Sermon outline: This is an abbreviated outline with the complete sermon downloadable at the bottom of the post. Introduction: The recruiting slogan of our U.S. Marine Corps is “We’re looking for a few good men.” The Marines also have a motto in Latin that states their code of conduct in battle and in their affairs, Semper Fidelis, or “Always faithful.”

Before running a series of errands recently, I took my daughter, Danielle, and her sons through the Starbucks drive thru. When we ordered our drinks, I surprised the boys and added two birthday cake pops at the end.

In the second half of Genesis we are introduced to two primary figures—Jacob and Joseph. These men lived very colorful lives. Let’s look at them and the lessons their lives have for us.

No marriage is perfect. I think pretty much everybody gets that. How can it be? After all, it is the union of two imperfect people. Although we might do so reluctantly, I think each of us who are married can admit that we’ve been the bad marriage partner at some point or another.

Every morning brings fresh opportunities—and fresh challenges. Sometimes the challenges seem to outweigh the opportunities. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the opportunities embedded in the challenges. Sometimes—with or without challenges or opportunities—it’s just a rough day.

Hope is a noun and a verb. It is what we have, and it is what we do. We who know the Lord already have hope, but we must also choose hope. I recently did a Bible study on the word hope, and was amazed at what I found.

There is an inescapable principle at work in Scripture. It is prevalent from the first few chapters of Genesis to the end of Revelation. It is a principle that is applied to the greatest servants of the Lord. It is a principle that is painful and time consuming in its application, but necessary to the process of preparation that every saint greatly used of God must go through.

How many times while witnessing have you heard someone say to you, “I’ve always been a Christian”? How did you respond to that statement?

We know that Jesus had a great passion for the lost: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Christ’s main passion and overwhelming burden for the lost was that they would be saved.

In America we have been so profoundly blessed as a nation, that we sometimes forget how incredible our blessings are and the magnitude of the liberties we enjoy every day.