In 1986, a Christian worker named Steve Saint was traveling through the country of Mali when his car broke down. Stranded and alone, Steve tried to rent a truck, despite warnings that he wouldn’t survive in the Sahara Desert. After he failed to find a truck, in his fear and discouragement, Steve’s thoughts ran to his father, Nate Saint, a former missionary in Ecuador. When Steve was only five, natives speared to death his dad and four other missionaries. Now, thirty years later, Steve found himself questioning his father’s death. Steve reflected, “I couldn’t help but think the murders were capricious, an accident of bad timing.”

When Steve asked some locals directions to a church, a few children led him to a tiny mud- brick house with a poster on the wall showing wounded hands covering a cross. A man in flowing robes introduced himself as Nouh Af Infa Yatara. Nouh started sharing with Steve about his faith in Christ. After becoming a Christian, his family disowned him. His mother even put a sorcerer’s poison in Nouh’s food at a family feast. He ate the food but suffered no ill effects.

When Steve asked Nouh why he was willing to pay such a steep price for following Christ, he simply said, “I know God loves me and I’ll live with him forever.” But Steve pressed, “Where did your courage come from?” Nouh explained that when he was young, a missionary gave him books about Christians who had suffered for their faith. Then he added, “My favorite was about five young men who risked their lives to take God’s good news to people in the jungles of Ecuador. The book said they let themselves be speared to death, even though they had guns and could have killed their attackers!”

Utterly shocked, Steve said, “One of those men was my father.” Now Nouh felt stunned. “Your father?” he exclaimed. Then Nouh told Steve that God had used the death of those five brave missionaries to help him, a young Muslim who had become a Christian, hold on to his faith.

God is in control. God works in all things, even in tragedy. Maybe we could say, especially in tragedy.

Today, let’s talk about Joseph and his faith. If you know Joseph from the Old Testament, he had quite a roller coaster ride. In Genesis chapter 37, it is written that Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. From seventeen to thirty years old, Joseph was in slavery and/or prison in Egypt (Genesis 37:2 and 41:46). After his imprisonment, he became second-in-command over all of Egypt, and God used him to rescue the people of Egypt and Israel. God preserved Israel through Joseph. 

Now, we come to the end of the book of Genesis and Joseph’s final recorded words. First, let’s read:

Hebrews 11:22 (ESV)

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Now, turn to:

Genesis 50:22–26 (ESV)

²² So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. ²³ And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. ²⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

My theme and application are that we can learn to trust God through Joseph.

What can we learn from Joseph’s faith and blessings?

1. God has visited us as Joseph said He would (verse 24).
   1. Do you see that in verse 24: ²⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
   2. This is the first time Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned together in this way. God promised the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they never saw its fulfillment. Now they are in Egypt. What are they to do? Joseph tells them that God will come to their aid and that they will leave Egypt. 
   3. We learn trust from Joseph. Joseph was essentially the Secretary of State of the nation of Egypt. He was highly revered. He could have trusted in Egypt, but he did not. Joseph still clung to God’s promises and had faith in the Promised Land.
   4. I think Joseph had his own royal chariot and cooks, and he was close to the Pharaoh, but he didn’t trust in that.
   5. God did come to their aid.
2. We can make an indirect application that God has come to our aid as well.
   1. God came to Israel’s aid some 430 years later and blessed the world through Jesus Christ.
   2. We can trust the same promise Joseph trusted.
   3. Remember: Immanuel: God with us (Matthew 1:23).
3. We have been redeemed.
   1. We are given the promise of the Promised Land, though we are not there yet. In Joseph’s context, the people had not yet been redeemed from slavery or given the Promised Land, yet Joseph prophesied this (verse 24).
   2. Sometimes we have promises, but we must wait for them.
   3. Joseph promised his brothers that they would go to the promised land, but they had to be patient.
   4. Now, they could wait patiently and comfortably because, at that point, the Pharaoh was friendly toward the Hebrews. Eventually, Exodus 1 tells us the Pharaoh was no longer friendly toward the Hebrews, but they still had to wait. 
   5. As they waited, we must wait patiently for Jesus’s coming Kingdom on earth. They waited; we must wait. We have a promise that Jesus is coming for us, as He came for the Hebrews. Right now, we are comfortable in the United States, but remember, this is not the Promised Land. Someday we may not be comfortable, and that will remind us that this is not the world God intended. It is coming. In other parts of the world, people are uncomfortable and persecuted for their faith. In other places, they are hungry and without food and clothing. Even in the U.S., some of these things are happening. This reminds us that this is not the world God intended. Remember, don’t forget, God is coming back for us through Jesus. This is not the Promised Land. 
   6. Joseph had faith that God would return for them, and so must we.
4. Look to the Kingdom.
   1. Although Joseph could have had an elaborate burial in Egypt, he chose the Promised Land.
   2. No matter what this world can offer us, we must look to the Kingdom of Heaven.
   3. Think of all that Joseph could have had in Egypt.
   4. You’ve seen the pyramids, right?
   5. I think he could have had that kind of burial. He could have been buried in a pyramid with gold. That is not what he chose. He chose the Promised Land.
   6. We must trust in God’s promises, not this world.
5. God is in control; we can trust Him.
   1. We can trust God’s promise as Joseph did.
   2. My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty. There’s nothing my God can’t do. We’ll come back to that. 
   3. When life is falling apart, as it was for Joseph, we can trust Him.
   4. When we care for elderly parents, we can trust God.
   5. When we lay family members and friends in the grave, we can have hope in the Resurrection and in life (John 11:25).
   6. When we care for sick children, we can trust God and look to a time without sickness (Rev. 21).
   7. When we don’t know where to turn, we can turn to God in prayer (James 5:16).
   8. When dealing with children and grandchildren who are constantly getting into trouble, we can hope in Jesus, who can turn lives around (2 Cor. 5:17 and 21).
   9. When you yourself are struggling with sin and addiction, you can turn to Jesus, who has promised to help (Matt. 11:28; John 4:14; 2 Cor. 5:17 and 21; Gal. 2:20). 
   10. When the world is falling apart and you are afraid to turn on the news, we can look forward to the Promised Land (Rev. 21).

Joseph faced hard times, but God was in control. We may face hard times, yet God is in control. Trust Him as Joseph did. Trust His promises.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do

The mountains are His, the rivers are His
The stars are His handiwork too
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do, hey, hey

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do
My God is so great, so strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do

Repeat after me: God is in control, God is in control.

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray