"God Meant it for Good" - Genesis 50

©Copyright November 24, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

This morning we conclude our study of the book of Genesis. In the 50 sermons in the series we have looked at the beginnings of creation, the entry of sin into the world, the flood, and the stories of God's plan of redemption as He started to form a people through whom He would save the world.

I hope you have been encouraged by the stories that showed us that the patriarchs, or the people we look up to as the pioneers in the faith, were very human. They made their mistakes. At times, they failed greatly. But as we look back, we can see a truth that stands out from them all: God was always in control. He had a plan that was undeterred by the sinfulness of mankind. And if there is any message we want to underscore, it is this one: God is in control. We have nothing to worry about.

In theology, this is called the doctrine of God's Providence. The late Jerry Bridges, wrote in his book Trusting God,

God’s providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation for His own glory and the good of His people. Again, note the absolute terms: constant care, absolute rule, all creation. Nothing, not even the smallest virus, escapes His care and control.

God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people, nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He has designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together.[1]

This is what we see in the last chapter of the book of Genesis. This is not an easy doctrine to grasp, but once you do, your whole approach to life is altered. You can withstand whatever comes your way because, even if you do not understand, or like, what happened, you know that God is using it some way for a good purpose. Instead of fretting, we can know peace. Instead of despair, we wait with eager expectancy. The best way to understand the doctrine is to dive into the text and see it illustrated.

After the death of Jacob everyone returned home and the brothers of Joseph were nervous. They were concerned that Joseph had not exacted revenge from them because dad was alive. Now that dad was gone they knew they could not stand against Joseph's power. So, they sent a message to Joseph.

“Before your father died, he instructed us 17to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. (17-18)

It is possible Jacob actually said these words, but I think it is much more likely that the brothers were trying to use guilt to protect themselves. They were afraid of Joseph. They don't really believe his kindness was genuine. They try to use dear old dad as a buffer from his revenge.

But Joseph is not angry. He is not looking to even the score. He responds theologically,

19But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. (19-21)

It is an amazing statement; one anchored in spiritual maturity. Joseph says, in essence: "You guys are guilty, but God was using your sinful choices to accomplish His purpose. Now that I see what God was doing, how could I strike out against you?"

Don't miss this: we make choices; we are responsible for and will give account for our choices; BUT God is above all our choices and uses them to bring about and accomplish His purposes. We can do it the easy way or the hard way . . . but His will WILL be accomplished. You can work with Him or against Him but His will WILL be done.

Joseph saw God at work in all the circumstances of His life. He did not say God CAUSED all those circumstances, but, he does see that those very circumstances were used by God to accomplish His purpose. Think about Joseph's life,

Had Joseph not been sold into slavery, he would never have ended up in Egypt.

Had Joseph not ended up in Egypt, he would never have gained distinction in Potiphar’s house.

Had he not gained distinction in Potiphar’s house, he would never have been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife.

Had he not been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, he would never have ended up in jail.

These things don't sound good at all, however . . .

Had Joseph not ended up in jail, he would never have interpreted the cupbearer’s dream.

Had he not interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he would never have been called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dream.

Had he not interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Egypt would never have been prepared for the coming famine.

Had Egypt not been prepared for the coming famine, many in Egypt would have died—and so would Joseph and his brothers!

And had Joseph and his brothers died, there would have been no Israel and, therefore, no Messiah!

This is the doctrine of Providence: God is at work in and through the freely chosen actions of people and will, through those actions, bring about His perfect and eternal will.

Some people respond to this by saying; if God is in control how do you account for the evil in the world? As one thinker stated it: "If God is in control, He is either unloving or not all-powerful." In other words, since bad things seem to (and do) happen in life either God doesn't care what is happening to us, or God DOES care and is powerless to stop it.

This is called a false dilemma. In other words, we are presented with an either-or option when these aren't the only options! There is at least one additional option: God allows evil for some good purpose.

I don't know what that good purpose is. There are many things that happen in life that don't seem to have any possible positive outcome at all.

the death of a child

a terrorist attack on innocent people

one person indifferently abusing another

a mate dying much too soon

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsons, MS and others like this.

These things are not good. They are painful and the expressions of a sin-filled world. The doctrine of providence does not teach that bad things become good. They are still bad. However, what it does teach is God works through even these bad things to bring about good.

What Does Providence Mean for Us?

It means life is not without meaning. Joseph reminds us that even though life at times seems random, it is not. God is, and always has been guiding the course of history. Man is not in control; God is. And for this, we should thank God.

Chuck Swindoll writes,

I urge you to remove three words from your vocabulary as you add the word providence. They are chance, fate, and luck. Those humanistic terms suggest that there are blind, impersonal, and spontaneous forces at work in the ranks of humanity. NOT!

Only One is at work: "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)" (Finishing Touch p. 139)

Consider a situation which on the surface seems tragic: A child is warm and comfortable. Their needs are provided. Life is satisfying and good. Then one day it all changes. The walls close in around them. They are forced to face enormous pressure and are assaulted and grabbed; their source of nourishment is abolished; there is a blinding light and noise that is deafening. It appears to be the worst of tragedies. . . But, in reality, a child has just been born into the world.

This baby would have believed it was better off in the womb. What they don't realize is it was a temporary residence. If they had stayed in that environment much longer, the baby would have died. The womb was not a place of permanent residence (and neither is life on this earth). If this child had not been born they would never have known about color, taste, touch, friendships, and smell. They wouldn't have known about walking, running, dancing or any of the other great things we get to do in life. From the perspective of the womb it was all tragedy.

Are we now living in the womb? Is it possible that what is happening around us is really much different than we think it is?

The second lesson of the doctrine of providence is: the evil of men will never derail the plan of God. In the case of Joseph and his brothers, the decisions of the brothers were free, real, and had adverse consequences. However, God used even these sinful choices for His purpose. Those brothers did not get a free pass. They could not argue that they had no choice to treat Joseph the way they did. They made their choice and they will give an account for their choice.

The doctrine of providence recognizes that though we are free to make choices, God is also free to use those choices in any way that He sees fit. Mankind is always trying to bind the hands of the Almighty. We try to define God rather than allowing Him to define us! We believe the world should be governed by our wildly inconsistent will, rather than with His Sovereign wisdom. We should be grateful we do not get our wish.

Truths To Build Your Life On

Over the course of 50 weeks we have worked our way through the first book of the Bible. I hope you have learned a lot of things you will be able to build on in the years to come. You will be surprised at how often references to Genesis crop up in the Bible.

As we look back on the book of Genesis I hope you have gained some valuable insights, principles and tools for life. If you embrace these principles, memorize these principles, and remind yourself of these principles in the hard times of life, they will help you remain faithful.

God is in Control. The theological foundation I build on; the foundation I believe we find in the Bible is: 1) God is in Control 2) He loves me 3) He never makes a mistake. We must hold tight to the character of God. The winds of circumstance blow wildly and inconsistently. God's character remains steady. God never loses control of the universe. He never looks at what is happening in the world and wrings His hands because He doesn't know what to do. NOTHING is outside of God's control (that does not mean God sends everything. Sinful actions bring tragedy and pain, but God works out His purposes even in the pain.) If you hold on to three simple truths, you will be able to keep moving even when life doesn't make any sense.

God is in Control

He Loves Me

He Never Makes a Mistake

2. No matter what is happening in your life, this is only one page in the story of that Life. You cannot tell much about a novel by reading just a few pages. In fact, you can read the first 50 pages of many novels and still not be too sure where the story is going. In our lives we can only see one page at a time. We don't see the entire story. We don't know where it will all end up. Our challenge is to reserve judgment on the events in our lives until the whole story is written.

When I first arrived in La Harpe I was sure this was going to be a place where I would be for 5-6 years and then would move on to something different. I had no idea God would make this community my home and the home of my children, and my grandchildren.

We struggled to pass a building program many years ago. At the time I felt defeated. Yet because of that defeat we were able to hire Rick and now have a much more extensive expansion without any mortgage payments.

I have had broken relationships and found as a result a new joy and love that I could never have anticipated. At a time when I thought life was over, I turned the page and discovered a whole new and wonderful story.

My family has seen this time and again. And I contend, if you are patient, you will (and most likely have) see(n) the same thing in your life. There were times when you lifted your hands in despair only to find out that what you thought was a disaster was actually a doorway to surprises you could never imagine. We don't always see the result (I see no possible purpose in my dad's Alzheimer's disease) but I have seen God working in bad things enough to know there is more going on than meets the eye.

Every Decision either leads me closer to Him or causes me to drift further from Him . . . which is this? It is important for us to remember that decisions have consequences. All throughout the book of Genesis we have seen this repeatedly. Bad decisions create hardship and lead people away from God. It all started with Adam and Eve. It was followed by Cain's decision to kill Abel; the people's decision to build a tower to reach to the Heavens; Abraham and Sarah's decision to try to help God, and on and on it goes.

God is working in even bad situations but that doesn't mean we aren't held accountable for bad decisions and foolish choices. The decisions don't always have immediate negative consequences, but they do come. As we have had the chance to watch generations unfold in Genesis, that became very clear.

It only stands to reason that the most important question to ask ourselves when we are making decisions is not: whether it is financially beneficial, whether it will open doors to advancement, or whether it will be fun. The number one questions should always be: "will this move me toward the Lord or away from Him?" If we get into the habit of asking that question when we are making decisions, we will stay on the right course and God will use us as He sees fit.

God is faithful even though we are not. One of the things you notice from the book of Genesis is how these patriarchs of the faith made some big mistakes along the way. They are sinful people just like us. Yet, in spite of that fact, God never forgot His promise, He never turned away from His plan. God was faithful even when his servants were not.

Though we must never presume upon God's grace; we must never shrug at sin, as if it is nothing; we must also never despair because of a failure, never give up because life is hard, and never conclude that God has turned away. He is faithful, even though we are not.

And finally, the question that brings me back to my senses more than any other question: Do you trust Him or don't you? When all is said and done

Do you trust God or your experience?

Do you trust your performance, or His grace?

Do you trust His power, or the power of sin and darkness?

Do you believe God's promise that you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit; sealed forever as His child?

Do you believe that God is never caught by surprise, He is never out of control, He is working in every situation for good?

Do you trust Him with your children?

Do you trust Him to heal your relationships?

Do you trust Him to meet your financial needs?

What set these men and women of Genesis apart is not their goodness, but their willingness to trust God and follow Him even when they did not know where He was leading them.

The most important question of all is: Will you trust Christ to save you from your sin and the futility of your life? Do you believe Him when He said, "It is finished?" Do you believe His payment for your sin was sufficient? Do you believe Him when He says whoever comes to Him will not be turned away?

These five truths can be a comfort to those who embrace Christ. They are the anchor to which we attach our lives. However, for those who refuse to embrace and follow Him, these truths become a weight that will drag them down to Hell.

Here is where the journey of faith begins: with a simple prayer: "O Lord, I confess that I am sinful, inconsistent and unworthy of Your forgiveness. However, I believe Jesus died for me and rose again to defeat sin, death, and Hell. I embrace Him as my Savior and desire to follow Him as my King. Cleanse me by your grace, fill me with your Spirit, and guide me by your providence. I give you my praise and my thanks forever. Amen."

Of all the blessing we will enumerate this week, this one should be prominent: God is faithful and His providence will guide us all the way home.

[1] Jerry Bridges, Trusting God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1988), 25–26.