But God Meant It For Good Series

Ever since the Garden of Eden, there have been those that question the existence of God. Many who acknowledge that God exist, will say that God is distant. He set the universe in motion and then stepped back to see what happens. A few years ago (1990) there was a popular song sung by Bette Midler – “From a Distance” – God is watching us from a distance. In essence, the song says things are not evil in the sight of God because He is only watching us and from a distance, things don’t look so bad.

The theology of that song is so wrong on so many different levels, and for starters, it is completely un-biblical. This belief is called Deism. This is not a new belief about God, It has been around for many centuries. Some of our founding Fathers of our nation were Deist, like Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson thought Jesus was an actual historical person, great teacher of morals, but he discounted the miracles that Jesus did.

Those that believe in a higher power often take a deist view of things. However, a belief that God exist does not make one a Christian nor does it imply that they are saved. Scripture tells us:

James 2:19 (NKJV) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

The fact is, God is involved in every aspect of human activity, and throughout all of human history and throughout all of time. This New Sermon series, “But God …” Looks at how God intervenes in the affairs of man. Ultimately, God Himself enters human history as man, a man we call Jesus. It is through Jesus we have salvation and we can know God. We will be examining how God intervenes in the course of our lives over the next few weeks. Despite the circumstances, God steps in. This where we are heading over the next few weeks:

God intervenes at the time of death.

Psalm 49:15a (NKJV) But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave,

God intervenes with the proud and arrogant in the world:

Luke 12:20a (NKJV) But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you;

God will judge rightly because God knows our true motives:

Luke 16:15 (NKJV) And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Despite our sinful nature, God still loves us:

Romans 5:8 (NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Despite how smart we think we are, God chooses the simple and foolish things of the world to keep us humble:

1 Corinthians 1:27a (NKJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,

Today, we are looking at evil in the world. People do bad things to us and others. However, all things are in the hands of God who can turn the bad around into good. We will be examining what has been called the "Romans 8:28 verse of the Old Testament."

Today’s message: “But God meant it for good” is from Genesis 50:20. To put this verse into context, we will read from the end of the story of Joseph in the last chapter of the book of Genesis.

Genesis 50:15–21 (NKJV) 15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

ILL: On May 11, 1996, Demingo Pacheco had a major problem. He was on a tight schedule to catch his plane out of Miami when the left rear tire of his car blew out on the Palmetto Expressway. For more than hour he sweated under that broiling Florida sun changing that tire. Just as he finished changing the tire, he got a call on his portable phone. It was his mother. She said, "Where are you?" He said, "I’m stuck on the freeway, having just hanged a flat tire, and I have missed my flight." She shouted, "Turn on your radio and thank God. The plane you that you were going to be on just crashed in the Everglades." Demingo Pacheco would have been aboard ValuJet Flight 592 except for that flat tire.[1]