Man Schemes, God Reigns (Gen 38:1-30) (The "Hidden" God, Part II)

Genesis 38:1-30; Key Verse: Gen 38:26,27

"'She is more righteous than I...' When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb."

Where is God when evil prevails? Today's text graphically depicts the utter sinfulness of sinful man in Judah and his 2 sons (Gen 38:1-11). Yet God, who seems to be hidden, works things out behind the scenes according to his sovereign will and purpose (Gen 38:25-30). Thus, the title of my sermon is "Man Schemes, God Reigns" (The "Hidden" God, Part II). Last week, from Gen 37:2-36, we studied the "hidden" God in Joseph's suffereing. Today, from Gen 38:1-30, we study the "hidden" God in Judah's sin in 4 parts:

1. Man Schemes (Gen 38:1-11): The wages of sin.
2. God Reigns (Gen 38:12-24, 25-30): The faithfulness of God.
3. The Ultimate Tamar
4. (5 Practical Applications.)

THE "HIDDEN" GOD (Where Is God When It Hurts?) (Gen 37:2-36)

Genesis 37:2-36; Key Verse: Gen 37:23,24

"...they stripped him of his robe...and threw him into the cistern."

Where is God when it hurts? 3 years ago, Arthur preached this Tim Keller sermon, The Hiddenness of God, on Nov 30, 2009. I am doing so again (with a shorter title "The 'Hidden' God"), because it deals with a problem very common to all men. The problem is best framed as a question: Where is God when it hurts so bad? The past 3 weeks (including today), we examined 3 key issues from Genesis that universally affects all people:

See God Face to Face (Gen 32:22-32)

Genesis 32:22-32; Key Verse: Gen 32:30

"I saw God face to face..."

Do you see God face to face? Is God real to you? After a mystery man struggled and wrestled with Jacob all night, Jacob said, "I saw God face to face..." In this text, we see how we may each have a real personal face to face encounter with God. Rhoel previously preached on this passage with the title, Meeting God Personally (12/27/2009). Yet, this perennial text is so good to study again and again from different angles. {Tim Keller gave 4 sermons with these titles: Jacob and the Wrestler (1996); A Con Artist's Struggle (1997); The Fight of Your Life (2001); Jacob's Prayer for Joy (2007).}