. I shared Judah’s last week, but look with me at his pronounced blessing upon Joseph as it is beautiful.
“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
Jacob’s blessing upon Joseph is worship to God for God’s care and provision. Here we find several descriptions of God never before used but ones that will carry forward throughout all scripture. The image of God as a “shepherd” and a “rock.”
After all these blessings, Jacob/Israel passes. Pharaoh honors Jacob’s passing like he would any dignitary. His body is embalmed, not for the Egyptian reasons, but it is just practical to carry his body home. The Egyptians mourn for him for 70 days in honor of Joseph. Pharaoh allows and provides for Joseph and his brothers to take their father home to be buried. He sends all the dignitaries of his court to accompany them. It was an incredible scene and so peculiar it didn’t go unnoticed by the Canaanites.
Interestingly, they take a circuitous route that actually matches the path later taken in the Exodus. In the lead was Joseph, Jacob’s sarcophagus, and what Kent Hughes refers to as the “glitterati of the Nile.” Their apparel would be of the Egyptian Elite glittering in gold, turquoise, and blood-red carnelian. They will then be followed by the bearded, shepherd attired brothers and then followed by Pharaoh’s chariots for safety. I guarantee you it was a traffic stopper.
Then beings the 7-days of mourning. The Egyptians in respect for Joseph join in with some if not all of the Hebrew practices of wailing and fasting for the lost loved one. When it is done, Jacob is interred in the cave of his fathers. The only piece of Canaanite property they currently truly own.
Then they all return to Egypt where their families will reside and grow for some 400 years.
The heightened emotion of loss and as of yet, un-repented guilt drives the brothers to have concern that Joseph will now retaliate. It is hard to be so misunderstood and Joseph weeps and once again affirms his forgiveness, pointing them to God’s saving purpose.
Guilt and sin continue to be a prison until they are repented of and laid before God. We have seen evidence in Judah’s life that he has dealt with it but the other brothers have never apparently done so and so it resurfaces now. But Joseph reveals a man free from the chains of resentment. So much so, that he weeps to realize his brothers have not fully realized the forgiveness he has offered them. Joseph models for us God’s mercy and forgiveness, revealing again his faith in God.
And then we find Jacob’s final accolade. He has succeeded in...
C. Passing on the Legacy of Faith (Genesis 50:22-26)
C. Passing on the Legacy of Faith (Genesis 50:22-26)
Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
As a dignitary of Egypt, it was not practical for him to be returned to Canaan right after his death. He would be laid in state like a king upon his death. He would be mourned by his family and the Egyptians alike.
Joseph could have stayed there in a kingly tomb the rest of his life, however, Joseph was not after the riches and stature that men could offer him. He also, believed God’s promises and wanted to dwell with his people. He made his family swear that when the time came, they would take his body back to Canaan.
His wishes were carried out some 400 years later.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”
By securing this promise from his people, Joseph sets himself up as a memorial witness to God’s promise giving hope to the Israelites for 400 year. The legacy of faith for Jacob and Joseph are found in Hebrews 11.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
These men were not perfect, but through a lifetime of persevering, they developed a faith so strong, that come their dying day they lay down in peace and trust that God would fulfill His word.
Conclusion:
What will be your last thoughts and pronouncements to your family? What is the legacy you are handing down? Is it one of hope and longing for a promised land? Or one content with the comfortable trappings of this world?
The end of Genesis was just the beginning journey of God’s work to redeem humankind. The winning battle was accomplished when Jesus rose from the dead. I believe that there is every reason to believe that our current generation will see the final battle and fulfillment of all God has promised.
Whether we die before that day or we live to see it happen, if we have faith we can rest in peace no matter what happens around us. If you are fearful about the things happening in our world today, think back on the events of Genesis and the many things the patriarch’s had to live through and how they died in peace and assurance of God’s promises being fulfilled. Remember also Jesus words in John 10.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
Pray (Advent coming)