I. Learning Methods and Seeking Guidance from the Holy Spirit

1. There are three stages in the learning process: What I know is identifying what you already understand; What I don't know is clarifying your knowledge gaps; What I need to know / What I want to know is determining the goals of learning and seeking. This step-by-step thinking process is the foundation for effective learning and seeking revelation.
2. Seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit is not for the sake of worldly material enjoyment, interpersonal relationships, or the satisfaction of personal desires. True seeking is for understanding the key points and themes of the Bible, to understand how to act on God's word.
3. Having a clear mind to seek God's word pleases God in heaven. This kind of mind has the power to shake heaven and earth, to move God's hand, and to make God regard us as treasures.

II. Key Points and Theme Establishment of Genesis Chapter 50

Four Key Points Initially Identified

1. Jacob died.
2. Joseph mourned for Jacob.
3. Joseph's brothers worried about Joseph's revenge.
4. Joseph died.

Seeking the Theme Through Prayer

1. These scattered events initially make it difficult to find a unified theme. When these key points cannot be connected, one needs to turn to prayer and seeking, rather than dwelling on superficial or worldly understanding.
2. The purpose of seeking is to find a deep meaning that can connect all the key points.

Establishing the Theme: Must Enter the Promised Land Even in Death

1. This revelation perfectly connects the four seemingly independent key points of Genesis Chapter 50.
2. Before Jacob died, he instructed Joseph to transport his body back to the cave of Machpelah in Canaan, because that was the family burial ground that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
3. Before Joseph died, he also asked the children of Israel to be sure to bring his bones back to the Promised Land (Canaan) when they left Egypt in the future.
4. This reflects their unwavering faith in God's promise, that even in physical death, they must be connected to God's Promised Land.

III. In-depth Explanation and Application of the Theme

The Mindset of Jacob and Joseph

1. Their desire to "must return to the Promised Land even in death" is a profound belief that transcends physical death and worldly gains and losses.
2. What they valued was God's promise and the eternal kingdom, not the temporary benefits of the world. They may not have fully understood the specific appearance of eternity, but they still pursued it by faith.

The Reason Joseph Mourned for Jacob

1. Jacob was Joseph's "soulmate" on the spiritual path, the only one who could discuss with him God's promises, God's will, and the thorough understanding of life and death.
2. The two had a common desire and pursuit for how to obtain God's promise and how to make a covenant with God. Jacob's death made Joseph lose his closest companion, the one who understood his spiritual pursuit the most, so he felt extremely sad.

Contrast of Joseph's Brothers' Worrying About Revenge

1. Joseph's brothers were worried that he would take revenge for selling him to Egypt in the past. Their thoughts remained on worldly grievances and entanglements of interests, and their minds were "too Low".
2. Joseph cried again when he heard these words from his brothers, not because of anger, but because he felt sad that his brothers lacked heavenly vision and did not understand God's higher purpose of achieving salvation through him.
3. Joseph's maturity and transcendence of mind, he did not care about worldly trifles and personal grievances, but only cared about God's will.

Joseph's Dying Instructions and Beliefs

1. Joseph asked the children of Israel to bring his bones back to the Promised Land, even if it might mean that his body needed to be made into a mummy and placed in a coffin for hundreds of years, he was unwilling to "rest in peace" in Egypt.
2. He believed that God would surely visit the Israelites, lead them out of Egypt, and eventually come out of the ground as a resurrected person.
3. This firm belief in God's promise was his core strength, enabling him to maintain inner peace and joy even in the face of worldly pressure and loss.

How to Emulate Jacob and Joseph

1. Cultivate a mindset of "must enter the Promised Land even in death", placing the mind on heavenly things, eternal things, and God's promises, rather than on temporary material things and gains and losses in the world.
2. People with this kind of mind can start from a stick like Jacob and become a powerful patriarch, and become the prime minister of Egypt like Joseph, because their hope and value are in God.
3. Avoid letting the mind be occupied by worldly "garbage" and pursue godly purity.
4. With such hope, even if there is pressure, one can live well, because the core strength lies in eternal hope.

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