Revisiting the Past: Children’s Stories Today (Part VII)

Sermon Title: Revisiting the Past: Children’s Stories Today—What a Promise

Good News Statement: God Requests Us, Do We Keep Promises with God

Summary: God commended Joseph’s faith for the strangest reason – because Joseph “gave directions concerning his bones.” Seriously? Joseph’s faith was praised because of his funeral arrangements? What’s that all about, and what can it mean to us?

Preached: Sunday, July 21^st, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Hebrews 11:17-19 Today’s scripture reading focuses on the faith of Joseph, who was given a coat of many colors by his father, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, and who became the right-hand-man to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Through Joseph’s faith we witness the power of promises, and are reminded of the promises God has laid aside for us. Let’s read Hebrews Chapter Eleven, Verse Twenty-Two. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

Hebrews 11:22: By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

Genesis 50:25: So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.”

Exodus 13:19-22: And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, “God will surely come to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.” ²⁰ They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

The Word of God, for the People of God; And all God’s People said, “Thanks Be To God.”

 

 

Introduction:

Do you remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child? Were you taught about Adam and Eve? Did you read the accounts of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood? Were you in fascination of Daniel in the Lion’s Den? Were you caught up in the love story of Samson and Delilah? Did you ever find yourself wanting a technicolor coat like Joseph? Did you want to march around Jericho or use a sling-shot to take down giants? Did you want to build a basket and float down a river like Moses? Maybe you were curious about a tower that went by the name “Tower of Babel”? Perhaps, it was the story of Jonah and a whale that inspired you to dive into the Word of God? Or was it the story of Jesus feeding five-thousand people on the shores of Galilee with only two little fish and five loaves of bread? If you can’t remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child, maybe you have a favorite Bible Story that has helped you deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God.

If you are trying to remember some of those famous Bible Stories you may have learned or heard about as a child, let me jog your memory of a few. According to Dr. Oliver Tearle of Loughborough University, here are the top twelve stories of the Bible that many people have been raised on: “Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark and the Flood, The Tower of Babel, Moses in a basket, Moses parting the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, Jonah and the Whale, The Nativity Scene, The Raising of Lazarus, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.” There are many, many, more stories that probably come to mind, but these are the twelve most popular Bible stories that most of us can remember learning as a child. But, what do the stories of back then teach us today? When was the last time you revisited the first stories of your faith?

Over the span of the next few months—June, July, and August—we are going to explore some of these early childhood Bible Stories. As we explore these stories, each of you will be encouraged to think about the first time you heard that story and what that story means to you today. Dr. Tearle notes, in his article titled 12 of the Best Stories from the Bible Everyone Should Know, “The Bible contains many well-known stories, but how much do we know about them? And what are the best Bible stories everyone should know? Many people, even those raised in countries where Sunday school and religious assemblies are a mainstay of many children’s education, may find they’ve misremembered, or got the wrong impression about, some of the iconic tales from the Bible.”

So, what do you remember about some of those “iconic tales” from the Bible; and what about them today can help deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God as you strive to be the disciple and church Jesus needs you and us to be? We continue the journey by examining the promise of Joseph…

 

Body:

One day, a lady puts her kids to bed then goes into her room and prays to God. She prays, “Dear God, my husband just left me, he took everything, and I am unemployed, please help let me win the lottery! If you do, I promise to commit my life to you.” Two months later, after putting the kids to bed again, the lady asks God for help. So she prays, “Dear God, I’m about to lose my house and lose my car, please help me win the lottery! If you do, I promise to commit my life to you.” A few weeks went by, so the lady pleaded with God one final time. She prayed, “Dear God we are so very hungry, we are homeless, and we really need to win the lottery! If you let me win the lottery, I promise to commit my life to you.” Just then a light came down and right in front of her emerged God. Frustrated, God exclaimed, “Dear lady, I can’t help you if you don’t buy a ticket first!”

Have any of you ever made a promise? You promised someone you would be somewhere at a certain time; or you promised that you would buy this thing for someone; or you promised to no longer get mad or upset at the one you love. Have you ever broken a promise—you were unable to uphold your end of the bargain? What is a promise? A promise is when someone tells you they’re going to do something…and then they do it. Now a promise is about something that will happen later, as in, maybe, winning the lottery if you commit life to God.

Several years ago, I officiated a wedding that did something very unique but meaningful for the couple. Instead of lighting a unity candle, or combining different colored sands into a single jar, or intertwining three strands to form a cross as Emily and I did, this couple chose to make a promise to each other. But this was not just “some promise” stated through vows: this was a pinky promise. Before sealing the deal with vows, rings, and a kiss, the couple had chosen to demonstrate their promise to each other through the means of the most sacred of gestures known to humankind, the pinky promise. I don’t know too many couples that still use pinky promises as a legitimate foundation of trust, but from getting to know the couple, I wasn’t surprised by this chosen act of unity!

This is what a shared in the presence of their family and friends: “Through this sacred gesture, may the promise of your marriage by carried out and forever blessed by God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Know that from your pinky promise today, the two of you promise to practice a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. As 1 Peter 4:8 notes, ‘And above all things, maintain constant love for one another, for love bears all things.’ As you find yourselves sitting with each other for years to come, think back on this moment and remember what this pinky promise means to you: the linking of fingers, the combing of two lives into one, a touch that removes all fears and worry. ‘Tomorrow morning if you wake up, and the sun does not appear,’ the two of you will be there for each other. ‘If in the dark [you] lose sight of love’ hold each other’s hand and have no fear cause the two of you will be there for each other. When ‘you feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind, or ‘the laughter turns to crying’, the two of you will be there for each other because you have created a love that will never end. Together, you have promised to be there for each other” by the combing of two fingers.

I share this story with you, because as we think about our text today, it is important to realize that a promise is more than just something we do or say. A promise is a holy and sacred and consecrated obligation and commitment that you have chosen to fulfill. To fulfill a promise is to be like God as well as to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ: both God and Christ proclaimed a lot of promises by which they never broke. And from our text, we learn that we are called to make and keep promises with God so that we become His disciples on this earth. Have you ever made a pinky promise with God?

 

Movement One: Why Does Joseph Even Bother…

Our passage tells us that “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial” (Hebrews 11:22). When I first read that verse, I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I could think of at least three stories about Joseph that spoke of his faith that were far more exciting than Joseph making “funeral arrangements.” I could have talked about how Joseph’s faith helped him endure years of slavery; or how he survived unjust imprisonment for something he hadn’t done; or how he became a trusted advisor to the Pharaoh of Egypt and saved his own family from starvation. And let’s not forget about his coat of many colors that put him in those unforeseen predicaments. Those would have been impressive stories. Those would have been life-changing stories to talk about and to use to highlight the faith of Joseph, and how faith can be used to overcome unprecedented situations in our life. But God didn’t mention any of that here in Hebrews. Instead, He commended Joseph for his faith because he gave directions about how his bones were to be handled? What’s that all about? What kind of promise is Joseph demonstrating for us?

Whenever I work on a sermon, I ask questions of the text. And the first question that came to mind for this particular text was, “Why would Joseph even bother?” Why bother giving instructions about where his bones were buried. For whatever reason, it mattered to Joseph. (Just like it matters too many of you where your bones will be buried.) And it appears to have mattered not only to him but to the Israelites as well. Genesis 50:25 tells us, “So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, ‘When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.’” Exodus 13:19 tells us that when Israel left Egypt, “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him….” Then in Joshua 24:32 we’re told that, “As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt—they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph” (NIV). Furthermore, in the Book of Acts, Stephen preaches a sermon where he specifically mentions this story. He said, “Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem” (Acts 7:14-16, NIV). So…it was a big deal for Joseph to have his bones carried to the Promised Land! But that still doesn’t explain why it was such a big deal.

Well, Joseph answered that question in Genesis when he gave instructions about his body. He said “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore (promised) to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:24-26, NIV). But, why did Joseph want his bones moved?

Before I answer that question, let me remind you that in 1865, this very nation witnessed a similar task. According to history.com, “After dying from a bullet wound on April 15, 1865, president Abraham Lincoln was not permitted to rest in peace—not immediately at least. Even in death, the assassinated president was called upon to make one final sacrifice to the Union as his body was paraded across a grief-laden country in a funeral pageant that spanned nearly 1,700 miles and 400 cities” before finding rest in Springfield, Illinois.

The article continues, “As dawn broke over Washington, D.C., on April 21, the clopping of hooves broke the silence as horses drew the hearse carrying Lincoln’s black mahogany coffin from the U.S. Capitol, where it had spent the prior two nights lying in state, to the nearby Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station. Gripping the coffin’s silver handles, soldiers carried Lincoln’s body onto the presidential railroad car, which featured luxurious crimson silk upholstery and walnut and oak finishing. Consumed by war, Lincoln never had a chance to see the newly constructed railcar, let alone ride in it.” It was reported that “a half-million spectators—including six-year-old Theodore Roosevelt gazing down from a second-floor window in his family’s mansion in Manhattan—witnessed a massive procession in which 16 horses hauled an elaborate hearse decorated with patriotic imagery.”

“After a 24-hour public viewing in the Illinois state capitol, Lincoln’s coffin was finally closed on the morning of May 4^th, 1865. Following the burial ceremony at Oak Ridge Cemetery, which included an hour-long eulogy, the coffins of father and son were placed inside a limestone vault and the doors and iron grating shuttered. Nearly three weeks after he breathed his last, Lincoln was finally laid to rest.”[1]

So why would anyone, such as Abraham Lincoln and Joseph, choose to have their bones moved and avoid rest? From the perspective of Joseph, it was because of a promise. He wanted his bones moved because he believed the promises of God. God promised Israel that they would have the Promised Land. Now, from the day that Joseph was embalmed until his casket was buried in the Promised Land was about 400 years—a little more than three weeks. That’s a long time! How could Joseph possibly have believed that God would have made that happen? He believed that because he believed God would bring Israel back to the Promised Land…because that’s what God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants. And Joseph intended to claim that promise.

This promise was about not only entering the Promised Land but about being laid to rest where peace could be felt: this peace was a sign of being home. The Promised Land was where Joseph knew he could experience the greatest peace while feeling at home. President Abraham Lincoln’s body traveled 1,700 miles because Springfield was his home, his sense of peace. Furthermore, by commanding that his bones be moved to a place of peace, Joseph was declaring, “I intend to be part of the land that God promised. I intend to be at home with my people.” ….

And Joseph was commended for his faith not only because he believed the promise, but because he ACTED like someone who believed the promise. Now, here’s the deal…we are Christians—we serve a God of promises—and the Bible is filled with those promises. And God calls upon us to believe His promises, and to live our lives as those who believe in His promises… just like Joseph did with God’s promise centuries ago because God wants us to experience peace and to know that our home rests in is arms, with His people.

Paul said, “Since we have these promises… let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, NIV). In other words, we have great promises that should encourage us so that we end up living holy lives, so that the people around us will know we trust God. It’s through our faith by which promises are fulfilled. It’s through our faith that we are able to find peace and rest. It’s through our faith that we can call the place we live our home. It’s because of our faith that we can find the Promised Land. If Joseph understands this promise from God, then what is keeping us from believing in the promises that God has laid upon our hearts?

 

Movement Two: What Kind of Promises Do We Have?

The question we should answer now is, “What kind of promises do we have?”  Well, some of the promises AREN’T really encouraging. Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). John wrote, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:19, NIV). And Peter wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (I Peter 4:12-14, NIV). Some promises, right….

Now, granted that’s not exactly the kind of promises we want to hear, but God is being honest with us—Christianity isn’t always going to be an easy ride. And if we don’t recognize these painful and truthful promises—when life goes south—we’ll begin to wonder if there’s something wrong with US, or if there’s something wrong with God. These statements were God’s way of saying, we don’t belong here. This world is NOT our home, we’re just a-passing through until we find the Promised Land, a place of peace and rest. Our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. And because of that, this world can get kind of rough on us. But God promises, that when life gets hard He’s still there and He still cares. And He gives us promises that we can build our hopes on. “My hopes are built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” God gave us Jesus to take care of us to make sure that God’s promises for us are fulfilled.

The 23rd Psalm is a big one when it comes to understanding God’s promises for us: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God promises to be our shepherd, to be a rod and staff of comfort, to prepare a table for us, to anoint us and set us apart, to get us out of dark valleys, to restore our souls, to help us find rest in green pastures, to let us experience streams of living water, and to grant us goodness and mercy all of our days. God even promises to be with us forever. If you want to know what God promises you, then listen to words of King David: it’s all there.

There are other Old Testament scriptures that reinforce these promises from God. Isaiah 26:3 states, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.” If we trust in God, then God promises us perfect peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding. Isaiah 40:29-31 asserts, “He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted, but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” God promises us power and strength, and to renew our strength, and to help us not faint or grow weary. The author of Deuteronomy 31:8 notes, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God promises us that He is going before us—handling our challenges and removing our doubts—all while making sure He doesn’t leave us. These are strong promises and the best part is…is that they are coming from someone who doesn’t break promises.

Now if we fast forward a few hundred years, we hear about some of the promises set forth by Jesus Christ. Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus promises to be a source of comfort and peace; someone we can learn from; someone who has a humble and open heart; someone who grants us rest. Jesus also promised, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31-33, NIV). Jesus knows that we worry about things—that we are concerned about tomorrow—which is why he promises that through him there is no need to worry about tomorrow, that he promises to give you all that you need.

You may be asking yourself right now, “Do I deserve these promises? Why would God and Jesus promise these things to me if I can’t keep promises myself, if I have a tough time following their commands, or even if I keep falling short in the glory of God? Why do I deserve these promises?” The simple answer is: Because you matter. You matter to God. You matter to Jesus Christ. Even to this you might be asking, “Why do I matter?”

 

Movement Three: Why Do You Matter?

The Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Rome, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 2:28, NIV). And then he wrote to the people in Ephesus, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He has prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). You matter, you deserve these promises, because God as plan for you; because God has a purpose for you; because God, through Jesus Christ, has given you good works to perform and accomplish; and because God loves you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NIV). And it’s because God gave His son to die in our place, that we know that He loves us.  And that’s why He’s given us a promise….That’s why you matter.

In Acts 2, Peter preached to a crowd who realized they’d crucified the Messiah, and they cried out “What Shall We Do! And Peter replies: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. FOR THE PROMISE IS FOR YOU and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:37-39, NIV). We have the promise, that if we believe in Jesus, repent of our sins, and are baptized in the name of Jesus… we have THE PROMISE that God will forgive our sins and then we have THE PROMISE that His Spirit will live inside of us. And because of that promise, all the other promises are ours as well! Because of that promise, we are reminded that we matter.

 

Conclusion:

Through Joseph’s faith, we witness the power of keeping promises. The Israelites promised to take Joseph’s bones to the Promised Land so that he could once and for all experience peace and rest. The Israelites kept their promise. God keeps His promises, but sometimes—like the lady from the opening joke—we have to do some work to make sure that those promises are fulfilled. God has a plan and purpose for you because you matter to His master plan, but within those plans and purposes God wants you to make promises to Him that you will keep and fulfill.

Just like the couple that got married a few years ago, God needs us to make a pinky promise with Him: a sign of commitment to do His will on earth as it is in heaven. What sort of promises are you willing to make to God? What sort of promises are you willing to commit to Jesus Christ? What sort of promises are you willing to make to those that you love? If God is willing to make and keep promises for you, then why not return the favor.

I leave you with the lyrics to a song I learned several years ago when I sang in a children’s choir at my home church. It’s titled “I Am A Promise” and it was originally performed by a group of vegetables known as Veggie Tales: “I am a promise. I am a possibility. I am promise, with a capital ‘P’. I am a great big bundle of potentiality. And I am learning to hear God’s voice. And I am trying to make the right choices. I’m a promise to be anything He wants me to be. I can go anywhere that He wants me to go. I can be anything that He wants me to be. I can climb the high mountains. I can cross the White Sea. I am a great big promise you see. I am a promise.” You are all a promise because you matter to God. Now be a promise for God today and every day. Let your promises get you to the Promised Land.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, we thank you for your promises: the promises that grant us peace, rest, strength, and mercy. We are especially grateful for the promises that remind us that we matter and that you care about us. May we seek every day to be a living promise for you and for those in our life. In your name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

This week, I challenge you to make a promise to God and to keep that promise and to give thanks for the many promises that He has given you. The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, remember His promises as you continue to be a living promise on this earth. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

[1] https://www.history.com/news/abraham-lincoln-funeral-train