Is God Really in Control?

Gen 45:4-

Genesis 45:4–11 ESV

4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’

Genesis 50:15–21 ESV

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:20 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Have you ever been invited to a friend’s house for a holiday dinner and immediately are thrown into the disfunction that exists in that family. And perhaps they don’t even see it. It’s just normal to that they argue and fight in front of company. It’s normal that they get into heated discussions about events that took place years ago. It’s normal that 20 minutes after your dad arrives for dinner, there is a cop knocking at your door. And there is that one uncle (or parent) that literally has no filter and the things that come out of their mouth are crazy.

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Today we are going to be invited to dinner (so to speak) at the home of the most dysfunctional family in all of the Bible. The House of Jacob and his 12 sons. It’s such a mess, not even Dr. Phil could help this family. Only the God of the universe can sort this out. But what’s awesome about the Bible is that God did sort it out and we get to see how he did it.

Big Idea: No Matter what Happens, Remember that God is in control.

1. God demonstrated control of Joseph’s future. ()

Explanation: 2 dreams tell Joseph what God is about to do. Dreams were so important in the Old Testament because at this time they didn’t have any scripture. It was an oral tradition that was passed down. So God spoke to His people in various ways. And Joseph knew this. There was a way that God revealed to people that a dream was from Him. Doubling. If you had the same dream twice, but the second time was slightly different with the same premise, it was from God.

Later on Joseph will tell this to Pharoah in Ch. 41. Because the dream is doubled, it is certain. So when Joseph has 2 dreams about His brothers bowing down to Him, he has a pretty good idea that this was going to happen. The question of course is how will the 2nd youngest son of a Hebrew shepherd rise to power of His brothers. Ah, but we shall see, and it’s not pretty.

Illustration: If God would tell you from the beginning what his plan is for you, would you really want to know? What if he says, my plan for you is to be faithful to your family, faithful to your church; a servant, but history won’t remember you. Would you be happy with that. Not everyone can be great!

The truth is God has a future in mind for you.

Application: Now God is not necessarily going to tell you what he has planned for you. But you can still be confident that He is in control of your future. But like Joseph, chances are you are going to experience some tough trials as you go.

Even jesus reminds us of this in

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

If that’s not enough, the story of Joseph takes us another step forward is seeing God’s control.

But what about other people? What happens when other people sin against us? Abuse us?

Isn’t the sin of others against us evidence that God is not completely in control? I’m going to invite Kaylon to answer this question.

2. God demonstrated control over his brother’s sin. ()

Kaylon

Illustration:

Application:

3. God demonstrated control through Joseph’s circumstances. ()

Explanation: Even after Joseph is sold into slavery, you could say that He makes the best of every circumstance that comes his way. As Kaylon said, Joseph never allowed his cirucmstances to cause doubt that God was in control. He became a slave in the house of Potipher and worked hard to honor his new owner. And Joseph was so good that Potipher made him second in command of his entire house. Joseph’s words are that “Potipher put him in charge of everything except his wife.” .

And how is Jacob rewarded? Falsely accused and thrown in prison.

Illustration: Have you ever had a really bad day and you say the most dangerous words in the world? “Can this day get any worse?” The famous last words of a fool.

But again Joseph doesn’t allow his circumstances to cause Him to forget that God is in control. In the prison Joseph works hard to be found approved. And again the jailer puts him second in charge of the whole prison. A prisoner in charge. You have to be asking, 2 times Joseph is faithful with a little and given a lot more by mortal men. What is God preparing hi for.

Now why prison? Well it is here that Joseph meets the cup bearer. It’s here that Joseph demonstrates his ability to interpret dreams. it’s here that Joseph makes this connection that God will use to make those dreams come true.

What if Joseph were moping? What if he was so bitter and angry that he failed to honor God?

You never know who is watching you. it doesn’t matter if you are going through cancer or a hostile work environment. God is in control. The question is how will you respond to your circumstances. Will you sulk or will you be faithful?

Application: What circumstances are you experiencing right now that are causing you to doubt that God is actually in control? How might you change the way you look at this?

4. God demonstrates His control over History. ()

Explanation: God’s purpose in sending Joseph to Israel was to create a nation for Him to eventually send his son in the world. Born in the line of Judah. It was in Egypt that the people of God were protected from the pagan wickedness of the caananites in their home country.

We can look at Joseph and think wow, God had a great plan for Joseph’s life. But step back even further and you see that Joseph was a small part of God’s bigger plan for all of History.

Everything was pointing towards the cross. Because God still had a promise to fulfill from . Sin still had to be dealt with. Joseph secured the future of Israel. Israel continued to grow into a great nation through which Jesus would be born to the savior of the whole world.

Now you can apply the same points to that idea. God is in control of Jesus’ future. Even though wicked people crucified Jesus, God never ceased to be in control. In fact he brought it about by divine decree. Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. And now we have

Illustration:

Isaiah 46:8–10 ESV

8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Application:

Reflection: Will you acknowledge that God is in control?