Promises Fulfilled

Of Genesis. The book of Genesis. We're continuing our series through the book of Genesis. If you don't have a Bible, you can use the Pew Bible.

It's just in front of you. Genesis is the first book in the Bible, so you should be able to find it pretty easily. We're looking at about two and a half chapters this morning. So last week I talked about how the book of Genesis kind of picks up its pace as you get towards the end of the book.

And so what we're doing is not trying to sprint through the book, but we're trying to power walk. So we'll be kind of going at a very steady pace as we wrap up this book. Last week we saw how Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, how Judah pleads and actually repents, and how they ultimately bring redemption and live the climax of kind of this Joseph narrative. And afterwards we see the results of this kind of climactic moment in the following passage.

We won't be reading all two and a half chapters in the very beginning of the sermon; I just want to read you chapter 46, verses 1 to 4. So again, big numbers are chapter numbers; we'll be looking at 46, verses 1 to 4. It says this: It says this.

Reading Genesis 46:1-4

Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” he said. And Jacob replied, “Here I am.” God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”

— Genesis 46:1-4 (CSB)

Let's pray. We do pray, Lord, that as we look at this amazing story of the fulfillment of your promises, you would help us to anticipate your ultimate coming when Jesus comes back again. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Climax and Resolution of God's Promise

Every single story has a climax and then it slides after the climactic moment down towards its resolution. Loose ends are tied up. The ring of power is cast into Mordor. And then afterwards Samwise Gamgee finds a wife. George Bailey begs to be able to live again. And then the whole community comes together to pay off his debts and to save him from arrest. And last week we saw the climax of the collision between Judah's repentance and Joseph's declaration, and promises that God made to Joseph and Jacob and Abraham all begin to unfold, begin to unfurl.

And this week, as we come down from this climactic moment of redemption, we see God tie up loose ends in his story. And the loose ends that He's tying up in the life of Joseph, and by extension, the way that God will tie up all of the loose ends that He's made in our lives. Here's a main idea for us this morning, to trust in the God who fulfills his promises.

To trust in the God who fulfills his promises. What did he promise to these people? He promised them, number one, a place. Or a people, sorry.

Number two, a place. And number three, power. A people, a place and power. If you've been sitting through our series in Genesis you may find all three of those words remarkably familiar. And here we see Genesis follow those exact same ripples. Let's start with point number one, people.

Jacob's Hope Revived

Read with me from chapter 45, verses 16 to 24. It says,

When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.’ You are also commanded to tell them, ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your dependents and your wives and bring your father here. Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’” The sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave each of the brothers changes of clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. He sent his father the following: ten donkeys carrying the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys carrying grain, food, and provisions for his father on the journey. So Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t argue on the way.”

— Genesis 45:16-24 (CSB)

You know that brother's bigger. It's also an extension of the grace that they've received, that in contrast to the fighting that they have with each other, they would actually live in peace. Anyway, that's not in my notes. Pharaoh hears about the reunion of Joseph and his brothers, and he's pleased, and out of his delight he encourages Joseph to send his brothers back to go get his father and bring the whole family back to Egypt.

And do you notice what Pharaoh is offering Joseph's family here? He tells them to bring their family, to give them the best of the land, and to not worry about anything—a people, a place, and blessing. Pharaoh's promises that he's giving here in chapter 45 sound remarkably familiar and similar to the promises that God himself gives to Abraham in chapter 12: the promise of a people, place, and power. Now ripple out from this pagan king, from Pharaoh telling Joseph that he will also be able to give all of these things to him.

Now, Pharaoh's promises are not given in contrast to God's promises. This isn't like Satan tempting Joseph in the wilderness to pledge allegiance to a different king, but rather, Pharaoh's blessings to Joseph here are an extension of all the things that God had promised him. Now, following the Lord is no guarantee of positive outcomes. You can obey Jesus with all your life, and the primary note in your life can be suffering.

Earlier we saw that Joseph chose to follow Jesus, or follow God, and at every step along the way, rather than receiving blessing, he received more and more suffering. He goes from slavery to ending up in prison. And so you and I should also not be surprised when we obey Jesus and things don't work out. At the same time, we also shouldn't be surprised when following the Lord does lead to positive outcomes.

That obeying Jesus, seeking to be faithful to Him, practicing the goodness that Jesus put into our hearts with the law of Christ, as we obey Him we shouldn't be surprised when life then responds by giving blessings back to us. And those blessings often reflect the Lord's blessings and kindness in our life. That God can move even the heart of Pharaoh to delight in God's people and pour out blessings as an extension of His grace. The sons are sent to give this good news to Jacob, to let their dad know that he can come and reunite with his son. But Jacob's response isn't joy; it's shock.

You can see that in verse 25.

So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They said, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them.

— Genesis 45:25-26 (CSB)

Jacob sees the brothers. You can imagine how excited the brothers would be in blurting out all this amazing news about the things that occurred in the last several weeks. And Jacob hears everything that happens, and he literally cannot believe it. I mean, I don't think any of us would believe it either. If you experience decades of grief and suffering, this downward spiral as you see your family declining and starving to death after so much tragedy, seeing your favorite son die, having to give up your second favorite son in fear of losing him, would you expect anything good to happen in your life?

sometimes when we experience that much tragedy we end up lowering our expectations just so that we don't get hurt again so you can't be disappointed anymore the thought of someone dying and then coming back to life is utterly unthinkable and life is full of disappointments if our expectations for the future are purely based on past experience, the pattern that we observe in your life. Get ready to experience a lot and expect a lot of suffering and sadness. You might even find the gospel message to be unbelievable just because you can't fathom the thought of Anything good possibly happening in your life. If that's you, I totally get it.

The Bible is full of stories of people exactly like that—broken, weary, sinful. It doesn't hesitate to talk about the ugliness of sin, the tragedy of death, the pain of betrayal. It doesn't try to cover up those brutal realities that happen in life.

In fact, the Bible doesn't just observe the realities of living in this broken world; it also explains the source. It helps us understand why these things keep happening. It happens because of sin. All throughout the book of Genesis it shows the pattern of life, sin, and redemption, and sin inevitably leads to death. Our sin has left us stranded outside of paradise and destined to die.

Jacob was so saddened by the loss of his son Joseph, so saddened by the potential loss of his other son Benjamin, that he said over and over that he would be brought down to the realm of the dead. But everything changes when he hears the good news, and when Joseph hears the whole story, when he sees the proof of this good news made tangible with this rich carriage that Joseph had sent, Jacob begins to believe again. You can see that in verse 27.

But when they told Jacob all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go to see him before I die.”

— Genesis 45:27-28 (CSB)

Not only does Jacob believe them, it says that the spirit of this father, of Jacob, revived. It came back to life. This is life‑altering news. This news is life‑giving news.

That the hope of his son being alive is enough for his own spirit to feel reawakened. This is staggering, life‑giving hope. Because what was once unthinkable is now absolutely true. Jacob's entire life changes because of the news that he received. It's not just that he received words, but that the words pointed to the hope of a reality beyond anything that he could possibly imagine—that his son is still alive.

If you're here and you're desperate for some hope this morning, I have good news for you that Jesus Christ is alive and he came to die for sinners to pay the penalty for sin that you and I deserve on this cross on the cross for the last several weeks we've seen this slow spiral down as a result of sin and everything changes not because of what you can do not because of some kind of redemption plan that you yourself fulfill but because of what someone else has done for you. Jacob was not able to do anything in his own power. He wasn't able to plot anything out of his own will. Everything that he did for the last 12 chapters was done out of desperation.

And yet, he receives amazing grace.

Not because of anything he did, but because of what was provided for him. And the same is true for you: Jesus comes and does something that you could never do, something that you could never even dare to hope for—that he would live the perfect life that you and I could never live, that he would die on a cross bearing the penalty for sin that you and I deserve, and that he would do the thing no one else could possibly fathom, which is emerging victorious from the dead, paying the penalty for sin in full, and rising in resurrection life. Jesus is alive; he does what no one else can do. If you hear that good news and you turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, then you can have real hope that the inevitability of death in this life won't be just a certainty for you, but that the resurrection will follow.

That you can have hope pumping back into your heart. I want to encourage you to do what Jacob did. If you hear that good news, if that makes you feel like you want to be alive again, you can get up and go to him. You can trust in Jesus today.

You can go to him in faith and trust in Christ for salvation. You can feel your spirit come back to life again, because with salvation comes resurrection life. Jacob experienced that kind of hope.

And like most new beginnings in Genesis, this new birth comes with another call from the God that he follows. You can see that in chapter 46, verse 1.

Genealogy of Jacob's Family

Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” he said. And Jacob replied, “Here I am.” God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.” Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their dependents and their wives. They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.

— Genesis 46:1-6 (CSB)

Sons and his sons: Jacob's firstborn, Reuben. Reuben's sons, Hanok, Paulu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron. Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons: thirty-three.

— Genesis 46:10-15 (CSB)

1. Gad's sons, Ziphion, Haggai, Shuny, Esben, Eri, Eredi, and Ereli.

Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel. These were the sons of Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—that she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On.

— Genesis 46:17-20 (CSB)

Potipharah, Presaon. Benjamin's sons, Bella, Betcher, Ashbil, Gera, Naaman, Ehai, Rosh, Mupin, Hupin, and Ard.

These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons.

— Genesis 46:22 (CSB)

Dan's son, Husham; Naphtali's sons, Jaziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shilam.

These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore to Jacob: seven persons. The total number of persons belonging to Jacob—his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons—who came to Egypt: sixty-six. And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons. All those of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt: seventy persons.

— Genesis 46:25-27 (CSB)

Just in case you're wondering, I butchered like all of those names. No matter how much you practice the night before, you can't pronounce them right. God words to Jacob feel different than what the Lord has said in other parts of Genesis what happens here is no mistake Isaac is warned in Genesis chapter 26 from going into the land of Egypt so he goes into Gerar and he still falls into sin right after Abraham receives the promises in chapter 12 he goes down to Egypt and then he falls into sin by giving up his wife to Pharaoh but in Genesis 46 God doesn't tell Jacob, don't go down to Egypt like you would expect the way that he told his father and his grandfather.

God's Reassuring Promise to Jacob

Instead, he tells Jacob, "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt." And he reassures Jacob by mirroring another promise in Genesis 28 that he gave Jacob as he left Beersheba to run away from his family and had a vision where God told him,

Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

— Genesis 28:15 (CSB)

If Jacob learned any lessons from his father or his grandfather, he would be terrified at the thought of going down to Egypt. And God reassures him, "If you go there, I will always be with you. Don't be afraid, because I will go down with you and I will bring you back." God's promise is there to hold him, to secure him, to give him the assurance that he needs to be able to go into a foreign land.

See, Jacob's reviving hope also comes with a reassuring promise that God intends to make Jacob into a great nation. He's saying, "I'm not giving up on you. You're not going to be an Egyptian. What's going to happen is I'm still going to fulfill all my promises, even if you leave and go somewhere that you have never been before."

And that's exactly what you see happening. He leaves for Egypt, and you see a list of all his kids—a complete roster of people, 70 persons, all with funky names.

A complete whole number for a Hebrew. Also by the way the same amount of people that you see listed in the table of nations in Genesis chapter 11 Because God is growing Israel and his descendants into a new humanity this complete number a chosen people that God promised to make Abraham a people and his descendants were barely there. He barely had one son in his old age. Isaac alone carried the promise and then he had two sons, one falls away, and only one carried the promise.

But now, what you get to see here in chapter 46 is exponential growth. Jacob has 12 sons, and those 12 sons lead to 70 people. Every single one of these names is listed here.

Not so that I could butcher it on Sunday morning, but so that their hope would be strengthened. that if God is able to go from 1 to 1 to 12 to 70, then God is going to take care of them for the rest of their lives, even if they end up with millions. And with all of these people that God has given to them, these people need a place to live which is the fulfillment of the second promise a place a place Look at verse 28

Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival at Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen, Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive!”

— Genesis 46:28-30 (CSB)

Jacob finally reunites with his son. He hadn't seen his son since he was a teenager, and now his son's in his 40s. Before he was ready to die from grief, now he's ready to die from the satisfaction of life. And with this joyful reunion, the story shifts his focus from Joseph's dad to where his dad will live.

Did you notice what keeps coming up in verses 28 and 29? The place called Goshen. Judah is sent to prepare a place in Goshen. They come to the land of Goshen.

Joseph went up to Goshen. Why does this place keep coming up in this story? Because that's where the Israelites lived. And if you're an Israelite hearing this story from Moses, if you're an Israelite wandering through the wilderness and you heard that location, your ears would perk up. You'd remember the streets of your childhood.

You'd remember the Artesia water tower, the Dollar Tree that burned down. I know that place. Joseph devises a plan to establish a place exactly here for his family. You can see this happen in verse 31.

Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.’ When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our ancestors, have raised livestock from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians.” So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.” He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh asked his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants, both we and our ancestors, are shepherds.” And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to stay in the land for a while because there is no grazing land for your servants’ sheep, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, the land of Egypt is open before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They can live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

— Genesis 46:31-47:6 (CSB)

I don't know what creates this beef between Egyptians and shepherds. It might be that they smell bad or that they're of lower class. In any case, Joseph is using that pre-apprehension that they have in order to front load their more repulsive occupation so that they could occupy land that further away from the center of Egypt But this negative association with shepherds isn just a reason for them to try to sugarcoat or fake what their day job was They not trying to look or present themselves in a way that would make Pharaoh like them more. They're to go forward, look at Pharaoh in the eyes, and tell them exactly what they do for work.

And Pharaoh, in response, gives them the best part of the land. I love this example. It's remarkable how often you and I experience the blessings of God while being ashamed of the parts that make us distinct. You may be tempted to try to hide the parts of us that we know will generally offend or create a negative response to be perceived as detestable.

But that kind of openness also serves as a tool, as a distinguishing tool, that Joseph and his brother's honesty is able to create a clear line, a division between the Egyptians and the Israelites. Because when that line disappeared in the book of Genesis, it never goes well. Lot moves near the land of Sodom. He ends up in the city of Sodom. Judah lives near an Adullamite and he befriends the Adullamite. Whenever God people get in close proximity to promiscuity they find themselves sliding into it. Except now there's a wall, a separation, a clear line of division that Israel won't intermingle into Egypt and get absorbed into their people.

Instead, they will look separate from them in a distinct land, in a separate location. All of that because they were willing to be bold about their differences. The same is true for you and I today. If you try to camouflage into the world, you will look exactly like the world.

Jesus doesn't need pagan clothing. And Jesus himself prays for you and I in John 17 that we would be in the world and not of it. In order to do that, it requires you and I to be clear about the things that make us distinct, to be clear about the things that our nation or society would not immediately understand.

I go to the tables at Long Beach every Thursday to answer questions from different students. I sat down with an agnostic this last Thursday who was asking me about the biblical view of homosexuality. He was asking me, honestly, there are some Christians that are crazy enough that they think that a man and a man can't get married if they love one another. And I looked at this guy in his face, I smiled, and I said, "Yeah, I'm one of them."

and it's amazing how if you have a conversation honestly with that person about what you think how either they could be repulsed but often they're taken aback by someone who's gracious who's willing to give an honest response that this book if it's really been written 2,000 to 4,000 years ago is going to rub every single culture the wrong way and if you try to minimize the stuff that actually offends our culture. Well, maximizing the stuff that appeals to our culture, you will paint a picture of God that does not exist. They will still be worshiping the world rather than the God of the Bible.

And when you carry yourselves with honesty and with Christian love, and you're willing to have that distinct conversation, you will be shocked at how many of them are willing to consider a different perspective. I loved having a conversation with that guy; it went really well. You can do the same thing by carrying ourselves at work by the standard of Christ's love, not just what all your other co‑workers are doing, by choosing to front‑load the parts of the gospel that may come off offensive and not shying away from having that conversation, not feeling like you have to apologize on behalf of the God of the universe for his law that's objectively good, and showing them that Christ's love and Christ's truth are not in contradiction with each other.

One way that we maintain this line of distinction is through church membership: clearly articulating what a Christian believes, with commitments to one another and stating what those commitments are, as well as the faith that we profess. This is part of the reason why we teach about our statement of faith for every single person who chooses to become a member, because we're not like cults like the Church of Scientology where you come in and you learn leadership classes, and next thing you know you're hearing about some God named Zinu and brushing off xenons off of your body. I'm not interested in that.

I want you to know exactly what we think on the front end. We want you to know that Jesus is the only way to God, and any way apart from Him leads to hell. Marking ourselves as distinct from the world aids us in our ability to preach the gospel and love others in the world. The Israelites are able to maintain faithfulness by being distinct from the land.

It's an important lesson for them to learn as they enter into Canaan. They're not supposed to intermingle with the Canaanites that surround them. It's also important for us that we don't intermingle with the world and try to bring the world into our walls and sacrifice our gospel for the sake of trying to love them. The Israelites are given a place.

They're able to live in Goshen. It's a good place. It's the best of the land that they live in, and God's people in their own place are then able to turn around and bless the nations with their power. Point three, power. Look at verse seven in chapter 47.

Israel's Blessing in Egypt

Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My pilgrimage has lasted 130 years. My years have been few and hard, and they have not reached the years of my ancestors during their pilgrimages.” So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from Pharaoh’s presence. Then Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food for their dependents.

— Genesis 47:7-12 (CSB)

Jacob's an old man. He meets with Pharaoh. He blesses him. Two patriarchs of two different, separate peoples.

And Jacob blesses Pharaoh and Israel blesses Egypt. God told Abraham that through him all nations would be blessed. And that's exactly what you see happening here. The patriarchs through the patriarch Jacob blessing Pharaoh It also happened through Joseph dreams and preventing humanity from dying from famine And just as God said that he would bless those who would bless him, after Jacob's blessing to Pharaoh, I think is a direct connection, what you see is that blessing immediately play out in the life of Pharaoh's reign.

Read with me from verse 13.

But there was no food in the entire region, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted by the famine. Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the silver to Pharaoh’s palace. When the silver from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The silver is gone!” But Joseph said, “Give me your livestock. Since the silver is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks of sheep, the herds of cattle, and the donkeys. That year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock. When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the silver is gone and that all our livestock belongs to our lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we die here in front of you—both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.” In this way, Joseph acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field since the famine was so severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph made the people servants from one end of Egypt to the other. The only land he did not acquire belonged to the priests, for they had an allowance from Pharaoh. They ate from their allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. Joseph said to the people, “Understand today that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you. Sow it in the land. At harvest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your households, and your dependents.” “You have saved our lives,” they said. “We have found favor with our lord and will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” So Joseph made it a law, still in effect today in the land of Egypt, that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh. Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous.

— Genesis 47:13-27 (CSB)

first of all this is not communism sam this is not the gathering of resources and redistributing it to whoever has need knows that those people have 80 and they give 20 it's more like paying your taxes these people have no resources they run out of all their stuff and so joseph has stored enough food to feed them all and so the people go to joseph and ask for food in exchange for silver and livestock and then land a comprehensive consolidation of all of the wealth that exists in Egypt. And Joseph obtains all of it. Because silver, livestock, and land are not worth your life. They're not worth it.

So they become servants or slaves who give 20 of what they own And did you notice that in response to giving up 20 of everything that they make in response of giving up their land they thank Joseph Say thank you for making us slaves And the reason is because Joseph saved their lives. They owe them, they owe him their lives. And so it makes sense that they're grateful for this opportunity to be able to survive. And so Joseph's dream here expands.

Not only does his family submit to him, but now the entire land of Egypt submits to his power to the point where they willingly become slaves as a sign of grace, of favor, of unmerited kindness toward them. Jacob's family has 70 people in the place of Goshen, where the entire land of Egypt submits to Joseph's power. That is all three promises that God made to Abraham, fulfilled through the story of Joseph, all within the lifetime of Jacob. They settle on the land in verse 27 and they are fruitful and they multiply. Does that sound like anything? Sounds like Genesis 1. They are doing exactly that: they are a new humanity prospering in a foreign land, in the land of Egypt.

And everyone lived happily ever after, right? So that's not how it ends, because not every movie is like "It's a Wonderful Life". Some stories are more like "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Avengers: Infinity War", where it's held in suspense until the next installment.

Despite all of the good that happened in the last two chapters, all of this explicit detail that would have an Israelite welling up with excitement and encouragement and assurance, it is not the end. The story is not over. They don't just resolve what came before. This story points forward to what needs to happen next.

You can see that in verse 28.

Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, and his life span was 147 years. When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt. When I rest with my ancestors, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph answered, “I will do what you have asked.” And Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed.

— Genesis 47:28-31 (CSB)

Jacob insists, as he's dying in his old age, "Don't bury me in Egypt," because Egypt is not his home. Even though Egypt has been immeasurably good to them, as much good as they have amassed, as much as the people, the place, the power is good for them and encouraging for their soul, it is not their final destination. And Jacob refuses to find true rest until he is in his true home. I wonder how you respond when life is doing pretty good. The last sermons have all been kind of depressing.

It's all about Joseph's suffering for the sake of following Jesus. But what if your life is going well? Are you tempted to go from a tent to buying a home in this world, to fall in love with what is more than what could be?

To resist change because you become infatuated with what currently feels familiar? it's easy to point to all of the good of the past as reasons to resist the future that's exactly what the Israelites struggled with wandering through the wilderness remembering Egypt wishing that they could just go there instead of wandering in circles around a desert before they enter into this promised land maybe you're here this morning and you look at your life and you feel more like Jacob my years have been few and hard I want to encourage you that life can be so much better But maybe you here and you would be tempted by all that Jacob got Maybe you hear of all the blessings of Egypt and you think to yourself that sounds pretty good. I'll take that.

I'll take what I can get and keep what I have. This isn't to diminish the blessings that God can bring now. God can use present blessings to remind us of future promises, and those blessings are legitimate.

You should enjoy them. You should thank God for them. But whenever you receive a tangible example of God's blessing in your life, friend, there is so much more that's in store for you and what's to come. Every single tangible gift that you receive is a mere glimmer of what's to come for you in light of all of God's promises; what you have right now can't possibly compare to all that's offered for you in Christ in heaven.

Seventy people can't compare to millions. Goshen, as good as it is, can't compare to the promised land in Canaan. And second in command of Pharaoh can compare to establishing your own nation in Israel Are you tempted to clutch on to Egypt Because you will do the same thing You will clutch your pearls and you will prevent yourself from remembering all that's been promised to you. Our lives with our families now can't compare to life with the people of God with all eternity in heaven.

Our homes can't compare to the promise of the promised land that's awaiting for us in heaven with our Lord. And our power, or whatever blessings you received in this life, cannot compare to living under the kingship and reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the present, but don't check out of the cosmic, eternal story that God is telling. Let all of these blessings that happen in your life, whether it's the joy of being at this church, whether it's the joy of your own family or friends, whether it's the provision that God has given you, let all of them be tangible reminders of what is to come.

That even for our church right now, I've been so grateful for the last three years of our church's life, all the good that's happened, that we couldn't possibly imagine, that we have been praying for, that we've been yearning for. And friends, all of the good that we've experienced in the last three years is just a foretaste of what's to come—not just a foretaste of what's to come here. This church can die next week.

But a foretaste of what's awaiting us in heaven. Fifty‑seven people can't compare to the multitude around the throne of the Lamb, singing his praises from every tribe and nation. This building can't compare to the new heavens and the new earth. And any influence, power, or blessing that we obtain now can't compare to the joy that awaits us when we're with our blessed rest with Christ forever.

Don't let the story of Joseph just be a reminder of how to sustain yourself through trials. Let Joseph be a reminder for you and I of how to think about all the good that the Lord has given us. Don't just stop with the things that you have; go through them to where you're headed. Be able to say, like Jacob did, "Don't bury me in Egypt." Anchor your hope in what's to come. Tell the world in its face and life all that it has to offer you, that you've had enough, that Jesus is alive, and that more than anything this world possibly has to offer you, you have to go and see the Son. Let's pray.

Let's pray. Lord, we do thank you for the blessings that you have provided in this life. Do pray, Lord, that you would help us to remind one another of the hope that is to come. Help us, God, to be fixed on heaven, on being reunited with you, that you would be our greatest reward.

Pray, Lord, that you would strengthen us by your spirit to be able to follow you. In Jesus' name, amen.