By Faith Joseph (Hebrews 11:1)

Introduction

We’re going to talk this morning briefly about hopefully briefly. The life of Joseph, which incorporates a good amount of the book of Genesis, roughly a quarter of the material. We are now going to read the entire selection. Why are you laughing? No, I’m not going to do that. Obviously, I’m going to assume you have some familiarity with the story. If not, go home and read it all. so you will get the point of this sermon, then you can listen to it again on our website, maybe by as early as this afternoon. The life of Joseph, what do you think about it? How would you summarize the life of this significant person? The great grandson of Abraham. In the story of the patriarchs. And if you could summarize it in a sentence, what would you say?

By faith, Joseph. I started thinking about the things in Joseph’s life that were pretty extraordinary, good examples for us to follow. He was a young man of an amazing work ethic. He would never have gotten to head over Potiphar’s house unless he was of some industry and diligence in his work. So I thought about that as a positive thing in the character of Joseph, but we more often think about what happens after that in regard to Potiphar’s wife. Here he is isolated from his family, and he could have easily said, no one is watching, but he knew God was watching. How can I commit this wickedness against God? And so we see a young man go isolated from his family and really the religion of his forefathers.

Even his servants, as we saw in Genesis chapter 24 this morning. So we talk about Joseph’s moral integrity probably more than almost anything else. Or how he overcame great adversity. I mean, okay, siblings, my sisters here today, and she was the greatest instigator of problems in our childhood. I mean, she got me in trouble. I’ll never forget the time we both fell off the stairs from the basement as we were going up. You know, when you turn the light out, kids are scared. And so when you turn the light out, it was a rush to see who could get up the stairs first. And of course I was leading. And she pulled me off the stairs. And I got, I got in trouble. We both got in trouble.

But she got me in trouble. And I said, look, it couldn’t have been me who pulled her off the stairs because I landed on top of her. Wasn’t that good. But you know how siblings are. That’s one of the worst things that happened. She did chase me around with an alligator. A rubber alligator. Tormented me, said things, you know, to embarrass me all the time. I’m just recalling all of these things she did to me. But as bad as all of that was, she never sold me into slavery, though she might have wanted to. I mean, Joseph is sold into slavery. And yet he arises to head over Potiphar’s house only to suffer more adversity. Because he did the right thing. Because he displayed moral integrity.

He gets thrown into prison. And then he’s there to tell the dreams of the butler and the baker. Maybe things are going to turn around. And they did eventually, but not until two years have passed. The butler finally jogs his memory. Oh, yeah, there’s this guy in prison who knows something about dreams. Probably should have said something before now. But he overcomes all of this great adversity and will ultimately be second over all Egypt. There doesn’t ever seem to be. And perhaps he did. Perhaps there were moments where he whined about his circumstances. You know, how could this be happening to me? But the scriptures don’t draw any attention to that. It just seems that he had a hopeful outlook. I think he remembered and believed those dreams that he had as a young boy as to how things were going to turn out.

And he trusted in that. And he trusted in the promises that God had made to his great grandfather Abraham. And so it seems that he was a man of hopeful resolve and a positive outlook. And perhaps that could help us as we’re going through trial and difficulty. And then, oh boy, don’t we all love this part of the story? When he could have exacted vengeance. That it would have been rightfully deserved. And how Joseph displayed mercy to his brothers. Even after Jacob dies, and how that, okay, now he’s going to exact his vengeance. And he says, You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God is able to take these negative things that you’ve done in negative circumstances and turn it into something wonderful.

This is the power of our God. And so when we think of the deeds of Joseph, and look at all these qualities by faith, Joseph, surely that’s it, right? His verse in Hebrew. Surely it’s one of these things, right? No. The abbreviated shocking selection of the inspired Hebrew writer has to do with instructions that he gives in the last chapter of Genesis. As his story concludes in the Bible concerning his bones.

Sherry’s always badgering me about what I’m going to preach. She’s nosy. She wants to see things. She’s looking at my computer, the slides I’m constructing. I want to try to keep her in the dark. I said, what good is it if you know everything I’m going to say? Don’t you want the element of supreme? No, she wants to know everything about the lesson before I present it. So I try to keep her as much as possible in the dark, like I do you.

And I have been a little bit distracted, but she gets the quote of the morning. She said, It’s going to be a good sermon. I feel it in my bones. I had to give attention to that. Here’s what I want to draw from this little verse of Hebrews chapter 11. His identity was tied to his hope. That’s right. When Joseph gave instruction concerning his bones, that tells me that his identity, who he was as a person, was not tied to Egypt. And all of its glories and splendor, and all of the things that he had at his disposal being in such a high position in a great nation of the world. His identity was not tied up in Egypt. It was not tied up in being second over all Egypt.

And all that went with that, and all the entourage and all the privilege and everything that went with being second over all Egypt. That’s not who he was. His identity was tied to his home. Now let’s get to the verse and look at it. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 22. This is it. What was Joseph all about? What was his faith all about? When he was dying. He made mention of the Exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones. Of all the things he’s going to tell his family and his descendants, there’s been a promise made to our great grandfather, and that’s going to come true. And when it does, I don’t want you to leave my remains here. As we sometimes say, when somebody leaves their shell, the nut is already gone.

Who Joseph was, has already left his body. However, he was so closely connected to this promise and what it meant for him and his people. He says, I don’t want to be buried here. I want you to take me to the land that has been promised to our descendants. That wasn’t important to him when he said his final words. But here’s something else that intrigues me. Look back a verse to verse 21. Look at the theme here. By faith Jacob, his father, as he was dying. Of all the things mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, in regard to these two great men of the book of Genesis, it’s things that happened as they were dying. By faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

1. Focus on the Conclusion of the Matter

And then let’s go back another verse. Isaac’s mention. And what does it say about Isaac? Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau again at the end of his life, even regarding things to come. Wow. What do all three of them have in common? Point number one. I assure you, these lessons today are scriptural, though there are only two points in each. Point number one this morning. Joseph’s words, Jacob’s words, Isaac’s words, all indicate their focus on the conclusion of the matter.

Emotionally invested, inordinately to the things before.

And they distract us. And they hurt us spiritually. I want to talk to you about your identity. I love when I do this. You may not. I love it. Your identity, not my identity. I mean, I have to look at me, you have to look at you. Everybody, this is all personal this morning. You need to look at you. I want you to think about your identity. What makes you? What are you all about? Hey, not how you assess it. Think about this. How are other people assessing it? What is your identity? You know what people so often do in our time in our culture? We wrap up our identity in the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the houses we have, the neighborhoods we live in, the jobs we have.

That’s who we are. That’s our identity. And perhaps on a higher plane, things like who your friends are. Or the achievements that you make in life. What defines you? Speaking of achievements, I’ve noticed recently that there was a national hot dog eating contest. That fascinates me. Especially the girls that do it, and they don’t weigh 500 pounds. I mean, hot dog eating contest. Well, they’re just stuffing hot dogs right and left. I think after two, I’d be done. And so here they are, they’re stubborn and some of them in there. They have to practice, you know. You don’t just wake up one day and become the hot dog eating champion of the world. Oh, John might be on that. But you’re stuffing in all these hot dogs.

And so, who are you? I am the hot dog eating champion of the world. You know, what kind of an identity is that? Joseph. Second over all Egypt. But he more greatly valued the promise. That was tied to the fortunes of his whole family and the future of all men. Let’s go down some generations, if you’re still in Hebrews chapter 11, to Moses. Same thing. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. What were you all about, Moses? Not all the cream of Egypt that was being poured into his hand. Moses was all about God’s intentions and God’s will.

Considering the reproach of Christ, and we have all fascinated by that statement in verse 26. Considering the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt, he didn’t even know who the Christ was. But he identified himself with God’s plan and God’s purposes. And that’s what you need to be all about. That’s why we commit ourselves to the people of God for worship. That’s why we study our Bibles regularly. That’s why we don’t give up on this despite any and all pain that comes in our way, because this is our identity. This is about the conclusion of the matter. Now, I want you to recall in your mind the entire book of Ecclesiastes. Okay? At least go through it in your mind.

Perhaps some of this will jog your memory. What did Solomon say? In light of the inability of earthly wisdom, earthly pleasures, earthly possessions to satisfy. In light of the undiscriminating challenges of life. Time to be born, time to die, that whole section. In light of the inequities brought to the doorstep of both rich and poor, righteous and unrighteous. In light of the inevitable decline of our physical bodies. Now that’s Ecclesiastes in a nutshell. In light of all of those things that are inescapable, the conclusion of the matter. When all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments. Because this applies to every person. Don’t stray too far and too long from the conclusion of the matter. Joseph’s bones have been around a long time.

2. Choose and Live in View of Hope

Well, it probably all disintegrated now. He’s been gone from this planet for a long time. He was once vibrant as you are. The second observation that I want to make, growing out of this thought about identity and the conclusion of the matter, we need to choose and live in views of hope. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity. What we are as flesh will fail. But the word of the Lord endures forever. Joseph displayed confidence in the great promise and the inspired dreams of his youth. And we too must trust in every assurance that the Word of God provides us. It will turn out, as Paul said, exactly as I have been told. We can have confidence in this message.

And we need to order our lives. The way we think, the words we speak, our behavior in every respect, on the basis of our confidence in these words, and in view of our hope. Teach us, Lord, full obedience, holy reverence, true humility. By faith will walk as you walk with us. How many times have you ever been fortunate enough to receive the upgrade? Where you buy the lesser version of something, there’s something far better. But because of some complication or glitch, you get an upgrade. You get to move up. You’re sitting back in the cabin where the seats are way too small and getting smaller all the time. And there’s been a mix-up, they’ve overbooked the flight. Well, we’re going to have to move you up to first class.

And when that happens to you, it’s never happened to me. When that happens to you say, Yes, sir.

You don’t say, no, I don’t want that. Or perhaps it’s some hotel accommodation. And you get moved up to the first class suite. Has a jacuzzi and everything. Again, that’s never happened to me. But I’m assuming it might have happened to one of you. And well, nobody says, I refuse the upgrade. Upgrades great.

I think it’s because in our circumstances we’ve not experienced things like Joseph did. Or some of the other people that we read about who went through extraordinarily difficult circumstances and lived a lifestyle that was far inferior to our own in terms of prosperity along. That we don’t realize. The incredible and tremendous upgrade. That’s a winningness.

And like Solomon is saying, I did have it about as good as it could be here. Now, if you lived in our generation, it would probably have a turnable charge. But even if that were true, Solomon would say, I’ve had it as good as it can be. And I want to tell you, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth still.

It’s about the conclusion of the matter. And we need to live in view of the ultimate upgrade that’s coming. You will not pine for this and what you left behind. I guarantee you that.

I know we have prosthetics, but it’s not the same. The physical body will never work like it once did. Like it was designed to. Your life is forever going to be that. It’s not going to get any better. It’s not going to fix itself. There are people that experience that. And I believe those people probably have a better grasp of what’s beyond, where everything is perfect and all the limbs are wonderful forever. Whatever the eternal, immortal body is, it will be ideal and perfect. This world is temporary. And all of its pomp and all of its circumstance and all of its fun and all of its distractions that cause people to say, I don’t need God, I don’t need the Bible. You need to look at the conclusion of the battle.

Because it’ll be here before you know it. The conclusion, when all has been heard, and I guarantee you it’s subtle. It’ll go well with those who fear God. And who live according to his purpose.

Not just a little bit better, not just a tiny upgrade, not just a bigger, more plush, comfortable seat. What is awaiting us as God’s people is immensely better. You can’t quantify it. Live for it. Make choices in view of it. And don’t ever surrender. I’m going to conclude this morning in 2 Peter 3. This is Peter’s point as he wraps it all up.

Conclusion

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, all of this terrestrial globe, all of it. What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to His promise, we have a promise, like Abraham did. According to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth. There’s not going to be any evil there. Not going to be any sadness or inequity or injustice. Righteousness dwells there. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless. When only bones remain, where will we be?

May you be found by him in this fashion. This is why I preach. This is why I teach messages like this. What a tragedy. To be so closely identified to the ancient words that bring life and to miss the boat.

We don’t want you to miss the boat.

I want you to be found in Him. You’ll be glad. You were. Is there someone in this audience who needs to start pursuing those things that really matter? That bring us into relationship with a very real and living God who wants to shower you with mercy and salvation and blessings beyond description. Can we assist you as you come to the Lord today? Come while we stand and sing.