Where Is God When I m In A Hole # 16 Genesis - Ancient Truth Gen. 37:1-50:26 INTRODUCTION ** I stood in the hospital room. - Tom and Janet had been looking forward to the birth of their son for 9 months. - Little Andrew had been born that morning but due to some defect had been struggling for his life. We were all shocked when the Doctor walked in and quietly said, I m sorry, little Andrew never made it. Several days later I stood with that couple at the grave side with that couple as they sobbed their hearts out. WHERE WAS GOD? - Doesn t He are about little kids and heart broken parents. ** Dorothy was a women in her 70's whom I had recently led to the Lord - Her husband Cam wasn t a believer. Everyone thought he was hostile to the gospel but I had built a warm relationship with Cam and Dorothy. - To this day we have a small piece of furniture in our house that Cam made for us. I used to love visiting in their home. Cam was diagnosed with Cancer and eventually - they knew it was terminal. Dorothy, who depended so much on Cam spoke of how she didn t know how she would survive without him. - In the following months I would visit their home many times trying to help them deal with Cam s coming death. * One day, I received a phone call from their Son-In-Law, Larry. Pastor Rick, can you check on Cam and Dorothy. We haven t been able to reach them. As we approach the house, we know there is something not right. As soon as we get out of the car we noticed that the window in the garage that s attached to the house is blackened looking. Larry - I don t want to see what we might find. I slowly open the garage door and there is a heavy smell of fumes. Opening the door of the Cadillac - there is Dorothy in the drivers seat in her housecoat dead from Asphyxiation. - Unable to cope with Cam s pending death she had gone to garage, turned the car on and ran the gas take empty. While Larry called 911 - I thought I had better find Cam to prepare him for the news before the emergency people arrived.. I entered the house through the garage door but did not find him on the ground floor. As I went up stairs I called his name but there was no answer. I found him in his bed. Calm and peaceful looking. As I approached the bed, I realized what had happened. The fumes from the garage had filled the house and Cam also had died. ** WHERE WAS GOD? - When people wrestle with cancer and the struggles of life, Where Is God? ** It was early one sunny morning in early winter. - The phone rang. Pastor, the ambulance has just been despatched to Red Point Road, can you get over there. - I was there in a minute or two. Two brothers from our church had been putting up the Village Christmas lights using the Cherry Picker Bucket on the truck. When I arrived - There was Ernie - lying on the road with his brother Mark beside himself. Ernie had fallen from the bucket.
As we waited for the Ambulance to arrive. I layed there on the road with earnest to help him and to comfort him while his life was ebbing away. When the ambulance came to care for Ernie and take him to the hospital, we knew he wouldn t make it. I stood there with Mark, a grown man clinging to my neck crying deep sobs into my neck. WHERE WAS GOD? - In the midst of all the pains of life Where is God? ** I M SURE THAT EVERYONE OF US AT SOME TIME IN OUR LIVES HAVE WONDERED GOD, WHERE ARE YOU? - We re calling this message Where Is God When I m In A Hole? - - we ve all been there. God Where Are You? Don t You Care About Me In This Mess I m In? God, I m in a deep hole and I can t get out. Where Are You? * We have to admit, that sometimes in our darkest hours it seems God is no where to be found. Oh, I know that there are times - when we are going through difficult times when we really sense God s strength and God s comfort. But there are times when we think God, where are you? Have you forgotten me? Do you care what s happening to me? * Times when we ask Where Is God When I m In This Hole? ** WE WILL NOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION EXHASTIVELY THIS MORNING but I think we can begin to understand something about what God is up to in the dark and difficult times of life as we take a look at the life of an incredible young man by the name of Joseph. * Let s get the Genesis Context: Creation - Adam - Fall - Flood - Babel - Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Josheph I. God s People Can Be Walking In Perfect Obedience And Still Experience The Deep Holes Of Life. * A Look At The Life Of Joseph 1. Hated By His Brothers Ch. 37 - Dreams 2 dreams where his brothers are in submission to him. - Jealousy because father favours him 2. Sold Into Slavery Ch. 37 3. Lied About Ch. 39 - Potiphar s wife. * Potiphar trusted him integrity - Steward
So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. (Gen 39:6) * Her advances Joseph rejects He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Gen 39:9) 4. Punished Even When He Did Right Ch. 39 5. Falsely Imprisoned Ch. 39-40 - put in charge - Integrity he keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. (Gen 39:23) 6. Interprets Fellow Prisoners Dreams Ch. 40 - Cub Bearer Baker And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me." (Gen 40:8) * Gave credit - glory to God. * Remember me vs 14. 7. Forgotten By Those He Helped Ch. 40 8. Spent Two Years In A Prison Hole Ch. 41:1 9. Interprets Pharaoh s Dreams Ch. 41 10. Becomes Prime Minister Ch. 41 11. Preserves The Nation of Egypt Through The Famine 12. Preserves The Nation of Israel Though The Famine * Joseph was living with integrity - honesty - character yet still faced many difficulties and sometimes it seemed like God was a million miles away. IE. 1. Purity with Potiphar s wife - still went to jail 2. 2 Years in jail - forgotten * Bad things happened to Joseph even when he was living with integrity within the will of God. * So, where was God when all this was happening to Joseph? Saved Egypt Saved Israel Preserving people through the famine. Do not fear, for I am in the place of God. 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. (Genesis 50:19-20)
II. God Is Working Out His Eternal Purposes * Joseph Save a Nation. * Jesus - the lies they told about Jesus But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." (Matt 12:24) - He went about doing good they crucified Him. 3 Years training disciples fell asleep in the garden. Along in garden - sweat drops of blood Where is God. On the cross My God My God, why have you forsaken me? Where was God. * We Often So Man Centred Instead Of God Centred. III. What Should You Do When You re In A Hole? (Obvious answer that I forgot to put in bulletin) * Ask Yourself - What Lesson Am I To Learn - Don t assume that because you are in a hole - you have done something wrong. If you have - repent and move on. Being in a hole is not always the result of sin in your life but there may be a lesson for you to learn. 1. Live For The Glory Of God 2. Live With An Eternal Perspective - God is always working out His eternal plan. * Cruise Ship all kinds of activities taking place. - Captain responsible for ship. Individuals doing their thing but all along the Captain is making sure the ship makes it safely to port. Bigger picture in view than just your life * Brothers thought they were settling a score but God was working out His eternal plan 3. Maintain Your Integrity 4. Walk By Faith * Note there were years between Abraham s encounters with God. Christian life - lived by faith not always spiritual experiences. I believe strongly in personal encounters with God encourage it. However we don t live from spiritual high to spiritual high most often Christian life is living faithfully directed by God s Word in the power of His Spirit.
CONCLUSION We can thank God for His great plan. If Joseph s brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt. If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar. If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar s wife never falsely accuses him of rape. If Potiphar s wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he is never put in prison. If he is never put in prison, he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh. If he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he never interprets their dreams. If he never interprets their dreams, he never gets to interpret Pharaoh s dreams. If he never gets to interpret Pharaoh s dreams, he never is made prime minister. If he is never made prime minister, he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region. If he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region, then his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine. If his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine, the Messiah can t come forth from a dead family. If the Messiah can t come forth, then Jesus never came. If Jesus never came, you are dead in your sins and without hope in this world.