How The Heart Works

A Biblical Response To Trauma

Pastor Chad Wiles

Selected Scriptures

NOTES:

1. Suffering and Human Sinfulness

2. Suffering and the World

3. Suffering and the Devil

4. Suffering and the pain of others

5. Suffering and confusion

6. Suffering and death

- Trauma is a personal experience with evil and brokenness so contrary to God’s glorious design that the person is left wounded.  The wound(s) of trauma are healed by God’s regeneration of the heart through Jesus Christ.

What Evil was in view in Joseph’s Response?

1. Sin of Favoritism by Jacob (Genesis 37:3)

2. Hatred from the Brothers (Genesis 37:4)

3. Jealousy about the dreams God gave Joseph (37:11)

4. Desire to Murder Joseph (37:18-20)

5. Abused and thrown into a pit (37:23-24)

6. Sold into slavery and took to Egypt (Genesis 37:27-28)

7. Lied to their father about Joseph’s death (Genesis 37:31-37)

8. Sold to an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh (Genesis 37:36)

9. Attempted sexual abuse by Pharaoh’s wife (Genesis 39:7-12)

10. Defamation of Joseph’s character (Genesis 39:13-18)

11. Put in prison for a crime he did not commit (Genesis 39:20)

12. Forgotten by the cupbearer for 2 years (Genesis 40:23)

Theology defined: The study of God

1. Omnipotent: God is all powerful

2. Sovereignty: God’s power and authority over all other powers and authorities

1. First Cause: God’s direct movement.

2. Second Cause: God holds the evil agents responsible for their choices and uses their choices to bring about His perfect plan. 

3. Providence: God’s power to divinely bring about his will

4. God’s Holiness: Speaks of his transcendence and his purity and righteousness

5. God’s Goodness: He is perfectly good and is not capable of evil

The Dangers in Making False Conclusions About God Because of the Existence of Evil:

1. We Must Assume That Sinful, Finite Humans Are Morally Good In Their Thinking. 

2. We must deny that Scripture is God’s word

3. We must assume that God owes us an explanation for his allowance of Evil

4. We must conclude that hope can be found apart from God

Joseph understood God’s Sovereignty and Providential Will:

1. Joseph Understood that His Suffering Was Orchestrated By God To Bring About His Gracious Plan of Salvation for His People. 

2. God showed Himself to be intimately involved in the Life of Joseph

- God gave Joseph His Dreams that Sparked the events (Genesis 37:1-11)

- God was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house and made him prosper (Genesis 39:2-4)

- God’s favor on Joseph garnered him a lighter sentence for the false accusation (Genesis 39:20)

- God was with Joseph in prison were he found favor and gained influence (Genesis 39:21-23)

- God placed high government officials in jail and gave them dreams for Joseph to interpret (Genesis 40:8)

- God gave Pharaoh a dream that only Joseph could interpret (Genesis 41:1-36)

- God gave Joseph wisdom that pleased Pharaoh and God put Joseph second in command over all of Egypt (Genesis 41:37-57)

- Joseph’s family came and bowed to him fulfilling the prophetic dream that God gave Joseph (Genesis 42-50)

3. God’s Sovereignty is Where We Find Our Answer for the Problem of Evil that Provides the Hope We Long for in the Suffering We Experience.

Read Isaiah chapter 53

The Answer to Evil: God laid the wrath that sin deserves onto his son so that salvation can be given to those who trust in Christ as Lord!

a. Christ Saves us from the punishment and guilt of our own sin (v. 5)

b. Christ removes the shame of the sin that has happened to us. 

c. God’s sovereign plan is shown to us through the cross (v. 10)

Implications of the gospel?

1. Compassion

- Christ’s suffering shows God’s compassion to be real and not theoretical (v.4)

2. Comfort

- He will bear our iniquities (v. 11)

3. Hope

- Makes intercession for the transgressors (v.12)

4. Courage