This was a series of messages on the coat of many colors – 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 Randy Alderman’s Sermon, “I Shall Come Forth As Gold.” Many other sources were used to help compile this series!
A Coat of Many Colors #11 Gold
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, have we learned so far about this coat of many colors?
The First was Amber which represented God’s Presence and Glory.
The Second color Black which could have represented two ideas. days of darkness & future of the Famine
Dark Blue which signified Worship!
Sky Blue or Light Blue = Heaven. .
Green = Spiritual Growth.
Crimson or Red = Blood or Sin
White = Purity, Holiness and righteousness!
Yellow = light
Purple = Royalty
Gray = Wisdom
Today we will be looking at the color Gold!
The color gold is the color of extravagance, wealth, riches, and excess, and shares several of the same attributes of the color yellow. The color gold is a warm color that can be either bright and cheerful or somber and traditional.
The color gold is cousin to the color yellow and the color brown, and is also associated with illumination, love, compassion, courage, passion, and wisdom.
Gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. Associated with abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance,
Text: Job 23:1-17 ; James 1:2-12
Introduction: No one enjoys trials from the human side only, because it goes against our flesh.
Job said, And I am paraphrasing, It is only when you discover what God permits you to experience so that you may “come forth as gold”.
Today, we will be looking at Joseph and Job and in doing so observe the attitude that they had towards there trials.
Just as these two went through hardships and trials maybe some of you can identify with some of the things that they went through.
Do you ever feel alone through those times?
Job did!! Job 23:3 (KJV) 3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
But how does a mere man go about finding God?
If Job went forward or backward (east or west), to the left or to the right (north or south), he could not see God or even catch a quick glimpse of Him.
Of course, God is present everywhere but Job wanted a personal meeting with God.
I am sure that Joseph felt the same way as he was first cast into what was to be the pit of death, where his brothers had conspired to kill him.
Imagine what he was thinking as he heard his brothers talking and conspiring to put him to death!
I would be praying, God Where Are You? Save Me, Please!
Be careful what you ask for!
Maybe God did answer by having his brothers sell him into slavery.
We Don’t know for sure, but he was sold into slavery!
Some way out, Well you say at least he was alive! Yes But! Slavery?
Here we see the creation of humility in Joseph as now He is a slave.
And now he lives at the whim of his master.
He’s the lowest form of life in the nation of Egypt.
He has nothing… he owns nothing… he IS nothing.
Just like all the other slaves of that day he has no rights, no status, no value.
And then if that was not enough Joseph is tested by adversity!
Joseph and Job both were accused of sin that neither one of them had committed.
Now Joseph is thrown into prison! How discouraging that would have been to the average person.
Genesis 39:20 (KJV) 20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
Ever Feel Abandon: I am so thankful for verses like
Deuteronomy 4:31 (KJV) 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Joshua 1:5 (KJV) 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
You might not can see God But He sees you!
I. THERE IS COURAGE IN WHAT JOB SAID: “he knoweth the way that I take” (v. 10).
Job’s bitter suffering drove him to seek God! I believe the same could be said of Joseph!
A. Job believed that God was around even though he could not see him… (v. 9).
B. Job believed that God was aware of him even though he could not touch him… (V. 9).
Genesis 39:21 (KJV) 21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
The hand of God is obvious in this young man's life, but over against it are the terrible things that happen to him
But the interesting thing is that the Lord is with Joseph. Although He does not appear to him, as He had to the other patriarchs, He shows him mercy.
First He causes the keeper of the prison to like him and to trust him. Although Joseph is naturally a very attractive young man and has tremendous ability, the important thing to note is that all of this would not have come to naught had not God been with him.
God is with him and is leading him. All of these experiences are moving toward the accomplishment of a purpose in this young man's life.
But Joseph was one who was living on top of his circumstances. The Lord was with him.
He recognized the hand of God in his life, and so he was not discouraged.
II. THERE IS CONSIDERATION IN WHAT Job said, “when he hath tried me”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (KJV) 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
God knew where Job and Joseph were — in the furnace!
But it was a furnace of God's appointment, not because of sin!
God would use their affliction to purify them and make them better men.
"Why do the righteous suffer?" but it is one of the best, and it can bring the sufferer great encouragement.
Scripture often uses the image of a furnace to describe God's purifying ministry through suffering.
Isaiah 48:10 (KJV) 10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Israel's suffering in Egypt was like that of iron in a smelting furnace Deuteronomy 4:20 (KJV) 20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
This image is used in 1 Peter 1:6-7 (KJV) 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1 Peter 4:12 (KJV) 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
You see when God puts His own people into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much.
We may question why He does it to begin with, or why He doesn't turn down the heat or even turn it off?
The answer Job 23:10 (KJV) 10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
The furnace can only make the gold purer and brighter.
A. His trials would not cause him to waver… (V. 11).
B. His trials would help him to worship Him… (V. 12).
Some people go into the furnace of affliction, and it burns them; others go in, and the experience purifies them.
What makes the difference?
Their attitude toward the Word of God and the will of God. If we are nourished by the Word and submit to His will, the furnace experience, painful as it may be, it will refine us and make us better.
But if we resist God's will and fail to feed on His truth, the furnace experience will only burn us and make us bitter.
III. THERE IS CONFIDENCE IN WHAT JOB SAID, “I shall come forth as gold.” (V. 10)
A. He knew that he would be made better. (V. 14)
B. He certainly would not be made bitter. (V. 16).
Joseph didn't forget his family or the events that occurred, but he did forget the pain and suffering that they caused.
As I said last week, He realized that God meant it for good (50:20).
Therefore, looking at the past from that perspective, he attained victory over his bad memories and bitterness.
He could have carried a grudge in his heart because of the way his brothers had treated him, but grudges are like weeds in a lovely garden or germs in a healthy body: they just don't belong there.
CONCLUSION:
Sometimes the Lord allows trials to come to us to teach us…
Sometimes they come to tender us and trials also come to toughen us.
Yet, when God allows it to be so, it is for the purpose of us to come forth as gold.
