The title of our lesson is, The
Good Providence of Our God. There is nothing more comforting
to the saints or the people of God, the children of God, and
more beneficial to His people than a clear understanding of, in the confidence in God's
providence, God does all things or works all things after the
counsel of His own will. God, either in His active will
or permissive will, allows or brings all things to pass on
Him. So, a firm faith in the universal providence of God is
the solution of all earthly problems. You know it? Whether we're well or whether
we're sick, it's about the good providence of God. You know it?
whether we're alive or whether we go on to meet the Lord and
to be with Him, it's by God in His own good providence bringing
us to that place in His purpose as He's purposed to do it. So
it's almost equally true that a clear and full apprehension
of the universal providence of God is the solution to most theological
problems. You know, we have the theologians
who study these things and we have All those who study the
atmosphere, who study the stars and the moon and all these things,
and even the good providence of God, if we know it, if they
knew it, tells them exactly, doesn't it? All things are coming
to pass by God's purpose and God's will. And it will do what
God has created it for. It will do that very thing. So
it's by the good divine providence of our God. He sovereignly rules
all things. Nothing happens without God.
Either by His directive or permissive will, nothing happens without
Him. It's in God's good providence
that God graciously and wisely brings to pass all that He purposed
in eternity, right? All that God ever purposed in
eternity He will in His time, His specific, His specified time,
bring to pass at the very moment that He's planned it, wanted
it, His purpose to do it. All that He has promised in the
Holy Scriptures to His people, He's going to bring to pass in
His time. God predestinated or predetermined
the destination of His people. And He'll see to it, all those
He determined to save, all those He determined to bring, shall
be with Him in glory. He'll see to it. Romans 8, 29
and 30 says, For whom He did foreknow, He did also predestinate,
or predetermine, to be conformed to the image of His Son. In whom
He predestinated, them He also called. In whom He called, them
He also justified. In whom He justified, them He
also glorified. He spoke in past tense. All these
things as though it had already happened. He has predestined
to bring it to pass in His time. And He will. So it's the predestination
of God. This is the sovereign eternal
purpose of God. Providing Providence is God unfolding
what He has predetermined. In God's time, He unfolds it.
What He's determined, He's predetermined He will unfold it. At the very
moment, He's determined it, won't He? So, it's God's sovereign, absolute
arrangement and disposal of all things for the eternal spiritual
good of all His people, His elect, isn't it? in the glory of His
own great name. Romans 8, 28 says, We know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose. So, all spiritual,
eternal benefits will work together for the good of God's elect and
for the glory of His name, won't it? It will. All things are of
God. All things. There's nothing without
God. Nothing happens without God.
God is not the author of confusion, but God allows it for His own
glory in the eternal benefit of His people. 2 Corinthians 5.18 says, All things
are of God, all things, who have reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ and given to us the ministry of reconciliation. So if we learn
that, we learn the only thing that can stay in our hearts in
peace when our life is full of trouble. When you're down and
you're sick or you might even be on death's bed, you think.
That's of God. That's God's purpose. That's
already been determined in eternity past. And it's coming to pass
just as He determined it. You see, all things are of God. And as I said, if we learn that,
we have less trouble in this flesh, won't we? We do, don't
we? Have less trouble. All things are of God, no matter
what happens to me and you. If we're children of God, it's
of God, and it's for God's glory, and it's for our eternal good. William Cowper wrote, happy is
the man who sees God employed in all the good and ill that
checkers life. See? Happy is the man who sees
God in everything that comes to pass in his life. Whether
it be sickness or death or good health and strength, it's all
of God, see? In this chapter, Rowland read
unto you, chapter 12, it exemplifies, it illustrates God's wise, adorable,
and good providence, don't it? In a very instructive manner.
You read about Herod the king. He killed James. And he had determined
to kill Peter, but the feast of the Passover came up, didn't
it? And you know how the angel of the Lord came and opened the
gates and woke Peter up between the two told him to gird himself,
to put his clothes on and his shoes or whatever, and tuck him
out, didn't he? That was in the will of God.
But Herod had killed James, the brother of John, and he was about
to kill Peter, he thought, wasn't he? So the angel of the Lord
delivered Peter from Herod's sword. The purpose of his study
is to demonstrate clearly the fact that God's providence wisely
and graciously rules in all events recorded. See, Herod killed James,
didn't he? But that was by God's good providence,
wasn't it? Yes. When God calls us out of
this life, that's by God's good providence, isn't it? Yes. But
in God's good providence, he stayed Peter. He wasn't through
with Peter. He was continuing with Peter
to bring the gospel to these Gentile people, wasn't he? So
this clearly demonstrates that the facts of God's good providence
is wisely and graciously ruled in all events. All events, you
see. The death of James. The arrest
of Peter. Peter was arrested by God's providence. James was killed. In the prayers
of the church that went up for Peter. That was by God's good
providence. In the deliverance of Peter by
the angel of the Lord. That's all God's work. And the
death of Herod. were all the works of God's good
providence. So the events of this chapter
plainly demonstrate the glorious sovereignty of our God in all
things. In all things. He does whatsoever
He will in all things. God is in control. Right? Psalms 115 verse 3 says, But
our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He has
pleased. See that? He is in the heavens.
He has done whatever He has pleased. He is in control. Psalms 135
verse 6 says, Whatever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven
and in earth, in the seas, in all deep places. In other words,
that is what He does everywhere. Whatever He pleases, He does.
He is the Lord. He is God. In Isaiah 14, 24,
it says, The Lord of Hoth has sworn, saying, Surely I have
thought, so shall it come to pass. Just as he purposed. Just as he thinks. We use thinking
like our term, but it's not really with God. But just as God has
purposed, He said, I purposed it, and I will bring it to pass. That's it. And in Isaiah 45, verse 7, He
said, I form the light and I create darkness, I make peace and create
evil. The Lord do all these things.
All these things come about by God. God is in control. This world is still standing
because God has put it here to stand for this time. And when
God is pleased to call all these people out, then God will make
a change, won't He? So this chapter is an illustration
of Psalm 76.10 where it is written, Surely the wrath of man shall
praise thee, and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. See that? The wrath of man is
going to praise God. It will praise God. And the remainder
of wrath that He restrains. You see, He restrains it, don't
He? He allows it and He restrains
it. If God didn't restrain wrath,
everybody would kill each other one day. So God's good providence brought
a terribly painful trial upon the very people who were God's
elect, didn't it? The very object of God's eternal
love. In Hebrews 12, 1-4 it says, Wherefore,
seeing we also our compass about with so greater cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him endeared the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.
For consider him that endeared, consider Christ, the Lord, that
endeared such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest
you be worried and faint in your minds. You have not yet resisted
unto blood. You might. You don't know. I
don't know, do we? But we might in striving against
sin. But we know that Christ did as
our substitute, didn't He? And we don't know what God has
in store for us on this earth while we remain, do we? No. See, the king had already killed
James, the brother of John. This pleased the Jews very much
and he saw that. He arrested Peter and he planned
on killing him after Easter or after the Passover, didn't he? And God's people are not sheltered
from trials and tribulations and heartaches in this world.
No. They suffer all the common trials
of men. Right? We're in this flesh, in
this world, and because of sin, we're going to suffer, aren't
we? Christ has put an end of sin, but we're still here. We
still have suffering and all these things to go through with.
When the drought and famine came, it came both upon the righteous
and the unrighteous, didn't it? God doesn't restrict it from
His people and just carry it over to certain ones that live
here and then skip and go somewhere else, does He? No, when He brings
a famine, it's in the whole land, ain't it? The place where it's
at, ain't it? The whole thing is contained.
So as long as we live in this sin-cursed world, we will suffer
the consequences of our sin nature, won't we? We sure will. Just like all other people, believers
as well as unbelievers, they get sick, they endure sorrow,
they have sorrow, they have pain, they die, don't they? Faith in
Christ does not eliminate pain in this life. It will add to
it to one degree here, in addition to the ordinary trials of life.
Believers also, they suffer the reproach of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. See, that is going to be added
to God's children. They are going to suffer the
reproach of the gospel. They are going to be hated and
despised of men because of Christ, because of the gospel. It's not possible to faithfully
confess the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of God's free and
sovereign grace in Him without incurring the wrath of those
who hate Him, is it? No. Why do they hate me? Because
they hate Christ, you see that? Why do they hate me? The cross
of Christ is offensive to men. See that? The cross of Christ. But the believer knows that whatever
trial that's in his way has been sent by God. Whatever we're going
through with, whatever pain and sorrow and sickness or joy and
pleasure that we have, in the right and true way, is sin of
God, ain't it? Sin of God. Job 2.10, he said,
He said unto her, Thou speakest as of a foolish woman speaketh,
talking to his wife. She said, Why don't you curse
God and die? Curse the Lord and die. What? Shall we receive good at the
hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In this life? Are we just to receive good at
the hand of God and not receive no evil? That's what he asked
his wife. In all this, did not Job sinned with his lips. What
he said was true. We receive good at God's hands. We also receive pain and sorrow
and sickness and suffering and hardships, don't we? Yes. So nothing happens in this world
except that which God has already decreed for the good of His people. Whatever happens in this world
is for the good of God's elect, ain't it? It is. That's why God hasn't
come back. He still has people in this world
on Him that He hasn't called yet. He rules over all things. He's in control. He rules over
the elements of nature. Nothing happens without Him.
He even rules the thoughts of all men, Donnie. He rules them.
The deeds of all of His creatures, He rules them. In Proverbs 16,
verse 1, He said, The preparations of the heart is man, and the
answer of the tongue is from the Lord. See that? The preparations
is the heart of man, but the answer, the answer, God is ruling. He is in control. He allows it,
Donnie. The answer is the tongue. is
from the Lord. And in Proverbs 16, 4 and 9,
he said, The Lord hath made all things for himself. Yea, even
the wicked for the day of evil made all things for himself.
Everything. See that? Even the wicked for the day of
evil. Proverbs 16, 9, A man's heart
divided his way, but the Lord directed his steps. A man's heart
divides his way. He goes according to his heart
by nature, don't he? But the hand of the Lord directs
his steps. He's not going to do what God
ain't going to allow him to. God will make provisions for
that until he won't do it, right? The king's heart is in the hands
of the Lord. What about that old wicked king
who killed the brother here that we're talking about? James, wasn't
it? His heart is in the hands of
the Lord. And as a river of water, he turns
with it whithersoever he will. So the trials of God's saints
causes His people to seek Him, don't they? Our trials cause
us to seek the Lord, don't it? It sure does. In Hebrews 12, you have forgotten
the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
are rebuked of him. Wherefore, lift up the hands
which hang down in feeble knees. See that? All trials. come by the hand of God to His
people, our trials are ordained. They are already ordered, aren't
they? They are ordained for many reasons, right? Just as fire
purifies gold, the believer's trials have a sanctifying effect
upon him, don't they? Upon the believer, yes, his trial
does. They cause believers to pour
out their heart to God in prayer. Trials do, don't they? Psalms 107. Well, I'm not going
to read that. That's 1 through 31. So when
Peter was cast into prison, prayer was made without seizing of the
church unto God for him. When he was cast into prison,
prayer was made without seizing. Here's a little poem. God in
Emerald sows the seed of affliction, pain, and toil. These spring
up and choke the weeds that would else ore spread the soil. Trials make the promise sweet.
Trials give new life to prayer. Trials bring me to His feet,
lay me low, and keep me there. Trials. And faith in God's good providence
gives confidence and assurance and contentment to the believer,
don't it? And peace at heart, don't it?
Faith in God's good providence. God will do. God. I'm safe in God's hand, right? You're safe in God's hand. Whatever
happens, God's in control. God will do what He will, when
He will, with whom He will. at what time He wills. God does
it all. Hebrews 12, 6, For whom the Lord
loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. You see that? Whom He loves,
He chasteneth. Peter was scheduled to be executed
by a cruel tyrant by the king here, wasn't he? And the Feast
of the Passover came up. They were going to wait until
after the Passover. They weren't supposed to do nothing on that time, you
see that? And kill Peter. But he was peaceful. Peter was
peaceful. He laid down and went to sleep.
Remember the angel woke him up between the two? Told him to put his clothes and
his shoes on to get dressed. And he opened the gate. He was
so peaceful that He slept soundly right on the eve of His scheduled
execution. The evening of His scheduled
execution. He had been scheduled to be executed.
Already been scheduled. And the angel of the Lord hit
Him on the side, didn't He? To wake Him up. He hit Him to
wake Him up. He was asleep. He could have been so peaceful,
so free of care. How could he? By the grace of
God. He believed God. That's what
it was wasn't it? Peter believed God. Peter walked
by faith. He lived by faith. There's three
things here which Peter knew which enabled him to sleep peacefully
right in the midst of great adversity. Peter knew that he belonged to
God. God's in control. I belong to
my Heavenly Father. He is in control of all things.
He has all power. He does according to His will.
I belong to God by His electing grace. He elected me. Christ
redeemed me. He called me to faith in Christ. Regenerated me. Made me a new
creature. And He knew that. He belonged to God. I am His. Whatever God does is right. Whatever
happens is right. And the second thing was, he
was in the hands of God. Peter was in the hands of God's
care, wasn't he? God took care of all Peter's
necessities, all of his care. God wasn't going to do anything
unnecessary. If God called him out, it was
time for Peter to go. Whatever happened. And these
persecutors were in the hands of God's control. Peter was in
the hands of God. Yeah. In the hands of God's care. But this persecutor was in the
hands of God's control. And they weren't going to do
what God didn't allow. And the third thing is God had
promised to do him good. Whatever God does was right.
God was going to do him good. But the Lord delivered him, didn't
He? He would do him good. He delivered him out of the hands
of the enemy. And he would go on serving his
master. If her had killed him, that would
only be better. He would just go on to be with
the Lord, right? He would go to be with his master then. So
in Romans 8.31, what shall we say to these things? If God be
for us, who can be against us? If God's for you, nobody can
be against you. Nobody can thwart the purpose
of God for you in your life, in your death, in your eternal
glory. Nobody. Nothing. Psalms 56.3, David said,
What time I am afraid, I'll trust in thee. See? In the same hand
that delivers God's elect, destroys His enemies, God's enemies, don't
they? The same hands. Hebrews 12, 7 says, If you endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son
is he whom the Father chasteneth not? God deals with you as sons,
if we're gods. And God will do what's right
by us. If God chastens us, that's what we need is to be chastened.
You see that? And in the 23rd verse of chapter
12, it says, "...to the general assembly in the church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, into God the Judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men, made perfect." See
that? To the church of God, the firstborn,
which are written in heaven. God's people, their names are
written in the book of life, in heaven, right? in the heart
of God. And He's the Judge of all. And
the spirits of all just men are made perfect, right? They are. They're made perfect. God's people
will just go on to be with God. They'll not be only perfect in
spirit, but they'll be perfect in body. They'll be with Him
forever. So God's providence toward His
leg is all mercy. And towards those who believe
not, it's all God's wrath, right? It's God's wrath. Psalm 92, 1-15
tells us that. It says, The Lord has made me glad
through Thy works. I will triumph in the works of
Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works,
and Thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man, nor if not neither
does a fool understand this. When the wicked springeth the
grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that
they shall be destroyed forever. But thou, Lord, art most high
forever. For lo, thine enemies, O Lord,
for lo, thine enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall
be scattered. But my horn shall exult like
the horn of a unicorn. I shall be anointed with fresh
oil. Mine eye also shall see mine desire of mine enemies.
Mine ear shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against
me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." See? Those who are in Christ, they
shall flourish. They shall be here as long as
God has put them here and do what God has given them to do
until the time He calls them out. They shall. Nothing goes
forth the purpose of God. He shall grow like a cedar in
Lebanon. Those that be planted in the
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat
and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my
rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. And because our God sovereignly
rules all things in providence, we are assured that His purpose
of grace shall be accomplished. He rules all things in His providence,
right? In providence. And all things
of His grace shall be accomplished. Verse 24 and 25, And to Jesus,
the mediator of the new covenant, to the blood of Sprankling, that
speak of better things than that of Abel. And in verse 25, See
that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escape, not who refuse
him that speak on earth, much more shall we escape, if we turn
away from him that speaketh from heaven, shall not be escaped,
if we turn away from him.