Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20090329.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part VII: Explaining God's Plan To Bless Men Regardless Of Apostasy
II. Settling And Directing God's Anxious People To Hope In His Word
(Genesis 48:21-22; 49:28-50:26)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Right after last Sunday's congregational meeting, two believers asked me "Pastor, how are you doing?!"

    Later that Sunday, two more believers at different times and settings asked me what I thought of the meeting!

    On Tuesday, my wife and I received a note of encouragement in the mail from another member regarding the meeting.

    Thus, the topic of the meeting, that of potentially cutting back paying our missionaries' salaries to meet my salary due to the current giving shortfall, sparked concern as to what my response to it all might be! Some may wonder if I am becoming nervous or upset, and might take some other pastorate or job that might harm the Church's function.

    However, in view of what I have learned from God's Word the last 33 years of ministry, last Sunday's meeting only left me more committed to my pastoral duties at Nepaug Church! [We will of course explain this in the sermon conclusion for your benefit!]

    Then, as has occurred all through this series out of the book of Genesis, when I began last Tuesday to prepare this sermon, I saw the passage provides application to last Sunday's congregational meeting! God wants us to make that application in this sermon, for HE has HIS agenda to be made clear for ALL of us, including me!



    So, today we answer the question: "In view of last Sunday's congregational meeting and the seeming uncertainties of the future, what comment would GOD make for US TODAY?"

    Need: "Since last Sunday's congregational meeting left us tempted to be concerned about our future as a body, what would GOD say?!"

  1. Jacob's death left Joseph's brothers fearing what he might do to their harm in his father's absence, Genesis 48:21-22; 49:28-50:17b:
    1. When Jacob knew his death was near, he tried to insure his offspring would be edified after he was gone, 48:21-22; 49:28-32; 50:16-17:
      1. Jacob realized he was near death, so he reminded Joseph of God's Genesis 15:13-16 prediction to bring his descendants back to the Promised Land of Canaan [in Israel's exodus], Genesis 48:21. Thus, he gave Joseph the plot he acquired in Shechem, Gen. 48:22.
      2. Jacob also left instructions that Joseph forgive his brothers, that he not take vengeance on them for wronging him, Genesis 50:16-17.
      3. Finally, as he was dying, Jacob told his sons to bury him with the patriarchs in the Cave of Machpelah that they might hope in God and His future deliverance [in the exodus], Genesis 49:28-32, 33!
    2. Jacob's death left a huge vacuum of influence, Genesis 49:33-50:14:
      1. When Jacob died, Joseph deeply grieved his loss, Gen. 49:33-50:1.
      2. Joseph then commanded his Egyptian servants to embalm Jacob's body, and the Egyptians mourned for Jacob for 70 days, 2 less than normal for a Pharaoh, revealing the Egyptians greatly respected Joseph and Jacob, Gen. 50:2-3; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 100.
      3. Joseph gained permission from Pharaoh to take officials and his brothers to bury Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah, Genesis 50:4-14.
    3. With Jacob then gone, all external influence to keep Joseph from using his power to take vengeance on his brothers had been removed, so Joseph's brothers became afraid of him, Genesis 50:15!
    4. Thus, after Jacob's burial, Joseph's brothers sent a messenger to remind him of his father's wish that Joseph forgive them for their sin against him (Genesis 50:15-17b), and they came and bowed down again before Joseph, begging for his mercy, Genesis 50:18.
  2. Yet, Joseph FEARED GOD, so he SETTLED and DIRECTED his father's family to HOPE in GOD'S WORD, Genesis 50:17-26 et al.:
    1. When Joseph heard his brothers' request for mercy, he wept once again, exposing his lifelong scars from his brothers' sin against him, Gen. 50:17c. However, Joseph repeated his initial words on the issue to settle his brothers: they had mistreated him, but due to his faith in God, Joseph claimed that God had allowed their sin so he might be used of the Lord to save them, Genesis 50:19-20 and Genesis 45:4-8.
    2. Thus, Joseph repeated his intentions stated decades before to help and not harm his brothers and their families, 50:21; 45:10-11 with 47:28.
    3. Finally, as tangible evidence of his commitment to his brothers and their families, and to spur them to trust in God's promise about taking the land of Canaan, Joseph directed that at his death, he not be quickly buried in Canaan like his father, but that his mummified body be taken with them when Israel left Egypt in the exodus, Gen. 50:22-26!>
  3. Joseph died at age 110, the perfect life span for Egyptians, and was embalmed as only prestigious people were and put in a wooden case in Egypt, Gen. 50:26; Zon. Pic. Enc. of the Bib., v. Two, p. 297-298.
  4. Thus, until they conquered the Promised Land of Canaan, Joseph's mummy gave Israel hundreds of years of material evidence to hope in God and His trustworthy promises, Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32:
    1. When God led Jacob's family as the nation Israel out of Egypt, Moses took Joseph's mummy with him as Joseph willed, Exodus 13:19.
    2. Then, after conquering Canaan, Israel buried Joseph in the parcel of land at Shechem that Jacob had given him, Jos. 24:32; Gen. 48:21-22!
    3. So, all during Israel's Egyptian bondage, all during her wilderness wanderings and all during her conquest of Canaan, Israel had Joseph's mummy as material evidence to keep her encouraged that God's Word was trustworthy in ISRAEL'S behalf:
      1. God had raised Joseph up out of Egyptian slavery to rule Egypt in accord with His prophetic dreams to do so, cf. Genesis 37:6-11.
      2. Thus, the "Egyptianized" mummy of Israel's own Joseph was material evidence Israel possessed for hundreds of years that God would SIMILARLY FULFILL His PROMISE to take ISRAEL out of SIMILAR Egyptian bondage to rule in Canaan!
      3. Israel thus had consistent, tangible evidence for trusting in God!
Application: To address anxiety about our future, may we (1) trust in Christ as Savior to become sons of God, John 1:11-12; 3:16. (2) Then, may those God assigns to lead like Joseph (a) settle fellow believers with nurturing oversight and (b) direct them to trust God's faithfulness to His Word and its promises about a blessed future.

Lesson: Realizing God had elevated him to help his brothers and their families, and in reverence for God and in trust in His Word, Joseph settled his brothers by promising to nurture them, and led them to trust in God's future promises for their future blessing as a nation.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Now to apply this sermon in view of last Sunday's meeting:

(1) To settle you over concerns you may have about my reaction to last week's congregational meeting, as Joseph repeated his commitment to his anxious brothers made 17 years before, and as I have told you for 27 years now, I remain committed to this ministry until either you would remove me by official congregational vote, or God would make it humanly impossible for me to keep ministering!

Why? There are three reasons:

(a) Reason One: God called me to this work, so I want to do His will like Jesus enjoyed doing the Father's will (John 4:34)!

(b) Reason Two: God warned me to keep working! Revelation 3:20 with associate passage, James 4:13-5:12, teaches God wants pastors to fear His discipline if they take some other job due to giving shortages! Last Sunday's meeting aligned with this prophecy, making me fear God's severe discipline if I fail to keep at this ministry!

(c) Reason Three: God's people need the truth. Just this last week I learned a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the Moody Bible Institute who is a professor at Moody, condones progressive creationism, a form of theistic evolution! That error makes death part of God's creation, not the product of sin, so it sabotages the substitutionary atonement of Christ (Bib. Sac., vol. 151, No. 602, p. 174)! When graduates and/or professors at such historical bastions of the faith start to dabble in this level of significant error, I am impelled to keep upholding Biblical truth in this ministry for the people of God!

(2) Then, re: income security, Revelation 3:20 with Rev. 19:21 and Luke 12:42-48 reveal that God, in view of our giving shortage, will provide all the income needed providing I feed you His Word and do not start to pressure you for income or live for worldly lusts! He then promises to give me edifying insight for your blessing.

(3) Finally, as encouragement to you, another associate passage to Revelation 3:20, Matthew 24:33 in its context, predicts the financial crisis we face today is linked to world crises caused by God's judgment and the acts of evil men just before God raises up a godly leader with world influence at the end of this Church era, Rev. 3:21! I hold the present crisis is being used of God prepare for that future, so, our job is to hope in the Lord so He can use us in the future!

So, let us focus on obeying God for great future reward!