PREACHED:
OL,
“THE
INTRODUCTION:
I. One of the Most Beautiful Themes of the
Bible
is the
A. Both the O.T. and the N.T. reveal that God
does
care
and provide for His people.
B. From
the Latin word, providere,
1. pro - “forward”
videre - “to see.”
a. We derive our word “video” videre.
2. So, it means “to see forward or in front of.”
C. Meaning??
1. Things
“provided” by God - thus indicating what God has determined that will
promise to and do for ahead of time those that are his children.
2. But we need to be careful when we talk about
providence to understand that though God does not
always cause events in our life, God can and will work through those events to
bless our lives if we are His children.
a. God
did not cause Abraham go into Hagar and have a son
through her. God did not cause Sarah’s
barren womb. God did miraculously intervene to allow her to give birth. God did not approve of or cause Jacob to lie
and deceive to get his brother’s birthright but God did work through those
circumstances to preserve his seed line for Christ. God did not miraculously cause Laban to deceive Jacob to
marry both is daughters, but he used the
children of an unhealthy family environment to bring his chosen people into
existence and eventually to bring His Messiah and Son into the world.
II. Romans 8.28-30:
A.
One of the Great Verses of The Bible That Speaks to
the Theme of Providence
B. SIX
THINGS TO OBSERVE ABOUT GOD’S
WORKING
PROVIDENCIALLY IN OUR LIVES:
DISCUSSION:
u The
Certainty of Providence:
A. “We know...”
B. We’re
not talking about speculation, conjecture or mere fate. Heb.
11.1
C. Abraham
said to Isaac when he asked where the sacrifice was, “God will provide for himself the lamb…So Abraham called the name of
that place, ‘The Lord will provide’.” (Gen
22.8, 14)
1. He
knew that God had things worked out. He
didn’t know exactly what that would be but he was merely willing to submit to
God’s providence “knowing” that God would do what is right, not matter what
happened!!
a. Heb.
11.11 “By faith Sarah received power
to conceive, even when she was past the age.”
Rom. 4.18-21
1) Of
course, God “provided” for Abraham by a “miracle,” but he used the normal
process of conception & child birth. He
didn’t just drop a baby out of the sky to A.
& S.
D. “Truth
forever on the scaffold,
Wrong forever on the throne;
But behind the dim unknown stands God,
Keeping watch over
His own.”
v The
Scope of Providence:
A. “...all things...”
B. Paul
doesn’t say, “All things are “good” that happen in our lives...
1. We
all realize that there are a lot of bad things that happen to good people:
a. Joseph: Abuse by his brothers and enslavement... NOT
GOOD!!
b. Jacob: Laban’s treachery
was not good, Leah’s and Rachel’s rivalry was not good, the
world-wide famine… was NOT GOOD!!
c. Paul: His time in prison, his beatings, his hunger,
his being stoned, his suffering ship wreck,
his perils from swollen rivers and dangerous robbers,
his persecution from the Jews, his cold
and nakedness, his anxiety for all the churches, his many hair-raising escapes
from death and his thorn in the flesh... were NOT GOOD!!
d. A
loved one with Altzhiemer’s, a doctor’s somber
revelation that we have cancer, the loss of a job, a broken marriage, the
rebellion and loss of our children, the searing pain of being false accused and
convicted by those we considered to be our friends...are NOT GOOD!!!
2. Many
things occur to us, which in themselves are not good, but painful and cruel
(Ask Job). Nevertheless, their place in the whole pattern of divine
purpose will cause them to be resolved for good.
Ž The
Power of
A. “work...”
B. God
has promised!!
1. He
is at work in the circumstances of our lives if we are His people.
2. And
there are no lapses in this Divine law of providence.
a. It
doesn’t work today
and fail to work tomorrow.
b. It
doesn’t work for some who trust him and fail to work for others.
3. And
because we don’t see it immediately doesn’t mean God has ceased to work. Also, because it doesn’t work the way we want
it to work doesn’t mean God’s providence has ceased to work.
Ź The Unity of
A. “...together...”
B. The
unity of providence can be seen in the end product:
1.
Joseph:
a. Sold
into slavery - Gen 39.1, 2a. “…The
Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man…
b. Falsely
accused Potiphar’s wife & imprisoned - Vs 20-23. “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave
him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the
prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison.
Whatever was done there, he ws
the one who did it. And the keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything
that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he
did, the Lord made it succeed.”
c. Dreams
of the Baker & Butler:
d.
e. But
Pharaoh had dreams – Cows and sheaves…Plenty & Famine!
f.
g. Second
in the kingdom…
h. Eventually
restored to his family!!
i.
ALL BY
ACCIDENT? NO! BY PROIDENCE!
1) Gen 45.5-8 (Said to his brothers who
sold him into captivity) – “And now do not
be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent
me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two
years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor
harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a
remnant on earth, to keep alive for you
many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here but God. He has made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over the
y The
Result of
A. “...good...”
1. Jas 1.17.
B. Even
in regard to Paul’s physical malady, God told Him the good that it would bring:
1. 2 Cor 12.7-9. “…a thorn was given me in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to harass me…Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this,
that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more
gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the
same of Christ, then, I will be content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
C. Paul’s
arrest and imprisonment was not good,
but the opportunity to preach to the whole Praetorian guard
was good.
z The
Recipients of
A. “…
for those who love God…for those who are
called according to His purpose…”
B. There
is “general” providence such as rain and sun on the just and unjust and the
wicked and the righteous, but we are speaking
of special providence.
C. Here
is the human side: We must love God
and submit our lives to his purpose.
D. We
know Paul speaks of Christians because of:
1. 2 Thes 2.13, 14. “But we ought always to give thanks to God
for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the
Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called
you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
CONCLUSION:
What a wonderful comfort to know
that God is with us no matter what happens and he is going to work it out
according to his will for good in our lives!
The real key to providence is
our faith in God – Heb 11:6