We begin our series of Genesis on May 27, 2006. That was 90 weeks ago today. Our journey has taken us 76 messages through this book. I was looking back through my notes. I've read about 7,000 pages of commentary this whole series. And to be honest with you, this was very intimidating for me. This is my first pastorate. I've never taught for an Old Testament book. And so thank you for praying for me and journeying through this with me. It's been a wonderful study for me. I know I've heard from you how much you've learned through this book of Genesis, and that's a testament to God's faithfulness, God's work in our lives. We come this morning to the last chapter of the book of Genesis. But I don't want you to think that after this morning that you're done with Genesis. Rather, this is the foundation God has given us in His Word. This is the book of beginnings. And so we take this book with us. We take these teachings with us throughout the rest of our studies, and especially next week as we start the book of Romans. We will reference Genesis over and over again. Of course, there are many themes that we could reference in the book of Genesis. God's faithfulness, obviously, is a crucial theme. God has been faithful to Himself, to His promises, to His people. And yet we've also seen man's unfaithfulness, man's sinfulness. We've seen death time and time again, the reality of sin, the consequences of sin. And I think just a banner theme that we've seen time and time again is God's grace to undeserving humanity. How many times have we referenced that throughout Genesis? Someone is undeserving and yet God blesses that individual. Genesis is the book of beginnings. And so it's fitting this morning that we have some type of closure to this book. Last week, Jacob died. This week, Joseph himself will die and pass off the scene. And yet God's work continues. Let's read the last chapter of Genesis. Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming, and the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. And when the days of mourning for him were passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I am about to die. In my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, then I will return." And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father as he made you swear. So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father's household. They left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds and the land of Goshen. There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great company. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation. And he observed seven days' mourning for his father. Now, when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshold floor of Atad, they said, This is a greedious mourning for the Egyptians. Therefore, it was named Abul Mizraim. which is beyond the Jordan. And thus his sons did for him as he had charged them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us, and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him? So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, Your father charged before he died, saying, Thus ye shall say to Joseph, Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong. And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. And his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. But Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place. And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones. So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father's household, and Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim's sons. Also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph's knees. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which you promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here. So Joseph died at the age of 110 years, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. The possibility of bitterness is a very real temptation for us. As you think back upon your life, there are instances, there are events, whereby you might be tempted to become bitter. A spouse cheats on you. A friend disappoints you. A boss either fires you or demote you. A co-worker is promoted instead of you. And a neighbor seems to have everything that he or she wants. But bitterness doesn't have to be directed only toward our mankind, it can also be directed toward God. Bitterness over health issues. Bitterness over a failed or unhealthy marriage. Bitterness over disobedient children. Bitterness over a job. I mean, the possibilities of bitterness in our lives are limitless. But it doesn't mean we have to become bitter, there's always a temptation, we have a choice to make. And Joseph is put before us this morning as a prime example of How you and I are to respond when we are tempted, when an opportunity for bitterness is there. And as we have seen for more than 20 chapters, Joseph had plenty of opportunities to become bitter. And yet he chose to trust God instead of harboring a grudge. So I think I know you well enough that we want to live lives that are pleasing to God. And so part of that is that we choose not to become bitter. Well, how do we do that? How do we live a life that's free from bitterness? Well, I think this last chapter with Joseph gives us three truths that will help us to be free from this battle over bitterness. The first step, the first truth is that we must be hopeful of God's promises. We must have the right focus toward God's promises. Second of all, We must be thankful for God's forgiveness. And third, we must be humbled by God's grace. And notice each one of these points has its focus at God. God's promises, God's forgiveness, God's grace, because if we lose focus of God and begin looking at ourselves and each other, we will become more and more tempted to become bitter. So let's look, first of all, at this truth of being hopeful of God's promises, the first 14 verses of this chapter. Genesis 49 recorded the last words of Jacob, and he blessed each of his sons. Each of his 12 sons was there around their father as he died, as he breathed his last, as he was gathered to his father's. And verse 1 of chapter 50 immediately picks up. Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. This was a sorrowful moment. We know that Jacob has loved Joseph. He's been the favorite son. We've known that. But now we see the other side. We see how much Joseph loved his father. We remember when Joseph was reunited with his father after those many years of lies and deception on the part of his brothers. What happened to that reunion? They fell on each other's face and they wept. It was a joyous reunion. And yet now it's a sorrowful departure. It was death. And yet we would. We would expect this from Joseph, we would expect there to be some measure of grief and sorrow when a loved one dies. You know, we're not even told how the other brothers responded. We're not told how they grieved, but the focus is on Joseph as it has been for the last 15 or 20 chapters. So what Joseph teaches us, and the rest of the Scripture bears out, is that it's perfectly acceptable to grieve during death. There was nothing wrong with what Joseph did. There was nothing wrong with him grieving over the loss of his dad. You know, for those of us who understand the Bible, it's clear that after death, there's only two paths. There's a path to heaven. And there's a path to hell. There's no intermediate state. There's no alternative. There's not a holding pattern. After death, a person is either immediately in the presence of God or immediately separated from the presence of God. Joseph was convinced that his dad was an Old Covenant believer, that he was with the redeemed. Paul tells a group of young believers at Thessalonica a very similar statement. Paul tells these believers, we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as to the rest who have no hope. These young believers were confused about their believing parents and neighbors and friends who had died. What would happen to them? I mean, if the Lord's going to come back and we're going to meet him in the air, what would happen to them? They're dead. They're in the grave. And Paul tells them. Don't be ignorant. Don't be uninformed. And then he says this, that you may not grieve as the rest who have no hope. Paul does not tell this church not to grieve. He says you shouldn't grieve as those who have no hope. Our grief, our Christian grief should be different than an unbelieving grief. Why? Because we have hope. When a family or a friend passes that we know trusted in Christ and has walked with the Lord, we have hope. And that's not a maybe, it's a yes. It's a certainty, not a probability. And our hope, our guarantee is that we too, after this earthly life is over, will meet them at the throne of God and spend eternity together. But for those who have no hope, death is very hard to deal with. It's a forever separation. And for those who die without Christ, they will spend eternity separated from Christ. They will not have a second chance after death. They will not have an opportunity to repent of their sins. It is final. So literally everything depends on this life. Whether you trust Jesus Christ, whether you submit to Him, ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Or if you said no to Christ all your life, I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want your forgiveness. No, thank you. Those people will suffer eternity separated from Christ. But Joseph knew that his dad believed in Yahweh, Joseph knew his dad was a believer and what a comfort that was, even though he expressed his sorrow by falling on his father's face and weeping and kissing him. It wasn't it wasn't an uncontrolled emotion. It was a natural process of grief. And the next step, verse 2, tells us that Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. These servants were definitely at Joseph's disposal. He was the second in command of Egypt. Outside of Pharaoh, he was in control. He had authority. Now, we know that the Jews did not embalm their dead, but the Egyptians did. And so since they're living in Egypt, it was natural that they All of this process of embalming typically took 40 days, more than one of our months. This whole process, there was some uncertainty about, there was some mystical, religious reasoning behind embalming. Of course, Egyptians were polytheistic. They did not believe solely in Yahweh. They believed in other gods. Verse 2 says the Egyptians wept for him, Jacob, 70 days. And that doesn't mean 40 days of embalming and 70, 110. It means that the 70 included 40 for the embalming and 30 additional days for the weeping. The Egyptians had a very high regard for this man. Obviously, they were indebted to Joseph for saving their lives. So it was natural that they viewed Jacob with a similar respect. He was the father of Joseph. Egyptian records tell us that they would grieve 72 days for a king. Well, if they recognized Jacob with 70 days, that tells you that he was close in their mind to being a king. He was a very stately figure. Verse four, when the days of mourning for Jacob had passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh. So after the 70 days of mourning and embalming, notice that Joseph does not Go to Pharaoh himself. He has access to Pharaoh. He's second in command. He he can have an audience with Pharaoh anytime he wanted. And yet it's here in this instance that Joseph speaks to the household of Pharaoh, not to Pharaoh himself. And so we ask why? Why does he not approach Pharaoh himself? Well, a couple of reasons, the text does not give us a definitive reason. Perhaps it was because his appearance morning You would let the beard grow out. You would not be as clean otherwise. So perhaps he thought in my period of grief for 70 days, I'm not fit to come into the presence of Pharaoh. It could have also been that because Joseph was in the presence of a corpse, a dead body that the Egyptians thought that was not an appearance to come into the presence of the king. But whatever the reason, Joseph made this request made known to Pharaoh. And he had to be very careful with his words because He didn't want to give the impression that Jacob didn't like Egypt. That would have been a personal offense against the king. And so Joseph portrays his father as having made burial plans even before he moved to Egypt. He says in verse four, If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I'm about to die in my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. There you shall bury me. Now, therefore, please let me go up and bury my father. Then I will return." So Joseph tells Pharaoh that the reason I'm asking you this is because my father made me swear. I made a solemn promise to my dad, and I want to carry that out. I want to be a man of my word. But listen to what he says to verse 5. He tells Pharaoh, let me go up and bury my father. Then I will return. I'm not leaving you, Pharaoh. I'm not leaving Egypt. I will return. I will come back. So verse 6, Pharaoh says, Go up and bear your father as he made you swear. The Pharaoh gives permission. Obviously, Pharaoh has seen the loyalty of Joseph over the years. Joseph has demonstrated time and time again that he has integrity. He can be trusted. He's a man of his word. So verse 7, this entourage leaves Egypt. Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, all the elders of the land of Egypt, all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father's household, chariots and horsemen. I mean, could you just imagine this exodus out of Egypt? I mean, the only people who seem to stay back in Egypt are Pharaoh and the little kids and the animals. It seems like every adult who could leave left. And so you can imagine this long stream of people leaving Egypt, going to Canaan. And if you're wondering, yes, this is a prefiguring of the exodus that will take place in the book of Exodus. Except this time, the people do a U-turn and come back to Egypt. Verse 10, they came to the threshing floor of Atod, which is beyond the Jordan. We're not told how long it took this group of people to move from Egypt to Canaan. We do know they stopped for a week, seven days at this threshing floor. And we also know that they didn't take the shortest route, they didn't take the route of the second exodus. Perhaps there was some political reasons with the Egyptians, perhaps they thought there might be a fight. We are told in verse nine that there were chariots and horsemen who accompanied Joseph. Perhaps Pharaoh anticipated this, prepared, sent some warriors with him. And so they lamented with a very great and sorrowful lamentation. And people took notice, verse 11, when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the morning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, this is a grievous morning for the Egyptians. Notice they're not concerned with who is being grieved for. What they notice is that the Egyptians have come all the way from Egypt up to Canaan. And that to them is odd, that so many Egyptians would leave their home. It was puzzling to them. Verse 12, Thus his sons, Jacob's sons, did for him as he had charged them. So lest we think this was all Joseph, Moses tells us it wasn't just Joseph. It was Joseph and all of his sons, all of Jacob's sons. Verse 13, for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre. We remember in chapter 48 that Jacob had a private audience with Joseph and he adopted the two sons of Joseph as his own sons and made him promise, please take me back to Canaan after I die. Joseph says, yes, I swear. And in chapter 49, Jacob tells all of his sons the same thing. Make sure you take me back to Canaan. Not Egypt. I don't want to be buried in Egypt. So all the sons of Jacob, verses 12 and 13, carry out their father's dying wish. And Moses goes all the way back to Abraham, who bought this field with a cave from Ephraim the Hittite. And although that may not seem like much to us, what's the big deal about a field and a cave? It was the first possession of the land for Israel. It was a guarantee on the part of God. This will be your land one day, Israel. You've got my word. You already own a piece of it. It was a guarantee that they would return to this land and have an everlasting possession. Verse 14, after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. So no one stayed in Canaan. Everybody did this U-turn. Everybody returned. Not a single person stayed in Canaan. And yet, if we think about it, this must have been very difficult for the sons of Israel. They had been told, this land in Canaan is yours. Perhaps some of them even asked, why are we going back to Egypt? If this is our land, why not stay? If this is what God has promised, hey, we're here. And yet Joseph promised to Pharaoh that he would return to Egypt. Yes, that land would be yours, but not at this time. You know, there are times when we can become tempted to become bitter. And if we look at our hearts, most of these times that we're tempted to become bitter, it's because of our own hopes and dreams not being met. I really wanted this, but God did this. I was wanting that job, but... I wanted to marry this person, but... We wanted kids, but... This person did this, and... The possibilities of bitterness are literally endless. And if we look at our hearts, most of those times it's because we have a very selfish disposition. Something that we want. Something that we want versus what God wants. We have misplaced priorities. And Joseph and his family could have been bitter. God, why don't we have a land now? Why do we have to go back to Egypt? We're in the land of promise. And that's why this first truth is so important for us to grasp. We must be hopeful of God's promises. We have to understand that God's promises may not come true in our lifetime, but that doesn't mean that they won't come true. Joseph knew about these promises. His dad had told him probably numerous times about the land, about what God did to Abraham and then Isaac and to him, Jacob. So what Joseph teaches us is that God is eternal. We're not. We're going to die one day. We're going to pass off the scene. But God's work continues on. You might even say that Joseph understood God's sovereignty. He understood that it wasn't all about him. It wasn't even all about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God's promises would come true in God's timing. Second of all, not only should we be hopeful of God's promises, verses 15 to 21 teach us we should be thankful for God's forgiveness. I mean, now that Joseph and all his family and all of Jacob's family is back in Egypt, and some amount of time passes, and then these brothers start having a few thoughts. Verse 15 tells us those thoughts. His brothers saw that their father was dead and they said, what if... Have you ever thought like that? What if? What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and repay us in full all the wrong which we did to him." What are they expressing? Fear? Guilt? They fear that Joseph, being second in command of Egypt, could have done anything he wanted to with them. Pharaoh wouldn't have stopped him. These brothers fear that Joseph would exact revenge. They fear their hearts. and pay us back in full." And certainly, the brothers did not treat Joseph well. They called him out in the field. Remember, he was coming to them and they said, oh, here comes that dreamer. And when he got close, they took him and they threw him into a pit. They were going to kill him and then someone said, no, let's not kill him, let's sell him. So they sold him to a traveling band of Ishmaelites. They were done with him. They washed their hands clean. They took his favorite coat that his dad had made him, that had given to him. They killed an animal. They dipped some blood on that coat. And they took it back to their dad and they said, we found this. In other words, you interpreted, Dad. And his dad immediately came to the conclusion he's been killed by a wild animal. And so for years and years and years, Jacob came to the realization that Joseph was dead. The brothers knew all the while. They had sold him, but they weren't about to tell the truth. And it wasn't until God, through His sovereignty and His providence, made the brothers go to Egypt, and guess who they met? Joseph. He was the one they had to answer to. He was the one who was dispensing the food during this famine. And so the brothers naturally fear. He could very well turn the tables on us. He could very well exact revenge. And we couldn't do a thing about it. So verse 16, they sent a message to Joseph saying, Your father charged before he died, saying, Thus you shall say to Joseph, Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong. And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. Verse 16 is hard to interpret, and I'll tell you why. I don't really know if the father sent this message. We're not told. You see, it could have been the brothers fabricated this story. They could have said, let's think of another lie. We've already known they could lie and go years without telling the truth. They could very well have fabricated this story. Joseph loved his dad. He'll listen if we say something about what his dad told us. We don't know. It could have been Jacob really told the brothers to tell Joseph this. We don't know. And that's the hard part. But the basic thrust of this message was forgiveness. Did you hear that? Please forgive your brothers. Please forgive. They have sinned against you. Forgiveness is mentioned in verse 17 and 18. Very different words for sin are mentioned in verse 17. So they're not trying to cover up their actions. They're just trying to give some sense of authority greater than themselves. Dad sinned. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. But the assumption is that Joseph, at least in the mind of the brothers, had not forgiven his brothers, right? How do you think Joseph responded to this? Verse 17, Joseph wept. He wept. I mean, he's already wept at the death of his dad in verse 1. This is the second time that he weeps, not over death, but over this statement. Because in Joseph's mind, he's already forgiven his brothers. And in Joseph's mind, years have passed since that, and Joseph feels, has it all been in vain? Do you not understand what I've done for you? Do you still think I'm harboring sin against you? I mean, it breaks his heart. In verse 18, his brothers came and fell down before him and said, Behold, we are your servants. They understand the position that they fall before him. And said, we're at your service, we are your servants. Could this be further fulfillment of Joseph's dream way, way back? Could be. And then verses 19 and 20. Are the apex of this chapter, we have to understand these verses. We have to understand them in context. The brothers think, Joseph hasn't forgiven me. Joseph says, I've forgiven you. How does he respond? Do not be afraid. Why does he say that? Because they were afraid. They feared what Joseph could do. But why does Joseph say, do not be afraid? For am I in God's place? Joseph had a lot of authority. He had a lot of power in Egypt. But one thing Joseph was not, God. Joseph was not God. He did not claim to have sovereign authority over his brothers. And he refused to play the part of God. Isn't it interesting that Genesis opens in chapter 3 with a temptation from Satan to be like God? And Adam and Eve, what? They took it. They wanted to be like God. And it ends with a man refusing to be like God. I'm not in God's place. What a contrast from beginning to end. And then verse 20. As for you, you meant evil against me. But God meant it for good. This verse is. been made into plaques and sent via email. Perhaps some of you have this verse on your wall somewhere in your house. You meant it for evil. God meant it for good. I mean, what a perfect opportunity for bitterness, right? I mean, if any time this is it, he's got power. His dad is dead. They're at his mercy. Call down the hammers of justice, right? Wrong. Joseph says, I'm not in God's place. You meant it for evil, but God. I'm so grateful that God overrides the evil of man. Yes, you intended evil against me, but it doesn't stop there. Joseph says, but God meant it for good. Once again, Adam and Eve had a perfect paradise. They had full access to everything except one tree. That was a knowledge of what? Good and evil. You know, we can't even wrap our minds around this, but all that Adam and Eve knew before they sinned was good. They didn't know evil. They only knew good. That's why they could be naked and not be ashamed. That's why they could talk freely with God and not have to worry about sin or guilt. But what happens immediately after they sin? God comes to the garden. What do they do? They hide. They look at each other and they're ashamed. They cover their bodies. Sin is starting to show its effects immediately. And the name of that tree was the knowledge of good and evil. And we see lived out at the end of Genesis. There's plenty of good, but there's also plenty of evil. These brothers, they meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. It's also interesting, back in, I think, 37, whenever the brothers threw Joseph into the pit, it says that they hated Joseph. And now what's their fear in chapter 50? That Joseph hates them. My, how the tables have turned. And yet God has shown his power over sin. Immediately after the fall, God tells the serpent, one day there's going to be a seed of a woman who's going to come and crush your head. Verse 20 continues, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. With what purpose? In order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. I would submit to you that the first part of that statement, verse 20, may be easy to say for you. God meant it for evil. I mean, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. But friend, it takes faith to embrace the second part of that verse. When you look at your life and you see all the stuff that you wish you could have changed, all the stuff that we say is bad, you know that question, if you had your life to live over, the first thing that comes to your mind is something you better examine your heart whether you're bitter over. If you could change your life, what would you change? First thing that comes to your mind, maybe an indication that you're bitter. Joseph looks back on his life and what does he say? You know what? You meant it for evil, God meant it for good, and I understand why. Because if I had not been here, many people would have died. If I had not been where I was, you may have died looking at his brothers. His dad may have died earlier. The Egyptians may have died. And this takes real faith to understand part of what God's plan is. We can't pretend to know God's plan in full. But you know when we're tempted sometimes to ask, God, why did you allow this? We have to move beyond that question and begin looking at why God did that. We can't just get caught in the loop of why, Lord? Why, Lord? Why, Lord? Joseph moves far beyond that and he says, I know why. God had me here to preserve life. Life of the Canaanites, perhaps. Life of the Egyptians. Definitely life of Jacob's family. So far from being better, Joseph understands. That's why he chooses not to be bitter, because he understands what God's plan is. And then this precious thought in verse 21, Therefore, do not be afraid. He repeats it for the second time. Don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones. I mean, the brothers were very much dependent upon Joseph. He could say yea or nay, yes or no to food, and his decision was final. But we look back, even when they first came to Egypt, Joseph recognized them, remember? But they didn't recognize him. And what did he do numerous times? He gave them food for free. He didn't harbor bitterness. He understood, God has me here. And friend, if we can get there, it will absolutely liberate us from bitterness. God, why did you allow me to lose that job or lose a spouse or lose a child or do this and that? Whatever is in your mind right now, if you can move beyond that and somehow wrap your arms around God's sovereignty, it will absolutely change your life. The book of Hebrews says, let no root of bitterness spring up in your heart. You know what comes from a root? Fruit. If you don't take care of the issue at the root level, the fruit of bitterness will be evident to you and to others in your life. Joseph was not bitter. He's already forgiven his brothers. He understands God had me here for a reason. And yet these brothers feared that he might somehow exact revenge. It's too good to be true. You ever thought about that with God? You come before God and you say, God, I've sinned. I'm sorry. Please change me. Help me make better choices next time. The next day, same sin. God, I'm sorry. I ask your forgiveness. Time and time again, you come before God. Do you ever start to think, maybe God's not going to forgive me this time. I mean, isn't God tired of me coming day after day after day? You ever start thinking that way? You shouldn't. 1 John 1.9 says if we come before God and we confess our sins, if we say the same thing about our sin that God says, not that it's a boo-boo or someone else's fault. God, I sinned. It was my fault. I take full responsibility for it. The Bible says God is not only faithful, but He's just. He's righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What a powerful promise of forgiveness. We need not feel as the brothers did The person in charge might somehow bring down a hammer of judgment on us. God is faithful and just. And at a time when Joseph could have been bitter, when he could have exacted revenge, he released it. And that's what forgiveness is. You are releasing that person. You are cutting the chain. That person is not tied to you. You don't keep them on a leash to punish them. Rather, you free them, you forgive them, just as Christ has forgiven us. So Joseph has taught us to be hopeful of God's promises, keep his promises in mind. They may not come true in your lifetime, but it does not mean they will not come true. Second of all, be thankful for God's forgiveness. And if anybody in this world, we ought to be thankful for God's forgiveness. We have been forgiven so much. But third, be humbled by God's grace. This closing section of Genesis 50. Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father's household, and Joseph lived 110 years. Many, many years passed between verse 21 and 22. Joseph did not return to Canaan. We were told he lives in Egypt, he and his father's household, and lives to 110 years. in the mind of the Egyptians was the ideal age. Notice he did not live as long as Jacob, Isaac, Abraham. The lifespan in God's economy is shrinking. Joseph has lived 54 years after the death of his dad. Long enough to see his grandchildren and perhaps even his great-grandchildren. Verse 24, Joseph said to his brothers, I'm about to die. It's the same thing that Jacob had told Joseph and all of his sons, I'm about to die. But notice this, verse 24, but God will surely take care of you and will bring you up from this land, the land which he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Up to this point, who have the brothers looked to for supply? Joseph. He's been the one at the top of the food chain dispensing the food. It was his wisdom to save for seven years so they might have stuff to eat for seven years. But what a switch here, Joseph says, I'm about to die, but what? But God, there we go again, but God, a human crisis, perhaps, but God. So brothers, stop looking to me and start trusting in God. Don't become tied to me. I'm going to die. Become tied to God. Trust in God. He'll take care of your needs. You don't need me. And he also tells his brothers that God would bring them up from the land to the land which he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And there he goes again. The same thing he started the chapter with. The promises of God. Here we go again. Joseph was convinced that The people of Israel, the children of Israel would not always be in Egypt. Someday, not in his lifetime, he knows he's about to die. Sometime God would take them and transplant them back to Canaan. And guess what the next book of the Bible is after Genesis? Exodus. That's what we see. And so Joseph is just another in the long line of those who are waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises. Here we are, thousands of years later, and you know what? We're still waiting on some of the promises of God, too. They may not happen in our lifetime, but it would be wonderful if they did, wouldn't it? To see some of the promises of God come true in our lifetime. Verse 25, He made the sons of Israel swear, saying, God will surely take care of you. It's the second time. What did He want to convey to His brothers? God will take care of you. and ye shall carry my bones up from here." So he died at the age of 110, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. Notice there is no funeral procession for Joseph. You know, Pharaoh doesn't say, okay, go back, round two, do like you did with your dad. And you would think quite the opposite. You would think, this is Joseph. This was Egyptian's savior. I mean, he spared their lives. The least they could do is to carrying back and showing proper respect. But Joseph tells his brothers, carry my bones up from here. The author of Hebrews looks back upon these closing comments of Joseph's life. Chapter 11, verse 22, by faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones. Once again, we saw this with Jacob. We see this with Joseph. Trust in God's promises. I'm going to die. One day you guys are going to leave here and I want you to take my bones with me. You know, Jacob was buried in the field of Machpelah in Canaan. Joseph will not have that privilege, but he says, I want you to carry my bones with me. And we read the rest of the Old Testament and they did. He was placed in a coffin in Egypt. What a way to end the book of Genesis. Death. Opens with God's creation, perfect life in the garden. How does it end? A coffin. Where? In the land of Canaan? No. Egypt, a foreign land. What a strange way to end a book. The book of beginnings. And yet it's the perfect ending to the book of beginnings. Because it teaches us, as it would have taught the Israelites hearing this from Moses, God's promises will come true, but maybe not in your lifetime. The Israelites would have heard this and said, God's people are still in Egypt. But one day God would rescue them. God would literally drive them out of Egypt. And we know that to be the story of Exodus. Joseph passes off the scene. The next leader is obviously Moses, and he will dominate the next few books of the Old Testament. So Genesis ends on this note of unfulfillment. Everything didn't come true at the end of Genesis that was promised in Genesis, chapter 3, verse 15, promised a redeemer. That didn't take place in Genesis. That would take place many, many years afterwards. A few weeks ago, I spoke of Luke chapter 1, Zechariah. Remember, he was a priest. He went in to serve and he doubted what God was saying. God rendered him mute. You know what the first words out of his mouth were when God restored his voice? Luke 1.68, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited us and accomplished redemption for his people. That's exactly how Genesis ends. God will visit you. God will send his Redeemer. God's promises will come true. And Zacharias, all the way in Luke chapter 1, attests that God has visited us, not looking forward, looking back to Jesus Christ, his death on the cross. Hebrews 11 ends with a summary verse. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised. Unusual statement, isn't it? All these Old Testament believers that the author of Hebrews references, all of them died not having received the fulfillment of God's promises. But once again, just because they don't take place in our lifetime does not mean they won't come true. And so they live by faith and so do we. We live by faith. We don't live by sight. We don't live based on what we see and what we can fully grasp and get our hands around. We live by faith, trusting that God knows what He's doing. One day, if the Lord does not return, in our lifetime, we'll die. I'm as sure of that as anything. Abraham died. Jacob died. Isaac died. Joseph dies. You and I will die. But you know what? We don't have to grieve as those who have no hope, because if we know that a person has trusted Christ and has walked with him, we are assured they will spend eternity in heaven, just as Joseph was convinced of his dad. But if you're here this morning and you're not assured of where you stand with God, you do need to be afraid, friend. Because God has not promised us the rest of this day, let alone the next years of your life. Joseph had hope that his dad was in heaven after death. Friend, you better make that certain before you die, because there is no second chance after death. And I would just ask you this morning, if you're here and you have never asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, you've never come before him and truly confess your sinfulness, what your sin deserves, and that's to be separated from God forever. than today, right now, this morning is the time for you to do that. Because friend, if you don't, I don't know how much longer you're going to live. God does. How you live in this life, what choices you make, whether you trust in Jesus Christ makes all the difference for eternity. Because after death, it's too late. Please, friend, examine your heart this morning. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in Him. And church, don't think this is just for unbelievers. You've been challenged this morning about bitterness. Perhaps you have bitterness in your heart. Right now, you are bitter against God. You're bitter against someone else. You need to let that go. You need to forgive as you've been forgiven. If you need to go to someone, you need to go to them, call them, visit them. something today to take care of this, because as long as you are bitter, you're putting yourself in a prison, isolating yourself from everyone else. You're making people around you miserable. And most importantly, you're sinning against God. Because when you become bitter, you're raising your fist at God, saying you made a mistake. Friend, our God is sovereign. He's perfect. Our God makes no mistakes. We do. And we need to come clean before him. Let's pray. Father God in heaven, we humble ourselves before you, realizing that the temptation for bitterness is always around us. Lord, even the little things with our spouse or our children or even with our fellow believers in the church, it's so easy to become bitter. Lord, that's because it's so easy to become selfish. You taught us in your word that we should remove the speck from our own eye. before we try to take the log out of someone else's eye. Father, please help us to deal with our own sin. Help us to see that what we see to be a log in someone else's eye is really the log in our own eye. Lord, it's not the other person's fault. It's our fault. We've lost perspective. So Father God, thank you for what you did in the life of Joseph. What a tremendous example and convicting example he is. how to live a life free from bitterness. Lord, you don't make mistakes. Everything you do is with your perfect wisdom, with perfect purpose. Father, please grant us the eyes of faith to understand your purposes so that we too, like Joseph, can look at someone and say, yes, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good in order that and to see that purpose. Father, death is certain. You've written in your words a point in for man that wants to die and in the face of judgment. Father, we will all stand before you one day. We will all stand before you and your criteria for eternity will be where we stand with your son, Jesus Christ. I pray and I plead with you to open the hearts of the unbelieving right now. Grant them eternal life. Grant them repentance to turn from their sin, to trust in you. May they not harden their hearts. May they not become further embittered against you. But father, I pray you'll grant them to release that bitterness, to trust in you. Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving us. Lord, help us to be hopeful of your promises, to be thankful for your forgiveness and to be humbled by your grace. In your name, Amen.