My subject tonight is the good
providence of our God. Divine providence is God's government
of his creation. It's God's sovereign rule of
all things. In divine providence, God is
graciously and wisely bringing to pass everything that he purposed
in eternity, and he is wisely fulfilling all that he has promised
to his people. Now, it is a belief in God's
providence that enables us to understand and to believe that
God will fulfill the prophecies of the scripture and the promises
given in the gospel. If I did not believe that God
sovereignly, totally, universally rules all things, it would be
impossible for me to believe that God could fulfill any promise
that is given. For if there's something in creation
out of God's control, if there's something in the creation, whether
it be great or small, that is not absolutely, totally, completely
ordered of God, then that one thing might possibly prevent
God from fulfilling his promise. Providence is God's arrangement
and God's disposal of all things for the good of his elect and
the glory of his own great name. We understand that all things
are of God, for that's what Paul has written to us in 2 Corinthians
5 and verse 18. When we talk about God's providence,
we're talking about what Paul said in Romans 8, 28. We know,
we know, we're confident, believing Christ, knowing our God, we're
confident that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
The Apostle said again that of him and through him and to him
are all things to whom be glory both now and forever. I want to be very plain and I
hope I can be crystal clear as I preach to you this evening
because I realize that nothing can be more beneficial and comforting
to the people of God than an understanding of and a firm confidence
in the good providence of God. B.B. Warfield made this statement.
He said, a firm faith in the universal providence of God is
the solution of all earthly problems. He's right. He's right. If I
really believe that God rules all things, there's no need for
me to fret, no need for me to worry, no need for me to be distressed
or discouraged. If I fully believe that God rules
all things, then I can turn all things over to his hands, for
he rules them all well. Faith in God's sovereign providence
will give you peace and confidence in the midst of trial and difficulty
and adversity. This is the hymn that William
Cowper wrote when he was meditating on God's providence. I love it.
God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. He plants
his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in
unfathomable minds of never-failing skill, he treasures up his bright
designs and works his sovereign will. You fearful saints, fresh
courage take. The clouds you so much dread
are big with mercy and they will surely break in blessing on your
head. So judge not the Lord by feeble
sense. but trust him for his grace.
Behind the frowning providence, God hides a smiling face. His
purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have
a bitter taste, but oh, how sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief
is sure to err and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter,
and he will make it plain. Now the man who wrote that great
hymn, William Calper, said this, happy is the man who sees God
employed in all the good and in all the ill that checkers
life. Now this is where we part company
with most people in the religious world. Most everybody in the
world sees the hand of God in all the good that happens in
this world. Almost everybody sees the hand
of God in that somewhere. But most everybody takes all
the ill that happens in the world and say, God can't be in that.
God can't be in that. Now listen to me. We see the
hand of our God in all the good and in all the ill that takes
place at all times and we trust him in the midst of it all. That's
faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. In this 12th chapter of Acts,
We see another of the many examples of God's wise, adorable, and
good providence. Herod the king had killed James,
the brother of John, and he was about to kill Peter. But the
angel of the Lord stepped in and he delivered Peter from Herod's
sword. Now tonight, I want you to see
that God's wise hand of providence was sovereignly ruling all the
events of this chapter. God's hand of providence was
ruling as much when Herod cut off James' head as it was when
the angel touched Peter's side. God's hand was ruling as much
when the gate opened up as it was when the angel of the Lord
touched Herod's side and caused him to be eaten with worms. God's
providence was ruling all the way through the chapter. The
death of James, the deliverance of Peter, the death of Herod,
all these things were simply the works of God's good providence. I want to show you five things
in this chapter that I believe will be beneficial to us if the
Lord will graciously apply them to our hearts. First of all,
in verses one through four, I want you to see that divine providence,
divine providence brought a painful trial upon God's beloved people. God had sent a great famine,
terrible drought throughout all the world during the days of
Claudius Caesar. And now about that time, during
the time of this drought and this famine, Herod the king,
watch out, when you read that man Herod, you know trouble's
about to take place. Herod the King. There was a long
succession of Herods who ruled with ignominy. They were tyrants. They were villainous men. Better,
said one writer, to be Herod's dog than to be his son. For you
remember that one of his predecessors, Herod, had tried to destroy Christ
by destroying all the male children under two years old at the time.
Well, this is another Herod, but he's sitting on the same
seat. And this Herod the King stretched forth his hands to
vex the church. And he killed James, the brother
of John, with a sword, because he saw that it pleased the Jews.
The Jews liked that. They said, we'll do that some
more. So he proceeded to go further and take Peter also. But those
were the days of the Passover, the days of the unleavened bread.
And so the Jews wouldn't want him to kill him during the Passover.
After all, these are religious folks. They were bloodthirsty.
They delighted to see James's head grow, but they were religious. So don't kill him now during
the Passover. But after the Passover, here
it's translated Easter, after the Passover was ended, then
Herod intended to bring Peter out and kill him as well. This
man, Herod, as you read here, had already murdered James, the
brother of John. And the murder of James caused
the Jews great pleasure. They were delighted. These men
who had put to death the Son of God, these men who had stoned
Stephen, they were tickled to death that Herod would kill James,
and they wanted Peter dead as well. And so Herod had arrested
him. And he intended to murder him just as soon as it was convenient.
Now, the thing that I want you to see here is the fact that
this passage reveals clearly that God's people in this world,
God's people in this world are not in the least degree sheltered
or kept from the trials of life in this world. They are not.
Those who would have you to believe that trusting God, following
Christ, will lead you down a primrose path and cause you to sleep in
a bed of roses are lying to you and they do not understand the
Word of God. The Scripture plainly says before
you hear this fact, God's elect in this world suffer the common
trials of life like all other men do. All of them. You men
and women here, I'm talking to you who believe Christ, you who
worship our God, you're redeemed by the blood of Christ. Don't
you think for a moment that believing in Christ is going to secure
you, shelter you, and keep you from going through the same heartaches
and trials and pains that other men and women have in this world.
When the drought came and there was a terrible famine throughout
all the world, the people of God suffered just like the other
people in the world did. Their crops didn't grow either.
God didn't cause it to rain over here on this fellow's garden
so he'd have some corn and it didn't rain on his neighbor's
garden. No. When God sent the drought, it was a worldwide drought.
It was a worldwide famine. And God's people in the midst
of that drought, God provided for them. God cared for them.
God supplied them with everything they needed. But even in the
midst of the drought, they suffered like their neighbors suffered.
And you will as well. You will as well. As long as
we live in this world, we're going to suffer the consequences
of sin. That's just the reality of life.
That's just the reality of life. They tell us that God wouldn't
have us to be sick and God doesn't have anything to do with disease
and bereavement and all those things. Now listen, listen. God's
people get sick. They get sick just like anybody
else does. Some of them have peculiar sicknesses that other
people don't have. I have some difficulty with sinus
headaches, not as bad now as I used to have. A lot of you
folks don't have any idea what that is. Man, sinus headaches,
terrible, terrible. Some of you have other problems,
a problem with your back, this problem or that. Well, that's
the consequence of sin. Sickness is just the result of
sin. We get sick because we're sinners. If there were no sin in the world,
there'd be no sickness in the world, and as long as there's
sin in the world, there's gonna be sickness in the world, and
as long as you're here, you're gonna suffer it. You're gonna
suffer it. You're gonna get sick one of these days, unless God
takes you by another means, One of these days you're going to
get sick and you're going to have a sickness that is unto
death and you're going to die. And you're going to have family
and friends stand around in the funeral home or down at the church
house or somewhere and they're going to mourn for you in great
bereavement. Even those who are believers
suffer those things. God's children. Like all other
men will die and they will have the difficulties of having others
around them to die and then have to bury them. Now that's just
part of life. That's just part of life. I've taken in a few
things. You could add many to the list. Many. You suffer with
your families, you suffer the difficulties that only many women
who have grown children can know what those difficulties are.
Well, being a believer doesn't keep you from that. You've lived long enough to know
it doesn't keep you from it, does it? It just doesn't keep you
from it. No need to think that it does. And in addition to these
things, God's elect have other things to suffer, for God's elect
in this world must suffer the reproach of the gospel. God's
elect in this world must suffer the reproach of Christ. They
must bear the cross of Christ following their Lord. Our Lord
said, you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. That
hasn't changed any day, sir. That has not changed. Our Lord
said, if you follow me, that's what he said. Now, if you follow
me, if you confess me, you're going to be hated by those people
around you. That's just what he said. In
the world, you're going to have tribulation. Now, I don't mean
and I don't believe the scriptures teach that we're going to be
constantly bombarded by the assaults and attacks of men in this world.
I don't mean to imply that. If you live as you ought to live
in your community, your neighborhood's a better place to live because
you live there, if you're a believer. But I recognize also that if
you faithfully confess Christ, if you honestly, faithfully bear
witness of Christ, men are going to despise you for what you say. They're going to despise you
for the Christ you serve. Men will not set back lightly
and take the message of the gospel that we declare, declaring that
men are ruined by default, declaring that men are helplessly, hopelessly
depraved in their sin and they can do nothing to change their
condition. declaring that Jesus Christ alone
has accomplished redemption by his blood, and that men attain
unto heaven and eternal life only by the regenerating power
of God's Spirit. You make men understand what
you're saying, and they're going to despise you for it. Now, I
guarantee you, you can stand around and talk about little
Jesus all you want to, and you can talk to folks about God,
and you can talk to folks about going to church and being religious,
but, Lindsay, the minute you explain plainly to men Who Christ
is and who they are, they'll despise you for it. They'll despise
you for it. I'm telling you, the only reason
you get along so well with religious people is because you don't tell
them the truth. That's the only reason. You tell
them the truth. You don't have to be mean. Don't
be mean. Be as gracious and kind as you want to. Be as gracious
and kind as you possibly can, but if you tell men the truth
and confess Christ, men will despise you for it, and you will
have to bear the reproach of the gospel. The people of God
in this world will suffer as men in this world, and we will
suffer for Christ's sake in this world. That's what was happening
here in Acts 12. But we know that our tribes,
whatever they may be, are a sin of God. That makes it easy to
bear the trial, whatever they are. I wish we could learn this. I really wish we could. I know
we've learned it here. Every man and woman here believes
what I'm preaching here. I wish we could learn it right
here. I really do. Nothing in this world ever happens,
nothing, nothing, nothing ever happens except that which God
has ordained, decreed, and sent for your good and mine, for the
glory of his great name. Now, I just flat believe that
God Almighty rules this world in totality. In totality, God
rules. God rules all the events of the
world so that if drought and famine and pestilence comes,
God sends it. God sends it. That drought in
Ethiopia, That famine that's taking place over there, that's
not an accident. That's the work of God's hands.
They let men argue and debate all they want to. God Almighty
is the one who forms the clouds. God sends the rain where he will,
and God withholds the rain where he will. That's just God's work. The elements of this world are
absolutely under the control of God. That earthquake in Mexico,
They say that possibly 10,000 people are slain all at one time
by God shaking the earth, and it's God shaking the earth. It's
God shaking the earth. Not only does God rule the elements
of the world, but the God of heaven rules the thoughts of
men, the thoughts and intents of a man's heart, and also the
actions that men perform. are completely, totally ruled
by God. Now, listen. Listen to me. Don't
misunderstand me. Please don't go off and jump
off out here in the left field somewhere. We do not believe. The Word of God does not teach.
We would not dare even think such a thing, that God causes
men to do evil. No, sir. No, sir. Men do exactly
what they will do. But we recognize that God, in
his infinite sovereignty, so rules all things that even the
evil that men willingly do, God uses for the good of his people
and the glory of his name. Happened here in the case of
Herod. So that's not possible. If God rules it all, and God
ordained it all, then God made men do that which is evil. No.
I try to illustrate it this way. I've never been sailing. I've
never been out on a sailing vessel, and I don't think I am likely
to go now. But you see these fellows out
on lakes. They have these little two-man
sailboats. And they get out and they manipulate
those boats all around the place. They move here and there. They
go out and they come back in. They go around in circles. Some
of them are going around in circles because they don't know how to
manipulate well. But what they're doing is they are using the wind. They're using it. They catch
the wind in the sail and it drives their little boat in the direction
they want it to go. Now, they don't cause the wind.
They have no control whatever over the wind. They don't have
anything to do with the source of it or where it's going, but
they use the wind. Now, listen. God Almighty, much
like that man on his boat, uses the wind. God uses the thoughts
and the actions of men, even evil men in this world, even
the demons of hell, God uses. So pastor, I just think I can't
grasp that. Well, you're gonna have to you're
gonna have to over in Acts chapter 2 when our Lord was being crucified
Peter tells us that he was delivered by the determinate counsel and
for knowledge of God verse 23 He was delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, that is, the foreordination
of God. And you took Him, and by wicked
hands you crucified and killed the Lord of glory." Now, those
men willingly, delightfully, they sat down and laughed, and
mocked, and they shot out a lip, and they sang songs, and they
cheered while the Son of God was hanging on the cross. They
did what they wanted to do, and they did exactly what God ordained
must be done. Exactly. I say that God, our
Father, rules this world sovereignly, totally, so that whatever our
trial may be at any time, it comes from God. It comes from
God. Now, children of God, you can
be assured of these three things. I don't know what your trial
is right now. I don't know what the source of your trial is.
That is, I don't know the secondary source. I don't know what it
is. The secondary source may be your
neighbor. It may be your son. It may be your daughter. It may
be your husband or your wife. Whatever your trial is, it comes
from God. It has come from God. I recall
reading some time back I may have told you the story. An elderly
lady, she was a widow, quite poor, and her cupboards were
bare. She was sitting by her window
in the easy chair she'd been reading, and she was praying. She was speaking audibly, and
she said, Lord, you know that my cupboards are bare, and I
have no money to buy any food with. I would sure appreciate
it if you'd if you'd send me some milk and maybe some eggs
so I could get by another day. And there's some little old mean
boys out playing down under the window. And they thought they'd
pull a gag on that lady. So they ran out and they bought
a little bit of milk and a few eggs and they brought them and
set them in the basket and the woman was still praying. Set
them in a basket in the edge of the window. She got done praying
and she turned around and looked. She said, well, thank you, Lord.
And those boys popped up and they're poking fun at her. They
said, God didn't send that, we went down there and got it. And
she said, oh no, no, no. She said, the devil may have
brought it, but God sent it. Now that's what I'm saying about
your trials. The devil may have brought it, but God sent it.
The devil may be God's messenger boy. The wicked men of this world
may be God's messengers, but God sends the trial. God sends
it. If it's of God, then it's good.
Not only has God sent the trial, but God will bring your trial
to a good end. You say, well, pastor, I sure
don't see how. I don't either, but one of these
days you will. Just rest on it. God's going to bring your trial
to a good end. Whatever it is, He'll bring it to a good end.
It may not be something that you'll see good come from today.
You may not see good come from it so long as you live in this
world. But ultimately, finally, conclusively,
God will bring your trial to a good end. And God will get
glory to himself through what you now suffer. He'll do it. That's enough for me. How about
you? Enough, Merle? That's enough for me. That's
enough for me. God, do what you will! What you will! I'm yours. I'm
yours. The trial comes from you. You
promise to bring it to a good end. You promise to give glory
to yourself. I'll praise you for it now. I'll
praise you for it now. A.J. Gordon said this. He said,
God's providence is like the Hebrew Bible. It has to, you
have to begin at the end and read backwards in order to understand
it. Did you get it? We try to read God's providence
from this side looking through and on to the end. You can't
do that. You ain't got that good a vision. We just can't see that way. But
when we get to the other side, we can look back. Boy, would
you look at that. Look what God did to that. Isn't
that a marvel of His grace? When Peter James and John stood
around and were watching Stephen being stoned. I can well imagine
those men wondering, what on earth has God done? Surely if
there's any man the church needs, it's this man Stephen. What on
earth has God done? But now we look back and, well,
God's saving a man named Saul, a man whom he's going to use
to write the book of New Testament. He's bringing Stephen to glory.
He's arranging for the salvation of his elect scattered throughout
all the world. He's getting glory through his
name. That's what God's doing, and that's what he's doing right
now. That's what he's doing right now. Secondly, the trial of providence
calls the people of God to seek his face in prayer. Look in verse
5. Our trials are ordained of God
for many good reasons. Just as fire purifies the gold,
the believers' trials have a sanctifying effect upon them. And one result
of our trials, if we're truly God's children, is that the trials
will teach us to pray. They cause us to seek God's face.
When Peter was cast into prison, look at verse 5, Peter therefore
was kept in prison, but A prayer was made without ceasing of the
church unto God for him. In verse 12, they were gathered
apparently in different parts of the city. Over here in Mary's
house, there were many gathered together, praying, praying because
of the triumph. Turn over to Psalm 107. I can't,
I can't labor this point much, but I want you to see this. You
bear me witness if it is true or if it's not. We have a terrible tendency to
become indifferent and cold and mechanical in prayer. Are you
that way, Hugh? I'm that way. I wish it weren't
so. I wish I could always pray perfectly. I wish when I asked God to show
me his face, I always really wanted it better. really wanted
him to show me, really wanted to hear God speak. Well, God
has a way of making us pray perfectly. I'm glad he does. He has a way
of teaching us to seek his face. Look here in Psalm 107. The psalmist
says, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for he's good. His mercy
endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and
gathered them out of the lands from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south. Now listen, this is how he did
it. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found
no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them. Then, do you see? Then they cried
unto the Lord in their trouble. and he delivered them out of
their distresses. Down in verse 10, such as said, in darkness
and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,
because they rebelled against the words of the Lord and contend
the counsel of the Most High, therefore God brought them down.
He brought down their heart with labor and they fell down and
there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses.
Verse 17, fooled because of their transgression. and because of
their iniquities are afflicted, their soul abhorreth all manner
of meat, they draw near unto the gates of death, then, then,
then, then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he
saveth them out of their distresses. That in verse 27, they reel to
and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end,
their soul is melted because of trouble, then, Then they cry
unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their
distresses. When these men and women were in trouble, when they
were in trouble, they cried to God. They said, well, I wouldn't
want to use God that way. I wouldn't want to either. But
I'm glad I can. I'm glad I can. He said, he said, that we were to draw near unto
the Lord in the time of trouble, that we may find grace and mercy
to help in the time of need. When we need him, we'll call
on him. When we need him, we will. Cowper wrote this hymn
as well. He said, "'Tis my happiness below
not to live without the cross. but my Savior's power to know,
sanctifying every loss. Trials must and will be fought,
but with humble faith to see love inscribed upon them all,
this is happiness to me. God in Israel sows the seeds
of affliction, pain, and toil. These spring up and choke the
weeds that would elsewhere spread the soil. Trials make the promise
sweet. Trials give you life to pray. trials bring me to his feet,
lay me low, and keep me there. Aren't you glad God doesn't leave
you alone? Aren't you glad that God so cares
for his own that he will tenderly, gently, irresistibly compel us
to fall on our face and to seek his grace? Aren't you glad he
doesn't leave us to ourselves? Here's the third thing. Faith
in God's good providence gave Peter confidence, assurance,
contentment, and peace in the midst of adversity. Tomorrow,
Peter's gonna be executed, slaughtered like a mad dog. He's caged up down there in the
dungeon like a wild beast awaiting the execution. Tomorrow, Herod
and The Jews are going to be gleaming and shouting for joy
as they see the blood being wrung from Peter's body. Boy, Peter
must be, he got to be in a pickle. I bet that fellow's walking around
pulling his hair out. I bet he's pacing up and down that cell
wondering what on earth he's going to do to get out of this
mess he's in. I bet he's beginning to second guess himself. I wonder
if it was really wise for me to be out preaching, preaching
when Herod came by and telling the truth to these men and women.
I just wonder if it was really wise for me to do so. But look
here at verse 6. When Herod would have brought
him forth the same night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. Well, he must be insane. He must
be crazy, sleeping, bound with hands, his hands and feet bound
with chains. Two soldiers standing beside
him, two more standing out by the gate, and he's sleeping?
What's the matter with this man? Why he's sleeping so soundly
that when the angel came and great light shone in the cell
around him, did he wake him up? The angel had to come over and
shove him on the side to get him to rise up. What's the matter
with him? I tell you, Peter believed God. Peter believed God. He just believed
God. He lived by faith. I'll tell
you three things Peter knew that enabled him to sleep peaceably
in the midst of great adversity. He knew that he belonged to God. God had chosen him. God had redeemed
him by the blood of his own dear Son. And God had given him life
and faith in Christ. God had poured out his Spirit
upon him. He belonged to God. That don't cause man to sleep.
That don't cause a fellow to be able to kind of grit and bear
it, you know. It don't cause a fellow to be
able to face these little difficulties that we face every day without
too much distress. Not only did Peter belong to
God, but he knew that he was in the hands of God. Peter was
in the hand of God's care. And his persecutors were in the
hand of God's government. Therefore, he was at peace. He
was at peace. Peter, I'm going to kill you
tomorrow. Well, Herod, I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. Well, Peter, I've got power over
you. Well, my God has power over you, and you don't have any power
except what he gives you. And thirdly, Peter knew he knew He just knew. Couldn't explain
it, maybe. Couldn't tell it so other folks
could believe him, maybe. But he knew that God would surely
do him good. He knew it. He knew it. I wish I just had believed
God like I expect my daughter to believe me. Peter was confident. that God,
who rules the world, God, who is his Father, will do it good,
because he said so. He said he would. I can imagine
Peter's thinking. He must have thought to himself,
well, maybe getting that time when the Lord said I was going
to be put to death for him, time may be near, I don't know. If
God's pleased to deliver me, that'll be good. That'll be good. Because I'll go on serving him. I'll go on preaching the gospel.
I'll go on worshiping with his children. So if he's pleased
to deliver me, that's good. And if God is pleased at this
time that I should be slain, If God's pleased to send Herod's
sword down here and take my head off like he did James, well,
that's better. That's better. For then my day
of trial and suffering shall be over, and I will go to see
him whom my soul loves and be with him. And when he realized
these things, that he belonged to God, that he was in the hands
of God, and that God would surely do him good. He'd get a good
night's sleep. He could lay down on his rocky
pillows at night and rest. He believed God. John Wesley,
some of you are familiar with him. He was the founder of the
Methodist Church. He was a terrible Arminian in
his theology. Mr. Wesley and Mr. Whitfield
had departed company. They had been friends in Oxford. They were members of what they
called the Holy Club together. But Whitfield came to believe
the gospel of God's grace, and Wesley never did. And Wesley
was vicious and mean, spirited with regard to Whitfield. He
went everywhere telling things about him. And so they parted
company. But Wesley came over to this
country several times on missionary trips. And on one particular
occasion, he was returning from Georgia where he'd been doing
some preaching. And in the little ship that he
was sailing in back to London, that ship got caught up in a
terrible storm. And Wesley was stricken with
panic. He was terrified. He was terrified. He didn't know what to do. But
on the ship, there were a few Moravian who were also traveling
back to London. And Wesley was amazed at those
Moravians. In the midst of the storm's fury! There are two or three over here
praying. Here's one standing over on the
bow of the ship, singing praise to God. There's some sitting
down just calmly chatting with one another. And this was Wesley's
conclusion. He said, I've not been saved.
because I'm afraid, and these Moravians are quiet in the midst
of the storm. See, men and women who believe
God, to a greater or lesser degree, are quiet in the midst of the
storm. Their hearts are kept in peace. They believe God. Fourthly, the same hand that delivers God's
elect destroys his enemies. Look in verse 7. And behold,
the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the
prison, and the angel smote Peter on the side, and he raised him
up, saying, Arise quickly! And his chains fell off from
his hands. Look in verse 23. Herod had come
out to make a great oration. He was a pompous tyrant. Josephus tells us, as he describes
this incident, he tells us that Herod had a sterling silver garment,
a robe, that was woven of pieces of pure silver, polished silver. He said when Herod walked out
in the court that day, to look at him would be blinding to the
eye as the sun would shine on that silver. And he made a big
speech. And those folks knew exactly
what Harry would like to hear. They said, he's not a man. He's
a god. Only a god can speak like that. Well, my humble subjects,
I'm so thankful for your high opinion. And the angel of the
Lord smote him. just like he did Peter. Same
hand, same angel, same smiling. And immediately the angel of
the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and he
was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost. Don, what's the point? The angel of the Lord was sent
to smite Peter and deliver him And that same angel was sent
to smite Herod and kill him. Both men were smitten by the
same angel, but one was destroyed, the other was delivered. And
what I'm saying is, it's always that way. It's always that way. God's providence toward his people
is all mercy. But God's providence toward those
who believe not is all wrath and judgment. You read the 92nd Psalm, and
you'll see what I'm talking about. David said, he said, God will
deliver the righteous, and the wicked God is just fattening
for the slaughter. Everything God does in providence,
though it may seem to be adverse today, is for the good of God's
elect. Everything. And everything God
does in Providence, though it may seem good today, is judgment
upon the wicked. Everything. There's the Red Sea. The children of Israel see that
Red Sea, and it's a door of life for them. Watch the Egyptians. It's a place of destruction for
them. There's that pillar of fire. For the children of Israel,
it's life! It's life! It's salvation! For
their enemies, it's a cloud of darkness to engulf them. That
Ark of the Covenant. Obed-Edom had it down in his
house, and all the time it was there, God just poured out blessings
upon him. Just kept pouring out blessings
upon him. The Philistines had it, and it was a curse to them.
The preaching of the gospel. is to you who believe a saver
of life unto life, but unto you who believe not a saver of death
unto death. Death to the believer is the blessed door of life,
but to the unbeliever death is the terrifying door of destruction.
God's angels are messengers of mercy to serve as protectors
over his children. Hebrews 1 verse 14, The angels
are ministering spirits sent forth to minister, to serve those
who should be the heirs of salvation. God's angels. I don't understand
a whole lot about it, but I know what the book says. God's angels
watch over and protect and provide for and preserve God's elect
until the day that God is pleased to call them by His grace. That's
what His angels do. They do that. I recall when I
was a boy, and I'm not going to get in there and think, but
I found myself at times in the most perilous, the most
perilous of circumstances through my foolishness. And had it not
been for the fact that God in his infinite mercy was pleased
to preserve me from death. I would have been dead before
I ever got to be 16 years old. I'd been dead. I'm just telling
you what I know to be so. But God wouldn't let me die.
God wouldn't let me die. No. Can't be. Can't be. For God's appointed the day when
I should believe. The angels of God encamp round
about the people of God. and watch over them. Any more
of them on the highway is a good bet. And you go down these little
crooked winding roads, some of the places where I have to go,
started to say two lane roads, about a lane and a half, 55,
60 miles an hour. Here comes a tractor and trailer
up the road in front of you. And there might possibly be a
foot and a half space between you. And he's doing 70 or 75. It happens one after the other. What on earth protects
you? Well, I'm a good driver. I don't know. May just be that
God has his angel sitting on the hood of that car directing.
I don't know. I know they're ministering spirits sent forth
to minister to the heirs of salvation. And when this life is done and
our time on this earth is ended, God sends his angels to carry
the soul of his redeemed into glory. They're our pallbearers,
only they're singing instead of crying. God carries his own
into glory by the hand of his angels. And the voice of the
archangel in the last day will awake the dead and cause these
bodies to rise. The angels of God are also messengers
of judgment. to execute God's wrath upon his
enemies. Remember, it was an angel that
God sent to destroy the Egyptians. It's an angel that our Lord says
to, with regard to those in the day of judgment, he said, bind
them hand and foot and cast them into outer darkness, where there
shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Let me
give you one last thing. We've got to go home. Because
our God sovereignly rules all things in providence, we are
assured that God's purpose of grace shall be accomplished.
Our chapter began with Herod fighting against God, trying
to stop the spread of the gospel. I was thinking about this today.
I turned over and read just a little bit of that story of Haman and
Mordecai. A whole lot the same. A whole
lot the same. Haman had figured out a way to
get Mordecai off his back, out of his sight. He was going to
have him hanged. And he built some gallows to have him hanged
on. And Mordecai walked away from
the place wearing Haman's robe, and Haman was wearing Mordecai's
noose. God intervened. Well, Herod was trying to kill
Peter. He was trying to put an end to
this thing called Christianity. He was trying to put an end to
the spread of the gospel. And the chapter ends with Herod
sitting on his throne with his gorgeous silver robe with worms
eating his flesh. And then, look in verse 24, but the word of God grew and multiplied. God's purpose, God's cause was
unaffected by the snorting of this bull, just unaffected. And
Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, where they had taken
the gift from Antioch to help the saints there, when they had
fulfilled their ministry and took with them John, whose surname
is Mark. What I'm saying is this, as long
as our God remains on his throne, all is well. The church of God
is safe, for God is our God. The gospel of God is safe, it
will prevail. The glory of God is safe, his
name shall be honored. John Newton made this statement.
He said, if you think you see the ark of God falling, If you
think you see the Ark of God falling, you can be sure it is
due to a swimming in your head. The Ark of God is not in danger. It's just not in danger. What
I'm saying, my friends, is this. Believe God. Trust the good providence
of our God. Don't judge the purpose and the
work of God by the yardstick of human reason. Just don't do
it. Just don't do it. Quit trying
to do it. Quit trying to figure out what
God's doing. I don't know what He's doing and you don't either.
I know He's doing good. I know He's doing good. And in
the time to come soon, you turn over to Revelation 19. I started
to say the last chapter hasn't been written yet. Well, it has.
It has. Turn over to Revelation 19 and
you can read it. Alleluia. Alleluia. For the Lord God And there shall come forth one
whose head was crowned with many crowns, and his name is the King
of kings and the Lord of lords, and he has prevailed. He has prevailed. Father, graciously teach us to
trust your wise and good providence, that we may honor your name,
bring glory to your son. For Christ's sake I pray, amen. Let's turn in our Psalms of Grace
book.