Exodus 1. I hope that the Lord will bless
this. I really do. If the Lord doesn't send His
Spirit, these are just words, aren't they? Precious words. But He has to reveal them to
us. Let's read our text. It's the first six verses. Exodus
1. Now these are the names of the
children of Israel which came into Egypt. Every man in his
household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher,
and all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy
souls. For Joseph was in Egypt already,
and Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation."
I will start by giving you the title of this, so that you'll
understand the theme. It's words to walk by. Words to walk by. The children of Israel walked into Egypt. And verse 1 says, these are the
names of the children of Israel. which came into Egypt. Every
man in his household came with Jacob. These are the children
of the man Jacob. Jacob's actual children. And
Jacob represents all of us born into this world. We're sinners. We're tricksters. We're supplanters. We're liars. We're cheaters. We're Jacob. But Jacob also represents some
of us whom God chose to call out and break. God broke Jacob. And He made him acknowledge,
what is your name? He said, I'm Jacob. The Lord has made some of us
acknowledge who we are. I'm Jacob. And God who is rich in mercy
says to these elect who He chose to do this for, your name is
not Jacob anymore. It's not Jacob anymore. I've
made you to be a prince with God. That's what the name Israel
means. And then the Lord calls there
to be a famine in the land. A separation from bread. The
bread of life. And that's what happened in the
garden. Man became separated from the bread of life. Separated
from God. And God sent Jacob and his children
out into the cruel world, Egypt. They walked into Egypt, they
walked throughout their time in Egypt, and then they walked
out of Egypt. But the Lord in His mercy gave
them for their journey words to walk by." He's given the same words to
us. We have here no continuing city. No continuing city. We're pilgrims and we're sojourners
in this earth. That's what we are. So what I
want us to do is look at the names of the children that God
gave to Jacob for his journey. And hopefully we'll find some
comfort for our journey, this journey we have. Verse 1 says,
These are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt
Every man in his household came with Jacob. Verse 2, the first
name is Reuben. The first word to walk by is
Reuben. And if the Lord will let us enter
into this, it's a wonderful thing. I pray the Lord will let us enter
into this. Reuben. His name means, see a son. S-O-N. His name means, to see. It means, see ye. It means, behold. It means, look. It means, look
up. Look up. David said, I will lift
up mine eyes unto the hills. It means, look upon. As you walk this path, this journey, look
up. Look up. I love the song, it
says, O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness
you see? There's light for a look at the
Savior, and life more abundant and is free. Turn your eyes upon
the Lord Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face,
and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim. in the
light of His glory and grace. Brother Donnie has a hard road
in front of him. And Brother Todd is worried for
the road in front of him. Men, look up. Look up. The next name God gave to Jacob
in verse 2 is Simeon. And Simeon's name means hearing. It means to hear. It means to
cause to hear. It means to make to hear. A true sinner will say, I'm Jacob. I'm Jacob. I'm a sinner. I'm
dead in my trespasses and sins. I'm a dead man. I can't look
up. I can't hear. The Savior says,
that's right, you can't. But I can. And I will. I've opened your ears. We just
sang that song. Open my ears. Lord, open my ears
and let me hear gladly the warm truth. I've allowed you the honor
of hearing my voice. Keep walking. Keep walking. You've heard my voice. He said
in Deuteronomy 32, Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak. And hear, O earth, the words
of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the
rain. My speech shall distill as the
dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as showers upon
the grass. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear." Let him hear. Our Lord said, "'Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall
live.'" Live. Jacob, hear and live. As you walk, look up and listen to my voice. Isn't
that wonderful? I think that's wonderful. The
next name in our text in verse 2 is Levi. And his name means,
Union. Union. It means joined. It means attached. It means to
twine together like a wreath. To unite. To cleave. To abide with. Jacob, yea, though
you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fear not. I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God and I will still
give thee aid. Keep walking. Just keep walking. Those are words to walk by. The next name in our text is
Judah. And his name means praise. Praise. When Leah, Jacob's wife, had
Judah, she said, now will I praise the Lord. Jacob, sinner, as you
walk, praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord in all things,
in everything. Praise ye the Lord. Give thanks
for He's good, for His mercy endures forever. Praise ye the
Lord. The name Judah means celebrate. Celebrate who He is. In all His glory. It means revere
or worship who He is. It means confess who He is. As you walk, confess who He is. Give thanks for who He is. Turn
with me to Philippians 2. Philippians chapter 2. This is what a sinner that has
been made a prince with God will confess. Philippians 2 verse 5 says, Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being
in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God the Father." Confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God the Father. Lord of lords, King of
kings. Words to walk by. Look up. Hear my voice. I'm with you. Confess who He is. We're back
in our text. Exodus 1. The next name is Issachar. Verse 3 is Issachar. And His
name means, He will bring a reward. He will bring a reward. A true
sinner says, I am nothing. I have nothing. I can do nothing. But He will bring a reward. He has promised in His Word,
He will bring a reward. What's the reward for? Our good
works? Nope. I don't have any. I have no good works. There's
none good, no not one. Ephesians 1 says, we have obtained
an inheritance. being predestinated according
to the purpose of Him who worketh. All things after the counsel
of His own will." I can't earn this reward. It's a gift. The reward belongs to Him. He
earned it. But He said He's going to give
it to all whom He's chosen to call Israel. That's called sovereign
grace. Sovereign grace is a gift. It's
a gift. What is the reward? What is the
inheritance? Lamentations 3 says, the Lord
is my portion. We get Him. Keep walking. You're going to get Him. If we have Him, we have all things. That's something to walk for,
isn't it? That'll put a little pep in your
step. I'm going to get Him. The next name God has given all
who travel this pilgrimage, every person that sees this world as
being nothing but temporary. It's just temporary. All who
truly are looking for a city that has foundations, all who long for comfort and
safety and rest, our Lord has given us this name, Zebulun. You're pretty familiar with that
name, aren't you? Zebulun. It means habitation. What it means is, you have a
home. We're pilgrims and we're sojourners. We're wanderers. And this earth
is temporary. Nothing here will last. But you
have a home. If you've been called to be Israel, If you see Jesus Christ as your
destination city, if He is my goal, if Christ is your foundation,
if Christ is your comfort, if Christ is your safety, and Christ
is your rest. That article in the Bulletin
this morning called Rest. That was a great article, wasn't
it? Rest, just rest. If Christ is your rest, then
keep walking. You're walking home. He said, I'm going to prepare
a place for you. If that was not so, I would have
told you. The Lord says, Jacob, if I've
chosen you, And if I've redeemed you by My blood and made you
to be a prince with God, then while you walk along your journey,
I want you to remember this name, Benjamin. Benjamin. It means son of the
right hand. Remember that. You're a son of the right hand.
If I chose you, and if I redeemed you, when you call, I'll hear
you. I'll hear you, because you're
a son of the right hand. You may approach the throne of
grace, And you may enter my presence
with boldness, because you're my son. You're my son. That boy's welcome to come to
you for anything, isn't he? You know, when I study, I want to be alone. I have earplugs
that stick in my ears. But if one of my little girls
comes barging in, I have to put my stuff down. and pick them
up, sit them on my lap and ask them what they want. I can't
help that. They can enter with boldness. You're mine. You're my son. You're a son of
the right hand. The Father addresses His people
as my little children. And He said in Matthew 18, Whoso
shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it
were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
that he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Because if he believes
in Me, and if he believes on Me, I have made him a son of
the right hand. The difference between the Egyptians
and Israel. And I'm not even going to allow
a dog to move his tongue against him. Don't touch him. He's my son. Keep walking. The next name in our text is
Dan. Dan means to judge. To rule. It means to execute
or minister judgment. And it also means to plead the
cause. The word I want us to take from
that is rest. Just rest. Our Lord is saying, I am in control. I'm in control. As you walk this
path, you remember I rule. I'm in control. I reign. I judge and the judge of the
earth shall do right. Rest. Just rest. I'm anxious like everybody else
about this election that's coming up on Tuesday. I need to rest. That's what I need to do. Rest. I need to go vote. The lot is
cast in the lap, but I need to rest. The whole disposing thereof
is of the Lord. Totally of the Lord. Now there's
another kind of election. Our Lord said, I will only have
mercy on and save mine elect. Israel, if this brings you great
fear and trouble of the fact that some are not
mine elect, If that brings you great fear and trouble, what
if I'm not one of His elect? What if I'm not? What if I'm
not? Israel, if this brings you great
fear and trouble, rest. I plead your cause. I plead your
cause. I daily make intercession for
you if you fear. If you don't fear, you know,
religion's not too worried about it, really. They're not worried
about their standing before God. They're not worried about whether
or not they're one of the... They know they're one of the elect. That's
trouble. But if you fear this holy God,
then rest. Now, this next one is very important. We need to be reminded of this
all the time. The name Naphtali means my wrestling. It means my struggle to show
myself unsavory. That's what it means. What it
means is humble yourself. Humble yourself. I need to humble
myself. Israel, as you walk, remember
to humble yourself. Now, for the sake of time, I'm
just going to read you a few Scriptures here. The first one
is Psalm 69. Verse 29 says, I am poor and
sorrowful. Let Thy salvation, O God, set
me up on high. I will praise the name of God
with a song and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also
shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath
horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this and
be glad, and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord
heareth the poor, and he despiseth not his prisoners." He hears
the poor. Listen to Isaiah 57. Verse 15
says, Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and lofty place with
Him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. That's who
I dwell with. To revive the spirit of the humble
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Revive them. Matthew 5. Says, verse 2, He opened His
mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Religion is proud. They're proud
of everything. They're proud of those buildings.
I mean, you know, I would be too if I had a building like
that. They're proud of it. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn,
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, they shall
inherit the earth. Listen to Matthew 18. It says, Jesus called a little child
unto Him. and said him in the midst of
them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except you be converted
and become as little children, you shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven." Religion does not want to become a little
child. They want to mail off and get
their doctorate. except you be converted and become
as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Who
humbled himself more than any man? The high King of heaven humbled himself to the lowest
part of the earth. He's the greatest. He's the greatest. He said, Whosoever shall receive
one such little child in My name receives Me. Listen to one more,
Matthew 23. It says, Whosoever shall exalt
himself shall be abased. And he that shall humble himself
is going to be exalted. Lord, remind me to humble myself. I don't want to be humbled by
you. I don't want to be. James said, God resisteth the
proud, but He gives grace to the humble. I love this next one. I love
this. I love this. We can grow weary, can't we? It's 6.45. And I'm weary. We can grow weary in everything.
We preach and preach and preach. Sometimes we need to be reminded
of this right here. I love this. The Lord gave us
in verse 4 the name Gad. And it means to crowd upon. It means to attack. It means
to invade. It means to overcome. And it
means to gash by pressing into. This thing is life and death. This is life and death. The reason I have a heart to
quit my job is because this thing is life and death. This is bigger. This is more important. Hebrews 12 doesn't say, walk
this race. It says, run this race. The Apostle Paul said, brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the high
calling, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. I press toward the mark. I must have it come the end of
my life. It might be tonight. I must have it. I must have Him,
the prize, the pearl of great price. Our Lord said in Matthew
11, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take
it by force. They must have it. Is there anything
more in this life that you must have? The priest told David,
David was hungry and he wanted that showbread in the temple.
And the priest said, you can't have that showbread. And David
said, I must have that showbread. And he went in and he took it.
I've got to have it. There's no option. It's life or death. It's life or death. Press toward the mark. We've been preaching the gospel
a long time. We've been listening to the gospel
a long time. Let's not let our ears grow dull
of hearing. Let's not let these things become
grievous to us. Press toward the mark. Keep going. Keep going. This group has been
together six years. It took six years and so many
wonderful things have happened. But how many times did you think,
maybe we ought to just quit? Press toward the mark. Press
toward the mark. Keep going. You're almost there. You're almost there. We're marching to Zion. Beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're
marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God. Keep going. Press on. We're marching through Emmanuel's
ground. This is Emmanuel's ground. Once
we get there, we'll understand the meaning of this next name,
Asher. His name means happy. Happy. It means to be happy. It means to bless and call blessed. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that is within me. Bless His holy name. He forgave
all my iniquities. He healed all my diseases. I just told you, in my mother's
funeral, Brother Henry told us, he said, she's not sick anymore. She's well. You know, we sit
here with our infirmities and say, well, I'm safe, but I still
have my infirmity. One day you won't. One day you're
going to say, he healed all my diseases. Literally. He redeemed my life from destruction. He crowned me with loving kindness
and tender mercy. Happy is he that hath the God
of Jacob for his help. Happy. Turn with me to 1 Kings. You've got to see this. I absolutely
love this. 1 Kings 10. This is when the queen of Sheba
came to see Solomon. 1 Kings 10 verse 4 says, When the
queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and Solomon represents
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the house that he had built, and
the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and
the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers,
and his assent, by which he went up unto the house of the Lord,
there was no more spirit in her." Can you imagine the marriage
supper of the Lamb? The marriage supper of the Lamb. I guess we'll eat. He told the
disciples, I won't drink this wine again until I drink it new
with you in the kingdom. I'm sure it will be served wine.
His wine. Can you imagine what that's going
to look like? Can you imagine getting there
and seeing His tables? and His servants, and His cupbearers, and His ascent by which He enters
His throne. There was no more spirit in her.
Verse 6, she said to the king, it was a true report that I heard
in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit, I
believed not the words until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not
told to me. Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth
the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men! Happy are
these Thy servants, which stand continually before Thee, and
hear Thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord Thy God,
which delighted in Thee, to set Thee on the throne of Israel.
Because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made He Thee
King." To do judgment and justice. Because God loved us, He made
you king. And I'm just happy. We're going
to be happy. Happy. Our text, Exodus 1 verse
5 says, And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob
were seventy souls, for Joseph was in Egypt already. When you
turn back into Genesis and you see the names of each of these
souls, it keeps saying, It says 70 right there. It keeps saying
in Genesis, three score and ten. Three score and ten. That's how long our journey is.
We walk for three score and ten. Joseph, it says, Joseph was in
Egypt already. His name means, Let him add. Let him add. He will do it. He will do it. He will continue. How are we
going to... I can't walk. I'm a dead man.
How am I going to walk? He will do it. He'll keep you. He'll preserve
you. He'll cause you to persevere.
He'll press you toward the mark. He'll do it. Joseph and his story
is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is our foundation? What is our hope for all these
words of promise? Verse 6 says, Joseph died. Joseph died. Joseph died. That's our hope. That's our confidence for everything
we just saw. Joseph died. It says, and all
his brethren. And all that generation. All through the Old Testament,
it lists generations upon generations upon generations, and Matthew
1 says this is the book of the generation. His generation. Joseph died, and all his brethren,
and all that generation, they died too. They died in Him. When He died, they died. That's
my hope. I don't have to die. I died in
Him. The Apostle Paul said, I'm crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. What will give us a little strength
to keep walking? Hopefully, we're about to just
start our journey I hope we have a lot of walking together. You
know what I mean? I hope the Lord, if the Lord
comes, come Lord, quickly. But if He tarries, I hope He
reveals Himself to somebody else in this town. And I hope the
Lord will allow us to walk a long time together. I really do. Will
it give us a little strength to keep walking? hearing these
words, your sins are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven. Keep
walking. Keep walking. Keep going. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Christ died. Keep going. We're almost there. Almost there. Well, I hope the Lord will bless
These words, Exodus 1, stand together with me. Let's have
a word of prayer.