But God was With Him
A Sermon on Acts 7:9-10
Originally preached Dec. 11, 1966
Scripture
9And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Sermon Description
Is God in charge of every detail? He is sovereign over the universe, but what about on a moment-by-moment level? In the sermon “But God was With Him,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains from Genesis to Revelation how God is at work on every level. This is true in the case of Abraham and the patriarchs as described all throughout the Old Testament. God is not abstract and above history, but He is very present in the world. He is actively working to bring about His great plan for the world. What is His plan? It is nothing less than the salvation of all who believe though the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. God loves the world and He has acted through his Son to redeem it. Apart from His atoning work, there is no hope of salvation. Human effort cannot erase the guilt of sin or impress the holy God. The only hope for the world is not in human efforts or schemes, but in God who has acted in the world through his Son and the gospel. It is this gospel alone that is the power of God to save and redeem. It is by God’s actions that the world will be redeemed, not by human ingenuity and creativity. The church of today must proclaim this glorious truth of God and His plan and power to save through Christ Jesus.
Sermon Breakdown
- The message of the Christian faith is God breaking into human history. It is an interruption and intervention in the affairs of mankind.
- The message is all of God. Mankind cannot save itself. Salvation is entirely the result of God's activity.
- The message is all of grace. Salvation is in spite of us and what we are. It is God's free gift to us.
- God's ways are strange and surprising. They are not our ways. His methods are indirect and roundabout.
- There are often delays in God's plans that we do not understand. God works on his own timetable.
- The instruments God uses often seem weak and feeble. God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
- God's plans often seem to be failing and his enemies seem to triumph. But God is always ultimately in control.
- God's ways ultimately triumph. Though all seems lost, God raises up his people and causes his will to be done.
- We must know and believe that this message of God's salvation in Christ is the only way of salvation. We must rely on Christ alone.
- For this message to become real to us, God must break into our lives. We must know the power of God unto salvation in our lives.
Sermon Q&A
Who Was Joseph in the Bible and How Is He a Type of Christ?
What is the significance of Joseph in the Bible, particularly as it relates to Jesus Christ?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Joseph is a significant figure in the Bible who serves as a powerful "type" or foreshadowing of Christ. In Joseph's story, we see numerous parallels with Jesus. Joseph was rejected by his brothers who "moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt," just as Jesus "came unto his own and his own received him not." Joseph was sold, just as Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver. Despite rejection, Joseph became the savior of the very people who rejected him, providing for them during famine, similar to how Christ saves those who initially reject Him.
What does Lloyd-Jones mean by "But God was with him" in relation to Joseph's story?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the phrase "But God was with him" as a crucial turning point in Joseph's story. This phrase demonstrates God's divine intervention in human history. Despite Joseph being sold into slavery, thrown into prison, and forgotten, God was actively working through these circumstances. Lloyd-Jones notes that "God was with him and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh." This divine accompaniment transformed Joseph's situation from tragedy to triumph and represents how God works in salvation history.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain God's way of salvation through Joseph's story?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Joseph's story reveals several important principles about God's way of salvation:
- It shows God breaking into human history - an "eruption" or "intervention" that interrupts the normal flow of events
- Salvation is entirely of God - neither Joseph nor his brothers could save themselves
- It is all of grace - salvation comes in spite of human actions, not because of them
- God's ways are strange and indirect - He works through seeming defeats and delays
- God's plans ultimately triumph - despite apparent failures and setbacks
Lloyd-Jones contrasts this with worldly thinking that believes in human evolution toward perfection, noting that God's salvation breaks into our story from outside rather than developing from within.
What similarities does Lloyd-Jones draw between Joseph's life and Jesus Christ?
Lloyd-Jones points out numerous parallels: - Both went to Egypt (Joseph was sold there; Jesus went there as a child to escape Herod) - Both increased in wisdom and favor (Joseph was given "wisdom and favor" with Pharaoh; Jesus "increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man") - Both were rejected by their own people - Both were sold by those close to them - Both suffered unjustly yet didn't retaliate - Both went through apparent defeat that God turned into victory - Both became saviors of the very people who rejected them - Both understood their suffering as part of God's greater plan
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the apparent defeats and delays in God's plan?
Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that God's ways often include strange delays and apparent defeats. Joseph languished in prison for years; Jesus was crucified and buried. To human reasoning, these appear as failures of God's plan. Lloyd-Jones suggests God allows these delays partly because humans are "so self-confident" that "if God had immediately saved mankind, we'd have turned round on him and have said, if you'd only given us a chance, we could have done it ourselves."
He also notes that God often works through seemingly weak instruments (Joseph was "the feeblest of the sons of Jacob") and indirect methods, which challenges human expectations of how God should work. Despite these apparent setbacks, God's plan always triumphs in the end, as seen in Joseph's eventual rise to power and Christ's resurrection.
The Book of Acts
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.