Sermon Notes: Faith Looks Beyond The Grave 5/31/2026

Faith Looks Beyond The Grave

Hebrews 11:20-22

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.[1]

C.S. Lewis said “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth, and you will get neither.”

What is it that enables a person to endure in the name of Christ?

What is it that enables a person to accomplish the great and mighty purposes of God?

I truly believe when our hearts and minds are fixed upon Heaven and our Lord and Savior, that though we face tribulation and trial, we will endure and overcome.

Colossians 3:1-4 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Last week we looked at the incredible faith of Abraham

A man who trusted God when things didn’t logically or rationally make sense

Today we turn our attention to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph who through faith looked beyond the grave

All three of these men had their eyes placed beyond the grave

They trusted God each step of the way

They understood that every promise and plan that God has spoken wil come to pass by His power and His grace.

1.  Jacob saw beyond the grave

a.  Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.^[2]

b.  At the end of his life Isaac would pass on the blessing to his son

c.   Isaac believed he was praying over Esau

Genesis 27:14-29

¹⁴ And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. ¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

¹⁸ So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

²⁴ Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.”

²⁵ He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field

Which the Lord has blessed.

²⁸ Therefore may God give you

Of the dew of heaven,

Of the fatness of the earth,

And plenty of grain and wine.

²⁹ Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brethren,

And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you!”^[3]

d.  Isaac speaks a blessing over Jacob

e.   The blessing giving to Abraham is now passed from Isaac to Jacob

f.    Isaac is old and cannot see

g.  He is deceived by Jacob, but ultimately it was God who told Rebecca that the older would serve the younger

h.  Isaac speaks these words by faith because he doesn’t have the power to bring them to pass, but under the leading of The Holy Spirit, God in His grace and power will fulfill His promises

2.  Jacob saw beyond the grave

a.  Hebrews 11:21 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.^[4]

b.  It is important to see it says by faith

c.   As Jocob is dying he blesses the sons of Joseph

Genesis 48:8-22

⁸ Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”

⁹ Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”

And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” ¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”

¹² So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. ¹³ And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. ¹⁴ Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph, and said:

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

¹⁶ The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,

Bless the lads;

Let my name be named upon them,

And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;

And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

¹⁷ Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. ²² Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”^[5]

d.  Jacob now passes on the blessing of the Lord placed upon Abraham

e.   Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, he prays a blessing over these boys

f.    As he is dying he is faithful and is trusting the Lord

g.  He knows that it is God who will bring to pass His promises concerning Israel

h.  Ephraim would come to be known as the dominate tribe in Northern Israel

i.    But again God worked through a man who believed by faith and spoke by faith as he was led by The Holy Spirit

3.  Joseph saw beyond the grave

a.  Hebrews 11:22: ²² By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.^[6]

b.  Let us turn to Genesis 50:24-26 ²⁴ And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.^[7]

c.   Joseph knew the promises spoken the Abraham

d.  These promises would have been spoken often by this family as they were passed down from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob

e.   Joseph knew that God even told Abraham for 400 years his offspring would be in bondage in Egypt, but God would deliver them when it was time

f.    Joseph knew that the promise land was not Egypt and ultimately his desire was to be buried in the promise land

The common denominator between all of these men is they saw beyond the grave

They understood that the promises and purposes of God cannot be stopped by death

God says this concerning His word

Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.^[8]

When God speaks, His word will be accomplished

What is it that you and I have to look forward to concerning Jesus Christ

Revelation 21:1-4

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”^[9]

Those the writer of Hebrews wrote to were considering abandoning Jesus because of persecution and ultimately losing their lives

But we must remember this world is not our home

The Lord has gone to prepare a place for us and one day we will rule and reign with Him for all eternity

Regardless of what hardship we may face in this world

We must remember that to abandon Jesus Christ is to abandon everything

It is by His grace that we are saved and by His grace we are kept.

May our eyes be fixed beyond the grave

^[1] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Heb 11:20–22.

^[2] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Heb 11:20.

^[3] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 27:14–29.

^[4] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Heb 11:21.

^[5] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 48:8–22.

^[6] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Heb 11:22.

^[7] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 50:24–26.

^[8] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 55:10–11.

^[9] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Re 21:1–4.