WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.639 Amen. What an incredible privilege it is to sing with this congregation and to have such incredible musicians. 00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:10.820 ! We are just incredibly thankful for each of you and the choir. Always an incredible job. 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:20.519 ! This morning we're going to be in the book of Genesis and I want us to consider a question that I believe to be a little bit of a difficult one to work through. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:22.660 Have you ever questioned God's goodness? 00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:26.879 Have you ever thought to yourself, is God really good? 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:37.759 Maybe we sing songs like count your blessings and thank you Lord and you see others close their eyes, lift up their hands, say thank you Lord and have gratitude on their hearts. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:41.560 But you quietly think to yourself, I just can't right now. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:49.340 This morning I asked the question, is God good? Out of a personal dilemma that I've had to walk through through various seasons of life. 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:58.420 The dilemma that I know God to be good up here, but I start to question it down here in my heart through various seasons of suffering and trials. 00:00:58.540 --> 00:01:08.480 There's something about the struggles and suffering that we face in life that calls us to ask the question at times, is God really good? 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:14.719 Again, there have been seasons in my life where I've had to wrestle through that question and even felt bad for asking it. 00:01:14.820 --> 00:01:20.760 The church isn't always a place where doubt and questions can be expressed in certain ways. 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:27.260 So we push the question often to the side, suppress it down and continue to struggle in silence. 00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:32.240 But friends, the scriptures are filled with people who ask that very question. 00:01:33.240 --> 00:01:35.219 And the Bible does a good job at answering it. 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:42.379 Al Mohler, the president of Southern Seminary, he writes that the Bible is strikingly candid about human suffering, 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:52.280 including the vexing or confusing reality that God's own people suffer and often suffer excruciatingly and lastingly. 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:56.759 So this morning I want us to earnestly seek an answer to this question. 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:08.219 Because to me, even what may be a solid biblical truth may seem nothing more than a cheap platitude outside of its context when suffering lands in your lap. 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.900 And I would argue that some of you perhaps have asked the same question. 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:18.819 So this morning we're going to be looking at the life of a man named Joseph who experienced great suffering in his lifetime. 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:21.680 And we're going to be answering this question, is God good? 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:26.859 And my prayer is that if you've been suffering silently or ever found yourself wrestling with this great question, 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:34.439 that today we can examine the scriptures together and see the goodness of God in even the most broken parts of our lives. 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:39.859 So if you have your Bibles, we're going to be starting in Genesis chapter 37 where we're introduced to a young man named Joseph. 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:43.900 His story spans about the last 14 chapters of the book of Genesis. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:50.240 And throughout these chapters we read a great deal about the trials that are thrown Joseph's way. 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:55.700 He experiences family drama as his brothers plot his death and throw him in a pit. 00:02:56.379 --> 00:03:03.759 He experiences social trauma as he is sold into slavery by his brothers and stripped away from his family and his homeland. 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:10.659 He experiences wrongful termination at work as he is accused of a sex scandal and tossed in prison. 00:03:10.659 --> 00:03:16.460 He experiences suffering and isolation due to the sins and decisions of others. 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:23.039 He experiences the loss of his father after being robbed of many years that he could have had with him. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:27.659 I believe that if there is someone that can relate to your struggles, any amount of suffering that you may have experienced, 00:03:28.579 --> 00:03:30.300 it would be this guy named Joseph. 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:34.439 He is a real person in a real story that has experienced real suffering. 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:41.439 So if you have God's word in Genesis chapter 37, let's read from God's word and see what Joseph's story has for us. 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:44.699 Genesis chapter 37, starting in verse 3. 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:53.060 Now Israel, or Jacob, loved Joseph more than any other of his sons because he was a son of his old age. 00:03:53.459 --> 00:03:55.899 And he made him a robe of many colors. 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:00.839 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:06.139 they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 00:04:06.679 --> 00:04:09.859 You see, Joseph was the son of his father's favorite wife. 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:11.679 Now that's a story in and of itself. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:15.080 Joseph is the son of his father's favorite wife. 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:22.180 There's already, what we can see, some family dynamics that are going to cause somewhat of a conflict here. 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:27.420 Because Joseph was so clearly his father's favorite, his brothers have grown to resent him. 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:35.780 And years have passed by, years and years, and that hatred towards him has grown, it has festered, 00:04:35.780 --> 00:04:41.340 and the bitterness that is present between Joseph and his brothers, it's not a good start. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.240 But the story continues. 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:45.120 Chapter 37, verse 5. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:51.740 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:59.660 So in this dream that Joseph had, he tells his brothers essentially that they will bow down before him. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.780 As you might imagine, that doesn't bode well. 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:08.859 And it says in verse 8, they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:11.059 Joseph dreams again. 00:05:11.739 --> 00:05:12.759 He dreams another dream. 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:18.719 And this time, not only are his brothers bowing down before him, but even his father and his mother. 00:05:19.779 --> 00:05:22.559 In Genesis 37, verse 11, we read what happens. 00:05:23.599 --> 00:05:28.500 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:35.199 So we are introduced to this man named Joseph, and we very quickly see some family dynamics that are causing some issues. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:39.639 Joseph is favored by his father and seemingly favored by God. 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:42.699 And his brothers cannot handle it. 00:05:43.339 --> 00:05:49.420 So when Joseph is sent by their father to come and check on them as they labored in the fields, 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:53.339 they hatch a plan and their inside thoughts begin to be said aloud. 00:05:53.339 --> 00:06:02.500 Verse 18, they saw him from afar, and before he came to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:05.799 They said to one another, here comes this dreamer. 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:09.779 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. 00:06:10.479 --> 00:06:16.599 Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what becomes of his dreams. 00:06:17.479 --> 00:06:19.739 Now again, these words are not being said in a vacuum. 00:06:20.059 --> 00:06:22.179 Years have gone by. 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:29.120 Their hatred and their anger and their jealousy towards their brother have grown and grown, 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:32.259 and they have reached their boiling point in this passage, 00:06:32.900 --> 00:06:37.060 to the point where they make plans to murder their brother Joseph. 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:39.899 Now the firstborn brother, his name is Reuben. 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:42.259 Reuben has another idea altogether. 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:47.800 Reuben, in previous chapters, had sinned against their father in a pretty spectacular manner, 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:50.100 to where Reuben sees this as an opportunity. 00:06:50.100 --> 00:06:54.980 So Reuben tells his brothers, instead of killing him and tossing him in a pit, 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:57.760 let's just throw him in the pit and let him die. 00:06:58.260 --> 00:07:00.320 That way the blood is off of our hands, 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.960 and secretly Reuben planned to come back later and rescue him, 00:07:05.520 --> 00:07:09.660 so that maybe through rescuing his brother, his father might love him once again. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:14.860 Reuben thinks that's a great idea, and it says that the others listened to him. 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:17.439 We see the story continue in verse 23. 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:20.080 So when Joseph came to his brothers, 00:07:20.460 --> 00:07:24.620 they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore, 00:07:24.840 --> 00:07:27.400 and they took him and threw him into a pit. 00:07:27.860 --> 00:07:29.020 The pit was empty. 00:07:29.340 --> 00:07:30.860 There was no water in it. 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.540 Then they sat down to eat. 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:38.980 Now, I'm not sure what types of problems your family may have, 00:07:40.080 --> 00:07:47.060 but I would argue that the fact that they can so easily throw their brother in a pit 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:50.540 after conspiring to murder him, strip him of his robes, 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:53.840 and still have an appetite to sit down for lunch, 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:58.560 that should show you a little bit of the chaos that we are reading here. 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:01.720 At that point, a caravan of travelers passes by, 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:04.780 and in verse 25, another brother named Judah, 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:05.860 that we'll come back to later, 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:09.180 Judah again says the private thoughts out loud. 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:10.860 He says in verse 25, 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:14.740 What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:17.300 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, 00:08:17.620 --> 00:08:19.740 and let not our hand be on him, 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:22.300 for he is our brother, our own flesh, 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.000 and it says that his brothers listened. 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:28.379 So while the narrator of this story is focusing in on the brothers, 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:29.839 conspiring up top, 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:34.519 I cannot help but imagine what is going through the mind of Joseph in the pit. 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:40.080 I would have to think that he is sitting there asking a couple of questions. 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:41.939 Why me? 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:47.299 This does not seem like the life that I was promised what I think I deserve. 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:53.759 So Joseph sits in the pit when his life seems to have been flipped, turned upside down, 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:58.899 and his life, whatever might be left of it at this point, will never be the same. 00:08:59.939 --> 00:09:03.139 Well, the story continues from the pit to the prison. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:05.759 We pick up Joseph's story in chapter 39. 00:09:05.939 --> 00:09:08.740 We'll come back to chapter 38, but chapter 39, verse 1, 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:10.460 we continue with Joseph's story. 00:09:10.460 --> 00:09:13.980 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.680 and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:23.680 had bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there. 00:09:24.300 --> 00:09:27.320 So whereas God is not mentioned at all in chapter 37, 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:31.440 the narrator makes all the effort and goes above and beyond 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:37.060 to remind us during this season of Joseph's life that God is present in it. 00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:39.500 In chapter 39, verse 2, he writes, 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:44.359 the Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. 00:09:44.699 --> 00:09:47.779 And he was in the house of an Egyptian master, his Egyptian master. 00:09:48.319 --> 00:09:50.439 His master saw that the Lord was with him, 00:09:50.719 --> 00:09:54.979 and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 00:09:55.599 --> 00:09:58.379 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him. 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:02.659 And he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:07.259 From that time, from the time that he made him an overseer in his house 00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:12.799 and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. 00:10:13.219 --> 00:10:17.620 The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in house and field. 00:10:18.459 --> 00:10:20.740 So despite his hardship during this season, 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:23.819 everything at this point seems to be coming up Joseph. 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:25.699 He's being blessed. 00:10:26.199 --> 00:10:28.360 God's presence is clearly with him. 00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:32.139 He's favored by Potiphar, and everything seems to be going well. 00:10:33.060 --> 00:10:38.500 Until verse 7, where Potiphar's wife starts to set her eyes on Joseph, 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:41.500 and she says to him, lie with me. 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:47.340 Joseph refuses, and day after day, she continues to pursue him. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:51.580 Until one day, Potiphar's wife finds an opportunity to make her move. 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:57.660 She pulls him close, grabs his garment, and Joseph pulls away, escapes her grasp, 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:02.200 and runs from the house with his garments still in Potiphar's wife's grasp. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:07.620 Now, the last time Joseph was disrobed, it resulted in him being thrown in a pit. 00:11:08.280 --> 00:11:11.200 And this part of his story, the same occurs. 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:16.620 Potiphar's wife then claims to her husband and the guards that Joseph sought to take advantage of her. 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:21.759 And Potiphar, filled with anger, threw him into the pit, the prison. 00:11:22.779 --> 00:11:26.960 A cycle seems to be happening in Joseph's life where blessing leads to brokenness. 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:28.820 Blessing to brokenness. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:33.200 And again, Joseph finds himself at the bottom of a pit in prison 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:37.179 through the anger and decisions of someone else. 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:41.720 Now, I would have to think that Joseph asked a question. 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:43.600 Why me? 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:50.379 This doesn't quite seem like the life I think I deserve, but I think I was promised. 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:55.680 In all of this, Joseph, whether he was aware of it or not at the time, 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:58.279 the narrator makes it abundantly clear. 00:11:58.980 --> 00:12:01.779 Chapter 39, verse 21, he writes, 00:12:02.220 --> 00:12:06.800 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love 00:12:06.800 --> 00:12:10.360 and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:14.580 So just as before, God continues to bless Joseph. 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:19.899 In what seems to be a harrowing moment, one of deep anguish, 00:12:20.139 --> 00:12:24.279 in one of no sense of blessing, God is present with him. 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:29.060 He allows all that Joseph does to be a blessing to the ones around him. 00:12:29.300 --> 00:12:34.139 And the keeper of the prison specifically places Joseph above all the other prisoners, 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:41.840 which would come to be and include the chief cupbearer and the chief baker of the pharaoh himself. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:47.659 One night, the chief cupbearer and baker both have dreams that troubled them. 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:53.080 The morning comes, Joseph walks up to them, and they are discussing their dreams. 00:12:53.199 --> 00:12:57.860 And Joseph, who just so happens to have some experience with dreams and interpreting them, 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.860 offers them an interpretation from the Lord. 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:06.440 He interprets that the cupbearer in three days' time will be restored to his position, 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.399 whereas the baker will be hanged and put to death. 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:14.519 Because he believes this to be true for the cupbearer, 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:19.259 Joseph makes a request of him in Genesis chapter 40, verse 14. 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:20.980 Joseph says, 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:45.560 Yet despite all of these events coming to happen, 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:48.500 everything just as the Lord interpreted it to be, 00:13:49.099 --> 00:13:50.759 despite all of these things coming to happen, 00:13:51.099 --> 00:13:56.199 the chapter still ends with these haunting words in verse 23 of chapter 40. 00:13:57.299 --> 00:13:57.739 It writes, 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:04.059 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. 00:14:05.199 --> 00:14:06.619 Two more years pass. 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:10.559 Joseph forgotten in the pit, seemingly alone. 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:15.379 His story continues this time from the prison to the palace. 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:17.899 For at that moment, the Pharaoh has a dream. 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:22.199 And no one else in the kingdom, none of the magicians, none of the court help, 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:23.779 can seem to make sense of it. 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:28.079 And it's at that point when the chief cupbearer remembers a man that he met in prison, 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:30.219 a Hebrew man named Joseph. 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:34.000 We see written in chapter 41, verse 14. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:38.159 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, 00:14:38.700 --> 00:14:41.840 and they quickly brought him out of the pit. 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:43.700 Love that imagery. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:46.259 They quickly brought him out of the pit. 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:49.500 And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:51.220 he came in before Pharaoh. 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:55.539 And Joseph again trusts God for an interpretation of a dream. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.820 He trusts God for interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream. 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.759 The Pharaoh had dreamed, and the interpretation went like this. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:06.039 There will be seven years of good harvest, seven years of bounty, 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:09.519 that will be followed by seven years of famine. 00:15:10.439 --> 00:15:12.840 And out of the divine wisdom and interpretation, 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:15.200 Joseph offers advice to the Pharaoh. 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:19.120 He says if they manage the seven years of good harvest well, 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:23.000 they can not only survive the famine, but thrive. 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:26.600 Well, the Pharaoh liked this interpretation. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:30.819 Chapter 41, verse 37, he makes a plan. 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:33.040 Chapter 41, verse 37. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.820 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:38.620 And Pharaoh said to his servants, 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:42.640 Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God? 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.580 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 00:15:44.760 --> 00:15:46.640 Since God has shown you all this, 00:15:46.920 --> 00:15:49.960 there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:52.000 You shall be over my house, 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:55.920 and all my people shall order themselves as you command. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:00.519 Only as regards to the throne will I be greater than you. 00:16:01.339 --> 00:16:05.360 So Pharaoh takes Joseph, places him over all of his kingdom, 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.559 all of the storehouses, all of the harvest. 00:16:07.699 --> 00:16:09.319 He places Joseph in charge. 00:16:09.839 --> 00:16:12.639 And not only does he show favor on Joseph in this way, 00:16:12.699 --> 00:16:14.679 he also gives Joseph a wife. 00:16:15.219 --> 00:16:16.979 To that wife he has two children. 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:22.539 And the names of these children bear incredible significance for this part of Joseph's story. 00:16:22.539 --> 00:16:25.039 Chapter 41, verse 51. 00:16:25.819 --> 00:16:28.539 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:36.039 For, he said, God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house. 00:16:36.819 --> 00:16:39.019 The name of the second he called Ephraim. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:43.539 For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:47.279 You see, during those seven years of good harvests, 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:52.679 not only does God seem to provide for the Pharaoh in his kingdom, 00:16:52.839 --> 00:16:56.279 it seems as though Joseph starts to heal. 00:16:57.059 --> 00:16:59.639 He starts to move past the trauma of his past. 00:16:59.980 --> 00:17:04.480 He starts to move forward and make roots for himself and create a new life. 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:08.039 But during the time of famine that would come, 00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:09.720 two years would pass. 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:14.240 And at that point, with the famine ravaging all the surrounding lands, 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.000 people from all over began to come to Egypt for food, 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:23.000 including ten brothers from the land of Canaan. 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:25.880 Ten brothers from the land of Canaan. 00:17:26.600 --> 00:17:31.299 Over 20 years had passed since Joseph had been tossed in a pit by his brothers 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:32.860 and sold into slavery. 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:40.500 Yet now they bow before him, asking for food, begging for food for their lives. 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:45.199 Now, because his brothers did not recognize him after all these years, 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:47.219 they thought that he was dead. 00:17:47.959 --> 00:17:52.159 Joseph would take the next few chapters of the story to put them through various tests. 00:17:52.579 --> 00:17:56.839 And while I do not believe the tests that Joseph puts them through are necessarily sinful, 00:17:56.839 --> 00:18:04.179 I would interpret and I would argue that they likely show that Joseph hasn't quite moved beyond the trauma of his past. 00:18:04.679 --> 00:18:07.579 He hasn't fully forgotten what his brothers made him go through. 00:18:08.419 --> 00:18:14.359 All that to say, chapter 45 comes around when he's finally reunited with all of his brothers, 00:18:14.879 --> 00:18:16.959 including his younger brother, Benjamin. 00:18:17.679 --> 00:18:22.339 And he finally admits with tears flooding down his face, chapter 45, verse 3. 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:26.839 He tells them, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? 00:18:27.439 --> 00:18:28.599 He continues in verse 4. 00:18:28.679 --> 00:18:31.879 I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 00:18:32.459 --> 00:18:36.899 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here. 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:39.939 For God sent me before you to preserve life. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:43.000 For the famine has been in the lands these two years, 00:18:43.179 --> 00:18:47.379 and there are still five years in which there will neither be plowing nor harvest. 00:18:47.699 --> 00:18:52.139 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth. 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:55.899 And to keep alive for you many survivors. 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:01.399 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:06.279 He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, 00:19:06.659 --> 00:19:08.859 and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 00:19:09.919 --> 00:19:12.839 Moving forward, Joseph's father, Jacob, Israel, 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:15.819 he and all of his household moved to Egypt. 00:19:16.459 --> 00:19:20.879 Pharaoh blesses them and gives them land in which they can provide a place for themselves. 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:23.520 They live and they survive the famine. 00:19:24.080 --> 00:19:26.660 They grow and their household enlarges. 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:28.780 Fourteen years pass. 00:19:29.600 --> 00:19:34.440 Until one night, Jacob, Joseph's father, calls him into his bedside. 00:19:35.260 --> 00:19:39.200 Jacob, I mean, calls Joseph and his two sons, and he blesses them. 00:19:40.420 --> 00:19:42.680 Not only that, he brings the rest of his brothers in, 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:44.500 and he prophesies over all of them. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:48.840 And chapter 49 ends with Jacob, Joseph's father, 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:52.420 breathing his last breath and dying. 00:19:53.740 --> 00:19:55.200 Now, if you've held with me, 00:19:55.320 --> 00:19:57.960 we've gone through about 14 chapters of the book of Genesis. 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:00.140 You may be thinking to yourself at this point, 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:03.480 well, now I see why Pastor Brett will take three weeks to go through a single chapter. 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.779 Evan, that was probably too much for you to go through in one sermon. 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:12.160 But honestly, looking at this, this story is not just 14 chapters. 00:20:13.180 --> 00:20:15.960 Honestly, this morning, I want us to hone in on one single verse. 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:20.000 Because Joseph's story is crescendoing to this point, 00:20:20.539 --> 00:20:22.220 where after all that he has gone through, 00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:24.119 after all that he has endured, 00:20:24.399 --> 00:20:25.759 he turns to his brothers, 00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:29.399 and he says this in Genesis chapter 50, verse 20. 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:35.780 As for you, you meant evil against me, 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:39.120 but God meant it for good, 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:45.360 to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. 00:20:46.420 --> 00:20:48.019 You see, this statement by Joseph 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:52.040 is not the statement of a man who hasn't endured through suffering. 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:55.340 This is the statement of a 60-year-old man 00:20:55.339 --> 00:20:59.399 who has endured much affliction and much suffering in his lifetime. 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:02.500 And he can look back over all that he has endured, 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.139 over all that he has endured and gone through, 00:21:05.339 --> 00:21:06.720 after all that he has suffered, 00:21:06.939 --> 00:21:08.339 he can look back and say, 00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:12.779 God was good even in the most broken parts of my life. 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:17.720 God has been good even in the most broken parts. 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:20.699 Pastor Sinclair Ferguson compares the story of Joseph 00:21:20.699 --> 00:21:22.579 to that of a jigsaw puzzle, 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:23.679 stating this, 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:25.140 after a long meditation, 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:27.100 Joseph is able to say, 00:21:27.820 --> 00:21:29.920 these things that you brought upon me, 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:31.440 along with others, 00:21:32.060 --> 00:21:33.720 were meant, humanly speaking, 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:35.220 to harm me, 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:37.440 even to destroy me. 00:21:38.120 --> 00:21:39.920 But I see now, looking back, 00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:42.460 putting together the jigsaw puzzle pieces, 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:44.880 that there is a single word 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.920 written over all of these hardships, 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.620 all of these disappointments, 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:52.380 all of my confusions and perplexities, 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:55.260 and it is the divine word, 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:56.300 good. 00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:59.320 It has all been good. 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:00.380 So perhaps this morning, 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.580 if you've ever found yourself asking this question, 00:22:03.300 --> 00:22:04.460 is God really good? 00:22:05.020 --> 00:22:06.840 If you've ever found yourself silently suffering, 00:22:07.840 --> 00:22:09.220 questioning the goodness of God, 00:22:09.280 --> 00:22:11.380 then I want to spend the time that we have together this morning, 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:13.020 the last few moments here, 00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:14.579 with a few encouragements, 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:18.619 encouragements specifically for you. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:19.379 That's a lot of S's. 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:24.139 I want to specifically encourage you from this verse today. 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:28.720 And the first thing that I think Joseph makes abundantly clear in this verse 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:32.759 is that God is not absent from your story. 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:36.160 God is not absent from your story. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.799 In the midst of all the evil that was thrown Joseph's way, 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:42.779 he confidently claims that God was present in the thick of it all. 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:45.220 We see hints of this throughout Joseph's story. 00:22:45.379 --> 00:22:47.839 When he would be in Potiphar's house or the prison, 00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:52.420 it would say very clearly that the Lord was with him and blessed him. 00:22:52.879 --> 00:22:55.160 But Joseph reminds us in verse 20 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:59.259 that it's not just in the times of good that God was present with him. 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:03.539 In all of the bad times and all of the brokenness and all the darkness, 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:06.640 God was present there as well. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:10.960 In all the things that he has endured, God has been there. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:14.879 When Joseph sat alone in the pit, God was still there. 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:18.640 When Joseph was forgotten by his brothers and sold into slavery, 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:20.740 God was still there. 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:25.579 When Joseph was forgotten in the prison and wrongfully accused, 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:28.160 God was still there. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:32.100 Perhaps you've had moments in your life where you've questioned and wondered, 00:23:32.460 --> 00:23:33.840 is God still there for me? 00:23:34.180 --> 00:23:35.240 Does he still love me? 00:23:35.300 --> 00:23:38.640 I want to encourage you today that even in those moments, 00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:40.320 God is still there. 00:23:41.080 --> 00:23:41.759 He's present. 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:43.560 God is still a part of your story. 00:23:44.100 --> 00:23:45.180 He hasn't forgotten you. 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:46.200 He has not abandoned you. 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:50.019 And if perhaps you think to yourself that I am forgotten by God, 00:23:50.120 --> 00:23:51.480 I am alone in this, 00:23:51.580 --> 00:23:53.040 that is a work of the enemy. 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:54.960 That is a work of Satan himself. 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:58.440 God is not absent from your story. 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:01.299 God is present in it all. 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.480 A powerful reminder of this can be found just by looking around the church. 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:07.680 Pastor Brett shared with me a quote from one of his favorite books, 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:10.779 Gentleman Lowley, where the author writes this. 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:11.599 He said, 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:14.639 When you look at the glorious older saints in your church, 00:24:14.879 --> 00:24:16.720 how do you think they got there? 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:18.180 Sound doctrine? 00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:18.839 Yes. 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:21.920 Resolute obedience without a doubt. 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:23.859 Suffering without becoming cynical? 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:25.039 Sure. 00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:27.940 But maybe another reason, 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:29.980 maybe the deepest reason, 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:37.019 is that they have over time been won over in their deepest affections to a gentle Savior. 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:44.200 Perhaps they have simply tasted over many years the surprise of a Christ for whom their very sin draws them away. 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:45.559 And note this, 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.759 maybe, just maybe, 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:49.879 they have not only known that Jesus loved them, 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:51.900 but they felt it. 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:55.160 God is not absent from your story. 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:56.200 Secondly, this morning, 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.139 I want to remind us 00:24:57.139 --> 00:24:58.460 that your life, 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:02.460 as disastrous and damaged as it may seem, 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:04.379 is no mistake. 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:05.980 Your life, 00:25:06.060 --> 00:25:08.640 as disastrous and damaged as it may seem, 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:09.420 is no mistake. 00:25:09.520 --> 00:25:12.220 Now, this truth is abundantly clear through the life of Joseph. 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:16.800 Had any part of Joseph's story not happened just as it did, 00:25:17.120 --> 00:25:21.460 Genesis 50 would end with a famine going on and God's people dead. 00:25:22.260 --> 00:25:26.200 But God worked in the midst of all of this story. 00:25:26.340 --> 00:25:28.200 While I cannot theologically claim, 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:30.260 nor would I argue, 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:33.920 that God would necessarily cause evil, pain, or suffering, 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:37.799 I do believe in the fullness of my heart 00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:40.339 and from the experience that I've gone through, 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:44.160 that God can and will work it out for good. 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:47.660 He can work it out for good. 00:25:48.940 --> 00:25:49.839 Looking at this, 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.559 we live in a broken and fallen world. 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:54.180 None of us escape unscathed nor unscarred. 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:55.720 Pain is real. 00:25:56.539 --> 00:25:58.019 Hardship is real. 00:25:58.779 --> 00:26:00.600 Trials and suffering is real. 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:01.240 Yet God, 00:26:01.380 --> 00:26:03.100 through his absolute sovereign grace, 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:05.960 can take even the most broken part of our life 00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:08.579 and he can work it out for good. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.500 He can ensure 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:11.960 that we do not senselessly suffer 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:14.620 or experience pain without purpose. 00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:18.200 And this isn't just true in Joseph's story. 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:20.779 There's another individual in this story 00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:22.180 that reminds us here 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:25.560 that God is still good even in the brokenness. 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:28.740 Judah is an interesting character. 00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:31.140 He's the brother that says, 00:26:31.340 --> 00:26:32.360 you know, let's not just kill him, 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:33.299 let's sell him into slavery. 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:35.940 Next week as we transition to Advent, 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.940 you won't find Joseph in the genealogy of Jesus. 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:40.700 It's Judah. 00:26:42.080 --> 00:26:43.860 Judah's story is fascinating. 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:45.480 I skipped chapter 38 earlier, 00:26:45.620 --> 00:26:47.060 but in chapter 38 of Genesis, 00:26:47.840 --> 00:26:51.220 Judah's chaos and wickedness is on full display. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:52.559 In chapter 38, 00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:54.259 Judah marries a Canaanite woman 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:55.299 and has three sons. 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.680 To that first son, 00:26:57.120 --> 00:26:59.120 Judah gives a wife named Tamar 00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:00.680 and Judah, 00:27:01.100 --> 00:27:01.759 it is written, 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:03.240 his son is so evil, 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:03.900 so wicked, 00:27:04.059 --> 00:27:04.860 that firstborn, 00:27:05.620 --> 00:27:06.500 God puts him to death. 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:08.620 Well, Judah then takes Tamar 00:27:08.620 --> 00:27:09.779 and gives her as a wife 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:11.000 to his secondborn son. 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:12.279 That son, 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:13.579 just in the same way, 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:14.960 out of his wickedness, 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:16.579 it says that God put him to death. 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.799 Judah then promises Tamar, 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:20.460 I will provide for you, 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:21.500 I will protect you, 00:27:21.579 --> 00:27:22.680 you are part of our family, 00:27:22.860 --> 00:27:24.200 and I will give you as a wife 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:25.700 to our third son. 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:27.680 Yet he has no intentions 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:28.759 of following through that. 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:29.779 In fact, 00:27:29.840 --> 00:27:31.220 as you read throughout Genesis 38, 00:27:31.579 --> 00:27:33.779 Judah's wickedness is on full display. 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.039 And as you read throughout the story 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:38.680 through even more terrible circumstances 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:39.720 in chapter 38, 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:40.940 Judah, 00:27:41.120 --> 00:27:42.319 after the loss of his wife, 00:27:42.539 --> 00:27:44.360 he seeks comfort from a prostitute 00:27:44.360 --> 00:27:46.279 who is disguised, 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.799 who is Tamar in disguise. 00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:50.899 Tamar lies with Judah, 00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:53.839 and Judah has two sons 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:55.799 to his daughter-in-law Tamar. 00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:58.339 It is a wicked and messed up chapter 00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.200 of God's word. 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:01.399 After trying to shift the blame 00:28:01.399 --> 00:28:02.399 back on Tamar, 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:03.099 Judah, 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:04.159 at the end of that chapter, 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:05.240 it's remarkable. 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:08.159 He actually shows some sign 00:28:08.159 --> 00:28:09.240 of redemption. 00:28:10.139 --> 00:28:12.220 He shows some sign of change, 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:13.859 some sign of reconciliation 00:28:13.859 --> 00:28:15.180 that God is doing on work 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:15.799 in his heart. 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:16.799 Now you're probably wondering, 00:28:16.919 --> 00:28:16.980 Evan, 00:28:17.019 --> 00:28:17.559 what in the world 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:18.200 does this have to do 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:19.119 with any of this stuff? 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:19.700 Well, 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:20.440 why is this important? 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:21.720 Because while some of you 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:22.960 may have been sinned against, 00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:24.559 while some of you 00:28:24.559 --> 00:28:25.720 may have experienced suffering 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:26.819 through the hands of others, 00:28:27.639 --> 00:28:28.519 perhaps some of you 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:29.539 have made your own mistakes, 00:28:30.379 --> 00:28:31.940 and it's cost you dearly. 00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:34.299 To you specifically, 00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:35.500 I want to say very clearly, 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:37.480 God's grace is sufficient for you. 00:28:38.639 --> 00:28:40.000 Even in your most broken 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.119 chapters of your life, 00:28:42.119 --> 00:28:44.399 even in the most desperate 00:28:44.399 --> 00:28:44.959 of hardship, 00:28:45.879 --> 00:28:47.079 God's grace is still 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:48.239 sufficient for you. 00:28:49.179 --> 00:28:49.879 Your life, 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:50.759 as disastrous 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:52.799 and damaged as it may be, 00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:54.539 is no mistake. 00:28:55.679 --> 00:28:56.119 Finally, 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:58.079 we see in this chapter, 00:28:58.639 --> 00:28:59.659 this verse specifically, 00:29:00.439 --> 00:29:01.059 that God, 00:29:01.699 --> 00:29:02.819 in all his goodness, 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:04.199 is still worthy 00:29:04.199 --> 00:29:05.439 of our praise. 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:07.420 After all that he has endured, 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:08.299 Joseph, 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:09.740 at the end of his life, 00:29:10.340 --> 00:29:11.660 he is able to recognize 00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:12.180 that God, 00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:12.920 in all of his goodness, 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:14.200 is worthy of his praise. 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.019 The apostle Paul 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.480 makes a very similar claim 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:17.840 in Romans 8.28 00:29:17.840 --> 00:29:18.900 to that of Joseph. 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:20.940 Paul writes in Romans 8.28, 00:29:21.320 --> 00:29:22.400 and we know, 00:29:22.620 --> 00:29:23.220 have confidence, 00:29:23.360 --> 00:29:23.900 we know, 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:25.700 that for those who love God, 00:29:26.500 --> 00:29:27.600 all things, 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:29.980 all things work together 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:31.400 for good. 00:29:31.820 --> 00:29:33.220 For those who are called 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:35.740 according to his purpose. 00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:37.960 One writer remarks 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:39.259 of Paul's writings, 00:29:39.700 --> 00:29:40.860 saying he doesn't tell 00:29:40.860 --> 00:29:41.480 his readers 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:43.059 to grin and bear it. 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:44.480 Paul tells them 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:45.319 to recognize 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:47.279 that even the evil 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:48.420 and wicked parts 00:29:48.420 --> 00:29:49.100 of the story 00:29:49.100 --> 00:29:51.059 do not fall outside 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:53.180 of the plans of God. 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:54.860 God will ultimately 00:29:54.860 --> 00:29:56.180 use every circumstance 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:57.720 to accomplish his plans 00:29:57.720 --> 00:29:59.960 and help conform his people 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:01.900 into the image of Christ. 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:02.019 Christ. 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:02.920 You see, 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:04.060 God's plans are much bigger 00:30:04.060 --> 00:30:04.500 than ours. 00:30:05.240 --> 00:30:06.140 I saw a quote 00:30:06.140 --> 00:30:07.160 by Pastor John Piper 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:07.980 this past week 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:08.940 where he said 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:10.100 that at any moment 00:30:10.100 --> 00:30:11.060 of our life, 00:30:11.100 --> 00:30:12.220 at any moment of time, 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.080 God is doing at least 00:30:13.080 --> 00:30:14.519 10,000 things in our life, 00:30:14.820 --> 00:30:16.380 and we may realize 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:16.900 or be aware 00:30:16.900 --> 00:30:17.660 of three of them. 00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:19.460 God's plans 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:20.240 are much bigger 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:20.980 than ours. 00:30:21.560 --> 00:30:22.220 From the moment 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:23.280 sin entered the world, 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:24.340 God had a plan 00:30:24.340 --> 00:30:25.060 to redeem it. 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:26.519 While we may experience 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:27.840 real suffering, 00:30:28.300 --> 00:30:29.540 genuine loss, 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:31.940 very real hardship, 00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:33.819 Jesus Christ 00:30:33.819 --> 00:30:34.519 took that suffering 00:30:34.519 --> 00:30:35.279 upon himself. 00:30:36.240 --> 00:30:37.379 He bore it on Calvary 00:30:37.379 --> 00:30:38.960 where he was beaten, 00:30:39.220 --> 00:30:39.720 afflicted, 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:40.539 and crucified 00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:42.059 so that through 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:42.759 his suffering 00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:44.579 we may have life abundant. 00:30:45.579 --> 00:30:46.279 So that through 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:47.180 his sacrifice 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:47.859 and resurrection 00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:49.859 we may experience 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:51.500 true peace, 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:52.500 hope, 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:53.019 joy, 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:53.659 and love 00:30:53.659 --> 00:30:54.960 that could only 00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:55.799 be found 00:30:55.799 --> 00:30:57.420 in Jesus Christ. 00:30:57.420 --> 00:30:57.500 Christ. 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:00.140 He is worthy 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:00.779 of our worship. 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:02.539 He's worthy 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:03.860 of our praise. 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:05.779 At this time 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:06.600 I'm going to ask Clay 00:31:06.600 --> 00:31:07.759 and Grant to come. 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:09.820 As we think of Joseph's life 00:31:09.820 --> 00:31:10.220 we're reminded 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:10.980 that God is good 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:11.900 even in the most broken 00:31:11.900 --> 00:31:12.800 parts of our lives. 00:31:13.300 --> 00:31:14.380 He never leaves us. 00:31:15.060 --> 00:31:15.660 He can redeem 00:31:15.660 --> 00:31:16.940 even the darkest moments 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:17.519 of our lives. 00:31:18.820 --> 00:31:19.539 And he is forever 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:20.640 worthy of our praise. 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:22.320 We're going to pray 00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:22.720 and then we're going to 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:23.580 have a moment of invitation. 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:25.340 I want to invite you 00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:25.880 to respond 00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:26.700 as you see fit. 00:31:26.700 --> 00:31:27.960 As God may be 00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:28.819 prompting your heart. 00:31:29.539 --> 00:31:30.360 If there's brokenness 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:31.059 in your life 00:31:31.059 --> 00:31:32.080 I invite you 00:31:32.080 --> 00:31:33.160 to pray, 00:31:33.299 --> 00:31:33.840 to sing, 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:35.819 to find 00:31:35.819 --> 00:31:37.580 the goodness of God 00:31:37.580 --> 00:31:39.220 in every aspect 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:39.759 of life. 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.380 Because he is good 00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:41.980 and he is worthy 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:42.559 of our worship. 00:31:42.900 --> 00:31:43.340 Let's pray. 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:44.940 Father I want to thank you. 00:31:45.600 --> 00:31:46.799 Thank you for this day 00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:48.460 and this opportunity 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:50.200 to sing your praises. 00:31:51.059 --> 00:31:51.759 Father I pray 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.340 this morning 00:31:52.340 --> 00:31:54.080 that each of us 00:31:54.080 --> 00:31:54.960 may look back 00:31:54.960 --> 00:31:56.460 on the jigsaw puzzle 00:31:56.460 --> 00:31:57.279 that is our life 00:31:57.279 --> 00:31:58.579 and as we start 00:31:58.579 --> 00:32:00.079 to see how each piece 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:00.900 is put together 00:32:00.900 --> 00:32:02.360 that we may see 00:32:02.360 --> 00:32:02.960 that God 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:03.660 you are good. 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:05.360 God you use 00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:06.100 even the most broken 00:32:06.100 --> 00:32:06.940 parts of our lives 00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:07.799 and you redeem it. 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:09.019 God you give us 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:09.860 hope everlasting. 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:11.340 And Lord I pray 00:32:11.340 --> 00:32:12.380 that moving forward today 00:32:12.380 --> 00:32:13.360 we may be able 00:32:13.360 --> 00:32:14.680 in all the suffering 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:15.220 of life 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:16.539 to suffer as those 00:32:16.539 --> 00:32:17.299 that have hope. 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:18.779 Lord we love you. 00:32:19.140 --> 00:32:19.740 It's in your holy name 00:32:19.740 --> 00:32:20.120 we pray. 00:32:20.599 --> 00:32:20.839 Amen.