If you feel like life isn't worth living - watch this first (The Suffering of Moses, Noah & Joseph)

Our life can feel like a story that went haywire. Things can quickly feel hopeless, that our movie isn't getting its happy ending. But what truly matters is not what we see on the big screen, but what happens after the credits rule see on the big screen. Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land that he tirelessly led Israel to. Noah became a drunkard after helping save his family from a worldwide flood. And Joseph being enslaved or imprisoned from a young age, his prime as a youth seems wasted. I mean, let's just look at Moses first. After giving up everything he had as a prince of Egypt to lead this slave people, Israel, and to intercede for them before or God, he makes a mistake. He strikes the rock instead of speaking to it, and God tells him that he cannot enter the promised land. Deuteronomy 34, 4 says, and the Lord said to him, this is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, I will give it to your offspring. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there. So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. Can you see the suffering of Moses in that moment? Can you imagine his heart overwhelmed with the sorrow of the fact that he can't go to the place that he so dearly fought for? And similarly, when Noah returned from the flood, it says in Genesis 9, 20, that he began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and laid uncovered in his tent. The Bible doesn't directly tell us why Noah became drunk, but I think it's not difficult to read between the lines and realize why, in the time of Noah's life, where we are reading, Noah had lost everyone besides his small family to a flood. The world that he had known, the people that he had come to know and love, they're gone. Noah was called a righteous man by God, chosen of God for this mission. And yet now he's in a place where, for whatever reason, he feels this need to numb his pain. Can you see the suffering that he is experiencing because of the trauma that he has gone through? What about Joseph being captured by his brother, sold into slavery, imprisoned, betrayed by Potiphar's wife? From a young age, it seemed like his prime was to be wasted. But we read in the Psalms something about Joseph revealing to us something hidden about what it was like for him in that prison cell. We read in Psalm 105, 17 that he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave, they have afflicted with fetters, his feet, iron hath entered his soul. Now we know that iron is this heavy weight. It was used to chain up men in the ancient world in prison. And it actually says that iron has entered his soul. Not just chained his neck or his feet or his arms, but he was being enslaved in his heart. The weight of his despair is heavy as iron on his heart. But regardless, one thing is for sure. Both Noah, Joseph and Moses had a few things in common. They all suffered horrible sin around them or against them. Moses felt the sins of disobedient Israel, Noah the sins of the wicked pre flood world, and Joseph the sins of his brothers and betrayers. And it caused them great emotional anguish, even harm. And the sin that they experienced seemed to be a threat in even to the promises and the covenants that God made with them and their ancestors. I mean, let's be real. If we just look at this on the surface. If Moses couldn't make it into the promised land, who will? If Noah ended up a drunkard, who will not considering the wickedness that surrounds us? And if Joseph felt abandoned in prison, what should we expect from our presence? I mean, with Moses, not even Moses could enter the land by his own works. Of the Mosaic covenant, God has given him those ten commandments written on stone. And today looking back, no one can say, well, Moses was the one to lead us into the promised land. Because no one can look to Moses as their savior for. For Moses could not even save himself. But perhaps this is with purpose. Perhaps the one who was with them, saving them from Egypt, bringing them to the promised land, was yhwh, not Moses. That their true deliverer was God and not a man. Maybe it was God who could only truly and fully uphold the Mosaic covenant and not Moses and not man. And with Noah, it seems not even Noah could withstand the emotional anguish that he would sustain in witnessing the loss of the known world. But God was the one to uphold the Noahic covenant, not Noah. It wasn't dependent upon Noah's own works of righteousness. It was dependent on God's word made to Noah and humanity. With Joseph, it seemed as if the Abrahamic covenant given to his father Abraham has failed. Joseph is in prison. What hope is there for his offspring? Joseph could not save himself nor his own descendants from enslavement. God was the only one who could uphold the Abrahamic covenant, not Joseph. Joseph didn't have the key to unlock his chains. Only God did. Therefore, as God has upheld his promises and covenants, despite the sin done against these men, all the sin done against by these men. So he will uphold his covenants and promises for you and for me. No matter our circumstances, no matter how dire it looks, how dark your prison cell is. As long as as these men you remain devoted in your faith towards God. He will not leave you in darkness. But you must recognize the test before you for Joseph. We read about it in Psalm 105. 19. It says, until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested Joseph. I want you to remember that in Joseph's youth God gave him dreams of his future promised land, that he will be blessed and highly exalted. God made a covenant also with Joseph's father, Abraham. So Joseph had a lot going for him in word from God. But Joseph was tested by God's promises because the promise that he heard didn't line up with his experienced reality. For many years. Joseph saw no conceivable way for his circumstances to change. But it did, by a miracle. See, either in the beginning, the middle, or the end of the lives of these three men were a time of great suffering. And that suffering wasn't about condemning them. It wasn't about their salvation, but it was about their transformation. Philippians 3:10 says that I may know him, Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. See, their lives weren't about worldly pleasure, but death. And this is something that's difficult for us to wrap our minds around because we live in a world so preoccupied with worldly pleasure, satisfying ourselves day to day. But the gospel is not about worldly pleasure and satisfying us with the things of this world. Matthew 16:24. Jesus told us exactly what it's all about when he said to his disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me forever. Would save his life. Will lose it. Whatever loses his life for my sake will find it. So when it feels like in following Christ that you're losing your life, why are you shocked? Noah lost an entire world. Joseph lost his entire family. Moses lost his royal Egyptian privileges. This is what it means to lose your life. Real loss is real and it shakes you to the core. It leaves you changed, but in the best of ways. Sometimes being wounded is what's needed for the surgeries of God to occur on our souls. That truly lets us come out on the other end as an eternal creature. A person who will live forever because they are no longer of the flesh, they are no longer able to be wounded, as those who are of the flesh are wounded, for they will be with him face to face in a world that is not broken and in an eternal state that is unchanging. And that's what happened with all of these characters. You know, when we look at what happened after the credits rolled on their Bible stories, we see with Moses that he suddenly appears with the Messiah of the world who was sent to save everyone. And on the mount of Transfiguration, Moses did enter the promised land, just not in the ways that we would expect. Joseph became a patriarch in the kingdom of God. We read in Hebrews 11:22, by faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones, mentioning Joseph's faith. And when it comes to Noah, he became a type of global patriarch in the kingdom. We read in Hebrews 11:7, by faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen in reverent fear, constructed an ark for the saving of his household. And by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. And perhaps the great suffering in this world provided an acceptable contrast for these men to the eternal joy and beauty that awaited them. And so you may be a person who've said your yes to God, but do you really mean it? God is going to test and see the genuineness of your faith. And I know this is not preached in the prosperity Christianity that's so popular in the west today, who say to you that the Christian life is going to be a life that's just, prosperous, and without real suffering. God doesn't want anyone to suffer. God would never allow anything like that to come across anyone's path. It's, you're wrong. And if that's what one believes, you'll be very disappointed when that suffering inevitably comes to your doorstep. And when it happens, don't be too surprised. Don't be so surprised even to fall away from the faith that you once professed. For the Bible has warned us of this very fact. 1 Peter 4:12 says, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. Peter is telling us it's not if, but when suffering comes. And never mind this, we live in this broken world of sin. It affected Noah deeply. It affected Moses, it affected Joseph. But I know the truth, that there is a place coming very soon that isn't broken, that doesn't have any sin. No more wickedness, no more death, and where every tear will be wiped away. Every tear that you shed this day and this night. Now you may say to me, well pd, I just feel like life isn't even worth living. And you know, that's a really valid position, something I have myself felt in my life. But I want to share with you Philippians 1:19 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to part and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and your joy in the faith. Paul freely, openly and very righteously and biblically admits that it is going to be better to be with the Lord than on the earth in the flesh. As it is now, it is not a sin to think that, to acknowledge that it is actually the truth. Paul even explains to us how he's debated with his own heart this whole conundrum. Paul says it's okay to desire the resurrection with Christ, for as he says it is far better. But also then says that this life is worth living for the sake of. Of serving others. See, if we seek to serve ourselves, please ourselves, and if we're out for our own happiness alone, then we may start feeling like life isn't worth living. But there are many needs, many people who actually need us to shine the light that God has given us. And that alone, never mind anything else, is enough to live for in the flesh until the Lord calls us home one day. And so if you're a person who's felt Peter, I don't know if I could do this anymore. If you felt that, you know, this life is. It's so difficult. I don't know if you're debating, decide what Paul decided with his life. He had insane troubles in this life. Insane trials, persecutions. More than me, maybe more than you even. And he decided rightfully that there is work for him to do here and there is a time that God will give him the resurrection that he has promised, that is our promised land. That is what God has prepared for us. But you have to hold on. You have to hold on with me. You know there are people who have faced immense troubles. But I want you to know that it's not worth taking your life into your own hands. You must submit it to God and let him use you mightily. You cannot do anything of yourself. You cannot mean anything of your own power. But you have been made to be absolutely empowered from heaven. That is your design purpose. That is a light that shines that no enemy can put out. They couldn't put out Joseph's light when they threw him in prison. They couldn't. And Joseph arose out of that prison and he was used mightily by the Father. But he had to wait. He had a time of. Of uncertainty, perhaps confusion as to where his life will lead. But because he remained faithful, even if he felt anguish in his heart, God delivered him. And all of these Bible stories, even when it on the surface seems like horrible events happen in these lives of these men, we can see that it all turned out for an incredible blessing to this world. As Joseph said when he spoke to his brothers at the end of it. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. To bring it about that many people should be kept alive. And as they are today, there are people around you that need you, that need to be kept alive. And they will be kept alive by your witness, by your perseverance, by standing strong even when everything feels hopeless. God will shine your light, the darkness. He will bring you out of darkness, and your life will never go to waste if it's in his hands. I want to end with 1 Peter 5, 10. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. Father, I pray for anyone who's listening to this, who feels like life isn't worth living, feels hopeless, feels like they're in a prison, who feels like their circumstances make no sense in light of your covenants and promises, who may feel like you have forsaken them. Yeshua. Jesus, you said, lord, Lord, why have you forsaken me? To give us a glimpse of even the emotions that you were allowed to feel and that you are not foreign to our feelings, our emotions, our feelings of abandonment or being forsaken, perhaps in a time of need. But you knew, Yeshua, you knew the truth, that the Father was there with you. And the truth has spoken for you have been resurrected from the dead to be with us all today. To, in turn, strengthen us in our times of need, when we are persecuted and when we are tried. You are the one true God. Holy, holy, holy is your name. Help us to trust you with our life, just as Christ did on his day of suffering. Father, I thank you for never leaving or forsaking us. I pray all this in the name of Yeshua. Amen. Thank you for joining me. I'm praying for you guys. And I pray that the Father strengthens and blesses you in this season. I'll see you guys in the next one. Shalom, Sam.