INTRODUCTION: Names identify us and reveal who we are. In the Bible, God has names that reflect his nature, character, and power. God’s names describe God and draw us to worship him. We continue our series today on “The Names of God in Genesis.”  Today we are looking at El Shaddai: Almighty God. Literally it means “the full breasted one” from El = God and Shad = breast. The idea is that God is the All-Sufficient One who satisfies, nourishes, and supplies his people’s needs as a mother does for her child. God is our Sustainer freely giving us nourishment and blessing. Nothing is impossible with God. He can do all things. God revealed himself to Abraham as El Shaddai in Genesis 17 because he was about to do the impossible for Abraham and the world.
 
ALMIGHTY GOD’S PURPOSES PREVAIL.
 
*God has big plans for his world. His plans always succeed. God invites us to join him in those plans. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations (Psalm 33:11 NIV).
 
*God planned to bless the world through Abraham. This would be possible because God is El Shaddai, Almighty God. When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly” (Genesis 17:1-2).
 
*Abraham received a new name and a new purpose. Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you” (Gen. 17:3-6).
 
*Jesus gave Peter a new name and a new purpose. Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16-18).
 
ALMIGHTY GOD’S PROMISES ARE KEPT.
 
*God gave Sarah a new name and the promise of a new son. And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her” (Genesis 17:15-16).
 
*El Shaddai did the impossible by bringing Isaac into the world through a woman too old to give birth. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac…I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year” (Genesis 17:17-21).
 
*El Shaddai brought the promised Savior into the world through a virgin. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:30-34).
 
ALMIGHTY GOD’S POWER COMPLETES HIS PURPOSE.
 
*God gave Abraham a new covenant, a new sign, a new son and a new people. And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised…and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:9-10).
 
*God gave us a new covenant, a new sign, a new family, and the promised Savior. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:26-29).
 
*El Shaddai does the impossible for his people. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
                                                                      (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT)
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Names identify us and reveal who we are. In the Bible, God has names that reflect his nature, character, and power. God’s names describe God and draw us to worship him. We continue our series today on “The Names of God in Genesis.”  Elohim is the name of the God of Creation and used in a general sense by people of all nations. Yahweh is the self-existent one who reveals himself to his people. Adonai is the third most used name for God in the Old Testament and is plural like Elohim. Adonai was used as a substitute name for Yahweh. Adonai is translated Lord, Master or Sovereign ruler and advocates the might and authority of God. Adonai is in control and expects our humble cooperation. In modern terms, Adonai is the owner and CEO of all things.
 
ADONAI OWNS ALL THINGS.
 
*Abram had won a major battle with God’s help (Genesis 14). God assures Abram of his care and concern. Abram acknowledges his trust in Adonai as his provider, but he does not see how God will provide an heir. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir” (Genesis 15:1-3).
 
*Adonai gives Abram a visible reminder that he is the owner of all things and can do as he pleases. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”  And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:4-5).
 
*Abram believed God’s word and God accepted Abram’s faith. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6).
 
The Owner wants us to be in a trusting relationship with him.
 
ADONAI IS OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
 
*Adonai is the boss. He runs this world. We are his workers or servants. The boss knows what he wants done to make his world run smoothly. The
worker does what the boss orders. Adonai revealed to Abram that his offspring would possess the land where Abram was wandering. The boss had big plans for Abram’s people. And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” (Genesis 15:7-8).
 
*God had Abram set up a covenant sacrifice. In a vision, God showed Abram the future of the people of Israel and then made a binding treaty with Abram that the promise would be fulfilled. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.  On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land…” (Genesis 15:17-18).
 
The Boss knows what is best and we need to trust and obey.
 
ADONAI IS LORD AND GOD.
 
*Abram trusted God to provide him an heir and God credited his faith as righteousness. God promised Abram his offspring would possess the land and made a covenant of faith with him to confirm it. Abram knew Adonai as his Master and Lord. But Abram said, “O Lord God…” (Genesis 15:2).
 
*The Greek translation of Adonai (Lord) is kurios (sovereign power, supreme authority, absolute ownership). In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as Savior twenty times but is called Lord over 700 times. If he is Lord, then we owe him our absolute obedience and devotion. Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke (6:46).
 
*Jesus is Lord. We either bow before him now or we bow before him when it is too late. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
 
*No one can truly say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:3). Like Abram you must trust in Adonai and believe his promise of salvation. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).
 
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13)
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Names identify us and reveal who we are. In the Bible, God has names that reflect his nature, character, and power. God’s names describe God and draw us to worship him. We continue our series today on “The Names of God in Genesis.”  Elohim is the name of the God of Creation and used in a general sense by people of all nations. Yahweh is the special, unique name of God that he used to reveal himself to the people of Israel. It is his secret name and means “I AM,” “I EXIST,” “I AM PRESENT.” Yahweh is the self-existent one who reveals himself to his people. Who is this God? Let’s use the acrostic YHWH to see.
 
YHWH
 
*Yahweh is from the verb “to be” and is written YHWH in Hebrew. Yahweh is written Jehovah is some translations of the Bible. Modern translations use LORD for YHWH. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (Genesis 2:4).
 
*Jehovah or LORD? Jews after the Babylonian Captivity would not say the name Yahweh to not take his name in vain. They substituted Adonai (Lord) instead. Christians in 1520 A.D. took the consonants of YHWH and the vowels from Adonai to form the name Jehovah.
 
*Yahweh is the most common name for God in the Old Testament and is used more than 6,800 times. It is the personal, redemptive, and covenant name for God. God disclosed his name to Moses: Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-14).
 
God has revealed his name Yahweh to us and we can know him.
 
HOLY
 
*After the Exile, the Jewish people would not write or say the name YHWH. It was considered too sacred to use. Yahweh told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.                        And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” … God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:2-6).
 
Yahweh is holy and deserves our awe and reverence.
 
WAYMAKER
 
*Yahweh is the redemptive name of God and describes his saving power, activity and influence. Yahweh is the God of revelation and action. He comes to us to deliver us. Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians… Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:7-10).
 
*Yahweh makes the way for us. He is always there, always available, always willing to rescue and guide us. God IS and he is present with us. He wants us to know him and have a personal relationship with him. God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).
 
Yahweh is all you need. He will free you. He is your strong deliverer.
 
HELPER
 
*Yahweh revealed himself completely through his son Jesus. So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple (John 8:57-59).
 
*Seven times Jesus said he was “I AM.”  He is the Savior. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). I AM is whatever you need today.
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Names identify us and reveal who we are. In the Bible, God has names that reflect his nature, character, and power. God’s names describe God and draw us to worship him. We continue a new series today on “The Names of God in Genesis.”  Elohim is the second most used name for God in the Old Testament. It is the general name for God who controls human affairs and gives blessings to mankind. The root is “EL” (God) which means strength and power and ALLAH which means to keep a promise. Elohim is used 32 times in Genesis chapter one and 2570 times in the Old Testament. Elohim is the “Strong One,” the “Mighty One," the Judge. Elohim is the transcendent, all-powerful Creator.
 
OUR STRONG GOD IS THE ETERNAL GOD.
 
*God existed before creation. God has existed from eternity. Elohim is, always has been, and will be forever. In the beginning, God (Genesis1:1).
 
*Moses described the Eternal God this way: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:1-2).
 
OUR STRONG GOD IS THE CREATOR GOD.
 
*Elohim created the universe. The verb “created” is “bara” in Hebrew and is used three times in Genesis 1:1, 21, and 27. It refers to divine activity. Only God can create out of nothing and bring it into being.  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis1:1-3).
 
*The universe was either made by chance plus time plus energy or by a Designer with intelligence and power. By faith, we understand that God alone is the Creator of the universe. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3).
 
 
OUR STRONG GOD IS THE TRIUNE GOD.
 
*Elohim is a majestic plural noun used with singular verbs for God. This suggests that there is plurality in the Godhead. Then God (Elohim) said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Gen. 1:26).
 
*The Hebrew prayer the Shema includes Elohim for God and confirms the oneness of God. God is triune, three in one and one in three. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:4).
 
*The Trinity was present at Creation. Elohim created together in unity of purpose and completion of plan.

• Father: Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8:6).
• Son: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1-3).
• Holy Spirit: And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

 
OUR STRONG GOD MADE US FOR FELLOWSHIP.
 
*God made us in his image and let us join him in his creativity and work. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26).
 
*God has communion and intimacy in the Godhead as the Triune God. He formed us with the capacity for the same unity and companionship – male and female, God and man. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them (Genesis 1:27-28).
 
Elohim, the Strong Creator God, made us in his likeness so we could have a family relationship with him. Are you part of God’s family?
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Names are important. When we know someone’s name, we show we care and that they have value. It suggests that we have a relationship with them. Names identify a person and often reveal who that person is. Parents name a child after a valued family member to honor the relative. Some people are named after famous people to get their child to aspire to greatness. Some names have a special meaning and the parent wants a child to reflect those qualities. For instance, Roy means “king” and the parent wants the child to be strong like a king. Some names are coined to show the uniqueness of the child. Names identify us and reveal who we are. In the Bible, God has names that reflect his nature, character, and power. God’s names describe God and draw us to worship him. We begin a new series today on “The Names of God in Genesis.”
 
WHO IS GOD TO YOU?
 
*The name you use for God reveals the way that you view God. How we name him is how we know him. In the Old Testament, names were used for identification and identity. Special meanings were attached to names to reflect the character of the individual (Nabal = fool). Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven (Psalm 148:13).
 
*God reveals himself to us through his names. God’s names reveal his personality and his nature. We understand who God is through his name. He is not an “it” or a “thing.” He is a being we can know personally. And those who know your name put their trust in you,  for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:10).
 
*Knowing and meditating on the names of God helps us to pray better, worship better, and feel safe and secure. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called (Isaiah 54:5).
 
Who is God to you? What name do you give God?
 
HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
 
*Jesus’ favorite name for God was Father. Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s
Prayer to address our prayer to the Father. Father denotes a family relationship, intimate care, and personal closeness. The Aramaic form of father is Abba which means daddy. Abba shows the intimacy and care of God for his children.  Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9).
 
*We cry “Abba” through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enters our lives and brings communion with God. The Holy Spirit connects us with the Father. We can share with him and have a relationship with him. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…” (Romans 8:15-16).
 
*The Father is our heavenly father. He is holy, and he is all powerful. We have a caring, loving God who is holy and majestic. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9).
 
*Jesus said we are to revere and honor the name of God. Hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9). Hallow means “to make holy, set apart to be exalted and worthy of absolute devotion.” Something that is “hallowed” is separate or unique. Jesus is saying we are to pray that God’s name (nature, character, and personality) is to be treated differently from all other names. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9).
 
*Do you know God as Father? Have you been “born again” through faith in Jesus Christ? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).
 
God reveals himself by many names, but first and foremost, he is our loving Father.
 
 
 
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Joseph’s life is the story of coats. Joseph wore a different coat at each major event in his life. The coats reveal Joseph’s relationship with God and others. We also wear many different coats on our Christian journey. Today we conclude our sermon series, “Joseph: The Story of Coats.” We will look at the Coat of Faith. Joseph lived a long full life, but he held on to the promise that God had given to his people Israel. One day Israel would settle in the promised land. “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22). Faith trusts the promises of God and plans for God to carry them out.
 
JOSEPH WORE HIS COAT OF FAITH INTO THE FUTURE.
 
*Joseph saw his dreams literally come true. He knew that God’s promises are real and are completed. Now Joseph was governor over the land…And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground…And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him (Genesis 42:6-8).
 
*Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and assured them that God had devised a plan to save lives. God had a future for Israel. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life…And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:4-8).
 
*Israel shared God’s promise that the nation would one day return to the Promised Land. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21).
 
*Joseph believed God’s promises. He had faith that the nation would one day enter the Promised Land. He was embalmed with a promise. He wore the coat of faith on his deathbed and trusted God to fulfill his promises. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:24-26).
 
*Years later, Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt and took Joseph’s bones with him. God’s promises are true and they come to pass. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here” (Exodus 13:19).
 
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
 
BY FAITH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE PROMISES OF GOD.
 
*We believe that we will one day receive new bodies. We will put off the old natural body and put on a new spiritual body. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable…It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body…Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:42-53).
 
*We believe that one day Jesus will return and set up his kingdom. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
 
*We believe that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We will enter our own Promised Land and be with Jesus forever. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev 21:1-3).
 
We wear the coat of faith to our deathbed knowing God’s promises are true and will come to pass.
 

   
INTRODUCTION: More than ever, the world needs godly women.
 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN WHO PRAY

• Hannah (mother of Samuel) - She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head” (1 Samuel 1:10-11).
• Anna (prophetess in the Temple) – Luke 2:36-38
• Suzannah Wesley

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN OF WISDOM

• Abigail (Nabal’s wife) - Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved…Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared… When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.  She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt” (1 Samuel 25:3-24).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN WHO PRAISE

• Miriam (Moses’ sister) -  Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Ex. 15:20-21).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN WHO WORK

• The Excellent Woman of Proverbs 31 - She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates (Prov. 31:27-31).

THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN OF MINISTRY

• Priscilla and Phoebe - I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus (Romans 16:1-3).
• Philip’s daughters - On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied (Acts 21:8-9).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN OF FAITH

• Mary, the mother of Jesus - And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus”…And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God”…And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:30-38).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN WHO WITNESS

• Mary Magdalene - Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her (John 20:17-18).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS WOMEN WHO TEACH GOD’S WORD

• Lois and Eunice – I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well (1 Timothy 1:5).
• But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:14-15).

 
THE WORLD NEEDS YOU, GODLY WOMEN.
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Joseph’s life is the story of coats. Joseph wore a different coat at each major event in his life. The coats reveal Joseph’s relationship with God and others. We also wear many different coats on our Christian journey. Today we will look at the Coat of Authority. God moved Joseph from the prison to the palace. Joseph exchanged his prison clothes for royal robes. He interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and developed a plan for Egypt to avoid starvation in the coming famine. Pharaoh liked Joseph’s plan so much that he promoted him to be his second in command. God blesses his faithful people with authority. Let’s look at the benefits that come with God’s authority.
 
WHAT IS AUTHORITY?
 
*What is the difference between power and authority? Jesus said, Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you (Luke 10:19).

• Power has to do with physical strength or personal ability.
• Authority is delegated power and rests on the power behind it. Its value depends on the force backing the user.

 
JOSEPH WAS CLOTHED WITH ROYAL AUTHORITY AND ALL ITS BENEFITS.
 
*Joseph was given a new position, a new task, and the king’s authority. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:39-40).
 
*Joseph was given the symbol of authority and royal robes. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in his second chariot (Genesis 41:41-43).
 
*Joseph received a new name, a new family, and new connections. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. (Gen 41:44-45).
GOD CLOTHES EVERY CHRISTIAN WITH HIS AUTHORITY.
 
*When we are saved, we are clothed with Christ and given a new name. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).
 
*God has given Jesus Christ all authority. Jesus delegates his authority and mission to all who follow him. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19).
 
*In Christ, we are given a new position and a new family. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ… (Romans 8:16-17).
 
*Every believer has throne rights based on the authority of Jesus Christ.
 

• We are loved by God and seated with Christ in heaven. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6).

• We have the power of the Holy Spirit to witness. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8).

• We have authority and power in prayer. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:18-19).
• In Christ, we have overcome Satan and can resist him. “For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down… And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:10-11).
• We are equipped for battle to fight the powers of darkness. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12).

 
Are you using the authority you have in Christ?
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Joseph’s life is the story of coats. Joseph wore a different coat at each major event in his life. The coats reveal Joseph’s relationship with God and others. We also wear many different coats on our Christian journey. Today we will look at the Coat of Holiness. Joseph was a man of integrity and clothed in righteousness. He was in a right relationship with God. But we must continuously choose to clothe ourselves in righteousness, so we can resist temptation. Choosing to live right is a process known as sanctification or holiness. Holiness is daily choosing to follow and obey the Lord no matter what our circumstances may be. We begin to develop the character of Christ and live like children of God. Let’s see how Joseph obeyed the Lord and rose in standing.
 
JOSEPH EXCHANGED PRISON CLOTHES FOR ROYAL ROBES.
 
*Joseph had a relationship with God but lived with the chains of prison. Salvation begins our faith journey, but we still have an on-going process of holiness. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison (Genesis 39:20-21).
 
*Joseph was faithful even though he was in prison and bondage. God’s presence overcomes our prison.  And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it… And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody…in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them (Genesis 39:22-40:4).
 
*Joseph’s faithfulness led to God’s rescue. God’s timing is never our timing. Our task is to trust and obey. God’s task is to prepare and deliver. They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me”…On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants…He restored the chief cupbearer to his position… But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them… After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed…So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh… Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today…A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream (Genesis 40:8-41:12).
 
*Joseph exchanged his prison clothes for royal robes. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (Genesis 40:14-16).
 
WE PUT ON HOLINESS THROUGH FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE.
 
*We are made right with God by placing our faith and trust in Jesus. This is called justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
 
* Sanctification is putting off the old person and putting on the new person in Christ. We daily choose to put off the old way of life and to give our body to God for his purposes. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:11-23).
 
HOLINESS IS BECOMING LIKE JESUS.
 
*We will struggle with the old sin nature. But we have the victory in Jesus. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:21-25).
 
*The Holy Spirit makes us like Jesus. He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).
 

   
INTRODUCTION: Joseph’s life is the story of coats. Joseph wore a different coat at each major event in his life. The coats reveal Joseph’s relationship with God and others. We also wear many different coats on our Christian journey. Today we will look at the Coat of Righteousness. Joseph was a man of integrity. He resisted temptation because of his relationship with God. He was clothed in righteousness. He literally lost his coat rather than lose his integrity. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus we are clothed with his righteousness.
 
JOSEPH HAD A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
 
*Joseph had right standing with God. God blessed Joseph’s faithfulness. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant…the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph (Genesis 39:2-5).
 
*Joseph had moral boundaries that helped him resist temptation. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused... “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her (Genesis 39:8-10).
 
*Integrity has a cost. Joseph lost his coat but kept his integrity. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house… She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home…When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison (Genesis 39:11-20).
 
WE CAN BE RIGHT WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
 
*Jesus said that we should seek righteousness. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
 
*But we have a sin problem that separates us from God.                           
For we have already charged that all…are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God (Romans 3:9-11).
 
*The Good News is that God has given us a right standing and salvation with him through faith in his son Jesus Christ. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24).
 
*Jesus is our righteousness. He exchanged our sin for his righteousness. We are clothed in his righteousness and have right standing with God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
 
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24).
 
*When we are saved, we are clothed with Christ. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).
 
WE MUST DAILY PUT ON THE COAT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
 
*We must continuously choose to clothe ourselves in righteousness, so we can resist temptation. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Romans 13:12-14).
 
*The Coat of Righteousness protects us from evil and guards our commitment to Christ. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil...Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:10-14).