[0:00] Well, good morning everyone. It's good to see you. I heard one good morning. Thank you.
[0:11] Two, three. Nice to know you're alive. So Genesis 46 is where we're going to continue in our studies as we look at the life of Joseph and his brothers and his father.
[0:32] And we're going to start in chapter 46, verse 28. We'll read God's word together.
[0:55] Genesis 46, verse 28. Thank you, Adrian. Thank you very much. Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.
[1:15] When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
[1:35] Remember, it was over 22 years since he had seen his father. Israel, or Jacob, said to Joseph, Now I am ready to die since I have seen you for myself and that you are still alive.
[1:52] Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, My brothers and my father's household who are living in the land of Canaan have come to me.
[2:07] The men are shepherds. They tend livestock and they have brought their flocks and herds and everything they own. When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, What is your occupation?
[2:20] You should answer, Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did. Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.
[2:35] Joseph went and told Pharaoh, My father and brothers with their flocks and herds and everything they own have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.
[2:48] He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked the brothers, What is your occupation? Your servants are shepherds, they replied to Pharaoh, just as our fathers were.
[3:05] They also said to him, We have come to live here for a while because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.
[3:19] Pharaoh said to Joseph, Your father and your brothers have come to you. You and the land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.
[3:34] Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them, with special ability, put them in charge of my livestock.
[3:49] Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. And after Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, How old are you?
[4:01] And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my pilgrimage age are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.
[4:14] Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt, gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Ramesses, as Pharaoh directed.
[4:30] Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children. There was no food, however, in the whole region, because the famine was severe.
[4:48] Both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Well, we're going to stop there. We will be continuing the rest of chapter 47 as well, but we're going to pray and ask for God's help.
[5:07] Father God, thank you for these true accounts, these stories of real people, just like us. people who you love, people who you speak to.
[5:24] And we pray that we might listen to your voice through your word, and that our lives may truly be blessed because of it.
[5:35] So help us now, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, over the last week, we've had lots of different counsellors called to the door.
[5:49] And with great enthusiasm, they offer their programme for Carragoline. Promises to make everything better. I've been told we're going to get new walkways, we're going to have a new swimming pool, a centre plaza, affordable rent, bus services, vote for me, and I will deliver.
[6:13] That's their promise. Well, I'm hugely thankful for counsellors and all the work that they do, and I do hope we get a new swimming pool. However, their promises are nothing compared to the promises of God.
[6:30] Because in our text, chapters 46 and 47, we're going to see God's programme for the nations. His promise to renew our disordered world and restore our broken lives.
[6:48] It's God's promise to bring blessing where there's curse. It's a blessing that is going to be beyond our wildest dreams.
[6:59] Now, God's programme, his plan, is very simple. It's been repeated through Genesis with each new generation.
[7:12] You remember what God said to Abraham? I, whoops, will somebody fix that for me there? Thank you. I'll take a drink of water. Thank you. Thank you.
[7:34] So these are the promises, the plan God has. And he first spoke to Abraham and he said, I will bless you and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
[7:46] And then God repeated that same promise to Abraham's son, Isaac. He says, and through your offspring, all nations on the earth will be blessed.
[8:00] And that same promise was confirmed then to Isaac's son, Jacob. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
[8:12] This is God's programme. And there's three parts to it if you can look on the screen there. It says, I will bless you, part one.
[8:25] All the nations will be blessed, part two. And the blessing will come, part three, through your offspring. So I will bless you, all the nations will be blessed and that will come through your offspring.
[8:42] Now this promise spoken long ago is alive and well even today. It's a promise that is now being delivered in Carigaline, across the nation and around the world.
[8:58] So we're going to look at this promise of God in these three different sections. First, let's see God's determination salvation to bless his chosen family.
[9:14] We learn just now that God's promise started with a promise to bless. God intervened into the life of Abraham and said, I'm going to bless you.
[9:26] I'm going to bless your family. God's favour is going to be poured out on you. Well, within two generations, God's family are now on the brink of starvation.
[9:39] A famine has threatened their very existence and they're about to be wiped out. But as we've seen in the story, God in his sovereign plan brings Jacob and his sons down to Egypt where there's food.
[9:56] And to their amazement, Joseph is not dead, he's alive and he's in charge of the food programme. He's the one who will distribute food to people.
[10:09] So a meeting is set up with Pharaoh because they need Pharaoh's approval to live in the land. The plan is simple and here's where we'll pick it up now in chapter 46 verse 33.
[10:25] When Pharaoh calls you in, Joseph speaking to his brothers and he asks, what's your occupation? You should say, we're shepherds. This is what we did since we were little.
[10:37] This is what our fathers did. And you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen. And what's so special about Goshen? Well, it was prime agricultural land.
[10:50] It was great for grazing. And you would be able to settle there for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians. I don't know why they didn't like them.
[11:01] Maybe they thought shepherds were smelly and dirty or whatever it was, but they didn't like them so they could go and live in Goshen. So five brothers are selected to present their case before Pharaoh, the ruler of the land.
[11:18] Look at verse 4, chapter 47. They say to Joseph, we've come to, to Pharaoh, we've come to live here for a while because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture.
[11:33] Well, what's going to be the answer? What's Pharaoh going to say? Well, he is favourable to them, verse 5. Pharaoh said to Joseph, your father and your brothers have come to you and the land of Egypt is before you.
[11:50] Settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. You see, God has not forgotten his promise.
[12:06] God is blessing his family. They get the very best of land, the fields down in Goshen. That's like the fertile lands of West Cork, as green as can be, produces the best dairy and the finest beef, rich, creamy yogurt from Glenillan Farm, tender, succulent steaks.
[12:31] This is what Goshen provides. And on top of all of that, look at the end of verse 6. And if you know of any among the brothers with a special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.
[12:47] Well, they were all shepherds and now they get to work for the ruler of all Egypt, employed by Pharaoh. And if that isn't blessing enough, God's not done yet.
[13:00] There is an outpouring of blessing. Look at verse 11. Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Ramesses.
[13:15] Well, this was millionaire's row. This was, you know, the best of houses with the best of views. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all their father's household with food, according to the number of their children.
[13:36] Can you see what's going on? They've been given the best of land, the best of houses, the best of food. God is determined to bless his chosen family.
[13:50] He said, I'm going to bless you. And that's what he's doing. In fact, we're given a taster of God's promise to renew this disordered world, aren't we?
[14:03] The curse of the famine, that threatened life, has now been replaced by the blessing of God that gives life.
[14:15] They were on the brink of being wiped out, no food. And in the space of a conversation with the ruler of Egypt, they have everything and much, much more.
[14:29] You see, God is determined to bless his chosen family. His promise to reverse the curse is beginning to take shape. Well, that's great for Jacob and his family, isn't it?
[14:44] But what about us? What about you and I? are we going to be blessed too? Well, let's keep going and we'll find out. So first, God's blessing, or promise to bless his chosen family.
[15:00] Second, God's commitment to bless all the nations. Now, God's family are settled in the land and they're enjoying blessing, but, chapter 47, verse 13, there was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe.
[15:21] Both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. So they all came to Joseph. He was the one who was in charge of food distribution and all was well until their money ran out.
[15:38] Verse 15, when the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, give us food. Why should we die before our eyes?
[15:51] All our money is gone. No more money left in the bank. Then bring your livestock, said Joseph, and I will sell you food in exchange for all your animals since your money is gone.
[16:07] Well, fair enough, great plan. So, that was good. They get food again, but of course the same thing happened. Verse 18, when that year was over, they came to Joseph the following year and said, we cannot hide from our Lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock, all our animals now belong to you, there's nothing left from our land except our bodies and our land.
[16:36] Why should we perish? we'll give you our land as well. Buy us our land in exchange for food and we will have our land in bondage to Pharaoh.
[16:48] Give us seed so that we may live and not die and that the land may not become desolate. So, they give Joseph their land, they promise to work for Pharaoh and in exchange they get food.
[17:06] Now, we can argue over the fairness of Joseph's ways. We could be saying, well, why did Joseph do that? Why didn't he just give them food? Why did he take all their money and all their animals and all their land?
[17:20] Well, let's not miss the point of the text. Here is a nation, we read in verse 13, who were wasting away and on the verge of dying and now, because of Joseph's ways.
[17:35] Look at verse 25, they're praising Joseph, you've saved our lives, they said. May we find favour in the eyes of our Lord, we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.
[17:51] Now, whatever way you look at it, this is blessing. As fresh bread was being baked and the smell of it filtered out to hungry, dying children, it was everything they needed.
[18:06] Our lives are saved, they said. In famine times, food is always a blessing and food is what they get.
[18:18] You see, God's promise to bless the nations was beginning to take effect. His longing that the blessings enjoyed by his chosen family would also overflow to the peoples around them.
[18:34] And that's what Egypt and I think Canaan as well, to some extent, were enjoying the food. Now, what is remarkable about all of this, Egypt was a pagan country.
[18:47] They didn't serve the true creator God. They had their own gods, but this wasn't going to be a barrier to God. His program and plan was to bless the nations. And it seems that people who were outside of God's chosen family, well, they get a look in too.
[19:05] There's an overflow of blessing no matter who you are or where you come from. Blessing is being poured out. You see, God is committed to bless all the nations.
[19:22] In fact, it's a blessing that is also reached to us. Because people like you and me, no matter what our nationality, our culture, whatever our background is, we can also share in the overflow of God's blessing.
[19:40] Just as Joseph's family were blessed and the nations were blessed, so we can share in that overflow of blessing. Well, you say, how is that going to happen?
[19:53] Well, let's keep going. we are going to get there. So, third, God's promise to bless through his offspring.
[20:05] He's been determined to bless his chosen family. He's done that. He's committed to blessing all the nations and he's beginning to do that. But did you notice how it all happens?
[20:18] The blessing would come through the offspring or seed of God's chosen family. Now, if we don't get that, we're not going to be able to understand the rest of our Bible story.
[20:33] God's program, God's promise, God's plan is to bless all the nations, all peoples of the world through the seed, through an offspring of his chosen family.
[20:49] family. And that's what we see happening here. Three things are going to help us see this. First, notice the word of the Father.
[21:04] We missed out a little bit in the middle, but here's where we get to it. God's chosen family under Jacob are in Egypt. Now look at chapter 47, verse 7.
[21:16] Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. Now the scene that follows is quite comical, if not strange.
[21:33] We've got a meeting of two men. That's not funny. Men do meet together, that's all right. Pharaoh, on the one hand, the ruler of all Egypt, the greatest nation and the greatest power at the time, is sat there before Jacob.
[21:51] Then Jacob enters in, a wizened old man, hobbling along. Even Pharaoh is struck by how he looks. Look at verse 8, he says, Pharaoh asked, how old are you?
[22:05] I don't think he'd seen so many wrinkles in his life. And then it comes, the father's word, verse 10. Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out of his presence.
[22:22] You could imagine the look on Pharaoh's face, couldn't you? You? Old man? Bless me? I mean, I'm Pharaoh, I'm the greatest power, the ruler of this whole land.
[22:38] And you are going to bless me? It's almost laughable. Here's Jacob, surrounded by his broken, dysfunctional sons, worn out by years of famine, at the mercy of the most powerful ruler in the world, and Jacob says, bless you.
[23:00] Why would he do that? Well, either he's plain delusional, or he's speaking in faith what God said he would do. I will bless you and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you.
[23:18] You see, blessing someone was not saying all the best, or I wish you luck and hope everything goes well for you. No, blessing Pharaoh was a declaration of what God said he would do.
[23:34] So would Pharaoh believe him? Would this blessing that Jacob set upon Pharaoh come true? How would he ever know if what Jacob said was going to happen?
[23:49] Well, all Pharaoh needed to do was to look at the father's son, in this case, Jacob's son, Joseph.
[23:59] So we have the word of the father to bless, and then we have the work of the son to bless. You see, the only reason why Pharaoh had food stored up was because of Joseph.
[24:18] God had told Joseph there would be seven years of harvest, and then there would be seven years of famine. So Joseph put in a plan to store up food for the good times, so that there would be food in the bad times.
[24:34] And all of this was down to the work of Jacob's son, Joseph. In fact, through Joseph's work, Pharaoh would be blessed beyond measure.
[24:48] Look at what happened when the nations came looking to Joseph for food. Look at verse 14, chapter 47, verse 14. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and who did he give it to?
[25:08] He brought it to Pharaoh's palace. And it was the same for the livestock and the land as well. Look at verse 20.
[25:22] The land became Pharaoh's. In fact, when the people were able to grow crops again and they were given grain, look down at verse 24.
[25:35] When the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. You see, Pharaoh was being blessed beyond his wildest dreams. All the money that was collected to Pharaoh.
[25:48] All the livestock that was collected to Pharaoh. A fifth of everything that was grown to Pharaoh. the blessing declared by the Father was made a reality through the work of the Son.
[26:07] Now I wonder, does that make you think of something? Does it sound familiar to you? Another father? Another son?
[26:17] Well, God was doing what he said he would do. through the seed, through the Son, blessing would come to the nations.
[26:29] You see, this is how God works. This is the pattern. The Father speaks the word, and the Son does the Father's work, and the nations are being blessed.
[26:44] Look what they cried out in verse 19. End of verse 19. Give us seed so that we may live and not die.
[26:57] And Joseph gives them the seed, and with full bellies they come back and they praise Joseph. Verse 25. You, Joseph, you have saved our lives.
[27:14] Through the Son comes life. Through the Son comes salvation. But here's the problem. The only seed that Joseph can provide, the only blessing that he can give, is food for the table.
[27:32] It's good, but it's not going to last. It's temporary. It satisfies for a moment, but hunger is going to return. What they and the people need is the true seed.
[27:46] Not seed for food, but the promised seed. The promised son who is going to come and renew this broken world and restore our disordered lives.
[27:58] The seed who is going to reverse the curse and bring blessing to all nations. You see, the story of Jacob and of Joseph is preparing us and priming us for who?
[28:12] Thank you. God's ultimate son, Jesus Christ. You see, the blessings that Jesus offers are beyond our wildest dreams.
[28:28] Go with me, please, to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1.
[28:39] And here we see how Jesus comes. Matthew's Gospel starts with a genealogy, a list of names tracing the family line all the way down to Jesus.
[28:59] So, verse 2. Remember how we started? Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was the father of Jacob.
[29:10] And it works all the way down through the generations, through the history of time, and then we come to verse 16. And to Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary who was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
[29:32] Now, do you see how verse 16 starts? Jacob, the father of Joseph. Yes, it was a different Jacob and a different Joseph, but Matthew is recording the names in an order to help us to remember, remember the promise made?
[29:50] The father spoke, Jacob spoke a blessing, and Joseph the son fulfilled it? Well, here again, the father God, the creator God, speaks again and fulfills his promise in bringing Jesus.
[30:06] This is the seed, the promised seed from God's chosen family, the Messiah, the saviour of the world. Now, listen to what the father says about the son.
[30:21] Look at Matthew chapter 3 verse 17. Jesus is just about to start his ministry on earth, and at his baptism, verse 17, there is a voice from heaven, a loud, audible voice, and God the father speaks to God the son.
[30:46] This is my son whom I love. With him I am well pleased. This is my son who is blessed. And if you listen to him, and if you pay attention to him, you too are going to be blessed.
[31:06] The father speaks his word to his son, and the son goes and does the father's work. Jesus, who is blessed, now goes and blesses those around him.
[31:26] Look at chapter 5. Because here we see the blessings that Jesus gives to all who come to him.
[31:37] Now the way we are to receive, do you see at the beginning of chapter 5, verses 3 to 10? The way to receive these blessings is to see that we are spiritually poor.
[31:50] Look at verse 3. blessed are the poor in spirit, those who know they are empty and have nothing to give.
[32:02] Just like the Egyptians in their desperation and emptiness cried out to Joseph, give us food or we will die. So in our hopelessness and helplessness we cry out to Jesus, bless us or we're going to die.
[32:22] we come poor in spirit and look at the blessings that he pours out upon his people.
[32:33] Let's read them, verse 3. Notice how blessed we are. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's right, the kingdom of heaven now belongs to you if you trust in him.
[32:49] Blessed are those who mourn. for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek or the humble for they will inherit the earth.
[33:00] Forget a little piece of land in Goshen, you'll inherit the world. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.
[33:16] You are satisfied in him. God's love and peace. God will not treat you as your sins deserve.
[33:28] Blessed are the pure in heart. Get this, you will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers children of they will be called children of God.
[33:46] You see, you become part of his family. You receive the blessings of the family. Verse 10, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[34:01] As we come to Jesus, as we confess our desperation for him, we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. So the father speaks the word to bless.
[34:19] The son does the work of the father to bless. And very quickly, the witness of the church goes to be a blessing.
[34:32] You see, through faith in Jesus, we are now his children, his chosen family, a family blessed by God, who are now sent and called to be a blessing to the nations.
[34:44] How do we do that? Well, we know. How does Matthew's gospel finish? What does it say at the very end? Chapter 28, verse 19, therefore go and make disciples of all nations.
[35:01] Go. You're blessed. And now he's sending us to be a blessing to everybody else because the greatest blessing that we can give to anyone is the blessing of the gospel.
[35:16] The good news that Jesus took the curse of our sin by dying on the cross. The good news that through Jesus he gives us the blessing of the kingdom of heaven.
[35:27] The son who restores our broken world and renews our disordered lives. The son who blesses us beyond our wildest dreams sends us and say, tell them about me.
[35:44] You might see yourself as like frail old Jacob. Who could ever bring a blessing to somebody as great as Pharaoh? But he did.
[35:55] And here we are small, broken, struggling people. Everybody, they have everything that they need.
[36:06] No, they don't. And God calls us, you and me, to bring the means of bringing that blessing. Counselors will call at your door over these coming weeks with their program for Carigaline.
[36:23] pray for them. Thank God for them. They're doing a good work. But remember, you are greater than any counselor.
[36:35] And you have promises that are beyond anything a counselor can give. You are an ambassador of the King. You are sent with the blessings of the good news of Jesus Christ.
[36:49] I will bless you and all nations of the earth will be blessed through you. It's taking place now in Carigaline across our nation and around the world.
[37:07] Amen. Let's pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[37:18] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Father, we look at a promise made thousands of years ago to a helpless, struggling old man and his broken family on the brink of death, but you delivered on your promise and you are working that promise out amongst your people today.
[37:49] through your son, Jesus Christ. We praise you and thank you that we are indeed blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[38:10] What a gift. What a blessing. Thank you. Amen. we are going to see that the gospel blessing is what we stand on and in what we share and what we tell.
[38:31] If you are able to stand and sing, let's sing together. so oh