By: Rev. Steve Bass
March 26, 2006
Scripture Meditation: Genesis 50
Key points to find:
- Grief - the high price of loving someone
- The importance of avoiding any taint of pagan religion or practice
- Learning to trust God's schedule
- What a cemetery plot means to the children of Israel
- How to accept God's forgiveness
- What makes God cry
- Facing the future with faith
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
- I don’t know about you but I’m ready for some football!
- Carolina PANTHERS football. The boys -
- Had a great season last year- going all the way to the NFC championship game
- With Keyshawn Johnson and the other free-agents they signed- national experts say they’ll be a Super Bowl contender again THIS year
- So as far as I’M concerned:
- PLEASE end this lame NCAA basketball tournament- and leave major league baseball to the steroid freaks and cheats like Barry Bonds
- Let’s play some FOOTBALL!
- Carolina PANTHERS football. The boys -
- The reason I bring all this up is because-
- When the sermon series on Joseph began the Panthers were still playing in LAST season’s play-offs
- Today it finally comes to a conclusion
- We’re going to...
- Look at the final events of Joseph’s life
- So turn to Genesis 50- we’ll begin with the first verse
- For Joseph- his father’s death unleashed a torrent of emotions
- Now Jacob was 147 years old when he died
- He’d lived a long, LONG time
- And he’d suffered from all the ailments of old age for many years
- If you could EVER say a person’s death "was a blessing" THIS was the case
- Now Jacob was 147 years old when he died
- So why did Joseph react to Jacob’s death the way he did?
- Because the death of a loved one is ALWAYS a painful thing
- Whether it’s expected- or unexpected- a loved one’s death can hit you with the force of a hurricane
- It’s the high price of loving someone
- Think about it: You don’t grieve over the death of a person you don’t know
- Grief is reserved for people who hold a special place in your heart
- Which is why God gave you the gift of grief. Grief is a time to:
- Express the pain of loss and separation
- Receive the blessing of God’s peace that passes understanding
- Be comforted by the hope of eternal life we have in Christ
- And adjust to a world in which your loved one no longer resides
- It’s not easy- it’s not quick- and it’s not pleasant
- But it’s AB-SO-LUTE-LY necessary
- Fortunately- if you’re a Christian- it’s a journey you don’t take alone
- Psalm 23:1-6
- Joseph had his personal physicians embalm Jacob’s body
- Typically a rich Egyptian would have used professional embalmers
- But Joseph didn’t. The question is Why?
- Because the professional embalmers were priests in the Egyptian religion
- They would have prepared Jacob’s body for a pagan funeral
- Joseph wanted no part of that
- He didn’t want to be tainted with the stain of paganism
- He wanted to be a witness to the one true and living God- the Creator of the Universe
- As Christians- we can’t be tainted with the stain of pagan traditions like "New Age" religion
- The problem is that its influence can be subtle
- But that doesn’t make it any less dangerous
- One example of the influence of New Age religion is today’s angel-mania
- You can see its influence in almost any store you visit. There you’ll see-
- Angel pins, angel figurines, angel T-shirts
- Not to mention countless inspirational books about angels
- Most Christians see these things and think: That must be o-k- because the Bible talks about angels
- You can see its influence in almost any store you visit. There you’ll see-
- Which is true...BUT-
- You’d better be sure you know what the Bible actually SAYS about angels
- Because what the Bible says doesn’t always jibe with the teachings about angels found in New Age religion
- In the Bible:
- Angels were created by God to be leaders of worship in the courts of heaven
- Angels also serve as messengers of God
- Particularly in the Old Testament- they proclaim God’s judgment- and punishment- of sin
- Angels had an important role in the coming of Jesus:
- An angel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus
- An angel told Joseph to take Mary to be his wife; and later to flee with his family to Egypt
- An angelic chorus announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem
- Finally- on occasion angels minister to God’s people- when specifically told to do so by God
- Here’s something else to understand about angels:
- They aren’t cuddly little cherubs- or beautiful creatures you want to see standing beside you
- In fact-
- Having an encounter with an angel was enough to scare the living daylights out of a person
- Time-after-time an angel would appear and the first words out of its mouth were: Don’t be afraid
- But here’s the most important thing you need to understand angels
- Jesus says Christians don’t need to depend on the protection of angels
- Because we are under the care and protection of the Holy Spirit!
- Read what He says in John 14:15-27
- So what’s all this got to do with avoiding the taint of pagan influence?It’s like this:
- YOU may wear an angel pin because- for you- it symbolizes God’s loving grace and care
- For the most part- Christians will see it
- And understand what you mean
- But what about that person who isn’t a Christian?
- They may see it and conclude: I believe in God and angels too!
- I must be going to heaven- just like she is
- YOU may wear an angel pin because- for you- it symbolizes God’s loving grace and care
- Here’s the only way to be saved
- You must have a personal faith-relationship with Jesus the Christ
- Anything else is a road to hell paved with dangerous assumptions and good intentions
- That’s why Christians MUST proclaim the truth of Jesus in:
- EVERYTHING we say- do- buy or wear
- Nothing less than someone’s salvation may be at stake!
"And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days."
- In ancient Egypt Pharaohs were mourned for 72 days
- High government officials- like Joseph- would be mourned for 70 days
- In other words: Jacob received a royal funeral
- In death this humble desert nomad was treated like a VIP!
- It was nothing sort of a miracle of God!
- Let’s take a little quiz:
- Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt?...There was a severe famine and they needed food
- How long did the famine last?...Seven years
- How many years of famine were left after Jacob first came to Egypt?...About five
- How many years did Jacob live in Egypt?...Seventeen years
- Very good. Now think about this with me:
- The famine had ended 12 years before Jacob’s death
- Why...
- Hadn’t the Israelites already gone back to Canaan?
- For that matter- why didn’t they STAY in Canaan when they went back to bury Jacob?
- The answer is- it wasn’t God’s plan at that time
- Sometimes God knows the time isn’t right for certain things to happen
- It may seem perfectly logical- absolutely reason-able from your perspective
- But if it’s not part of God’s plan for your life at that moment- it’s NOT the right time! PERIOD!
- Understanding this takes a lot faith
- You have to be able to look beyond the immediate circumstances
- And trust that God is ALWAYS in control- working things out according to HIS perfect plan and purpose
- After his experience on the Damascus Road Paul was pumped up and ready to proclaim the Good News of Christ-
- Right then- right there
- But God had other plans. Listen to what it says in Galatians 1:15-18
- Look- when it comes to the things of God you have to do it HIS way on HIS schedule
- Anything else is doomed to failure
- Anything else is a SIN!
- In Genesis 23:12-18 the Bible goes to elaborate lengths to describe Abraham’s purchase of the burial plot at Machpelah
- Now why would the Bible devote so many verses of Scripture to a simple business transaction?
- Because of what it symbolized to the children of Israel!
- Remember- God promised Abraham that some-day his descendants would posses all the land of Canaan
- It took a LONG time for that promise to be fulfilled
- For nearly 500 years this cemetery reminded the Israelites that they had home in Canaan
- Because of God’s grace-
- THEY were the rightful owners of this good- and sacred- land
- And someday- with God’s help- they would claim it as their own!
- For 18 years Joseph had demonstrated his unwavering love and devotion to his brothers
- But they still didn’t get it
- They feared that everything Joseph had done was done for Jacob’s sake
- Now that their father was out of the picture
- They were afraid Joseph would exact his revenge on each of them
- The problem was: Joseph’s brothers couldn’t- or wouldn’t- practice forgiveness among themselves
- Because they couldn’t forgive one another
- They assumed Joseph couldn’t forgive them either
- Sometimes the hardest thing to do in the Christian life is to accept the fact that you’ve been forgiven
- Particularly if you’re like Joseph’s brothers- and unwilling to forgive others of their sins against you
- It’s like your brain tells you: Only a FOOL forgives- and I’m not a fool. Neither is God!
- Folks- if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord
- God has forgiven ALL of your sins
- Past
- Present
- And future
- Forgiven them!
- Removed them from the slate
- He literally remembers them no more
- God has forgiven ALL of your sins
- Look- If you have trouble believing God has forgiven you; here’s want you need to do:
- Make a conscious decision to forgive someone who’s hurt you
- And here’s how you do it: Pray this prayer!
- Dear Heavenly Father- I need to forgive John for something he did to me a long time ago
- I’ve harbored this thing for WAY too long. It’s eating me up inside, and it’s keeping me from having the relationship I want to have with You.
- So Father- give me a forgiving spirit.
- Help me...
- See "John" as you see me: A sinner in desperate need of grace and forgiveness.
- Love him- and treat him as if he never hurt me.
- And Father- as I forgive John- help me to better understand Your forgiveness of me!
- There are two explanations for why Joseph wept
- Perhaps he realized that in spite of all the love he’d tried to show them- they still didn’t trust him
- OR maybe it hurt him to realize his brothers had lived in a state of pain and fear all those years
- Personally- I think Joseph was crying because both of those things were true:
- He realized his brothers didn’t trust him
- AND he knew they’d lived in fear and pain all those years
- If you’ve never asked Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior and Lord- this is how God feels about YOU!
- It hurts Him to know you aren’t willing to trust His love and mercy and grace
- It pains Him to know you’re choosing to live in fear and pain- rather than accepting His free gift that leads to abundant- and eternal- life in Christ
- In one of his books, Philip Yancey says the Cross proves that God is a passionate God who will go to any lengths in His relentless effort to be reconciled to you
- You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good- this is the great theme of Joseph’s life-story
- In spite of all the terrible things that happened to him- Joseph knew God always had a plan
- A plan to...
- Protect and preserve his family
- Keep ALL the promises He’d made to his forefathers
- Create a mighty nation that would be a light to the nations
- Here Joseph is saying: I want you to celebrate with me! God has been found faithful!
- Everything He’d promised to do- He did
- Let’s offer Him the praise and glory due His name!
- At the end of his life Joseph was still claiming the promises of God
- He knew he wouldn’t live to see the children of Israel return to the Promised Land
- But he KNEW it was going to happen- someday
- Folks- that’s the kind of faith Christians need to have
- Maybe...
- Jesus will come again before this day ends
- NONE of us will live to see that day
- But regardless- we need to live our lives KNOWING it’s gonna happen- someday
- Maybe...
- I want you to turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
- Paul wrote these words because the Thessalonian Christians were confused
- When they were told Jesus was Coming Again- they believed it would happen in their lifetimes
- But then- some of their loved ones started to die
- It didn’t make sense- it was too painful to contemplate
- THEIR loved ones were going to "miss out" on heaven
- Last Monday I helped conduct a memorial service for my cousin, Vernon Davis
- I shared some funny stories from our childhood. They are:
- Memories that I’ll always treasure
- Memories that will last a life time
- But here’s the thing:
- Those won’t be the LAST memories I’ll share with Vernon
- The promise of God’s Word is that some-day we’ll see one another again
- I don’t know WHEN it’ll happen. But I know- beyond a shadow of a doubt- that it’s GONNA happen!
- I shared some funny stories from our childhood. They are:
- That’s the kind of faith that allowed Joseph to face the future with hope
- A confident, sure hope
- An unshakable hope in an Almighty God who ALWAYS has- and always WILL- keep His promises
- ..And it’s available to ANYONE who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
- Do you have that kind of hope in YOUR life?
- Let us pray
