The Faithful God
2 Samuel 7:1-29 | We can endure faithfully by clinging to the character and promises of our perfectly faithful God.
The Faithful God
2 Samuel 7:1-29
We can endure faithfully by clinging to the character and promises of our perfectly faithful God.
I. God’s Word
1. Presence (2 Samuel 7:4-7)
2. Promise (2 Samuel 7:8-17)
II. David’s Response
1. Praise (2 Samuel 7:18-24)
2. Prayer (2 Samuel 7:25-29)
We can endure faithfully by clinging to the character and promises of our perfectly faithful God.
Faith & The Victorious Defeat
Hebrews 11:32-34 & Judges 16:4-6, 18-30 | God has faithfully provided salvation for us through one man’s victorious defeat.
Faith & The Victorious Defeat
Hebrews 11:32-34 & Judges 16:4-6, 18-30
Main Idea: God has faithfully provided salvation for us through one man’s victorious defeat.
I. A Problematic Judge (16:4-6, 18-21)
Samson, the final judge of Israel, was to be a Nazirite “from the womb to the day of his death” (Jdg. 13:7). A Nazarite vow (Num. 6) meant an individual was consecrated & set apart for the Lord & included:
Abstaining from drinks from the “vine”
Avoiding contact with the dead
Growing out hair for the length of the vow
Samson was as weak morally as he was as strong physically. When he is not saving Israel, he is being Israel; he constantly does “what is right in his own eyes,” is driven by the “lust of the flesh and the pride of life” (cf. 1 Jn. 2:16), and continually disregards his Nazirite vow.
Samson foolishly leads Delilah closer and closer to the secret of his strength until it is too late; he has been so seduced in his sin that “he did not know that the Lord had left him” (16:20). His sin ends up blinding and binding him, which is always the trajectory of sin unchecked.
The life of enduring faith acknowledges the seductive nature of sin, sees the end result, & turns away in repentance from it’s devastating consequences.
II. A Promise-Keeping God (16:22-27)
Despite the sin of Samson, his presumption of strength & God’s favor, and his disregard for his Nazarite vow - “the hair of his head began to grow again” (16:22). This important for 2 reasons:
1. The Philistines are Foolish
They assume that they have conquered Israel’s mighty champion & that Dagon, their ‘god,’ has delivered him into their hands. They do not consider what Samson’s hair represents about his relationship with God
Isaiah 42:8: “I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.”
2. The Lord is Faithful
Samson’s hair growing back is a reminder of God’s grace that always runs deeper than we can imagine. Underneath all of the rebellion of Israel & the sin of Samson, the Lord remains faithful at every turn to his promises and his people.
“[The Philistines] knew nothing of the God who does the unexpected, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, and who never breaks his word. [They did not know] that God had said years before that Samson would be a Nazirite ‘to the day of his death’ (13:7). His abandonment of his servant at the time of his capture could not but be temporary. The promise was bound to hold, however Samson might despise it. There is grace abounding to the chief of sinners.” ~ Michael Wilcock
God’s faithful plans are not thwarted by the sinful actions of his judge nor the sinful contentment of his people. He will “never break his covenant” (Jdg. 2:1) and even “if we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Tim. 2:13).
III. A Prophetic Death (16:28-30)
The mighty Samson has been humbled and humiliated in this final scene of his life; he is doing the work of a woman or a slave (grinding flour), is blinded, and is being brought out for mockery & entertainment. But in this state of weakness, Samson exercises faith for maybe the first time.
“The Samson narrative begins with a strong man who is revealed to be weak, but it ends with a weak man who is stronger than he ever was before” ~ David Jackman
Despite his massive flaws, perhaps no other single OT figure sets the stage for Christ as Samson does. Consider their striking similarities:
Births are announced by angels & miraculous
They are both rejected & handed over by their own people
Experienced betrayal by someone they loved
Were put on display for entertainment & asked to perform
Acted as saviors alone
They both up crushing their enemies in a victorious defeat
Faith & Weakness
Hebrews 11:32-34 & Judges 6:1-16 | The way of enduring faith is the way of weakness.
Faith & Weakness
Hebrews 11:32-34 & Judges 6:1-16
Main Idea: The way of enduring faith is the way of weakness
I. Asking the Wrong Question (6:1-10)
The “Judges Cycle” begins again with the people of Israel sinning & undergoing oppression from the Midianites. They devoured their crops and livestock and left them “with no sustenance” (6:4) to eat or sell for economic gain. They are starving and forced to hide out in caves, being brought “very low” (6:6).
The people of Israel cry out for a deliverer, but God sends them a prophet; they want a savior, but he sends them a sermon. This prophet is a rebuke to the Isrealites that before they cry out for deliverance from their circumstances, they ought to be asking: “Why are we here in the first place?”
There are two issues that the people of Israel are missing:
They have regret, but not repentance (cf. 2 Cor. 7:10)
They see no issue with their “worship” of God combined with idolatry
II. Assuming the Wrong Reality (6:11-13)
Before the people “listen” (6:10) or truly repent, God sends an “Angel of the Lord” to Gideon. Even though he is hiding out in a hole in fear, he greets him as “O mighty man of valor.” This is how the Lord works: he names us & then he conforms us to that name
Abram & Sarai become Abraham (father of a multitude) & Sarah (princess)
Jacob (liar & deceiver) becomes Israel (he strives with God)
Simon becomes Peter (rock)
We become “citizens and saints,” adopted sons & daughters, & “co-heirs” with Christ
Gideon assumes that the circumstance & the situation that the Israelites find themselves in means that God is not with them. He is assuming that they are forsaken since they are suffering & facing hardship. Likewise, we often believe a sort of “pseudo-prosperity gospel.”
We often cry out “Lord, please remove this problem” rather than praying: “Lord, please make me the kind of person of character who can handle this problem.”
III. Accepting Our Weakness (6:14-16)
Gideon assumes his weakness & his “smallness” are an obstacle for God’s work in his life, failing to realize that his weakness is actually a conduit for the Lord’s grace and power.
“Everything that Gideon needs is supplied in this brief statement: ‘But I will be with you’… Basically, God has nothing else or more to offer you. You can go through a lot with that promise. It does not answer your questions about details. It only provides the essential. Nothing about when or how or where or why. Only the what, or, better, the Who. ‘But I will be with you.’ And that is enough.” ~ Dale Ralph Davis
2 Corinthians 12:7-10: So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
By the end of his life, Gideon is a mixed bag of faithful moments along with devastating sin. Gideon is ultimately an imperfect, broken, picture of what we all really need in Christ. Jesus came to us in weakness and embraced our weakness as his own on the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (Heb. 12:2).
Faith & God's Deliverance
Faith and God’s Deliverance
Main Idea: Faith embraces God’s surprising deliverance on our behalf & gives glory to him alone.
I. Our Problem Again (4:1-3)
Judges takes place between the Exodus & the beginning of the Monarchy in Israel. It tells of the devastating downward spiral of God’s people into greater & greater unfaithfulness. God raised up “judges” to be military leaders & deliverers to rescue the people from the consequences of their sin.
The key verse in Judges (4x): “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”
The Judges Cycle:
Sin & False Worship
Oppression
Crying out for Help
God Raises up a Judge
Peace
Like the people of Israel, we too turn back sin “again” because there is a promise of comfort, control, security, and predictability. Idol worship is an attempt to control and manipulate ‘god’ to what we really want and what is “right in our own eyes.”
“An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” ~ Tim Keller
The oppression in the book of Judges is a physical picture of a spiritual reality that is true for everyone: “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)
II. God’s Glory Alone (4:4-10)
The book of Judges reminds us over and over again that God’s grace is relentless toward the undeserving. He hears the cries of his people & raises us two people to lead them out of their bondage:
Deborah: prophetess & judge over Israel; the people came to her in order to settle disputes and for wisdom & guidance
Barak: called by God to lead the people in military victory over Sisera & his mighty army. Barak, however, wants assurance that Deborah will join him for this military conquest (4:8)
“What are we witnessing when Barak refuses to set out without this woman? Not cowardice – but faith: faith, that is, which is the glorious combination of a humble confession of his own inadequacy and a sure confidence in the grace of God.” ~ Michael Wilcock
Barak is the one who ultimately shows up in Hebrews 11 as acting in faith; he believes the word of the Lord, as communicated through Deborah, and is willing to lead a seemingly impossible military conquest where he will not receive the glory & where God will deliver his people in a surprising and unexpected way.
III. God’s Victory Accomplished (4:11-16)
The book of Judges reminds us that God is sovereignly in control, no matter what it might look like and even if we have a hard time seeing it. The victory of Sisera shows us this reality.
A seemingly random “re-location” (4:11) is going to led to the death of Sisera (4:17-22)
Deborah instructs Barak to go down from Mt. Tabor, down from their strategic advantage, to the chariots because “the Lord goes out before you” (4:14)
The Lord “routed” the Canaanites and they are defeated before Israel; Judges 5, a song of worship reflecting on this victory, tells us that God brought about a massive thunderstorm (5:4-5) & that the waters of the Kidron river became a flash flood (5:20-21)
Hebrews 11:33-34: “... who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises … were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”
The unexpected & surprising victory of God is meant to showcase his glory & to call his people out of their sin into an enduring faith. Since we also have been delivered in an unexpected & surprising way (the cross of Christ) from an even greater enemy (sin, death, evil, and Satan) to an even better victory, we are invited to turn to God in an enduring faith and repentance.
“Deborah sang concerning the overthrow of Israel’s enemies, and the deliverance given to the tribes: we have a far richer theme for music; we have been delivered from worse enemies and saved by a greater salvation. Let our gratitude be deeper; let our song be more jubilant. Glory be unto God, we can say that our sins, which were like mighty hosts, have been swept away, not by that ancient river, the river Kishon, but by streams which flowed from Jesus’ side. Our great enemy has been overcome, and his head is broken. Not Sisera, but Satan has been overthrown: the “seed of the woman has bruised his head” forever. We are now ransomed from the galling yoke; we walk at liberty through the power of the great Liberator, the Lord Jesus.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
Faith and the Faithful One
Heb 11:30-31; cf. Josh. 2:1-14, 6:15-17, 24-25 | Because God is faithful, we can and should exercise bold faith.
Faith and the Faithful One
Main Idea: Because God is faithful, we can and should exercise bold faith.
Joshua 2:9-11
[9] and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. [10] For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. [11] And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
God’s Faithfulness in the Past (What He’s said and what He’s done)
Moses and the Exodus
Our Opportunity in the Present (Trust in Him or trust in self)
The Responses of Jericho and Rahab
Jericho
Rahab
Plea for mercy,
Joshua 2:12-14
[12] Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign [13] that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” [14] And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
Romans 2:3-5
[3] Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? [4] Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? [5] But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
The Reality of the Situation
Romans 3:23
[23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23a
[23] For the wages of sin is death,
“When I had young children, I heard a report that moved me to tears, then rage. The previous morning, a father and his young daughter were in their yard when a car jumped the curb and struck the child. The driver was drunk and had just been released from jail for drunk driving the night before. It was his fifth arrest, so the law required substantial jail time. But the judged chose to ignore the law and a child died as a result. My initial grief shifted to anger at a judge who failed to do justice. There are great evils in this world. People do terrible things, sometimes for generations. Canaan did great evil and God stopped it.”
-The Gospel Coalition
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
By faith, will you today, not presume on the kindness of God and through faith repent and believe?
Faith & The Water
Hebrews 11:29 & Exodus 14:10-31 | Faith moves forward safely through judgment, trusting God’s sovereign plan & steadfast presence.
Faith & The Water
Hebrews 11:29 & Exodus 14:10-31
Main Idea: Faith moves forward safely through judgment, trusting God’s sovereign plan & steadfast presence.
I. Fear Not (14:13a)
As the people leave Egypt victoriously (Ex. 12:35-36) and defiantly (Ex. 14:8), God does not lead them out by the quickest or sensible route. Instead, he leads them to what seems like a horrible location and a “trap” with an impassable sea in front & an unstoppable army behind.
Why is God leading his people to this place?
To showcase his power & his glory (14:4, 17-18, 31)
To work in the hearts of his people
“God will take you where you haven't intended to go in order to produce in you what you could not achieve on your own. It is uncomfortable grace, but it is still divine, tender grace.” ~ Paul Tripp
Moses, the mediator between God and his people, exhorts the Israelites to “fear not” in this impossible situation because he trusts God’s sovereign plan and his steadfast presence.
II. Stand Firm (14:13b)
In the face of these circumstances, the Israelites are tempted to turn back to Egypt & their bondage. This is the exact temptation of the recipients of Hebrews: the author is urging them “not to throw away their confidence” (Heb. 10:35) by turning back to Judaism; he reminds them that they are not those who “shrink back and are destroyed, but are those who have faith and preserve their souls” (Heb. 10:39).
“We are often tempted to do the same thing [as the Israelites]. God wants to bring us all the way out of our sins. Our problem is that we only come out part way. We decide to follow Christ, but as soon as we start having problems, we get scared and go right back to our old ways of coping... No matter how much we used to hate it, there was security in the way we used to live.” ~ Philip Ryken
Galatians 5:1: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
III. Be Silent (14:14)
Before faith can “go forward” it must be silent & still. In our hurried, busy culture, this posture feels foreign and uncomfortable to us but it is necessary to “see the salvation of the Lord” (14:13).
“I dare say you will think it a very easy thing to stand still, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. I find that marching and quick marching are much easier to God’s warriors than standing still. It is, perhaps, the first thing we learn in the drill of human armies, but it is one of the most difficult to learn under the Captain of our salvation.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
The command to “be still” is a call to remember who God is and who we are (cf. Ps. 46); the Israelites had a mistaken identity crisis here: they were spectators not soldiers (“The Lord will fight for you”). The same is true in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
IV. Go Forward (14:15; Heb. 11:29)
The call to “go forward” in faith meant:
1. Leaving behind the bondage of Egypt
2. Crossing through the waters by God’s grace
The Lord “flanks” his people with his presence as a guard and a guide: the angel and the pillar of cloud behind them, the “staff” of the shepherd in the front, and the “wind” (lit. ‘spirit’) driving back the waters as a wall on each side.
3. Passing from death to life
The waters are simultaneously a place of death and life; the waters of judgment crash down on the Egyptians, but by God’s sovereign grace and power, the Israelites walk across on dry land to new life. Their “baptism” into Moses (1 Cor. 10:2) prefigures our baptism into Christ.
The life of faith is a life of “going forward,” trusting that we have crossed from death to life because Jesus has gone through the “waters of judgment” (Mark 10:38) on our behalf and was raised victoriously from the grave three days later.
Faith & The Blood of the Lamb
Hebrews 11:28 & Exodus 12:1-14 | Faith trusts the blood & beholds the lamb as our only hope for salvation.
Faith & The Blood of the Lamb
Hebrews 11:28 & Exodus 12:1-14
Main Idea: Faith trusts the blood & beholds the lamb as our only hope for salvation.
I. Faith & The Passover
Pharoah refuses to let God’s people go even after 9 devastating plagues & warnings from the Lord. God gives warning of a final, horrible plague: “every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die” (Ex. 11:5).
Exodus 4:22–23: Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”
This haunting final plague is a reminder that sin is a serious offense before a holy & righteous God. Sin is not just something to “overlook” but is always associated with death itself, even from the Garden of Eden. Romans 6:23a: For the wages of sin is death…
For the Israelites, the Passover has massive significance from this moment forward; it becomes the paradigm for salvation in the Old Testament. It was so important that God instructs them to reorder their rendering of time itself around this event, allowing it to set the agenda (Ex. 12:1-2).
II. Faith & The Blood
Even though Israel is God’s chosen people, they are not exempt from the Destroyer & judgment. Judgment day will come for every single person (Heb. 9:27). There is no distinction between the “guilty” and the “innocent” ones; the only distinction is in the blood.
“The Israelites deserve the judgment of death just as much as the Egyptians. If this was simply a story of political liberation, then Israel would be the innocent victims. They wouldn’t need to fear judgment. But the truth is that they were sinners deserving of death. The Israelites had to daub the blood on the doorposts precisely because they were as guilty as the Egyptians... The blood is daubed around the doors not because God can’t tell who is inside the house, but because he can! He knows there are sinners inside” ~ Tim Chester
It was not Jewish blood that would save them from death, but only the blood of the lamb applied to their doorposts. The blood is:
Sacrificial: atonement is necessary to settle the debt of sin: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Heb 9:22b)
Substitutionary: applying the blood to the doorpost is an acknowledgement of sin & recognition that someone needed to die in my place
“The concept of substitution may be said to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone; God accepts penalties that belong to man alone.” ~ John Stott
In all of this, Passover & the blood are only a “sign” (Ex. 12:13) pointing forward to a greater reality: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). The “shadow” of Passover is ultimately seen in the “substance” of Jesus Christ.
III. Faith & The Lamb
The Israelites were instructed to keep this Passover meal as “a memorial day… a feast to the Lord throughout your generations, as a statute forever.” (Ex. 12:14) The coming of Christ and his own administration over the Passover meal at the Last Supper give us a continuing memorial today to participate in with faith.
The lamb is noticeably missing from the Last Supper with his disciples because Jesus is the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). Jesus, the firstborn of the Father, perfect, spotless one, is the Lamb of God who was slain as a sacrifice and substitute in our place (1 Cor. 5:7).
1 Peter 1:18-19: “… knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
If we want to endure in faith today, we must look backward to the sacrificial and subtitutionary death of Jesus, while we simultaneously look forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-10).
1 Corinthians 11:26: For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Faith & The Bigger Story
Heb. 11:22, Gen. 50:15-26 | Faith fights to see the bigger story God is writing while trusting his promises for the future.
Faith & The Bigger Story
Hebrews 11:22 | Genesis 50:15-26
Main Idea: Faith fights to see the bigger story God is writing while trusting his promises for the future
I. Faith & Forgiveness (Heb. 11:22a | Gen. 50:15-21)
Joseph’s brothers, motivated by their own guilt, ask for his forgiveness (again) after the death of their father Jacob. Joseph’s words & posture toward his undeserving brothers are a living picture of enduring faith.
His faith is seen in this offer of forgiveness in 4 ways:
1. He humbly refuses to take the place of God (50:19)
Romans 12:19: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
2. He honestly identifies sin as sin (50:20a)
3. He honors God’s sovereignty & faithfulness in the big story (50:20b)
Acts 2:22–23: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” ~ John Piper
4. He exhibits the heart of Christ (50:21)
Joseph uses his position of power & privilege to care for his brothers who are undeserving. It is better to view Joseph as a signpost to a greater reality rather than an example to follow.
“Each sentence of his threefold reply is a pinnacle of faith. To leave all the righting of one’s wrongs to God, to see his providence in man’s malice, and to repay evil not only with forgiveness but also with practical affection, are attitudes which [are] Christlike” ~ Derek Kidner
Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”
II. Faith & The Future (Heb. 11:22b | Gen. 50:22-26)
Joseph had many moments throughout his life that showcased his enduring faith, but the author of Hebrews emphasizes this end of life scene. This is a moment of defining faith for a few reasons:
He looks in faith to his true home & identity
Joseph had spent nearly his entire life in Egypt; he was second in command at the right hand of Pharaoh, saved their country from famine, took an Egyptain wife and had Egyptian children. Despite being fully immersed in Egyptian culture, Joseph knew this wasn’t his true home nor his true identity.
Hebrews 11:13–14, 16a: These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland... But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
He trusts the promises of God in faith
Joseph confidently spoke of the Exodus because he had full confidence that God would keep his promises that he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
“[Joseph’s] coffin was going to point subsequent generations forward, allowing them to recognize that the reason the coffin was being kept was not on account of some morbid interest in bones, but it was being kept in order that it may stand as a vital symbol to the provision of God in the past and to the prospect of a glorious deliverance in the future.” ~ Alistair Begg
He looks in faith to God’s coming
“God will surely visit you” (50:25) is the storyline of the Bible. Some 400 years after this moment, God does indeed visit his people in the Exodus from Egypt; some 1,500 years later, he visited his people in the incarnation of Jesus Christ; this creed is the same thing that those of faith still cling to today as we await the restoration of all things at the return of Christ.
Faith in the Face of Death
Hebrews 11:21 | We can face death full of faith by resting in the grace of God.
Faith in the Face of Death
Hebrews 11:21
MIS: We can face death full of faith by resting in the grace of God.
I. Dying by Faith (Hebrews 11:21, Genesis 47:29-30, 48:3,15)
Cropping God into His Past (48:3,15)
Recognizes God in the Present (47:29-30)
Cropping God into His Future (47:30, 48:21)
2. Blessing by Faith (Genesis 48:8-20)
1. Jacob’s Low Position (47:3-6)
2. Joseph’s High Position (48:1)
“Faith prefers grace to talent, and piety to cleverness; she lays her right hand where God lays it, and not where beauty of person or quickness of intellect would suggest. Our best child is that which God calls best; faith corrects reason and accepts the divine verdict.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Let the lowly brother boast in his exultation, and the rich in his humiliation.” (James 1:9)
3. God’s Riches (48:15-16)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:3)
3. Worshipping by Faith
Jacob’s Gratitude (48:11)
Jacob’s Dependence (48:15)
Jacob’s Testimony (48:3-4)
Jacob’s Posture (48:12)
How does the heal grabbing, selfish, lying, manipulating, hollow, cowardly, shallow, vain, hedonistic, calculating … man Jacob die, bless, and worship by faith?
By grace, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 9:11-23)
“By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.” Hebrews 11:21
“24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” (Genesis 32:24–30)
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)