Sermon Tone Analysis

Faithfulness in Our Walk

Without faithfulness to God there can be no Christian life.

Christianity is based first on faith that God is, and then that through Christ Jesus we can be forgiven and are saved.

Our faithfulness is a commitment to adhere to the One God who is true and supreme and to keep His commandments.

In fact, the first two of the Ten Commandments (), deal directly with our being faithful to God.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God...” These are the words given directly from God to Moses for all people, for all time.

Since God assumes a relationship with His people, He is declaring that He will not tolerate unfaithfulness and competition with anything else.

An idol can be in the form of anything that you might place in a higher priority over God.

This includes false images of worship or placing anything in our lives that has preeminence over God.

52 Weeks we need to be faithful to God .....

More here -

A people that are faithful will be contagious

Faithful in Church attendance

Faithful in giving

Faithful in devotions

Faithful in serving

Faithful in reaching others

Faithful in standing for truth

in our text today Joseph was faithful......

I Faithfulness will Involve Suffering

gen 47.1-6

Wait a minute - this is the end of the story .... what God Joseph to this point ....

gen 47.1-

Joseph was faithful .... this is the end of the story but God walked him through some fire before he got to this point....

Training for a marathon involves suffering

4:30 AM runs

wet/cold

early to bed

nursing injuries

exhausted

But when you cross the finish line in front of 1,000’s of people its worth it

The weight loss the health benefit s’

The emotional high

But its not easy

How would you respond if your family despised you so much that they arranged for you to be sold to a slave trader?

How would you feel if your boss, whom you had faithfully served with impeccable integrity, was quick to believe a lie about you and subsequently have you thrown into jail?

How would you react if a comrade broke a promise and as a result, you spent several years in confinement?

Joseph experienced each of these circumstances.

You can read the full account of his sufferings in .

God Had a Purpose for Allowing Joseph to Suffer

By Joseph’s own testimony, the sufferings of Joseph—physical, mental, and emotional agonies—had been allowed by God so that Joseph could fulfill God’s plan: to save many lives.

“But as for you [Joseph’s brothers who had sold him into slavery many years previously], ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” ().

gen

Joseph Rejected Bitterness and Chose to Forgive

As Joseph responded to suffering with faith, meekness, and humility, God molded and shaped a leader.

And that leader would not only end up saving his betrayers’ lives, but he would fully forgive them and provide abundantly for their needs.

Such is the potential when a man chooses to reject the empty revenge of bitterness and instead to embrace the benefits of suffering.

matt 18

Why Did God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Joseph?

If Joseph asked you why God allowed him to be sold into slavery by his own brothers; to be torn from his family and home; to be falsely accused by the wife of Potiphar, to whom he had been loyal and devoted; and to be unjustly imprisoned and ignored, how might you answer?

Here are a few possible answers.

There are many more.

To enable him to overcome a prideful attitude and learn humility (See .)

To teach him how to serve (See , , ; ; and .)

prov 15.33

To train him to be faithful (See and .)

To teach him how to serve (See , , ; ; and .)To

train him to be faithful (See and .)To

test him in moral purity (See and .)To

prepare him to comfort others (See and .)To

prepare him to lead his brothers to repentance (See .)To

teach him patience (See , ; and .)To

enable him to see God accomplish His purposes and fulfill His promises (See , , , , and 50:20.)To

teach him how jealousy can cause suffering (See and 17-36.)To

save many lives (See .)To

let him experience the blessing of God’s favor (See and 21-23.)To

place him in a position to tell Pharaoh of God’s power (See , , , , and 38-44.)

To test him in moral purity (See and .)

To prepare him to comfort others (See and .)

To prepare him to lead his brothers to repentance (See .)

To teach him patience (See , ; and .)

To place him in a position to tell Pharaoh of God’s power (See , , , , and 38-44.)

To teach him how jealousy can cause suffering (See and 17-36.)

To save many lives (See .)

To let him experience the blessing of God’s favor (See and 21-23.)To

place him in a position to tell Pharaoh of God’s power (See , , , , and 38-44.)

We Can Choose to Trust God, Even as Joseph Did

We are not to regard suffering as a strange occurrence, but rather as a sign of God’s work in our lives.

(See and .)

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” ().

1 Peter 4.12-

Faithfulness will involve suffering

II Faithfulness Makes you a Leader

gen 47.

look back to chapter 46

Notice -Joseph’s faithfulness and constancy made him a leader

early in

this also showed up in other areas he had integrity - he did not lie about their occupation its the truth .....

Notice - he told the truth and wanted the best for his brethren

gen 46.2-

We note Joseph’s plain instructions to his brethren (46:33–34a).

“And it shall come to pass when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we and also our fathers.”

In other words, the brethren were to confess to Pharaoh their shepherd character.

They were to confess it before him and all his splendid court.

Unlike the Egyptians who were a settled, agricultural people, shepherds were a nomadic, migratory people, ever on the move, never sending their roots down deeply into any one spot.