[0:00] Can I have some boys and girls to the front for me, please? Some boys and girls to the front to help me with what we're going to do this morning. Great.
[0:14] Okay. Question for you. Okay, you don't need to put your hands up of this, okay? Just answer it in your head, okay? Do you own a Bible?
[0:25] Okay, so that's the first question. Do you own a... Come on, Naomi, you can come to the front as well. Do you own a Bible? Well done. Okay, so think about that. I wonder if you could...
[0:36] If you do have a Bible, if you know where it is, okay? If you were to go to your bedroom or to your house, would you know where the Bible is? Okay. Come on, Isaac, Luke, Joel, great.
[0:51] And, okay, second question. Don't need to put your hands up, just answer this in your heads. When was the last time you read your Bible? Okay? If you can find it.
[1:03] And it's in your house. This goes to all of you as well, okay? So you can't get away with it as well. When was the last time you read your Bible? And when you did read it last, if you can remember, did you understand what you read?
[1:17] Okay? Because reading the Bible is great, but it's no good if we don't understand what we read in the Bible. Because if we don't understand it, then we might as well read anything. Anything at all.
[1:27] And it doesn't make any difference to us. So, I've got a Bible verse here, and the first person who thinks they can read it, put your hand up.
[1:41] Anybody can read that? It's from the Bible. It may not be from your Bible, but it's from the Bible. Okay? Does anybody actually recognize what language that is? Go on then.
[1:54] No. Ha-ha! I got a Madagascar New Testament somebody gave me who's been there recently, but I didn't use it for this. No. Go on then. Not French.
[2:05] Okay. I'm not going to try and read it, because I think we can read it. Okay? But it's from a book in the Bible. If you see there, Jacoba. Chapter 1, verse 22.
[2:16] Jacoba. Okay? Hmm. It's Polish. All right? Polish. A few people in England, I think, probably be able to read that, but they're not here, unfortunately, this morning. Okay. What about this Bible verse?
[2:28] Who can read this one for me? Hmm. Okay. We can probably read it. Shall we ever try reading it? Yeah? Shall we try reading it?
[2:39] All of us are going to try and read it. Okay? It's going to be a bit noisy, but don't worry. Just try your best. Okay? Okay? Jacobo. Jacobo. Okay? Verse 122.
[3:04] So it's from the same part of the Bible, I think, because that's pretty similar, isn't it, to Jacobo. Jacobo. Okay? Any idea what that language is? Any idea?
[3:14] Languages. Not French. I can tell you that, Josh. What is it, Josh? Close? Begins with an S. Swahili. Okay.
[3:25] Swahili. Now, here's one that we may know. Some of us may know. I think probably this man at the piano will know. And some others might know what that language is.
[3:36] Okay? Some people who spend some time in that country. Okay? So, we won't read it, but basically that is Spanish. Santiago. Okay?
[3:47] So these are all the same parts of the Bible. All the same verses, but they're all different, aren't they? Because all around the world, people speak different languages. But the thing is, of course, that we need to understand.
[3:59] That's why it's so important and wonderful that we've had just recently some folk who work in Bible translation. Translating the Bible into a language that people can understand because there's thousands and thousands of languages, and thankfully, there's thousands and thousands of Bible translations, but not every single language in the world has a Bible in their language.
[4:19] So let's look at the last one together. Okay. We can read that, can't we? Yeah? Well, let's all read it out loud together. Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves.
[4:34] Do what it says. James chapter 1, verse 22. Okay? So when we read a Bible, it's no good us just reading it if we don't understand what it says.
[4:47] And if we understand what it says, then we need to do what it says. Okay? So even if we read it and understand it, say, yeah, I understand that. It's very simple. When you read the Bible, when you listen to it, don't deceive yourself.
[5:00] So people, some people read the Bible because it's an interesting book. Some people read the Bible because they want to look for things that they can find fault in it. Some people read the Bible because they like history.
[5:11] But as Christians, we need to read the Bible so that we do what it says. It's God's Word to us today about how we're to live our lives. And if we don't do what it says, the Bible says we're deceiving ourselves.
[5:25] We're making ourselves foolish, really. We're making ourselves foolish. And sometimes people think that that's all that's needed to read it. So let me ask you this, boys and girls, when you get home, find your Bible and find that verse for me.
[5:42] James chapter 1, verse 22. Okay? And read it. Okay? And then make sure you understand it. We're going to sing a song together now which is going to come up on the screen which is really a prayer which is saying, God, we want you to speak to us through the Bible.
[5:57] We want you to speak to us so we understand what it is that you're saying. And it's called Speak O Lord as we come to you. God's Word is our food. It encourages us. We need God to put it in our lives that it may shape and fashion us, change us to be the people God wants us to be.
[6:13] So we're going to stand where we are and I'm going to stand and sing this song together. Amen. with us.
[6:47] Amen. And then what's the best конczer of that?
[7:05] Are we noi? Are we now for real words? Superb, are we? Never. and fulfilling us for your purposes for your glory teach us Lord the obedience holy reverence to liberty testicles and our attitudes in the radiance of your purity cause our faith to rise cause our eyes to see your majestic love and your glory dear words of power that can never fail and the truth will bear power and believe seek our Lord and renew our lives help us grasp the light of your plans for us to return change from the dawn of time and the earth will end through eternity and my grace will stand on your promises and my faith will walk as you go with us speak our Lord till your church is built and the earth is filled with your glory can I add also a big thank you to the beach team there's not many of them left there's a few here for the two weeks and they wanted me to pass on especially a big thank you to those of you who baked cakes and provided them and brought them along and please continue to pray for those that they shared the gospel with and gave literature to and please do continue to pray for the other beach missions that are going on as well we'll do that in a moment or two and so we do thank God for that again can I encourage you please to come along at four this afternoon to Westcliffe just at the end of the road we've had the beach team with us the last two weeks so it's been great to have them they've been doing taking part in the meeting and they've been also doing some distributing and looking out for people to encourage to join us so we're going to need folk to be doing that as well and I know that a few of our folk will do that too but if you can help with that please and please just be there bring a chair if you've got one a fold up chair or bring a rug and the service is around about those who haven't been before the service is around about 45 minutes 50 minutes maybe and do pray for that we've had some very good and encouraging conversations in the past well let's turn together to the word of God and we're going to be reading from Genesis in chapter 50
[10:30] Genesis in chapter 50 the very last chapter in Genesis page 57 if you have one of the church Bibles page 57 and we're going to be reading about the very last years of the life of Joseph and thinking about particularly his last words but first of all we're going to read about what happened to his father his father was Jacob and his father Jacob died and Jacob had made special request to Joseph that he buries him back in Canaan and so verse 7 is where we're going to pick up the story verse 7 Genesis 50 verse 7 so Joseph went up to bury his father all Pharaoh's officials accompanied him the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen chariots and horsemen also went up with him it was a very large company when they reached the threshing floor of Attad near the Jordan they lamented loudly and bitterly and there Joseph observed a seven day period of mourning for his father when the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Attad they said the Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning that is why the place near the Jordan is called
[11:59] Abel Mizraim so Jacob's sons did as they had commanded them they carried him to the land of Canaan buried him in the cave in the field of Machphela near Mamre where Abraham had brought which Abraham had brought along with the field as a burial place for Ephron the Hittite after burying his father Joseph returned to Egypt together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father when Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead they said what if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did him so they sent word to Joseph saying your father left these instructions before he died this is what you are to say to Joseph I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father when their message came to Joseph sorry when their message came to him Joseph wept his brothers then came and threw themselves down before him we are your slaves they said but Joseph said to them don't be afraid am I in the place of God you intended to harm me but God intended for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives so then don't be afraid
[13:19] I will provide for you and your children and he reassured them and spoke kindly to them Joseph stayed in Egypt along with all his father's family he lived 110 years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children all the children of Machias son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees then Joseph said to his brothers I am about to die but God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said God will surely come to your aid and then you must carry my bones up from this place so Joseph died at the age of 110 and after they embalmed him he was placed in a coffin in Egypt well if you'd like to turn in your Bibles back to the passage we read from Genesis chapter 50 that's page 57 in the church
[14:19] Bibles if you've got one of those Genesis 50 that'll be helpful as we look at part of that passage together this morning there's something that I've been meaning to do for a long time and haven't got around to it yet perhaps you're the same something that people often say well you should have done it by now but I haven't and that's make a will don't come up to me after the service and say to me you should make a will okay everybody's told me I should I know I should do it I haven't got around to it and I should get around to it but have you made a will is the question have you made a will and what is it that you've left in your will what's your legacy who have you left it to and what have you left to them opera winfrey the famous talk show host from america has written her will and has written it to her pets if any of them outlive her they shall inherit wait for it 30 million dollars to make sure that they're suitably careful for the rest of their lives i wonder if you've made a will not for 30 million dollars but included your pets what's the legacy that you will leave behind what's the legacy that you will leave behind who will benefit from your life and your life's work now of course there are legacies other than financial legacies there are legacies that are to be left especially by the christian by the believer we are to leave spiritual legacies legacies which benefit others in a way which far outweighs whatever we can leave them financially far outweigh anything the richest person can leave to their children we have a legacy to leave legacies spoken about quite a bit when the musicians
[16:17] David Bowie and Prince died earlier this year a lot of talk in the media about the legacy they'd left to the world in their music the people of God have always left a legacy you will leave a legacy if you're a christian and even if you're not a christian you'll leave a legacy to your children you leave a legacy to your grandchildren you leave a legacy to others who follow on behind you in this world our legacy is spiritual and it comes from the gift of a faithful life which increases and encourages the faith of others so that again as christians we leave a spiritual legacy the gift of a faithful life which increases the faith of others hebrews chapter 11 is really just that it's a chapter all about the legacy of god's people in the old testament left to the believers in the new testament hebrews 11 speaks about them having faith in good times and bad speaks about them having a faith which was living which increased and grew and developed throughout their lives and one of the people who is mentioned in hebrews 11 who is an example to us a supreme example of a faith life is that of joseph here's what the writer to hebrews says concerning him don't need to turn there but it's in verse 22 of hebrews 11 by faith joseph when his end was near spoke about the exodus of the israelites from egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones telling us the last will and testament of joseph the testament to his children and testament to those who followed him the testament and will ultimately to us today and of course that's exactly what we read didn't we in chapter 50 of genesis we read there his words which the writer of the hebrews just summed up for us i'm about to die said joseph to his brothers but god will surely come to your aid take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to abraham isaac and jacob it's a wonderful declaration of joseph's faith as he repeatedly assures his family and all those who put their faith in god god will surely certainly definitely come to your aid god will help you here's a faith which is certain here's a faith which is standing on the edge of the precipice of death but is not moved not quaking not fearful not if not maybe but certain god will surely it's not that vague type of faith so often spoken of at a funeral they're in a better place at least they're not in pain anymore so many of those statements of hope are empty nothing definite they're like crossed fingers type of faith touch wood faith there's nothing real nothing certain nothing dependable but joseph left a legacy a will for those who came after him what about you and me what legacy will you leave behind you is it like that is it a legacy of certain real confident faith or is it not and if we're honest and if we can say well my legacy up to this point in my life has not been one like joseph's then how can i write out my will in the remainder of my life how can i write out my legacy in the
[20:17] coming days to those who will follow me well what is the legacy what is it that joseph leaves us what is the first part there's two parts to this spiritual legacy that he leaves the first is this the legacy of declaring god's faithfulness god's faithfulness god will surely come he says it twice first in verse 24 and then later on verse 25 joseph made the israelites swear an oath and said god will surely come to your aid how could he be so certain how could he be so sure that god would be faithful to come to the help of the israelites who were where they were at this time what's the ground of this faith because this is the problem isn't it with touch wood faith and cross fingers faith there's no foundation it has no reality the faith that says they're in a better place it's all hopeful it's wishful it's it's vapor in the sky it's nothing solid could joseph's faith and the christian's faith be like that it's just hope it's just wishful thinking it's just clinging on to to uh to some sort of empty dream no it's not see joseph's certainty joseph's faith was grounded upon the promises of god the promises of god god will surely come to you verse 24 and aid you and take you out of this place to the land he promised on oath to abraham isaac and jacob it's not because joseph had a dream you know things are going to be well or joseph had some sort of idea i'm going to leave them a really encouraging message it's probably not true but i'll just leave it no he knew that it was true because it was grounded upon the word of god the promises that god had made to abraham to isaac and to jacob and that promise is found in genesis 15 where god meets with abraham and makes a covenant with him this wonderful covenant in which his children were included and blessed as well but he says to abraham verse 13 of genesis 15 then the lord said to him know for certain that for 400 years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own that they will be enslaved and ill-treated there this is many hundreds of years before joseph speaks but i will punish that nation they serve as slaves and afterwards they will come out with great possession there's the promise of god given to abraham given to his children given to his descendants given to those who put their faith in him abraham passed that promise on to isaac his son isaac passed that promise and told it to jacob his son and clearly before his death jacob passed that promise on and told joseph too and the amazing thing is this that joseph believed it he was told that god had said to abraham he believed it and that's the foundation of truth which we find throughout the whole of the bible that faith must be founded upon scripture faith must be founded upon god's word true faith trusts god for what he says he will do this is what is true concern in the gospel those who put their faith in jesus as their savior romans in chapter 10 verse 17 faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of christ that's why it's imperative that we do what we're doing this afternoon it's imperative that folk are going to the nursing homes it's imperative that we do children's work it's imperative that we have the food bank it's imperative that you and i live our lives in such a way that we proclaim to people the word of the message of christ because without the word of the message of christ faith cannot come that's the principle people hear the message and they say that's the whole of the pattern of scripture it's a whole of pattern of church history that's the truth but how will they hear unless
[24:19] we speak faith is never independent of god's word it acts upon god's word when it hears it it accepts it as true and faithful even when it doesn't see it completely fulfilled so joseph speaks firstly and fallen asleep because he's heard the promise of god he's heard god's word that's why it's so important for us we know the word we read the word we live the word we eat the word but that's not the only reason why joseph was able to have faith that's enough but joseph had more reason to be certain he had reason to be certain of god that he would come to their aid because of his own experiences of god's faithfulness he could declare the faithfulness of god not only that he would keep his promise but that he had kept his promise in his own life he knew god would come to their aid and fulfill his promises because that's exactly what happened to joseph throughout his life that god came to his aid and fulfilled his promises to him those promises he received in the dreams that he received from god back in chapter 37 remember the story of joseph that young boy teenage boy sent by his father he'd been given dreams by god dreams that he his father and his mother and his brothers would bow down to him that somehow he would be revered his brothers of course took exception to his dreams and they hated him for it and so they determined to kill him so when they had chance they grabbed him and they put him in a cistern in a well in a great hole in the ground thinking about how they were going to kill him and what they were going to do with him but wonderfully amazingly god came to his aid at that time along came some traders they came and they and so what happened was this in chapter 37 the brothers decided when the
[26:17] Midianite merchants came by they pulled joseph up out the cistern and sold him for 20 shekels of silver to the ishmaelites who took him to egypt brothers were bent upon killing him but here come these traders by chance and they sell him on let's make a bit of money let's not kill him he's our brother after all he's saved he's rescued that's not quite the rescue of course that joseph would have liked i'm sure at the time being sold into slavery but it was god's doing nonetheless it was god coming to his aid nonetheless even though it wasn't that he was completely free from all trouble he was at least delivered from death at that time god came to his aid he could see that now dear friends we mustn't despise the way that god chooses to work in our lives god doesn't have to do it the way we think it should be done to bring us out of trouble or difficulty he doesn't have to work things in such a way that suddenly we go from from near death to be suddenly everything is well and sweet and lovely again he can bring us through his own way but the reality is that god is at work god is protecting god is keeping and now when we get to chapter 39 joseph's a slave in egypt it's not marvelous it's wonderful but not wonderful but it's not bad he's the the head of the household of potiphar he's got a position of importance he's you know he's a slave he's not treated too badly but then what happens is that he's accused of a serious crime potiphar's wife accuses him of attempting to attack her and he's in prison it's gone for worse hasn't it suddenly things were looking better but then they've gone bad again but even in prison god has not left him god comes to his aid god alleviates him in that very difficult position because we read this while joseph was there in the prison the lord was with him and the warden showed him favor and he made him responsible for all the prison so again he's lifted up and listen to this because the lord was with joseph and he gave him success in whatever he did yes he's still in prison but it could be much much worse see the wonderful thing is this god's faithfulness to us is not just that he delivers us out of trouble but actually that he sustains us in trouble that's just as much the work of god we often think if lord if you change the situation took me out of this problem took me out of this heartbreaking situation if you removed it and placed me in that place where i could be happy again that would that would be a sure sign of your faithfulness no says god in the midst of that i will sustain you in the midst of that i will keep you in the midst of that i will bless you strengthen you and cause you to succeed that is just as much in one sense even more so the grace and the power and the goodness of god don't forget that dear friends in the prison the lord is with him you may still feel yourself to be in something of the cell you may feel yourself to be cramped in as it were locked into a particular situation in life which you would love to see changed and transformed you would love it to be different you love it to be utterly turned around but dear friends the promise is that the lord is with you in that cell and the promise is the lord is there to bless you because the lord was with joseph gave him success in whatever he did he hadn't left the prison but god blessed him in it joseph knew that god was faithful even in the prison and then what happens is that there is some company given to joseph the cup bearer to the king and the baker to the king they get into trouble and they end up in in prison and then they have these very strange dreams joseph interprets those dreams for them and tells them what they mean and those dreams come true one dies and one is restored to his position and
[30:18] joseph says to the butler who's restored don't forget me put a good word in for me to the king so that i can get out as well but of course the butler forgets and he doesn't remember joseph two years he's still waiting two years he's still looking and trusting until at last god comes to his aid and springs him from that prison he the king has a dream joseph the butler rather remembers joseph could interpret dreams so he gets he gets joseph and says look interpret the king's dream he interprets a king's dream and he's set free he's not just set free he's made the prime minister of the whole of the country and he's elevated to a place where he is able to prevent a famine from destroying the people and many thousands tens of thousands of people are saved as he as he stores the wheat and prepares for the famine you see joseph through his life through the ups and the downs and the ups again and the downs again and the ups again all the way through he saw and recognized the faithfulness of god and he trusted in the faithfulness of god and he was able to say now as i face death i know that god is faithful to you as well and that's the lovely thing that you and i have dear friends as christians we have the word of god that's wonderful and marvelous and that's upon which we base our faith but as we seek to witness and to live for people in this world we're able to say to them i know that this is true not only because i know that it is true because i know that it works and that does work and my life is a testimony to that is that your legacy and mine in the ups and the downs of life we have constantly declared the faithfulness of god when things have not gone well when things have been difficult when we've been in the prison cell and we don't seem to find a way out are we still those dear friends we're saying god is faithful the situation may be difficult but god is faithful i'm finding this tough but god is faithful isn't that what the world around about us needs to hear isn't that what men and women who are who are struggling who are who are lost who are who are facing all the things the heartache that we face isn't that what they need to hear that there is hope and it's hope in the person of the living god have we got that testimony and the other thing is this then dear friends if we have that testimony if you and i are able to look back over our lives and we all can i'm sure as christians and say yes i can see where the lord brought me out of that and led me into this and i can see how through that difficulty the lord was with me and he never abandoned me and i can see that being even here this morning is a testimony to god's faithfulness why is it then that you and i doubt him when things start to go pear-shaped why is it that you and i begin to doubt him when we start to feel ourselves going back down the slope to the valley when he's proved himself well because we're faulting and failing because we're sinful and we're weak but we shouldn't doubt him should we we should trust him for his faithfulness so joseph's first spiritual legacy the legacy that he left and the legacy dear friends that i i call upon us me and you to leave is to declare the faithfulness of god the second legacy that he left which we find in his second part of his uh words his will as it were concern the declare his declaring the need to persevere in trusting god the need for perseverance in trusting god those are joseph says he doesn't just say to them the lord god will surely come to your aid and take you up from this place verse 25 tells he swears them an oath god will surely come up to you and aid you and then you must carry my bones up from this place it's a strange thing to ask isn't it you must take my bones from here you must take my my my coffin literally from here
[34:18] he gives instructions that he's not to be buried in egypt but he's taken with god's people and to the promised land that god will take them to that's a great act of faith great act of faith in one sense in saying i know it will happen and i'm leaving my bones in one sense unburied as a sign and a truth that this will happen and you've got to keep trusting god until that day he wants to instill faith into those around about him now he was the prime minister and the hero of egypt joseph was the main man he was the one that everybody thought was the greatest he was you know he was the pin-up on the wall he was what every young boy aspired to be he could have a massive monument couldn't he in egypt he could he could probably have a pyramid if he'd wanted to like the pharaohs had because he was so important he could have had any number of honors given to him but in spite of living for 90 years or so in egypt his heart wasn't there his heart was in that promised land that god had promised the people of god years before his heart was there in what was yet to can the fulfillment of god's faithfulness his heart was in the the real home for god's people and so he died in faith looking for that home he died in faith expecting that god would take him there one day even if it was his corpse even if it was just his remains he believed god would take him there he had such faith like all those who went before him like abraham isaac and jacob this is what the author of the hebrews says concerning them all these people were still living by faith when they died they didn't receive the things promised they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance they were persevering in their faith they were continually trusting god joseph was doing the same he was looking forward looking forward and he was encouraging those believers who were following him those people of god continue to trust god persevere with god how could he do that how could he have such faith as he stands at the edge of death as he's about to die as the promise that he believes has not been fulfilled and yet he still believes it and trusts it how can he have such faith how can we have such faith not only in the word of god but also in our experiences how can we have such faith well one of the commentators on this part of genesis a man called james montgomery voice who himself is in heaven and reached his reward he writes this concerning joseph he says if we're to have a faith like joseph then the invisible must always be in our thoughts the invisible must always be in our thoughts if we don't fill our minds with spiritual realities then secular and earthly dreams will take their place our horizons will shrink as we see that the whole of life is just dependent upon the here and now what we touch and see and feel and what we hope for what we trust and what we believe in those invisible realities will fade away and we'll lose sight of them and isn't that the case sadly in our day today isn't that the case not only in the world but isn't that the case for many of us as christians as well our life is more taken up with the thoughts of the things of now and here than with the things of what will yet be that are promised and certain and sure we lose hope we lose confidence we lose joy in our lord because what we are thinking about and what we are worrying about what we're concerned about is just here and now we don't see that the promise of god is yet to come and will come this is what paul tells the believers in colossi and us as well since then you've been raised with christ set your hearts on things above where christ is seated at the right hand of god set your minds on things above not on earthly things when we set our minds on earthly things we become
[38:20] discouraged we set our minds on just the here and now we lose sight of what is the treasure what is the goal like those olympic athletes as they were training month after month week after week day after day hour after hour they could have said this is just too painful i'm just not going to put up with it anymore i'm not going to have the sacrifices i'm going to have a great big fat carry in a beer they didn't because they saw the goal they weren't there yet they hadn't crossed the line yet they hadn't won the goal but they saw it and they visioned it and it drove them and motivate them to persevere and dear friends that's what we must do what is it that you think about most of all what is it that's in your thoughts do you think about what christ has done for you do you meditate upon the spiritual realities of who you are in the lord jesus christ a forgiven sinner a child of god a soul that is rescued and redeemed do you see and recognize his invisible hand in every part of your life in the things that are going on the things that he's doing dear friends that's how we should be of course we have to pay the bills of course we have to get on with the things of life but what is our heart set upon what is our goal what is our desire where's our gold medal and so he says as well does uh james montgomery boyce not only are we to have those thoughts and think about those things but he says also the invisible must be in our prayers must be in our prayers remember jesus's prayer what did he teach us to pray our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven spiritual and invisible realities weren't they yes we're to pray forgive us our daily bread forgive us our sins but apart from the bread everything else is a spiritual thing isn't it whether it's deliverance from satan whether it's lead us not into temptation your will be done spiritual things that's what we're to be praying for here's the question again to my heart and yours what do we spend most of our time praying for is it material is it spiritual to pray about my work pray about my money pray about a rise pray about my car pray about my building pray about my health is it for holiness for godliness for christlikeness for souls to be saved for men and women to be born again for the gospel to go out for the church to be built give us this day our daily bread that's one small part your will be done your kingdom come lead us not into temptation deliver us from evil see joke joseph could quite easily been buried in canaan didn't he we've seen that we thought of that but he could have been he could have been sorry we thought he could be buried in egypt but he could have been like his father buried in canaan there and then he could have said okay when i die do what you did with my dad send me back to canaan that's where my heart is that's where my longing is that's where i want to be i want to be there but no he had a greater concern for the legacy that he left to those who would follow him he wanted them to be encouraged to continue to persevere and press on trusting god until that day came when he fulfilled his promise when at last the people of god left egypt they did take his bones with them exodus 13 moses took the bones of joseph with him because joseph had made the sons of israel swear an oath it said god will surely come to your aid then you must carry my bones up with you from this place they had remembered the promise that they had made to joseph 300 years they hadn't forgotten it they hadn't forgotten what he'd said they hadn't forgotten his legacy that he said look god's going to come to your aid take my body when it came to the time they were coming they remembered what he'd promised remembered what he'd said and they did it
[42:23] 300 years of legacy 300 years of them hoping 300 years of them praying 300 years of them trusting 300 years then looking to god and along the way yes they lost their way and along the way things all went wrong along the way things were difficult until eventually god raised up moses what will you and i will be remembered for dear friends when we die will we be remembered for our faith in god will we be remembered for our perseverance in trusting him for his promises will we be an inspiration to believers who follow us will we be an inspiration to others that they should believe and trust god to our children to our grandchildren to others apostle peter as he drew near to the end of his life knowing that he would die soon wrote his two letters in his second letter he writes about his great desire to leave a legacy for those who would follow him he writes this i know that i will soon sorry i think it is right to refresh your memory as long as i live in the tent of this body because i know that i will soon put it aside as our lord jesus christ has made clear to me and i will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things he had a legacy to leave dear friends will we let's pray together we thank you oh lord our god for those who've gone before us who've left us an example to follow we thank you for those men and women of god in the scriptures as men and women of god in church history as men and women of god in our own lives perhaps they were our parents or grandparents perhaps they were our sunday school teachers perhaps they were just people that we knew and met lord we thank you for the legacy that they left us of faithfulness of perseverance lord we come to you and ask that you would make our lives to be living testimonies living wills to those who will succeed us that in our lives so lord our children and grandchildren and others may see that we declare god's faithfulness and that we urge them and encourage them to persevere in trusting him lord we pray that you would so help us to be faithful in that testimony we confess that we are faltering lord we all hang our heads in shame and realize that as parents and grandparents and as christians so often we've said things and done things which lord have been counterproductive have worked against building up and encouraging faith oh lord forgive us we know we shall never be perfect we ask oh lord that in spite of our imperfections our sins and failings the lord just like joseph and others as well our lives may be lived today and oh lord will have effect tomorrow so lord hear us work in us determine us oh lord to persevere in these things and give us your holy spirit's help for we ask it all in jesus name amen