My subject is entitled, God's
Changing Providence. God's Changing Providence. I want to give a little preface
to it before we read the scripture this morning. This has been on
my mind for several weeks, and I began to pull it together this
last week. Let me raise some questions and
make a few statements to show you what all is involved and
how important this subject is. Not only how important, but how
practical it is. And folks, there's not a one
of us in this auditorium this morning. But what is not going
to be skinned down to the quick. So I warn you ahead of time. I raise a question to begin with.
How does the typical church member today deal with the subject of providence? How does he speak of God's providence? When does he speak of God's providence? Let me go back over that. I began to ask myself the question,
how do you use providence? When do you refer to God's providence? Now, let me raise another question.
Is it when you feel like you have been blessed physically, monetarily, etc., etc.? In other words, Do you like to
talk about God's providence in the vein of you being blessed
either physically, monetarily, job-wise, or whatever? That thought
came to my mind, and then I started asking the question to myself.
And I could not help but think about many ministers, when I
would hear them give their testimony, they would say, the providence
of God made it possible for me to be here. I would tell the
congregation that, like on the first Sunday as the new pastor. And when you find out where he
came from, and now where he is, the salary
at that time, the salary now. Do you know what I'm saying? All the testimonies I've ever
heard from preachers, it is not when they go from a big church
and a big salary and they get kicked out and they go to a smaller
church, they don't say anything about God's providence. Now let's make a personal application
of that. I've heard members of this assembly
talk about the providence of God. The providence of God has made
it possible for me to have this job, even though I may move. And it's a job that means more
money. greater opportunity. So he likes
to talk about the providence of God. I've never heard a member of any church I've ever pastored
talk about sickness, some great trial through which the person
has been in God's providence. He placed me in that position.
He gave me that experience. You don't hear it then. Am I
telling you the truth or not? Am I telling you the truth or
not? You never hear a Christian talking
about God's providence and contributing it. God's providence in connection
with his sickness, with his persecution, with his ridicule that he might
receive for standing true to the Word of God, falsehoods being
told about him, they never attribute any of that to God's providence.
Why? Why, folks? You know why. There's just something
about all of us. We like to look good before others. But that's not what the Bible
teaches. And that has never been my experience. When you think about people like
Job, Was it in the providence of God
that Job was tested in the manner he was? Let me just mention a few. Elijah, during the days of Ahab and Jezebel,
he was faithful in proclaiming the truth of God, but he was
accused by the head of the government under which he lived. for being
a troublemaker. Read it, you'll read it in the
18th chapter of 1 Kings. What about David when he was
cursed by Shimei and called you bloody man? He told the truth. Was that in the providence of
God? Yes, it was. What about Asaph? in the 73rd
division of the Psalms? What about John the Baptist and
his message in the 3rd chapter of Matthew, and yet in the 14th
chapter of Matthew, he had his head cut off? Folks, As Christians, sometimes
we do not do justice to the scriptures. We are not honest when we study
them. What about the Apostle Paul in
the 24th chapter of Acts? And we'll get into that chapter
probably during the discussion of this session. I came to this conclusion in
studying about it. Not many church members, as generally
speaking, not many church members today know the difference between
WORK, W-O-R-K, and WORSHIP, W-O-R-S-H-I-P. The only similarity that you
and I should see is both start with a W, and that's as far as
it goes. We can't work unless we're truly worshiping. We can't really work for the
Lord unless we first worship. We don't want to get the cart
before the horse. You see, people want a title
today. Oh, if I could just do something,
do something, do something. I'll tell you something, if you
worship the Lord, you will do something. And it doesn't have
to be while you're inside the four walls of the church building.
It's every day you live. Let us not forget the providence
of God with all these men. Now let me ask you this question.
There are not many, quote, churches, end of quote, that would call
somebody like Elijah, who had been criticized by the government,
a troublemaker. They wouldn't want Paul because
He, too, was a troublemaker and accused by a lawyer, one
of the most, if not the most brilliant lawyer of Paul's day, Tertullus. You remember? Oh,
what a study. They wouldn't want men like that.
We've got to have someone who has been a good PR man, gotten
people together, doing a great work. Look what he's built, money
raised, decisions for Christ, but he hadn't stood for the truth. They talk about the providence
of God in everything that makes man look good. want no part of
providence. Don't mention it. You can't be
a good public relations man if you mention the downside. We've
got to always refer to the upside, not the downside. Now folks, am I being honest
with you this morning? God's changing providence. Let's read the scriptures. Open
your Bibles, please, to the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes. Make a few statements before
we begin reading with verse 1. What is providence? Providence is purpose, purpose
in execution. That's providence. The word providence
comes from a compound Greek word. And the word is pranaeo. It's made up, first of all, of
the preposition pra, P-R-O in English. And then the stem is
naeo. Pra means before. Naeo means
to discern, to perceive, to understand, to comprehend, or to perceive. Providence is purpose and execution.
There is a time. The word time is very important.
Time for the execution of each aspect of God's purpose. For each aspect, there's a time
for it. is finite duration in which God's
eternal purpose will be fulfilled. Time that began with creation
will be completed when God's purpose regarding His creation
and its inhabitants is fulfilled. Time never has been in eternity
and it will never go into eternity. Eternity is an eternal now. Eternal now, N-O-W now. And we are living in what is
called a finite duration. Now, having said that, let's read some scripture. There is an appointed time for
everything. You're going to be amazed. In
fact, you may want to take something when you're studying this in
your Bible, take your marker, and every time you find the word
time, shade it. Just the word time. You'll be amazed. There is an
appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every
event. under heaven. Now watch this. There is the
up and the down, the up and the down, the up and the down. A time to give birth and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to
uproot what is planted. A time to kill. Oh, now that,
we could stop there, couldn't we? What does that mean? That means just take a double-barrel
shotgun or a 12-gauge pump and go out here and just start mowing
people down? That's not what it means. Kill refers to people justly
condemned to die. Well, we've been talking about
it. You see how one subject will
lead you into something else, and then there's just no conclusion
to it? and a time to heal. There's a
time to kill and there's a time to heal. A time to tear down. You have to destroy before you
can build. That's true in your own life.
I said that's true in your own life. People think they can build
without any destruction having taken place first. You can't
do it. Can't do it. A time to tear down and a time
to build up. A time to weep. And a time to laugh. You know,
when I got through with the introduction that I've already given you,
and then I started reading this, I saw things that I hadn't seen
before. Do you know what I'm talking about now? a time to dance, a time to throw stones, a time to gather stones. What do
you think that means? When you look at the European
countries and all the kind of houses they built in those days,
even like England, taking rocks and building houses and take
them years and years and years to build a house, and they live
in it for centuries. They just change the inside. So you think about the fellow
who farms, he may have to move a lot of rocks, not the trees
like we do in East Texas, but the rocks and things in order
that he can cultivate. When you look at around Jerusalem and that part
of the country. As you watch TV, you can see
what this really meant. Clearing the land, removing the
rocks. Stones. So a time to throw stones,
a time to gather stones. A time to embrace, and a time
to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time
to give up is lost. Searching and to give up is lost. Upside,
downside. A time to be silent and a time
to speak. I find that to be very difficult
sometimes. Do you? There's a time when you
better just keep your mouth shut. Then there's a time to speak.
So knowing when to speak and when not to speak. A time to love and a time to
hate. Oh, can you hear the Democratic
Party? I wonder how they'd spin around
that one. and a lot of others, a lot of
Republicans as well. Time to love, time to hate, time for war, time for peace. They talk about no more wars,
a war to end all wars, they said that during the time before I was
born, World War I. This is the war to end all wars. The Bible says you'll have wars
and rumors of wars. And the greatest battle is yet
to be fought. Time for war, time for peace.
What profit is there in the worker from that in which he toils. I have seen the task which God
has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He
has made everything appropriate in its time. Everything appropriate
in its time. He has also set eternity in their
heart, yet so that man will not find
out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the
end. I know that there is nothing
better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime. Moreover, that every man who
eats and drinks sees good in all his labor. It is the gift
of God. I know that everything God does
will remain forever. There is nothing to add to it,
and there is nothing to take from it. For God has so worked
that men should fear Him, that which is, has been already. Notice the terminology here.
That which is present has been already, and that which will
be has already been. For God seeks what has passed
by. Verses 1 through 15 of the NASB. Who's in control? I want to say
a few words about who is in control today. Is God in control? Are we acting as though God was
in control? Who is directing the course of
events? I want to recall to your minds,
I think, a wonderful illustration at this point. This took place in 1981. You
remember when Ronald Reagan was shot? Do you remember the man who made
a fool of himself, not thinking he was in charge?
And let it be known that he was in charge, It was not him that
was qualified to take over in the event the president would
have died from having been shot. So there was great confusion
in the White House, even during the time that the
Republicans were in office. And the confusion was over who
was actually in charge. Do you remember the name Alexander
Haig? I'll never forget it as long
as I live. Boy, he was dogmatic to let the
press know that he was in charge. The Secretary of State. And here's
what he said. It's gone down in history, folks,
and people will never let it die, and that's good that it
doesn't ever die. He said, as of this moment, I
am in charge. The fact was, he was not officially
in charge. As confusing as that was to many
people in America at that time, there is more confusion about
God's providence and who is in charge. When the sovereignty of God is
neither understood nor embraced, By assembly members, there is
a power struggle for authority. And that's true in almost all
assemblies. Folks, I don't intend to have
anything to do with them. I didn't even 50, 40, 50 years
ago when I came to the knowledge of this, I was willing to do
something about it and by God's grace I did and I'm still maintaining
that same conviction. The real ruler of the universe, generally and over his people
specifically, is none other than the sovereign God of the universe. He's in charge to do as he pleases. when He pleases and to whom He
pleases. God is in control of not only
the universe, but also of every assembly bearing His name, and
that He is continuing to build. He has not been shot Nor has He abdicated His throne. He's on the throne. And we'd
better start acting like we believe it. Are we going to pay dearly for
it? And when I say dearly, folks,
I mean just that, dearly. There is an appointed time for
everything connected with man's practical life in this world. Everything. There is also an appointed time
for everything connected with the spiritual life of God's chosen
ones from among mankind. Consider the practical appointment,
if you will. There was a time for the Savior
to be born, Galatians 4.4. Christ was born at God's appointed
time. That time was preceded by 4,000
years of preparation. I said 4,000 years of preparation. You know when these men say that
Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, He's not born of a virgin
and all of this, they have to be ignorant and spiritually blind. Folks, no one can read the Old
Testament Scriptures and see the fulfillment of the scriptures
and the prophecies that are not yet fulfilled but shall be fulfilled
just as all that have been fulfilled are a reality to you and me. So I believe that I don't question
God. I don't question inspiration. I don't question the integrity
of Christ. And did you know these men that
I read about that are going to be at Rice University? They've done away with the Gospel
of John, no wonder. They don't want any part of the
Gospel of John. You can see why. So they're blind
leaders of the blind. Why anyone? would want to go
to one of their seminars is beyond me. An appointed time, 4,000 years
of human history. When you get a working knowledge,
and when I use the term working knowledge, I mean just familiar
with the great events historically of the Old Testament, and then
you see them in connection with the fulfillment of those prophecies
in the New Testament. Folks, I tell you, the person
who knows the Lord, he's melted. He's humble. He believes with
a faith that will never let him go because it's a God-given faith. Christ's last words to his own
should be carefully scrutinized. In John chapters 13 through 17,
no Christian can read those chapters without just rejoicing. I said
rejoicing in what he learns every time he scans the scriptures. Matthew recorded that Christ's
soul was under the load of anticipated imminent death. as he alone could
know it. I said he alone could know it.
Matthew 26. Death had not at that time lost
its sting. So he endured a real death. You see, you and I do not. When
you and I die, the sting is gone. We just walk through the valley
of the shadow of death. The Christian understands that.
He believes it. And folks, he's going to experience
it. Those who deny it are going to
taste the real thing, for Christ didn't die for them. You see
what I'm saying? Although Christ said His time
was at hand, time again. Matthew 26, 18. He knew that Peter needed a lesson
concerning self-confidence. Self-confidence. And so you need
to read at this point, verses 33 through 35 of Matthew 26. Peter had, he experienced, a
very humbling experience. of having his sin and then restoration
that was predicted by the Lord. Consider the difference between
Christ and the Christian martyr. The father forsook Christ. Are
you with me? Forsook Christ. He went through,
he suffered the sting of death. Christ had the wrath of God imputed
to Him. Your sentence, my sentence, and
all the elect. So our sentence was imputed to
Him. He suffered the real thing in
order that we might not have to suffer it. So Christ had the
wrath of God imputed to Him on the behalf of all the elect.
The Christian martyr had the comfort of God's love that had
been shed abroad in his heart. Christ had the weight of all
the sins of all the elect and only the elect. The bleeding
martyr was released from the weight of his own sins. There was a time for the sealing
of the prophecy given to Daniel in Daniel 12 and verse 4. However,
the time of prophecy given to John, which is the fulfillment
of Daniel's prophecy, is unsealed. Watch this, unsealed. Revelation
1, 3 and Revelation 22, 10. What was sealed? to the prophet Daniel. In chapter
12, verse 4, is now open, is now open to you and me, the recipients
of grace. It is about time, folks, for
the confirmation of the covenant spoken of in Daniel 9, 27. Consider that Solomon, the preacher,
And we are to consider not only him, the wisest man of his day,
but also what he was as a preacher when he said concerning an appointed
time for everything. Appointed time for everything. connected with man's practical
life. And that's given us in verses
1 through 15 of chapter 3. Now let's look at the word Ecclesiastes
for a moment. Do you know what it means? It
means the preacher. The preacher. Not a preacher,
but the preacher. And the preacher here was Solomon,
whose wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the East,
and all the wisdom of Egypt, which typifies all the wisdom
of this world, from its beginning until its consummation. I hope
that sinks in. That's a lot of wisdom, folks.
So I go to the book of all books for my wisdom. I said, the book
of all books. Christ was made unto me. Wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, Paul said in
1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. That's what he's done for me.
That's what he's done for you. So the preacher was Solomon,
whose wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the world. Wisdom is not the
same as talent. It's not the same as ability. It's not the same as prudence. Wisdom is more rare than a high
order of genius. It is that exercise of reason,
this common reason, into which the heart enters, a structure
of the understanding rising out of one's spiritual nature and
can only arise out of a spiritual nature. Only the regenerated person can
understand spiritual things. Four things are absolutely essential
before anyone can arrive at any saving knowledge of truth. Number one, there must be divine
illumination. Divine illumination in order
to understand. Without light, that is, without
illumination, we cannot see. Number two, there must be a God-given
faith in the heart. In the heart. Without God-given
faith, we cannot believe. Number three, godly fear must
be in the conscience. Without fear, we cannot reverence
God. Number four, heavenly love must
be in the affections without agape love. We cannot embrace
Jesus Christ, who is the very epitome of truth. Truth, if you
please, incarnate. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life, and no person comes to the Father except by me. He said it. I believe it. I experience it. That settles
it. The East was famous for its wisdom. 1 Kings chapter 4. I said the East was famous for
its wisdom. The wise men of Matthew chapter
2 were wise indeed because they turned their backs on the seat
of human wisdom and came to bow before Him who is and shall ever
be the wisdom of God for in Him is the fullness of the Godhead
manifested." Colossians 2.9. They came from afar to worship
Him. True wisdom does not make unbelievers. Let that soak in. I said true wisdom does not make
unbelievers. You only become a stronger believer. So who gave the wise men the
disposition of heart and mind to come to Jerusalem, not Bethlehem? The following are some characteristics
of true wisdom. Let me share them with you. Number
one, wisdom, true wisdom, recognizes in the humble infant the Christ,
the anointed Son of the living God, born King of the Jews. Two, this wisdom worships Christ,
not his mother. I said not his mother, Christ. The order in Matthew 2 is the
young child and his mother. That's the order. Not through his mother to Christ. You see what I'm saying and why
I'm saying it? Number three, this wisdom knows
no earthly potentate. This wisdom knows that no earthly
potentate is ever born a king. Christ was born king. Number
four, this wisdom leads to not only worship, worship but giving. giving oneself, giving what he
has for the glory of Christ. So this wisdom's confession,
I said this wisdom's confession is given in Matthew 2.11. Let's
listen to it. The writer said, and having come
into the house in Jerusalem, they saw the child with Mary,
his mother. They saw the child with Mary
his mother. And falling, they worshipped
Him, not Mary, and opened their treasures. They presented to
Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So Christ's star led
the wise men to Himself. Matthew 2, 2. His was not merely a star. Christ's star guided the wise
men to the house where Jesus Christ was located. It was not
in Bethlehem, and it was not in a stable, unlike
all the X-mas stuff you see. Furthermore, It was not immediately
after the Lord's birth. Are you listening? Number one, immediately upon
the visit of the wise men, Joseph was told to take the child and
his mother and flee into Egypt. That's Matthew 2, 13-15. Number two, six weeks after the
birth of Christ, Mary and Joseph were in Jerusalem, Luke 2, 22-24. This is the fulfillment of Leviticus. Oh! Fulfillment of Leviticus
12, verses 1-3. Number three, immediately after
that event, Mary and Joseph returned to their city, Nazareth, Luke
2 and 39. This proves that they could not
have gone into Egypt until several weeks after Christ's birth. Undoubtedly, they were not living
in Bethlehem when the wise men came. And this spoils. all those beautiful
Christmas cards that portray the Magi in the stable at Bethlehem. Now, what are you going to believe?
What you see on a postcard or what the Scriptures present?
Solomon's message describes mankind under the sun. That's a favorite
statement. throughout the book of Ecclesiastes,
under the sun. Not in the S-O-N, but under the
S-U-N. The reason for the dissatisfaction
portrayed in Ecclesiastes is that it sets forth human wisdom. Human wisdom. The expression
under the sun is found 29 times in 12 chapters. The word vanity is found 37 times. The statement upon the earth
is found 7 times. And the statement under the heaven
is found 3 times. Let's explain a little. Ecclesiastes
presents the world at its best. I said, at its best. But there
is no satisfaction under the sun. Satisfaction is only in loving
and serving God. And no one can love and serve
God apart from grace. The covenant title of Jehovah
is not found in the book of Ecclesiastes, the covenant God. The same God
appears, but not the covenant God, because the book shows man
in relation to his creator under the sun. There are two peoples
in both the Old and New Testaments. There is first a creator relationship
of all people without exception in the Old Testament. There is
also a covenant relationship of the chosen in the Old Testament. The covenant relationship taught
in the Old Testament had two parts. There is a national relationship
and a chosen spiritual group of people within that national
relationship. And surely you know the passage
in the New Testament, like Romans 9, beginning with verse 5 forward,
explains all of this. So this shows that people within
the chosen nation constitute, I might say, a recreation within
a creation. So the same principle is taught
in the New Testament. Christians are not merely under
the sun. We are above the sun. Wait a minute. Yes, even now
we are above the sun. Proof? because we have been accepted
in the Son of God. Therefore, we have been raised
up to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. That's our
relationship, Ephesians 1 and verse 6. There are three divisions to
the book of Ecclesiastes, the book that emphasizes so much.
and so vividly, so minutely, time for everything under the
sun. I have three divisions. The first
is entitled, The Problem. The Problem. There's a problem.
Chapter 1, verses 1 through 3. I'll give you an outline now
of Ecclesiastes. The second is entitled, The Experiment. The problem, secondly, the experiment. Beginning with the fourth verse
of chapter one, going all the way through the twelfth chapter
and verse twelve. Now watch this. Solomon sought
satisfaction, but he could not find any in science could not
find any in science. I'm going to break it down for
you now, point number two. And I'll give you the verses
for it. Verses 4 through 11 could not be found in science. Secondly,
it could not be found in wisdom, chapter 1, verses 12 through
18. It could not be found in pleasure,
chapter 2, verses 1 through 11. It could not be found in materialism,
chapter 2, verses 12 through 26. It could not be found in
fatalism, chapter 3, verses 1 through 15. It could not be found in
deism, chapter 3, verse 16 through chapter 4, verse 16. It could
not be found in religion, chapter 5, verses 1 through 8. It could
not be found in wealth, Chapter 5, 9 through chapter 6, verse
12. And lastly, it could not be found
in morality. Chapter 7, verse 1 through chapter
12, verse 12. The third division is the conclusion. Verses 13 and 14 of chapter 12. And here's what it says. The
conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His
commandments, because this applies to every person, every person. For God will bring every act
to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good
are evil. Satisfaction comes only from
things above the S-U-N. The language of man under the
sun is all is vanity, because it refers to all earthly
and worldly things. Labor in Christ is not dissatisfying. Therefore, vanity is in respect
to the sin and folly of man. The things God created are not
in themselves vain, but they become vain. I said they become
vain. when they are not used for the
glory of God. Man in his fallen nature misuses
everything that is pure. Now, I have too much material
to cover, and I don't want to go any further than that this
morning, but I want to share