A Faithful Man (Part Two)

Genesis 39:3,4
"Now his master saw that the Lord was with [Joseph] and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight...and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge."

If you want to find a biblical example of someone who was faithful in little things, turn to the last chapters of Genesis. As you read through the story of Joseph, you see a man who was considered trustworthy:

● He was given responsibility to shepherd his father's flocks "while he was still a youth" (Genesis 37:2).
● After he was sold into slavery by his brothers, he ended up in the house of Potiphar, where he performed his duties well enough to be appointed overseer of all that Potiphar owned (v. 39:5).
● He refused the amorous advances of Potiphar's wife. Unfortunately, he was thrown into prison when she lied and said he had tried to seduce her (vv. 39:7-18).
● His character in prison was so strong that the chief jailer placed him in charge of all the prisoners (vv.39:21-23).
● After interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he was taken from prison and made a ruler in Egypt, second in power only to Pharaoh (vv. 41:38-41).

Joseph never sought to move up in responsibility. He was faithful to fulfill his responsibilities and content to allow God to give him more. Even his words to Potiphar's wife reveal his faithful character: "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge.... He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:8,9).

Many people have ambitions, but sometimes I wonder if our ambitions are in the right area. Jesus said the greatest ambition in Mark 10:35-45 was to be the slave of all-a servant.

Do you want to be a leader? Then you've got to be a servant.

Prayer: If you desire to have additional responsibilities, ask God to give you the desire to serve others.

Discuss: Do others consider you a servant? Perhaps a better question is do people treat you like a servant?

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Condition of Blessing

"Bring ye all of the tithes into the Storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine House, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).

Many read and plead this promise without noticing the condition upon which the blessing is promised. We cannot expect heaven to be opened or blessing poured out unless we pay our dues unto the LORD our God and to His cause. There would be no lack of funds for holy purposes if all professing Christians paid their fair share.

Many are poor because they rob God. Many churches, also, miss the visitation of the Spirit because they starve their ministries. If there is no temporal meat for God's servants, we need not wonder if their ministry has been little food in it for our souls. When missions pine for means and the work of the LORD is hindered by an empty treasury, how can we look for a large amount of soul-prosperity?

Come, come! What have I given of late? Have I been mean to my God? Have I stinted my Savior? This will never do. Let me give my LORD Jesus His tithe by helping the poor and aiding His work, and then l shall prove His power to bless me on a large scale.
ch spurgeon

Christ died for Sins

1Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit

It was God's will for Christ to suffer.

"It was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering" Is 53:10

Jesus said,

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" John 12:27-28a

Christ dying for sins is central to the gospel message.

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" 1Cor 15:3,4

And

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1John 2:2

The resurrection of Christ from the dead provides us with forensic evidence validating his testimony as the Son of God, and giving us hope of our resurrection. For

"if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Rom 8:11

God's Wrath - Hell

Eternal Suffering is hell is clearly preached in the Bible, especially by Jesus.

Luke 12:5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Mt 13:41,42 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mt 18:34,35 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Jude 1:7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Despite the fact that eternal suffering would seem contrary both the God's judicial nature and his mercy and would seem to portray God the Father as the God Father, Jesus didn't shy away from portraying his Father in this manner. Because first of all this is the way God actually is. And secondly, from God's perspective, this a just sentence. True that it's difficult to see how eternal punishment is a just sentence for temporal sins, especially in consideration of the circumstances in which we live. It's difficult to see how it meets the standards of the law of Moses - an eye for an eye. But it apparently is. And fear and intimidation in light of hell is part of how the gospel is preached in the Bible.

Now there are those who would say that it's ineffective preaching hell. It turns people off. And so we hear little of hell today. But this is not an issue of effectiveness. This is an issue of what constitutes the essential elements of the gospel. To remove the wrath of God from the gospel is to preach a different gospel. If people won't accept the idea that God sends people to hell, if people can't accept that such judgment is condoned by the Lord Jesus Christ, then they have yet to believe the gospel of Christ.

"Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Mt 25:41

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

How to be certain of the gospel

Luke mentions proofs of Jesus' credentials, not only in his gospel but in the book of Acts.

"After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

Acts 1:3 And both Acts and the gospel of Luke were letters written to a man called "Theophilus". Why? Luke tell us why at the beginning of his gospel saying,

"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Luke 1:1-4

It was to impart a sense of certainty.

The reason why faith comes from hearing the message is because the message itself provides forensic evidence, evidence in the form of eyewitness testimony of miracles, evidence which gives a sure foundation for faith, evidence of validating Jesus' testimony, evidence constituting Jesus' credentials.

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." John 14:11

"if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." John 10:9

GOD

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