Trenton Bulletin 18 March 2001

"And God Was With Him" (Earl Kimbrough)

"And the patriarchs becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him" (Acts 7:9). In Genesis 37, Jacob had sent Joseph to see how his brothers fared. When they saw him coming, they conspired against him. Their envy was so great that nothing but his removal from their sight could satisfy their evil hearts. Reuben, the oldest, persuaded the others to let Joseph starve in a dry pit, rather than to kill him outright. He intended secretly to release Joseph and send him home, but while Reuben was away, his brothers sold the boy to a caravan of merchants on their way to Egypt.

Reuben tried to spare his kid brother, but he went along with the plan to make Jacob believe that a wild beast had devoured his son. The events that followed are explained in part by Joseph's not knowing what his brothers did after he was sold. At his age, probably about seventeen, he could not comprehend the depth of his father's love. He did not know why Jacob made no attempt to rescue him. Jacob was wealthy and could have found and redeemed his son from bondage. Egypt was near Canaan and tracing the caravan and locating the man who bought Joseph would have been relatively easy.

Joseph did not know that Jacob thought a wild beast had devoured him. As any hope of redemption faded, he may well have resigned himself to a life of bondage. He himself made no attempt to contact his father, even when he had the power to do so after his elevation to governor of Egypt. He may have supposed that his family had abandoned, but he knew sometime far more important: "God was with him."

Envy is a terrible sin because of what it does to one obsessed with it and because of what it causes one to do to others. It is described in the Scriptures as "rottenness of [a disease in] the bones" (Proverbs 14:30). Aside from what this may indicate in reference to the spiritual and moral state of an envious man, envy can also harm one's health. Paul labeled envy as a work of the flesh that can render one unfit to inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). He also shows that envy is evidence of a lack of love, for "love does not envy" (1 Corinthians 13:4). Envy causes one to hate and to hurt others. Eternity alone will reveal how much of the strife, division, and animosity that exists among brethren in God's family is prompted by envy. An envious person will hardly admit his condition even to himself; much less confess it to others. But its fruit is in evidence.

The story of Joseph is a record of God's providence in the life of a faithful servant. He was envied, despised, rejected, and lied about by his brethren, but God did not abandon him but brought him out of all his troubles. Let us not forget that although we may suffer these things, and more, if we trust God and obey his word, as best we can, he will bring us through it all - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." (Psalm 23:4-6).

The providence of God works in the lives of all who put their complete trust in Him. He can bring good out of evil. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive ... And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28) "God withholds nothing good from him who is in Christ under grace; there is no condemnation to him; all things work together for his good" (James A. Harding, 1889).

And There Shall Be No More Pain (Kent Heaton)

There is little doubt the world is filled with pain. It appears in many different forms but it is pain nonetheless. Pain intrudes in our lives unexpectedly and without warning. We see it on the faces of those who cry out in agony and suffering. The shoulders slump, the hands wring uncontrollably and the tears flow unceasingly. Crying is the hardest thing to witness. It is then the soul is born true and the emotions overwhelm. When man no longer can hold back the deepest yearnings of spirit seeking to be set free - overcome with the grief of the moment - we know pain.

Pain comes from many things in this world. Disease destroys lives, death takes them away, tragedy reminds us the frailty of life. In the vigor of life, men are brought low with crippling maladies. Parents lose sons and daughters to tragic diseases. Innocent victims are torn from this life by the winds of nature and forces of life - how painful to rebuild lives filled with so much pain.

Man brings pain upon himself. He makes weapons of destruction that tear nations apart filling them with death and suffering. Man seeks his own will with hatred, murder and anger. Marriages are filled with pain from mates who love each other too little - and too late. Children suffer at the hand of abusive parents, kids kill other kids and society resembles of curtain of pain filled with sadness and tears. Sin is the culprit in so many of man's tears. The world is filled with an ocean of tears at the horror sin brings upon man - how tragic.

How is one to live in a world such as this? Are we doomed to forever see nothing but tears? What can we see in all of this sadness and shedding of tears? Revelation 21:4 is the comfort that helps us wipe away the tears and clear our hearts from sadness. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'"

God has always been the answer to our tears. As the Creator, God has made within man the need of crying. It is a natural thing for man to cry. It is this manner that man empties himself of self. And then God shows man the need for one who can take all the tears away. He tells us first in His Son. The shortest sentence in the Bible is John 11:35 - "Jesus wept" - and it is a complete sentence! God expresses His love for us through the pen of the gospel writer John by these exact words. This was all that could be said! Jesus was sorrowful at the scene of Lazarus' death. "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled" (v33) by Mary's tears. Jesus understood the sorrow and the pain. He wept because of pain - caused by death, by sin, by sorrow, by the sadness of those He loved.

In this same story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Here then is found the victory over pain, suffering, crying, tears and agony - one day God will wipe our tears away. One day there will no longer be any death, sorrow, crying or pain - God will take them all away. John writes, "these words are true and faithful" (Revelation 21:5).

In this life we have only but to look forward to that scene of rest from all our troubles. But this promise is given only to those who obey the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10). One day, the pain will be taken away. What a wonderful thought!

What Must I Do To Be Saved? (Kent Heaton)

Acknowledge the Creator; Believe in the Creator; Seek the Creator! How can I know the Creator? He is revealed by natural revelation as seen in the world. To know the character of the Creator, you must turn to the Bible.

Acknowledge the Bible; Believe in the Bible; Seek the wisdom of the Bible. The Bible is the word of God given to bring us to God. It tells us where we came from (creation), why we are here and where we can find God.

Acknowledge my Sin; Believe in the answer for Sin: Seek the way of Salvation. As I come to know who God is I begin to see my sin. I believe that my sin separates me from God and I will seek His word to find the way to be saved.

Acknowledge God's plan: Believe - Hebrews 11:6; Hear - Luke 8:21; Faith - Romans 10:17; Obey - Luke 6:46; Repent - Acts 2:38; Commitment to Christ - Matthew 16:24-28; Confession - Romans 10:9,10; Immersed in water - Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3,4; Colossians 2:11,12; 1 Peter 3:21.

Live faithful - Hebrews 12:1,2.

ARE YOU SAVED?