“PERHAPS THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT IN LIFE, THAN HOW WE END IT. A TRIUMPHANT END IS GOD’s dESIRE FOR US ALL!”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about one man in the bible who had a rocky road of life and suffered greatly at the hands of his loved ones, but in the end left this world in triumph. Stay tuned …

…Perhaps there is no greater Old Testament book in the Bible, than its first book, the Book of Genesis. This glorious book is essentially a book of beginnings:

1. The Beginning of Creation (chap. 1)

2. The Beginning of Human History, Including Marriage (chap. 2)

3. The Beginning of Sin and Death (chap. 3)

4. The Beginning Promise of a Coming Redeemer ( 3:15 )

5. The Beginning of Man-made Civilization (chaps. 4- 11)

6. The Beginning of God’s Calling-out of the Jewish Nation (chap. 12).

Things that begin in Genesis are carried throughout the Bible narrative and are fulfilled in the book of Revelation. Ten different genealogies are recorded in Genesis. The account focuses on six persons and their families: Adam (chaps. 1–5); Noah (chaps. 6–10); Abraham (chaps. 11:1–25:18); Isaac (chaps. 25:19–27:46); Jacob (chaps. 28–36; 48-50); and Joseph (chaps. 37–50).

Today I want to zero in on one unique person, a man named Jacob. His life is important for all of us to study and especially how his life ends, for it is “a Triumphant End,” which is the title of my message today, but for now, let pause one more time for another musical moment after which I’ll return and share this beautiful story with you for your hope, learning and edification. Stay tuned…

…You know friend, I believe there is no greater story of human life and family than that of Abraham. God looked over the world of mankind, and saw that it was only evil, all the time. Following the worldwide judgment of the Flood, that literally destroyed all mankind and all life on the earth, save eight human beings --  the Bible tells us they were safely nestled in the Ark Noah built which carried a representation of all animal and aviary life. When the Flood has subsided, Noah stepped out of the ark into a brand new world. His family now had the chance to begin again and start right and live right in God’s sight.

Alas, the Bible tells us, in time, the descendants of Noah soon turned to their evil sin nature and began living in disobedience to God. It wasn’t long before generations of humans turned totally away to idolatry, and followed their sin nature to death and destruction. As God looked down upon our pitiful human race, again under judgment of God for this, He chose in mercy and grace to call out of the rubble of humanity, one man. His name was Abram, which soon was changed by God to Abraham. This moon worshipping man’s eyes were opened to see the beauty and love of our God of eternity, and God saved him and set him apart to love, honor and serve the living God. Abraham’s life was a roller coaster ride of faith and failure, and because of this, his son Isaac followed in his father’s poor footsteps. God’s Word tells us frightening truth,

Exo 20:5 (TLB)  You must never bow or worship [idols] in any way; for I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god! "And when I punish people for their sins, the punishment continues upon the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate me;

Now don’t misunderstand this verse. Moses, writing by divine inspiration the very words and mind of God, had previously made it clear that children were never punished for the sins of their parents (Deut. 24:16; Ezek. 18:19–32); but, sinning parent’s children would feel the impact of their breaking of God’s law by their parents’ generation, as a natural consequence of their disobedience, specifically their hatred of obeying God. Children reared in such a sinful environment would then practice similar sinful indulgences, thus themselves expressing hateful disobedience. This Scripture served as both a warning and a motivation to not follow in the sinful footsteps of our parents. The sins of disobedient parents, plants serious propensity toward similar wickedness in the lives of children. In fact often so deep, that it takes generations to cancel or reverse. This happened in the life of Abraham. Although he too ended well, regardless of his sinful antics along the way, he programmed into his children and grandchildren a similar roller coaster ride of a life of obedience to God and disobedience too.

Thankfully obedience was for all purposes the major characterization of Abraham’s life. But sin was passed on to his son Issac and from Issac, to his son, a man named Jacob.  Let me give you an overview of Jacob’s life…

1. Jacob was a son of Isaac, and twin brother of Esau, (Gen. 25:24–26; Josh. 24:4; 
   1 Chr. 1:34; Acts 7:8).

2. He was an ancestor of Jesus, (Matt. 1:2).

3. Jacob learns early in life to be a liar and schemer. He fraudulently obtains his father’s blessing by cheating his brother. (Gen. 27:1–29; Heb. 11:20 ).

4. Upon cheating his brother, Esau seeks to slay Jacob, but he runs away from his family and escapes to Padanaram, (Gen. 27:41–46; 28:1–5; Hos. 12:12 ).

5. All alone and realizing his dishonesty and failure to obey God with a righteous life, God comes to him in a dream. Jacob sees in a vision a great staircase between heaven and earth (Gen. 28:10–22).

6. In this vision, God confirms the everlasting covenant of Abraham to him as a recipient (Gen. 28:13–22; 35:9–15; 1 Chr. 16:13 –18).

7. But Jacob has to learn obedience and suffer for his temporal sins, so God sends him to live with his Uncle Laban, in Haran (Gen. 29; 30; Hos. 12:12).  
   Here, Jacob serves for fourteen years to obtain a wife, Rachel, but in the bargain is tricked to marry her older sister Leah (Gen. 29:15–30; Hos. 12:12 ).  
   After many years of servitude to his Uncle, Jacob plans to leave and return to his homeland and family ( Gen 31).

8. Along the way back, Jacob meets angels of God on the journey, and calls the place Mahanaim, (Gen. 32:1, 2).   Jacob realizes that there is “bad blood” between him and his twin brother Easu, so he dreads to meet him for fear he and his family will be slain.

9. The night before the journey continues, Jacob meets the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ) and wrestles with God (Gen. 32).

10. It is here Jacob finally surrenders his life and heart to love, cherish, obey and serve the living God of His fathers. Here God changes Jacob’s name, which means “schemer” to Israel (Gen. 32:28; 35:10).

11. Now as Jacob walked with God, his life was going to experience blessing. The first blessing was reconciliation with Esau (Gen. 33:4).

12. Although Jacob now is God’s servant and child by faith, his new life for God is not without incident. Jacob’s two wives, Leah and Rachel give him twelve sons, who because of Jacob’s neglectful upbringing are a sad lot of men who ruin the family. They are resentful of Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph, so they plot to kill him. However, God intervenes, because it will be through Jacob’s sorrow and loss, God would save the clan of Jacob, to preserve alive the people who would bring forth the Redeemer and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I outlined Jacob’s life to condense it and show you that it was a rocky road, of disobedience and failure, and although God would never abandon him as He promised, God would allow the wages of sin to take its toll on his life and family. Ten of his sons were so jealous of Jacob’s favoritism for one of the youngest sons, a young man named Joseph, they planned to kill him. Only after reconsideration, by the pleading of Judah , they sold him to a traveling Egyptian slave trader.

So Jacob became a slave in Egypt , and now it appeared forever lost to his family. His ten brothers further plotted and planned to lie to their father, Jacob and tell him Joseph was killed by a lion. Jacob believes and grieves deeply and it seems he never gets over the loss of his dearest and favorite son.

The years of a decade pass and the sins of the father are visited upon Jacob’s ten other sons. Soon famine strikes the land so severely, that Jacob and his family face starvation and death unless they find food. So Jacob sends ten of his sons to Egypt where he has heard there is grain available for sale. Little did any of them know that God had preserved Joseph alive and revealed in a dream for him to tell Pharaoh to store up food five years before a coming famine. The Pharaoh was so impressed, that Joseph could save Egypt , that he elevated him to second in command of all the nation.

Well, the ten sons of Israel come down there and stood before this ruler, Joseph, but do not recognize him. For them he is all but dead. Joseph recognizes them and through a series of tests, forgives them. Joseph finally sends for his father and family to come live with them in Egypt . So the entire Tribe of Israel, all move to Egypt where a friendly Pharaoh gives them a section of land, called Goshen , to live out their lives in comfort and peace.

Jacob’s lost son Joseph, is finally reunited with his family and full forgiveness is extended by him to all his sinful brothers. We discover the reason for this is, Joseph is a godly man who never lost that aspect of his upbringing. We read,

Gen 50:19-21 (NIV)  But Joseph said to [his brothers], "Don't be afraid… You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

So the years roll on in peace. Jacob is reunited with his long lost son, Joseph, and the ten foolish and sinful sons of Jacob seem to have learned their greatest lesson,

Num 32:23 (NIV)  "… you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

But now the end comes for Jacob’s long life. As he looks back, he realizes how sinful his early days had been, and how wrongfully he had raised these twelve sons of Israel . But Jacob nonetheless was God’s child and a man of faith. Although his family is in Egypt the place God never wanted them to be, Jacob’s faith was strong although his eyes were dim and his was body weak and frail. As death approached he called his family to his side and shared three visions God had given him. But most of all Jacob was thinking about…

THE PROMISED CITY OF GOD

In the Book of Hebrews, we are told that Jacob was one of God’s children “who died in faith.” He was the heir of promise. We read of this in,

Heb 11:21 (NIV)  By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Jacob look ahead to the wonderful promises of God, particularly that one day, God would place on the throne of Israel ’s family, a mighty ruler and king who would forever rule them in justice, and love. Later on, Moses believed in this same promise of the beautiful city of God , the heavenly city of Jerusalem . The writer of Hebrews tell us,

Heb 11:10 (NIV)  For he [Moses] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Jacob realized his inheritance was not to be the land of Canaan , but the eternal land and city of God which today we call Heaven. His faith, in spite of the sinful eclipses in his life, stood strong and by faith Jacob passed on, believing God and all His promises to save him alive by resurrection, unto eternity.

We also discover Jacob’s faith was strong in the truth that all those of his family and clan who were likewise believers in the coming Messiah to save them from their sins, he would meet them again in that beautiful city of God . The Bible declares,

Gen 49:29-33 (NIV)  Then [Jacob] gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan , which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah… 33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

How wonderful this was. Jacob died in faith. Honestly, there can no greater way to end one’s life. Regardless of the sins and failures we’ve produced in our walk through this life, the most important thing is to   -- end well, with a triumphant end!

This can come to any and all of us. We like Jacob need to know that if you are a child of God,  knowing that God’s love through the Messiah’s salvation is upon you, you can know that when you close your eyes in death, you will be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Joseph carefully had Jacob’s body embalmed, and then took the journey back to the land of promise and buried him there,

Gen 50:13 (NIV)  They carried [Jacob’s body] to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.

O how wonderful the story of Jacob’s life is for us all. What we can learn from this is the fact that we too like Jacob are sinners by birth and in word and deed. We come into this world, and are raised by sinners who often pass on to us the sinful tendencies and attitudes that color our lives and cause much grief as we live in disobedience to God. That is, until God finds us and reveals Himself and His love to us.

Has God done this for you? Perhaps this radio broadcast is just that work of God for you. You know the Bible is really “God’s love letter,” written to fallen sinful humanity who are lost along life’s way. If any of us, regardless of our sins or depth of them, wants to be saved from them, then all we need to do is know this.

1. JESUS CHRIST IS GOD COME IN THE FLESH, TO LIVE AS A PERFECT HUMAN BEING AND BECOME A WORTHY SUBSTITUTE FOR OUR SINS.

2. JESUS DIED ON A CROSS TO PAY FOR OUR SINS, AND ROSE IN TRIUMPH TO OFFER TO YOU HIS VICTORY.

3. WE CAN RECEIVE HIS GIFT OF FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL LIFE, IF WE ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS CHRIST AS OUR GOD AND SAVIOR.

4. UPON OUR CONFESSION OF SIN AND FAITH IN HIM, GOD SAVES US FOREVER, AND GRANTS US A NEW START AND NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.

All that is necessary believing this is your personal prayer of faith. Why not right now pray this prayer or something similar, and with sincerity of heart offer to God your sinful life in exchange for God’s perfect life in Jesus Christ.

“Dear Heavenly Father, I admit that I haven’t loved you and have fallen short of what I should do to please you. I need your help. I can’t pay for Your forgiveness; But, I now understand that I don’t have to. You paid for my sins on a cross. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me. I accept your death in my place. Lord Jesus, come into my life, take control, and be my Savior and King. Take over my life now and use it as you wish.”

Jacob was born a sinner, and through a goodly portion of his life, he lived in disobedience and sin. But one day He saw the beauty of God and His love, and surrendered his life to the Pre-incarnate Christ, “the Angel of the Lord” who wrestled him in the night. From that day on, he still was a sinner, but he was now forever God’s child and began living by faith until his death where he gloriously spoke of God’s love for him and the glorious heavenly city that awaited him.

May this be your portion too, and may you have a “Triumphant End,” when your time to meet your Maker comes too.

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·         Radio talk #1006

·         Broadcast date: March  05, 2006

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 60033 Grand Junction, CO 81506

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The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 25 years, and serves as General Director.

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