Text: Genesis 50
Topic: A good lesson from eleven bad examples in Scripture

• Trust is at the core of what it means to please God and to follow Jesus.
• Even our currency, which isn't inspired in the biblical sense, echoes this theme: "In God We Trust."
• Trust means knowing someone well enough that you can count on him or her; it means acting in accordance with that trust.
• Genesis 50 shows us the difference between trusting and not trusting.

• At least three times, Jacob reminds Joseph that he wants to be buried in the land God had promised him (Genesis 47:28–29).
• Jacob trusts Joseph, and when Jacob dies, Joseph remembers the promise he had made to his father.
• Joseph returns to the Promised Land to bury his father.

• When Joseph's brothers get back to Egypt, they fear that Jacob's death may mean Joseph will now punish them for their past wrongdoings.
• The brothers don't trust Joseph's forgiveness, so they manufacture a story to protect themselves.
• Joseph wept when he heard their story, because after all he'd done for them, they still didn't trust him.
• Joseph brothers promise to bury Joseph in the Promised Land, but they bury him in Egypt.
• Hebrews 11:22 indicates the true strength of Joseph's trust: "It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt."
• Joseph's brothers and his surviving family members don't do anything about his instructions.
• They didn't trust his forgiveness, and they didn't see much urgency to act on his desire for them to return to the land God had provided; instead, they opted for security.
• The first chapter of Exodus says that the Israelites became oppressed and enslaved in Egypt.
• If Joseph had been trusted and obeyed, Israel would have never been enslaved.

• Seeking relief and protection isn't wrong, but making a lifestyle of staying only where it's safe is actually dangerous.
• The search for relief is understandable, but it can become disobedience; seeking security can lead to slavery.
• There is no place more secure than living in obedience to God; there is no place less secure than seeking safety apart from God's will.
• God remains trustworthy even when we don't.
• Sometimes you and I can be like Joseph, but sometimes we can be like the brothers and not obey what God has told us to do.
  • Illustration: Shelley recalls a time when he ignored a calling from God—and how God, in great grace, has since opened up other opportunities. 
  • Illustration: St. Augustine once wrote: "It is human to err; it is devilish to remain willfully in error."
• Trust isn't being gullible, but taking God at his word and acting on it.
• Joseph wasn't gullible; he trusted God.
• The apostle Paul wrote to Christians about life and service to God and others: "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days" (Ephesians 5:15–16).
• Life is an endless series of God-given opportunities to love, to learn, to serve, to share, to give; either seize them, or we may be staying in Egypt.
• Trust means living by faith, not by sight, and pursuing God's promises, not short-term gain.
• Trust is wholeheartedly believing what God has said.
  • Illustration: Shelley shares how the loss of he and his wife Susan's son, Tobiah, taught them profound trust.
• Trust means knowing your life's purpose extends beyond your lifetime.
• Joseph was commended for his faith in Hebrews 11, because he recognized that God's purposes for his life extended beyond his lifetime.
  • Illustration: Shelley shares how a statement made by one of their children indicated that the best of our services comes after this life is over.

• Think about the words inscribed on the coins in your pocket: "In God We Trust."
• Walking by faith means we trust God enough to follow him out of Egypt all the way to the Promised Land.
• It doesn't require superhuman strength, just acting on the four little words on the coin in your hand.