 The title of our sermon this morning is God for us God for us Primary text is Romans chapter 8 verses 28 through 39 and we're gonna get there. We'll look at several texts this morning as we study in our ongoing series entitled the essentials of The subject of God's providence the subject of God's providence now our aim in this series is essentially one sermon one hour one fundamental or foundational subject Introducing each of those subjects that we believe to be Essential in the growth and development of someone new to the faith or someone considering membership in our church We're attempting in that course of study called the essentials to follow the general course of our confession of faith The second London Baptist confession of 1689 and so in following the course of our confession We began with a series on the doctrine of revelation We have subsequently been working through theology proper or the doctrine of God and in our look together at theology proper We've considered the Trinity. We've considered the attributes of God the person in work of the father last week we introduced God's originating work in creation and this week we now come to introduce God's continuing work through Providence through providence at chapter 5 Article 1 in our confession of faith Introduces the providence of God in this way God is the good creator of all things In his infinite power and wisdom he does uphold direct dispose and govern all creatures and things From the greatest even to the least by his most wise and holy providence To the end for which they were created according to his infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own will To the praise of the glory of his wisdom power justice infinite goodness and mercy in other words God Sustains directs and governs all of his creation by his providence for his glory God's own providence is the means then by which God directs all things to their decreed end And we've learned that according to scripture. We've learned from the Bible that God decrees all Things whatsoever that come to pass that is in developing in its scope Expansive in its scope God decrees all things whatsoever that come to pass He works all things after the counsel of his own will So if we think of then the decree of God as the blueprint And understanding last week from creation that creation is the work site Then providence is the work of God as it unfolds in time and space That work done to execute the blueprint so to speak to bring about all that God has decreed for his own glory It is the sovereign divine superintendents of all Things working them all to their decreed end. This is the doctrine of providence The Baptist Catechism asked the question. What are God's works of providence? the answer God's works of providence are his most holy wise and powerful Preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions What's expansive in its scope isn't it? Expansive in its scope the word providence Comes from a Latin word meaning to provide before to provide before or to provide with foresight Right to provide with foresight. It's the the same Latin participle from which we derive our English word provision our word Provision comes from that word the same Latin root same Latin verb for providence. It means Pro Vision or seeing before right provision. That's not passive as in mere seeing But it's very active. We can think of the root verb as Acts of providing for a future need or a future goal. I see what's coming and I provide for what's coming You determine for example to be here this morning for worship You had to make provision to do that if you're coming to worship this morning You're gonna be here on time, you know or late. You're gonna be here by making provision to be here, right? Then seeing before What would come you made? Provision to be here in other words you got dressed Some of you some of you fixed your hair this morning Some of you may have brushed your teeth before you came You drove your car and you came to church. You made provision pro seeing before vision provision to come to church Now we're introduced to this Hebrew word that conveys this con this sense or this concept in Genesis chapter 22 turn there with me to Genesis chapter 22 and Look there beginning in verse 1 Genesis chapter 22 Verse 1 God's providence sovereignly and Totally entirely operative in creation even before this point But in Genesis chapter 22 verse 1 we're introduced to the Hebrew word that's used to convey The sense of what providence is through an example through an illustration given to us an account in Genesis chapter 22 in Genesis chapter 22 Abraham Encounters a test of his faith and we see Abraham's faith in action look at verse 1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to Abraham Abraham and he said here I am Then God said in verse 2 take now your son your only son Isaac whom you love and Go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you so now Verse 1 Abraham receives the audible command from God. Here's God speaking audibly to him God the Creator of heaven and earth speaking to Abraham the one who has given us life The one who holds our lives in his hands the one for whom Through whom and to whom we exist the one who has the right to do with us as he pleases and So having heard that command from God Abraham verse 3 rose early in the morning He saddled his donkey took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son And he split the woods for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him Abraham trusted God Right Abraham was given a command the difficult command right? Difficult Abraham though trusted the Lord in this sense in this account unflinchingly Unhesitatingly he arose early in the morning Abraham believed God and he set out to do it. God had commanded He knew that God had promised through Isaac And he knew that God will fulfill all that he had promised through Isaac It was through the seed of Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed right Abraham trusted God for that Promised he knew that God would certainly bring about all of his promised will Through Isaac and God would absolutely keep his word Hebrews 11 chapter chapter 11 verse 19 says that Abraham had concluded that God was able to raise Isaac up even from the dead right Abraham though trusts God he trusts God so verse 4 on On the third day as they were traveling right Abraham lifted up his eyes and he saw the place afar off And Abraham said to his young men Stay here with the donkey The lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you We know that he's in the the southern area of Jerusalem or a Judea at that time because he uses the word yonder so it's a South Israel thing That's a joke you guys aren't laughing. You've just failed miserably. I will go yonder. It's interesting Let's find the word yonder in Scripture, but there it is So he goes I will go yonder with the lad. We're gonna worship and we're gonna come back to you verse 6 So Abraham took the wood of the word offering. He laid it on his on Isaac his son He took fire in his hand a knife and the two of them went together He took fire in his hand and a knife Isaac verse 7 then spoke to Abraham his father and he said my father and he said here am I my son Then he said look the fire in the wood But where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said my son Yahweh rah-ah Yahweh rah-ah God will provide my son God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. And so the two of them went together Before we get our understanding our word our transliteration Jehovah Jireh Jehovah Jireh God our provider God is in control. God is directing the circumstances. God is sovereign over the whole situation He will make provision for what he has determined The Hebrew verb there literally means that God will see God will see and what the Lord foresees he has decreed and The Lord will provide for or the Lord will bring about what he has determined to bring to pass That conveys the meaning of providence that conveys the meaning of providence and we know the account God did work through providence to provide for what he had decreed. Let me ask you was it simply by chance? That there was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns Was it simply a coincidence that Abraham glances out of the corner of his eye? He sees a ramp He really doesn't want to sacrifice Isaac He sees the ram caught by its horns Coincidence there's a ram there just by chance so to speak when Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac. No, no God Jehovah Jireh our provider Will bring about what he has decreed to come to pass and he has made provision for the burnt offering So verse 14 drop down to verse 14 verse 14 Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide Yahweh Ra'a And it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided God through his providence provides Right God in his providence provides provides for what he decrees provides for what he has decreed to come to pass for what He ordains should come to pass all Things according to the counsel of his own will God provides for all of them to come to pass according to his word To the greater glory of God's gracious providence This account in Genesis 22 Four shadows a greater provision Doesn't it foreshadows the greater provision of God for a full and final burnt offering so to speak for a full and final sacrifice for sin the sacrifice of his own son on The mount of the Lord and where Abraham was called to restrain his hand and God in grace and mercy to us would not Through all the history Through all the history that would span these two events. It would be on this very mountain Genesis 22 that God the Father would offer up his only begotten son as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of his people on this mountain where in unspeakable love our heavenly father would not spare his own son What would freely deliver him up for us all so that we? Might die to sin in him and be raised to everlasting life such a simple But profound illustration of God's infinitely wise and immeasurably powerful work through providence You know just the bookends of those two events, right? God providing such a simple way calling Abraham making a covenant with Abraham and then calling Abraham to Mount Mariah To sacrifice his own son through all the history that spans between that covenant that he made with Abraham and God delivering up his own son on the same mountain To die for the sins of his people all that history God working sovereignly in Complete and entire crushing control over everything that comes to pass to bring about inviolably inextricably to bring about his promises his word to save his people it is the glory a glorious Testament to God's providence Before the foundation of the world God decrees all things that are to come to pass my days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them He creates the heavens creates the earth all that is in them and then knowing exactly what is needed He works continuously to provide for his creation and to sustain His creation to its decreed end Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 Describes God as upholding all things by the word of his power What God creates God sustains and God preserves this describes Far more Than a mere foreknowledge or a mere knowledge of what will happen in the future This is far more than God simply knowing what will come far more than God simply Forseeing those things which will come to pass What does God himself? Reveal about his own knowledge of these things God says this in Isaiah chapter 46 verse 9 He says I am God. There is no other I am God. There is none like me what? Declaring the end from the beginning Declaring it to be so Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done saying my Council shall stand I will do all my pleasure and this is his providence Verse 11 calling a bird of prey from the east calling the man who executes my counsel from a far country Indeed, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. That's providence. I have purposed God said I also will do it so then What is the response that God calls for in light of that glorious knowledge of what God does in history What God does through his providence working in time and space to bring about all things that God has called to happen Decreed to come to pass. What does the Lord say verse 12? He says listen to me. You stubborn hearted Listen to me. You stubborn hearted who are far from righteousness I will bring my righteousness near to you. It shall not be far off My salvation shall not linger and I will place salvation in Zion as the psalmist says on my holy hill for Israel my glory I Think what what great consolation that is for those who are the spiritual seed of Abraham through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Right that God will bring that to pass. God doesn't really know the future God doesn't really see what's going to happen God knows the future because God has decreed the future and he will Absolutely bring about that which he has decreed and he does that through his providence Acts chapter 2 verse 23 The Lord Jesus Christ was delivered up by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God Not just the foreknowledge of God, but the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God Everything that God foresees God decrees. Do you see there's not mere foreknowledge? It's not just raw foresight or telling the future. Whatever God foresees God has decreed It's according to that determined purpose that Peter then says You he's delivered up Christ whom you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death In other words, God's purpose isn't lawless. Think with me. God's purpose was not lawless. There hands were lawless And God is in no way the author of sin, but God's providence extends even over the sinful actions of his creatures that most grievous most heinous of all sins the mock trial and scourging crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ Worked through lawless wicked hands God brought about for the ultimate good and for the glory of his own name Considering the scope of God's providence The Lord himself says in Matthew chapter 10 are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin and not one of them Falls to the ground apart from your father's foreknowledge. Is that what it says? No Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's foresight. Is that what it says? No Not one of those sparrows falls to the ground apart from your father's will Apart from your father's will the very hairs of your head are numbered Do you see and listen? That's no less an amazing fact Even though the numbers of your head the hairs of your head may be decreasing or if you don't have any it's still an amazing fact, right? And in Matthew 10 What's the implication of this staggering truth for those who have put their faith in him? What's the implication the Lord says there do not fear therefore? Do not fear you are of more value than many sparrows Matthew chapter 6 verse 31 therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? Listen if God is in control God is working through his providence to bring all things that he is decreed to come To pass and he's caring for us. We know from Romans 8. He works all things together for our good Then don't worry. What are we worrying about saying? What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear for after all these things Matthew 6 32 the Gentiles seek Your heavenly father knows that you need all these things So then verse 33 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you The Heidelberg catechism Describes God's providence this way. I like this it says the Almighty and everywhere present power of God Whereby as it were by his hand he upholds and governs heaven earth and all creatures So that herbs and grass rain and drought Fruitful and barren years meet and drink health and sickness riches and poverty Yay, and all things come not by chance But by his fatherly hand That's nice isn't it? There's no such thing as chance No such thing as fortune or fate or luck But rather the sovereign superintendents of our heavenly father Luck or chance or fate is a denial of God This world wants to assign things to luck, right? Just a run of bad luck run of good luck, right? That's your destiny. That's just fate Fate is a denial of God. The Bible says that in him we live and move and have our being Don't be influenced by the pagan worldview of this culture We need to recognize the pagan influence of this culture when we hear such things When it rains, it's because God brought the rain Right used to be that's the way that people spoke and especially if you read your Bible That's the way that they thought in a biblical worldview of God superintending Providentially governing all things that come to pass and so when it rained God brought the rain if there was a harvest God brought the harvest if there was no harvest God denied us a harvest and why would that be? When there is adversity, it's because God has brought the adversity. I remember years ago on the news I was old enough to remember When the AIDS epidemic started and there was someone in particular on the news who raised up and said This is the judgment of God against sin. It's a judgment of God against sin and this world railed against that Absolutely lost their minds for someone to actually assert that God might Exert his providence his sovereign control in time and space to judge the sinful actions of men It was absolutely foreign abhorrent to this world that someone might assert that that was the case Listen God Controls all things whatsoever that come to pass through his providence if there is adversity God has done it. The Lord says if there is calamity have not I the Lord done it This world replaces God with chance. This world replaces God with mother nature Replaces God with the laws of nature and the like They go through Difficulty and it's just a run of bad luck things happen by accident. No No, no such thing The scriptures are clear unvarnished Unflinching unapologetic the Bible does not mince words. This is not shadowy. It's not doubtful. It's not up for debate The Bible is clear our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases and he is in sovereign control It amazes me with and often it's with people who profess to be Christians That I'm sitting down with a Bible and the Bible says it's a bc and they want to say it's x y z Listen there is it's not for debate It is clear the scriptures if you're going to believe in them the scriptures state unequivocably That our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. He is in sovereign control He is working all things according to the council of his own decreed and immutable will is Sovereign providential control Extends to nature extends to nations extends even to the decisions and actions of men even the sinful decisions and actions of men from the smallest of microscopic Particles to the largest of galaxies in the expanse of this universe God is in control. This is the doctrine of God's providence Now for the remainder of our time together this morning. I Want to show you from text in the Bible? Providence exemplified providence exemplified I want to give you examples from the Bible Through those examples of God's providence in the Bible We want to look at providence explained. How does it work from what is revealed to us in the Bible? What does it involve and we'll conclude this introduction with providence experienced Providence exemplified in the text providence explained as we go providence experienced in the life of the believer there are examples all Over the Bible the Bible you could say from cover to cover is an example of God's providence in history But for our purposes this morning turn with me now to Genesis chapter 50 few pages of the right Genesis chapter 50 in what is a classic passage a locus classicus for providence in the Bible Quinecentral text for teaching or for observing God's work through providence look at Genesis chapter 50 and Look down at verse 15 now For context here in Genesis chapter 50 because of envy The sons of Jacob the brothers of Joseph have plotted Joseph's demise We know the story right they sold Joseph into slavery covered his coat with the blood of a goat and then lied to their father About what had happened to him it first intended to murder him before Ruben steps in and stops the murder They then decide to perpetrate this lie to their grieving father that Joseph was killed by an animal So they sold Joseph into slavery Joseph winds up in Egypt Where then that Joseph through the providence of God? Rises to power second only to Pharaoh in the kingdom and that's when God through his providence Brings a great famine on the land through the providence of God Joseph is then reconciled to his father reconciled to his brothers and now Jacob his father has died look at verse 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead they said perhaps Joseph now Will hate us and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him notice They did evil right they did evil against Joseph. They did evil to Jacob. They perpetrated evil in this circumstance Right, so verse 16 they sent messengers to Joseph saying Before your father died he commanded saying thus you shall say to Joseph. I beg you Please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin for they did evil to you Now consider with me it was their trespass their sin their evil They've committed this moral wrong this trespass freely They've done that According to their own mind according to their own will they've freely chosen to act in this way and they are morally Responsible they're going to be held accountable before God it is their trespass their sin their evil right now verse 17 the end of the verse Now, please forgive the trespass of the servants of God of your father and Joseph wept When they spoke to him Then his brothers also went fell down before his face and they said to Joseph behold We are your servants Joseph said to them verse 19 Do not be afraid for am I in the place of God? That's interesting, isn't it? That's a rhetorical question. The intended answer is absolutely not Joseph is not in the place of God But Joseph is making a statement about his role in the whole affair verse 19, right? Joseph is saying essentially listen. I am just a means I'm a means. I'm not an end here. I'm not God. I am God's servant. I'm God's slave. I'm God's instrument I am a means Through which God has accomplished his purpose. He doesn't see himself as an end. He's a means He's a secondary cause you could say right now listen you remember once that Moses did the opposite of this in the wilderness Remember with me. Okay, Moses got fed up with the grumbling and complaining his relights and he Acted as though he himself wielded power and judgment over them as if he were the one In charge as if he were God so to speak And he struck the rock in anger rather than obeying God and speaking to it as God had commanded and Having struck the rock in anger having taken this role upon himself as if he were to say I am in the place of God to you Moses died before he entered the Promised Land Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he did this in the wilderness Before the children of Israel Joseph here does exactly the opposite his brothers come to him when Joseph could have said I'm gonna rain down fire and brimstone on you for all you've done to me right and sought revenge so to speak Joseph doesn't do that Joseph doesn't do that do not be afraid he said to them for am I in the place of God? Am I in the place of God? Joseph understands God's providence God is accomplishing his decreed will and I am simply a means To his ends you see if you think about that that will change your perspective on life The way that you view everything Changes I heard one say it's like a Copernican revolution In your mind a Copernican revolution Remember Copernicus was one who thought that or people originally thought that all the universe revolved around the earth Everything revolved around the earth The Copernican revolution was when they found out that no That our solar system including the earth revolves around the sun it just like Changed the way that everybody thought about the universe This if you can think of yourself As a means rather than an end it'll change the way that you think about everything That's important. We'll talk about that more as we go so now Joseph then further clarifies this in verse 20 knowing God's providence Knowing this place In the providential working of God Joseph says in verse 20, but as for you You meant evil against me But God meant it for good In order to bring it about as it is to this day to save many people alive That's the that's the lesson Of the story the account of joseph That's the lesson you can say that we're supposed to take away from this account. That's amazing amazing to me We sit in the audience so to speak we sit in the audience so to speak and watch the divine masterpiece Played upon the stage of history and we come to understand something of the providential work of our gracious and good god We stand back and watch it as it takes place on the stage of history in the account of joseph and his brothers right here in egypt And for all the apparent chaos That there looks to be in this world For all of the evil for all of the wickedness of fallen men for all of these things that have taken place The wickedness of his brothers the famine has come upon upon the land the very life of joseph Going into potiphar's house being imprisoned and then finding himself as second to pharaoh all of this It apparently looks like chance and coincidence and fate Chaos so to speak this is all the work of our gracious and good god God is at sovereign work through divine providence to bring all things to their god glorifying and therefore good end God is bringing about all of these circumstances for his good purposes The serpent in the garden meant it for evil But god meant it for good and think about that What the serpent meant for evil god meant for good That so far out of the realm of just foresight or foreknowledge isn't it What the serpent meant for evil god meant it for good What pharaoh what pharaoh meant for evil god meant for good what judas meant for evil god meant for good Here the brothers of joseph intended evil against him But god meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive Concerning god's providence This Is called the doctrine of concurrence The doctrine of concurrence. There's a Confluence a convergence if you will there are two rivers That converge into one In verse 20 two rivers that converge into one in verse 20 there is a confluence of intentions a Confluence of purposes right think with me the brothers sin They hated they plotted they devised they reasoned within themselves They determined their course of action and they acted Intending to do evil against joseph. They acted freely And they acted therefore morally responsible for their actions And they are ultimately Accountable to god for all of their actions and And god has decreed And god has determined and god has acted freely and acting freely god has directed all this according to his own will The brothers of joseph though acting freely We would have to say we're not acting alone Can you see god was acting in and through their choice To bring about his decreed purpose. He was working even in and through Their sin Mind it's their sin their wicked intentions their wicked aims their wicked actions That does not mean that does not mean that god is the author of evil We know that god is not the author of sin god neither temps is not tempted nor does he tempt anyone to sin james makes that very clear But it does mean that god is sovereign And god is sovereign even over sin Their intent was joseph's destruction God's intention was the salvation of many lives isn't that interesting right? It's fascinating how god works through providence their intention was joseph's death God's intention was the salvation of many lives the activity of god And the activity of man converge called the doctrine of concurrence And from that what's interesting from that convergence It is the will of god That is accomplished It's the will of god that is accomplished dutch reformer Willemus abracal Says it's not we're not to think of this like two horses pulling a wagon Like the two horses are side by side and they're pulling a wagon down the pathway, right? It's not like two horses pulling a wagon. Instead god permeates works in all secondary causes and their motions to a Conclusive effect god works in all of it to bring about his end It's amazing. That is the mystery of the doctrine of providence. How god does that is a mystery There are many things in the bible that we Will simply not understand We can't understand listen If there's something in the bible that we simply cannot we are not meant to understand because god has not revealed how he does it Listen, that's okay We're responsible to understand everything that we can I've talked to people i'm sure you have too before if you've witnessed for any length of time Talk to people, you know who will deny some truth in the bible And they'll deny that truth in the bible by saying well, we just don't understand how it works No, you don't get away with that The bible has revealed this to be true. You're to believe it And you're to exhaust yourself in attempting to understand digest and Submerge yourself in all that god has revealed. You can't just ignore Teaching the bible and say well, it's just so difficult for us to know Do the work Understand as much as has been revealed to you and you're responsible for what has been revealed to you But there are many things in the bible revealed that we don't understand and listen. That's okay. Get used to it Get used to it God sometimes simply reveals truth and says believe it God sometimes simply reveals truth and says obey it Even though we don't always understand it I do not know how god works through above and even beyond all of our free choices and actions to Bring about or to perfectly accomplish his decreed will. I don't know how god does that I may not know how he does it But I do know that he does it and how do we know that because that's exactly what the bible reveals This is the doctrine of concurrence the doctrine of god's providence for another example Turn with me to first samuel first samuel chapter two first samuel chapter two And let's look at another example of secondary causes or instrumental means From first samuel chapter two in the account of elie and his two wicked sons This is the doctrine of god's providence first samuel chapter two Look down beginning at verse 22 first samuel chapter two verse 22 Now elie elie is serving as a priest here Eli was very old And he heard everything his sons did to all israel And how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting at the door of the worship place I know what we're talking about here Verse 23 so he said to them Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. It's amazing that Eli has to hear about this from others He doesn't himself know what's going on with his two wicked sons And here all this warrants from elie apparently in elie's heart and mind is just a verbal rebuke. Why are you doing such things? This is serious business right He said to them, why do you do such things? I hear of your evil dealings from all the people know my sons For it is not a good report that I hear you make the lord's people transgress Now notice first notice first with me The two sons of elie are wicked men They're wicked men. They'd become a scourge to the children of israel a plague On worship in israel they caused israel to despise the offerings And notice god didn't work in their heart to make them evil They were sinful by nature. There's a heresy It's called equal ultimacy God's providence a biblical understanding of god's providence does not mean That god goes into the heart of an otherwise neutral man And works in his heart to make him do evil things to bring about his judgment upon him Right god doesn't work that way. That's a heresy called equal ultimacy. This is not equal ultimacy This is not god working in their heart to make them evil working in their heart to make them do evil things They were sinful by nature Right. They're wicked men sinful by nature acting in accord with their sinful natures. Now listen You might identify yourself with very various characters in the bible You might read a story like this and say well, you know, i'm like samuel Or i'm like maybe you think i'm like elie listen Before jesus christ you are a wicked son of elie. You're just like one of these wicked sons by nature children of wrath By nature sons of disobedient by nature someone god has plans for And listen to the plans that god has for them They're responsible these two wicked sons are responsible and accountable for their free sinful actions verse 25 If one man sends against another god will judge him But if a man sends against the lord who will intercede for him Nevertheless, listen, they did not heed the voice of their father. Why? Because the lord desired to kill them That's interesting to worded that way intentionally by the spirit of god notice the order It does not say the lord desired to kill them because they did not heed the voice of their father But rather it says they did not heed the voice of their father Because the lord desired to kill them. This is the working of god's providence The order speaks to cause and effect Cause and effect their disobedience is the effect. What is the cause of their disobedience? Ultimately you could say the lord's determination to kill them There's secondary causes here lord works through means works through instrumental means secondary causes to bring about his purpose Their own sin nature their own sinful inclinations their own sinful wicked heart In other words, the lord works through means or secondary causes to accomplish his will This is the work of his providence The means by which the lord would carry out his will pertaining to these two men Would be their disobedience to their father. That's the means Through which god was at work to bring about his decreed ends concerning them. You see God determined the end And god determined the means or the instrumental cause and the two wicked sons of elie acted freely They made their own choices their own decisions in accord with their own sinful nature And they were held responsible for their actions So think about this account together first Samuel chapter two. Let me ask you Did god have to reach into their heart and do anything to make them disobey? Did god have to do that? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Why? Because the two wicked sons of elie were totally depraved They were depraved depraved in heart and mind and the only restraint To the free reign of their depravity Is brother and sister the only the very same restraint That is operative in your heart and in my heart to restrain our sinful inclinations. And that is the restraining hand of god The only restraint upon the two wicked sons of elie Upon their depravity Upon giving free reign to their depravity is the restraining hand of a gracious god who is working all things according to the counsel of his own will The restraining hand of god did god have to provoke them to evil. No god did not He merely needed to remove the restraint Do you see He merely needed to remove any restraint on their corrupt nature And the two wicked sons of elie acted in accord with their wicked nature and did what they were naturally predisposed to do It's interesting in the bible. Now there are many examples of this One is where god It says hardened the heart of pharaoh the bible clearly says that that god hardened Pharaoh's heart What did god do to harden pharaoh's heart did god reach into the heart of pharaoh And implant their sin and wickedness and desire to do evil No god doesn't have to do that God doesn't have to do that in order for pharaoh's heart to be further hardened What did god merely have to do god merely had to withhold his restraining hand remove the restraint Remove the restraint and pharaoh's heart became harder and harder and harder and harder All that is necessary Is the removal of his gracious restraint And it that removal gives free reign to our lusts Free reign to our sinful inclinations free reign to our depraved nature to do that Which is natural to depraved men and women right boys and girls That removal if you think about it when god removes his hand that way that's already a judgment of god Against their wickedness. Do you see? romans one Speaks of it this way romans one speaks of it as god Giving them up to the uncleanness In the lusts of their hearts giving them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts Does god have to go and implant uncleanness? no There is uncleanness That would take free reign in our hearts had it not been for the restraining hand of a gracious god He just gives them up to it gives them up to their natural inclinations It says there in romans one that he gave them up to vile passions. He gives them up God gave them up to a debased mind. He merely gives them up. What does he do? He removes the restraint He removes his gracious restraining hand sometimes God works apart from secondary causes or apart from instrumental means and we call those actions of god miracles When god doesn't work through secondary causes when he doesn't work through instrumental means and he goes Against you could say the order that he's established in that sense and operates miraculously, right? It's often that this world Will see miracles in the bible and they'll seek to find Secondary causes or instrumental means that are outside the control and hand of god to explain them away Right, it's not the red sea With water towering over feiro and his armies. It's the reed seed the reed sea and it's just calf deep right and The wind blew and spread spread the water apart. It's like you go across It's absurd right the world looking at secondary causes and trying to replace god with those secondary causes God is providential over even secondary causes god is providential over instrumental causes instrumental means And god is providential over all of it god's providence extends over all things even the wicked actions of simple men Even over the free actions even over the free supposedly free decisions of men Even when those free action decisions are simple proverbs chapter 16 verse 9 A man's heart plans his way But the lord directs his steps It's amazing You plan your way the lord Directs your steps Proverbs chapter 19 verse 21. There are many plans in a man's heart Nevertheless the lord's council That will stand if you think about it proverbs 16 a man a man's heart plans his way The lord directs his steps speaking of the doctrine of concurrence, right? We could think of that way of that passage the doctrine of concurrence There's a convergence that you could say of two rivers in that passage proverbs 19 21 There are many plans in a man's heart Nevertheless Despite those plans The lord's council that's what will stand a man may think he's accomplishing his own will. He's actually accomplishing the decreed will of god Proverbs 20 24 a man steps are of the lord How then can a man understand his own way? How can he understand his own way? It's the mystery of god's providence a great mystery. We don't understand The world tends to think of these things as historical accidents Not so When you begin to understand this you begin to see the invisible hand of god in your life God at work through providence not that we Are uh can Interpret god's will By looking at providence It's often the case that we absolutely cannot and it's unwise to try to do so But god is at work. We can certainly see god's providence for example Directing the affairs of this church You've been here for any length of time. What god has done in this church is absolutely amazing like amazing God's providence it is amazing what god has done and the You know you look back we tend to look at providence in the rear of your mirror And you look back at all of the the things that god has done and you go in each one and say That that was god that did that. Yep. And that was god that did that There's no other explanation But that god did that and god did all these things and you know it is absolutely stunningly Staggeringly amazing the church plants that we've been a part of here To know those stories to see how god worked in those circumstances absolutely amazing that is god At work through his providence bringing about his decreed end and purposes What about your own life? What about your own life? Can you see god's good providence at work in your own life? I could give you one example if you're here and you don't know the lord jesus christ You have never turned from your sin. You're still living for yourself But you you are the ruler of your own life. That's the way that you're living. You're in your sin and loving it Then it's god's kind Compassionate providence at work that you're here today Have an opportunity to hear the gospel preach have an opportunity to hear what the lord has to say about you Your condition where you will end up And what he has done to revive for sin And god's providence right ruth could see it in her life Right just read about ruth absolutely amazing Naomi tried to interpret gods How god related to her by looking at providence and Naomi said call me mara bitterness Because god god obviously hates me right joe Thought that god hated him treating him that way we can't Understand god's relatedness to us through providence. We just have to trust him trust him But we see god's providence at work in ruth's life We see providence god's work of providence in Naomi's life in joe's life in ester ester's life, right? And these are not Extraordinary circumstances. These are not Extinuating circumstances. This is how god works in the world in every circumstance This is how god commonly works in every aspect of his created order We reason we choose we desire we act when god is there sovereign over it all the tragic reality of our fall into sin Is it apart from a work of god to create us anew in christ? Our reasoning and choosing and desiring and acting are all against The revealed will of god in his word He demands holiness in our inward parts. He demands a love for him above all and we are incapable apart from his grace to do it We're free to reason free to Choose free to desire free to act We're free to do what we want so to speak and that's the problem because we have a sin nature And we're enslaved To our sin nature we're in bondage to our sin nature and when we do what we want we sin We desperately need to be set free From that we desperately need to be set free from sin and death. The only way that happens Is by the working of his spirit And there's no concurrence involved in that work No concurrence god alone Changes my heart god alone Causes me to be born again. He changes the disposition of my nature and god makes me a new creation in christ Those things which were natural To my fallen condition are natural no more That which is natural to me changes In accord with my new heart when god changes my nature Then that which is natural to me also changes you see In christ then we love the lord We love his word. We hate our sin. What changed? What changed your heart changed? Your affections changed Who changed them? The lord changed them god Changed them I didn't do it Did you choose? Then let me ask you did you choose Did you choose to turn from sin and to put your faith in the lord jesus christ? Of course you did Of course you chose You chose to repent you chose to believe of course you chose Why did you choose? Why did you choose to turn from sin and to trust in jesus christ? Why because you wanted to You wanted to be free from sin. You wanted to follow the lord jesus christ You wanted to be forgiven. You wanted to turn to life. You wanted to worship him Why did you do it because you wanted to do it? But you didn't do it in accord with your old sin nature That would be impossible You didn't do it in accord with your old sin nature if you truly turn it's because god Made you alive in jesus christ. That's why you did it From dead from being dead in trespasses and sin God made you alive in christ and now You want to and so you do He made you alive and then you wanted to and then you chose you chose to believe and you chose to repent and you chose to follow him love An affection for the lord jesus christ is not natural to fallen men. It's not natural to follow men by nature Apart from christ, you're a child of wrath Son of disobedience, but now things have changed now things have changed and christ is precious to you. Why is that? Why is that? Because of his kind Providence toward us. We love him. Why? Because he first loved us. That's why the lord says listen. I didn't you didn't choose me I chose you It's absurd to think of it any other way We love him because he first loved us works the other way too. Just so you know, why are you not? a christian It's because you refuse to repent and believe you refuse You're willful in your refusal. You're willful in your rejection You refuse to repent and believe you are morally responsible For that wicked choice and you will hold you will be held to account There is a day on which god will judge the world in righteousness So a lesson then a lesson considering these things What is then the primary? cause Think of cause Right causality. What is the primary cause of your salvation? It is the work of god alone The primary cause of your salvation is the work of god alone What is a secondary cause or what is an instrumental means? By which you are saved through which you are saved My repentant faith I repent and I believe it is a means Through which god justifies the instrumental means of faith because it comes as a fruit of our new nature It's considered a gift of god But it is an instrumental means god in his providence works in and through both primary and secondary or instrumental causes Necessary to bring about his decreed will and those secondary causes Are free They're free in the sense that those agents Performing secondary causes are uncoerced They're not like string, you know Pinocchio Or a robot They're uncoerced And the examples of this are numerous we simply don't have time to Get into many of them today consider I encourage you to take a look at this on your own time One example in acts 27 is very compelling very interesting in acts 27. You remember Paul Is a prisoner and he's on his way to Rome By ship put paul a bunch of other people on this ship and they're headed to rome where paul is going to go before trial in rome On their way the seas become exceedingly rough It's a bad time of year to be traveling and they begin to fear for their lives They believe they're going to drown the death the ship is going to be shipwreck. They're not going to make it It's at that time that an angel from god comes and tells paul that they're all going to be saved God decrees god says paul You're going to be saved. You're going to be saved. Now if you remember the account That's the word of god that will come to pass god is going to save those on the ship Well, they start making provisions to navigate through the storm right they start throwing cargo overboard They do what they are supposed to do all of those Are secondary causes or they are instrumental means by which the ship is saved you see You can't say to yourself right Listen, I trust god And if god wants to kill me he can kill me so i'm not going to wear my seat belt No god uses instrumental causes instrumental means secondary causes It may very well be that the instrumental cause of your death Is not wearing your seat belt you foolish person put your seat belt on right God uses secondary causes instrumental means one of the instrumental means or secondary causes that god uses To bring about his decreed will to save the people on the ship Is that they begin throwing cargo overboard they begin taking steps to preserve the ship right in the process of this preservation There are many who decide they're going to sneak around front Drop a skiff down and get off the boat and row to shore Right they say that's the way we're going to do things in other words Not trusting in god's word right god's revealed word god's going to save the ship I'm not going to trust in that i'm going to go or drop the skiff down get on the skiff go to the shore Paul in the midst of this introduces a contingency and i want us to understand this little aspect of providence also right Paul says to them listen if you get off the boat You cannot be saved Introduces a con does that contingency undermine god's Decreed will in the situation. No doesn't undermine it. It supports it How does it support it that contingency supports it by keeping the guys on the boat? Right keeping the guys on the boat the warning is real The contingency is real if they got off the boat, they're going to die It's all real, but god uses that contingency to Bring about his desire purpose. I've thought about it many times with respect to warning passages in Hebrews For example, Hebrews 6 Hebrews 10 right having been enlightened right having tasted of the spirit of the The age that heavenly powers the good gifts and blowing the quoting of that But um If you've come to the lord jesus christ, it's impossible now if you turn away to renew them again to repentance And what's left for them is this fearful expectation of judgment that is a contingency is very real That's not just merely hypothetical That is a real contingency But it's a contingency meant to bring about the accomplishment of god's will It's meant to keep you believer Fearing sin And trusting in the lord by cleaning closely to him. Do you see how that works? That's again, that's a work of god's providence how god Works through secondary causes or instrumental means to bring about his decreed and purposed end Paul says if you get off the boat, you cannot be saved Paul wasn't undermining the promise of god That warning was a means Of them staying in the boat Warning was real the secondary cause a contingency which was instrumental in god accomplishing his purpose concerning them was real God's will doesn't do away with secondary causes or contingencies. God's will actually established god's providence Actually establishes secondary causes and instrumental means contingencies like this one in other words in other words My actions as Second causes or as instrumental means have significance I'm not just a pawn I'm acting i'm deciding i'm choosing i'm living and our actions our thoughts our lives have Significance as instrumental means in other words typical absurd and foolish objection to God's sovereignty is understood by the doctrines of grace Is that then why evangelize? Why would you ever evangelize? Because if god's going to save them, he's going to save them no need for you to go Right, it's full if you believe that then why would you ever evangelize? Listen we evangelize because we believe that If you believe that god works through secondary causes and instrumentality I'm an instrument By which god is accomplishing his means his ends his purposes his plans I'm a means by which he does that That motivates me fuels me to go out and obey him Right, and I want to be a part of that it's like to william carrey that went to china right and william carrey was going to china and Old curmudgeony Guy and their church, you know the the lord wanted to save those he then he could do it without your help How absurd william carrey Saw lost people in china Became burdened he wanted to go preach the gospel to them that they might be saved and god used william carrey as a means to save thousands There were missionaries upon missionaries upon missionaries who have followed william carrey onto the mission field to preach the gospel to lost sinners that they might be saved The missionary work that we see done today in large part right is following the example of william carrey Our church planting efforts following the example of william carrey following the instruction given us in god's word God says go and preach the gospel to every creature God The way that god works in providence actually establishes instrumental means secondary causes why preach If he doesn't why preach god wants to Apply his word to you he can do it without Somebody like me He doesn't mostly without me anyway No, it's god uses secondary means secondary causes he uses instrumentality. Why pray? Why pray? You don't believe that your prayers Mean anything that god works through your prayers to bring about his decreed ends Why study there's so many other examples right so many examples in scripture This is how god works in the world Where do we fit in this understanding bear with me for just a moment? Where do we fit into this understanding? Most believe themselves To be the end For which god exists All god's plans all god's purposes terminate in me Pertain to me. I am the end my happiness My fulfillment he has a wonderful plan for my life and it's god's job to make sure that happens Like a rose trampled on the ground. He took the fall and thought of me above all When in reality in reality We are a means to his ends We're means to his ends and his providence We are a secondary cause We are an instrumentality. You do not exist for your own ends. You exist for his ends for from him and through him and to him Are all things including you including me God has a right to do with me as he pleases god has a right to do with you as he pleases Paul says in first Corinthians chapter 8 verse 5 for us There is one god the father of whom are all things and we for him And one lord jesus christ through whom are all things and through whom we live For him right? If you meditate on that that will change how you view the world Change how you view life it'll change how you think change how you live change how you serve the lord Change how you pray change how you worship Right change how you use salt in him I'm not an end. I am a means to his ends and whatever my god ordains is right That brings us to romans chapter 8 Listen to this in verse 28 romans chapter 8 verse 28 Listen And we know Not simply believe Not simply think not simply hope We know That all things not some things not most things not just the things we want All things Work together for good To those who love god to those who are the called According to his purpose that is a tremendous promise And it is intensely practical Intensely practical Why? Because those whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the first born among many brethren Moreover those who be predestined these he also called those who be called These he also justified those whom he justified these he also glorified. There's an unbroken Shame of god accomplishing his purposes for you God will Through his providence bring about his promised ends So paul asked the question then what are we to say to these things? All right, what are we to say to that? That is like this glorious truth What then shall we say to these things? this If god is for us And who can be against us? God for us god's for us Who can be against us? What exists that could be against us if god is for us? He who did not spare his own son But delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him? Also freely give us all Things who's going to bring a charge against god's elect? That's god who justifies us who is he who condemns it is christ who died furthermore He's also risen who is even at the right hand of god who also makes intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of christ is tribulation going to do it? Absolutely not tribulation is god's good providence toward us Which we often see in the rear mirror as exactly what we needed Was exactly for our good and we look at all that god accomplished through it And we're comforted comforted and our faith is bolstered and we trust him more and we thank him We're grateful for it Right is distress going to do it is persecution going to do it famine nakedness peril sword Listen, there's nothing that's going to do it As it is written Paul says for your sake. We're killed all day long We're accounted a sheep or the slaughter Yet in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him who loved us. They've already conquered I've already conquered in christ right christ is the one who has conquered I am persuaded Paul says that neither death nor life Nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come in the words nothing Right not height nor depth nor any other creative thing Shall be able to separate us from the love of god, which is in christ jesus our lord Amen A biblical understanding of god's providence is comforting It is empowering It is emboldening it is faith fueling it is motivating It is height of foolishness to worry Isn't it to complain So much more could be said All praise honor and glory to the one who holds us in his sovereign hands. Amen. Amen. Let's pray Take a moment Thank the lord Ask him to apply this understanding help us or to understand these things more clearly from your word And then when you're done praying we'll pray together and we'll be dismissed. Let's pray Father in heaven, we Thank you for your perfect will Thank you lord for who you are for what you've done Thank you for sending jesus christ. Thank you for providing The sacrifice for sin. Thank you for forgiving us in him. Thank you for uniting us to him Thank you for adopting us in him Thank you for the inheritance we have in him lord. Thank you for these glorious glorious blessings. Thank you lord for that Just the smiling precious and gracious and merciful work of your providence toward us in him Working all things together for good What a tremendous blessing we've seen that time and time and time and time again in our own lives lord and we Just in all of you or how you do these things we don't understand lord But we know that you do and your word reveals that you do We're grateful we lay hold of those precious truths and we worship you and praise you for them And be with this lord as we Grow in our faith grow us lord mature us help us understand these things and help us to Not to worry or and help us to Stop complaining and help us lord to trust you Help us to rely on you to rest in you and help us to be comforted by these truths and Strengthened by these truths and emboldened by them and motivated by them And fuel our worship fuel our praise fuel our faith And further conform us lord into the image of your son who trusted you perfectly in all things You may be glorified And then you may be worshiped And that we may be like him Our lord I pray lord if there's anyone here who's never turned from your sin to trust you lord that you would save them That you would bring about good in that respect toward them. I pray that they would not Be obstinate in their sin and rebellion against you That would see how they offended you and would turn to the blessed savior And I pray lord for my brother and sisters here at this church lord that you would Mature us in our Faith our precious faith And help us lord to be more faithful followers of our lord jesus christ Burn good for your glory as a testimony of this lost and dying world I pray that we'd be fervent In obeying you knowing that we are But means or that you graciously use to bring about your decree to ends And help us to be in awe and wonder of that reality that we are used to view in that way and rejoice to be means To that end because it brings glory to you and help us lord to be faithful in doing that We can't do any of this in our own strength spirit of god. We ask that you would cause us To walk in your statutes and judgments and to do them All these things we pray in the blessed name of jesus christ. Amen