In Genesis 41, Joseph is finally exalted out of his affliction. God sovereignly providentially works on Joseph’s behalf to raise him up out of the pit and seat him at the right hand of power in Egypt, thereby saving the nations from global calamity. This text reminds believers that we too will be exalted and reign with Christ. We walk through this story in three parts: 1) The impotence of Pharaoh, 2) the exaltation of Joseph, and 3) the realization of divine-promises.

In Genesis 40, we continue to walk through the darkest times of Joseph’s life. Although Joseph might be forgotten in prison by men, he is never once forsaken by God. This is important because we’re all tempted to allow our view of God’s character and purposes to be determined and influenced by how poorly or how well our circumstances go, but like Joseph we must steady our hope on God alone. We walk through this story in three parts: 1) Joseph Ministers, 2) Joseph Interprets, and 3) Joseph’s Forgotten.

In Genesis 39, we are reintroduced to Joseph and his extreme sufferings as an Egyptian slave. Yet, in the midst of his affliction, God remains with Joseph, blessing Joseph and causing all that he does to succeed. Instead of being overcome by his sorrow and suffering, by God’s grace Joseph is transformed and is enabled to flourish in the midst of injustice and affliction. We walk through this story in 3 parts: 1) God’s blessing in Potiphar’s house, 2) God’s protection from Potiphar’s wife, and 3) God’s blessing in Pharaoh’s prison.

In Genesis 35, God’s grace is very clear towards Jacob as the story of Genesis transitions our focus off Jacob onto his sons. We walk through this story in two parts: 1) gracious-renewal and 2) heartbreaking-sorrow.

In 1 Peter 4.12-19, Matthew Harper (director of Speak 4 Unborn and member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville KY), encourages us to entrust our souls to God our Faithful Creator in the midst of our suffer. He shows us two reasons in our text why we should do this: 1) because Christian suffering is normal, and 2) because Christian suffering is blessed.

In Romans 8.18-39 we find some of the most profound and glorious truths in all of Christian doctrine. These truths help us navigate all the complexities of the Christian life because the Christian life is full of rejoicing and suffering. And when we go through the stormy trials of life, the church is called by God to be a source of comfort. We are to comfort one another in our sorrows and affliction with the truth of the gospel. In this text we find three important realities that will help us as we comfort each other: 1) the reality of inescapable suffering, 2) the reality of incomparable hope, and 3) the reality of inseparable love.

The things that God has called his church to do in suffering is not easy. The church desperately needs God’s help as we journey through this season of suffering as a community. Psalm 121 is meant to persuade us that we cannot rely on ourselves but must put all our trust in the LORD our God. In this sermon, we consider 5 Reasons why we must do this: 1) the Lord is Creator, 2) the Lord is Covenant-Keeper, 3) The Lord is All-Powerful, 4) The Lord is Ever-Present, and 5) The Lord is Unchanging.

We continue our break to focus on suffering during this unprecedented season in our community here on Maui. Two weeks ago, in Romans 5, we considered what God is doing through our sufferings to make us more like Christ. A week ago, in Psalm 13, we considered what it looked like to process our suffering experientially through lament. In this sermon, we consider the comfort of God in our suffering and how God intends us to share that same comfort others with others. We also considered two very practical ways we can bring comfort to others: 1) sharing the comfort of lament, and 2) sharing the comfort of the gospel.

We continue our break from 1 Timothy to spend a couple weeks thinking about suffering. In this sermon, we consider David’s lament in Psalm 13. Mark Vroegop has helpfully defined lament as “A prayer in pain that leads to trust.” In Psalm 13, we find three aspects of David lament: 1) David’s Pain, 2) David’s Prayer, and 3) David’s Praise. There are two practical response in light of these things: 1) We must lament, and 2) We must lament together.

We take a break from 1 Timothy as one of our partners, Pastor Evan Calvin from Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville Kentucky preaches from Romans 5.1-6. In this text we find two fountainheads of joy and hope for your soul: 1) the fountain head of our Secure Standing, 2) the fountain head of our Suffering.