Believers Blessed Through Christ’s Sacrifice

Through the lives of Abraham and Joseph, this passage shows how God accomplishes his plans even in human weakness. Through failure after failure on the way to having Isaac, God still made Abraham the father of many nations; Joseph went through the suffering of his brothers' jealousy, slavery, and prison, and became prime minister of Egypt and an instrument for saving his family. These stories of biblical figures are not mere historical records; they are examples that show how God is at work in the trials and temptations believers face today.

The sermon stresses that the direction of believers' lives changes depending on what they choose between the world and God. When Joseph refused the temptation of Potiphar's wife and chose the suffering of prison, God set him in the seat of prime minister; this means that when believers make God-centered decisions moment by moment, God changes their circumstances. Also, Abraham's failure in trying to have a son, Ishmael, by his own will, and Joseph's forgiving his brothers and fulfilling God's prophecy, show that only when people abandon their own righteousness and obey God can they enjoy true blessing.

Because Christ bore our sins and sacrificed himself on the cross, we have received the right to stand blameless before God. But if we do not treasure this amazing grace and pursue worldly gain or comfort instead, we may give in to Satan's attacks and lose the opportunity of salvation. What is the sacrifice of Christ, and his authority, that we must carry in order to stand blameless before God, and how are we keeping his grace now?