Well, it's good to see everybody
tonight, and again, I thank the Lord for the meeting that we
were able to have this past weekend. I'm gonna ask you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to Genesis chapter 47. Genesis 47. I'd like to just look at a few
verses, verses seven to 10. I've entitled this message, The
Believer's Pilgrimage. The Believer's Pilgrimage. Joseph, the son of Jacob, has
brought his family into the land of Egypt. He's presented his
dad Jacob, five of his brethren, Pharaoh. And now he presents
his father, Jacob, to Pharaoh personally. And the scripture
says in Genesis 47, verse seven, and Joseph brought in Jacob,
his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. He was cordial. I looked it up
to see what did it mean. He blessed him. Jacob, toward
Pharaoh, he was gracious to him. He was thankful for him. I'm sure that Jacob acknowledged
to Pharaoh how much he appreciated. Pharaoh had opened the country
to Jacob's family, and that's where Jacob blessed him. He thanked him, he was cordial
to him. But the word also has a sense
in which he was praying for him. It says it was a blessing toward
him as a spokesman of most high God. Jacob blessed Pharaoh, wished
kindness upon him, the Lord's blessing upon him. And we know
that it's the Lord that in all of these things that come to
pass, just like this right here. We're watching what's unfolding
before us, how the Lord is providentially, and knowing what will happen
if the Lord were to allow us to go into the book of Exodus,
and we see how the Lord, but here he's bringing all of this
together, and Pharaoh is favorable to Joseph, and so he's favorable
to Joseph's family, to Joseph's daddy, and Jacob acknowledges
that, and he's kind, and he honors him. He's given him kindness
shown to his beloved. So after Jacob had blessed Pharaoh,
Jacob blessed him, appreciated him. Thank you. Thank you for
the kindness that you've done. The scripture says now in verse
number eight, It says, and Jacob, and Pharaoh said unto Jacob,
how old art thou? And I read that again, I looked
at this passage of scripture quite a few years ago, I think
about 15 years ago. I looked at this particular passage
of scripture and it did the same thing to me this time as it did
the first time. It intrigued me when Pharaoh asked Jacob,
how old are you? I read what one of the writers
said. It said it was possibly. He looked upon Jacob, saw his
age, knew he was an old man, and he was just inquiring, you
know, how old are you? You're, you know. You made this
long trip, how long are you? And the scripture says, it says
in verse nine, and Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the
years of my pilgrimage are 130 years. Few and evil have the
days of the years of my life been and have not attained unto
the days of the years of the lives of my fathers in the days
of their pilgrimage." He said, I'm 130 years old, and the days
of the years of my life, 130 years, and he said, I haven't
lived as long as some of my family members have.
Well, I looked at that and I thought to myself concerning that question
and the answer that Jacob gave him at 130 years old. And he summed them up. He summed
up those 130 years with this word right there. He said, few
and evil, have the days of the years of my life been. Few and evil. All of these years. He said it's just days. Just days. You know, we've talked
about that before. You know, you look back now. I've done it, you've done it.
Some of us got a little bit more age maybe than some of the others,
but I can tell you this. the older we get, the more it
starts to seem like, you know, when you're a kid, man, I remember
when I was in elementary school, we got out for summer vacation. I couldn't remember, I thought
back, I couldn't remember if that was a year we got off of
vacation or it was, I mean, it just seemed like forever. You
know, we had forever to get off, you know? And I mean, just, Days
back then seemed like weeks. Weeks like months. Months like
years. But boy, you get some age on
you. And I was talking to Glenda the
other day and I'm thinking, you know what, this year's clicking
by. A lot of this ain't gone already. Before you know it, it'll be
coming around for Lord Terry's. This is what Jacob told him.
He said, my life, this pilgrimage, 130 years, few and evil have
the days of the years of my life been. These days, these years
right here, they've been trying. They've been tough. They've been
nothing but hardship. It's just been tough all these
years. You said, well, has, had it been
anything good? There's, oh, there's been some
days that, you know, but by and large, the days, the weeks, the
months, the years of this life is hard, it's tough. And older
you get, it don't, it don't get any better. Somebody told me
in this congregation here, told me the other day, they said,
you know what, it doesn't get easier. Every year, it's just,
and that's just the way, we're living in a time in a body that
is failing, and it's going down, and you just, you see it, you
can feel it. And he asked him, how old are
you? How old are you? He said, 130,
130 years old. And I got to thinking about that
age. How old are you? Now believer,
we can look and see two distinct truths set forth in this. How
old are you? For everyone in here that knows
the Lord, you're gonna enter in something right here. How
old are you? Well, being born in Adam, I'm
a creature of time. I've told you this before, too.
I'll say what you think, you know. I told you about me going
in that first time I got into college, we was in orientation.
This man stands up and he says, ladies and gentlemen, the next
four years here is gonna go by so fast. And I thought, you're
a nut. I got four long years. And I had two years ago, three
years ago, I had my 50th college reunion. I mean, you know, you
talk about high school reunions. Yeah, you go ahead and figure
it up, figure it up later. But I'm 75. And I thought, that's
ridiculous for you to talk like that. But this body in which
we're living, we're born in Adam, a creature of time. But Adam sinned against God. The Lord told him, he said, in
the day that thou didst eat, in the day that you do eat of
the fruit, the forbidden fruit, you're gonna die, dying. thou
shalt die. And Adam ate of the fruit that
was forbidden of God, and he died that day. He died spiritually
that day. Physically, he was still alive
for a while. He lived on this earth, but he
was now a creature that now experienced death, death. In the day that you eat, you're
gonna die. You're going to die. Every person
born into this world is born spiritually dead. Every man born in Adam in this
world, they experience spiritual death from birth, and unless
the Lord's pleased to do something for them, they're gonna die physically
and spiritually. So how old am I? Well, I know
this, being a creature of time, I'm a creature that's dying. I've got X amount of years. How much longer I have, I don't
know. Time, humanly speaking, it's precious. It's a precious
thing. To an unbeliever, man, that's
looking at this life, an unbeliever, right now. You have absolutely
no idea how precious this time is right now. It's all you got.
Because according to these scriptures, which is truth, if we leave this
world without our Lord, and this life on this earth comes to an
end, all of a sudden, everything that we've ever heard, we'll
find out it's real. It was real. We met God. Met
God without an intercessor, without a mediator, without a priest. We're creatures of time. How
old are you? Well, when you're just saying that, how old are
you? He's talking about, there's a length of time in there. How
old are you? How long have you been here?
My life, secondly, is measured according to what Jacob told
him. Measured in days, he said, the
days of the years of my pilgrimage. 130 years. Few and evil have
the days of the years of my life been. We're just talking about
a little time here. A little time here. I talked to John Chapman yesterday,
or the day before yesterday, before he left. And we were talking
about that. Of course, I knew what I was
gonna preach on, so I'm thinking about it anyway. Didn't bring
it up, but I just, you know, asked him. I said, John, you
know, I just thinking back, how long do you think I've been here,
Katie? He said, oh my, Marvin? Oh, he said, I know you've been
here at least 10 years. I said, yeah, I have been at
least 10, 22. He said, 22 years? 22 years. Back here, think about
how long Brother Scott was here. I mean, you look back, it's just
days, days, just a little, just time, just a little bit of time. This life is brief. We're here for a little while. The days of the years of my pilgrimage,
pilgrimage 130 years. Oh, how fast, how, it's like
a weaver's weaving, just turning, turning, turning so quickly.
Scripture says, 1 Peter 1, 24, for all flesh is as grass and
all the glory of man as the flower of grass. Grass withereth, flower
withereth, falleth away. David said in Psalm 39, five,
behold, thou hast made my days as an hand breath. I looked that
up. What you can spread four fingers,
that's what a hand breath was. I don't know what that was measuring,
but that's what it's talking about. Hand breath, just how
long, how old or how long you been there? About like that,
about four fingers. Just a spread of just a little
bit of time, just breathe. Isaiah 38, 12, mine age is departed
and removed from me as a shepherd's tent. Just temporary thing, just
set up a tent out there in the middle of a desert, just stick
the poles under it, take some rope, tie them down, just a little
time. We won't be here long, we're
not gonna be here. We'll sit here, we'll, you know,
set up camp for just a little while and then we'll go. James 4.14, whereas you know
not what shall be on the morrow, but what is your life? It's even
a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanishes away. Oh, David said in Psalm 90 verse
12, so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts
unto wisdom or teach us just a number. We're just going to
be here just a little while longer, just in this life. We look, we
look for, uh, we look for a city that has foundations, building
makers, God, but we're gonna have to go through this vapor
for a while, just be here, just a short time. Born in Adam, his
life is short. Pilgrimage is what it is. That's
what he says. The days of the years of my pilgrimage,
life is a pilgrimage. All God's people, They confess
that. I'm just, I'm a stranger here. You know, that becomes more and
more real to you. This is not my home. This is
not where I'm gonna be forever. There's so much I don't know.
I don't know. People have asked me some things
about dying in heaven. And if I know, if I can prove
it by scripture, I'll tell you, if I can't prove it by scripture,
I'm not ashamed to tell you, I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. What's it going to be like? What
are we going to be doing? I don't know. I don't know. I
might have some ideas, but unless I can prove it by the word of
God, I'm just going to tell you, I'm ignorant of that. The Lord
knows. But concerning us, We're just
here for a little while. It's just a pilgrimage. And believers
are not of this world. They're not of this world's religion. They're not of this world's ways. They're not of this world's opinions
and principles. They're just, they're God's people. And we're in this place for just
a little while. They have this world in which
we live, but we have nothing of significance here. I heard Scott say it, or Henry
say it, or somebody said it. Hang on to the things of this
world lightly. Hang on to them, because you're
not taking them with you. They're going to burn up. It's all going to burn up. You're
not taking anything. Sweet lady tell me one time that
there was a man that she knew that was dying. I think I told
you this right here. He made this statement to her
before he died. He was close to dying. He said,
the thing that I hate the most about dying is having to leave
all this stuff that I've acquired. And I thought, oh my, is that,
that's all you got? A believer realizes we're here
just for a little while. How old are you? The days of
the years of my pilgrimage, 130 years, few and evil have the
days of the years of my life been, and I have not attained
unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers and the
days of their pilgrimage. I haven't been here that long.
He said, compared to them, Methuselah, 900 years old. Can you imagine? I read something
a few years ago. It was a man, and he was celebrating
his 102nd birthday. Somebody asked him, what do you
want for his birthday? He said, I want to die. Just
tired. Just tired. You get tired of hurting. You get tired of going to the
doctor. You get tired of just, you know. The only joy, the only
real joy that a believer has in this world, we're doing it
right here. This is it. This is a haven of
rest. This is a place of comfort. Tell
me, tell me again about the Lord and tell me of his glory. Tell me of his honor. Tell me
how he's loved me with an everlasting love. Tell me about being with
him forever and ever and ever. Told you I can't, I can't speak
in eternity. I can't speak eternal. I don't
know how to say those words. to hear him say, I'll never leave
you. I'll never forsake you. How long is never? I don't know.
I can't even enter into it. Eternal, that doesn't even, I
still can't get it. I still, I don't know. But it
never ends. But for an unbeliever, he just,
he said, Pharaoh told Jacob, he said, But the days of the years of
my pilgrims, 130, they're just, you know, just few. That's what
Jacob told him. Few and evil. These days, they've
been few, few compared to the days of his father, especially
in the comparison to eternity. These days are few and evil. Oh, the trials, heartaches,
tribulations. that we go through. We're clothed
in a body, perishing flesh. I would advise you exercise all
you can. Walk, walk if you can. They say
walking is probably one of the best things you could possibly
do. And do what you can and try to
take care of yourself and eat right. Do all you can possibly
do, okay? All right, you're still gonna
die. You're still gonna die. you will die. But I, you know,
you know, we all want to do all we can do, you know, as long
as we can, you know, just, but how old are you? 130. Few and evil have been these
days, evil, because of the presence of sin, because of this body
of death, the iniquity, in this life that wars against me, evil,
the cause of the hatred, the opposition of this world that
it pours out against God's people, against God, ain't God, and therefore
this world hates God's people, just comes out. So the wicked,
they lie in wait to pose God's people, and they're trying every
way in the world because of the opposition. The enmity that's
in their heart, it's just born there. They're just there. They
hate, they hate the God of this Bible. They hate God's people. The Lord told us, he said, they
hated me before they hated you. Don't be surprised when they
hate what you believe. Don't be surprised when they
hate the message of God's free and sovereign grace. Don't be
surprised when people hate you if you tell them that, you know,
they believe a false gospel unless God delivers them from that.
You know it's true. You know it's true. But they'll
hate you for it because they are their own God. When you oppose
them, you're opposing their God. I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus,
and I asked Him to save me because I asked Him to save me. He wants
to save everybody, and I gave Him my life. I gave Him. I saved
myself. That's what they're saying. Don't
be surprised. Few and evil, all being considered
in Adam. How old are you? Well, Jacob said at that moment, he
said, I'm right now in Adam, I'm 130 years old. Been a few days, they all been
evil. We look back, just think what
we studied in life, family of Jacob, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
all the opposition that they went through. Few and evil have
been these days. But then on the other hand, let
me ask you this. Believer as being considered
in the Lord Jesus Christ, how old are you? Well, here's a wonderful
thing to behold. I can't explain it, but I can
proclaim it. being found in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I can relate to being born, because
I can see carnally. I can understand carnally. I
can feel pain carnally. I can feel the weightiness. I can get that part of it real
easy. But here's the part that, by
faith, I believe it. I believe it. Being found in
the Lord Jesus Christ. I know this, I've always, I've
always been found in my surety. He's the surety of the sheep.
How long have you been found in him? Well, you never started. When the Lord said, I've loved
you with an everlasting love, in his mind, will, purpose, decree,
Here by faith, we know this, he's always known his people.
I've always loved you. I've always loved you. You know,
I've always beheld you as the objects of my affection. Scripture
says in Ephesians 1, 4, according as he has chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. We've always been chosen in Christ. We can't explain that to somebody,
but we've always been his. He's always beheld us. Jeremiah
31.3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.
Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. The Lord drew
us in time. But I'm telling you, he said,
I've loved you forever. I've always loved you. I've always
known you. I've always looked upon you in
favor. in the Lord Jesus Christ. We've always been loved by Almighty
God, God's people have. How old am I? Well, in Adam, a dying creature, just been here,
been here for a little while, just ain't been here very long.
I look back and I tell you, Back then to right now, it's just
like nothing. Just like a breath of vapor,
that's what scripture says. All but being found in him. He's
always known me, he's always loved me. How old are you? I don't know, I could say how
old is he? He's eternal, the I am. You can't talk to him,
can't talk about him as far as time is concerned, he's eternal.
the eternal God. Hosea 2.19, I will betroth thee
unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto
me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in
mercies. How long have we been looked
upon by the Lord Jesus Christ as his bride? It's always been
His promise. It's always been, I will betroth
thee unto me forever, forever. That didn't start, there's no
starting with that. Concerning the Lord, whom God
select were chosen, loved, always, married, always. Now again, it
does become evident to God's people in time, but then they
realize what they've learned in time has been forever. Mind the will of God. Proverbs
8, 27. When he prepared the heavens,
this is the Lord's wisdom himself talking. When he prepared the
heavens, I was there. I was by him as one brought up
with him. And I was daily his delight,
rejoicing always before him in the habitable parts of his earth. And my delights were with the
sons of men when there was God. In the beginning,
God. Before he created anything, in
the beginning, God created. He spoke this world into existence. But I'm telling you, according
to these scriptures, before he spoke this world into existence,
before there was a physical world, his delights were with the sons
of men, with his people, with his beloved. Oh. How old are we? Oh, I don't know
how to say it. But I can tell you this, I'm
learning just a little bit about the eternality of the Lord. And the little bit that I know,
I see through a glass darkly. I just see dimly. But what we
see, we rejoice in it. That he would always know his
people before his actual incarnation in time. before he openly revealed
himself to his church, he was set up. That's what Scripture
says. I was ever, I was ever his delight. I was always before
he, in the beginning of God's ways. His people were in him. They were there. Oh, the wonder,
the miracle of God's saving grace. He who came into this world,
made of a woman, made under the law. He who was made sin, Calvary,
surely, surely, bearing the debt of all of his people, he came
into this world to save those that he's everlastingly known
and loved and stood for surety. Again, I'm telling you, it actually
came to pass in time, and we beheld his glory. That's what
John said. In the beginning was a word,
we beheld his glory. Glory is the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth. But he is. He is, he said, you tell, who
shall I say sent me? You tell him I am, sent you. He never started. You tell him
I'm sent you. Oh, in time, as I wrap this up. His sheep are called out of spiritual
darkness, sin, unbelief. And they're given a new nature,
given a new nature from above. They're made willing in the day
of their power. They hear this message right here that by nature,
they hate, they hate this message by nature. But God gives them
a new heart and a new will, new mind, new purpose. reveals himself
to him. And they know him. My sheep,
they hear my voice. I was just thinking on that yesterday,
the day before yesterday again. My sheep hear my voice. I can tell you everything I know
about that. And I've said it before. We know
him as he speaks in his word. We know as he speaks in his conscience,
in our conscience. We know him as he speaks in providence. But I'm telling you, there's
something about that scripture that I just still cannot grasp
hold of. My sheep, if one of you, if I'd
shut my eyes, and just one of you just, you know, said something,
give me a second, I'll get it. I'll get it, I'll know who it
is. I won't look, but you know how
I'll know you? I'll recognize your voice. My
sheep hear my voice. They hear my voice. I know them, they follow me. And this one that we've come
into this world hating, we're giving a new heart to love him,
and to see him, and to know him, and to praise him, and to bless
him. How old are you? Well, being born in Adam, I'm
just a few days old, and all of them have been evil, but being
born in Christ, Oh my, being born in Him, all that He's done
for me and has revealed to me in these days that I've gone
through this life. Say as Solomon said about the
Queen of Sheba, where she said to him, half of it hadn't been
told me. I pray God bless these words
to our heart, for Christ's sake.