1 00:00:00,001 --> 00:00:08,320 This morning's message, Jacob has found greener pastures. You've heard that saying, 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:15,280 right? Grass is always greener on the other side. Well, in this case, in fact, it 3 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:25,260 is. So we're in the 47th chapter of the book of Genesis. We're getting there. My 4 00:00:25,260 --> 00:00:32,340 wife will be relieved. But there's just some good things, a few nuggets we 5 00:00:32,340 --> 00:00:39,120 can glean from this this morning. Because of this severe famine, God brings the 6 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,040 family together and sometimes that's what it takes. You ever, I don't know if 7 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:49,840 you've ever been to a funeral or family gathering sometimes where people 8 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,960 have been at odds with each other and something big enough happens or comes 9 00:00:53,960 --> 00:01:00,920 along where it kind of reconciles whatever has been the schism. And 10 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,800 I think the Lord would just have us humble ourselves and deal with it. 11 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:12,000 But so often we wait. We wait until it's forced or there's no 12 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:17,280 other option. And that's kind of where Israel was and they had no other option 13 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:23,080 other than to go to Egypt. And in doing so, it brought the family together there 14 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,640 in verse 46 where we saw Joseph falling on the neck of his dad whom he hadn't 15 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:37,120 seen who had been in mourning for over 20 years at the loss of this boy. And I 16 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,960 know that just talking to people these last two weeks that have lost children 17 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:48,800 and the weight of that is just, it's overwhelming. I talked to a grandma last 18 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:54,560 night who lost her granddaughter here a while back and she's getting older 19 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,960 and she goes, "It's like I'm almost in a place where I almost can't remember 20 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:05,240 her." And I'm just going, "Wow." She goes, "But I will." I said, "You will. You will. 21 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:10,120 Because the Lord's coming and he's gonna write everything." And so 22 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:17,200 that's just an exciting thing. But to know that God works his plan, 23 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:29,520 right? God has plans, God has places for us and God in him is blessing. And so 24 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,640 we're gonna look at that this morning. Let's pray, shall we? Father, thank you for 25 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:40,800 your word and thank you for our life, Lord, and all the trails we find 26 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:48,320 ourselves on, Lord, whether it's loss or whether it's abundance and joy and all 27 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:54,080 those things. Everything comes at us, Lord. And so we just thank you that you 28 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:59,440 have called us, Lord, and you have us in the palm of your hand, Lord, even 29 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:05,760 through the tough things in life. And yet you have good plan for us, your word 30 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:11,040 tells us, and a blessing and a hope, Lord. And so we do put our hope in you. 31 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,680 And I just pray that you would touch those hearts this morning that might 32 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:20,880 just be struggling, just struggling with hope, struggling with the weight and 33 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,240 the burden of this life, Lord. Would you lift that, Lord, as we come to you 34 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:32,200 and we hear your word, Lord, and we see where you meet your people, Lord, 35 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:37,960 just as you meet these people in this chapter in Genesis, Lord. And so, Lord, 36 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:43,480 we love you. Thank you for having a ready ear for the humble heart to cry out 37 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:48,760 to you and knowing that you'll answer, Lord. So we love you and we pray that you 38 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:56,040 would teach us today in Jesus' name. Amen. So we're gonna start in verse 1 39 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:02,400 of chapter 47. It says, "Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh and said, 'My father and 40 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:07,480 my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess have come from 41 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,320 the land of Canaan, and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.' And he took five 42 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,080 men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh 43 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:22,640 said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your 44 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:28,880 servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.' And they said to Pharaoh, 'We 45 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:34,060 have come to dwell in the land because your servants have no pasture, for their 46 00:04:34,060 --> 00:04:41,360 flocks for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan, in the land of Canaan. Now 47 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:46,920 therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'" And the land of 48 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,480 Goshen, when you look at it on the map, it's this, it's called the Nile Delta, and 49 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:58,680 it's just, it's this verdant, very plush area there in Egypt before the Nile 50 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:03,760 River goes, spills into the Mediterranean. And just, it's really 51 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:11,880 fascinating actually. And it was, it was brutal. It was brutal in Canaan. Years ago 52 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:17,520 I took a ranch job in, in Piscina, California, and I remember pulling in 53 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,180 there, I pulled in there about this time of year, it was about the first or second 54 00:05:21,180 --> 00:05:25,700 week of September, and I noticed all their pastures where they had all their 55 00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:29,720 horses there, there were feeders, you know, where they, you could tell where they 56 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,640 were feeding them hay, and then, you know, we're usually feeding still, they're still 57 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:40,280 on pasture up here in, in Idaho. But all the ground was dirt. It was just dirt. I 58 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:44,520 mean, there was not a blade of grass. And that's what happens in California. I 59 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:50,440 didn't know that. But the cattle and the horses graze everything off to the 60 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:57,220 dirt. There's nothing for them to eat. And, and I was, I was fascinated with it. Well, 61 00:05:57,220 --> 00:06:02,780 fast forward to January, we start getting rain. And all that dirt, you could almost 62 00:06:02,780 --> 00:06:07,680 watch the grass grow. I mean, by, by mid-March the grass was like this tall, 63 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:13,840 where the dirt was. It was fascinating to me. But these guys had had dirt for some 64 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:20,400 time. I'm sure, I'm sure animals were dying as they were on their way to eat 65 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:25,200 in Egypt. But they took their flocks and their herds down there because they 66 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:30,160 didn't have any pasture. And, and obviously time was of the essence for 67 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:38,480 them to get there so they could salvage their, their, their livestock and their, 68 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:44,240 their form of livelihood. And so he says, "My father and my brothers have come to 69 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:50,680 the land." When Joseph speaks these words to Pharaoh, it's, it's, it was according to 70 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:56,000 Joseph's plan. He wanted them, but he had gotten Pharaoh's permit, permission. But 71 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:02,000 they had to come before Pharaoh. They had to, had to come before this leader, the, 72 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:08,280 the, the leader of the land. And it was, them coming was a fulfillment obviously 73 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:14,120 of God's plan, right? He had told Abraham this clear back in chapter 15. He 74 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:19,960 says, "Your descendants," right? Jacob's is his grandson. "Your descendants are 75 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:28,560 gonna be in Egypt for 430 years." And, and, and God told him that. You know, it's 76 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,720 amazing when God says stuff, you can take it to the bank, you know what's gonna 77 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:37,240 happen. What you don't know is the process, right? How is this gonna happen? 78 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:42,840 You know? And, and, and hindsight we're looking back saying, "Oh, a teenager got 79 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:49,280 his, his, his wrists and his ankles all tore up from shackles going to Egypt, and 80 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:56,160 that was God's plan to use this one guy, Joseph, right? And, and God just spilled 81 00:07:56,160 --> 00:08:05,360 all this wisdom on him. But it wasn't easy, right? It was hard. Life is hard. You 82 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:12,720 agree? Life is just hard. It just is. And, and yet God is working and he's, a couple 83 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,200 of guys and we're talking about that we were talking about this as you look back 84 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:21,040 and you see all the little very detailed things that God has done in your life. 85 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,640 And just the little, little diversions he gives you here and, and there. And you're 86 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:35,800 looking back and you're going, "Oh, I see." And, and hopefully we've, we've embraced 87 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:42,000 the idea that no matter what happens, God truly is sovereign. And so this was God's 88 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:50,320 plan, but it was also Joseph's desire to have his family with him. We were talking 89 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:56,720 this, this week, I guess I have an older brother that was older than my brother 90 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:02,160 Randy. And I'd heard little schisms about it as I was growing up, but I didn't 91 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,800 really realize. And, and so my siblings are thinking, "Do we need to find this guy?" I 92 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:13,000 said, "All we have to do is look for a square head." Right? Dad's got a square 93 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:22,200 head. Rick's got a square head. I got a square head. But you know people always, 94 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,160 they want, what do they want? They want their family around them. They, they want 95 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:29,960 their people around them. They, they, there's something powerful about the 96 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:35,520 family, right? It's been said, right, that a family can survive without a nation, 97 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:41,360 but a nation cannot survive without a family. And, and I think that's so true, 98 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:49,600 because the, the family is, is foundational, right? And so the family 99 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:56,520 seems to be under attack right now, right? What is a family? A family is a husband, a 100 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:12,120 man, a wife, a woman, and that man and that woman have babies, right? I was at a, I 101 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,440 was at a rodeo Bible camp, and you can say things like this at a rodeo Bible camp, 102 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:23,120 and I'll share with what I said. And, and I said, "I have never seen a chick come 103 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:38,720 from two roosters." Just saying, right? So Joseph is reunited with his family. It was 104 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:46,100 a hard road to get there, but he reminded his family this was God's plan. This is 105 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:51,520 the fulfillment of my dreams, right? God had given me these dreams of, of the 11 106 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,800 stars and, and the sun and the moon bowing down to him. And in fact, here we 107 00:10:55,800 --> 00:11:03,360 are, right? And so Abraham's prophecy, or the prophecy that was given to Abraham is 108 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:10,500 fact beginning right here as Israel moves to Egypt to greener pastures. So 109 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:14,520 they asked Pharaoh, "Please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." 110 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:22,800 Obviously they knew about how, how fruitful this area was, and because of 111 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:30,640 Joseph's position, obviously, and, and Pharaoh's love for him, he, he, he obliges 112 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:39,160 them. And so he makes a place for him. You know, God has a place for us, and he has a 113 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:46,660 place for all of us in this world. And this, this drought thing that drove them 114 00:11:46,660 --> 00:11:54,760 into Egypt, it's, it's, it's not new. Like Solomon said in, in Ecclesiastes 1.9, he 115 00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:00,680 says, "What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again. 116 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:07,840 There is nothing new under the sun." And it's interesting that, that just this 117 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:17,840 week I, I read an article in East Idaho News about Western Idaho, and the, the 118 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:23,720 title of the article was "Idaho Ranchers Faced with Tough Decisions in the 119 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:30,040 Aftermath of Summer Fires." And, and they are dry on that side of the state. We were 120 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:35,840 there yesterday at Gooding and, and driving, you know, driving out between 121 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,640 Windell and Gooding. It's just like, it's so dry, you just feel like, "Oh my gosh, I 122 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:48,720 hope nobody throws out a cigarette butt." Right? A friend of mine was moving cows 123 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:53,300 north of Gooding, and he said he looked down, and his horse, his foot hit a rock, 124 00:12:53,300 --> 00:12:58,960 and sparks flew off the rock from the shoe, from the metal shoe. And he's going, 125 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:05,600 "Oh man, we better watch out. We're gonna start a fire." And further west, they have 126 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:12,200 had fires, and they interview one rancher. And this rancher said, "You may have to 127 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:16,560 put your cows on trucks and go somewhere where you haven't been before," he said. 128 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:22,160 "You may have to sell some. It's not the first time this has happened. It's just 129 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:27,040 the first time it's happened to me," the man said. "We'll come out the other side. 130 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:33,280 People in agriculture are pretty resilient." Right? And this is, this is, this 131 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:38,280 is Jacob and his family, right? This drought is driving them to a new place. 132 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:42,240 They're doing things they haven't done before. Like he said, this guy said, "We're 133 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:49,400 gonna have to move our cows to places we've never been before." But, but God, 134 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:56,480 right? God's directing all this. God's in control. He's at the helm. We don't have 135 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:05,480 to worry about him. In verse 2, five of his brothers was chosen to, to be, to go 136 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:09,480 before Pharaoh. I wonder who, if they were flipping coins or drawing straws, I 137 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,440 wonder how this all went. Because you gotta wonder who it was, don't you? You 138 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,240 gotta wonder who these five, five guys were. Probably wasn't Reuben because he 139 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:22,520 had psychosis, right? And it probably wasn't Simeon because he was such a jerk. 140 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:29,280 And, you know, out of the others, I don't know. I know Dan and Naphtali were, were 141 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:35,000 probably very instrumental in the whole Joseph debacle. So, may not have been them 142 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:40,520 two. Judah was probably there because he seemed to be the most diplomatic. But, but 143 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:49,320 these five brothers come before Pharaoh. And they asked for pasture. And they got 144 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:54,640 so much more than that, right? Because it goes on and says, "And Pharaoh spoke to 145 00:14:54,640 --> 00:15:02,360 Joseph saying, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you, the land to 146 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:09,520 come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell 147 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:16,020 in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know 148 00:15:16,020 --> 00:15:22,840 any competent man among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.'" So 149 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:27,840 this is kind of like having your cake and getting to eat it too, right? So they get 150 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:33,300 there, they got a place to run their cows, and then they get a job. No doubt. And no 151 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:37,140 doubt Pharaoh will compensate them. And, and it's kind of like when I used to 152 00:15:37,140 --> 00:15:40,800 start colts. I'd start a colt and I'd sell it. And then the guy goes, "Well, he's not 153 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,560 quite as broke as I want him, so I'll hire you for another 90 days to ride him 154 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:48,460 and pay you for it." So I get my check for the colt and get paid too. It's a good 155 00:15:48,460 --> 00:15:54,180 deal. You know, that's just kind of how God works, right? He's just, he's just 156 00:15:54,180 --> 00:15:59,480 ready to pour out blessings on those who would seek him. And where these guys have 157 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:07,380 been reconciled, right? I think the New Testament encourages us, be reconciled to 158 00:16:07,380 --> 00:16:17,740 God. And, and be reconciled to one to another. And, and blessings come, right? 159 00:16:17,740 --> 00:16:24,140 That's what God's saying there in Isaiah when he tells Israel, "Come, let us reason 160 00:16:24,140 --> 00:16:32,360 together," says the Lord, right? If, if you're, if you're willing to do what I, to be 161 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:39,420 reconciled, then you'll eat the good of the land. And that's what God desires to 162 00:16:39,420 --> 00:16:48,900 bless us, right? It's just that we always get in the way. That just frustrates me 163 00:16:48,900 --> 00:17:01,300 so much about myself, right? I just get in the way. When I got saved, I mean, I 164 00:17:01,300 --> 00:17:07,280 was, I was so destitute. I was so, and, and asked, you know, asking God for 165 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:15,060 forgiveness and, and the, the flood of joy and peace just in your heart. That's where 166 00:17:15,060 --> 00:17:21,680 I was blessed. I was blessed in my spirit when, when I humbled myself before the 167 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:29,800 Lord. And he gave me so much more. He gave me true freedom. Don't you just love 168 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:34,160 fellowshipping with Christians and they start telling you their story and the 169 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,420 things that God has delivered them from, right? And I can think of many in this 170 00:17:38,420 --> 00:17:43,360 room even right now, just, just what God's done in your life. And, and, and 171 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:49,080 you've experienced true freedom. The, the world sees the Christian life and just 172 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:55,760 think, "You guys are so stuffy," right? You're so stuffy and you can't, you don't 173 00:17:55,760 --> 00:18:05,280 have the freedom to do anything. What? You have no idea, right? It's the whole fence 174 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:09,560 thing that I, I talk about quite often, right? I've been on both sides of the 175 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:14,000 fence. Those on that side of the fence that's never coming over to this side 176 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:19,040 and tasting and seeing how good Jesus is, right? They have no clue. I know 177 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:22,800 everything that, that has, that greener pasture of, so to speak, over there has 178 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:31,280 to offer. And it, the grass is all alkaloid, right? It's no good. No value 179 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:40,040 whatsoever. And so getting so much more, the Lord begins to bless Israel and, and 180 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:44,520 they get this, this promotion. Warren Wiersbe says, "This was quite a promotion 181 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:49,400 for the eleven sons of Jacob. One day they were ordinary resident aliens and 182 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:54,520 the next day they were Pharaoh's official herdsmen. Joseph had been kind to Pharaoh 183 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:59,160 and now Pharaoh showed kindness to Joseph's family." Right? And that whole 184 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:07,560 principle, it, it, it holds true. What goes around comes around. In verse 7 it says, 185 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:13,240 "Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob 186 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:19,320 blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How old are you?' And Jacob said to 187 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,960 Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty 188 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:29,320 years. Few in evil have been the days of the years of my life and they have not 189 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:34,320 attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their 190 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,760 pilgrimage.' So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh." So here's 191 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:47,640 Jacob, the old cowboy coming before Pharaoh. Because right when we finished 192 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:53,480 up chapter 46 it said that the herdsmen or the shepherds were an 193 00:19:53,480 --> 00:20:00,280 abomination to the Egyptians. They loathed them. You know, they were just hick, 194 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:10,800 calloused hand, dopey cowboys. Right? That's what they were. And, and yet 195 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:16,880 because of Pharaoh's respect for Joseph, right, he has this interaction with 196 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:23,320 Jacob. And first Jacob, it says Jacob blesses him. That's interesting. He comes 197 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:32,120 in and he, he blesses Pharaoh. And actually we're all to be a blessing as 198 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:38,520 God's people. And, and Jacob obviously has, has enough life behind him realizing 199 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:43,920 that, that being, being humble before leaders is probably a good thing. And, and 200 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:48,360 Jacob was a blessing in his life, right? Remember Laban was extremely blessed 201 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:54,320 because of Jacob. Esau was blessed when he met Jacob there coming back from, from 202 00:20:54,320 --> 00:21:00,040 being with Laban. And he gave him all that stuff. And, and then he asked him, 203 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:09,440 "Well, how old are you?" 130 years Jacob is. So, and notice he compares himself to, to 204 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:16,360 his father and his grandfather, which Abraham lived 175 years, Isaac lived 180. 205 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:22,240 Jacob has already been talking about his death. He's thinking, "Man, I'm, I'm gonna 206 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:29,680 get cut short." Right? "I'm gonna die." And he, he noticed what he, he calls his life, 207 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:35,480 he calls his life a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage. Everybody has some metaphor, 208 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,840 right, that they, that they call their life. You know, in America you ask a lot 209 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,960 of people, "Well, how's things going?" "Oh, just living the dream. Just living the 210 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:50,160 dream." Right? Some people call it a battle, a race, "I'm just running the race. It's a 211 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:58,760 trap. It's a puzzle. It's a mystery. It's a fight." His is a pilgrimage. Well, 212 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:03,960 pilgrimage means, the word actually means, to sojourn. Well, what does sojourn mean? 213 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:10,560 Sojourn means to dwell for a time, to dwell or live in a place as a temporary 214 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:18,440 resident or as a stranger. Not considering the place as a permanent 215 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:24,640 habitation. Is that where you're at? Are you on a pilgrimage? Are you sojourning? 216 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:31,120 Right? The old hymn, the old American hymn, right, "This world is not my home. I'm just 217 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:36,160 a passing through. My treasures are stored up somewhere beyond the blue." Right? No, 218 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:44,400 Jacob has come to the realization that this life is temporary. That it, it's 219 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:50,960 gonna be over. Mine might be over sooner than later. And, and we're all in a 220 00:22:50,960 --> 00:23:01,800 sojourn. It's throughout Scripture. We see it. And the believer should have this, 221 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:07,760 this whole sojourn thing figured out. And if you don't, and all you can see is this 222 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:13,880 life, you're probably miserable. Right? You're probably miserable. Depending on 223 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:23,080 the, the tribulation that you've been through in your life. But in Hebrews, it 224 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:31,920 talks about those people of faith. In Hebrews 11 and verses 13, excuse me, 225 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:37,920 chapter 11 verses 13 through 16, it talks about those who had died in faith. That 226 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,740 they truly believed they were, they were looking forward to a homeland. We, we see 227 00:23:42,740 --> 00:23:47,240 Abraham and Sarah, that they, you know, they were looking for a city whose 228 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:52,360 builder and maker was God. They wanted to go to a city that didn't have any 229 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:58,360 problems. Can you find one of those today? 230 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:06,920 Some cities they're eating cats and dogs I hear, just, just saying. 231 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:23,800 That sure got a lot of, lot of coverage, didn't it? Oh Lord, here we are. But it 232 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:29,580 says, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen 233 00:24:29,580 --> 00:24:35,240 them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they 234 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:40,980 were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare 235 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:48,140 plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind that 236 00:24:48,140 --> 00:24:53,020 country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to 237 00:24:53,020 --> 00:24:58,760 return. But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is 238 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:04,740 not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Them 239 00:25:04,740 --> 00:25:11,520 would be you and me. We, we are heading, we are on this pilgrimage, this sojourn 240 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:17,100 towards a city whose builder and maker is God. And they aren't eating animals 241 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:32,700 there. Well, maybe. I don't know. But it would be a porterhouse. We're just 242 00:25:32,700 --> 00:25:38,820 passing through. First Peter 2 11 says, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and 243 00:25:38,820 --> 00:25:49,360 pilgrims, right? Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." And to 244 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:59,000 get where you're going, you got to have somebody directing the ship. And he's, his 245 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:04,520 name is Jesus. And so we are pilgrims. 246 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:10,160 We're, we don't belong in this world. Being in the world and not of the world, 247 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:21,560 we sit, we hear all the time in Christendom, right? And so he realizes 248 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:26,480 that his life seems to be fairly short. He says, "Few are my days." And then he adds 249 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:35,240 something to it. "And evil are my days." Not that this isn't talking of moral 250 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:41,920 wickedness, but it's just talking of the trials and the misery of life. And so 251 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:46,940 obviously the, the mourning process that he went through with Joseph and, and the 252 00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:53,640 struggle, the famines, the, the terrible decisions he made, the decisions of some 253 00:26:53,640 --> 00:27:00,520 of his family members, all, all of what caught, that caused trouble. And so he 254 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:08,160 tells Pharaoh, "Some of my days been evil. This has been a pretty tough life." Praise 255 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:13,160 God, this just isn't it. This isn't the only place God has for us, right? Paul 256 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:17,240 tells us our citizenship is in heaven, right? That's what we're looking forward 257 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:24,080 to. We got something to look forward to. Don't you, aren't you glad? I mean, I have 258 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:29,360 to have something to look forward to. Well, I just got to. I don't, I am just 259 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:36,280 totally unmotivated unless I have something to look forward to. And, you 260 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:42,200 know, like cleaning up around the house and cutting trees and stuff. I have to do 261 00:27:42,200 --> 00:28:00,320 that because I'm looking forward to peace with my wife. It motivates me. And so, so 262 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:07,240 he's honest with, with, with Pharaoh and he shares with him and, and, and tells him 263 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:12,480 that his, his, his dad lived, lived a good long life, his grandpa lived a good long 264 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:19,680 life, and Jacob, as he leaves, he blesses Pharaoh again. He blesses him. And Pharaoh 265 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:25,300 acknowledged Jacob was a man of God by accepting his blessing. In the Egyptian 266 00:28:25,300 --> 00:28:29,580 religion, Pharaoh himself was thought to be a god. They considered Pharaoh the 267 00:28:29,580 --> 00:28:39,840 human embodiment of Ra, the sun god. But he had this respect, probably beginning 268 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:44,660 with Joseph and then meeting Joseph's father. No doubt that some of Joseph's 269 00:28:44,660 --> 00:28:52,300 character and, and personality came from his dad. The old saying is true and it's 270 00:28:52,300 --> 00:29:00,600 scary as a parent. Somebody has said that children become their parents. Really? Oh 271 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:07,800 golly, I need to be praying for my boys. They're in trouble, right? It's so true. I 272 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:13,600 mean, it's the, the, the impact and the, you know, the words spoken over the years 273 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:17,720 into our children, they become us and they don't even want to. It drives them 274 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:22,120 crazy. I remember being a teenager and my mom telling me, "You are just like your 275 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:34,940 father." But this is, is, is in a good light that, that who Joseph was obviously was a 276 00:29:34,940 --> 00:29:41,180 result partially in part because of who Jacob was. In verse 11 it says, "And 277 00:29:41,180 --> 00:29:44,640 Joseph situated his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in 278 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:49,880 the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh 279 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:55,560 had commanded. And then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his 280 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:02,200 father's household with bread, according to the numbers of their families." And so 281 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:06,960 Joseph just, he took care of his family. He put them in that place where they 282 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:11,880 were by themselves and they could be, begin to grow. That this group of people, 283 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:17,340 70-75, depending on which passage you read, 70 to 75 people, with, within the 284 00:30:17,340 --> 00:30:22,680 400-year period that they were in Egypt, grew to as many as some believe up to 285 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:29,040 between four and six million people. And they maintained their identity, right? And, 286 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:37,680 and because they were in that, there was that separation. They were cowboys. And, 287 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:46,040 and, and cowboys are pretty distinct, right? Cowboys that are, that understand 288 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:53,420 farm and ranch and, and, you know, they, they, they're very in touch with reality, 289 00:30:53,420 --> 00:30:58,540 right? These herdsmen. They're around life and death every day as they care for 290 00:30:58,540 --> 00:31:04,420 these animals. And obviously realizing that it's their livelihood and their, 291 00:31:04,420 --> 00:31:10,020 their sustenance, the, these creatures that God has given them to, to shepherd. 292 00:31:10,020 --> 00:31:15,980 And it's interesting, I read an article in the UK, they're gonna try to do a way 293 00:31:15,980 --> 00:31:20,320 with, with cattle and sheep that they don't want, they want to do away with 294 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:30,160 that industry. And again, that, that's a sin, right? Lamb chops and ribeye steaks 295 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:38,960 going away, that would be the ultimate sin, right? But it's weird. I mean, people 296 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:43,600 in the city that don't understand the process, that's maybe why these guys were, 297 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:49,400 they, they understood the process, right? Of how God keeps people alive. And, and, 298 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:55,220 and partially it's, it's these critters that he gives us. And, and he 299 00:31:55,220 --> 00:32:01,180 supernaturally, I believe, got all of Israel into Egypt that they could grow 300 00:32:01,180 --> 00:32:09,520 and they could sustain and they could be fruitful and productive. And, and, and, and 301 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:16,520 the people in that process, you're, you're, you're close to the God who created it 302 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:24,440 all. This bad things about cities is, is man's created all this. And people, that's 303 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,920 what they start putting their trust in, is what man can do. Now man has to, has to 304 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:34,280 create the, these, you know, has to protect the earth because obviously God's not 305 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:38,800 able to, right? And so now there's all these, all of these restrictions, you know, 306 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:47,240 they're gonna put, they're gonna put diapers on cows on their faces because 307 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:58,920 they burp. These gases, well what are they gonna do to us? We get a little gassy 308 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,600 occasionally. 309 00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:16,520 The world has gone crazy folks. The world has absolutely gone crazy. But the, the 310 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:25,520 family of Jacob, Joseph is, is, is awesome. They are in a place. God has preserved 311 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:30,720 them and put this, them in a place where they can flourish. And God has done this. 312 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:36,160 And it is their place in the world. Egypt, throughout Scripture, is a place, it's 313 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:43,540 picturesque of the world. It's, they were in the world but they weren't like the 314 00:33:43,540 --> 00:33:48,200 world. They were different. The Hebrews were different. Even in Moses time we see 315 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:52,880 the Hebrew women were, were, were, what they call them stealthy or whatever. 316 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,480 Having babies when they start killing the Hebrew babies because they were 317 00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:06,480 growing so fast. And they were very prolific. And so God is, is, is growing 318 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:15,840 them. And he gave them this place. And so just like the people of Israel looked to 319 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:25,000 Joseph to sustain, we need to be looking to Jesus, right? Us in this world to 320 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:30,600 proclaim his name. We had a prayer before service and, and somebody said, I can't 321 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,320 remember who it was that. But time is short. We need to share Jesus with as 322 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:40,280 many people as we can, right? And so just as, just as the people of Israel 323 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:45,680 depended on Joseph, so actually the people of Egypt did as well. But we look 324 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:51,200 to Jesus, the Bible says in Hebrews 12, 2, we're looking unto Jesus, Jesus the author 325 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:55,460 and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the 326 00:34:55,460 --> 00:35:00,000 cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of 327 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:10,480 God. That's where our focus should be, is the Lord Jesus Christ. And I was reminded 328 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:17,560 this week also of the, the verse there in, in John 15 about the true line that 329 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:25,200 Jesus said apart from him that we can do nothing. And so it's just as Joseph was 330 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:30,720 at this right hand of Pharaoh with power to bless whoever he pleased, so too the 331 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:36,080 Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, willing to bless whoever would 332 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:41,740 seek him. And that's, we have to come to him by faith, right? And that we become 333 00:35:41,740 --> 00:35:49,520 righteous by faith. Psalm 5 verse 12 says, "For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous 334 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:56,140 with favor. You will surround him with a shield." And that seems to be what God is 335 00:35:56,140 --> 00:36:01,460 doing with Israel here as he puts them in Egypt. Proverbs 3 33, "The curse of the 336 00:36:01,460 --> 00:36:05,680 Lord is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the just." He's, 337 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:11,620 he's looking and he, he's seeing the, the people of Israel, the descendants of, of, 338 00:36:11,620 --> 00:36:16,660 of Jacob as his people. And he's gonna bless him. He's putting a shield around 339 00:36:16,660 --> 00:36:25,180 them. And so it was a blessing for them to go to Israel, or to go to Egypt, for 340 00:36:25,180 --> 00:36:29,520 Israel to go to Egypt. And, and they were blessed there, and they were, they were 341 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:35,380 fed there, and they were sustained there. And so four quick takeaways that I want 342 00:36:35,380 --> 00:36:40,660 to share with you this morning. First of all, God has a plan, right? God had a plan 343 00:36:40,660 --> 00:36:46,360 in this all along. That you, and you can be a part of that plan in your life 344 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,380 personally. God has a plan. Some people would ask me, "Well, what if I don't like 345 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:58,960 God's plan?" Then you're stupid. No, God has a plan. He's got a plan for your life, my 346 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:05,980 life. He's doing things, right? And really, I, I, you know, people say, "Pastor Scotty, you 347 00:37:05,980 --> 00:37:11,840 said the S word." You're not supposed to say that. Well, it's in the Bible, right? 348 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:16,560 Proverbs chapter 12 verse 1, "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he 349 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:26,700 who hates correction is stupid." But God has a plan. He, he knows the thoughts that 350 00:37:26,700 --> 00:37:33,320 he has toward us to, to thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and 351 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:41,640 a hope. But that's predicated upon something. You seeking him, right? You 352 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:46,920 seeking him. You seeking out God's plan for your life. Verse 12 of that same 353 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:51,560 passage says, "Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me, and I will listen 354 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:55,500 to you, and you will seek me, and you will find me when you search for me with all 355 00:37:55,500 --> 00:38:03,360 your heart, and I will be found of you," says the Lord. Are you seeking him? When 356 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:11,080 you seek God's plan, or his face, actually, the plan seems to follow as I look back 357 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:15,780 at my life. And, and I can see, I can just see, "Oh Lord, you're, oh wow, Lord, you're 358 00:38:15,780 --> 00:38:22,260 just doing all kinds of cool things." But it's because you're seeking him, and he's 359 00:38:22,260 --> 00:38:26,800 gonna direct your paths. As the Proverb says, "Man, we plan out our way," right? 360 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:32,480 Hopefully when you make your plans, the Lord is included, right? You seek him, and 361 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:41,580 then he directs your steps, the Scriptures tells us. And so God has a 362 00:38:41,580 --> 00:38:48,560 plan. Our job is to pursue him, and he'll show us the plan. Secondly, God has a 363 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:55,400 place for you in this world. You and I, we're, we're on our sojourn, right? And our 364 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:02,980 sojourn may be a fraction of a second or a hundred years. This week, because I did 365 00:39:02,980 --> 00:39:09,200 a funeral on Friday, or Friday of last week, and I was thinking, "Golly, all the 366 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:13,500 young people, here I am, I'm 62 years old, and all the teenagers," I started just 367 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:18,320 kind of chalking them up, all the teenage funerals that I've done since I've been 368 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:26,060 in the ministry. I was fascinated by how many funerals I've done of teenagers, from 369 00:39:26,060 --> 00:39:35,620 11 to 18. And it's just like, "Wow." They had their sojourn. Some of them was 370 00:39:35,620 --> 00:39:43,360 really short. I'm thinking the short ones isn't a bad idea. 371 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:51,860 I think of some of those, those kids and all the stuff they've had to forego, 372 00:39:51,860 --> 00:39:55,460 especially if you get some history with their family, and thinking, "Oh man, I'm 373 00:39:55,460 --> 00:40:05,660 glad they weren't here for that one." Right? And you can have that, that hope, 374 00:40:05,660 --> 00:40:10,780 because God is good. And people ask me all the time, "Well, what if you 375 00:40:10,780 --> 00:40:21,300 don't know? Somebody who dies, what if you don't know?" I don't know. So many of them, I 376 00:40:21,300 --> 00:40:29,180 don't know. I thought they had faith. Some of them, maybe not. I don't know. I wasn't 377 00:40:29,180 --> 00:40:34,140 there when they took their last breath. My hope is, listen, and this is where you 378 00:40:34,140 --> 00:40:38,620 have to lead this, folks, because we can go crazy when you think about it. "Why 379 00:40:38,620 --> 00:40:45,600 are they in heaven?" I don't know. You can go crazy about that stuff. And so what I 380 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:51,420 do, and what I encourage people to do, is God is the judge, right? He's just. He's 381 00:40:51,420 --> 00:40:58,900 loving. He's merciful. He's kind. And so what I do with that is I just, you know 382 00:40:58,900 --> 00:41:04,860 what? I don't know. I got family, man. I don't know. I don't know if they had 383 00:41:04,860 --> 00:41:08,460 surrendered their life to Jesus, maybe if they cried out to Jesus. That's my 384 00:41:08,460 --> 00:41:15,180 hope. And that's where I leave it, right there. My hope is that they cried 385 00:41:15,180 --> 00:41:22,820 out to Jesus, maybe even in their spirit. And I leave it right there. And then I 386 00:41:22,820 --> 00:41:30,300 can just live my life in hope, and hope for them. And I don't, I don't, you don't 387 00:41:30,300 --> 00:41:36,420 go crazy, because you would go crazy if you were questioning every single little 388 00:41:36,420 --> 00:41:43,580 thing. God's good. God's just. God's merciful. And I leave it in his hands, 389 00:41:43,580 --> 00:41:49,740 right? Because ultimately he's the one who determines. He's the one that we stand 390 00:41:49,740 --> 00:41:55,300 before. As the song I sang earlier, he's the one that everybody talks to, right? 391 00:41:55,300 --> 00:41:59,500 And so he determines that. And so our hope is just that they cried out to the 392 00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:05,060 Lord. That's your hope. And you leave it right there. And that's a good place to 393 00:42:05,060 --> 00:42:14,220 leave it. So God has a plan for us in this world, right? That we can be salt and 394 00:42:14,220 --> 00:42:20,820 light, and to be a part of increasing the kingdom of God in this world. That's why 395 00:42:20,820 --> 00:42:29,220 we're here. We're here to bring glory to him. That's why we're here. That's your 396 00:42:29,220 --> 00:42:34,580 purpose in this life, is to know the one who created you, and bring glory to him. 397 00:42:34,580 --> 00:42:39,020 Because he's worthy of it, right? And the Bible tells us he doesn't share it with 398 00:42:39,020 --> 00:42:45,300 anybody. We would like to think that we have a little glory, but God says, "I will 399 00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:51,140 not share my glory with another. I won't do it." And so that's why we're here to 400 00:42:51,140 --> 00:42:55,500 give glory to God. That's what Jesus, when he was here, he gave glory to the Father, 401 00:42:55,500 --> 00:43:02,200 right? The Holy Spirit comes into us, and we give glory to Jesus. And so to be a 402 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:07,480 part of this, it's the Great Commission, right? That's your place in 403 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:13,640 this world. That's my place in this world, where Jesus said, it says later in Mark 404 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:19,500 16, 14 through 16, it says, "Later Jesus appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table, and 405 00:43:19,500 --> 00:43:24,180 he rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart." Are you walking in unbelief? Is 406 00:43:24,180 --> 00:43:30,780 your heart hard? Get rid of it. Soften it. Humble yourself before the Lord, right? He 407 00:43:30,780 --> 00:43:34,740 rebuked him for their unbelief and their hardness of heart, because they did not 408 00:43:34,740 --> 00:43:38,220 believe those who had seen him after he'd risen from the dead. They were 409 00:43:38,220 --> 00:43:43,820 questioning the resurrection. Are you questioning the resurrection? If you 410 00:43:43,820 --> 00:43:49,360 don't believe in the resurrection, you have nothing. Absolutely nothing. And so 411 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:55,960 he's checking them on that. No, the resurrection is like, it's the deal, right? 412 00:43:55,960 --> 00:44:00,480 If there's no resurrection, Paul said we should be pitied. We are wasting our time 413 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:05,760 this Sunday, right? If there's no resurrection. But if it is true, that's 414 00:44:05,760 --> 00:44:09,880 the only thing that matters is what C.S. Lewis said. Verse 15, "He said to them, 'Go 415 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:14,160 into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is 416 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:23,520 baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.'" That's our 417 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:30,960 place in this world. God has a plan. He has a place. Secondly, or excuse me, 418 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:37,580 thirdly, our job is to be a blessing. Just as Jacob came in and blessed 419 00:44:37,580 --> 00:44:41,800 Pharaoh as he was coming in, and he blessed Pharaoh as he was going out. Our 420 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:47,160 job is to be a blessing as believers in the Lord. Just as Jacob was to Pharaoh. 421 00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:51,720 Right? To our family, to our friends, to our neighbors. Are you a blessing to your 422 00:44:51,720 --> 00:44:58,720 neighbor? Or do you have that nagging dog that won't shut up? Woof! Woof! Woof! Right? And your 423 00:44:58,720 --> 00:45:07,800 neighbor's just like that. The Bible says a soft answer turns away wrath. So get 424 00:45:07,800 --> 00:45:15,280 out there and shut that dog up, would you? But we can be a blessing to our neighbors. 425 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:21,480 We can be a blessing to the Lord. We sang that song, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." 426 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:32,920 And all that's within me. Bless his holy name. Last of all, we bless our enemies. 427 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:39,240 Bless those who curse you and spitefully use you. We're gonna see more and more of 428 00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:48,320 this, right? As we get closer to the Lord Jesus coming. And so being a blessing is 429 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:55,840 so important that we can actually be a blessing to those who we totally disagree 430 00:45:55,840 --> 00:46:01,800 with. Because those who we totally disagree with think that we hate them 431 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,320 because we disagree with them. No, no, I hate you because I disagree with you. I 432 00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:13,520 just disagree with you. We can be a blessing. And finally, and most 433 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:19,800 importantly, God has an eternal place for us. God has an eternal place for you and 434 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:26,000 me, right? It is true we're just passing through. And that place is heaven. 435 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:32,480 1 Corinthians 2 9, "But as it is written, eye has not seen nor ear heard nor have 436 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:36,420 entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who 437 00:46:36,420 --> 00:46:48,740 love him." And it goes on in that passage of Scripture and it says, "But we have the 438 00:46:48,740 --> 00:46:56,280 mind of Christ." We have an idea that this thing is gonna be really 439 00:46:56,280 --> 00:47:03,920 good, but we have no idea how good, right? That we inherit all things, the Bible 440 00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:10,080 says, that we are joint heirs with Christ. That is our eternal place. And this race 441 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:14,320 that we're running here, right? Some may have stubbed their toes, some may be 442 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,980 crippled and don't even feel like you can run anymore. Man, get up and keep 443 00:47:17,980 --> 00:47:26,740 trying because it's worth it, right? It's worth it to get to the finish line, 444 00:47:26,740 --> 00:47:33,160 to enter into that eternal place that he has for us and hearing those words 445 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:38,480 "Well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord." I like 446 00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:48,080 how personal that is, the joy of your Lord. Is Jesus your Lord? Because that's 447 00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:55,600 that seems to be different than Savior. I think they're saved people that just 448 00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:02,680 kind of, you know, they just slide in by their short hairs, you know. There are 449 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:12,560 others who are just like gaga, just all out for Jesus till the day they die. Is he 450 00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:19,520 your Lord? Enter into the joy of your Lord. That is our final place and that's why we 451 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:24,040 live this life. I remember telling a young girl at the funeral on Friday, I 452 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:31,600 said, "Listen." And they're broken, right? Their friends are gone and I'm just, this 453 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:37,560 is why we live this life. This is why we live for Jesus. This is why we walk with 454 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:45,460 Jesus is because of days like this that some people it destroys them because 455 00:48:45,460 --> 00:48:53,280 they haven't taken the cure for death which is Christ Jesus, right? So God has a 456 00:48:53,280 --> 00:49:00,880 plan, God has a place, God's called us to be a blessing and God has a place for us 457 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:06,840 in heaven. Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you that you do have greener 458 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:13,080 pastures waiting for us. Can't wait. Lord, we know it's gonna be good. You've called 459 00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:18,720 us, you've prepared us, Lord. You're doing a work in all of us. Lord, I pray 460 00:49:18,720 --> 00:49:24,360 that you would, that we would walk humbly before you. Just recognizing who we are 461 00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:29,800 and what we are. That we're here and we're gone. As your word tells us that 462 00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:36,160 mankind at his very best is but a vapor that appears for a moment and then it's 463 00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:46,000 gone. Lord, may we spend our time, Lord, working your plan, sharing your gospel. 464 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:53,080 Lord, just being okay with our place in this world knowing that if a move is in 465 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:59,760 order, Lord, you'll do it. And so, Lord, we just thank you that we can kind of live 466 00:49:59,760 --> 00:50:05,080 hands off of our own life allowing you to direct us. So, give us energy, give us 467 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:10,300 wisdom, Lord, for the days ahead and, and Lord, that we would be truly those people 468 00:50:10,300 --> 00:50:16,280 who are quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to wrath. And God, that that salt 469 00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:21,280 and light that you've called us to be, Lord, that it would just be ever-present 470 00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:25,240 in each one of our lives. Lord, we love you. We thank you for that incredible 471 00:50:25,240 --> 00:50:29,040 hope you've given us. May we walk in it this week and, Lord, just that you would 472 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:34,360 put your joy in our hearts for truly it is our strength. In Jesus' name, Amen. 473 00:50:34,360 --> 00:50:37,600 Let's all stand. We'll worship.