I turn, if you would, to Genesis
chapter 47. We'll look at today, grace given
by God. Last week we looked at grace
in the eyes of God, and today we'll look at grace given by
our great God. I didn't get to finish last week,
so there's been a little bit of review from last week, and
then we'll look at the passage again today. And last week we
looked at how God's people find grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Every single one of us who are born again have found grace in
the eyes of the Lord, just like Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. The only thing that made Noah to differ from everybody
else was the grace of God. The only thing that's made us
to differ, we who are his people, we who are born again, the only
thing that's made us to differ, and I often think of this with
my friends and your family and people you work with, is God.
And he made that difference. Remember that distinction we
saw last week? In eternity. In eternity. It's all according
to his plan and purpose. Now, we willingly come to Christ,
as I said last week. I like what Brother Tim James
said. We do make a decision for Christ because we're made willing.
Right? But it's not the kind of decision
that religion talks about. It's not that kind at all. We
willingly flee to Christ. Willingly. In the day of God's
power. In the day of God's power. And
we looked last week at how God's people find grace in the eyes
of the Lord all through different various scriptures that we looked
at. And there's so many. There's so many. We just scratched
the surface. which is usually what we do in messages. We just
scratch the surface of what's in the scripture. It is a vast
mind, beloved, of the grace of God in Christ. It's a vast mind.
And you just keep digging and you just find more and more and
more. It's absolutely wonderful. So
we know from the scriptures we looked at last week in our study
on the life of Joseph, that God's people find grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And how do they find grace in
the eyes of the Lord? In and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're saved for Christ's sake, the scripture says. We're accepted
in the beloved, the scripture says. It's always in and through
Christ. The only one that God is pleased
with is Christ. And those, remember He's the
head and we're what? We're the body. So therefore He's pleased
with those in Christ. It's wonderful. It's a wonderful
message. And every born again Blood-washed believer in Christ
wholly proclaims this truth. We proclaim, don't we? Wholly
proclaim. We have found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. Oh, we proclaim it because it's true. It's true. And we're not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ. We're not ashamed to testify
of what he's done for us because it's he who's taken us out of
the pit we were in. We were in a pit, we couldn't
get out. Just like Jeremiah explains about that pit and it's miry
clay. That's how it was for us. You try to lift yourself up,
get a couple hands up, and then you just slide down. That's how
we are in sin. That's how we are in our natural
state. Where does help come from? Just like it came from in that
book, help comes from above, doesn't it? Oh my, it's the Lord
who takes us out of that pit, beloved. It's the Lord who's
able. He's the one who's able. So with
this in mind, in seeing Jacob and his family have found grace
in the eyes of Pharaoh, and remember he put them in the choicest land
of Egypt, right? The ocean. The choicest, the
most fertile land in all of Egypt. He put them there. And he put
them there. Pharaoh put them there. by God's sovereign will,
by God's sovereign will. The heart of the king, as the
scripture says, is in the Lord's hands, right? He just turns it
to do whatever he wants. Well, we saw that with Pharaoh
and with putting the Israelites in the land of Goshen. It's during
a famine and he puts them in the most fertile land in all
of Egypt. And we looked at how that's a picture of us. We have
a place to come. This is like an oasis. This is
like a Goshen for us, the church, where we can come and we We can
feast because there was plenty in the land of Goshen, but it
was still within the borders of Egypt. See, we're still in
the world, but the Israelites were separated from the Egyptians.
Beloved, we're separated from the people of the world, aren't
we? Yeah, we're born again, we're blood washed. And we come here
and we gather together and we rejoice in the things of Christ.
And it's marvelous, it's wonderful. Let's turn to Genesis chapter
47 now. Genesis chapter 47, so Pharaoh's
put, Jacob and his family in the choicest land of Egypt, Goshen. And again, Joseph is the one
who's going to supply all their needs, which is a picture of
Christ, our heavenly Joseph, who supplies all our needs, beloved.
Well, we're here in this land of Egypt, but we are in Goshen,
aren't we? Oh, my. We get the feet on this
word. And we found grace in the eyes
of our great king. He saved us and he's given us
a place where we can come and worship, beloved. where we can
come and listen and rejoice in the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look at Genesis chapter 47 verses 27 to 31. And Israel dwelt in the land
of Egypt in the country of Goshen. So they're in Egypt, they're
separated from the Egyptians, but they're in the country of
Goshen. And look at, and remember this is in the midst of a famine.
If you read a little further up you find out that the Egyptians
were starving and they were selling off their land just to survive. Look at how The Israelites are
flourishing and truly we see God's hand on this. And this
is not one of them health, wealth, prosperity things. It's not that
at all. I get so I only want to I get worked up about them
guys. This is God providing for his people. This is God providing
for his people. We are blessed if we're penniless
in this world. We are the most blessed people
in this world, and we are the wealthiest people in this world
in Christ. Always remember that. We are far richer than anyone
in the world, because we have all spiritual blessings in Christ.
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen,
and they had possessions therein, and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
So the Egyptians are starving to death, and Israel is multiplying. They're provided for. They're
provided for. And Jacob lived in the land of
Egypt 17 years. So the whole age of Jacob was
147 years. And the time drew nigh that Israel might die. And
he called his son Joseph and said unto him, if now I have
found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my
thigh and deal kindly and truly with me. Bury me not, I pray
thee, in Egypt. But I will lie with my fathers,
and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying
place. And he said, I will do as thou
hast said. And he said, swear unto me, And
he swear unto him and Israel bowed himself upon the bed's
head. Now, remember again in our in our past studies, we learned
that Jacob was one hundred and thirty years old when he left
the land of Canaan and came down in Egypt. We see in verse twenty
eight that now Jacob is one hundred and forty seven years old when
our Lord delivered him from this body of death. And again, as
I mentioned last week, that is what happens When a saint dies,
they're delivered from this body of death. Now, do you have a
desire to not sin anymore? I sure do, right? That occurs
when we're delivered from this body of death. Isn't that wonderful?
When we go to be with the Lord, when we're delivered from this
body of death, at our death, that's what occurs. Oh, the flesh,
the flesh, the flesh. My dear brother Donny Bell always
says, we struggle so much with the flesh, don't we? The flesh,
the flesh, the flesh. Oh, if it wasn't for this flesh,
we'd be in a lot better shape. Well, not really, we'd still
be sinners, eh? But the flesh is, oh, it's so,
it just plagues us, doesn't it? It just plagues us. Oh my goodness,
it just plagues us, beloved. So we see here in verse 28 that
Jacob was 147 years old when he was delivered from his body
of death. and let us ponder because we
know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the
Lord. So as soon as he breathed his
last breath, beloved, he was in the presence of the mighty
Savior. He was in the presence of God. In the Lord's presence,
there's no more sickness. Imagine that. No more sickness.
No more waking up and your back is sore and the legs just don't
work as like they used to, right? No more of that at all. Oh, that'll
be glorious in itself, eh? No more tears though, no more
sorrow, none, none, no more trials, no more trials, no more tempted,
no more have to say the flesh, the flesh, the flesh. And praise
be to God, no struggle with sin, none, none at all. That'll be
glorious, will be delivered from this body of death. Listen to
the words that Paul, actually turn if you would to Colossians
chapter one, I want us to read this. I was looking at this this
week, putting this message together. And know that these words are
by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, just like all the scriptures
are. And I've preached on this before, and this is just wonderful
to see this this week. This is just wonderful. Colossians
chapter 1, verses 19 to 22. For it pleased the Father. It
pleased the Father we know to send Christ, right? It pleased
the Father to bruise Christ in our place. It pleased the Father
that in Him should all fullness dwell. All fullness. He is God
incarnate in the flesh. All fullness. Then look at verse
20, and having made peace through the blood of His cross, there's
substitution and satisfaction, beloved. Right there. Substitution
and satisfaction, right there. Peace. And remember, He's sinless. So He's making peace for us.
He's making peace as our substitute. And satisfaction, look at the
satisfaction in the sense that having made peace. It's done.
There's no question. It's done, beloved. By Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself. We know that's the elect of God.
We know that. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven, there's going to be a
new heaven and a new earth as well, wherein dwells righteousness.
There'll be no sin there either. Oh, it'll be glorious. And you,
Who's Paul writing to? Well, he's writing to the elect
of God. He's writing to born-again, blood-washed believers, right?
And you, the elect of God, that were sometimes alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works. That's our natural state.
That's just a picture of us in our natural depravity, right?
Yet now hath he what? Praise God, reconciled. You've
been reconciled, beloved. And you have peace because you've
been reconciled in and through Christ. Look at this. How did
he do it? In the body of his flesh through
death. That's his death on the cross.
That's his death on the cross as a substitute for his people.
And look at this. To present you, and we know this
is God's elect he's speaking of. This is not everybody. Because
we saw last week he separates the sheep and the goats. So Paul's
still writing to those. In verse 21 he said in you. He's
still writing to them. To present you, God's elect,
at our death. Holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. Isn't that glorious? Isn't that
glorious? We're delivered from this body of death the minute
we breathe our last breath. That's wonderful, isn't it? Oh,
praise God's holy name. What a day that'll be. What a
day that'll be for us, beloved. So Jacob dwelt in the land of
Egypt 17 years, and we know that Joseph was 17 years old when
his brother sold him into slavery. I brought this up last week,
but I wanted to mention it again. And marvel at this, that Jacob
lived with his son Joseph the same length of time he did in
Canaan as he did in Egypt, 17 years. So he got 34 wonderful
years with the son whom he loved. 34 wonderful years. And he's
watched his family grow exceedingly. And again, now we've seen his
family grow during a famine. And Jacob is a follower of the
one true God. He knows, he knows who's doing
this. He knows who's doing this. It's
God and God alone. He's the one who's providing
for his people. And he watched his family grow
and multiply. and exceedingly, the scripture says, during these
17 years, and he lived in Egypt. And again, do not overlook how
God supplied Jacob and all his household, how he took care of
them. There's chosen people, he's gonna
take care of them. He's gonna take care of them
no matter what. No matter what comes. Even during the famine,
he took care of them, didn't he? When they were in Canaan,
they had nothing left. Well, his sons went up, and without
money and without price, right? Because the money was stuffed
back into their bags. Without money and without price,
they were given corn, weren't they? And they survived. Well,
salvation is without money and without price, isn't it? Isaiah
writes that. Oh, come, bayi, bayi. Without money and without
price. It's free. It's free. And so God took care of Jacob
and his household while the Egyptians were perishing in their own land.
Look at verse 29 and 31 again. And the time drew nigh that Israel
must die. And he called his son Joseph
and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, I pray
thee, lay thy hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with
me. Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt. But I will lie with
my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me
in their burying place. And Joseph said this, and he
said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, swear unto
me. And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon
the bed's head. This was not when Jacob died.
We'll see that later. Several commentators said he
probably just bowed down before God. This is not his time of
departure yet, but he knows it's coming. He knew that his appointed
time of death was very close. Maybe because he was experiencing
a rapid decline in his body, we don't know, but he knew it
was close. He knew it was close. So he called his son Joseph to
his bedside and bound him by an oath that he would not bury
him in Egypt. He did not want to be buried in Egypt. No, no.
He wanted to be carried back to the land of Canaan, and he
wanted to be buried with his fathers in the burying place.
And we see that Jacob had Joseph put his hand under his thigh,
and this was customary gesture in those days so that they could
swear an oath. It was a customary gesture. And
so he had him put his hand under his thigh. And when Joseph swore
unto his father that he would do as he asked, Israel bowed
himself upon the bed's head. And again, several commentators
believe he just thanked God. He just thanked God for what
Joseph did. where Joseph said he would, oh my, he bowed himself
before God in prayer, giving thanks to God for the comfort
of knowing that he would be buried in the land of Canaan with his
father. And note in verse 29 the word, must. Notice the word
29, must. In the time, Juni, that Israel
must die. Notice that, must, must. This
is in reference to Jacob's death. In the time, Juni, that Israel
must die. The word in the original means
just that Jacob must die as all men. It means in the Hebrew,
it just means he must die. Just like all, everyone, everyone.
Everyone who's born a son or daughter of Adam must die. And
God, beloved, is the one who appoints our time of death for
us. And Jacob knew that his appointed
time was very close. And we see God appointed it.
Israel must die. He must die. He had no choice
in the matter, did he? He had no choice in the matter.
And Jacob had to keep that appointment, just like every one of us has
an appointment. And there's no getting away from it. There's
no changing the appointment. Praise God, we don't know, right?
I'm thankful I don't know when that day is, and I'm sure you
are, too, because we'd be doing our flesh thing and stressing
out like we do, right? All of us would. I'm just being
honest, right? We all would. So praise God we
don't know when that's coming, but we know that God gives us
dying grace, doesn't he? He gives dying grace to his people.
We know that. It's wonderful to see. It's wonderful
to witness. And he does it, though. He does
it. But everyone has a date, saved and unsaved. Ecclesiastes
says this, there is no man that hath power over the spirit to
retain the spirit. So what that means is no man
has the power to keep himself alive. That's Ecclesiastes chapter
8 verse 8. Neither hath he power in the
day of death. So the scripture plainly clearly says there that
we have no power in the day of death. That appointment comes,
there's no one gonna miss that appointment. No one. And there's
no discharge in that war, it says. None. It'll happen to everyone.
Who's the son and daughter of Adam. Neither shall wickedness
deliver those that are given to it. So again I'll read it.
Ecclesiastes 8 verse 8. Incredible verse. There is no
man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit,
neither hath he power in the day of death, and there is no
discharge in that war. So there's no way of stopping
it. Neither shall wickedness deliver
those that are given to it. Now the elect, we die, and to
be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Well,
the wicked die, and off they go to a Christless eternity.
Oh, that's why we tell people, flee to Christ. Flee to Christ.
Flee to Christ. And I like what a preacher says
to me one time, I was thinking about someone very close to me
who died, very close to me. And you know what the preacher
told me? Dear brother of ours, he said, God will do what's right.
God will do what's right with them. You know what, that gave
me such peace. I didn't have to worry about it. I had a peace
that passes all understanding. Because I know that it's in God's
hands. It's in his. God will do what's
right. So the truth contained in Ecclesiastes verse 8 of chapter
8 brings forth that no man or woman can change that date that
is an appointment for us to die. No man or woman. And with the
death of each man and woman, that scripture is brought forth
to be true again and again and again and again and again. The
scripture is true. It's absolutely true. What it
says is true. Listen to what it says in Hebrews chapter 9
verse 27, a verse probably most of you are familiar with. It
is appointed unto man once to die. Once. It's appointed. It's
an appointment. That's an appointment that you
can't cancel. You know, sometimes I like to cancel doctor's appointments,
because I don't like going to doctors, I'll be honest with
you. I don't. But that appointment's an appointment no one can cancel,
right? You can't cancel that one. No, it's appointed on the
man once to die, but after this, the judgment. Praise God for
the believer, as we saw last week. Our sin's been judged in
Calvary, in Christ. And so we're going to be on the
right side. Oh my. But those on the left shall go
into everlasting torment. My goodness. And you ever think
of this? I was reading about that this week about overcoming.
That's the message on Sunday mornings about overcoming. And
I was reading something and I thought, this is so true. Those on the
right who go, they go into the presence of God forever in a
place of no darkness, everlasting day. I like the daytime. I gotta
confess to you, I do. I like it when the sun shines.
I love it. So I look forward to that day.
I know you do too, but more so we look forward to being in the
presence of the Lord, don't we? Who is the light? Who is the
light of that place? But think of this, in hell, it's
everlasting darkness, separation from God, and the wrath of God
is upon them. This is serious. And the only
one who made us to differ is God. That's the only one who
made us to differ. Oh my. It's appointed unto man once
to die, but after this the judgment. Have you who are listening considered
this? Have you solemnly, seriously, and deliberately considered this?
It's appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.
Have you pondered the awful state of unpardoned sin? Oh my. Have you considered the preciousness
of Christ's blood, which cleanses us from all sin? Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord. Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord. Paul wrote this, he said, We are confident, I
say, rather, and willing, rather, to be absent from the body and
to be present with the Lord. The second the believer breathes
their last breath, they're in the presence of the Lord. And
every son and daughter of Adam has an appointment. And this
is an appointment that 100% of those people will meet. 100%.
They're keeping. Because the wages of sin is death.
And we're all sinners. Some are saved sinners and some
are lost sinners. But all the sons and daughters
of Adam are born sinners. And we cannot be present with
the Lord in these polluted sinful bodies, can we? In this body
of flesh. We can't be present with the
Lord in these bodies, no. These mortal bodies must go back
to the dust from whence they came. Unless our Lord comes back
before our departure date and we get caught up, which is, that's
our departure date. If we're still alive when he
comes back. It will be translated. But other than that, every single
one of us have to walk through that door called death, don't
we? But think of this. I was thinking about this this
week, too. Talking to a dear friend in Oregon about this,
right? We walk through the valley of the shadow of death, don't
we? Has the shadow ever hurt anybody? Shadow can't hurt anybody.
Death can't hurt the believer. It's just a shadow. It's just
a door. It's just a door. The Lord has taken away the sting
of death, hasn't he? The fear of the believer. It's
just a shadow. Can't hurt you at all. Now, it's not very pleasant. It's not very pleasant seeing
loved ones go through it either. We know that. But if we know
that they're saved, we know the minute they breathe their last
breath, they're in the presence of the Lord. And we can say hallelujah
to that, even though it brings us great sorrow. But we'll see
them again, beloved. Oh, what a day that'll be. Oh,
what a day. But death is just a shadow, just
a shadow. And something I'd like us to
consider in closing is how the Lord Jesus Christ willingly gave
his life. Now we all have an appointment
and we can't change it. There's nothing we can do about
it. But He willingly gave His life. He willingly gave His life
up at the cross. The sins of His people were imputed
to Him and He willingly gave up the ghost. He willingly died
in our place. Our Lord Jesus said, Whosoever
liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Do you believe that? Hereby perceive we the love of
God because he laid down his life for us. We have to lay down
our lives for the brethren. Our Lord willingly laid down
his life for his people. Willingly. Turn, if you would,
to John chapter 10. John chapter 10. He willingly
gave his life up. John chapter 10. Listen to these
words as we look at them. He's a willing substitute, beloved.
And that's incredible when you think about that. The sinless
one willingly died for sinners. Willingly. And that date, that
time was foreordained by God. He knew he was going to the cross.
He set his face like a flint to Jerusalem, the scripture says.
John chapter 10 verse 17, Therefore doth my Father love me, because
I lay down my life, that I might take it again. He lays it down
willingly. Then look at verse 18, No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment
have I received of my father. Now turn, if you would, to John
19. John 19, just a few chapters over. Look at this. Look at verses
28 to 30. In this, Jesus, knowing that
all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel of
vinegar, and they filled the sponge with vinegar, and put
it upon Hesop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus, therefore,
had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he
bowed his head and gave up the ghost. What wonderful words.
It is finished. Finished. This is a shout of
triumph, beloved. It's finished. This is a shout
of victory. It's finished. Our Savior's not crying a sigh
of relief. No. No, He's crying out. It's finished. It's finished.
Many people leave this world with things unfinished, don't
they? So many things that they want to do, and they look back
on their lives with regret when they're dying. Many plans unfinished. Many hopes unfinished. Many desires
unsatisfied. So many works incomplete that
they wanted to do, that they wanted to experience. Unfinished.
But it was not so with our Lord, beloved. Not so of our blessed
Redeemer, our great surety. Oh my. It's not so of Him. He
accomplished everything He came here to do. Everything. Okay. What did He come here to do?
Did He come here to do the Father's will? It's finished. Did He come
here to save His people from their sins? It's finished. Did He come here to fulfill all
types, promises, and prophecies of the Scriptures? It's finished. Did He come here to make an end
to sin? Did He come here to put away our sin by the sacrifice
of Himself? It's finished. Did He come here
to bring in everlasting righteousness? Oh, praise God, He did. It's
finished. Finished, beloved. Did He come here to obtain eternal
redemption for us? Yes, it's finished. Did He come
here to fulfill and make an end of the law in our place as our
substitute? Did He come here to magnify the
law and make it honorable as our substitute? Yes, He did.
It's finished. It's finished. Did He come here
to purchase His people with His own precious blood? Yes, He did. It is finished. Listen to the surety's cry. The sinner's surety, the only
Savior of sinners. It is finished. Finished. He said, I've finished the work
which thou gavest me to do. Our covenant surely says to the
Father, I've finished all the work entrusted into my hands.
I've done it. I've done it. Oh my. And this
is the cry of our great Savior, beloved. It is finished. Wrath
is finished. Judgment is finished. Sin is
finished. Righteousness is finished. Redemption
is finished. Justification is finished. Sanctification
is finished. Salvation is finished. It is
all in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is finished. Sinners
hear. Hear the dying Savior's cry.
It is finished. Angels sing it. Sing the praises
of Christ on high. It is finished. It is finished.
Tell it through the earth and sky. Justice now demands salvation. for those souls whose wrath Christ
bore. And it smiles with approval on
the ransomed evermore. It is finished. It is finished.
All is done. Oh yes, it's true. It is finished.
All is over. Jesus drank damnation dry. Never
can a ransomed sinner's salvation be denied. it is finished, it
is finished, Christ our surety now on high, who is he that shall
condemn us, who shall charge us now with sin, it is God who
justified us, Christ who died cries in our name, it is finished,
it is finished, praise his mighty name, oh my boy, so we see then
that all our needs, all our needs have been fulfilled in Christ,
haven't they, all, oh what a blessed Savior,