Genesis Contains Many Characters Religion Essay

The book of Genesis contains many characters including Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the narrative of Joseph takes up more chapters in Genesis than any of them. One 4th of the book is devoted to the life of Joseph. Joseph serves as a perfect theoretical account of a individual who followed God ‘s route to success.

GNB

And that ‘s the rubric series for these 6 messages by Dr. Derek Stringer through the life of Joseph. Successful Living is the name of the series.

Darmstadtium

During this series we ‘ve learned that the Bible ‘s definition of success is “ happening and following God ‘s will for your life.

GNB

You are listening to Word Alive produced by Good News Broadcasting, and Derek Stringer is our Bible Teacher.

The Good News Broadcasting studios are in Ranskill, Nottinghamshire.

If you listen on a regular basis to Word Alive you will cognize that we are committed to taking the Bible and leting it to talk strongly into our modern twenty-four hours universe.

Dr. Stringer travels a great trade in his Bible instruction ministry. If he happened to be in a Church near you, delight make travel up and chat with him. If you would wish him to come to your Church. . . good. . . if he is free he will merrily make that.

Here ‘s Derek.

Darmstadtium

In the old lessons we talked about how God sometimes topographic points some pot holes on the route to acquire our attending.

GNB

And you ‘ve got to be careful, because there may be some unsafe swallow holes on the route to success.

Darmstadtium

Whenever you ‘re tempted, God has placed plentifulness of stop marks and exigency flight paths for you. There are normally a few roundabout waies along the manner demanding our forbearance and trust.

GNB

And in the last lesson we talked about the danger of route fury, about how it ‘s better to forgive than to seek retaliation.

Darmstadtium

When we observe the concluding chapter of Joseph ‘s life, we see he had arrived at a topographic point where His trust in God was so powerful it was as if his life was set on God ‘s Navigational System.

When you ‘re driving, it ‘s a great option, particularly on a long and hard trip ; it truly helps to be able to put your finish and snap control button. Then you merely follow the orbiter voice instructions. If you get things incorrectly, it tries to set your right from where you now are!

Of class, the navigational system may non ever work that good. I remember utilizing it on the Isle of Wight and stoping up heading for what looked like a river. In Devon it led me to a dead terminal. The route lay-out had late changed!

Fortunately, God ‘s navigational system is more dependable.

When you set the navigational system in your auto, you are respond to the voice of another. Some people are n’t willing to give up control of their life to God. But if

you want to happen success in your life, you must be willing to give up control of your life to God.

Joseph did that, as we read about the decision of his life from Genesis 50 poetry 15.

GNB

“ When Joseph ‘s brothers saw that their male parent was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph holds a score against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him? ‘ So they sent word to Joseph stating, “ Your male parent left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to state to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the wickednesss and the wrongs they committed in handling you so severely. ‘ Now please forgive the wickednesss of the retainers of the God of your male parent. ‘ When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers so came and threw themselves down before him. ‘We are your slaves, ‘ they said.

But Joseph said to them, ‘Do n’t be afraid. Am I in the topographic point of God? ‘ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to carry through what is now being done, the economy of many lives.

So so, do n’t be afraid. I will supply for you and your kids. ‘ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to themaˆ¦

Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am about to decease. But God will certainly come to your assistance and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on curse to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ‘

And Joseph made the boies of Israel swear an curse and said, ‘God will certainly come to your assistance, and so you must transport my castanetss up from this topographic point. ‘ So Joseph died at the age of a 100 and 10. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a casket in Egypt. ”

Darmstadtium

As I have studied the life of Joseph, I ‘ve learned so much. I want to portion with you three drumhead life lessons we can larn from Joseph.

LIFE LESSON # 1:

YOU CAN TRUST GOD WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING.

This rule can be seen by what Joseph said in Genesis 50:20: “ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to carry through what is now being done, the economy of many lives. ”

To me, the two most of import words in that poetry are “ but God. ” Many bad things happened to Joseph, but God turned it around for good. I ‘m certain there were times when Joseph asked God, “ Why? ” “ Why am in this cavity? ” “ Why am I in this prison? I do n’t understand! ” For 22 old ages Joseph lived cut off from his household and hereafter. He had no agencies of undoing his quandary. Joseph ne’er understood why these things happened, alternatively he subsequently learned what God was doing-bringing approximately good.

Joseph discovered he did n’t hold to calculate out why things were go oning, alternatively

he learned to swear God.

Trusting God does n’t disregard the fact that there are bad people and bad things that happen to us. There are hateful people out there who stalk kids or strap bombs to themselves and kill guiltless citizens. There are harmful diseases that rob our loved 1s of their wellness. There are tragic accidents go oning mundane doing hurting and agony. In the thick of this, we want to inquire, “ WHY? ” Why did my partner dice? Why did I acquire malignant neoplastic disease? Why did I have to bury my kid? Why did my mate go forth me? Why did my parents divide up? Why does everyone else seem to thrive while I suffer?

Rarely do we of all time get replies to those inquiries in this life. Alternatively, these experiences provide the chance for us to swear God wholly alternatively of understanding everything.

GNB

Proverbs 3:5 says, “ Trust in the Lord with all your bosom and thin non on your ain apprehension. ”

Darmstadtium

Yes.

When you face problem, you have a pick of either seeking to understand it, or taking to swear God. If you spend all your emotional energy seeking to calculate out WHY this is go oning, you ca n’t to the full trust God.

A amusing used to state the narrative about how one summer cipher around town was catching any fish-nobody except one adult male that is. He came back each eventide with a immense twine of fish. Cipher knew how he was making it, so the game warden asked to travel fishing with him to detect his secret.

The adult male and the game warden rowed out into the center of a small pool. The adult male pulled out a stick of dynamite and illume it and tossed it in the H2O. KABOOM! And in a few seconds dead fish started drifting to the surface and he merely used his cyberspace to garner them in the boat. The game warden was enraged. He said, “ You know that ‘s against the jurisprudence. I ‘m traveling to acquire you thrown in prison! ” While the game warden was

publishing his philippic, the old adult male merely took out another stick of dynamite and lit it. He handed it to the surprised game warden. SSSSSSSaˆ¦the fuse was taper offing. The adult male looked at him and calmly said, “ Are you gon na ‘ talk, or are you gon na ‘ fish? ”

I think the same thing is true about swearing God. Whenever hurting and hardship comes into our life, it ‘s as if God says to us, “ Are you traveling to calculate it out, or are you traveling to swear me? ”

Joseph had learned to swear God. If you set your life on God ‘s navigational system, He can convey approximately good.

GNB

Genesis 50:20 has been called the Romans 8:28 of the Old Testament.

Darmstadtium

It ‘s the same truth.

GNB

“ For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called harmonizing to his intent. ”

Darmstadtium

Notice that poetry says, ‘We know ‘ . Meaning, it ‘s merely something we do cognize like how many stat mis from one town to another. We either know it or we do n’t. And this we, as members of God ‘s household, merely cognize it.

It does n’t state that all things are good. They can be made to work together for good. That ‘s a different thing wholly.

One ground we have a difficult clip accepting this truth is because we do n’t understand what “ good ” is. To me, “ good ” is what makes me happy. And if we ‘re non ever happy, we think things ca n’t be good. But to God, “ good ” is what gives Him glorification.

Peoples sometimes struggle with how to keep a grateful attitude during times of hurting. You do n’t hold to thank God for your malignant neoplastic disease, but in the thick of your malignant neoplastic disease, you can thank God that He is good. You do n’t hold to thank God that you lost your occupation, but you can thank Him that He is good. Bad things happen, but God is good-all the clip.

GNB

The Psalmist says, “ Praise the Lord. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. ”

Darmstadtium

When some of us were kids we learned a approval to pray before we ate.

It went:

“ God is great. God is good.

Let us thank Him for our nutrient.

By His custodies we are fed.

Thank you, God for day-to-day staff of life. ”

GNB

That ‘s solid divinity.

Darmstadtium

Yes. Two foundational features of God are His illustriousness and His goodness. When you understand how good and how great God truly is, you can put your life on God ‘s navigational system, even when you do n’t understand your hard fortunes.

LIFE LESSON # 2:

YOU CAN SURVIVE ADVERSITY WITHOUT BITTERNESS.

If anyone had a right to be angry and acrimonious it was Joseph. His brothers were afraid that after their male parent died, Joseph would keep a score against them. But in Genesis 50:21 Joseph said, “ Do n’t be afraid. I will supply for you and your kids. ” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. ”

Is there anyone hearing who has been abused and mistreated by a household member? It can either do you acrimonious or do you better. Joseph was mugged and sold into bondage by his brothers, yet he refused to go acrimonious about it.

Have you of all time been falsely accused? It can do you bitter or it can do you better. Joseph was falsely accused of attempted colza, and even went to prison as an guiltless adult male, yet he refused to let it to do him acrimonious. The minute Joseph named his boies allows us to peer into his bosom and detect the deficiency of resentment.

Sometime after being appointed as premier curate of Egypt, Joseph married an Egyptian miss, and they had two boies. Following the usage, Joseph so chose names for his boies that reflected the province of his bosom.

Now, maintain in head all that has happened. No 1 could hold faulted Joseph for combating with resentment. But the names he gave his boies tell us otherwise.

Manasseh, his eldest, was given a name that sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘forget ‘ – ‘because God has made me bury all my problem and all my male parent ‘s family. ‘ Incredible! Joseph ‘s ain words tell us that in malice of all the solitariness he had because he missed his household, God had enabled him to go forth his hurting behind. Certain, he remembered his experience ; but his hurting and sorrow was a thing of the yesteryear. God has gracefully given him contentment with life as it was.

Ephraim, the 2nd boy, was named ‘twice as fruitful. ‘ Joseph had been given the grace to recognize God ‘s active presence and proviso even in the land of enduring. Rather than being consumed by what he had given up and what he could ne’er repossess, the internal work of God in Joseph ‘s bosom had given him the ability to brood on the approvals of his life. He candidly viewed his life as that of a adult male double blessed. Through old ages of hard experiences, God had been dependably at work in his bosom.

Have you of all time felt ignored and forgotten? It can do you bitter or it can do you better. Joseph was left in gaol for old ages after he had helped Pharaoh ‘s retainer, yet he refused to let that make him bitter.

There are plentifulness of bitter, angry people out at that place.

I read about a adult male who was so acrimonious about paying money to his former married woman that he seethed every clip he wrote the check. When it came clip for his concluding payment, he did n’t merely direct her a check ; he wanted to direct her a message. So he drew a large-scale check on the dorsum of a pinstripe shirt. He made out the check on the dorsum of the shirt and on the memo line he wrote, “ Here it is-the shirt off my dorsum! ” And the bank cashed the check. That ‘s resentment.

The Bible warns about the danger of a acrimonious attitude.

GNB

It says in Hebrews 12:15 “ See to it that no acrimonious root grows up to do problem and defile many. ”

Darmstadtium

If resentment is the root, the fruit is harmful anger toward person who has hurt you. But resentment is like an acid in your psyche that will merely eat off at its ain container.

Joseph justly understood that hardship was God ‘s manner of proving and turn outing his character.

I remember being in a motel room in America and all of a sudden the telecasting screen went space for a brief minute followed by a solid tone and so a voice stating, “ This is a trial. This is merely test. This is a trial of the Emergency Broadcast System… ”

Whenever a kid of God encounters problem and hardship, you should hear a voice stating, “ This is a trial. This is merely a trial. ”

GNB

The Bible says, “ See it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face tests of many sorts, because you know that the testing of your religion develops doggedness. ”

Darmstadtium

When confronting a test, inquire God for wisdom to manage the test. That manner you do n’t blow the test but put it in a manner that can outlive it.

When you have successfully endured hardship, you ever discover that it makes you stronger. Always remember that which does n’t kill you can do you stronger.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a great author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970. He was imprisoned in Siberia for eight old ages after some disparaging remarks about Stalin in a missive to a friend. As he reflected on that awful ordeal old ages subsequently he wrote: “ In the poisoning of vernal successes I felt myself to be infallible, and I was hence barbarous… it was merely when I lay at that place on decomposing prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line dividing good and evil base on ballss non through provinces, non between categories, nor between political parties either-but right through every human bosom… so, bless you, prison, for holding been in my life. ”

That ‘s the attitude Joseph displayed. He said, “ you intended all these things to harm me, but God intended it for good. When your life is under God ‘s control, you can last hardship without resentment.

LIFE LESSON # 3:

YOU CAN FACE DEATH WITHOUT FEAR.

Genesis 50:24. “ Joseph said to his brothers, “ I am about to decease. But God will certainly come to your assistance… ”

GNB

49:33 “ When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his boies, he drew his pess up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. ”

Darmstadtium

Joseph and Jacob did n’t hold to fear decease because they believed there was an being after decease.

Have you read the latest statistics on decease?

GNB

One out of one people die.

Darmstadtium

Precisely.

I heard about a adult male who went to see his physician for a physical. A twosome of yearss subsequently the physician called him and said, “ I ‘ve got bad intelligence and worse intelligence, which would you like to hear foremost? ” The cat said, “ Give me the bad intelligence. ” The physician said, “ Your trials show you have 48 hours to populate. ” The adult male was flabbergasted. “ That ‘s the bad intelligence? How can at that place be worse intelligence than that? ” The physician paused for a minute and said, “ Well, I ‘ve been seeking to name you since yesterday! ”

When it comes to deceasing, many of us agree with Woody Allen who said, “ It ‘s non that I ‘m afraid of deceasing, I merely do n’t desire to be at that place when it happens! ”

For a Christian, decease agencies many things, but allow me give you three words that tell you why a Christian can confront decease without fright. These words all start with the missive “ R. ”

First, decease is reunion.

We ‘ll be gathered to be with our loved 1s and other people who followed Jesus

Jesus. When Jacob died, the Bible says, “ he was gathered to his people. ” The indistinguishable

statement is used to depict Abraham and Isaac ‘s decease. Peoples ask, “ Will we know our loved 1s in Eden? ” Absolutely. The Bible does n’t state Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were gathered to a clump of aliens. They were gathered to their ain people.

Second, decease for a Christian means reclamation.

This old organic structure we live in is like a collapsible shelter.

This old collapsible shelter gets moth-eaten and tatterdemalion with age. Our organic structures grow old and aching. But when we die, our psyche and spirit vacate this collapsible shelter and we receive a religious organic structure.

GNB

When the Apostle Paul was sing his ain decease he wrote, “ For to me, to populate is Christ and to decease is addition… I am lacerate between the two: I desire to go and be with Christ, which is better by far ; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the organic structure. ”

Darmstadtium

The word “ depart ” was used of soldiers who would strike cantonment and take down a collapsible shelter to travel to another assignment. Wo n’t it be fantastic to populate in a organic structure and in a topographic point where there is no hurting, no sorrow, and no decease?

Death is a clip of reclamation.

Third, decease for a Christian means reality-face to face.

The Bible says now we walk by religion and non by sight. When we get to heaven, our religion will turn to sight-that ‘s world.

The Bible says now our vision of Jesus is like looking into a hapless contemplation in a mirror, like when you get out of the shower and the mirror is fogged up, and you ca n’t see your face clearly. That ‘s the lone vision we have of Jesus now, but when we die, we will see Him face to face-that ‘s world!

Fanny Crosby was a fecund anthem author.

She wrote such authoritative vocals as “ Blessed Assurance ” and “ To God Be the Glory. ” Fanny Crosby was blind, so she possessed a acute expectancy of being able to see one time she died. In one of her vocals she wrote:

GNB

When my life work is ended,

And I cross the swelling tide,

When the bright and glorious forenoon I shall see ;

I shall cognize my Redeemer,

when I reach the other side,

Darmstadtium

And His smiling will be the first to welcome me. Is n’t it great to gain the smiling of Jesus will welcome us into heaven?

If you are n’t a follower of Jesus Christ, you SHOULD fear decease.

Because if you die without holding Jesus as your Saviour, you are destined to pass an infinity separated from God ‘s love and forgiveness. But right now, His grace and clemency is available to anyone who will turn from their wickednesss and place their religion in Jesus.

Is your life under God ‘s control?

Then you can swear God without understanding your fortunes. You can last hardship without going bitter. And you can confront decease without fright.

Imagine for a minute you ‘re driving down a route and you ‘re traveling to put the navigational system.

You hear the instructions from the voice. Now it ‘s a affair of following the instructions, bend right, turn left.

It requires a witting determination on your portion.

I believe there is an experience in life similar to that. It ‘s when you to the full and wholly

resignation control of your life to God. I can really retrieve the first clip I did. I trusted Jesus as my Saviour, but I did n’t to the full understand what it was to do Him my Godhead at that clip.

I remember a meeting where I clearly sensed the demand to admit the Lord in all of my ways.

Hour angle there of all time been a clip in your life when you consciously surrendered control of your life to God?

After analyzing the life of Joseph, I ‘ve learned it is n’t about Joseph ; it ‘s about what God did for Joseph. It ‘s non about you and it ‘s non about me, it ‘s about what God can make in and through us.

God is so great He can make anything.

God is so good He loves you absolutely!

GNB

You are listening to Word Alive and a message by Derek Stringer based on the life of Joseph.

We have this series of 6 messages available here at Good News Broadcasting on cassette, Cadmium and in transcript signifier.

You can make us by FREE PHONE 08,000 92 78 92.

We besides have a free intelligence missive we will direct you at your petition.

I ‘ll give you those contact inside informations once more in merely a minute.

Let ‘s acquire back to Dr. Stringer as he rounds off today ‘s edition of Word Alive.

Darmstadtium

Sometimes sermonizers conclude messages by stating sad narratives that conveying cryings, or chilling narratives that conveying frights.

I want to stop this message with us observing God ‘s illustriousness together. I want us to bury that we are dignified grownups. When you get a minute to yourself, which may be right now, Singing a vocal like the small kids sing it. Jesus said that unless we become similar small kids we ‘ll ne’er come in the land.

The vocal is:

My God is so large ; so strong and so mightily ;

There ‘s nil my God can non make!

My God is so large, so strong and so mightily ;

There ‘s nil my God can non make!

GNB

The mountains are His ; the vales are His ;

the stars are His handicraft, excessively!

My God is so large,

so strong and so mightily ;

Darmstadtium

there ‘s nil my God can non do-for you! ”

God is so large, so strong, and so mightily, that you can turn your life over to Him!

Respond to God ‘s navigational system.

Listen to what He says to you and follow His instructions.

GNB

YOU CAN TRUST GOD WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING.

Darmstadtium

YOU CAN SURVIVE ADVERSITY WITHOUT BITTERNESS.

YOU CAN FACE DEATH WITHOUT FEAR.

You know, bad fortunes do n’t ever decide themselves in this life. And some fortunes that seem to be resolved are frequently unexplained.

The promise of Joseph ‘s illustration is n’t that everything will turn out to be all right, but that nil will go on apart from the regard of our loving Father.

Nothing will go on that He will non utilize for our benefit. No experience will be wasted, but all will lend to the preparation of our character and the docket of His land.

The best replies and the most cherished wagess are waiting for us in that topographic point where neither moth nor rust can destruct.

( MUSIC BED TO END THE PROGRAMME STARTS )

In the presence of our Father, the visible radiation of grace will cast perfect visible radiation on all of our unreciprocated inquiries. . . that is if we even bother to desire to believe about them so.

GNB

So, the bottom line is this: Whether you can see God at work or non has nil to make with whether He is at work or non!

You have been listening to Word Alive with Derek Stringer and produced by Good News Broadcasting Association.

Please log into our web site for full inside informations about this and many other programmes. www.gnba.net That ‘s gnba.net

My name is ( – ) and I ‘ll be back with Dr. Stringer here on Word Alive for a trade name new series of messages from the Word of God in our following programme.

I hope that you will be able to fall in us.

God bless and maintain you.

The squad here at GNB are praying for you.

Good-bye for now.