Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 18th True Spirituality

Today’s Passage – Genesis 45 – 47; Proverbs 18 (Second Milers also read Mark 7 & 8 – memorize Colossians 3:16)

“Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 20)

Joseph was truly a man of great spirituality. As I was reading through these chapters of Genesis, there was something that stood out: Joseph forgave his brothers. The fascinating thing about Joseph’s forgiveness, however, is that it was not requested by the brothers. The brothers do not actually ask for Joseph’s forgiveness until after the death of Jacob in chapter 50. I am not so sure that their motivation was exactly pure, either. They were probably just trying to make sure that Joseph would not finally get even now that Dad was gone. However, Joseph then will just reiterate the forgiveness he already gave them in chapter 45.

There is one more thing that I would like to point out regarding Joseph’s perspective on what hs brothers had done to him. He says in chapter 50 that, though the brothers fully intended to do Joseph harm, God allowed (“meant”) it for good. For whose good you might ask? Well think about it. If Joseph’s brothers had not sold him into slavery, Joseph would not have been strategically positioned to ultimately become the prime minister of Egypt. From his position there he was able to feed the people of Egypt and the rest of the surrounding areas; including his family back in Canaan. The “bad” thing that his brothers did was made “good” by God. In fact we can see through hindsight that God’s sovereign hand was in the whole thing; not that God caused Joseph’s brothers to sin against him, but that God could take their willful crime against him, and through his foreknowledge, use it for good and His glory. Joseph had the right perspective.

How do we look at the “bad” events of our lives. You’ve noticed I’m sure that life is full of “bad” things: bad people; bad accidents; bad health; you get the idea. The key to true spirituality is how you choose to look at these events that God has allowed to enter into your life. Maybe He’s trying to get your attention. Maybe He’s trying to teach you something. Maybe He is using you to glorify Himself in the eyes of somebody else. You may not understand completely all the “good” that God is doing through the “bad” thing that has happened; but know this: God is doing something, and everything God does is good. And also know this: the tunnel you may be going through today may be very dark, but if you stick with God, you will get to the light at the end of it. It’s easy to see the light when you get out of the tunnel; but the truly spiritual person will see the light through the eyes of faith when he is in the darkest recesses of the problem that has come his way. You will get out of the valley and back on top of the mountain; but you have to trust God. Remember, He loves you more than you love yourself.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Jan 17th People Can Change (God Can Change Them)

Today’s Passage – Genesis 43 – 44; Proverbs 17 (Second Milers  – also read Mark 5 & 6; memorize – Colossians 3:16)

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. (Genesis 37:26 & 27)

“Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.” (Genesis 44:33 & 34)

There is quite a contrast between the events that take place in chapter 37 and chapter 44 of the Book of Genesis. In chapter 37 the brothers of Joseph want to put Joseph to death (all except Reuben). Judah, who is the fourth oldest son comes up with idea of selling his brother into slavery. His idea does save Joseph’s life, but consider with me what this heinous act did to Joseph’s father, Jacob. We are all familiar with the events that transpired in the life of Joseph; they are recorded in these chapters in between 37 and 44. God had his hand on Joseph, and although he certainly suffered, God raised him up to a position of great influence and authority. But what about Jacob? For years Jacob thought his favorite son, Joseph, was dead. Joseph’s brothers seemed to have no problem going home and telling their father that their brother was killed by some wild beast. How could their level of compassion and care for their father be so low that they would be willing to put him through the tragic loss of Joseph.

In chapter 44, though, we see a change. Joseph puts his brothers through a series of tests. (You will have to read the story for yourself in order to fully grasp the thought I am trying to convey here.) The final test is when Joseph arranges to “set up” Benjamin his youngest brother. I think Joseph was really trying to keep Benjamin safe with him, away from his other brothers. He tells the brothers that Benjamin is going to have to be kept as a bondman in Egypt. But notice how Judah intercedes this time for his brother. He remembers what the loss of Joseph did to the father, Jacob; and now he is doing everything in his power to keep the same thing from happening to Benjamin. He knows that the loss of Benjamin will completely destroy Jacob. He even goes as far as to offer to take the place of Benjamin. This is certainly quite a change from his earlier days.

Judah changed. God changed him. God can change you and I too. People can change. I believe the best way to bring about the needed changes in your life is for you to get as close to God as you can. I am convinced that as we draw nigh to God, He will purge the dross from our lives, and conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus. Do you desire to remain the same; or do you desire to be more like Jesus in your life? Judah certainly bore a resemblance to the Lord Jesus here in chapter 44 in the way that he interceded for his brother, and by the way he was willing to be a substitute.  God can do the same for you and me as we yield our lives; our wills to Him.

Jan 16th Are You Willing To Wait?

Today’s Passage – Genesis 41 – 42; Proverbs 16

“Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” (Genesis 41:40)

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Just a quick thought from the Scripture this morning. How long did Joseph have to wait before God turned around his circumstances? I am not sure if the Bible tells us how long it was, but no doubt it was many years after God first gave Joseph the first dream that God finally put Joseph in that position of authority. He was enslaved, he was made a servant, and he was imprisoned. He did nothing to deserve the treatment he received. As far as we can see, there is not a mark against him in Scripture. He must have wondered when all of the bad things were happening to him: “what did I do?”; and “I don’t deserve this!” He must have been tempted to doubt the existence of God during these years, yet he stayed faithful to the Lord. He waited patiently on God, and God, in His time, delivered him. Did you ever notice, though, that God’s time seems to be a lot longer than our time. We seem to always be in a hurry. We want immediate results, and instant answers. God is not on our timetable.

Abraham must have felt the same way when he was waiting for Isaac. We know that he waited for more than twenty years. Twenty years is an awful long time. David must have felt this way when he was waiting to be recognized as king by the people. Twenty years before, Samuel annointed him; but the people were slow to do the same. He must have gotten antsy; he must have been frustrated and wanted at times to quit; but he didn’t. He stayed faithful to the Lord.

I am very impatient. I expect God to be at my beck and call. I forget that God’s universe does not revolve around me. Christ is at the center of the univers, not me. It’s all about His glory, not mine. Yet, in His time, God will still fulfill every promise He has made; and if I will stay faithful, God will glorify Himself through my life and reward me as well.

Jan 14th The Green Eyed Monster

Today’s Passage – Genesis 36 – 37; Proverbs 14

“And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.” (Genesis 37:11)

“And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,” (Acts 7:9)

Iago:
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! (“Othello” – Shakespeare)

“For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.” (Mark 15:10)

“Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26)

You have probably heard the expression, “Jealousy is a terrible thing.” There can be no clearer illustration of this truth than the example given here in Genesis 37. Here Joseph’s brothers are so jealous (envious) of Joseph that they first conspire to kill him, but finally acquiesce to selling him into slavery. What would cause them to envy there brother so much that it would cause them to sin so against him (not to mention against their father)? I believe we can see three ingredients that fueled the jealousy.

1  The Favoritism of the Father – Joseph was one of only two boys that was born to Rachel, the wife he loved dearly; and he was the second youngest of all of his children. Jacob did not attempt to veil his love for this child, either He made it clear to all others inthe family that He had a very special place in his heart for Joseph. He made him a beautiful coat of many colors. The other brothers received no such token of the father’s affection. It is not wrong to treat our children individually, based upon the needs that each may have; but it is wrong for parents to love their children differently. I confess, that at times this can be difficult; but we must strive to assure each of our children that we love them, and that our love for each does not exceed the love of another.

2   The Folly of the Son – I may be off base here; but Joseph did not show much wisdom in his bold declarations of the dreams tohis brothers. God had obviously revealed a special plan for Joseph: a plan which involved him being placed in a position of authority over, not only his brothers, but also his father and mother. Maybe it was just because of his honest nature, but Joseph seemed to almost rub it in the face of his brothers.

3  The Finger of God – God obviously had his hand on the boy’s life. He had a special plan for Joseph. God’s hand upon Joseph was clearly evident to his brothers, and I believe this was the real problem. They saw in Joseph something they had lost. Joseph had a purity about him, that we have already seen to be lacking in some, if not all, of his brothers. They saw in Joseph what they should be, and instead of rejoicing in his devotion to the Lord, they attempted to destroy the reminder.

Envy is a terrible thing. I fight it all of the time in my life. I hear of a preacher being blessed of God in their ministry, and often the “green eyed monster” rears his ugly head. I sometimes have to force myself to rejoice in the victory that God is giving my brothers. I bet that some of you have this problem as well. God blesses somebody in your life, maybe financilaly or materially, and you get jealous. Maybe your peer at work receives a promotion, and you don’t. How does it make you feel? Ask God to help you rid your heart of this monster. This green beast does not come from the Spirit of God; he is purely a product of your sinful nature. Don’t allow him to influence you to such an extent that you sin against God and others with your words or actions. The “Green Eyed Monster” needs to be put to death in all of our lives. Remember, God is not a repecter of persons. He loves no one more than he loves you, and He has a special plan for your life, just as much as He has used others.

Jan 13th Boys Will Be Boys

Today’s Passage – Genesis 33 – 35; Proverbs 13

“And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.” (Genesis 34:25)

“And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard [it]. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:” (Genesis 35:22)

I grew up in a home with four boys. We were blessed to not have any sisters. Girls have cooties: at least that is what I was told as a boy. In fact, even in my extended family, on my dad’s side, there were only boys. I had six male cousins, but no girls. I remember my grandmother would often get frustrated with our bad behavior. We were always fooling and fighting. We were being boys. She would often go get my dad and tell him: “Those Boys!” I must have heard that phrase come out of her lips a thousand times, and it usually meant that we were in trouble.

Jacob also had a bunch of boys that would often find themselves in trouble. In fact the verses above tell of the shinanigans that three of the sons were involved in. The first involved sons numbers two and three: Simeon and Levi. (I was often referred to by number as a child as well.) It seems that these boys wanted to exact revenge upon a local huligan that had raped their sister. Now, there is nothing wrong with these boys wanting to see justice done to this guy; but they took it way too far. Without the permission of their father, they go into this man’s village and kill every male. Jacob later recalls the event and says that the boys were instruments of cruelty, and that their anger was fierce. I don’t blame them for the way they felt, and I do not fault them for desiring revenge. I have three daughters of my own now, and I don’t even want to think about what I would do if this happened to one of them. But, there will be many times in life where our passion, and our thinking need to be yielded to the will of God.

The next incident involves son number one; the oldest, Reuben. This man also had a big problem with passion, but with him it was a sick lust for the opposite sex. This man actually had sex with his father’s concubine (kind of a second class wife). His fleshly desires were out of control. He was certainly not considering the will of God when he did this. Consider for a moment the depravity of the human heart. Your heart and my heart. We need to yield our members as instruments of righteousness; and we need to walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfil the lusts that are inside each of us.

Unfortunately for these boys there were some pretty severe consequences for their actions. You will recall that the boys involved in these two incidents were boys one through three, right? Reuben, who was the firstborn, should have been the one with the birthright, but he lost it. Simeon and Levi were disqualified also. Guess who got it? Your right. Boy number four, Judah. I seem to recall that Jesus is called the lion of the tribe of Reuben, right? No. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus descended from Son Number Four. The only thing good that came from Reuben is a tasty sandwich with Pastrami and Swiss Cheese. The bottom line is that I want to exhort you to think before you allow your passions to take control. The act of passion takes only a moment, but the consequences are long term. Please, walk with God. Run every decision, every word, every act past His desk. Let him control your passions.

Jan 10th Savoury Meat

Today’s Passage – Genesis 27 & 28; Proverbs 10

“And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.” (Genesis 27:4)

This chapter of Genesis has always been a source of irritation to me. It is one of those passages where nothing is as it should be; and every character in the story is behaving badly. I will not rehearse the story as you can surely read it for yourself; but let’s examine the bad behavior of each character, and learn something from all of this.

First, let’s consider Rebekah. She is conspiring with her younger son against her husband. Right or wrong, her husband asked the older son, Esau, to go get him some dinner so that he could bless him. Rebekah did not want to see her favorite son, Jacob, lose the blessing, so she lies to her husband and works up an evil plan to deceive him. Wives, your husband may not always be right; but it is always right for you to submit to him unless of course he is telling you to do something against the clear command of God; and besides that, it is never right for you to lie or connive in order to get your way.

Now lets’s talk about Jacob. He was also clearly wrong. Although he did not want to do it initially, he was certainly complicit in the deception. He did what he knew to be wrong. He can not claim innocence because he was obeying his mother’s will. His mother was clearly doing wrong, and Jacob knew it; and he should have refused her.

In this story. the one that seems to be the most innocent is Esau. However, we have already seen what makes Esau tick. You will remember that back in chapter 25, he sold his birthright for a bowl of chili (red pottage). Here, he claims that he was tricked out of his birthright, but he wasn’t. He gave it up willingly. Now he is trying to get back some of the blessing that comes with the birthright he already gave up.

Now we come to Isaac. At first glance it may appear that Isaac is completely a victim in this saga, but let’s carefully consider some things. First, notice how many times it states in this chapter that Isaac loves savoury meat. Now don’t misunderstand, I like savoury meat also. My wife just learned how to cook a bottom round roast with a high temperature recipe that really makes the meat tender and juicy. I love it. But when the Scripture emphasizes this point, it is telling us that Isaac’s appetite was the driving force of this whole story. I love my son, and I want to bless him; but my blessing him will not be dependent on whether or not he makes me dinner. Isaac in his birth is certainly a picture of Christ, but in his old age he seems to be a picture of the flesh.

Notice also in this story that Isaac is deceived because of his feelings. He felt the fake skin on Jacob’s hands and came to a faulty conclusion. How many times in our lives to we get messed up because we make decisions based on our feeling rather than on the clear will of God. If I only did right when I felt like it, I would rarely do it. We don’t come to church because we don’t “feel” good, or we don’t “feel” like it. Kid’s don’t go to school for the same reasons. We must do the will of God out of obedience to His word, not because of our feelings. It’s great when our feelings are in agreement with the Word, but when they don’t, we should follow God, not our feelings. Notice also that Isaac was dim of eyes. Now, I am not picking on his poor eyesight, but it is a picture of spiritual blindness. Isaac knew the will of God regarding his two sons. Jacob was God’s choice. Isaac didn’t particularly like the choice God made. Isaac preferred Esau because Esau fed Isaac’s flesh with savoury meat.

There is certainly a lot to “chew” on in this chapter isn’t there? Sorry I couldn’t resist.

Jan 9th The Battle of the Ages

Today’s Passage – Genesis 25 – 26

Before I give you a thought from this morning’s passage, let me tell you how excited I am about the new series that we will be starting this evening (the Lord willing) in the Book of Proverbs. Since I have been a pastor here at Jersey Shore I have wanted to tackle the Proverbs, but frankly, I was not sure how to go about it. After praying about it, I have decided to do a topical study through the book:carefully examining each topic as we come to them. This morning I will be introducing the study by preaching on the Wisdom of God Through Solomon. I hope that those of you who are a part of the church will be faithful to study with us as we glean wisdom from God through this marvelous Book of Proverbs.

“And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.” (Genesis 25:22)

As I was reading this I could not help but think that it is a picture of the struggle that is within each of us. Here in this passage we see Rebekah with twin boys in her womb; and the Scripture tell us that they struggled within her. Now, we know from hindsight that these boys and their descendants would be struggling for a long time; in fact, they are still struggling today. However, we also can see how that these boys are a picture of the new nature which struggles against the old nature. You see, when we trusted Christ as our Saviour we became new creatures in Christ; but God did not remove our old, sinful nature. He is alive and well. That is why Paul talked often about crucifying the flesh. Look at some of the things that God used Paul to pen regarding this struggle:

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18)

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:17)

“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” (Romans 7:15)

All of these verses speak of the struggle that is within each one of us who are saved. In this New Year, as many of you already know, I have resolved to get as close to God as possible so that He will “[work] in me both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. I want to reduce the influence that my flesh has over my mind. I want my mind and body to be yielded to the indwelling Spirit of God. There will always be a struggle between the Jacob and Esau within us, but I want to see Jacob win more often.