Dreams That Never Die
Living The Dream • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 14 viewsLead Pastor Wes Terry preaches on the death of Jacob and Jospeh out of Genesis 49-50. The sermon is part of the series “living the dream” and was preached on November 24th, 2024.
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
It’s our last week in the book of Genesis and we arrive at last to the final event in the life of our final patriarch: the death of Jacob.
Not only do we see the death of Jacob, we also see the response of Jacob’s sons and Jospeh’s approach to his own date with destiny.
Whether it’s you or somebody you love, death is always disruptive.
None of us can avoid and all of us must reckon with it.
A Christian understanding of death utterly transforms the way we face it.
Its not a enemy but a friend.
Its not the end but a beginning.
Its not a destination but a transition.
It’s not forever. It’s just for now.
For the Christian, “death can kill us but it cannot harm us.” (Justin Martyr to Antonius Pius)
It was this understanding of death that exponentially increased the spread of Christianity around the Roman Empire.
Men like Polycarp, Ignatius and the martyrs of Lyons showed incredible courage in the face of death.
So remarkable was their influence that church historian Tertullian said it was “the blood of the martyrs that became the seed of the Church.”
What enables a Christian to view death through this lens? We find an answer as Genesis comes to an end.
Set The Table
Set The Table
As we end the book of Genesis I’d like to remind us what it is.
Genesis is really a book of origin stories. It shows us the
origin story of God’s creation.
origin story of sin & death.
origin story of God’s plan to fix it and a
a sequence of narratives on how he goes about it.
In each installment, God works through particular people to mediate his redemptive agenda.
He did it with Abel, followed by Seth, followed by Noah and Shem after that.
The most recent example was the life of Abraham and his descendants.
God promised Abraham that he would become and receive a blessing.
He was promised land, a lineage and seed that would one day save the world.
God honored part of that promise through the birth of his son Isaac. From Isaac the promise went to a son named Jacob.
Through Jacob God establishes the 12 tribes of Israel and through one particular son he saves the world from famine.
That son’s name was Jospeh. He went from hated brother to Egyptian slave to innocent prison to the right hand of Pharaoh.
In addition to saving Egypt from the famine he saved his family as well.
In the process, Joseph reconciled with his brothers and was reunited with his father.
17 years later, Jacob’s time had come to an end. His sons surrounded his deathbed cherishing the final moments.
It gave Jacob one more chance to teach a final lesson of faith. A chance we have with our loved ones as well.
FACING DEATH AS A CHRISTIAN
FACING DEATH AS A CHRISTIAN
How we face our death is one of the most important legacies we’ll ever leave behind.
Because of Jesus, we can face death with faith instead of fear.
Today’s passage gives us several ways to do just that.
Really all of Genesis 49 shows Jacob’s preparation to die.
Knowing his health was failing he sent for Jospeh and his two grandsons.
He adopted Ephraim and Manasseh to complete his will and testament.
He assembled everybody together and said some things that needed saying.
He reinforced their identity as the covenant people of God.
Prepare To Help
Prepare To Help
In verses 29-33 he gives specific instructions for what to do when he’s gone.
29 Then he commanded them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite. 30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property. 31 Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there. 32 The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites.”
The first way to face death without fear is to prepare for death before it comes.
#1. Prepare for death to help those you leave.
Jacob’s charges are detailed and complete. He tells them what to do, where to go, who to talk to and and how to verify it.
It’s one of the reasons I believe the book of Genesis is actual history. The minute details don’t bear the marks of myth or legend.
This burial plot was purchased back in Genesis 23.
God promised Abraham that one day he would possess the entire land of Canaan. (Gen 13:14-17)
But every place that Abraham settled he did so as an alien.
Abraham’s wife Sarah died in Kiriath-arba. His family was loved and respect but still had no land.
That’s why Abraham approached the Hethites to purchase a burial plot. (Gen 23:4)
For 400 shekels, he secured a deal with Ephron to purchase a cave with a field in Machpelah. (Gen 23:16-20)
He buried his wife Sarah (127 yrs) in the cave of the field. (Gen 23:19-20)
Isaac buried Abraham (175 yrs) there a few years later (Gen 25:9-10)
Isaac and his wife (Rebecca) are buried there as well. (Gen 35:29; 49:31)
After Jacob had buried mom and dad he buried his first wife there as well (Leah). Genesis 49:31.
Leave a Plan
Leave a Plan
To be buried in this place is Jacob’s way of saying, “I’m not giving up on God’s covenant. So when I die here’s what I want you to do!”
You would serve your family well by coming up with a similar plan.
You prepare for death when you leave behind a plan.
On July 18, 2020 my pastor friend John Powell died at 38 years old. 14 years married to his wife Katherine, they had four beautiful children: Gunner, Bennett, Ada Kate and Reese.
He died trying to save a stranded passenger from a burning vehicle after a wreck. As he pulled her from the flames he was run over by a semi driving down I-40.
There are many things I’ll never forget about my friend John Powell but the one thing that stands out the most was how well he planned for his death. He’s the only 38 year old I’ve ever known to have file on his desktop that said, “In Case I Die.”
In that document he had detailed instructions on funeral arrangements, life insurance policies and things as practical as the login credentials to pay the water bill.
You have no idea the tornado that our loves one enter after we die. The decisions they have to make are endless and many times they barely have the strength to make them.
You could help alleviate that pain when you leave behind a plan.
It’s not a matter of if you die but WHEN. Knowing that it’s coming, you should get your house in order.
Leave in Peace
Leave in Peace
The second thing Jacob does is “leave this world in peace.” Gen 49:33
33 When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
Notice the phrase, “He drew his feet into the bed.” It’s linguistically related to the phrase, “gathered to his people.”
The symbolism is that of composure, dignity and completeness.
It’s body language for, “I’m done what needs to be done and I’m ready to die and move on to what’s next.”
When you prepare for death in the right way you’ll be able to leave this world in peace as you go.
Which is the second thing Jacob does in addition to leaving a plan.
Prepare for death by leaving this world in peace.
It may sound weird but some of my favorite memories have been watching godly men and women die in the Lord.
The look on their faces, the conversations we’ve had and the Spirit of God made manifest for hours at a time. There’s nothing else like it in all of the world.
It’s one of the reasons I know Christianity is true.
It’s not just the peace in the life of the one dying. It’s the surpassing peace of the loved ones who stay behind.
The confidence their loved one demonstrates in death gives them the confidence to trust the Lord with their hurt. It’s a wonderful gift to help the ones you leave behind.
Grieving to Honor
Grieving to Honor
After Jacob breathes his last you see an immediate reaction from Jospeh.
1 Then Joseph, leaning over his father’s face, wept and kissed him. 2 He commanded his servants who were physicians to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. 3 They took forty days to complete this, for embalming takes that long, and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
Not only should Christians prepare for death to help the ones we leave.
#2. We should also grieve death to honor the ones we love.
Death is a violent, unwelcome, intrusion into the way things are meant to be.
Everybody, intuitively knows this, regardless of their religious convictions.
The author of Ecclesiastes says that God has put eternity in the heart of man. (Ecc 3:11)
Whether it’s this world or our experience of living in it, we know deep down there’s gotta be something more.
Blaise Pascal used the term “Deposed Royalty.”
We’re created in the image of God but live in a fallen world.
Daily we experience the echoes of Paradise Lost.
a delicious meal.
personal pleasure.
the beauty and glory of the greatest art.
the Grand Canyon.
a tesla rocket.
the birth of a human child.
Our souls ache for that glory of paradise restored. But it hasn’t yet materialized despite our best efforts.
We spend our whole lives chasing glory, never satisfied with the world as is. And then we die.
Death is a sobering collision with that eternal longing in our heart. It’s the defining casualty of sin in our world.
So we grieve to honor that intuition but we also grieve to honor the ones we love and lost.
I’ve often said the deeper the love the greater the grief. The greater the person the deeper the loss.
Grieving their death is a way of demonstrating to the world just how much they mattered in life.
You can tell Josephs desire to honor his Father because he has him embalmed like other Egyptian nobles.
You also see the reputation Jacob had gained for himself in that the people of Egypt mourned for 70 days. (only two days shy of what Pharaoh received)
Grieving is a way to honor those we love.
The Long Road of Grieving
The Long Road of Grieving
After the embalming process was done Jospeh goes to Pharaoh with a request.
4 When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s household, “If I have found favor with you, please tell Pharaoh that 5 my father made me take an oath, saying, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me there in the tomb that I made for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father. Then I will return.”
6 So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father in keeping with your oath.”
7 Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went with him, 8 along with all Joseph’s family, his brothers, and his father’s family. Only their dependents, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen.
As you can see from this map the journey from the land of Goshen to the burial site for Jacob was a very long distance in desert terrain.
My estimates are somewhere between 250 to 300 miles. At 15 to 20 miles a day that’s a 15-20 day journey depending on conditions.
Depending on the route (way of the sea or Kings Highway) it would’ve covered a variety of different terrain and the fact that they had such a large caravan they would’ve been difficult to hide.
Accept the Process
Accept the Process
Did you notice that phrase “When the days of mourning were over.”
Anybody who has ever mourned the loss of someone they loved will tell you the days of mourning are never really over.
We can see that with Jospeh as the near the burial site for their father.
9 Horses and chariots went up with him; it was a very impressive procession. 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father.
One of the things you should recognize as a Christian is that grieving is a PROCESS.
It’s not something you get to skip or rush or manage as you see fit. It works for different people in different ways.
You can be fine in one moment and a total mess in the next.
That’s why it was so important for Jospeh to has this big entourage. And this entourage surrounds him months after Jacob’s death.
When it comes to death there will be plenty of people who show up in the near time.
People are more deeply needed months and years down the road. Grieving is a process and should not be done in isolation.
Acknowledge the Platform
Acknowledge the Platform
But you don’t just need to accept grieving is a process. We also see something else from Jospeh’s journey.
11 When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place is named Abel-mizraim. It is across the Jordan.
In addition to being a process, grieving is also a platform.
The Bible never says, “don’t grieve.” What a silly notion.
I think some well-meaning Christians get it totally wrong when they say, “we don’t have to mourn because they’re in a better place.”
We can be HAPPY that our loved ones who die in the Lord are in the presence of God in heaven. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t mourn.
The reason our mourning honors those we love is because other people see it and are forced to see why our love was so great.
When I do funerals for people I don’t know personally, the way the family grieves tells me most of what I need to know.
It’s not just the stories they share, it’s how they’re told and the impact that they have.
But our grief doesn’t just platform the honor of those we love.
Our grieving also platforms the hope that’s in our heart!
That’s why the apostle Paul said, “I don’t want you to be uninformed about those who are asleep so that you may not grieve as other people do, who have no hope.” (1 Thess 4: 13)
Paul doesn’t say, “Don’t grieve.” He says, “As you grieve, encourage one another with truth about Jesus. His resurrection and second coming will unleash God’s glory in our life and heal the world.”
Grieving That Heals
Grieving That Heals
With the whole world watching Jacob buries his Father and returns to Egypt surrounded by family and friends.
12 So Jacob’s sons did for him what he had commanded them. 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hethite. 14 After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”
We know from verse 7 that all of Jospeh’s brothers were with him in the funeral procession.
Whether they came to this assumption before or after the funeral is somewhat unclear. The sequencing of a passage isn’t always chronological as we’ve seen several times before.
Whether before or after the fear was well-founded.
They had done horrible things to Jospeh and he had the ability to make their lives miserable.
Whatever the particulars, the response of Jospeh and his brothers gives another example of how Christians face death with faith instead of fear.
#3. We should use death to heal the wounds that linger.
Personal Experience
Personal Experience
I’ve seen it countless times. A funeral service brings together family members who haven’t spoken for years or decades.
Their love for the deceased forces them to tolerate each other for a moment. (Trust me, I’ve been in some VERY awkward situations)
It shouldn’t surprise us that death has this affect.
It can crystalize what matters the most,
minimize what seemed significant,
maximize what was previously neglected and
reveal the things that were previously hidden.
Death gives us a unique window to cooperate with God in making things right.
The Lord is grieved when love gets replaced by enmity. Especially between people who belong to the same family.
Address Sin Proactively
Address Sin Proactively
Motivated by that and their fear of what Jospeh had the power to, his brothers come up with a plan of action.
16 So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17 ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. 18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
A few things stand out about the brothers response.
They sent a message (v 16)
They come and bowed down. (v 18)
Did Jacob really give that command? If so, would he have only given it to the brothers to relay? I doubt it.
That’s what fear causes people to do. We manipulate people and circumstances because we’re uncomfortable with the truth.
That aside, you have to commend these brothers for being proactive!
In sending this message and bowing before Jospeh they took the initiative.
That’s the proper response if you want death to be a healer.
Address the wrong proactively.
Don’t wait for them to come to you. YOU go to them.
That’s what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.
Don’t even wait. Don’t even bring your gift to the altar!
“If you know you brother has a grievance against you first go and be reconciled and then bring your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
Like it or not, your relationship with God is inextricably linked with your relationships to other people.
You can’t control what they do, bad as you may want. You can only control what YOU do. So GO!
Own Up Personally
Own Up Personally
Joseph’s brothers sent a letter followed by a demonstration of humility.
“Please forgive your brother’s transgression and their sin - the suffering they caused you.” (Gen 50:17)
Whether Jacob actually issued the command, implied within their message was an admission of guilt!
Brother to brother that’s about as good as it gets!
Not only do they ask for forgiveness, they appeal to Jospeh’s mercy on behalf of the God of Jacob.
Which is the second thing to do if you want death to be a healer.
Own up to your part personally.
Address it proactively and own up to your part.
The details surrounding another person’s apology is less significant than the sincerity of their hearts. I can handle an incomplete apology if it’s coming from a place of genuine contrition.
The important thing is they personally acknowledged their role in the hurt and didn’t make excuses or justify their actions.
A Sincere Apology?
A Sincere Apology?
The third way death can become a healer is found in Jospeh’s response to their confession.
“Jospeh wept when their message came to him.” (Gen 50:17)
This is not the first time Jospeh’s brothers have made him cry.
As a teenager he cried because of their cruelty. (Gen 37:4)
In prison the cried because of their remorse. (Gen 42:22-24)
He was moved to tears after seeing Benjamin alive. (Gen 43:30)
He broke down again after revealing his identity. (Gen 45:2, 14-15)
Finally he weeps over the death of his father. (Gen 50:1)
If anybody qualifies as a “real man” it’s Jospeh. So the idea that real men don’t cry is a farce.
But WHY did Jospeh weep? Was it the…
memory of past pain?
emotional weight of his dad’s death?
deceptive manipulation in the message?
fact they hadn’t accepted his prior forgiveness?
I don’t think it was any of those things. I think it was Jospeh’s heart being moved by nature of their contrition.
This is the first time Jospeh’s brothers actually apologize to Joseph’s face.
The previous confession Jospeh overheard while they were in prison. They thought Jospeh couldn’t understand him because of the Egyptian language barrier.
Now, not only are they acknowledging the wrongs they committed, they’re appealing to Jospeh’s forgiveness as an act of divine mercy.
They’re not only sorry they did terrible things to Jospeh. They’re grieving the way they sinned against God!
Acknowledge Your Place
Acknowledge Your Place
What Jospeh does next reveals the third way that death can act as a healer.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. 21 Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
For death to be a healer we must address the wrong proactively, own the wrong personally and address the wrong from the proper place.
#3. Address the wrong from the proper place.
“Am I in the place of God?” What an interesting question.
We would look at the question and say, “well no.” But any other Egyptian in that room would’ve said, “well kind of!”
He was the right hand of Pharoah - the one placed in highest authority.
But even though Jospeh knew he had the right for retribution.
Even through he knew he had the resources to achieve it.
He also knew it wasn’t his place to enforce it.
“Vengence is mine. I will repay. Says the LORD of hosts.” (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:17-19)
There are five sermons here I don’t have time to preach!
Tim Keller says that forgiveness flounders because “we exclude our enemy from the community of humans and exclude ourselves from the community of sinners.”
That’s what Jospeh is saying here. I might’ve been wronged but it’s not my place to get vengence because I too am a sinner.
Because vengeance belongs to God and God has been so gracious to me, I choose today to show that same grace to you.
“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good; for the saving of many lives.”
The Gospel in a sentence - the glory of redemption.
God took our sin and gave his one and only son so that whosoever would believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Death and Future Hope
Death and Future Hope
But that’s not the only truth Joseph shows with his life. The closing verses point to an even greater hope.
22 Joseph and his father’s family remained in Egypt. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation; the sons of Manasseh’s son Machir were recognized by Joseph.
24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”
26 Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.
I love that word in verse 25. Jospeh made his brothers take an oath just like his father established an oath with him.
In some ways the oath is similar because it related to the land of promise.
It demonstrates that even though Joseph continued to live in the land of Egypt, like his Father Jacob it never became his home.
He lived in Egypt while always knowing his ultimate home was the land of promise.
That’s how every Christian ought to face their death.
Face death with hope of the coming promised land.
“When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.” (Gen 50:25)
Guess what happened when Moses led God’s people of Egypt? They took the bones of Jospeh and buried them in the promised land. (Exodus 13:19)
Through many dangers, toils and snares the wandered in the wilderness. But eventually they possess the land and buried Jospeh’s bones in Shechem. (Joshua 24:32)
A fulfillment not only of Jospeh’s faith but the faith of his father, Jacob. (Gen 48:21-22)
We don’t have time to unpack them fully but Jospeh illustrates this hope in two separate ways.
The first is in verse 23 with the phrase, “recognized by Jospeh.”
The Hebrew literally reads, “were born on his knees.” It’s an idiom for the idea of formally recognizing someone.
In the case of his great great grandchildren he was formally recognizing their inclusion into the Abrahamic covenant.
He was saying, “you boys may have Egyptian blood, Egyptians names and live in an Egyptian city but you ultimately belong to nation yet to come.
The second indication that Jospeh faced his death with hope I already mentioned in verse 25.
It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” So WHEN God keeps his promise - carry my bones and let me rest in the land of promise.
We know that God’s promise isn’t just for the nation of Israel for a patch of real estate in the Middle East. I don’t deny that’s part of God’s promise and we’re watching history as God continues to keep it.
But the ultimate promised land is fulfilled in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. The New Covenant in Jesus takes all of God’s promises in the other covenants and makes them yes and amen in Jesus.
16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
That city is the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven and swallows up this broken world.
In the words of the beloved disciple, Rev 21:1-5
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
That’s the inheritance that’s waiting for those who die in the Lord. An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading - kept in heaven right now for us. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
We can face death without fear because through the death of Jesus death has been destroyed.
Ultimately, that’s what Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were all looking towards.
The source of their hope points beyond them to Jesus, the ultimate Israel of God.
Jesus alone perfectly displays how to face death with faith instead of fear.
He prepared for his death by explaining it often to his closest disciples.
Not only did he predict his death, multiple times, (Mat 20:18-19) He also explained it’s meaning and significance (Matthew 26:26-30)
On the cross he gave a perfect example of leaving this world in peace. “Father into your hands I commit my Spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
He grieved over death at the funeral of his friend Lazarus. (John 11:35) Not only did it show great love for his friend, it gave Jesus a platform to display the resurrection power of God. (John 11:36-45)
Like Joseph, Jesus used death to heal wounds from the past. Except it wasn’t someone else’s death it was his own life as the atoning sacrifice. (Hebrews 10:10)
He wasn’t just paying for the sins of a few people at that time. He was making atonement for all sin, past present and future! Not only for some but the sins of the world world. (1 John 2:1-2)
Praying for his torturers, He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
“At the right time, while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6)
Today, if we will confess our sins and repent believe on the Lord Jesus we have a heavenly Father who will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
This is how you face death is a Christian. Because of what Jesus has done for us we’ve been invited into a covenant relationship that enables us to do the same.
Jesus has done for us what we could never do. Through repentance and faith we can find enabling grace to go and do the same. Will you receive that grace this morning as we enter into a time of response?
