Trusting God's Sovereignty in Life's Trials

1. "So I realize and appreciate that many of you do not like plot spoilers and hearing the end of the story at the beginning. But I have to apologize. I'm going to do that today. I'm going to do that today. Now, in my defense, the story that we're going through, it unfolded 4,000 years ago or more. So if you're with us today and don't know how it ends, that's not going to be on me, all right? But if you would, if you're in your pew Bibles, pull open the pew Bible to page 32. This is going to be Genesis 37, Genesis 37, and we're going to start with verse 12." [45:50] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "He says, brothers. You planned evil against me. You planned evil against me, but God planned it for good to bring about the present result, the survival of many people. He said, you planned evil against me, but God planned it for good to bring about the present result, the survival of many people. So God had purposed the family to survive. God had purposed the family to thrive and then to evangelize. Eventually be enslaved, to be released from slavery, to establish a kingdom that would descend all the way to Christ." [48:33] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "God is sovereign over the little things. God is sovereign over the ways of man. God is sovereign when your plans fail. He is sovereign over your suffering and he is sovereign over the paths of life. Now, a quick sidebar as I use the word sovereign there. In today's American culture, the word sovereign doesn't quite carry a meaning, but in past monarchies where kings were in authority and had power, it had a more richer meaning than what we often think about today. So we're going to define. We're going to define sovereignty as having the authority and the power, the authority and the power to carry your plans out." [49:38] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "God is sovereign over the little things. We see this throughout. We see this throughout scripture. In Luke 12, Luke 12, we hear of not one sparrow falling to the ground apart from God. We see that God has the very hairs on your head numbered. In Proverbs 20, we see that a man's very steps, a man's very steps come from the decree and the plan and the purpose of God. In Proverbs 16, we see that when we roll the dice, that the outcome of the dice roll is the plan of God." [59:53] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "God is sovereign over the little things. God is sovereign over the little things. And God is also sovereign over the ways of man. If we look in 18 through 22, in the middle part of this text, we see multiple rounds of conversation happening, debate amongst the brothers. Now, at the first sight of the multicolored coach approaching him in the distance, they started plotting, conspiring. They said, let's kill him. It'll be easy. We can get away with it. I can just hear the conspiracy amongst the brothers. If you read earlier on in the text, you see when Joseph is originally being called out as the favored one, it says the brothers could not speak a kind word to him. This hatred had gone on for a while. This festering had gone on. So, let's kill him. And then in Reuben's selfishness, he brings about the thought, oh, okay, well, let's not kill him. Maybe I can get in good with the father again. So, the conspiring, the plan that takes place." [01:00:48] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "God is sovereign when plans fail. And we see this here in the story of Joseph and his brothers. We see multiple plans at work. Everybody has a plan. Everybody's trying to build their own kingdom. You've got multiple plans at work here. We see the brothers' plans to kill Joseph. Reuben's plan is in there to rescue Joseph. They all failed. None of that came to fruition. Joseph's plan and his father's plan. Joseph's father's plan was just to go check on the brothers. Just go out there and check on the brothers. Those plans failed. I'm sure all of us have experienced the disappointment, the pain, when our plans have failed." [01:04:57] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "God is sovereign over our suffering and he purposes it for good. And Isaiah 45 verse 7, it says, I form light, this is God speaking, I form light and create darkness. I make success and I create disaster. Success, disaster. I am the Lord who does all of these things. And he oft quoted and memorized Romans 8, 28. He says, we know, we know that all things, not just the good things, not just some things, not the small things, not just the big things, but all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to his purpose." [01:11:13] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "God is sovereign over the paths of life. Now, philosophers, theologians, zealous cage-stage college students will sit around and they will discuss these matters in deep detail and length and have all kinds of sophisticated conversations that in truth have no applicational value in our lives. But for those of us who have sat in a doctor's waiting room facing a question, we have to say, God is sovereign over all the paths of life. For those of us who have seen a pending diagnosis of cancer, for those of us who have seen our career plans dashed on the rocks of God's divine providence, those of us that have lost loved ones or dealing with loved ones that are on the brink of loss now, those of us that are currently in turmoil, experiencing trials, tribulations, we can rest assured in this very practically that God is sovereign over the little things." [01:15:44] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "And we can sit here looking at our situations, at our times of trouble, and we can say, God is meaning this for good. And we can look back at this time from the age of 17, where he was ripped from his family, his favored position. He can look at all of the steps that his brothers had made him go through. And he can say, brothers, you meant this for evil, but God, God meant this for good, so that many would be saved. And we can sit here looking at our situations, at our times of trouble, and we can say, God is meaning this for good, so that many would be saved." [01:17:24] (7 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "And may we be a people that trusts God and takes our next step with Christ. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you so much for this testimony of Joseph and his brothers. As we think about the pain that Joseph would have endured, the wickedness of his brothers, the selfishness of the many plans that were at play, God, I pray that you would convict us where our plans are not your plans. I pray that you would convict us when our ways are not your ways. And I pray that you would encourage us so that we know that you are in control over all these matters and you are working good for us and glory for you. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen." [01:18:24] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)