The Beginning Of Evil

In western culture over the last couple of 100 years, the last two centuries, page one and page two of the Bible have been a little controversial. Now for 1,800 years prior to that, it hadn't been. Actually longer than that to be honest with you. For thousands of years it hasn't been all that controversial but somehow in our enlightened understandings, we've made somehow page number one and page number two of the Bible real controversial.

It's really not that hard. I can sum it up for you. Page one and page two of the Bible, I can sum it up for you in three words, God created everything. It's really simple. People can argue about how long it took Him and all that stuff but let's just, at a high level, God created everything. That's the simple truth. And when we begin to unpack chapter 1 and chapter 2, we figure out that that's not so hard for us to understand. In fact, God Himself who is a good God, who revealed the way that He created as making everything good because it flowed out of His nature, said that everything was good. In fact, in verse number 31 of chapter 1 in the Book of Genesis it says this, "God saw all that He had made and it was very good."

Here it is, simple enough. A good God created a good universe and everything in it was good. Did you follow that? A good God created a good universe and everything in it was good. Now that seems simple enough for us to understand and when we read Genesis one and Genesis two, that's what we figure out. A good God created a good universe and everything in it is good. That's why when we get to chapter three, everything starts to freak out in our minds because we're like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. What is happening here? For all we know in chapter 1 and chapter 2 is that a good God created a good universe and everything He made was really good. And then this is what we read in Genesis in chapter three.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made and He said to the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat from the trees in the Garden but God did say, 'You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the Garden and you must not touch it or you will die.'" "You will not certainly die," the serpent said the woman, "for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil."

It's really interesting because we get to chapter three and it's like we go, "Whoa, we were not expecting this because what we've met in chapter 1 and chapter 2 is a good God who created a good universe and everything in it was good." And then all of a sudden, listen, in the first five verses in chapter three, it begins with serpent and ends with evil and we're going, "Whoa, what just happened?" Like where did this come from? What is actually going on? Fair enough question. In fact, I want to give you a series of just a couple of questions, maybe three, maybe more, I'll decide.

Question one, 'cause I got the mike, question one, who is this serpent? That's a fair question to ask. Wait a minute, who did we just run into here? Who is basically telling them to do wrong. Who is this that we just ran into? To understand that, we have to leave the first book of the Bible and we can travel to the last book in the Bible and we can start to make heads and tails of it. That was a pun. Sort of, it's a serpent. Yeah, you got it. Some of you a little, pick it up.

You get to the end of the book, now we can find this out in other places in the Bible but if we go all to the way to the very end, we actually see a description of what happened in the very beginning because there is new creation that's in view and so we're talking about original creation as well but there's an enemy that's being dealt with that we see in the Book of Revelation and uses terminology to help us understand who this actual serpent is because in Genesis chapter three, it's doesn't explain that to us. Just says there's a serpent and he's crafty and here's what he's saying. And we're like, wait a minute, who are you?

Well listen to what Revelation chapter number 12 says, "The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray." We see that in Revelation 12 and in Revelation 20 we see this, that he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil or Satan and bound him for a 1,000 years. The simple answer that we're talking about is that the serpent that we're referring to that's also referred to as a dragon by the way. This dragon serpent figure we see in Genesis chapter three is basically a personification of Satan or the Devil. That's what the scripture actually teaches us.

Now what is happening here? Well apparently there is Satan or the Devil is embodied or at least animating this serpent. Remember, it's not slithering along the ground because that happened with the curse. This is maybe a footed thing or whatever it looks like. It's referred to as a dragon of some sort of a serpent of some sort. You've got some dragon serpent in the Garden that's animated by one who is called the Devil or Satan. The word devil means deceiver and the word Satan means accuser so you already know, this is going nowhere fast.

That's who we're introduced to but maybe a second question if we ask, who is the serpent? Maybe the second question we would ask is this, where did Satan come from? If we know the serpent is Satan, the accuser or the Devil, the deceiver, where did he come from? Because so far, like what I've understood is that a good God has created a good universe and everything He made was good. Where in world did this particular evil thing actually show up from? It's a simple answer really to the question. Here it is.

Satan was originally created as a good creature by a good God. Satan was originally created as a good creature by a good God. Some of you are going, huh. I've never really thought about it in that context. Well what context did you think of it in? Did you think he just made himself? Kabam. He didn't because we know that there's a God who is the creator of everything and that this good God created a good universe and everything in it was good. And so Satan originally was a part of that good creation by a good God. Which means, as Martin Luther said, "Even the Devil is God's Devil."

He's created by Him. And so we have to go, okay, well how do I put that into my mind? What does that mean? Where was he? What was he doing? Well, at some point in kind of eternity past, whenever that particular place was that everything was created good, so too were the angelic realms. Angels. They're also created beings and were created good by good God who made a good cosmos and everything in it was good.

What do we have to know about where Satan came from? Is there any hint in the scripture? Well there is. There's a couple of passages in the New Testament that are not speaking directly to this idea but I want you to see something in those passages. It's in Second Peter chapter 2, it says, "If God did not spare angels when they send but sent them to Hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment." I just wanted to point out the fact that God didn't spare angels when they send.

And then in Jude chapter 6 it actually says this, "At the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling." That's what I wanted you to see there. I'm not unpacking or exegeting these two passages, I just wanted to point out something in them. The idea that in the angelic realm there was some sense of rebellion. That there were angels who the Bible says, send and or left their proper domains or their places of authority. I wanted you to be able to see that because what we understand when we look backwards from the New Testament into the Old Testament is we see God actually speaking in a way that helps, gives us some background and some understanding.

Now, let me pause you here for a second. Sometimes when we're looking at the Old Testament, there's more going on than we think. God does this from time to time where He will rebuke a king or a nation and in so doing, He's actually not just rebuking that king or that nation but He's rebuking the power that is animating that king or that nation. He does that when we read the Book of Ezekiel and we find Him speaking to ultimately rebuking, the king of Tyre. T-Y-R-E, not like a car tire.

The king of Tyre but He's listen, he's not just rebuking the king of Tyre because what God is saying in rebuke goes beyond speaking of just a human being and is actually talking about the force that is animating the king of Tyre, the force of Satan himself. Listen to what He says in Ezekiel chapter number 28.

"Son of man, take up a lament concerning the King of Tyre and say to him, this is what the sovereign lord says, 'You are the seal of perfection. Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden. The garden of God. You were anointed as a guardian cherub for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God. You walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created til wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence and you sinned so I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God and I expelled you guardian cherub from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor so I threw you to the earth and I made a spectacle of you before kings.'"

God was not only rebuking the King of Tyre, he was actually stating a rebuke in terms of what's He's doing with Satan himself. The power that's animating this evil and wicked empire. Obviously what is stated in that passage of scripture goes beyond the explanation of just a human being. And goes to something even deeper.

If we ask the question, who is the serpent? We answer it by saying, "Well we know it to be Satan." From where did this serpent? Speak Jerry. Serpent Satan, serpent Satan. From where did he come? Well we know that he was a created being. It came from the angelic realms and was someone who sinned, who left his position of authority, who got filled with pride because of his splendor and his beauty and wanted to be like God.

If we ask the question then, third question, what's Satan like? By the way, this isn't a message about Satan so much as it is about God as you'll see in just a minute. This isn't a message about evil so much as it is about God as you'll see in a minute. But I had to lay a foundation here. What is Satan like? Well we already know that he's given the name Devil, deceiver, and Satan, accuser. Jesus speaks about his character in John chapter 8 when He says this, he's talking to the religious leaders and He says, "You belong to your father the Devil and you want to carry out your father's desires. Here's what he's like. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies. This is his very nature. He's a liar and the father of lies. There is no truth in him."

By the way, he loves to speak half truths. And you go, where there's a little bit of truth in him. No, no, half truths are whole lies. That's what they are. They are designed, they are just packaged in a way to make you swallow the medicine that he's trying to give you. But it's a lie. There's another place in the Old Testament though that is God rebuking an empire called Babylon? And God is not only rebuking that empire, that earthly real empire but it's also a picture of God rebuking the empire of the evil one. Because when you go all to the Book of Revelation, what you see pictured there is you see a picture of Babylon the Great, which is this empire so to speak, that is set up to oppose God.

Babylon has always had kind of this narrative associated with it as that which is standing in opposition to God and that which is being animated by the evil one who stands against God. In the Book of Isaiah we see some interesting things about this rebuke to Babylon in Isaiah 14. Scripture says, "How you have fallen from Heaven Morningstar, son of the dawn. You've been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations. You said in your heart," follow this, "I will ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high. But are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit."

Did you catch that five times? I will. I will. I will. And it consummates in saying, "I will be like the most high God." This is exactly what Satan is like. His desire is to be God. His desire is to act like God. This has always been his desire. From his rebellion to now. His desire is to be God Himself. He wants to rebel and be self determining. I will. But ladies and gentlemen, the only being in the universe who is justifiably self determining is the eternal creator of everything. The I am.

You see, there's a lesson for us here that I don't want you to miss. Jot this down. I don't want you to miss it. When we follow the path of I will, we are rebelling against the I am. That's exactly what Satan did. When we follow the path of I will, I will, I will, we are rebelling against the I am. The only being in the cosmos who is worthy to be self determining because of His infinite existence and His eternal wisdom, everything else in creation should bow.

Some of us, we take the pathway of I will, I will. We want to be self determining. We want to be our own gods. We'd never say it out loud because we know people would look at us crazy. But that's how we act. And in so doing, when we choose the path of I will, we are rebelling against the I am. That is not where we want to live.

We have this good God who's made a good universe and everything in it was good. But a portion of His created things, this angelic realm, rebelled led by the deceiver. Led by the accuser. Since God then created the angels, and the angels brought evil into existence, some people want to hold God accountable for evil. My friends, that's like blaming the sun for darkness.

Jonathan Edwards, who was brilliant. Probably one of the great theological, philosophical minds that we've ever seen in America. He lived in the 18th century. He was at Yale when he was 14. I was playing Asteroids when I was 14. I'm playing Miss Pacman and he's at Yale. He only lived to 55. Wrote tons and tons of stuff. Absolutely brilliant mind. And he wrote a book called, Freedom of the Will. I was going to put up a quote up here but then I realized I would just have to keep explaining it because his sentences last like a decade. You got to pack a lunch to read a sentence from Jonathan Edwards. It's like a full chapter and I'm like, is there a period here? A semicolon, something? Take a breath. It is dense. Plus, it's that old english, it's dense.

But here's the argument that he made. He said, "You could never blame the sun for darkness because the sun is the sun. It is never not being the sun. It is always this ball of incredible magnificent light. Darkness only happens because of the absence of it but you could never argue that the sun actually is the primary cause of darkness. It is only when the sun is absent that darkness is present."

The argument that he made is this, is that, while the sun then holds out the potential for darkness because of its absence, it can never be blamed for darkness because of its essence. In the same way, God cannot be blamed for evil because God is always gloriously who He is. What evil is, is the absence of who He is. God is never the direct cause of evil but God in creating the angelic realm and the human realm, created the potential for it to be evil. He's not the cause. God can't be tempted by evil. There is no evil in Him. He is the blazing glory, the blazing sun that will always be that. But there is the potential for evil because of what He created.

Now you say, "Okay man, this is starting get my mind like, woo. I get it." Here's what I need you to understand. God has permitted something for a season that He hates in order to accomplish His infinite eternally wise purposes. He's not caused evil, He hates it. And He will judge it. But here's what we know, that God is in fact sovereign and evil does in fact exist. Therefore the only conclusion that doesn't defile either of those two things logically is that God has permitted it for a season.

You start thinking to yourself and going, okay, why didn't God just snuff it out right from the very beginning? That's what my question is Jerry. Why don't you answer that Mr. Smart Guy? Why didn't He just blow up evil right when it happened? Why did He? He could've. God's not helpless. He's sovereign. He's powerful. He's not reacting to the enemy. Oh man he did this? Call a meeting, I got to figure out what's going on. God's never doing that. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God? He's infinitely wise. He's all knowing. God is not responding to Satan so why in the world would God not just stamp out evil right away?

Well He permitted it for a time, why? Because God's permissions have a purpose. God's permissions have a purpose. Now I want you to stay with me here because this isn't easy for us to understand. That's why we saying just a little bit ago. We trust you. We trust you. Your ways are higher than our own. In all things we trust you. Evil exists, God is sovereign so God has permitted it for a season for an eternally wise purpose. You see, God is actually given permission to the enemy for a season for a purpose. I don't understand everything related to that. I'm going to talk to you about that though for a moment. But I don't even have a clue as to how much I do or don't know regarding all of this. I feel like I'm swimming far too deep water. Way past my pay grade here. Ever felt that way? But doesn't, for whatever reason, I just still dive in because I'm not that smart. But listen carefully.

Why does God do this? God's permissions actually have a purpose and He's given permission for evil and for Satan for a season. He's done that generally. For instance, you can actually hear how Jesus and Paul refer to Satan himself in terms of his domain and his influence. Listen to what Jesus said in John 12, "Now's the time for judgment on this world. Now the prince of this world will be driven out." Jesus referred to him as the prince of this world. Listen to how Paul referred to him in Ephesians 2, called him the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. And then Paul says this in Second Corinthians 4, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers."

Did you catch all of that? The prince of this world. Then he's called the ruler of the power of the air. And then he's called the god of this age. He's been given some power. Now not be confused by the way. You don't need be confused. When he talks about the god of this world, he's not saying, Paul is not saying that Jesus is not Lord over everything. He's made that completely and abundantly clear. But Satan has created his own world. He's created his own sphere and that world is one that is set up to oppose everything related to God and His kingdom and His will and His way. And Satan is ruling over that but he's only doing it for a season as God permits because God's permissions have purposes.

In fact, we actually see God giving permission sometimes to the evil one in very individual ways. Specific ways. In fact, you remember the Book of Job where Satan approached God and asked permission to get involved with Job and the Lord said to Satan in Job chapter 1, "Very well then, everything he has is in your power but on the man himself, do not lay a finger." In other words, Satan is asking permission to do something 'cause he said, "Ah Job, he serves you because you've given him a lot of stuff. He's wealthy and he's got a great family and blah, blah, blah. If you took all that away, he wouldn't serve you." God says, "Well, okay. I'm going to demonstrate my glory this way but I'm going to put boundaries here because you've had to ask permission."

How about this? In this story in Matthew chapter 8 says when Jesus arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon possessed men coming from the tombs met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. "What do you want with us, Son of God," they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Some distance from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the drove of pigs." And then Jesus told them to go and they went to the pigs and they ran off the hill and they were gone. Did you catch that? The demons begged Jesus, why? They knew who the Lord was. They knew who's in charge. This wasn't confusing to them. In fact, they were saying, "Are you going to do something with us now before the appointed time?" They even know there's an appointed time that's coming. That their end is in sight.

Or, how about this one very specifically? Luke 22, Jesus says, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat but I've prayed for you Simon that your faith may not fail and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Isn't that interesting? He said, "Peter, Satan has come to me and he's asked my permission. He's asked my permission to sift you and the others like wheat." And basically Jesus says, "I'm letting him do that but I want you to know something. I have prayed for you. I actually know you're going to fail me but I've prayed for you so when you turn back to me," Jesus is saying this before it ever happens. "When you turn back to me, strengthen all of your brothers as well."

Why? Because God's permissions have a purpose. What are the purposes of God's permissions of evil? What could possibly be those permissions? Well God puts some things on display. This is what God does. He'll put some things on display because He has permitted evil for a season. He's doing that for a purpose. What is that purpose? Well He's going to put some things on display. Like what? Well, like His grace and mercy in Christ. Think about this with me for just a moment. If evil didn't exist, we would not have the opportunity to see the part of the essence of the character of God of His grace and His mercy, if grace and mercy were never needed. But now God not having created evil but now turning evil to use for His own purposes, is going to put on display His grace and mercy in Christ.

Let's look back at that passage I referred to a moment ago in Ephesians 2. Paul says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath but because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved.

How could you see this, how could you see this any other way? And God raised us up with Christ and seeded us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by work so that no one can boast. God puts on display the nature of His grace and His mercy because while He did not create evil, He will allow it for a season so that He can put on display the nature of who He is.

You know what else He puts on display? His justice and His wrath through Christ. He puts on display His justice and His wrath through Christ. If evil never existed, we would never know the side of God that is completely and totally holy and just where sin cannot dwell. We'd never be able to see the outworking of that in a real way. But God in His infinite wisdom has permitted evil for a season so that He can put on display not only His grace and mercy in Christ but His justice and wrath in and through Christ.

Fact, listen to what Paul says in Colossians chapter 2. He says, "Having disarmed the powers and authorities, Jesus made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." You do realize, listen, that the triumph that He had over evil and the principalities came at the expense of His willingness to receive the justice and the wrath of God upon Himself in our place. That this is what Jesus has done. He has taken upon Himself willingly, out of love for us, the wrath of God that justifiably aimed at sin and evil and Jesus became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God through His death and His resurrection. This is something that was put on display by God and we could've never seen it if He in His wisdom didn't permit evil. Even though He hates it and He didn't create it but He permitted it for a season to display who He is.

In fact, we also see Jesus the one who took on justice, the justice and wrath of God upon Himself, who sufficiently pays for our sin and rises from the dead and ascends back to the Father and is returning, listen to this, is returning as the conquering, victorious king. We also see when we read the end of the story that the one who was judged in our place will be the judge of evil.

Listen to what Revelation 19 says, "I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire and on his head are many crowds. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and His name is the word of God. The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh he has this name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The one who was judged by the justice of God will eventually bring justice on evil and He will crush it."

I told you this was a message about God not just about evil. I'm too bored with talking just about evil. I want to talk about God. About His very nature. You see if we never saw evil, if we never knew of evil, if we never tasted of evil, not that God has created it, He hasn't, but that He's permitted it for a season, we'd never be able to see these characteristics of God.

Maybe you could jot this down. God's permissions have a purpose, what are they? To reveal the infinite worth and glory of Christ. God's permissions have a purpose and what are they? To reveal the infinite worth and glory of Christ because what God shows us is that even though evil exists, He demonstrates to us who He is in the person of Christ. The one full of grace and rich in mercy and the one who receives the just wrath of God in our place but who gets up from the grave after His shed blood on a cross and will return to stomp it out and be the executor of justice. We see it all in Jesus. And we see His infinite worth and His glory.

Why? Because God started all of this by making everything, didn't He? But you do remember what Paul told us about that. The Son is the image of the invisible God. The firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created. Things in Heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through Jesus and for Jesus. Everything everywhere is created through Him and for Him. What God has done in temporarily allowing, permitting evil to exist even though He hates it and He didn't create it, even though He has allowed it and permitted it for a short time, it's to do this, it is to demonstrate the infinite worth and glory of who Christ is.

And we couldn't have seen it, we couldn't have seen it as clearly as we do, so what do we do with all of this? Well, should we be happy then about evil? Of course not. It's vile. It's an absence of God. It's going to be finally and totally eradicated, of course we don't rejoice in evil but we can ask, how can we glorify the infinite worth of Christ when evil does befall us? That's what we can ask. How can we glorify the infinite worth of Christ when evil does befall us? How can we stop walking in the pathway of I will and surrender in obedience and love to the I am? So that the world that is filled with evil, here's the loud echoes of the infinite worth and infinite glory of who God is as He's revealed Him in Christ. That's what we can do. We can choose I am instead of I will when evil comes.

Like Joseph did. You remember Joseph in the Bible. I'm not talking about Jesus' earthly dad Joseph, I'm talking about the one that goes back into Genesis. Talking about the Joseph who when he was a kid, he had a lot of brothers. There was a bunch of them. And he didn't do anything wrong, he just had a really cool coat. His brothers got really jealous, they were upset with him, so you know what they did? They faked his death, told dad he was dead and they sold him into slavery to the Midianites. What did Joseph do? Well he didn't have a choice, he's enslaved by the Midianites and the Midianites sold him to Potiphar who was an assistant of Pharaoh. What does he do when he's in Potiphar's house? He's faithful to God and he's faithful to carry out what Potiphar asks him to do. So much so that he gained extraordinary favor with Potiphar.

This was an evil beginning, wasn't it? His brothers had sold him into slavery, faked his death, they had betrayed him. Dad thinks he's dead. Joseph's having to, living with the, he's living with the fact of knowing he's alive but his dad thinks he's dead and his heart is broken. Now he's in Potiphar's house and he gains great favor with Potiphar so that he's actually running Potiphar's whole household. He's the man in charge. But the Bible tells us, if you read it in the Hebrew text you can see it really clearly. The translation would be Joseph was a stud. He was really good looking and Potiphar's wife thought so. And she would come onto Joseph and he was like, "No. I follow God. I'm going to be faithful to God. I'm going to be faithful to my master Potiphar so stay away. No." She kept coming, kept coming. He kept saying, "No." Finally she got tired of being rebuffed so many times and she just lied. She just lied to her husband.

"He raped me. He raped me." Potiphar was livid. Joseph had done nothing of the sort. Potiphar throws him in jail. You're going to to prison. He goes to prison. Stays faithful to God. Such a great guy that the warden likes him so much that Joseph is actually then ultimately running the prison where he's a prisoner. That's how much favor God showed him. He's running the prison where he's a prisoner and guess what? Two of Pharaoh's administrators got thrown into prison and they were assigned to Joseph. One was a baker, one was a cup bearer. The baker and the cup bearer started having dreams and they were like, "We don't know what's going on." Joseph said, "Tell me the dreams." They tell him and he says, "Baker, I've got bad news for you. Here's what your dream means. You're going to get your head cut off. Cup bearer, here's your dream, you're actually going to be restored back to the administration of Pharaoh." Sure enough, that happened. And restored.

But he said to the cup bearer, he said, "Hey, when you get restored, please don't forget about me. I'm here in prison. I'm the guy who kind of told you about this so would you please remember me when you get there?" And so the guy was like, "Absolutely. You got it man. We're tight. We're brothers. Let's do this." And then he gets out and he forgets Joseph. Just forgets him until however long later, Pharaoh starts having dreams. He starts trying to get people to help him interpret his dreams. No one can do it. And then the cup bearer goes, "Hey wait a minute. That dude from prison. He could do this." So they get Joseph out. He comes, he's now with Pharaoh, he interprets the dreams. Pharaoh puts a lot of stock in him, eventually, eventually Joseph rises up to where he is second in command in all of Egypt, the great empire that is existing at that time. A Jewish boy. And he's second in command in all of Egypt. He's basically running the place in Pharaoh's stead.

He's so wise that in their great times of abundance, he set aside all of this food so that they would have some in case there wasn't a time of abundance. And then a famine came. And when that famine came, Egypt was fine but some of those outside of Egypt were not. Like, Joseph's family. And so Joseph's family, hungry and starving, comes to Egypt and is basically wanting to beg and they don't even know who they're talking to. They're talking to their brother. Their son. Would you please help us? And then, man could you imagine that reveal? That reveal for dad and that reveal for the brothers? That reveal happens and Joseph weeps and he mourns and he wails but do you know where he lands? He lands by saying this in Genesis 50, "You intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

God's permissions have a purpose. Joseph was able, listen to this, because he kept trusting God in the midst of all the evil that was befalling him and being done to him. God actually used it to save all kinds of lives. Basically saving what would become the nation of Israel. But do you know Joseph's story is really just a microcosm of the story of Jesus. Jesus brothers also betrayed Him and disowned Him and left Him for dead. He was mocked. He was cursed. He was spit upon. He was beaten and He was crucified all at the hands of sinful, evil people. With Satan himself infiltrating a human being to be a betrayer of Jesus.

But, God knew all the time what was going down. Because God's permissions always have a purpose. And so in Jesus' death and resurrection, it was for the saving of many people. Just like it was in the time of Joseph.

See ladies and gentlemen, understanding evil is a challenge but the goal is not to try and understand evil, the goal is to understand God. That God even though He's permitting this for a season, He's got a purpose in it and it's ultimately to glorify the infinite worth of who Christ is.

I have no idea what that looks like for you in your world. I don't know all that made you up. I don't know every one of your stories and your backgrounds but I do know this. Some of you have been living under the hand of evil that has befallen you for too long and maybe now, maybe now you turn yourself to God and say, "God though I don't understand what I know is this, is what the enemy and evil has meant to harm me, that you can redeem and use for good to glorify the infinite worth of your Son in my life."

I don't know what that looks like for you. But all I'm encouraging you to do is to yield yourself to that truth and let it sit and saturate in your heart. God's permissions have a purpose. To magnify the infinite worth and glory of Christ. Will you let Him do that in your world? Let's bow our heads together.

We're gone in just a second. Thanks for your patience. If you're here and you've never before received Jesus, never come to a place of getting your sins forgiven, receiving what He's done for you on the cross and through His resurrection, I just remind you that you can't save yourself. That's the direction of I will. You can't be your own lord and master. You can't control your own destiny. That's I will. I am says, "I love you so much that I sent my only Son to die in your place and if you believe in Him, receive Him, you too could become children of God." If you want to know more about what that looks like in your life, I pray that when we leave in just a moment, you'd come by the fireside room. We'd love to talk to you about what that looks like.

Father, I pray that for every heart that has been under the sound of my voice that it was less my voice and more yours. Because I have continued to expound and read and communicate your word. May your word work its work in the lives of the hearers under my voice. And by your own spirit would you apply to every one of us, where we need to yield ourselves to you so that even though evil may have befallen us, that we can turn to you and trust you because your ways are higher than ours and that we know you always have a purpose. Whether we understand it or not, you always have a purpose.

May we ask you and may we seek you to understand how we might glorify Christ even when evil befalls us. So that this evil world would stand in awe, in seeing the way that the people who trust God actually trust Him and do not repay evil for evil but instead trust God to take care of what He's going to take care of. We trust you to do this in every heart and I pray you would breath life and encouragement by your spirit into every heart and mind in Jesus' name. Amen.