"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up....." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-3.
In part one of this message, we discovered the method in which God was able to preserve and protect the posterity of His people during a severe famine that engulfed the whole known world during the days and life of Joseph (Genesis 37 through 50). Divine providence had brought Joseph to the right place and position to become the instrument of God's plan. God, by His sovereignty and grace, insured that Joseph was in that particular place - serving in that particular position - at a particular time - for a particular purpose.
Joseph understood that he had been a recipient of God's word - that God had entrusted him with a supernatural calling - that God had revealed to him through his own dreams and those of the Pharaoh that He had a "time and purpose" for Joseph's life. However, there was one more thing needed....one thing so essential that without it....the salvation of God's people would not come to pass....Joseph must act.
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." - James 1:22.
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?...Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. " - James 2:14 & 17.
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." - James 2:20-24.
Beloved, it wasn't enough for Joseph just to receive the promise of God. Furthermore, it wasn't enough for Joseph just to believe the purpose of God. Joseph had to "redeem his time" and "purpose his heart" to see the fulfillment of the promise he received from God. Joseph had to "rise up and do exploits(take action)".....or the crops would never have been planted.....the abundance would never have been gathered....the storehouses would have never been build....and the people of God would have perished right along with the Egyptians.
The promise of God would have been made void had Joseph only received and believed....but Joseph had to, "by faith", align his time and purpose to that of God's in order to "see the salvation of God"!
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." - Mark 7:13.
Beloved, the same holds true for us as it did for Joseph. Although the bible is filled with the precious promises of God....and although "all God's promises are yea and amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20)....they are made void if we do not act upon them! There must be an intentional, deliberate pursuit of God to discover His "time and purpose" for our lives....then....we must "by faith", align our time and purpose to that of God's in order to "see the salvation of God"! But, as it was stated in part one of this message....the time of plenty(abundance) is almost over.....
"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:14-16.
Consider this.....most Christians believe in the principle of "tithing" - giving a tenth of all God gives us back to Him. Most Christian only practise tithing in our monetary lives; that is, we tithe of our income - our money. We do this because "traditional" doctrine and teaching has taught us that is all God requires a tithe of - our money. However, the true principle of tithing instructs us to tithe of all God has given us - what about our time?
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24.
Do we give God a tenth of our time? A tenth part of one day is two hours and twenty-four minutes! Do we spend two hours and twenty-four minutes with God every day? A tenth part of a week is sixteen hours and forty-eight minutes! Do we spend that much time with God every week?......We complain if we have to stay past 12:00 noon in church on Sundays. Psalm 121 declares that God never sleeps and is constantly thinking of us.....when is the last time we stayed up all night with God?
The wonderful thing about the power of the Holy Spirit is that He can accomplish more in a believer's life in five minutes that we can in a lifetime in our own efforts. The secret to "redeeming" what little abundant time is left is to give it to the Holy Spirit...and He will greatly multiply the value of it and accomplish a "quick work" in our lives. But nothing will be accomplished until we stop spending....no.....wasting our time selfishly with our own interests....our own "purpose"....and align our time and purpose with His!
"Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will..." - Ephesians 1:8-11.
Now, let's discuss "purpose".....
When a person "purposes" in his/her heart to commit his/her "time" to God....a very powerful work will be the result;.....however,....when a person also aligns his/her "purpose" with the "purpose" of God - the result will be an unstoppable force that "even the gates of Hell will not prevail against"! A great example of this is found in the book/story of Nehemiah....
"And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer." - Nehemiah 1:4-11.
"Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work." - Nehemiah 2:17 & 18.
"So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work." - Nehemiah 4:6.
"So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God." - Nehemiah 6:15 & 16.
In a record "time" of fifty-two days.....Nehemiah and the people of God rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem and restored the inheritance of God's people. If one reads the entire book/story of Nehemiah; he/she will discover that the enemy threw every weapon he had at Nehemiah in an effort to stop the restoration from happening.....fear, threats, violence, hunger, treason, etc......and nothing could stop Nehemiah....why? Because Nehemiah received the call of God, believed the call of God, aligned his "time and purpose" with the "time and purpose" of God, and "took action"! - rebuilding a city - rebuilding a people - restoring a nation!
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." - Romans 13:11 & 12.
"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." - Ephesians 3:9-12.
Beloved, "purpose" in your heart to commit your "time" to pursuing God as never before. Receive the word of the Lord being proclaimed in this message. Believe to the point that you begin to "align" your "time and purpose" with the "time and purpose" of God. Just as Nehemiah, "rise up and take action"....prepare to build your "storehouse of faith".....and when you build it....God will assure that it is filled....filled with His abundance....the abundance that will sustain you to eternal life!
Stay tuned for the conclusion of this message - "The Blueprint for building your Storehouse of Faith".....
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