Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to Exodus chapter 13, and just
reading a few words from verse 19. In the middle of that verse we read
these words, God will surely visit you. The whole verse reads,
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he, that is Joseph,
had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely
visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And if we look at the words of
Joseph, And we would remember these are the words of Joseph
on a dying bed. And often we take as a great
weight that which we hear from those about to depart this life. And so in Genesis 50, we have
in verse 25, the second last verse of that, when we read from
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and God will surely visit
you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an
oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit
you, and ye shall carry up my bones. from hence, and that is
what is being referred to here. And so the portions that we have
read, we read in Genesis 15, where the first promise was given
to Abraham, and then we read of how they came into Egypt, And then we have them going out
in a span of 430 years, if we compare what is in Galatians,
the 430 years is taken from the first promise to Abraham, 215
years until they went into Egypt, 215 years in Egypt, and then
brought out. In some readings we could easily
think, well, and often, and good ministers have quoted and said,
well, they have 430 years actually in Egypt, but that is not actually
the case. And if we were to look at the
careful wording of Exodus chapter 12 and verse 14, We read there,
now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt
was 430 years. Now that is like saying, my age,
I'm 64. So it'd be the sojourning of
Mr. Wheatley on the earth who dwelt
in Australia was 64 years. It doesn't mean I've spent 64
years in Australia, but my sojourning on the earth has been that long.
And so that is how it is. The sojourning of the children
of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was 430 years. And when they
first began to be afflicted was when Ishmael was afflicting Isaac. that is the first start of their
afflictions and their persecutions and so all of their sojourn really
was an afflictive path but it wasn't all in Egypt and in Galatians
we are told very clearly that it was but from that time in
Galatians chapter 3 and verses 16 to 17 we read now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made he saith not and two seeds
as of many but of one and to thy seed which is Christ in this
I say that the covenant that is what we read in Genesis 15
is that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which
was 430 years after, cannot disannul that it should make the promise
of none effect." And so we find from Galatians that confirmation
of where that 430 years actually transpired. And so our text as we could take it either from
where we have in Exodus 13 verse 19 or the very same words what
it's quoting in Genesis 50 and 25. Now this is what is upon
my spirit what Joseph said to his brethren when he died, God
will surely visit you. And when God visits a people,
then He does for them, He appears for them, He brings about the
providences, He brings about the promises that He told them
of. And He had told Abraham that
his seed should be a stranger in a strange land, that they
would be brought out into the fourth generation. And so it
was a message, a message that was really very precious to those
of Joseph's generation that he spoke them to and it displays
very much Joseph's own faith and it's that what I want to
look at this evening to have that same light precious faith
as Joseph to be able to speak such things on a deathbed and
what that signified to those around about him and showed something
concerning Joseph as well. So I want to look first at a
faith that is based on the word of God or on the word that is
spoken to Joseph's fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And then secondly, a faith that
influences our actions, that is, while we are alive, in life,
and also in death. And we can see that with Joseph
especially. And then lastly, a faith that
saw and believed what God had done, and saw and believed what
God would do in the future. looking back and looking forward. But firstly a faith that is based
upon the Word of God because what we have recorded of Abraham
and the Word that is spoken to him is part of the inspired Word
of God and that of course was handed down to each of the fathers,
they had their promise themselves, it wasn't just going back to
Abraham. Abraham was given it, Isaac was
given it, Jacob was given it, and Joseph, he knew this, he
knew from the Word of God that had been given to the fathers
and passed down to them, that these things would come to pass. And this is what we need as well. Our faith must be based not on
our feelings, not on anything but the Word of God. Faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And of course the
same word of God that Joseph is placing his faith on is what
the Church of God today is placing this faith on because Abraham
was not just looking to the land of Canaan and to coming back
to the land of Canaan that was indeed part of it but as we read
in Galatians it wasn't as seeds as of many and of course this
is mainly speaking of what was reinforced in Genesis 22 when
Isaac was offered up, that it was in thee and in thy seed,
that is Christ and it's pointing unto Christ. So if we have faith
It is faith in Christ, the Christ that was promised, the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. We would remember that when Abraham
was given these promises, there was prominent the sacrifices. God told him what to offer up,
and every time a sacrifice is pointing to Christ. It's the
type that is pointing to the anti-type. And those promises
were not just then in word, but it was shown in time, in a way
that was to be remembered and pointed to as to how that, how
Christ should suffer those two in a way to amaze, or not Christ
to have suffered these things to enter into His Kingdom. And so if we are to have a faith
like Joseph's, it must be upon the Word of God. It's what God
has promised, what He has said He would do, and our hope, our
hope personally, our hope for our children, the generations
to come, is based upon that. Thou saidst, I will surely do
thee good. The Lord said, Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. Forever
O God, thy word is settled in heaven. The Lord gave the word,
great was the company of them that published it. And there
is our strength, there is our hope for eternity. And if we
have faith like Joseph, then our faith is centering upon the
word, viewing that word as the word of the true and living God. It loses nothing over the time. Some of us, sometimes we can,
maybe turning out a drawer, we come across an old letter, and
it might be an old letter perhaps of a parent that has long since
passed away, and there are their words. They're the writer. We
recognize the handwriting, and we see what they've written,
and we see what they've said, And it's very real to us that
they have actually conveyed that. They put that on paper. And we
can picture them. We can know what they've done.
And that word means a lot to us. But to have faith, to believe
as we read the word of God, this is the eternal God. This is He
who liveth forever and ever, who is bound by His word, who
has written that, who has given it. All scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable. It is by the Word alone that
we stand, as thou said, and shall he not do it? And the Lord will
perform that which he has said. So may we be blessed with Joseph's
faith in being able to see and say so clearly, God will surely
visit you. How? How can he know that? Because
the Word of God said that God would do that. that the children
of Israel would be brought into Egypt and they'd be brought out
of Egypt again, they'd be brought into bondage and they'd be brought
out of bondage again. The same word performed both
those things. This child is set for the fall
and rising again of many in Israel. Nebuchadnezzar says to his wise
men when he'd forgotten his dream, you show me the dream and I will
know that you can tell me the interpretation thereof. You show
me one that has, through the word of God applied, has been
brought like the apostle Paul, the commandment came, sin revived
and I died, and I'll show you the same one in the Lord's time
and who will be raised up and be blessed by that same Word
that has laid them down as a sinner, brought them in need, will be
the One that blesses them and lifts them up again. It is the
same that brought into Egypt that brought out of Egypt. And
we must remember this in all that the Lord does. It is His
Word that brings it about, His command. He formed the earth,
with His Word. He spoke and it was done. And
it is so in the hearts and lives of His people and it is fashioned
according to the Word of God that we have before us. One to
think then secondly, a faith that influences our actions in
life and in death. Joseph of course was given these
dreams when he was 17 or 16, and shared them with his father
and his brothers, which indicated that there'd come a time that
they would bow down to him. He'd be in a position of authority
over them. They rose up against it. They
hated him. They were full of enmity. And
in the end, they threw him into a pit, sold him as a slave, and
Joseph goes down into Egypt. We read in Psalm 105 that until
his time came, the word of the Lord tried him. was tried by the word of the
Lord. Now we've said about faith, faith
cometh by hearing, just because we have the word of the Lord
doesn't say immediately, well we know exactly what's happening,
we know what's happening in our lives, it's shaped out. Joseph,
I believe faith, he knew that the Lord would do something,
he knew what the Lord, that the Lord would appear, But his faith
made it that he was really exercised on that. The word of the Lord
had to come to pass, but how was it when he was in prison?
How was it when he was forgotten? And there is the exercise of
a soul, the exercise of faith, having in mind that word that
is spoken, and yet outwardly it seems so opposite. The course
of our life and the things that are happening seem so different. You think of Jacob's where all
these things are against me. He also was walking his path
of faith and the trial of faith. But with Joseph, how it influenced
him in every place that he went in that tribulation. We read
that the Lord was with Joseph and he acted he walked in a way
that glorified the Lord, even though he was tried with it,
and even though he was afflicted, even though he was falsely accused,
he walked in a way consistent with a faith that believed the
Lord was still working, the Lord was still unfolding is Providence. It's a good lesson for us. We might gather this evening
as things that we can't understand, things that we puzzle and cannot
see the end of. It's good for us to walk through
it with our eye unto the Lord. Providence unfolds the book,
makes His counsels shine to know that the Lord has an appointed
time, a set time and He will perform, He will do what He is
designed to do in His time and way. And we think of how it was
with Moses when they came to come out of Egypt. Well, he was
born, but then 40 years in Pharaoh, and then 40 years in the desert.
The Lord is not in a hurry, but He knew what He was doing. And
He was appearing for His people all that 80 years long. we need to remember those things. But with Joseph, especially when his brothers
started to come, how he then realized and could be able to
clearly say to them, remember the words of our text are clearly
said to them those years afterwards. But he says that, he sent me
not hither, but gone. to preserve your lives by wonderful
deliverance. And it was his faith that saw
that. We think of the parallel with
Peter saying that him that was delivered by the determinate
counsel of God, he hath taken and by wicked hands crucified
and slain. And he clearly set before those
who were pricked in their heart and crucified the Lord, that
that had been appointed by God. It was God's salvation and God's
way. And Joseph, he says, God sent
me before you to preserve your lives by a wonderful deliverance. And so his faith, it acted, it
influenced how he acted towards his brothers. And his brothers
could hardly believe it. And when Jacob died, they thought,
now Joseph is going to turn against us. You know, when they came
to him, Joseph wept. because his brothers could not
forget their sin. We might gather tonight. We cannot
forget our sin. We cannot forgive ourselves past
offenses, pain in our eyes, things we've said and done against the
Lord, against his people. And yet, Joseph, when he heard
his brothers come, he wept. His mind towards them was love
and kindness and pity. and he supplied their needs,
he looked after them, he nourished them. His faith worked out in
that way. And so when it comes to the end
of his life, it's not as if someone is coming to the funeral of the
Lord's people, of their mother or grandmother or what, and then
they hear things from their experience and think, Is that our grandmother? That doesn't sound like her.
We didn't see that in there. We didn't hear that from them
in their lives. And now it's just coming out
at death. No, true faith is actually worked
out right through our lives. And it should be that the children
see the faith of the parents. see the faith of their grandparents
and see how it actually influences what they do, how they act, how
they act especially in tribulation, in perplexing times and things
that cannot be understood and then it lays great weight to
the words that are spoken because that faith is a lived faith,
a walked out hezekiah you see his faith, Nehemiah, you see
his Nehemiah, so did not I because of the fear of the Lord and those
things that they walked through and it was by faith and the long
list in Hebrews 11 and it's not just faith that caused them to
do those things, their faith was looking towards Christ But
it did affect what they did. Noah, by faith, he moved with
fear, made an ark to the saving of his house. Abraham brought
out of her the Chaldees. And faith, says James, without
works is dead. In simple things, in ministering
to those that have need, not just saying, I'll be praying
for you. Lord, help you. not giving them what they need,
not helping and supporting them, that is not a faith that would
recommend itself to those round about, not in word but in deed. And so with Joseph, he did, even
to those who had maltreated him, his faith was to help them, comfort
them, speak kindly to them, and fulfil their needs. So then,
when it comes to the end of his life, then his words mean a lot
more, and he can then speak. And so, another aspect of his
faith, and I think more and more is something that we need to
consider as Christians, he made arrangements for his funeral.
He gave commandment concerning his bones, and especially in
a day when there's, maybe with the Lord's people, and I've certainly
had the situations where there's been one of the Lord's dear people,
but all of their relatives have not been Christians, and they've
said, well, no, we're going to have a cremation. And it needs
to be really covered by those living before they die. This
is what I want done at my death. This is what I want done at my
funeral, even perhaps choosing out the service, the minister,
where the place is, where to be buried, to actually give thought
on that for those that remain. And certainly with Joseph, he
gave commandment on these things. He was giving direction to them. He says, I die, and God will
surely visit you, bring you out of this land and into the land
which you swear to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And he says,
Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely
visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from hence. He made these arrangements, and
they again were made in faith. And as well as making these arrangements,
they were designed to strengthen those that were behind. As if
he would say to them, you will have a constant reminder with
my bones here, embalmed in a coffin in Egypt, that God will surely
visit you. That is a reminder. And we read
the account, when they came out of Egypt, They carried the bones
of Joseph out with them. Moses took those bones. And of
course, right through the 40 years, they would have been carried
all the way through those 40 years. What a long funeral procession. And you read in Joshua, where
I think a chapter, there's three funerals mentioned. And one of
them is where the bones of Joseph are buried. But what a long time. And there it is though, as a
witness, these words of our text, every time that coffin was seen,
God will surely visit you. And indeed, had visited them
in bringing them out of Egypt, when they came out of Egypt,
that the promise was that they'd be brought into the Promised
Land, into Canaan. So it is a faith that encourages
in the Lord and encourages a people that God will perform His Word. And that is a good thing to pass
to another generation, that God will perform His Word. That's
another message with even before they are brought out of Egypt,
God will perform His Word. And when they're brought out
still, God will surely visit you. And it's a blessed thing
to have. And I believe with our Lord instituting
the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, in a sense
it is giving to the Church of God, not the coffin with Joseph's
bones, but this do in remembrance of me. And it's a faith that
centers on Christ It looks back to what Christ has done and looks
forward to what He will do, this do, now, in remembrance, going
back, of me. And then it's looking forward, isn't
it? Until I come. Until the Lord
comes. and so on to look in our third
point as that evidence or work of faith that then looks back
and looks forward. You know, dear Joseph, he had
been brought into Egypt. He remembered the promise to
Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and he could look back Here is
God's Word and it's been brought to pass in my life. I have seen
it and it's come to pass. He's looking back into what has
already been performed and so then he can say to his offspring
and to those that follow, God will surely visit you because
now he's looking forward. Ebenezer, hitherto hath the Lord
helped us. What would we do if it was said,
well, just because God has honoured his word in the past, doesn't
mean to say he will in the future. But we read God is the same.
Our Lord is the same yesterday and today and forever. And his
word is settled in heaven. And when we're given assurance
that God performs what he has said he will do in the past,
that gives us the strength for the future. And that is what
Joseph could see. He could see what had been done
and so then he could say that God will bring you out because
that was the two parts given to Abraham. So when we think of this possible
day, we think of how Christ has given to us in this day. And I've often thought of this
in In the preaching of the Word, we're preaching from the Old
Testament now, and the Lord gave that example of throwing the
wage of Emmaus, then we have Philip, and it's all preaching
from the Old Testament, and we're given this great volume of matter
to preach from in which we're told that Christ in all the scriptures
and our Lord says in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus they
had Moses and the prophets if they hear not them neither will
they be persuaded though one rose from the dead and we have
those at Berea that when Paul preached, they searched the Scriptures
daily whether these things were so. The Old Testament Scriptures,
he wasn't preaching from the new, and so his preaching was
able to be tested by the old. So we can see, and I've often
thought, you know, the Word of God, well Peter, he says, we
have not followed cunningly divided fables when we made known unto
you the coming and power of the Lord. And there are chapters
in the Word that are just full of names. You think, why all
these names? Because it's about real people.
It's a history. It's not just devised by men.
It is actually a record, and it's a record of God's promises,
and those promises coming to pass. And if Joseph could look
back, and then look forward to his brothers and say, God will
surely visit you, we can not only look back to what Joseph
was looking back, but we can look when God did surely visit
them, and God did bring them out. And not only did it bring
them out, but that seed, which is Christ, we've seen that as
well. And that is recorded, how the
Lord came and the Lord appeared. So in these Gospel days, the
looking back part for us is all the Scriptures, and it's full
of promises and fulfillments, and what the Lord has done again
and again. And if Joseph's faith was based
on the Word, and we might say, on this part of the Word of God,
and ours can be based on that part of the Word of God, a lot
more. And so this is what the Lord
has given to the Church of God. And so when we look at the promises
that we now have, and we think of the commission that the Lord
gave, especially at the end of the Gospel according to Mark,
where the Lord gives the Great Commission, and He says this,
He says unto them, verse 15, 16, the last chapter of Mark,
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel of good news
to every creature. He that believeth in his baptise
shall be saved, And he that believeth not shall be damned. And he gives
the commission to go forth and gives the promise of those that
believe that they shall be saved. Baptism is not a condition of
saving, it is an obedience of faith. And it sets the seal of the reality
of believing. And we see again the example
with the eunuch, readily and quickly, he wanted to be obedient. But then when we think especially
of the Gospel according to John, in John, John's main message
is to convey that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. And he does
it more than in any other of the Gospels. I think it's some
85 times that he statements that the Lord is the Son of God. And of course at the end he says,
these are written, that he might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing he might have life through his
name. That is the aim of John's Gospel
and it certainly comes across. But in it there's these beautiful
promises that faith looks forward to. It looks what God will do
because He has said that He will do it. Joseph, he looks forward
and he said, God will surely visit you because He has said
He will do it. And now in these Gospel days,
we have the same. And we never pass over these
promises of the Lord and what the Lord says He will do. In
John chapter 3, when their Lord is insisted upon the new birth. He goes back, goes back to the
wilderness journey, goes back to when they were carrying Joseph's
bones with them, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Of course, He was
lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life. If Joseph can say, God will surely
visit you, our Lord is saying, he that believeth shall not perish,
but have eternal life. That is from the Lord's own lips,
the word, the promise that He gives to His people to the end
of the world. And when we get to the fifth
chapter, and in verse 24, We read this, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. A very certainty
of the words, a blessing had been brought to hear the word,
and through that word have faith to believe. that not might have
everlasting life, but hath everlasting life, not might not come into
condemnation, shall not come into condemnation, and is already
in this life passed from death unto life. These words we can
easily read over and not realize what the Lord is so certainly
saying. If Joseph's words were a way,
God will surely visit you. God has visited in His beloved
Son. Solomon says, but will God in
very deed dwell upon the earth? He did. In the Lord Jesus Christ
is truly God and truly man. And so in the sixth chapter of
John, we have many verses in this passage. The Lord says in
verse 35, Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that
cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. And then he says in verse 40,
This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, remember what the Lord
said to Thomas, Thou hast blessed, and thou hast seen and believed.
Blessed is he who hath not seen and yet hath believed. That is,
not seen with the literal eyes. But our Lord says, This is the
will of the Father, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth
on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the
last day. And these are promises, these
are words that are spoken by a Lord that you might say are
the equivalent to what Joseph is saying, God will surely visit
you. And our Lord is saying, this must surely come to pass. This is my promise. This is the
promises of the gospel. And the beautiful chapter in
John 11, when Lazarus had died and our Lord was then comforting
their sisters and saying to them, Martha said to him, I know that
he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto
her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die, believest thou this? Ye saith unto him, Yea, Lord,
I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should
come into the world. A beautiful profession, isn't
it? And it's a blessing to have that
same like precious faith, a faith that hangs upon the Word." Of
course, the great chapter of faith is Romans 10, which begins
with Paul's real desire that his countrymen be saved. His prayer was that way, his
desire wasn't, but he saw them having a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge, and they were ignorant of God's righteousness,
going about to establish their own. And these beautiful statements
are set forth in that chapter. He says in verse 9, that if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, And with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Again with Joseph's
faith, with his mouth, he was able to say, God will surely
visit you. I believe him, I rest, I die,
believing this to be so. And as a proof of that, I don't
want to be taken as my father back to Canaan, not now. You put my body here and you
take my bones and you bury them there when the Lord visits you."
And what a token of how much he believed that which he was
saying to them. And we think of the promise that
he's given in Acts when we're thinking especially of children
and the following generations in Acts 2. We read these words, Peter said
unto them, these were those that were pricked in their hearts
when they convicted of crucifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Verse 37, now when they heard
this they were pricked in their hearts said unto Peter and to
the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise
is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord. our God shall call. And we read later on, verse 41,
in they that gladly received his word were baptized. If we go back to dear Joseph
and the simple actions that he took that reinforced his faith,
when you think of this in a gospel sense, where one really believes,
they will confess, they will confess before men. Come and
hear all ye that fear God, and I will tell what he hath done
for my soul." They give him the honour and glory for what they've
done. They will. They show forth his
death in baptism and in the Lord's Supper. They'll obey him. They'll
do that which the Lord has set before them. And it will be reinforced
by those works, by their lives, the same as with Joseph. It's
not just in word only. but it is indeed. And the Lord
says, these people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth
my praise. And it is a light that is set
upon a hill, not under a bushel. It is salt that has not lost
its savour. It is a faith like Joseph's that
speaks to all of his family and the generations, and with a certainty,
and on a dying bed. when departing this life, speaking
well of the Lord, and what the Lord will do, and still do for
them. In a way, many of those that
have known Joseph, I mean he was their friend at court, if
you like, they were losing this, and they may have wondered, well,
where will the scene end? What will happen? Joseph is taken
away. But Joseph's testimony, or God,
is not taken away. He is still the same. And what
he has said will come to pass. And those though but a few words,
they're very blessed words, and no doubt were of great comfort
to those that remained. And may the gospel and the testimony
of those who know the gospel be of a great comfort to those
that follow after as well. God will surely visit you. The
Lord has said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end
of the world. We may see times of great falling
away, few numbers gathering, but God is still the same, and
His promise is still the same, and His word is still the same,
and the evidence in the word of His Giving the word and it
coming to pass is set before us and in passages like this
for our comfort. Now this then is a word, may
it be, a word to some here. You know, many times the people
of God have exercises, burdens, they wait upon the Lord, they're
praying for this, they're praying for that, they have promises
the Lord has given them. May this word be from the Lord
to you. God will surely visit you. He
won't forget. He doesn't forget His word. He remembers His word. He remembers
what He has said. And He remembers His covenant. And He remembers His promises.
So may this be a word for you. God will surely visit you.