But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
As we have studied the life of Joseph, we have seen Christlikeness in him. In Genesis 50:24-25, the Word of God records the closing of Joseph’s life on earth. Joseph repeated in his dying statement, “God will surely visit you.” His faith in God never wavered. Where is your faith? Is it in the Lord Jesus Christ?
In Joseph’s day, Egypt was full of faith, but not true faith. People believed in idols and false gods. However, Joseph’s heart was alive with real faith. The object of living faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Joseph believed the Lord, he said, “God will surely visit you.”
Joseph requested that his bones be carried out of Egypt when the people of God returned to Canaan. Through 430 years of bondage, they kept his bones and finally laid them to rest in the Promised Land. Joseph had faith that God would bring this to pass. “Faith in God is not believing that God can, but that God will.”1
Salvation by Faith
Let us consider what God will do in the matter of salvation. God will receive anyone who will come to Him by faith to be saved. John 6:37 says, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” There is no one so lost, so far from God, that when that person turns to the Lord, the Lord will not receive him unto Himself. God will save him and make him His child. This is what God will do.
Salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone. Christ said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” God will save all those who come to Him by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have not yet accepted Christ by faith as your personal Savior and Lord of your life, please click here for the “Bible Way to Heaven.”
Living by Faith
Let us look at what God will do in the matter of our daily living. Faith does not stop when we are saved. This is the beginning of the life of faith. Faith must be exercised each day in the life of a Christian.
Joseph lived to be 110 years old, but we met him in the Bible when he was a teenager. He had faith in the Lord His father told him about the Lord, about the promise of God to Isaac and Abraham, and Joseph chose to believe the same promise. For all those years, he kept his faith in the Lord.
Joseph could say to his brethren with absolute assurance, “God will do what He said He would do,” because he lived by faith. God always keeps His Word.
What will God do in the matter of daily living? He will take care of us. We can live by faith in Him. We have seen others fail, but we will never see Jesus Christ fail.
Dying by Faith
The day of the Christian’s death will be the greatest day he ever lived. It is the day he will see the Lord Jesus Christ. In Genesis 50:24, Joseph simply said, “I die.” He knew he was going to be with God.
What will God do for you in the day of dying? If you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, God will be with you to take you to glory when you take your last breath. Whenever death comes, the Lord Jesus has promised to be with you.
We need faith to live. It is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). We need faith in our dying hour to look our Lord in the face and know that He has never failed us. He is always faithful. He will be faithful to us when it comes time to die and will take us to be with Him forever. There is rest and peace in believing God will.
- Clarence Sexton, Pastor, Temple Baptist Church, Powell, TN ↩︎