Genesis 45:8 & 50:20 Suffering:
God’s Sovereignty & Our Theology WC
McCarter
Introduction
Is God out of control? Is there anything outside of God’s
authority and power? Can you trust a God who is out of control? Is there ever an event that takes place that God is too weak to do anything about it?
Let’s define the terms of my title this morning before we go
any farther. Sovereignty is God’s absolute right, power, and intention to
govern all things according to the counsel of His will. It is His decisive self-reliance and self-determination.
Humans do not have this ultimately. We have the right and authority to make
decisions and do this to a certain degree, but ultimately we cannot control
everything. If we could, we would solve all of the world’s problems and move
on. God’s sovereignty includes his authority and power over sin and evil.
Theology is the study of God. It is our understanding of
God. Every Christian is a theologian to some extent. You enjoy talking about
God, learning about Him, and you have a certain understanding of who He is and
what He does in this world. This morning, I would like to talk about both of
these things, God’s sovereignty and our theology, through the lense of
suffering. We will do this from the
story of Joseph found at the end of the book of Genesis.
Overview
In chapter three of The
Story, we read about the life of Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. We followed
page after page through the ups and downs of his years. We followed him from
the plots to the pit to Potiphar’s to the prison and finally to Pharaoh’s
palace. After his brothers sold him, Joseph went from the lowest position in Egypt , as a slave, to the highest position in Egypt Egypt Egypt
Scripture Reading
“So then, it was not
you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh,
lord of his entire
household and ruler of all Egypt
“You intended to harm
me, but God intended it for good to accomplish
what is now being
done, the saving of many lives.”
Suffering
It is a fact of life that if you live long enough, you will
be made to endure suffering. If you are older, you already know this to be
true. If you are younger and think that it will not come, it will. Suffering
takes on many forms. It may come in the form of a disability or disease; in the
form of financial hardship or hunger; in the form of racism or discrimination; in
the form of marital conflict or family disputes; in the form of murder, envy,
strife, deceit, violence, and so much more. Our question is always, “Why?” as
if we don’t already know that we live in a fallen world. The earth does not
function the way that God originally intended, the political, social, and
religious systems of the planet are corrupt, Satan is causing as much chaos as
possible, people do terrible things to one another, and we ourselves sin and
continually fall short of the glory of God. All of this causes heartache,
anxiety, and depression. All of this causes suffering
in many forms.
God’s Sovereignty through
the Lens of Suffering
We already said at the very beginning of this sermon that
God is in control and that there is nothing outside of His authority and power.
We are people who believe those statements. But, what do we do with the problem
of evil and suffering in the world? This is an especially difficult question
when we consider that the wicked often prosper while the godly struggle. What
do we do with this? How to we handle it? How do we understand it? How do we
explain it?
Well, the Bible repeatedly teaches that the godly do suffer
and will suffer until the end of this age. Joseph was a godly man, even from
his youth, yet he was made to suffer. Why would God allow this? Joseph
understood why. He said it was to accomplish an even greater purpose. We often
think that God should pluck people (us) our of situations that may be harmful.
He is God, we are His people, He can do it – so, why not? Picture this: if God
would have not allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery, what else may have
happened? He may have been murdered by his own brothers. Ok, what if God would
have intervened and not allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery or to be
murdered by his own brothers – would Joseph have escaped suffering the
remainder of his life? The answer is no. There was still a famine to come, and
Joseph would have suffered starvation like the rest of his family. We learn
that he would have suffered either way.
Yet, God allowed (and was actually involved) the events of
Joseph’s life to come about, even that difficult times of suffering. He did so
to bring about a better thing. He did so in order to accomplish a greater
purpose. Joseph was able to save his family, the land of Egypt
Our Theology through
the Lens of Suffering
My assertion is that Joseph was able to suffer through all
that he faced primarily because of his theology, that is, his understanding of
God. Joseph must have been taught about the things of God as a little boy by
his father, Jacob. Joseph himself had encounters with God that surely were
significant in the shaping of his theology.
But what was Joseph’s theology? What was his understanding
of God? I think that we can get a grasp of it from the verses we read earlier.
If you notice the remarks he makes when everything is said and done, you
realize that Joseph believed all along that God was at work in his life. You
get the sense that Joseph believed in the power of God. What was it that he
said?
“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to
Pharaoh,
lord of his entire
household and ruler of all Egypt
“You intended to harm me, but
God intended it for good to accomplish
what is now being
done, the saving of many lives.”
Joseph believed in the sovereignty of God. He believed in
the promises and the covenant of God. Joseph believed that God was always in
control, using the good, the bad, and the ugly to accomplish His purposes.
Joseph believed that no matter what people may do, no matter what evil may
exist, no matter his own personal sin, God would still do good to him because
he loved God and was called according to God’s purpose. The same is true for
you. The question is whether you believe it or not. And not only should you
agree in your mind that this is all true, but you should live a life that
reflects this great faith.
Conclusion- Finding
Your Story in God’s Story
In the Bible, you get the idea that Satan is always mad. Do
you know why he is so angry all the time? Because every time he does some
seemingly clever and damaging thing, God is still able to accomplish His own
righteous purposes.
1) Despite human
sin and evil, God is able to accomplish His purposes. When you are going
through a financial, emotional, relational, or spiritual struggle – hang on
knowing that God is able to continue to work in your life and situation. He
will get you through it. He will accomplish a good work in you. In the
meantime, be attentive to His word and constant in prayer.
2) I am persuaded
that part of the reason Joseph was able to weather the storm, as it were, was
because his theology was right. I would challenge you to get the big picture
just like Joseph did. Don’t believe things just for the sake of believing
things. Dig deep into the Scriptures and really think through the hard issues.
God will bless you for your efforts, and He will use that effort to prepare you
for the challenges that life may throw at you later.