The Man God Uses

Subject: The Man God Uses

Text: Genesis

Introduction: “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is?” The idea for my subject is taken from this phrase, “one such as this is”. I want to talk about the man God uses. Why does God use some people in a greater capacity than others? Why do some people seem to soar and build lasting legacies, while others seem to make little impact on the world? I think every person, and especially Christians should have a desire to be used mightily by God. There is probably not a nobler goal for a Christian, than the desire to be used by God, a Christian who realizes that God created them for a special purpose and will be satisfied with anything less than fulfilling that purpose. Does anyone in this room want to be used by God? Using the story of Joseph, I want to address the subject: The Man God Uses.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Joseph. Remember, Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, born of his favorite wife, Rachel. Joseph became the favorite son of his father. The father’s favor caused him to be hated and despised by his brothers. As a sign of Jacob’s special favor, he gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors. It was the kind of coat worn by a prince or other in the royal family. As a young man, this son of Rachel was full of confidence, self assurance and he dreamed of elevation to a position of greatness. He seemed to know that he was going to rise to the top. Joseph got himself into serious trouble by telling his dreams to his brothers. The tension of this sibling rivalry came to a head, when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brother’s welfare, who were feeding the flocks in Dothan. When Joseph found them, they were angered at the sight of him. They began to say to one to another, "Here comes that dreamer." Because of their anger and jealousy against Joseph, they took hold of him, stripped him of his coat of many colors that reminded them of the father’s favor and threw him into a pit, saying, “Let us see what will become of his dreams now!” The bible said, they later decided to lift Joseph out of the pit and sell him to a ban of Ishmaelite traders as a slave. They considered Joseph as a dead man. How does a man like Joseph rise up out of pit of life and end up in the palace of triumph?

Maybe some of you can identify with some of the hardships Joseph faced: He was hated by his brothers; betrayed, deserted and sold into slavery by those closest to him. He falsely accused after years of faithful service; exposed to sexual temptation and punished for doing the right thing. He suffered a long unjust imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. Through it all, the Bible says, “but God was with him.” Old saints use to sing, “You ought to take the Lord with you everywhere you go…” How did Joseph become a man God could use? How did Joseph rise above it all? I believe Joseph was a man God used because of five basic characteristics, let’s begin our study.

1. Joseph was a man who dared to dream and he dared to do something about his dream-Dreams set the stage for a man’s life. Even though people accuse him of being proud and arrogant, Joseph dared to hold on to his dream. He confessed his dreams, dressed for his dreams and a dared to be different. He stood for right even when it meant standing alone. When his brothers did wrong, he was courageous enough to reported it to Jacob and suffer repercussions of his brothers. A Man God uses is a man who dares to dream and to do something about his dream. There are many dreamers in the world, but few who will rise up and work towards their dreams. Dreams and visions are the blueprints God uses to shape our destiny. God uses dreams to change us from the inside out. Dreams put into words have the power to create images in our hearts. What do you dream about? What do you see? Fannie Cosby once said, “There is something worst than blindness, having eyes and not seeing.” Joseph was a man who dared to dream and he dared to do something about his dream.

2. Joseph was a man who made the best of a bad situation - The quickest way to get on top of

a bad situation is to develop a positive attitude about it. Joseph made the best out of every situation he faced. His positive response transformed each setback into a step forward. "A Setback is a setup for a comeback" He didn’t spent time asking why, or why me? His approach was always, "Well, what shall I do now!" All who that met Joseph were aware of the fact that God was with him. Wherever he went and whatever he did, Joseph was also confident that God was with him. When you face setbacks in life, adopted a Joseph-like attitude by remember that God is also with you. There is no like His presence to shed new light on a dark situation. What matters most in life is not so much the events and circumstances that surround us, but our response to them. A man God uses must dare to dream and to do something about his dream; a man God uses must learn to make the best out of bad situations of life.