Sermon # 40 - Cast Down By Men But Raised Up By God Series

For the past few weeks we are considering the importance of relationships, especially those pertaining to marriage and family. I would like to share a couple of testimonies from last week. I went to visit a family, and I casually asked a little girl aged around 8 or 9, ‘What did you learn last Sunday?’ and she replied, ‘I understood that Dad and Mom must not argue or quarrel in front of their children’ and I was told, that she actually told her parents that if they had any misunderstanding, they must sort them out privately. I visited another family, and the aunt of a little boy told me that as soon as the parents of the boy got home, he had been insisting that they sit down at the table for a while, and talk to each other. This he had picked up from the message on Sunday. I was so overjoyed to know that even young children, could comprehend the word of God, and were able to apply it to their families.

Our God is a God of relationships, and the Bible is all about relationships. From Genesis to Revelation the majority of the biblical account has relationships as the core. The book of Genesis begins with relationship between God and Adam, Adam and Eve, while the book of Revelation, spells out the specifics of the relationship between Christ, and the church. While God is the author of all good relationships, Satan on the other hand is the destroyer of these relationships.

Today there is a disruption of relationships at every level, for there are problems between husband and wife, father and son, or parents and children. Sometimes when a man has issues at home, he goes to work, and vents his anger on others at his work place. The effects of the break in relationship at home, is evidenced by those outside. It is therefore essential that one should be cautious, and more specifically accountable in every relationship.

Many people are annoyed when asked to give account in any way or in any relationship. In a family, the husband is displeased if the wife questions him on any issue and vice versa. The reason for the lack of accountability is simply because there are discrepancies in the relationship. We will try to understand on the basis of God’s word, how we can maintain accountability in relationships, and remain faithful in all relationships.

Our families are God’s gift to us

All of us were born into a family. None of us chose our parents, as God made that choice and therefore all relationships which include husband, wife, parents, children, siblings etc., are all God ordained. Therefore, our families, our spouse, and our children are God’s gift to us. If relationships are established by God, He alone can give us counsel, as to how to make these relationships work in an effective manner.

Though everything that God gives is good and for our well-being, even in the beautiful Garden of Eden where everything was perfect, the serpent entered subtly to tempt Eve by creating doubt, and thereby destroyed the glorious relationship Adam and Even had with God, and with each other. This is the deceptive cunning of Satan, whose only scheme is to infiltrate into every good relationship, and bring about discord or disunity.

There are some who are married for many long years, but still live in regret, and wish they could have married someone else. We must be cautious to not entertain such thoughts, as these stem from the evil one, and should give no room for his crafty devices in our lives. Instead, we must treasure, and thank God for all the relationships He has entrusted to us.

God gave Joseph his prominence

Be accountable in relationships

We read in Genesis 37:2, “This is the account of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing.” (GW)

The above mentioned verse gives an account of Jacob’s descendants, and strangely the first name mentioned is Joseph, though of the twelve sons of Jacob, Joseph was only the eleventh in line. Generally when recording the genealogy of a person in the Bible, it is in order to mention the name of the first born son. However, in this account Joseph who was the eleventh son is mentioned first, and this for a specific purpose. There was a reason for this honor that God chose to bestow on Joseph, which we will study in detail.

Though Joseph was almost the youngest in the family, he had a sense of responsibility from when he was very young. His elder brothers did evil, and Joseph observed these wrongs his brother’s did, he could have done two things; either he could have ignored them, or he could have been party to their misdeeds. But, Joseph decided to be faithful to God, and to his father Jacob. He therefore chose to be forthright, and to share with his father all the bad things that his brothers were involved with.