Coming to Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
Call to worship
Ephesians 2:11–13 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord,
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord,
SERMON
Introduction
We are picking up where we left off last week in chapter 45 And this will be our final message from the story of Joseph. I want to begin by reading the first few verses and letting that be our introduction into this message:
“Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
A little background to set the context:
Joseph has just revealed himself to his brothers after 22 years. Understandably so, his brothers are shocked! The Bible says they were dismayed at his presence. and Joseph tells them to come and live with him in this great land full of splendor and go get their father. And the rest of this chapter shows us how Joseph convinced not only them to come, but also how he convinced his father to leave the land of Canaan and move to Egypt.
There is a striking parallel in this story and what it looks like to come to Jesus in the NT. What the writers of the gospels set out to do was convince us and all the world that the splendor and majesty of Jesus is worth far more than what this world has to offer. And they wrote to persuade readers to leave it all behind and come to Jesus.
What I want to do is pull out four principles that we can apply to our relationship with Jesus.
1) Seeing is believing
1) Seeing is believing
(v 12-13) “Your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see…now you must tell my father”
Why would Joseph emphasize the fact that they are seeing him with their own eyes?
Because the commission he was giving them was to go and tell Jacob that his dead son was alive. And that message was going to be really difficult to believe. They themselves stiff before him in disbelief as they were listening to him speak!
He is a sense is saying to them, look at me very carefully, inspect me, don’t leave until you are absolutley satisfied that I am Joseph and it is my mouth that is talking to you.
Because if you are not fully Convinced, then how are you going to convince my father.
Bridge
Jesus says something very similar in the NT to us today
John 6:40 (NASB95)
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds θεωρέω (to perceive) the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
THE WORD BEHOLD MEANS TO UNDERSTAND; TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOMETHING
Ex: If you have ever talked with Amish in this area, and you are explaining something to them, they respond with “I see”
They are not saying that they see with their eyes, by that they understand with their minds
We cannot physically see Jesus today, but we can understand Him with our minds
Seeing is believing
Until we are able to truly see Jesus, for who He really is, we will never truly believe in Him
Until we see the power and majesty of Jesus, we will never come to Him for reconciliation.
Until we understand that apart from Jesus Christ, this life really has no meaning or purpose then we will never believe.
Until we can see the reality of the sin that stains our lives, we will never see the need to come to Jesus.
I was witnessing to man a couple weeks ago. And he said he believed in some kind of Higher power but that was about it.
And I could tell he didn’t have much interest in what I had to say, so I asked him this question: “so you ever wonder what is going to happen to you when you die?”
And his response was, “I try not to think about it”
So I asked him if he was sick and went to the do and the doctor said he has cancer. And this cancer is going to kill him if he is not cured. But, the doctor said, “I have a cure. We have a treatment plan that can deliver you from this disease” would you tell that doctor, “I’d rather not think about it?”
Christ is the cure. He has the power over sin and death. He is the answer to humanities biggest problem. And apart from Jesus, there is no hope.
Joseph wanted his brothers to see him for who he truly was. He was their real brother in the flesh who they thought was dead, but now they see him alive and reigning.
And by doing this Jospeh was making witnesses out of them, to win his father over.
He had already given them a message to tell his father, but a messenger was not nearly as convincing as a witness.
There is a difference in a witness and messenger!
A messenger spreads a message
Anyone with knowledge can be a messenger!
A saved person
A Lost people
Sinful people
People far from God
A messenger simply relays a message about God based on what they have learned
BUT A WITNESS tells people about their personal experience with God
They have gained their knowledge by experience!
They didn’t read about God in a commentary, or learn about Him in church!
A witness has had a real, personal, living encounter, with a real living God! They understand Him on a much deeper level.
Application
Do you know what happens to someone who witnesses Jesus?
They naturally go and tell others.
They go and testify to the world of what God has done in their lives!
They can tell the world what knowledge applied can do
They can take the teaching of Scripture and reveal to the world the fruit that it has bore in their lives!
Jesus said, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses”
What the church desperately needs today is more witnesses who have seen Jesus
They need people who behold the Son of God!
The church needs saints who can tell people from experience how to follow the Christ and live life abundantly
2) Do not be concerned with your stuff
2) Do not be concerned with your stuff
Genesis 45:16–20 (NASB95)
Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land.’ “Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. ‘Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”
Explanation
Pharoah gets in on the conversation and gives Joseph some advice to give to his brothers.
The advice is this:
Go to the land of Canaan
Get your family from the land of Canaan
And don’t concern yourself with all your stuff in the land of Canaan because the best of the land of Egypt is yours.
Bridge
Do you what holds so many of us back from the best things God has for us?
It’s our stuff
We get so attached to the material things of this world that we accumulate and we think departing from them is the worst thing hat could ever happen to us
We come to the beleif that our stuff is going to bring us deepest longings of our heart.
But the truth is we exchange real satisfaction in Jesus for second best: The goods of this world
Nice cars
Fancy Boats
Houses larger than what we need
Closets and attics full of things we never use
Garages full of stuff collecting dust
Don’t concern yourself with the things of this world.
That doesn’t mean we cannot own a house or have a nice car
It means these things must not be the priority in our lives.
We are not to live our lives in pursuit of stuff!
Collecting all that we can as if some prize will be given to us in the end.
The truth is, when we die, all our stuff really won’t matter. No matter how much money, how many things, how much land, how big our 401K, we leave it all behind
Look at what Pharaoh said again: Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours
If we can get this truth down deep in our hearts, we will experience a far better life than what this materialistic world can give
What God has is much better than what this world can give.
God has blessed me at times in my walk with him beyond measure.
And some of my years walking with Christ have been the most difficult financially. During my first pastorate, I had sold or tried to sell just about everything we owned including our house to keep our heads above water.
Here is what I can tell you: if your going to follow Jesus, you have to hold onto your stuff loosely
Don't ever allow yourself to come to the place where your stuff determines your spiritual direction.
Its ok to own stuff, but it’s not ok if our stuff owns us
Jesus said this Matthew 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
3) Let go of the past
3) Let go of the past
Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey. So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the journey.”
Explanation
The brothers are preparing to head back to the land of Canaan. Joseph has given them everythign that they need. Money, clothes, wagons, grain, bread, everything to make the journey. Then he gives them this advice: “Do not quarrel on the journey”
Why does Joseph expect these brothers to get in a fight after all of this?
Let’s try to imagine what that trip back to Canaan would have been like?
Reuben, can you believe Joseph is alive?
Judah, can you believe Joseph is ruling over the entire land of Egypt?
Do you remember that dream Joseph had when he was 17! It came true!
Reuben: I knew it was a bad idea to sell him as a slave! He is our own flash and blood! Now what are we going to tell our father??
Benjamin: why did you guys hold such a grudge against Joseph! what is going to happen when we come back to Egypt?
So what Joseph is really saying is this: put all that past behind you and look forward to your new life with me.
Don’t fight and argue over things you cannot change!
Don’t let the things of the past which have already happened, cause divisions in our family again!
Move on! And move into the great things God has for you.
Bridge
One thing we cannot do, is come to Christ while holding onto to our old life.
The past has to die
Those friends that were part of your past have to go
Those places we used to hang around have to go
Those attitudes, habits, and lifestyles have to go!
Paul would say to us today, “THE OLD MAN MUST DIE BEFORE THE NEW MAN CAN TRULY LIVE”
Application
How do we let go of the past?
Know that your past sins are forgiven
Some of us hang onto that guilt that Jesus washed away with His blood Years ago! (and I think that was the reason Joseph said this to his brothers)
When we hold onto our last, we think bad about ourselves, we look down on ourselves, we remind ourselves of our past failures over and over
What we must do is remind ourselves of this promise: “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps 103:12)
The only condemnation that is in the Christian’s life is what we bring upon ourselves.
And we need to start living like Saints who have been washed and cleansed by the blood of Christ!
Do you know something: I do not care not one iota what you have done before Christ!
It does not matter to me at all!
Do you know why? Because that was in the old life! That was the old man! And the old man is dead!
THE CHURCH IS MOT CALLED TO LIVE IN THAT PAST GUILT!
We live today in victory, not in guilt, and if someone does not understand about you or I then they have missed Jesus altogether.
Look forward to the great things God has for you!
These brothers were going from near starvation and surviving on pistachios in Canaan, to eating high on the hog in the land of Egypt.
The guilt of what they did to Joseph had been put behind them.
Their very own brother was now lord over all of Egypt and truly loved them!
The future was bright for these brothers!
And so it is for every single follower of Jesus Christ today!
I may be speaking for myself here, but I can get myself down by determining my future by my past!
It is a difficult journey, but that does not mean it will be that way forever!
Joseph spent 12 years in the pit, but the best of his life was yet to come!
We need to be people who loook ahead in life, looking for the good things that God has for us!
Don’t live in your past failures and sufferings
Don’t determine your future by what you have experienced!
Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,”
4) The riches of Jesus in your life will convince the world to come to Jesus
4) The riches of Jesus in your life will convince the world to come to Jesus
Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Explanation
Notice that Jacob did not believe his sons when they brought the report about Joseph. Their word were not enough.
Joseph is not dead. I know you saw thr blood stained coat if Joseph. I know you heard the false report from us that he was killed by a wild animal.
But listen, Joseph is alive! He is now lord over all of Egypt and he has invited us to come and live with Him.
This is the message we preach!
When we go and knock on doors, this is the message that we tell people.
Jesus suffered, bled, and died, but now He is alive and wants us to live with Him
BUT JACOB WAS NOT CONVINCED. What was it that convinced Jacob? It was the wagon loads of Joseph’s best. (v 23) “To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey.
When Jacob saw the wagons arrive with his sons, he said, “It is enough”
Bridge
Do you know what is going to bring the people around us to Christ?
It when they begin to see the wagon loads of God’s grace in our lives.
When we live our lives in such a way that people cannot explain it apart from the hand of God.
Words are important, we must go and tell. But words are not enough. People need to see the evidence.
What does your life say to the world around you about God?
Does it point people to the supernatural?
Does it testify of God’s goodness and grace?
Does it convince the world that there really is riches in Christ Jesus?
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’”
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