When a Bloody Coat Is Not the Whole Story
Genesis 37:28–36
Preached at Hope Church Catoosa — Ringgold, Georgia
August 2, 2026

On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of preaching at Hope Church Catoosa in Ringgold, Georgia. It was a real joy for me to be there.

Their pastor, JC Groves, has been a close personal friend for many years. When JC was a young man in college, preaching and singing in churches all over the country, whenever he was home I had the privilege of having him in my Sunday school class. Through the years I have watched the Lord put His hand upon his life and use him in ways that have been wonderful to see.

Now, nearly four years into this church plant, God is blessing Hope Church. They are growing, reaching people, and preparing to move into a new building that will give them more room for the body of believers God is gathering there. JC loves the Lord, loves people, and has a genuine burden to reach souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful to call him my friend, and it was an honor to stand in his pulpit and preach the Word of God.

The message I preached that morning came from Genesis 37:28–36, and I titled it “When a Bloody Coat Is Not the Whole Story.”

There are few scenes in the Old Testament more heartbreaking than Jacob holding Joseph’s bloodstained coat in his hands.

Everything Jacob could see told him that his son was dead. The coat belonged to Joseph. The blood was real. The evidence seemed overwhelming. Jacob looked at what was in front of him and reached what appeared to be the only reasonable conclusion: “Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”

But Jacob had the coat. He did not have the whole story.

While Jacob was weeping in Canaan, Joseph was still alive. While Jacob believed Joseph’s story was over, God was moving Joseph toward Egypt. While Jacob sat in sorrow, the providence of God was already at work in circumstances Jacob could neither see nor understand.

That is really the burden of this message.

Sometimes life places something into our hands that seems to tell us the whole story. A loss. A betrayal. A disappointment. A diagnosis. A prayer that seems unanswered. A dream that collapses. Something happens, and because the pain is real, we begin to believe our interpretation of the pain must be final.

But sorrow is a poor prophet.

Jacob could see the bloody coat, but God could see the caravan. Jacob could see what looked like a grave, but God could see a throne. Jacob could see the apparent loss of one son, while God could see the preservation of an entire family.

Twenty-two years later, the same Jacob who had once held that coat would look down the road and see wagons coming from Egypt. Those wagons testified that God had been working all those years when Jacob could not see Him working.

That does not mean every sorrow will be explained in this life. I would never want to speak carelessly about another person’s suffering or pretend that faith removes the pain of what has happened. There are questions some of us may carry all the way to Heaven.

But the child of God has something greater than an explanation. We have the promise of a sovereign and faithful God.

And when we cannot understand His hand, we can look again toward Calvary and trust His heart. At the cross, wicked men did their worst to the beloved Son of God, yet through that darkest moment in human history God accomplished the redemption of sinners. The blood of Jesus Christ may not answer every question we have about suffering, but it forever settles the question of whether God loves us.

Maybe today you are holding a bloody coat of your own.

I hope you will take some time and listen to this message. My prayer is that the Lord would use His Word to remind you that what you can see today is not necessarily the whole story.

The darkest chapter is not always the last chapter.

You may be holding the coat today, but somewhere beyond the horizon of your understanding, God may still be preparing the wagons.