The Week in Review

Are you a Coat Maker?
South Suburban Church of God
May 17, 2009

As I was preparing for this message and the direction the Lord was taking me, I began to think about my mother. My mother was a seamstress. I was amazed at her ability to take fabric and create wonderful garments. She could take a bag of sequin or beads and create beautifully beaded dresses. She could take a pattern and alter it so that it would create something with its own unique flair and it would fit the personality of the person she was designing it for just right. When she finished the garment the individual that it was made for would be so excited about the fit and how much it expressed their personality. There was something special knowing that the garment was created just for them. Well today I want to talk about something similar, about being a coat maker, creating something specially tailor for an individual and allowing that which you make to help them express their uniqueness.

First, what is the purpose of a coat? When we think about a coat we think about a garment that covers us from the elements. We think about a garment that covers our exposed skin and protects us from the sun, the wind, the rain and the cold. The coat becomes a covering that protects us.

The question I want you to think about today is, are you a spiritual coat maker? And if so, what kind of coat maker are you? Are you making garments that will project others from the elements? Are you using your talents and your gifts to create covering for people that are standing exposed and uncovered?

What are people facing? They are facing the heat uncovered. The heat of life is beating down on them and because of it, they are being dried up of all hope; they stand parched without the living water, which is Christ. Some are facing the changing winds of life that blows on them and making it difficult for them to stand against these great chilling forces. These winds are chilling out the truth of God’s word, keeping it from settling in the hearts of people. Or what about the rain, those storms that come in life and leave many unable to stand under the weight of the rain-drenched clothing? Somebody is standing in need of a covering, a coat to protect them from these elements. Are you making some coats?

What is wonderful about the word of God is that we have examples of what happens when things are done wrong and then we have examples of how to do them right. Let’s look at the wrong types of coat makers, first.

The “Favoritism” Coat Maker
Genesis 37:3-4, 23
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they strip Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

Israel who was also known as Jacob before God changed his name, gives his son Joseph a coat. We see a father preparing a coat for his son, a “coat of love”. It is a good thing to be a coat maker that makes a “coat of love” and we would think this is a good thing that Israel is doing, however, we see some problems. The first problem is Israel loved Joseph more than he did the other sons and it was something very obvious. He gave Joseph a coat that was like a neon sign saying, “He is more important to me than you”. Think about this coat? It is bright and rich in color. To create garments of such brilliance was costly because of the treatments that had to be done to fabrics to obtain the colors. There was no expense spared on this one son. Truly we should not be cheap and should not spare any expense in giving our love, but the problem comes in if we pick and choose whom to give it to. How long do you think this can go on before we have problems? Not long because we see the brothers plotting Joseph’s death. While the brothers were wrong in their action, a coat maker, a provider cannot show favoritism in love because it breeds hatred, disharmony and discord.

Favoritism amongst a family surely brings disruption in the unity of the family. Also let us also not miss another possibly problem here, the favor shown by Israel was because of his personal reward in doing it. In other words, he was feeling himself because this was a son he had in his old age, it was a mark, a reward for him, and it was a male thing. You’ve seen it, men that have fathered children in their later years the pride that have because of that child, especially if it is a son. It’s like a badge of honor. This son along with his brother Benjamin was like special accomplishments for Israel.

What does that say to us today? As spiritual coat makers, we cannot show favoritism to one member of the family over another one. I cannot love Sis. Rose more because she can really cook, or Sis. Dorothy because she makes killer cornbread. First, that type of love is wrong because of the reasons I’m giving it. I’m giving it because of what I get in return, how it profits or benefits me. Love in the family is to be given freely and without any expectation of return, benefit or repayment. Secondly, I cannot lavish more love on one in the family as if saying by my actions “you are more important”, without problems arising. How long will it be before we see disharmony in the unity if believers show love more for one than the other? We set up the possibility of jealousy amongst the brothers and what happens is they may begin to plot on how to take that “coat” away. What they are trying in fact to do is remove the symbol of the “coat of love” that should have been lavished on all which was only being given to one.

The Favoritism coat maker does not line up with the type of garment makers God requires in his family. This is not to say that God does not allow us to see special things within each other and that we should encourage that, but we cannot pick one to love more than another. We know this because the word reads, “For there is no respect of persons with God”. – Romans 2:11. If God does not show respect of person, then we definitely cannot pick and choose whom we will give a “coat of love” to (come back next week for the next installment).