Okay, Genesis chapter 50. Look at verse 22. And Joseph
dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house, and Joseph lived 110 years. You know, an interesting note
to consider is that out of the 110 years that Joseph lived. All but 17 of them
were spent in Egypt. That's pretty remarkable. He
was 17 years old when he went into Egypt. And here he is 110
years. What is that, 93 years? He spent
and lived in Egypt. And verse 23 says, and Joseph
saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, the children
also of Makar, the son of Manasseh, who brought up under Joseph's
knees, brought upon Joseph's knees. Joseph lived long enough
to enjoy the children of his great-grandchildren. And many
of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the years had sat upon his
lap. And I'm telling you something,
as a grandfather myself, I understand that there are few things in
life that are more enjoyable than that. Verse 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 swear
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." Now here we see sometime
before his death, Joseph called his brothers together and let
them know that he expected to very soon depart, as all must
do. Friends, our time is short. Life
is certainly like a vapor that appears for a little while and
then fades away. That becomes more real to me
every day. And as I look back and see how
quickly the years have passed, it even becomes more of a realization. Most of you know what I'm talking
about. It seems like it takes forever to get 16 and then forever
to get 21. And then boom, it just goes by
like, goes by so fast, so fast. Our study of Joseph, to me, has
been so spiritually profitable. I hope that it has to you. I looked back at my notes today
and we actually started our study of Joseph in Genesis chapter
37, September of last year. Over the last 32 studies, we've
looked closely, we've examined closely Joseph's life. And I think that we've seen probably
more than any other man in the scriptures, he pictures the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amazingly so. It's been absolutely
amazing in how many ways Joseph pictures the Lord Jesus Christ.
Arthur Pink brought in a study of Genesis, I think over 120
some ways that Joseph pictured the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we
come to the end of his life and we come to the end of our study
in Genesis. Hard to believe that we've been
here four and a half years. And I'm just about have an inclination
to just start it all over again. But I won't. Lord willing, I
believe we're going to go right on into Exodus. But anyway, after
examining Joseph's life and seeing how he in so many ways pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to ask you a question. After all that we've seen of
his life, What part of his life do you believe showed forth his
faith in God the most? Was it when he lived as a slave
and a servant in Potiphar's house, a faithful servant he was in
Potiphar's house, a servant who never complained, who was an
example to all the other servants, looked to and honored and accepted
by them? One who never complained about
the sovereign providence that God had dealt him? My, I can
learn so much from that. It's so easy for us to complain
over God's providence, isn't it? Or was it when he chose not
to give in to the temptation of Potiphar's wife? You remember
that story, don't you? Was it, did he exhibit his great
faith in God when he said, how can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God? It takes great faith and great
spiritual understanding to know and believe that all our sin
is against God. That comes by divine revelation.
The question is, when did Joseph display the greatest proof of
his faith in God? Was it when he forgave his brothers?
Was it when He forgave their wickedness and sin against Him?
I don't know that I could have. I'm just going to be honest with
you. They sought to kill Him, and instead of doing so, they,
as you remember, threw Him in a pit, sold Him into slavery,
and yet the Scriptures say over and over again that God was with
Him. Was it when He forgave His brothers their wickedness and
sin? Was it when He loved them in spite of them? And all that
they had done against Him? That took great faith, did it
not? Was it when He interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and gave God
all the glory and the honor and the praise for what God was about
to do in the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine?
Do you remember what He told Pharaoh? He said, God's going
to show you what He's going to do. Who am I? I'm just an interpreter
of dreams. I'm just someone that God's given
a gift to. I'm nobody. Who is he that planteth? Who is he that watereth? It's
God that showeth mercy. He told Pharaoh, he said, God's
gonna show Pharaoh that this was established by God and that
God will shortly bring it to pass. Genesis 41, 28 through
32. And these were all acts of Joseph
that revealed great faith in his God. But when, when did the
Holy Spirit speak of Joseph's great faith and what does he
say? Well, look at Hebrews chapter 11 with me. Put your marker here
in Genesis 50 and look over at Hebrews chapter 11, that great
chapter of faith, many call the hall of faith. Genesis chapter
11 and verse 22 God the Holy Spirit tells us By faith Joseph when he died
made mention of the departing and that word means in the Greek
language means exodus and Joseph, when he died, made mention of
the exodus. Joseph made mention of the children
of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. What was his greatest act of
faith? Well, what we're looking at tonight,
back in Genesis 50, look at verse 25. We read, 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. In our text tonight, we
have the very event that God the Holy Spirit records as being
the thing that demonstrated Joseph's faith in God the most. And when Joseph makes mention
of this exodus, we need to remember that this doesn't take place
until 400 years later. Joseph makes himself very clear
in both verses 24 and 25 that first he mentions that after
he dies that God will surely visit them. He says that in both
verses. And secondly, he says that his
bones, he asks, requests that his bones be carried up and out
with them when God visits them and delivers them out of the
land of Egypt. Now, as you know, Egypt is very
often associated in the scriptures with bondage or salvation by
works. Truly salvation by works is bondage
because none of us can accomplish salvation by a work of righteousness
that we do. Men, by nature, think that they
have to do something in order to be saved, and that if they
do something, that God will accredit them for it, but we know that's
not so. Scripture's so clear concerning
that. And it's amazing to me how the
average person who's never opened God's word, who's never graced
the door of a gospel preaching church, seem to think that if
a man or a woman simply do the best they can do, that God would
give them a free pass into heaven. I wish I had a dollar, honestly,
for every time some unbelievers told me that. We could all go
out to eat tonight on me and I'd still have money left over. To put any condition of the sinner's
salvation upon a good work done by the sinner is nothing short
of bondage, nothing short of Egypt. We cannot do anything
to save ourselves. And Joseph did not in any way
want to be associated with Egypt, though in God's providence, he
lived there for over 93 years. And not just for several years,
yes, as a slave and in prison, but for the biggest part of that
time as the ruler of Egypt. And yet he didn't want any part
of it. He said, make sure you take my bones out of here. He
made that very clear. He said, when God brings you
out of the land and brings you to the land that he promised
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you take my bones with you. It was
by faith that Joseph made that statement. So with that said,
I wanna ask you, what is faith? What is faith? How would you
define faith? Many of us believe that God is
sovereign. We've been taught that. We know
that's true according to the scripture. We believe that God
can do anything and everything. I really believe that. But let
me first say that faith is not so much believing that God can
do what he says he can. but believing that God will do
what He said He would do. Now you think about that for
a moment. It's not so much believing that God can do what He says
He can, but believing that God will do what He said He will
do. Do we believe that God will do
what He says that He will? I believe that's the true test
of faith. Not if God can, but will God. Many say they believe that God
can save whom He will, but just not sure that He'll save them,
that He will save them. But God says that He will save
any and all who believe on Christ, His beloved Son. Do you believe
on Christ? Then He'll save you. That's what
faith is, believing. That leper said, Lord, if you
will, you can make me clean. That leper knew that God was
able, but he wasn't sure if God was willing. But do you remember
what the Lord said? He said, I will. I will. Faith is believing that God will. And that God has done all that
he says in this word. Now, follow me on this. Follow
me on this. How did Joseph know this exodus,
this future departing of Israel out of Egypt would take place?
Because God had already said so in his word. That's what faith
is. God told Abraham that this was
gonna occur back in Genesis chapter 15. Again, hold your place here
in chapter 50 and look back at chapter 15 with me. Faith is believing God will do
what he said he will do. Genesis chapter 15, look at verse
12. And when the sun was going down,
a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and lo, a horror of great darkness
fell upon him. And he, being God, said unto
Abram, Know of a surety, there's that word again, that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall
serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they
shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out
with great substance. What is faith? Faith is believing
that God will do what he said he would do. Look up at verse
five here in Genesis 15. And he, God, brought him, Abraham,
forth abroad. And he said, look now toward
heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them.
And God said unto Abraham, so shall thy seed be. And he believed
in the Lord, and he counted it unto him for righteousness. God
said, so shall thy seed be. Now, was there any physical evidence
that this was so? No. Abraham and Sarah had no
children. Matter of fact, they're both
so up in age that Abraham not only had no children, he couldn't
produce any seed, and Sarah's womb was dead and barren. But God said, your seed shall
be as the stars, and as numerous as the stars, so much so that
you won't be able to number them all. And Abraham believed God. There was no physical evidence,
but he believed God and God counted it to him for righteousness. Do you and I believe God? I ask
myself that question every day. Do I really believe God? That's
what faith is. To believe that God will do what
he said he'll do. Not just that he's able, but
that he will do what he said that he would. Faith is so simple,
folks have made it hard. In Romans chapter six, verse
11, Paul wrote this. He said, likewise reckon also
yourselves to be dead indeed to sin. but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Now let me ask those of you here
tonight who profess to believe God, do you feel like you're
dead to sin? Do you feel like you're, as though
you're alive unto God? Well, there's no physical evidence
that it's so. I live with myself. No physical evidence that I'm
dead to sin. But do I believe that I'm dead
to sin? Absolutely. Absolutely believe
that I am. Why? Because God says I am. That's what faith is. I'm dead
unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ my Lord. God says
all who believe in Christ are so. And faith has nothing to
do with how I feel and everything to do with believing what God
says. And God says that I'm dead unto
sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ. In Colossians 2
verse 10, Paul wrote, and ye are complete in him. Do you feel
complete? Do you? Does anyone here tonight
feel complete? Do I believe that I'm complete
in Him? Absolutely. No doubt in my mind
that I am. Only because God says that I
am. Do you see what I'm getting at
here? I'm not complete because I feel complete. I'd be hard-pressed
to find any proof or any evidence that I am complete other than
God says so. That's the only Only reason. But I know that I am because
God says that in Christ I'm complete and that's what faith is. Now
here in Genesis chapter 15 verse 13 God said unto Abraham, know
of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that
is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict
them for four hundred years." That hadn't happened when God
told Abraham. And that hadn't happened in Genesis
chapter 50 when Joseph told his brothers. And it wouldn't happen
for hundreds of years later. Now that word surety in verse
13, as you know, means to know for certainty. But it means more
than that. It means to believe as though
you've already seen it come to pass. That's sometimes hard for
us to believe things that we haven't seen. And that's an old
saying. It's said of folks from Missouri, the show me state.
I believe it when I see it. But faith, surety. Believing, know of a surety,
means to believe as though you've already seen it come to pass.
Maybe even more so. Because there's some things that
we see that we probably shouldn't believe. Now I want you to turn
over to Romans chapter four. I know I'm turning you a few
places tonight. I don't know if we're going back
to Genesis 15 or not, but Genesis 50 for sure. Romans chapter 4
for just a moment. Look at verse 3. Paul says, you got it? Romans chapter 4 verse 3. Paul
says, for what saith the scripture? That's the same as saying, what
does God say? God wrote these scriptures. What
does God say? What does God's Word say? Well, it says that Abraham believed
God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. How did we
receive the perfect righteousness of God? By faith in Christ. By
faith in God. By believing what God says in
His Word. That's how. Look down at verse 17. as it is written." Where is this
written? What's written in the Word of
God. This is what God said. This is what God the Holy Spirit
wrote. God said this to Abraham, as
it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. before
him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and
calleth those things which be not as though they were." You
know, God can call things which be not as though they are or
were because only God can make the things which be not come
to pass. This is what God said to Abraham
back in Genesis chapter 17 verses 4 and 5. And Abraham believed
God. You see, faith in God, believing
what God said, believing what this book says, is what faith
is. Do you believe that God made
Christ to be sin for you? Do you believe that Christ had
no sin, but that God made him sin? That God put your sin on
Christ and punished Christ for your sin? Do you believe that? It's kind of done to you for
righteousness if you do. And I believe that because God
said it. I have no physical evidence or
proof But I know it's so because God said it. I believe it because
God said in his word that Christ was the lamb slain before the
foundation of the world. That's why I believe that, because
God said it. I believe it because God said
that, God said, behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world. He said, this is my beloved son,
hear ye him. I believe it because God said
that he made Christ to be sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. I believe that I am perfectly
righteous, perfectly holy, perfectly just before God because I feel
perfectly righteous? No. No, I feel perfectly holy? Absolutely not. but because God
said that I am, that He gave me His perfect righteousness
that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him. That's why I believe
it. I feel completely sinful and
wretched. I don't feel perfectly righteous
and holy and just. But I believe that I am perfectly
righteous, holy, and just because God tells me that he's made me
so in Christ. Now, again, back in our text
in Genesis chapter 50. Again, verse 24. And Joseph said unto his brethren,
I die. and God will surely visit you
for certainty. And he'll bring you out of this
land unto the land which he swore to, swear to Abraham, to Isaac
and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the
children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you. Boy, isn't that a glorious thought?
God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from
hence. Do you know what a visit from
God is called? It's called a divine visitation
because he's the divine one. Joseph didn't tell his brothers,
God shall visit you. He said, God will surely visit
you, it's certain. And dear believer, God will surely
visit you. My, He already has. And He will
continue to. Divine visitation, that's what
I want. That's what I need. I certainly
need for the Lord to visit me. Continuously. Constantly. And I found it very interesting
that the word visit here in verse 25 means to come to with friendly
or hostile intent. God is going to divinely visit
every man and woman ever born one way or the other with friendly
intent, in love, in mercy, and in grace, or with hostile intent,
in wrath, judgment, and justice. And we've discussed this many
times, and I know you agree with me on this. I don't want God
to deal with me in justice. I just, I don't. But he will
one way or the other. God deals with us in justice. Either in wrath, judgment, and
justice on us, or in wrath, judgment, and justice on our Savior. But sin is gonna be dealt with
because God will by no means clear the guilty. My guilt and
my sin will be found on me or to be found on Christ. One way
or the other, God's justice must be just. God's justice must be
satisfied. And let me say this, I know sometimes
we think that we have an understanding of just how sinful we are. We at all one time or another
probably think to ourselves, well, there goes the preacher
again, harping on, talking about our sin and how sinful we are. And you might say, I know that
I'm a sinner. I don't need to be reminded again.
Well, that's exactly when you need to be reminded. We cannot
and we will not ever fully and completely know and understand
just how deeply wretched, depraved, and wicked we are by nature.
And I'm really kind of glad in a way because it would be overwhelming. It's overwhelming enough. We are so wretched, depraved,
and wicked So much so that God himself had to die for us to
redeem us. What was the gospel that our
Lord preached over and over again in the scriptures? Our Lord Jesus
said, I tell you that except you repent, you shall perish. Repent and believe the gospel,
for the kingdom of God is at hand. What do we need to repent
of? Our sin, our sin against God,
against thee and thee only have we sinned and done this evil
in thy sight. And God uses our sin. There's really nothing good we
can say about our sin, but I suppose if there was one thing, and I
hope you understand what I mean by this. If there's one thing
good about our sin, it's that God uses our sin to show us our
desperate need of Christ. and to constantly remind us of
our desperate need of Christ. God gave us his holy law to show
us that we couldn't keep it. How many times have we said that?
It was given to show us our inability and our unwillingness to obey
God. Why? Because of our sin. Isn't
that what Paul tells us in Romans chapter 7? He said, I had not
known sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except
the law had said thou shalt not covet. So, my sin reminds me
daily that I constantly need a divine visitation from God. I love the thought of God's divine
visitation, don't you? That God would be mindful of
a wretch like me. that God would be mindful of
one who's hated him without a cause? One that would have been right
there to spit in his face and put the crown of thorns upon
his head and the blindfold upon him and hit him and mock him
and say, well, you're a prophet. Tell me who hit you. Oh, I know
I would have been there and done the same thing. Oh, the glorious
truth that God would not leave His people to themselves and
their sin? That God would be mindful of
me when I am so unmindful of Him? And I remind every believer
here tonight that God visited you in divine visitation first
in eternity when He gave you to His Son to be a surety for
you. God visited you before you ever were. That's a mind-boggling
thought. I was talking to Todd Nyberg
earlier today, and we got to talking about that. And I said,
you know, if we could understand God, He wouldn't be much of God,
would He? That's so true. If we could figure God out, He
wouldn't be much of God. But we can't figure him out.
He's beyond figuring out. But before time ever was, before
you were ever born, before you had ever done any good or evil,
God chose you, God elected you, God gave you to Christ in order
for him to be the lamb slain before the foundation of the
world for you. What a divine visitation. Secondly,
when our Lord Jesus hung on Calvary's cross, He received a divine visitation
from his heavenly father, but it was a visitation of a different
kind. It was a visitation of hostile
intent. Why so? Because on his beloved
son was found all the sin of all the elect throughout all
time, and God punished his son for sin. Your sin, my sin. All the sin of all the elect
throughout all time. But God punished not only His
Son. Oh, I hope that God can reveal
this to us in a newfound way. He didn't only punish His Son,
but because of our union, our oneness with Christ. Our union
and oneness with Christ is such that we too were punished. And
when Christ said, it's finished, get a hold of this, the wrath
and judgment and justice of God was satisfied with all for whom
he died. When he said, it's finished,
the punishment, the wrath and the judgment and justice of God
was satisfied against us, because we were with him. It's the same
as if we were hanging there with him. The problem is we could
have never satisfied God's justice, and the Lord Jesus did so perfectly. What a divine visitation that
was. What about the divine visitation
we receive by providence? Everything that transpires in
time is a result of God's sovereign providence, everything. Everything
that transpires in time for God's elect is for their spiritual
and eternal good. How do I know that? Because God
says so. Isn't that right? Romans 8, 28. We know the verse. We quote it all the time. Everything
that transpires in time. It's for our eternal good. God
works all things together for His people's good. And what a
divine visitation that is daily, constantly. But we can't take
this divine visitation too far. No more than we can take God's
mercy and grace and salvation to us too far. What about God's
divine visitation when God gave us spiritual life? I remember
it well. You know, there was a time in
the realm of time, if I may so speak, where I had no interest
in God, none at all, or His Savior. None. I'm telling you, I was
skipping happily along to hell and didn't know or care. I didn't
know and I didn't care. But then God visited me. What
a divine visitation that was. He visited me and he gave me
life. And it was like someone turned
on a light. I became aware of my sin. God
gave me repentance for my sin. I thought, what am I gonna do? I see that I've offended God.
What am I gonna do? And God showed me that my sin
was put away in a substitute. And that substitute himself was
God. My sin was so horrific that it
took God to put away my sin. He didn't have to. He would have been no less just
to have left me alone in my sin and sent me right on to hell. His divine visitation is a divine
intervention. What a glorious visitation it
is. And what about God's daily visitation and keeping us? You
ever think about that? If God doesn't keep me, I am
a goner. Let's just tell it like it is. If God doesn't keep me, I won't
be kept. Continually kept in mercy and
grace, it comes every day as a flowing fountain of life. It's a perpetual flowing of mercy
and grace. It just keeps coming and just
keeps coming. And I need for it to. It's a
divine visitation that never ceases. And then how about the time when
the time of death comes, physical death? This will be the greatest
of all God's divine visitations when he comes to take me home,
to take me to that place that he said that he's prepared for
me, that place where he resides, that place where I will be forever
with him. It's real, friends, it's real. Everyone here tonight is lost
loved ones that trusted in Christ. I'm telling you, you're gonna
see him again. There with Christ, and he said,
where I am there you shall be also. What a glorious thought. What a divine visitation that's
gonna be, huh? Beloved God will surely visit
you, surely. Do you believe God will do what
he says he'll do? Well, that's what faith is. Do
you have faith? Again, in verse 25, Genesis 50. 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. We'll see in the book
of Exodus and also it's in the book of Joshua that they did
just that. Moses carried those bones out
of Egypt into the land of promise, into the land of Canaan. And
verse 26 tells us, so Joseph died, being 110 years old, and
they embalmed him. Remember our study in that? They
sealed him. We're sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
And he was put in a coffin. I found it interesting. I didn't
even write this in my notes, but that word coffin is the same
word that's used for Ark of the Covenant. Preserved in a coffin, in a covenant
in Egypt. Look over a page, you may not
have to turn, I don't, but look at Exodus chapter one, verse
six, and I'll close with that. The reading of some verses here.
Look at verse six, Exodus one. And Joseph died and all his brethren
and all that generation. And the children of Israel were
fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied and waxed exceedingly
mighty and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up
a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said
unto his people, behold, the people of the children of Israel
are more and mightier than we. Come on, let us deal wisely with
them, lest they multiply and it come to pass that when their
fall without any war, they join also into our enemies and fight
against us. And so get them up out of the
land. Therefore they did set over them
taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens Remember this is
just amazing because When they went into Goshen that you know
Joseph sent them into Goshen. It was just those those brothers
taking care of sheep and now Man, there are multitudes of
them And they did sit over them taskmasters, verse 11, to afflict
them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure
cities, Pithom and Ramesses. But the more they afflicted them,
the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because
of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children
of Israel to serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter
with hard bondage, and mortar, and in brick, and in all manner
of service in the field. All their service wherein they
made them serve was with rigor." Now, do you know when these things
occurred? Over 400 years later. that 400
years has passed. The nation of Israel had become
a mighty nation. Do you know why? Because God
said they would, but even more so because God made sure that
they would. And Israel had increased to such
a multitude of people that Pharaoh told the midwives to kill every
male child and cast them in the river in order to halt or slow
down Israel's population. You remember that story? Moses. In verse 17, but the midwives
feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them,
but saved the men and children alive. And the king of Egypt
called for the midwives and said unto them, why have you done
this thing and have saved the men and children alive? And the
midwives said unto Pharaoh, because the Hebrew women are not as the
Egyptian women. But they are lively. And they
are delivered ere the midwives come into them. We don't have
to help them deliver, they deliver their children themselves. And
we come in, they've already got the children taken care of. Therefore God dealt with the
midwives and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. Now do
you know why all this took place? Yes, you do. Because God is about
to fulfill the promise that He made to Abraham some 400 years
before. May God enable us. I'm telling
you, may God enable us to believe Him. He's worthy to be believed. That's what faith is. Believe
in God. God's going to surely visit His
people again. He promises so in His Word. He
says so in His Word. Christ said, where I will be,
you shall be also. That's a promise from God. He
promised to take us into an eternal land of promise this time. Oh, a land that truly flows with
the milk and honey of God's mercy and grace and love in Christ.
Now, do you believe that? Christ said that he would, so
let's just ask that the Lord give us faith to believe him.