This is a series of sermons on the coat of many colors – Free Power point is available through E-Mail retssi@bellsouth.net
Several Illustrations, points, and the main idea for this series of sermons dealing with the coat of many colors was from James May’s sermon, “A Coat Of Many Colors.” Also Several Illustrations and points came from Melvin Newland’s sermon, “God Show Me Your Glory,” and many other sources were used to help compile this series!
A Coat of Many Colors #1 Amber
Genesis 37:1-3 (KJV) 1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
What, is so significant about a coat of many colors? That’s what I wondered too until God began to show me. So I spent some time researching the colors that could have been used.
Today we will be looking at the first color and it is - AMBER.
With some research I found that the color amber would be a blend of yellow and orange color that got its name from the material known as amber. Due to this, amber can refer not to one but to a series of shades of orange, since the natural material varies from nearly yellow when it is newer, to orange or reddish-orange when older.
This color is only mentioned three times in the Book of Ezekiel, and boy but does it have meaning.
Ezekiel 1:4 (KJV) 4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Ezekiel 1:26-28 (KJV) 26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Ezekiel 8:1-4 (KJV) 1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. 2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. 3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
Thus we can see that the color of amber was representative of God’s glory and presence.
What was Joseph to glean from this color?
I’m sure that Jacob maybe remembered his own vision of God’s glory.
Maybe his intent was for the Amber in the coat to remind Joseph everyday that God’s glory is real and that the presence of God should never be taken for granted.
Turn to Exodus 3:1-6
Here in the passage we see that God wanted to speak to Moses.
It was here, that the angel of the Lord (an Old Testament appearance of Christ) speaks to Moses from a burning bush.
The story of Moses and the burning bush is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. By digging into this story, you will find that it reveals great treasures, truths, and insights.
We see in this passage that God used a small, burning bush to get Moses' attention! What a way for God to reveal Himself.
God has often used fire to symbolize and represent His presence.
This fire was a manifestation of God's power and glory, the Shekinah glory. The Bible says that, “God is a consuming fire.” This was the very presence of God Himself shining and blazing forth in the bush.
The point to see is this: God Himself was meeting with Moses. He was manifesting and revealing Himself, to Moses in a very special way.
This bush was an earthly bush with a heavenly fire.
God wanted Moses to be a burning bush for Him. The Lord would help him to glow with His presence in his life. By the way, He will do this for you too.
Now Turn to Exodus 33:18-23
In this passage we have a conversation between Moses & the Lord.
Listen as I read that passage.
Exodus 33:18-23 (KJV) 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
That’s an intriguing passage, isn’t it? Moses boldly asks God to reveal His glory. Can you imagine that?
Our first reaction is shock and amazement. Did he not remember the burning bush experience?
The second reaction is maybe to condemn Moses for doing it. We would never do anything like that. Right?
Wrong. We do it often. We either think it or we say it. "God, just reveal yourself to me.”
Job did something like that. The scribes & the Pharisees did it.
Mankind has always made demands of God. "God, just zap me with a divine lightning bolt & make me instantly pure & holy so that I would never think evil thoughts or never say bad words again."
"God, just reveal yourself to me, & I will be your boldest witness in all the world. God, just heal all the people that I know who are sick.”
“Just perform some miracles & we would know beyond any doubt that it is you." How strong our faith would be, if we could just catch a glimpse of God now & then & know that God is real.
But when Moses said something like that to God, the Lord replied, "Moses, the first thing we need to get straight is that I am going to do this my way, not yours. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Then He said, "I am going to pass before you. My glory is going to be there." "But, you’re not ready to see it. So here is a rock, & you stand on the rock & get ready. The moment I pass by I am going to take you & put you in the cleft of the rock & cover you with my hand. Then I will pass by. Once I have passed by I will remove my hand & you will see my back. But you are not ready to see my face because no one can see my face & live."
That passage of Scripture tells us something about the way God reveals Himself, even to us today.
It says that God sometimes passes so near that you can feel His presence.
You can know that He is there. But at the same time, there is a dimension to God that you & I will never be able to see or understand or comprehend with our finite, puny minds.
ILL. Fosdick compared our understanding of God with our understanding of the sea. He said, "I know the sea but I don’t know the vastness of the sea. There is a part of the sea that washes up on the sands of my life. I can bathe in it. It lulls me to sleep with its waves. And yet, I know only a very little part of the sea."
It’s the same way with God, isn’t it? He is so close we can almost reach out & touch Him. And yet, He is so magnificent that we will never completely understand all about Him.
I think there are times when God reaches down & helps us in special ways, & we realize beyond any doubt that it’s the Lord doing it.
Let me share four areas where I think we can sense the nearness of God and his glory..
I. IN NATURE.
First of all, I think we can see God in the nature that surrounds us. Many passages of Scripture come to mind. Let me read a couple of familiar ones to you from the book of Psalms.
The first is Psalm 8:3 (KJV) 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Here is the psalmist out on some moonlit night, staring up at the sky. He experiences the serenity of the evening & realizes that it is God who has made the heavens & put the moon & stars in their proper places.
In Psalm 19, vs’s 1 & 2, there are similar words. Psalm 19:1-2 (KJV)
1The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
He is saying that when we look into the heavens we see the glory of God. The sky itself proclaims the work of His hand. Day after day, God is speaking to us. Night after night He is revealing His glory & knowledge to us.
Listen to these words in Job 12:7-10 (KJV) 7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
The book of Romans suggests that we are without excuse. Even if we have never heard a sermon about God, we are without excuse.
Because nature itself reveals to us what God is like, & what God has done.
Maybe we can’t see His face. Maybe we can’t know all the vastness, but He is there, nonetheless. So look around. Open your eyes & feel the presence of God.
II. MORAL ORDER OF LIFE.
Secondly, I think we see Him and experience Him in the moral order.
There are rules & regulations that govern life. Like it or not, they are there. They have always been there, & they always will.
For example, God says, "Whatever you sow, that’s what you are going to reap." God says again, "Be sure your sin will find you out."
It is a fact of life, you see. There are certain rules & regulations that God has ordained to govern the way we live. But the world today stands in defiance of the rules & regulations of God.
It says, "We’ll live life our way. We don’t believe in God, so there is no need to listen to His word."
But the moral order stays in its place, & man is powerless to change it. You still reap what you sow. You still harvest the results of your sin. Your sin still finds you out. Sooner or later it will catch up with you. Every time we see a person who is suffering physically because of the defiance of God’s laws we are reminded once again of the moral order of things. It is there & we can’t change it.
The other side is also true. If you sow good seed, you harvest a good crop. God formed you & He knows you inside & out. Since He is the manufacturer of the product, follow the rules in His book of instruction & the blessings of life are yours.
God says, "Live life the way I have designed it to be lived & you will find that everything just goes better for you." That moral order is there & it is a testimony to the nearness of God. He is always close to us.
III. IN OUR WORSHIP SERVICES.
I think we experience Him sometimes in our worship services. We ought to experience Him all the time when we come together for worship because He is here. You know He is here. He promised that He would be. He said, "Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be."
So He is here this morning. We are privileged to worship Him, praise Him, pray to Him, acknowledge Him as the Lord & Savior of our lives. And He honors us with His presence whenever we come together in His name.
Do you realize what a blessing it should be week after week to enjoy one another’s company?
To enjoy the fellowship of the saints?
To enjoy the food that comes from God’s Word?
To enjoy times of praise & worship together, & to have the Lord honor us with His presence?
There are times when God comes so close in the moments of worship that you can almost reach out & touch Him. You may not see His face but He is there nonetheless, & you can feel the wind of His presence as He passes by.
IV. IN THE LIVES OF HIS PEOPLE.
I think sometimes we see God in the lives of people who have lived a faithful life to the glory of God. Some of my favorite people are senior saints. Look into their faces, & you’ll see there the radiance of a life that has been lived with an awareness of God.
When you look into their eyes you can almost see the sparkle of the presence of God because they have lived faithfully year in, year out. When you look into faces like that you know God is alive & He is near.
Now the teaching of the passage is that God is so close & yet He is so distant. It is almost a paradox, isn’t it? There is a part of God that is so vast that you & I will never understand. And yet there is a part that we can’t miss unless we are blind & deaf to Him.
He is so near that we can’t help but hear & see Him. It is like stepping into the sea & feeling the refreshing sensation of the water rushing over our toes. It is like the sea saying, "Come on in, there is more. Take another step & see how good it feels."
That is the way it is with God. He is saying, "There is part of me that is close to you, but there is more. Just step out & experience more & more of my presence."
Jesus stood before a lonely world. They looked at Him & asked the same thing that Moses asked. "We would like to see the Father." Jesus said, "When you have seen me you’ve seen the Father."
So read the gospel. Read about God becoming flesh, about Him breathing our air & eating our food & experiencing our temptations, about His concern for the lost, for the ill, for the hungry, for the poor. And as you see more & more of Jesus, you will see more & more of God.
Jesus is illustrating what God is like. Moses was in the cleft of the rock. God’s hand covered him as His glory passed by. Now maybe that is not a very bad place to be. Because when we are covered by the hand of God there is nothing evil in this world that can harm us.
CONCL. Today we stand in the presence of God & we’re privileged to see just a little bit of Him. We can’t see His face yet, but one day we will look into His eyes, & we’ll see Him in all His glory.
Right now we listen & we watch & we wait & we hear & we sense & we know God is near.
He is there in the rustle of the leaves. He is there in the sounds of voices lifted in praise to Him.
He is there in the moral order. He is there in the church as it works together to be a functioning body.
He is there in the people who have lived faithfully for Him.
Look & see. Listen & hear. His glory is all around, if you’ll just see it.
I wonder if Jacob put Amber into that coat because he understood that there would come a day when Joseph would need the presence of God in his life to sustain him through the many dark days ahead.
