You Can Take The Fire – Prt 4 – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passages – Genesis 36 – 37
Second Milers also read – Matthew 27 – 28; 12 Proverbs 14; Psalms 66 – 70
Scripture Memorization for January – Isaiah 53
Check out “Growth Points 004 – Sunday School Teacher Visitation”
Read last year’s post from this passage – “The Green Eyed Monster”
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Genesis 37:23-24 say:
“And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.”
Good Morning. Poor Joseph. Rejected by his family. Stripped of his coat of many colors. Thrown into an empty pit with no water in it. All alone, nobody around to help him. The pit he is in is just too steep for Joseph to climb out by himself. The only thing he can do is look up and wait for someone to rescue him.
Have you ever found yourself in a pit? A deep pit where all you can do is look up and wait? As you look up at the clouds high in the sky. Night falls, and all you can see are the stars so very far away. You are all alone.
You are not alone. There is still somebody out there who cares deeply about you. One who loved you so much that He allowed Himself to go through the same experience. Rejected by those He chose to love. Stripped of His raiment. Nailed to a cross to die alone.
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” (Psalm 22:1-18).
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53).
And now we wait. It is bitter-sweet to have Melissa back home again. She has been in the hospital, and then a nursing home since December 26th. Now we wait. Waiting for Melissa to move into her new home – a mansion that her Saviour went to prepare for her. I tried to look around for God’s grace in all this, and it’s like looking at the sides of the pit – there is no way to escape. Then I realized – look up. God’s grace is there, and it’s been there all the time. There is nothing to look for, but a whole lot to experience. I have peace. My wife has peace. And Melissa has peace. Melissa says that she is soooooo ready.
It is great being a Christian, knowing that your final resting place is in heaven. If you are not 100% sure that you are going to heaven when you die, you need to know. 1John 5:13 tells us strait out that: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Know that you are a sinner. Everyone has sinned. As a sinner, there is nothing you can do to earn or work your way to heaven. The Bible says that: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [AND] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:10 & 23).
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8 & 9).
BUT, and I love the buts that are in the Bible.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
God allowed Jesus to go through all that was written in the Scripture above because He loved you!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
Do you know Jesus? Does He know you? Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
It doesn’t have to end that way for you. Come to Jesus. Jesus also said in John 6:37 – 40:
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Come to Jesus: call upon His name to save you and He will.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
Peace. (2Corinthians 12:9)
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