The Building Of A Man For God Part 2

In my series, “The Building Of A Man For God” (A study in the Life of Joseph), it’s interesting to note that God had has a purpose for all that Joseph went through. Sometimes when we are going through a specific trial we question whether or not God really knows what we are really going through, especially when the trial gets worse rather than better? From God’s perspective, Joseph went through exactly what he needed to be God’s leader; rejection, slavery, being falsely accused, and even prison. And so we ask, was all this necessary? In God’s eyes, yes! God never uses anyone until they are ready, and like Joseph we too are being prepared by every trial to be more useable for God. Why? 1) God desires to teach us faith. Because faith is needed to keep going when everything seems to be going wrong. 2) God desires to teach us patience. (Rom.5:3-5) tells us that “tribulation worketh patience.” Listen, waiting on God is a hard thing to learn, and our flesh doesn’t want to wait when in a trial, but God knows that with each trial comes the valuable experience of learning to trust God more. 3) God desires to grow godly character in us. Joseph knew to run from lust, even when it cost him position, power, and finances. God places each of us in situations to test us spiritually on what we believe mentally. Godliness isn’t just knowing God’s Word, but rather it’s faithfully practicing God's Word in every situation and test!

Building Of A Man For God.

I will be preaching a series over the next three weeks on the “Building Of A Man For God.” It will be a series out of the life of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Like Joseph, we too need to be prepared and strengthened by trial before we can be used of God. God must strip us of our pride, selfishness, and personal will, before we can be of any use to Him. We like Joseph might not see the purpose or reasoning behind the trials that God puts us through in life, but we can remain confident in the fact that God has a greater purpose for it all in the end. I am always reminded of (Rom. 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”   Sometimes we convince ourselves because we are saved, that only good things are supposed to happen to us, but God knows and He wants us all to know that we cannot be strengthened without the spiritual exercise of faith. So God uses everything, our past sins, our present trials and blessings, all of it, to work out His perfect will for our good and His glory.  Like Joseph God has a plan for your life, so stop questioning why and start asking God for the wisdom to use it all for good.

Are you ready?

I trust that you have benefited from this series in (2 Peter), and as I conclude this series it’s encouraging to remind ourselves that although many men follow the way of false teachers and scoffers in our day, there are still those who follow the way of truth. Today, I would like to preach on the subject of the “Rapture of the church.” In (2 Peter 3:4) the Bible tells us that the scoffer will also attack the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus Christ, Saying, "where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” It’s easy to think that we have a lot of time until the 2^nd return of Jesus Christ, but no one really knows for sure. The world doesn't seem too worried, in fact many people are increasingly becoming even more bold in their sin, but does that change the promise of Jesus to come again? In fact it’s even more proof that our time is very short. Remember, God is not on our time schedule, and “The lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;…But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;..” There will come a day when the Church of God will be taken home to heaven with those who have died before, and both their bodies and ours will be fashioned like the resurrected body of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:21). So be ready, for he will return quickly and without warning. The question is, Are you ready?