God's Secret Plan

The sermon opens by critiquing a popular theology that claims God lacks the power to prevent evil from Satan. The preacher affirms that Scripture completely rejects this view, since the Bible indicates that Satan must ask God's permission before acting, as shown in the Book of Job. The question "Why does evil happen to me?" is difficult but important for every believer to contemplate. The preacher proposes that Joseph's story in Genesis 37-50 helps us understand that adversity, trials, and loss do not contradict God's plan; rather, God uses these circumstances for His purposes.

The first section focuses on the hidden undercurrents in Jacob's family. Jacob shows excessive favoritism toward Joseph, the firstborn son of Rachel—the wife Jacob loves most—by making Joseph a beautiful, ornate coat of many colors. This favoritism creates intense jealousy among Joseph's brothers. The preacher reveals that Joseph is not the naive, innocent young man many imagine. Instead, he is a liar who slanders his brothers to his father to hurt them. When Joseph sees his brothers' cold treatment, he continues to pour salt on their wounds, not to heal but to cause more pain. He tells his brothers about his dreams, dreams that clearly suggest Joseph will rule over all of them. This action only increases their hatred. Joseph is an arrogant, conceited, rude young man with no sensitivity whatsoever to the feelings of those around him, including his father.

The preacher pauses to emphasize the importance of sensitivity and humility in speech, sharing an example of a pastor inadvertently wounding a father who lost his son by thanking God for saving the pastor's son from an accident. This story illustrates that even unintentional, insensitive words can cause deep hurt. Jacob's family is a volcano about to erupt, full of cracks caused by favoritism, jealousy, lying, arrogance, and lack of compassion. The preacher then explains why Scripture records the sins and failures of great figures: not to teach ethics or morality, but to reveal God's grace and redemptive plan. The Bible is a document about forgiveness and redemption through Christ, not a book teaching common morality.

The second section explores the apparent "coincidences" in Joseph's story and how they actually represent God's secret plan. The preacher lists at least nine "coincidences": the brothers move the sheep from Shechem to Dothan (an isolated place), a stranger encounters Joseph when he is lost, that stranger overhears the brothers mention Dothan, Reuben suggests putting Joseph in a dry well instead of killing him outright, a caravan of Midianite traders passes by at precisely the right moment, Judah suggests selling instead of killing, the traders are heading to Egypt, and the traders sell Joseph to Potiphar. The preacher questions: if even one of these events had not occurred, the entire story would be different. All these seem like coincidences, but given the ultimate result—Joseph becomes governor of Egypt and can save his family and many others from famine—the preacher concludes that all these "coincidences" are actually part of God's secret plan. This is evidence of God's omniscience and omnipotence.

In conclusion, the preacher emphasizes that if we believe adversity is part of God's secret plan, we can trust in God, endure patiently, and not blame others or God. Although we may not currently understand why God allows evil things to happen, Scripture affirms that everything has a reason and purpose that God has determined. The preacher believes that if listeners truly hear God's teaching through Joseph's story, they will change their perspective on adversity and trials. Paul's words are quoted to conclude: "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."