We've got quite a long scripture reading today.
We've got two different readings.
! One's quite long and then one's very short.
The first one's from Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
Near the end of that book, chapter 47, verses 29,
and then into chapter 48 to verse 22.
And then after I've read the big Genesis passage,
I'm going to read a short passage from Hebrews.
So there's Bibles at the back of the church.
If you don't have a Bible,
you're very free to get up and get one whenever you like.
The words will also be on the screen,
and they're in the bulletin.
This is Genesis 47, 29 to 48, 22.
And he said, Swear to me.
And he swore to him.
Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
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 battle of Canaan,
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 Ephraim.
And I buried her there on the way to Ephraim.
Ephraim, that is Bethlehem.
When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said,
Who are these?
And 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 kissed him, 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, towards Israel's left hand,
and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand,
and brought them near to 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
and moved 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,
but your right hand,
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'm about to die,
but your 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.
And in Hebrews chapter 11,
verses 20 to 22.
By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings
on Jacob and Esau.
By faith, Jacob, when dying,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph,
bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life,
made mention of the exodus of the Israelites
and gave direction concerning his bones.
Well, as Chris indicated,
we're working our way through Hebrews chapter 11,
and we come this evening to verses 20, 21, and 22.
By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings
on Jacob and Esau.
By faith, Jacob, when dying,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph,
bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life,
made mention of the exodus of the Israelites
and gave directions concerning his bones.
It's been described as one of the most compelling works
of Christian devotion, published in 1650.
The Saints' Everlasting Rest
by the Puritan minister Richard Baxter.
Baxter is a book that has really stood the test of time.
That's not true of all Baxter's writings.
But it was written when Baxter himself was gravely ill
and thought he should die.
He was in his early 30s, I think around 31,
and he began to write his own funeral sermon,
a gathering of his final thoughts
to preach to himself as death approached.
He told his parishioners at Kidderminster,
far from home, cast into extreme languishing
by the sudden loss of about a gallon of blood,
I bent my thoughts on my everlasting rest.
And the book is essentially a reflection
on the text of Hebrews 4 verse 9.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
It's a book about the glory of heaven.
Or as it states on the title page,
a treatise of the blessed state of the saints
in their enjoyment of God in glory.
And Baxter encourages his readers
to think and meditate often
on the delights and pleasures
of the new heaven and earth.
Our everlasting comfort is to be found
in the enjoyment and possession
of the living God.
And it's perhaps hard to think
of anything more counter-cultural than that.
For thoughts of heaven and glory
are remarkably rare in the contemporary church.
Bruce Mill, a Scottish Baptist minister,
wrote these words,
This is a serious situation
because Christianity,
as reflected in the foundational documents
of the New Testament,
is consistently orientated
towards its heavenly hope.
If I can put it this way,
the life of faith
is always the life of heavenly hope.
And that's part of what we see
in our text this evening.
Hebrews 11, verses 20 through 22,
our attention is drawn
to the immediate descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and then Joseph.
Indeed, their stories run
in the book of Genesis,
from Genesis 21
to the death of Joseph in Genesis 50,
over half the book.
And yet, surprisingly,
in this great chapter
that's all about faith,
living by faith,
the author of Hebrews
chooses to highlight
not Isaac's willingness,
as Chris reminded us last week,
to be laid on the altar
as a sacrifice,
nor Jacob's wrestling with God
at the Jabbok River,
nor Joseph's resisting of temptation
in the house of Potiphar.
These great dramatic acts of faith
are not his focus.
Instead, to illustrate faith,
our author takes us to three scenes
at the close of these individuals'
earthly lives.
He was wanting to show us
how these men faced death,
how they persevered
in the life of faith
to the very end.
They each continued
to hold on to
the promise of God.
In verse 13 of the chapter,
he says,
these all died in faith,
not having received
the things promised,
but having seen them
and greeted them
from afar,
and having acknowledged
that they were strangers
and exiles on earth.
And so, what we have
in these verses
are three very brief portraits
of mature faith.
Three men looking forward
in faith,
trusting in God's promises
right to the end
of their lives.
Here are these men
looking to the future
with God.
And as we consider
these verses tonight,
let me highlight
three things
about their forward-looking faith.
Their faith in the future
that God had for them
and their descendants.
And the first thing
I want you to notice with me
is that their faith
is faith in the God
of surprising ways.
By faith, we're told,
Isaac invoked future blessings
on Jacob and Esau.
And so, the writer's
taking us back
to Genesis chapter 27,
those events surrounding
the blessing of Jacob and Esau.
Both these sons are blessed.
But it's a famous story
because Isaac is deceived
in that story
into giving Jacob
the primary blessing
rather than Isaac's eldest son, Esau.
Back in Genesis 25,
God speaks to Rebekah, Isaac's wife.
Two nations are in your womb.
Two peoples from within you
shall be divided.
The one shall be stronger
than the other.
The older shall serve the younger.
That's Genesis 25-23.
And this is what God
decreed would happen.
That's a kind of reversal
of social and cultural expectation.
It's a reminder
that God Himself
does not conform Himself
to human standards
or conventions.
And as the story unfolds,
Isaac pursues really
his own agenda.
Esau is his firstborn,
his favorite.
Tradition demanded
that he would receive
what was known
as the birthright,
receiving a double portion
of the inheritance,
assuming leadership
of the family
upon the father's death.
But as the story again
is unfolds,
Esau despised that birthright
and sold it to Jacob
for a bowl of stew.
But despite that,
Isaac resolves
to formally bless Esau
before he dies.
And he really acts
in rebellion
against what God
had decreed.
It appears not a very
good example of faith
because his actions
really fly in the face
of what God
has revealed to him.
He chooses to do things
His way.
The blessing must go
to the eldest, Esau.
But God, of course,
has other ideas.
And through a combination
in Genesis 27
of Isaac's poor eyesight,
Rebekah and Jacob's machinations,
Isaac is deceived
into blessing Jacob
rather than Esau.
When Esau eventually
appears on the scene,
it's too late.
We read in Genesis 27, 33,
Isaac trembled
very violently and said,
Who was it then
that hunted game
and brought it to me?
And I ate it all
before you came
and I have blessed him.
Yes, and he shall be blessed.
Isaac's eyes were dim,
but even he could see
the providence of God.
In Genesis 27,
he doesn't revoke
that blessing.
He doesn't renounce Jacob.
He doesn't express
any condemnation.
He makes no actual attempt
to change anything.
He simply accepts
what God has done.
Because he's been outwitted,
not by Rebekah and Jacob,
but by God.
The God of surprising ways.
This is what God
had decreed would happen.
And this is the mysterious
will of God.
Isaac doesn't argue about it.
He simply accepts it.
His accidental blessing
of Jacob is repeated
in a more willing fashion
in the following chapter.
Chapter 28,
God Almighty,
Isaac tells Jacob,
God Almighty,
bless you,
make you fruitful,
multiply you,
that you may become
a company of peoples.
May he give the blessing
of Abraham to you,
to your offspring with you,
that you may take possession
of the land
of your sojournings
that God gave to Abraham.
And so,
against the social convention
of his day,
even against his own
inclinations,
Isaac comes to
willingly bless
the younger
before the older.
And that is faith.
Because it recognizes
that God is God.
That he works
in his own way.
His plans and purposes
cannot be thwarted.
He can be trusted
to accomplish his purposes
even when things
don't go according
to our plans.
And that is something
that we come to learn
in the life of faith.
God fulfills his promises
in his own way.
Abraham is promised
to be the father
of a great nation.
His wife, Sarah,
is barren.
She can have no children.
Well, I don't think
it could be made
any clearer
that the fulfillment
of this promise
lies really
in God's hands alone.
The family line
would be expected,
of course,
to come through
the firstborn male,
but instead it's,
instead of Ishmael,
it's Isaac.
Instead of Esau,
it's Jacob.
Instead of Reuben,
it's Joseph.
Because he is the God
of surprising ways.
And we see this
in the following verse,
which references
and which Chris read for us,
Jacob blessing
the sons of Joseph
in Genesis 48.
By faith,
Jacob,
when dying,
blessed each
of the sons of Joseph.
And in that chapter,
as we read it,
while the act of blessing
was taking place,
Jacob crosses his hands
and blesses Ephraim,
the younger,
before Manasseh,
the older.
And this is God's choice.
This choosing
of the younger brother
is really a pattern,
a motif,
that we see right
throughout Genesis
and indeed
in many other parts
of the Bible.
Because God is not bound
by human convention
and man-made tradition.
He is a God
of surprising ways.
His hands often bless
the most surprising
of people.
He chooses David
above his brothers.
He chooses
a persecutor Saul
to become an apostle
and a missionary
to the Gentiles.
You never know
what God will do
in one sense.
We look to Manasseh,
and God does a greater work
through Ephraim.
We look to the strong,
God chooses the weak.
Remember Paul's words
to the church
in Corinth,
1 Corinthians 1,
Consider your calling,
brothers.
Not many of you
were wise
according to worldly standards.
Not many were powerful.
Not many were of noble birth.
But God chose
what is foolish
in the world
to shame the wise.
God chose
what is weak
in the world
to shame the strong.
God chose
what is low
and despised
in the world,
even things that are not,
to bring to nothing
things that are,
so that no human being
might boast
in the presence
of God.
No human being
can boast
in the presence
of God.
Because here is the God
who overturns
human expectations.
God's blessings
do not come
by right
or privilege
or status
or rank,
but only by grace
and only through faith.
There is never
any place
in the Christian church
for this idea
of Christian celebrity
or status.
That's a lesson
that often can be
a long time
in the learning.
God is always faithful,
but He
is not always
predictable.
And His plans
and purposes
are often,
are always far better
than we can think
or imagine.
Put your faith,
put your future
in the hand
of the God
of surprising ways.
And then secondly,
faith not just
in the God
of surprising ways,
but faith
in the God
of goodness
and grace.
By faith,
Jacob,
when dying,
verse 21,
blessed each
of the sons
of Joseph,
bowing in worship
over the head
of his staff.
And that initial
reference is again
Genesis 48,
Jacob blessing
the sons of Joseph.
And we're told
that when Israel
saw Joseph's sons,
we read in verse 8
of chapter 48
of Genesis,
who are these?
Joseph says,
these are my sons
whom God has given
me here.
Bring them to me
that I may bless them.
The eyes of Israel
were dim with age.
He could not see.
Joseph brought them
near him.
He kissed them.
He embraced them.
And Israel said to Joseph,
I never expected
to see your face.
And behold,
God has let me see
your offspring also.
There's something,
there's a wonderfully
moving scene.
Jacob, this old man,
at the end of his life,
his eyesight diminished.
He kisses and embraces
these grandsons.
It's a scene that Jacob
could not have imagined
in his wildest dreams.
Not only had he been reunited
with his lost son, Joseph,
whom he had thought
had been killed,
he also has this opportunity
to see and to know
Manasseh and Ephraim.
I never expected
to see your face.
And behold,
God has let me see
your offspring also.
These two sons,
a gift of God
to Joseph in Egypt,
are now blessed by Jacob.
They're formally welcomed
into the covenant family.
It's all a wonderful
surprise to Jacob.
It's almost one of these things,
almost feels too good
to be true.
Because for years,
Jacob's life had been marred
by pain and loss and grief,
and now in an unexpected way,
he had received back
not only his son, Joseph,
but his sons also.
It's a reminder
of the goodness of God.
And of course,
God is good all the time.
And He is good
even when things
are not good
in our lives.
I came across
these words of Corrie ten Boom
in her book,
The Hiding Place.
And she writes this,
Often I have heard people say
how good God is.
We prayed that it would not
rain for our church picnic
and look at the lovely weather.
And yes,
God is good
when He sends good weather.
But God was also good
when He allowed
my sister Betsy
to starve to death
before my eyes
in a German concentration camp.
I remember one occasion
I was very discouraged.
Everything around us
was dark.
Darkness in my heart.
I remember telling Betsy
that I thought
God had forgotten us.
No, Corrie, said Betsy.
He's not forgotten us.
Remember His word.
As the heavens
are high above the earth,
so great is His steadfast love
towards those
who fear Him.
There is an ocean
of God's love available.
There's plenty for everyone.
May God grant you
never to doubt
that victorious love
whenever the circumstances.
And sometimes
that goodness
tastes all the sweeter
after a time
of sadness
and sorrow.
Some of you
might know the story
of the poet,
hymn writer
William Cooper.
Throughout his life
he was plagued
by persistent,
devastating,
at times suicidal depression.
And he wrote
these words.
Sometimes a light
surprises
the Christian
while he sings.
It is the Lord
who rises
with healing
in His wings.
When comforts
are declining
He grants
the soul again
a season
of clear shining
to cheer it
after rain.
And friends
we all know
that sometimes
life is full
of dark moments.
Those kind of moments
when God seems
either far away
or absolutely absent.
When we question things.
We wonder
if God is hiding
from us.
And the truth is
we cannot always
see the big picture.
And that is why
the light
sometimes surprises us.
The shadows
of this life
can be so dark
that when God
even for a brief moment
chooses to step out
of the shadows
and to pull back
heaven's curtain
and let us
let a glimpse
of glory shine
into our dark existence.
We blink our eyes
and we strain
at it.
Like somebody
suddenly turning
on the light
when we're fumbling
around in a dark room.
Yes it's welcome
but at the same time
it can be
disorientating.
And our God
delights to surprise us
with His goodness
and grace.
He gives us
unexpected gifts.
Periods of refreshment
and encouragement
to lift our spirits.
To generate a deep
sense of love
and gratitude
in our hearts.
Here is Jacob
the schemer
the deceiver
the grabber.
Spent a lifetime
manipulating things
to his own advantage.
Usually with
disastrous results.
grace.
And he's humbled
and he's bowed down
in thankfulness
to God
for all His goodness
and grace to Him.
What wonderful words
of blessing
he utters.
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 angels
who redeemed me
from all evil
bless the boys
and in them
let my name
be carried on.
It is a scene
full of wonder
and gratitude.
Jacob's heart
is full of faith
in God's goodness
and grace.
His name
his family
his faith
will carry on
long after
he is gone.
He confesses
the Lord
as his shepherd.
Here is the one
who can restore
our souls.
Lead us in paths
of righteousness
for His name's sake.
The one who
in the dark valleys
of life
presences
Himself with us
and comforts us.
The one who
makes our cup
to overflow
and pursues us
with goodness
and mercy
all our days.
The one who
will take us
to dwell with Him
in His house
forever.
And that's why
Jacob is found
worshipping over
the head of his staff
the end of his life.
He's leaning
upon the Lord
his shepherd.
The reference there
Genesis 47-31
Israel bowed
himself upon
the head of his bed.
The slightly
different translation
of the Hebrew.
But the point
is the same.
At the end
of his life
Jacob rejoices
in God
and in all
his goodness
and grace.
May that be true
of us also.
It's a wonderful
thing
to see Christian
men and women
who through grace
become more
thankful over
the years.
Not grumpy
but full of
gratitude.
Not cynical
critical
negative
but full of
love and mercy.
Not full of
themselves
but always
striving to
bless others.
Not full of
pride
but humility.
Not full of
worry
but worship.
Faith in the
God of surprising
ways.
Faith in the
God of goodness
grace.
And then
faith
quickly and
briefly here
in the God
of covenant
promise.
By faith
Joseph at
the end
of his
life
made mention
of the
exodus
of the
Israelites
and gave
directions
concerning
his bones.
These are
the reference
to the
closing
verses
of the
book of
Genesis.
And Joseph
said to his
brothers
I'm about
to die
but God
will visit
you
and bring
you up
out of
this land
to the
land
that he
swore
to
Abraham
Isaac
and
Jacob.
Joseph
made the
sons of
Israel
swear
God
will
surely
visit
you
and
you
shall
carry
up
my
bones
from
here.
Joseph
faced
death
believing
in the
promise
of God.
When
everything
else
in life
was
disappearing
from
view
he
held
on
to
God's
promise.
He
knew
that
God
would
keep
his
promise.
He
knew
that
God
would
not
let
his
people
down.
He
knew
that
nothing
could
stop
the
plan
and
purpose
of
God.
God
will
surely
visit
you.
You
shall
carry
up
my
bones
from
here.
Of course
at the
time
none of
that
looked
very
likely.
But
Joseph
refused
to be
conformed
to the
pattern
of
Egypt
and
this
world.
He
was
sure
of what
he
hoped
!
He
was
certain
of
what
he
could
not
see.
And
to
him
the
promises
of
God
were
more
real
than
all
the
treasures
of
Egypt.
Because
Egypt
was
not
his
home.
His
home lay
elsewhere
in the
land of
promise.
It lay
in that
better
country.
And
yes,
surrounded
by the
wealth
of
Egypt,
perhaps
he could
have
erected
some
great
monument,
a
pyramid
to
rival
Pharaohs.
But
instead
he
says
to
his
brothers,
take
my
bones
with
you.
Because
his
hope
lay
in
God's
word.
And
he
knew
that
God
would
never
abandon
his
people.
Because
when
God
starts
something,
he
is
absolutely
guaranteed
to carry
it
through.
He's
absolutely
guaranteed
to finish
it.
I
recall
those
words
David
Niven,
the
actor,
about
his
good
friend,
Errol
Flynn.
He
said,
you
can
count
on
Errol
Flynn.
He'll
always
let
you
down.
And
that
is
humanity
in a
nutshell.
But
not so
with
God.
He
cannot
break
his
word.
He's
utterly
faithful
and
dependable.
And
Joseph
believed
that God
would
keep
his
promise.
That
God
would
deliver
his
people
from
Egypt.
Take
them to
the
land
he had
promised
to
them.
Joseph
in a
sense
believed
that his
very
bones
had a
future.
He
had
in a
sense
a
resurrection
faith.
Long
after the
pyramids
of Egypt
had
crumbled
to dust,
he knew
his
very
bones
would
rise
from
the
soil
of
the
promised
land
and be
welcomed
into
that
city
with
foundations
whose
architect
and
builder
is
God.
His
words
are
a
reminder
that
this
world
is not
our
home.
And that
we are
pilgrims
here
destined
for a
better
country.
I wonder,
are you
living a
life of
heavenly
hope?
Where is
your
faith and
hope
anchored?
in the
comforts
of a
passing
world
or in
the
promises
of
God?
As
Joseph
looked
beyond
the
palaces
of
Egypt
to
that
city
with
foundations,
friends,
surely
so must
we.
Our
bank
accounts,
our
pension
pot,
our
careers,
our
plans,
they're
all
going to
turn to
dust.
Only
what God
has
promised
will
stand.
And that's
really all we
have to
hold on
to.
Remember
Jesus'
words,
John 14,
let not
your hearts
be troubled,
believe in
God,
believe also
in me.
In my
Father's
house are
many
rooms,
if it
were not
so,
would I
have told
you that
I go to
prepare a
place for
you?
And if
I go and
prepare a
place for
you,
I will
come again
and take
you to
myself,
that where
I am,
you may
be also.
I wonder
if we
believe that
this evening,
that God's
word is
surer than
the ground
beneath our
feet.
Do we
believe in
the one
in whom
all the
promises of
God are
yes and
amen?
Do we
believe in
the surprising
way of a
crucified
Savior,
in the
transforming
goodness and
grace of
Jesus?
Because,
of course,
it's not
Isaac and
Jacob and
Joseph that
are the
hero of
this text.
It's the
God in
whom they
trusted,
a God of
surprising
ways,
of goodness
and grace,
and of
sure and
certain
promise.
And he's
the only
one who
can bring
us comfort
and hope
in the
face of
death.
The good
news for
this broken
world,
enveloped in
darkness and
death,
is that
great enemy
death has
been
defeated.
And Jesus,
now clothed in
resurrection power,
is reconciling
sinners to
God.
He is the
only one who
can bring us
eternal
comfort.
We have
only one
hope in
life and
death,
Jesus Christ
crucified,
risen,
and coming
again.
And he
changes
everything,
even death.
The Christian
hope rests
on the
unshakable
ground of
Christ's
resurrection.
And yes,
we can
tremble at
death's
approach,
but the
sting is
gone.
The venom
drained from
the serpent's
bite.
And in
Jesus Christ,
death is no
longer a
doorway to
judgment,
but a
portal to
glory and
everlasting
rest.
Richard
Baxter
writes,
let us
never look
at the
grave,
except to
see the
resurrection
beyond it.
Faith is
quick-sighted
and can
see as
far as
that.
Yes,
even as
far as
eternity.
I wonder,
does your
faith see
that far?
What is
our hope
in life and
death?
Christ alone,
Christ alone.
What is
our only
confidence that
our souls to
Him belong?
Come to
Christ and
find rest,
eternal rest
for both
body and
soul.
Come to
Christ and
in Him and
by faith live
a life full
of heavenly
hope.
Let's
pray.
Lord, we
ask that our
faith might
rest not in
ourselves,
our confidence
not in
ourselves,
but in
you and
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Lord, may
you strengthen
us by your
Holy Spirit.
May you
grant us
faith that
trusts your
ways even
though we
don't always
understand them,
that trusts that
you are indeed a
God of goodness
and grace,
and that trusts
your promises
above all
else.
Lord,
grant us
living faith
in the living
Lord Jesus
Christ, in
whose name we
pray these
things.
Amen.