Genesis chapter 47. Last week we talked about three
types of famine. There's a famine in the world,
a lack of food. There's a famine of the word
of the Lord that Amos told us about, a lack of the gospel. And then I suppose the famine
that's most real to all of us is that famine within, the famine
of the heart. and the soul, a lack of life
within. By nature, we are dead in trespasses
and sin, a famine in our hearts. Unless God shines the marvelous
light of his gospel upon our hearts, we'll never see the blessed
things of Christ and him crucified. And as we know, and we've looked
at for several weeks now, Things had gotten so bad in Egypt that
the Egyptians had sold all that they had to Pharaoh in order
to live. They sold their livestock, they
sold their land, and they even sold themselves. And that's what
every believing child of God will do in order to have eternal
life. God will cause us to sell out.
to sell out in order to have Christ, our treasure, in these
earthen vessels. And that's what the Apostle Paul
said. He said, for we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts. Aren't
you so glad that he shined the light of the gospel in your heart,
to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ. That's where it's found. But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels. And what a treasure
it is. That the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of ourselves. Second Corinthians chapter four,
verses five through seven. God's gonna bring all his elect
to the end of themselves. And he's gonna cause them to
see that in this life, they have nothing, they are nothing, and
that Christ is all they need and all they have in order to
possess eternal life. We have nothing else that we
could offer God, nothing that we could offer God. Paul went
on to say in the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians that in this
life, we're troubled. We are troubled. We're afflicted
on every side, but he said, not distressed. David said, it's
good for me that I've been afflicted. Have we learned that? By experience
we have. It's good for me that I've been
afflicted, David said. How so, David? He said that I
might learn God's statutes. that I might learn the appointments
of God. That's what that word means.
That I might learn that God is in control, that God sends these
troubles for my good and for his glory. God's people are troubled
and afflicted, but they're not distressed. They're not desolate. They're not in danger. Why? Because
God has them in his hand. We're perplexed, Paul said. We're
puzzled. We're confused. We're dumbfounded
about many things. There are many things that we
don't understand. But we're not in despair. We're
not hopeless. We're not discouraged. Why? Because we're kept by the power
of God. We have great hope in a great
God and in a great Savior. And that's where all our hope
is. Paul said we're persecuted, we're mistreated, we're plagued,
we're harassed, we're victimized, but we're not forsaken. Not forsaken. Our Lord said that he would never
leave us nor forsake us. We're cast down, we're treated
with contempt, we're discouraged, maybe even a little depressed
from time to time. But not destroyed. We're not
lost, we're not terminated, we're not slaughtered. Why? Because we have life in Christ.
Why? Because our Joseph provides our
every need in the land of Goshen. Look at verse 27 of Genesis 47.
And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the
country of Goshen. And they had possessions therein,
and grew and multiplied exceedingly, even in this time of famine."
How beautifully this illustrates our being in the world, but not
of the world. We've all heard that saying,
we're in the world, but we're not of the world. That's so.
Israel, who as you know, Jacob, but Israel
is also all of Jacob's family. They're living in Egypt, but
they're not of Egypt. They're in Goshen, the land that
Pharaoh gave them. And every believer is in this
world, but they're not of this world. They're just sojourning
here, just passing through, residing in the place that God has temporarily
put them. And they're ever looking for
that city which hath foundation, whose maker and builder is God."
Hebrews 11, 10. And I think it's so obvious from
what we looked at last week and these verses here in chapter
47 and the verse I just read, that God put a difference between
Egypt and Israel. You know, Israel was not under
the law that Joseph gave. Larry and I talked about that
briefly last week after the services. If they were, Joseph kept it
for them, because he's providing everything for them. And they
had possessions, and they grew, and they prospered, and they
multiplied exceedingly, when all Egypt has had to sell everything
they've had in order to continue to live. God's hand was upon
them. Joseph's hand was upon them.
And these things happen to all whom God makes to differ. Israel
and his family were in Egypt, but they were not of Egypt. And
dear believer, you're in this world, but you're not of this
world. And it was because of Joseph that Israel was not in
Egypt. He made the provision for them
to be in Goshen. And friends, it's because of
Christ that you're not of this world. It was Israel's union
with Joseph that made it so. And it's your union with Christ,
dear believer, that makes it so with us. Let me show you that. Go ahead and put your marker
here in Genesis 47 and turn with me to the Gospel of John chapter
17. Boy, that's such a rich chapter, isn't it? Look at John chapter
17 with me a moment. We'll go back to Genesis. John chapter 17. Look at verse 14. The Lord Jesus here says, and
pay close attention to these words. He said, I have given
them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world. And I pray that
thou shouldest that I pray not that thou shouldest take them
out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the
evil. What evil? The evil in Egypt,
the evil that's in the world. Verse 16, they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them, that word
means set them apart. That's what sanctified means.
Set them apart through thy truth, thy word is truth. As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. And neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also, which thou, which shall believe on
me through their word." Boy, I'm glad he put that in there,
aren't you? You see, friends, our union with Christ is such
that we're actually one with Him. And I know we say that all
the time. I wish we could really get a
hold of that. I wish we could really fathom in our minds what
that means. He's not of this world, and in
Him, neither are we. All that Joseph had, Israel had
by their union with Him. and all that Christ has, we have
by our union with Him. Look at verse 21. That they all
may be one as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us. That the world may believe that
thou hast sent me. Now look at this, verse 22. And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may
be one, even as we are one. Now, I want you to think about
that for a moment. Think about that statement. Our
Lord said, the glory which thou, God the Father, gave me, I've
given them. What does that mean? What was
the desired end of Christ giving his elect the glory that God
gave him? Christ gave us the answer right
here. He said that they, the believer, the child of God, may
be one, even as we, the Father and the Son, are one. Make no
mistake about it. If you belong to Christ, if you
believe in and on Him, if you trust in Christ alone as your
substitute, your Savior, your sacrifice for sin, you're one
with Him. So much so that when God looks
upon you, he sees his beloved son. Now that's union. That's a union. As he is one with God. Isn't
that what the scripture says? Thou shalt call his name Immanuel,
which being interpreted is God with us. Now, here's the amazing
thing. God is so with us that he's made
Christ one with us. Jesus Christ, who thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, has made himself of no reputation. He's taken upon himself the form
of a servant that he might become one with us. Oh, I tell you,
that is mind-boggling to me. And so according to John 1, even
beginning in verse 1 of John 1, we know that Christ was the
word that was in the beginning with God. But not only that,
we know that Christ was the Word who was God. He is God. He was in the beginning with
God and He was God. And we know that Christ is the
Word who was given by God. And we know that Christ, the
eternal Word, was made flesh. And the scripture says, dwelt
among us. And John says, we beheld His
glory. as the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. And then here in John chapter
17, the Lord Jesus praying to His heavenly Father tells us
that by way of our union with Him, He has given us that same
glory. Isn't that amazing? He's given us that same glory
so that we might be one with Him. Now you think about this
glory that's been given to us in Christ. It's the glory Christ
was given as the first begotten of the Father in order to be
accepted by God. That's what we want, isn't it?
We want to be accepted by God. In order to be accepted by God,
you've got to be perfect. My, don't you wish you had a
dollar for every time I've said that from this pulpit? In order
to be accepted, it's got to be perfect. We say it all the time. Perfection's something we don't
know anything about by nature. In order to be accepted by God,
you have to be accepted in the beloved who was perfect. That's talking about Christ.
He's God's beloved. Christ has made us accepted by
giving us that same glory to be sons and daughters of God
the Father. And in Christ, we are one with
Him, one with God, even as He and His Father are one. Verse
22. Now I tell you, get along with yourself sometime. Get along
with yourself and God and just ponder on that. Think about that. It'll bless you. There's no closer
union than that to be one To be one to be one with Christ
Christ was indeed glorious and holiness It's what the scripture
says and that is the same glory the glory of holiness that Christ
gives to us by taking our sin upon himself and giving us his
perfect righteousness and In Christ, I have no sin. And that doesn't even sound right
saying it, does it? But it's true. In Christ, I am
perfectly righteous because of my union with Him who is perfect. He's perfect, I'm perfect, because
I'm one with Him. And in verse 23 of John 17, our
Lord goes on to say, I in them and thou in me, look at this,
that they may be made perfect in one. Jesus Christ says you're
perfect. Perfect in Christ is Christ is
perfect in God, that the world may know that thou has sent me
and has loved them as thou has loved me. Now listen, child of
God, Believe me when I tell you, you're perfect in Christ. God
loves you perfectly as he perfectly loved his son. There's no closer
union than that. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3,
verse 18. Now listen to this, I won't turn
you there. Speaking to the believing children of God. That's who the
epistles were written to. They weren't written to unbelievers.
They were letters written to believers. And speaking to the
believing children of God, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3, verse
18, but we all with open face beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord." He said, we are changed into
the same image. The same image is who? The same
image is Christ. From glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord. Conform to the image of Him.
So much so that I'm one with Him. God can't tell the difference. between me and His beloved Son,
between you and Christ, His beloved. We're glorified in the Lord Jesus
Christ as sons and daughters of God Almighty. I'm telling
you, you can get lost in that, and it's a good place to get
lost. Okay, back in chapter 47 of Genesis, look at verse 28. And Jacob lived in the land of
Egypt 17 years. So the whole age of Jacob was
147 years. And then verse 29, and the time
drew nigh that Israel, that Jacob must die. Jacob must die. The same is true concerning you
and I. It's right around the corner
for each of us. Jacob was 147 years old. And I'm telling you,
those 147 years flew by. That's exactly what he told Pharaoh
in verse nine. Look at that. And Jacob said
unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage. At that
time, he was 130 years old. He said, the days of the years
of my pilgrimage are 130 years. What about them? He said, few
and evil. have been the days of the years
of my life. 147 years, few and evil. My days have been few. My days
have been evil. And I'm telling you that no believer
is gonna lead this life thinking that they've done great things
for God. No, sir, you're not gonna do
it. You're gonna say, my days have been few and my days have
been evil. However, You will leave this
life knowing that God has done great things for you. You're
going to know that. And know what David said? He
said it so plainly. He said, the Lord has done great
things for us, whereof we are glad. And I'm so glad that he's
done great things for me, things for me that I couldn't do for
myself. Israel must die. What a reminder
this is to us of what awaits each of us. For the unbeliever,
death is a beginning of torment. And I hate to even think about
that. I really do. You know why? Because I know
so many and I love so many who are yet without Christ. That
is just so, that's such a torment to my soul to think about that.
The thought of them dying in their sin is more than I can
bear sometimes. Yet, for the believer, death
is actually the beginning of life. The believer has every reason
to anticipate death. I anticipate forever being in
a body that will never sin. I love that old song Ed Hale
wrote. He said, I'm waiting for a body
that will never sin. I anticipate forever being with
Christ, my beloved Savior. I look forward to that. You and
I must die. God has appointed it. God who
gives life and breath and all things has made men to dwell
on the face of the earth and he's determined the times before
appointed and the bounds of their habitation. The time of our death
has been decreed by God. God knows the very second that
I'll take my last breath and you'll take yours. And I'll tell you, that's a comforting
thought to me. You know why? Because knowing
that, there's no need for me to take thought for my life.
There's no need for us to take any thought of our life, because
it can't add one cubit to our stature. Why must we die? The same reason that Jacob must.
Death is sin's wages. Isn't that why Christ died? You
know, when you think about it in light of that, Christ must
die to put away the sin of His elect. That's what it means when
we say that He died in our place. Christ must die the just for
the unjust in order to bring them to God. That's the whole
teaching of Scripture. Paul, speaking of the believer,
said, for this corruptible, that's what this is, this body, it's
corruptible. He said it must put on incorruption. And this mortality must put on
immortality. Why must they? Because Christ
died for our sin. It must happen that way. The
unbeliever must die physically because they're dead spiritually,
but the believer must die in order to be raised again and
in corruption. The believer must die as a mortal
so that they in Christ can put on immortality. And that's why
I say that in death our life begins. A life without sin. To never have to deal with sin
again. Oh my, isn't that something to
look forward to? But we don't. We fret and we're
afraid of the unknown is what it is. I wish we could get a hold of
the fact that the best day of a believer's life is their last
day. If we could truly get a hold
of that, I don't think we would cry and make such a fuss over
those that know Christ that depart from us. And I'm telling you,
if you outlive me, don't weep for me when I'm gone, because
my life has just begun. Please don't weep for me. I'll be conformed to His glorious
image. My, my. I'll be unblameable and
unreprovable in His sight. When I see Him, I shall be like
Him. And so will you. So will you. Isn't that what the Scripture
says? Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of His saints. Oh, I'm telling you, when the
believer dies trusting in Christ, it'll be precious to the Lord. In the book of Revelation, John
said, I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write this down. So let me tell you something.
You can write this down, OK? Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord. Write that down. Why? He went on to say that they
may rest from their labors. How did Jacob, how did Israel
deal with death? Well, this is a great lesson
for the believer in this, I believe. And that's what I wanna talk
to you about for just a few minutes longer. Again, in verse 29 here
in Genesis 47, and the time drew nigh that Israel must die. Now, what is the first thing
that Jacob did? He called his son Joseph. Who does Joseph picture? Well,
we've seen that, haven't we? Time and time again. He pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ. He called his son Joseph. That's who we call upon in time
of death. That's what we call upon all
our lives, especially in time of death. Oh, how I pray that
when the time of my death draws near, that God will enable me
to continue to call on Christ. You see, I not only need a Savior
that I can live by, I need a Savior that I can die by. And did you
notice what the first thing that Jacob said was? Look at it. He said, if now I have found
grace in thy sight, all when considering death, the child
of God thinks about grace. You better believe they do. Why? Because they know that they don't
deserve anything from God. They know that they haven't earned
any favor or merit from God. So what are they looking for?
They're looking for grace. I'm looking for grace. Grace
in Christ. Mercy. I don't want what I deserve. I want mercy. They've been made to know that
salvation is according to the mercy and the grace of God. And
you can't talk about grace and not consider Ephesians chapter
2. I won't turn you there. But verse
3 says, among whom we also all had our conversation in times
past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind. And we were by nature the children
of wrath. My, I wish I could forget it. Can't forget it. Then in verse
4, he said, but God. I heard someone say that one
of the best definitions for grace is, but God. Isn't that so true? It's the best definition of grace
I can think of. But God. Oh, I deserve death,
hell, and condemnation, but God, who's rich in mercy. For His
great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together. How are we quickened together
with Christ? Past tense. God has already quickened
us together. By grace are you saved. You're already saved if you trust
in Him. And He hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Past tense. God's already raised us up together. We're already sitting with Christ
in heavenly places. Why? Because I'm one with Him.
I'm brought back to that union with Him. Can't separate us from
the love of God because we're one with Him. In Christ, we've
already been resurrected. We're already sitting with Christ
in heavenly places. And Jacob, for the most part,
and you know this is so, he lived a sad and pathetic life, didn't
he? My, we've seen that so clearly.
But before he was born, now listen to this, before he was born,
before he had done any good or evil that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, God said, Jacob have I loved. Do you know how and why God loved
him? In Christ and his union with him. It's the only way.
It's the only way he can love you. It's the only way he can
love me. in Christ. Couldn't love Jacob or us in
any other way. And did you notice what Jacob
said to Joseph in verse 29? He said, if I have found grace. You see, faith is not presumptuous. Jacob said, if I have found grace. It doesn't just assume, it does
it. But I will tell you this for certain. that Jacob did find
grace with Joseph and in God's sight because God chose him in
Christ before the foundation of the world. And I say it all
the time and I'm telling you it's true. The preaching of election
does not save us. Election is not our hope of redemption. Jesus Christ is. Don't ever forget
that. When we are saved in and by and
through Christ, it's then that we see that God determined to
save us before time ever was. And that's when the doctrine
of election becomes precious to us, because it removes all
doubt about who does the saving. But I'm not looking to election
for my salvation, I'm looking to Christ. And I must seek grace
in Christ now. That's what Jacob said. If now
I have received, grace in thy sight. I must seek grace in Christ
now. I must seek grace in Christ tomorrow. I've got to seek grace in Christ
for the rest of my life, because those that endure to the end
shall be saved. And if I receive it, then I'm
telling you, I was always one of his elect. Jacob is seeking
grace here. He's not presuming that he has
it. He said, if now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray
thee, thy hand under my thigh. Now that was simply a gesture
that was used when swearing an oath or making a promise. You
remember that Abraham did that with Eliezer in Genesis chapter
24, when he sent him to find a bride for Isaac. You remember
that? Jacob said here, deal kindly
with me. Oh, isn't that what the child
of God wants at the time of death? Lord, deal kindly with me. That
word kindly means mercifully. You can look it up in a concordance.
That's exactly what it means. Deal mercifully with me. Lord,
please deal with me in mercy. Deal with me in loving kindness.
David said, have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving
kindness. According unto the multitude
of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Don't remember
my sin against me. I don't want what I deserve.
I'll say it again. I want mercy. I want God to deal
with me in loving kindness. Deal with me kindly. Deal with
me in mercy. That's not all He said. He said,
deal truly with me. You see that? That word truly
means righteously. Deal with me justly. Deal with
me fairly. This is the request of the saved
sinner. Lord, if I found grace in Your
sight, put Your hand under me and lift me up. Put Your hand under me. Deal
kindly with me in your loving kindness. Deal truly with me.
Deal righteously and justly with me. Well, some may say, do you
really want God to deal justly with you? If I'm in Christ, I do. If I'm
in Christ, I do. I want Him to deal justly with
me. Because I'm justified in Him. He, the just one, died for
the unjust that He might bring me to God. Yes, deal justly with
me, because I'm one with Him. Isn't that beautiful? And yet
that's something so hard for us to comprehend. Now listen,
if I am to be saved, If I am to walk into God's throne of
grace, if I am one day to walk into heaven, it'll be because
I personally deserve to be there. And, oh, it don't even sound
right to say that, does it? What do you mean you personally
deserve to be there? How can I personally deserve
to be what I could never personally deserve to be? It goes back to
what we talked about in the very beginning. Our union with Christ. I'm one with Him. And I personally
deserve it. And though that never sound right
to these ears of mine, it is so. It is true. My union with
Christ makes me so. My union with Christ makes me
worthy. Does Christ deserve heaven? You
absolutely better believe He does. Then so do I. Because I'm one with Him. Did
Christ merit eternal life? You better believe He did. Did Christ fulfill the law of
God? You better believe He did. Did Christ satisfy the holy justice
of God? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes to all
those accounts. Then in Christ, so did I. Now
do you believe that? It's the truth. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. And
I remind you that if I'm in Christ, His holiness is mine. His righteousness
is mine. All that is His is mine. His justification is mine. It's
personally mine. Personally mine. Look at the
last part of verse 29. Jacob said, bury me not, I pray
thee in Egypt. Verse 30, but I will lie with
my fathers and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in
their burying place. Now I'm telling you, that is
much more than just a request to be buried in the old family
cemetery. I remember my grandmother and
grandfather on my mom's side six or seven cemetery lots. Well,
they had seven or eight kids, so I don't, and there was always,
I remember growing up, there was always a question about which
one of the kids were gonna be buried in the old cemetery lot.
I said married. Which of the kids would be buried
in the old family cemetery lot? That's not Jacob's concern here,
no. What Jacob is saying here is
this. He says, I want to lie where
my fathers lie. I want to have the faith of God's
elect. I want to die having a good report. I want to die the death of the
righteous. Bury me not in Egypt. Don't let
me be identified with this world. In verse 30, Jacob said, thou
shalt carry me out of Egypt. Did you know that word carry
here is the same Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for
forgive? Same exact word. In Genesis chapter 50, after
Jacob had died, Joseph's brothers, you remember we've talked about
this, they feared that Joseph would turn against them after
Jacob was gone. They feared that Joseph would
hate them and turn against them. And they sent a messenger to
Joseph saying, thy father did command before he died saying,
so shall you say unto Joseph, forgive I pray thee now the trespass
of thy brethren and their sin. And that word forgive is the
same Hebrew word used here for carry. It means to lift. It means to cast. You see, friends,
God's forgiveness carries off our sins. God's forgiveness lifts
our sins off us. God's forgiveness casts our sins
from us. What Jacob is saying here is,
I need to be carried into the land of my Father. I need to
be forgiven. I need to be carried and forgiven
by Christ every step of the way. Why is God's forgiveness so important? It's because against Him and
Him only we've sinned and done this evil in His sight. All our
sin is against Him. Even if I sin against you, ultimately
it's against God. I need to be carried and kept
by the power of God. I need to be carried by Christ
into judgment. I need to be carried by Christ
from this life into the next. I need to be carried all the
way. And we sing that old hymn, All the Way My Savior Leads Me.
We ought to be singing, All the Way My Savior Carries Me. He
doesn't just lead me, He carries me every step of the way. All the Way My Savior Forgives
Me. It's all the way my Savior keeps
me. I've said it time and time again.
It's a great mercy to be saved by God's grace in Christ. But
it's also a great mercy to be kept by the power of God in Christ. Don't ever take that for granted,
because I've got to endure to the end. And if I'm going to
endure to the end to be saved, then He's going to have to keep
me. Or it will never happen. Lord, will you forgive me? Will
you carry me? Will you keep me by your power,
your mercy, and your grace in Christ? And he says, yes I will,
because you're one with him. Did you see what Joseph said
to Jacob at the end of verse 30? And he, Joseph, said, I will
do as thou hast said. He said, I'll do it. Do you remember
what our Lord promised his disciples? He said, whatsoever you shall
ask in my name, that will I do. That the father may be glorified
in the son. If you shall ask anything in
my name, I will do it. The Lord promises to grant our
request that that should be enough, shouldn't it? It should be. But sadly, it's not. It never
will be with us. Our faith is so weak. We're so
full of unbelief. And again, we see ourselves in
Jacob. Look at verse 31. And Jacob said,
swear unto me. He'd already said, I'll do it.
And he said, really? You promise? You swear? Pinky swear? How often we have to be reassured
of what Christ has already assured us. Hmm? It's true, isn't it? And Joseph, swear unto Him. You know, Joseph was the greatest
man in the land of Egypt, in the world at that day. Well,
you say, well, next to Pharaoh. No. No, Pharaoh wouldn't have
been where he was without Joseph. Joseph was the greatest man in
the world at that day. And Joseph could swear by no
greater than himself. He said, I'll do it. And then
he swore that he would. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
six and I'll close. I want you to see this. Hebrews chapter six. I'll give
you a second to get there. I want you to see it in your
Bible. I'd like to show people that
sometimes people say things like that. Well, that doesn't say
that in my Bible. Well, yes it does. Yes it does. Hebrews chapter 6, look at verse
13. You got it? For when God made promise to
Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself. saying, surely blessing I will
bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so after he
had patiently endured, he obtained the promise for men barely swear
by the greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end
of all strike. wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability or the unchangeableness
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, God swear that it
be so, that by two immutable things which is in which it was
impossible for God to lie. We might have a strong consolation. Now look at this, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Now in the
Old Testament, let me just comment on that briefly. In the Old Testament,
when a man had inadvertently or accidentally, if there is
such a word, murdered someone, he was given a city of refuge
to escape to. And he was given that city to
escape from the Avenger of Blood, which was someone in the person's
family that he had killed that desired to give him an eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Now, I mention that because I
want to ask you this. Do you think that that man who
fled to the city of refuge, do you think he just walked slowly
on the way to that city of refuge? You think he just skipped along
haphazardly? No, sir, he fled. I looked that
word fled up in the dictionary. You know what it means? It means
to make a mad dash. It means a quick exit. It means to skedittle, skedaddle. I hadn't heard that word for
a while. It means to scram, to peel out. Larry, did you used
to peel out when you had a hot rod? I bet you did, didn't you?
That's what it meant, peel out. Let it rip. Isn't that what verse
18 says? We have fled for refuge. We've skedaddled for refuge. We've peeled out to get there.
To lay hold of the hope set before us. Verse 19, which hope we have
as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which entereth
into that within the veil. Now I was thinking about what
an anchor is. If you're on a boat in the sea
in time of a storm, an anchor that you can see is not an anchor
that's going to do you much good. But if it's out of sight, if
it's grabbed hold of that which keeps you secure, Man, that's
profitable, isn't it? That's an anchor for your soul.
Christ is the anchor of the soul. Sure, steadfast, certain. And he says, I'll do it. I'll
do it. I swear that I will. Look at
verse 20. Our forerunner is for us entered,
even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Oh friends, He has with His own blood ripped into the veil that
separated us from God that we might come boldly into His presence. And I'm telling you that's the
gospel if I ever heard it. And I believe that's the gospel
according to Genesis chapter 47.