Would you turn back to Luke chapter
12? Our subject for tonight is providence. Providence. A sparrow is not very significant
in the grand scheme of things. I dare say that not one of us
has given much thought to any sparrows today. There are millions,
perhaps billions of them, but we haven't been thinking about
them. But the Lord does. Every single
one of them. And not one of them has fallen
to the ground without your heavenly father. In Matthew's account,
not one sparrow falls to the ground without your heavenly
father, not without him knowing it, but without him. He was the
cause. providence. Even the very hairs of your head
are all numbered. And you don't have any idea how
many hairs you have. Maybe Steve has some idea, but... Steve doesn't. Nobody does. But
you know the Lord does. He knows exactly how many hairs
you have. That means everything significant
to him. The very hairs of your head are numbered by him. There's nothing that's outside
of the range of God's control. Now in the context, he was speaking
of the fear of God, don't be afraid of them that kill the
body, and after that, that's all they can do. But fear him
who, after he's killed the body, has power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear ye
him. Now that's a good kind of fear. And then he tells us about a
fear we should not have in light of God's providence. He said,
fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows. Now what
does providence mean? Providence is an event directly
caused by the power of God. Every event is directly caused
by the power of God. When something good happens or
if we narrowly avoid danger, we say, well, that was providential.
That's a denial of providence. When we say that, we're actually
denying God's providence because everything is providential. That's just a Christianized way
of saying, that's good luck. Providence is the carrying out
in time of what God willed in eternity. Now, there are two
things said about God in the doctrine of divine providence.
is that everything is preserved by him. Everything. Paul said, in him we live and
move and have our being. When my heart pumped just now,
we call that an involuntary action. We weren't thinking about it.
Well, God willed it to pump. And when my heart stops beating
and I die, it'll be because God willed my heart to stop pumping. The Lord killeth, and the Lord
maketh alive. He bringeth down to the grave,
and he lifteth up. The Lord maketh poor, and the
Lord maketh rich. He bringeth low, and he lifteth
up. He raised up the poor out of
the dust, and lifteth up the poor of his people, He lifted
up the beggar from the dunghill to set him among princes and
to cause him to inherit the throne of glory. That's a remarkable
passage of scripture, isn't it? The entire universe is supported
and preserved by him. The scripture says he upholds
all things by the word of his power. He is before all things,
and by Him all things consist, and He is the first cause behind
everything. Now, nothing escapes that. That's
who He is. Everything that happens is His
will being done. He controls everything. You have
thoughts going through your mind right now. Do you know He's in
control of those thoughts? your free, uncoerced actions
that you do. You do what you want to do. Anything
I do, it's because I wanted to do it. We do what we want to
do, but do you know he's in control of even your free actions. He's
in absolute, complete control. I love thinking about the thoughts
going through everybody's mind. There's hard-telling what all
is going through everybody's mind right now, but the Lord
is in control of it, either by way of judgment, or by way of
grace. But whatever is going through
your mind right now, he is in control of it because he's God.
To not believe this is to put severe limitations on God, isn't
it? Actually, the only alternative
to what I'm talking about is atheism. And atheism really is
not an alternative. Somebody had to start this Somebody
has to cause everything, and that cause is the Lord. Now,
the God of the Bible is absolutely sovereign. I don't know how often I quote
this scripture, but probably a couple times a month. He doeth
according to his will in the armies of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say
unto him, what doest thou? Here's one I don't quote as much,
but I'd like you to turn with me to this, Isaiah chapter 46.
Verse nine, remember the former things of old for I am God and
there's none else. I am God and there's none like
me, declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times,
the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand
and I will do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country,
yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have
purposed it. I also will do it. Now that is
who God is. Everything that happens in time
was purposed in eternity. Acts chapter 15 verse 18 says,
known unto God are all his works from the beginning. Hebrews chapter
4 verse 3 says the works were finished. All the works were
finished before the foundation of the world. Everything that
happens in time was finished before time. And we're acting
it out. Is this fatalism? No. Fatalism is blind. Blind fate. God has a design. and a purpose and an end in all
he does. Everything is him doing according
to his will. He worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. Now, this, speaking of these
sparrows that seem so insignificant, Maybe a sparrow in Russia or
in Australia. I don't even know if they have
sparrows in Australia, but some kind of bird, whatever bird it
is, the billions of birds are in the earth. Not one of them
falls to the ground without your father. And there's nothing that
happens in your life without your father. And there's nothing
that takes place with you without your father. And this is universal. There is nothing outside of his
providential control. And that's because he's omnipotent.
He has the power to make his will come to pass. Now this is
a scripture we read several times. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is anything too hard for him
to be in absolute control of? He has the power to make his
will come to pass. Because he's omnipresent, there
is no place where this is not true. Because he's everywhere.
And because he's eternal, there's no time when this is not true. There's no event where he is
not ruling and reigning. You see, he's omniscient. He's
all wise. And this is not difficult for
him, to control everything. He's omniscient. I love thinking
about that. When I try to think of, you know,
you and I, we'd like to think we control things. We don't control
anything. We have absolutely no control. And you know, that's
a relief to realize that. When you think you've got any
control over anything, all it does is put pressure on you.
And you start worrying, what if I don't do this? But no, forget
it all. You don't have any control. And He has all control. God's providence is God's preservation
and control of all that happens in time. I said this in Sunday
school this morning. Most folks believe that God's
a time traveler, that he travels through time and he sees what's
going to happen. He sees, oh, Todd's going to be good enough
to accept me as his personal savior, and he's going to be
smarter than somebody else, and therefore, I'm going to choose
him to be saved. That's foolishness. God is not
a time traveler. his responding to what he sees
happen as he has this ability to see what's going to take place.
There's no, there's nothing to that. He does know everything
that's going to take place, but it's because he determined everything
that's going to take place. He's in absolute sovereign control. He controls all events. The lot
is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of
the Lord. In Amos chapter 3, verse 6, we
read, shall there be evil in the city? Whatever has taken
place, shall there be evil in the city? And hath not the Lord
done it? I remember in 2001, 9-11, I preached
the message from this verse of scripture regarding what took
place. Whatever took place, hath not
the Lord done it? Devils, evil men, are under his
sovereign control. Everybody who doesn't believe,
every demon, he's in absolute control of. We read in Acts 4.27
where it was said of the murderers of Christ, they were gathered
together to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined
before to be done. Isn't that glorious? I mean,
the very murders of Christ, when they lifted up the hammer to
drive the nails in His hands and feet. It was determined by
God that this would be done. All that ever happens is His
will being done. Now, men are responsible. That
doesn't take away men's responsibility. Well, how can I be held responsible
if God's determined for me to do this when it says he hardened
Pharaoh's heart? Who's resisted his will? What
can I do about that? How can I be held responsible?
Nay, but, O man, who are you to reply against God? Shall the
thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made
me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same
lump to make one to honor and the other to dishonor? God is
sovereign and I'm responsible. Both of those are true. Turn with me for a moment to
Isaiah 45. Now he's speaking to Cyrus, the
king of Persia. And he says in verse 5, I am
the Lord, and there's none else. There's no God beside me. I girded
thee, though thou hast not known me. Cyrus didn't know what was
going on. That they may know from the rising of the sun and
from the west that there's none beside me. I am the Lord, and
there's none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. Now that is the God of the Bible. That's the living God. And you
know, we don't make apology for that, do we? We love him being
this way. I love the God who rules and
reigns. All of nature is controlled by
him. I love the way the disciples
said, what manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea
do obey him? There was a storm and the waves
and he said, peace, be still. And there was a great calm. That's
who he is. In the animal kingdom, not a
sparrow falls to the ground without your heavenly father. I love
the way fish in the net, they got in the net, pulled them up.
That's because they had to obey their creator. He's in providential
control of nations and governments. I've already quoted, he doeth
according to his will in the armies of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth. You know all the stuff that's
going on? I read the paper every morning. I'm a herald leader
addict. I've been doing it for years. I always read the bad
stuff and I think, man, this is a mess. This is a mess. No, it's not. God's in control
of the Middle East. God's in control of what's going
on in the Ukraine. God's in control of what's going
on in 2380 Millbrook Drive and your home too. He's in control
of everything. Governments, His providence encompasses
all individuals. The King's heart is in the hand
of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth
it, whithersoever he will. Now that's true regarding everybody. Your heart, my heart, is in his
hand. As the rivers of water, he turneth
it, whithersoever he will. His providence encompasses the
free acts of men. Now, this blows my mind when
I think about this. There's no way I can grasp this,
but what you and I do, we do because we want to do it. You
know that Flip Wilson thing where he used to always say, the devil
made me do it? No, he didn't. You did what you wanted to do.
Everything you've ever done is because you wanted to do it.
Every sin you've committed was not forced upon you. You did
what you wanted to do. That's so, you know it. Everybody
deep down, they know that that's so. But his providence also encompasses
the free, uncoerced acts of men. Turn with me to Proverbs 16. Let me say this about what I'm
talking about right now. I can't grasp it. I just believe
it. That's easy enough, isn't it? I can't intellectually grasp
this. I just believe it. I do what
I want to do. God controls everything I do.
In Proverbs chapter 16, verse 1, the preparations of the heart
in man and the answer of the tongue. is from the Lord. Your inclinations that go through
your heart, the answer of your tongue is from the Lord. Look in verse 9. A man's heart
deviseth his way. We make our plans. I'm already
making plans for tomorrow, what I got to get done. A man's heart
deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. Verse 33,
I've already quoted this. Chapter 16, the lot is cast into
the lap. And we think of that as sheer
luck. Who's going to get the short lot? But the whole disposing
thereof is of the Lord. His providence encompasses the
sinful acts of man. Acts 2, 23, him being delivered. by the determined counsel and
foreknowledge of God, you have taken and with wicked hands have
crucified and slain. His providence, his sovereign
control of everything encompasses even the sinful acts of man.
He said to Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised
you up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. And I love this. Any sin
we do not commit is caused by His good providence. It wasn't because of any strength
or moral tenacity on your part. I love what the Lord said to
Abimelech. God said to Abimelech, I withheld
thee from sinning against me, therefore suffered I thee not
to touch her. Well, that makes me say, Lord,
withhold me from sinning against you. That's what I need, is I
need His restraining grace to withhold me from sinning against
Him. You see, God has an end and God
has a design in all that takes place. Would you turn with me
to Genesis 45? Not a sparrow falls to the ground
without your Father. The very hairs of your head are
numbered. Now this is when Joseph made
himself known to his brethren. And you think about what he went
through. They stole him. They were guilty of human trafficking
with this man. I mean, that's pretty severe,
isn't it? They sold him as a slave. They hated him. And then they killed an animal,
gave Jacob the coat with the blood of the animal on saying,
no doubt an evil beast has slain him. We don't know what's happened
to him. And years and years pass. And you know the story of his
brothers coming down to Egypt for food. Joseph had been made
the most powerful man in the world, just under Pharaoh. If you had anything to eat, it
was up to him as to whether or not you're going to eat. Now
that's how powerful he was. You think of the power that man
had. If you're going to eat, it was up to him. I look in chapter
45, then Joseph could refrain himself before all them that
stood by. He couldn't refrain himself. And he cried, cause
every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept
aloud. And the Egyptians in the house
of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I'm Joseph.
Doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer
him, for they were troubled at his presence. I reckon they were
troubled. What's he going to do to us? I mean, look what we
did to him. They're thinking the way men
think. They're thinking, I know what I would do. What's he going
to do with? They were so troubled they couldn't even speak. And
Joseph said in his brethren, come near to me, I pray you.
And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph, your
brother. whom you sold into Egypt. Now let me make one comment about
that. I've heard people say, you haven't really forgiven if
you don't forget. Joseph didn't forget, did he?
He remembered exactly what they did. You sold me into Egypt. But now look what he says. Now
therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you
sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the
famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which
there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me
before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth and to save your
lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent
me hither, but God. And he hath made me a father
to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout
all the land of Egypt." Now, did you hear what he said? It
wasn't you that did this. It was God. Now, every untrue
thing someone has said about you, every hard action someone
has had toward you, Every time you've ever been done wrong or
mistreated, guess who did it? God did for your good and for
His glory. And He has some glorious end
and purpose in it, ultimately in the glory of His Son and the
salvation of His people. Everything that happens. In everything,
Paul said, give thanks for this. Whatever it is you're having
a hard time with. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. Isn't that wonderful? He's in
control of everything. We quote Romans 8, 28 a lot. Wilma Warda used to be here at
the church so very often. She took care of the tapes and
so on. And I got to be good friends
with her. I love Wilma Warda. I just love her, but I love her
still. But every time I would complain,
she would quote Romans 828 to me, every time. And I would think,
I know that. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. We quote this and how quickly
we forget it, every worry, every anxious thought, is forgetfulness
of the glorious truth of divine providence, carried out by an
almighty, all-wise God who is with every sparrow and who has
the very hairs of your head numbered." What did Paul say? If God be
for us, who can be against us? Now, what's in our response?
to this be, this thing of God's providence. Everything that happens
in time was decreed in eternity and is absolutely necessary.
Did God know you'd be here tonight? Of course He did. Was there any
way you wouldn't have been then? Of course not. God is in absolute
control. Now, what should our response
to this be? Well, here's my first response. worship. You worship a God like this,
don't you? A God who you can't manipulate, who you can't control,
a God in whose hand you are, who has complete control over
you. You worship. What should our response be?
Complete trust. Complete trust. What should our response to this
be? Understanding. Now, Not that I understand what he's
doing. I don't know how many times I
thought what am I supposed to be learning from this because I don't know.
Matter of fact, that's what I think most of the time. Why the Lord
let this happen? What am I supposed to... I don't
know. But I have this understanding. He's in control of it. And he's
got a glorious end. His own glory and my good. And what should our response
to be to this? Fear not. With God so completely in control,
what is there to be afraid of? What is there to worry about?
If God's the first cause behind it, even if it's something you
don't like, God's the first cause behind it. Fear not. I don't care what anybody thinks
of you. You think, well, somebody's doing me wrong. Fear not. God's
in control of that. He's in control of everything.
Now, I love the way the Lord said to his disciples, you're
of more value than many sparrows. And I'm saying this to every
believer. How much value does God put on
you? You personally, I'm not talking about, I'm talking about
you. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? How much value does God the Father
put on you? He didn't spare his son. How
much value does the Lord Jesus Christ put on you? Now, I know
if you're anything like me, you think most the time that you're
someone that's tolerated. Tolerated. But the scripture says, looking
unto Jesus, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the
cross, despising, counting nothing, the shame. Shame is such a powerful,
powerful emotion. And it's a negative emotion.
It's a when you're ashamed of yourself when you're exposed.
And you know, the Lord Jesus Christ felt all of this on the
cross, because the sins of his people actually became his so
that he felt the shame and the guilt and the defilement of them,
although he never committed sin. Explain that I can't do it. But
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
Father. How much value does the Holy Spirit place upon you? Well,
He lives in you. You're His abode. He, the person
of God the Holy Spirit, dwells in your heart. He gave you life,
He implanted His seed in you, and the body of Christ would
not be complete without you. That means heaven would not be
the heaven to Christ if you weren't there, if one of his members
was not there. Fear not, you are more value
than many sparrows. Now I want to close by looking
at two Psalms. First turn to Psalm 23. Now this is a psalm of David,
but thank God it's a psalm of Todd too. It's a psalm of every
believer. This belongs to every believer. I can say this with as much conviction
as David himself did. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures. I'm not going to want rest. I
lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still
waters, the waters of quietness. I'm not going to lack peace because
my shepherd is the Lord. Verse 3, He restores my soul. Aren't you thankful for restoration? He restores my soul. He leads
me in the paths of righteousness. I'm not going to lack righteousness.
And I've got a good reason for believing that I'm not going
to lack righteousness for his reason for doing it. He does
it for his namesake. That's all the reason I need. He does it for his namesake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I'll fear no evil for thou art with me. I'm not going to lack
companionship. He's always with me. He's always
with me. Whether I'm aware of it or not,
whether I feel it or not, sometimes you feel the Lord's presence,
sometimes you feel so far away. But do you know when you feel
far away, He's with you just as much as He is when you feel
His presence? He's with me at all times. I'm not going to lack comfort
because His rod and staff, they comfort me. I'm not going to
lack provision because thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies. Now when I think of enemies,
I don't really think of people. I really don't. When I think
of enemies, I think of sins. My sin. And he prepares a table
for me in the very presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my
head with oil, my cup runneth over. I'm not going to want joy. Goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life, right behind me, protecting my back,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I've always
got a place to live in the house of the Lord. Now turn to Psalm
139. another Psalm of David, and he
says, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. You know the only one who really
knows you? It's not your spouse. It's not your parent. The Lord's
the only one who really knows you. He knows you all together. And I find that comforting. What
if there's things he found out about me after the fact? I'd
be in trouble, wouldn't I? Oh, He knew me all together before
I was even born. He knows me. He said, Thou knowest
my down sitting and my up rising. Thou understandest my thought
of far off. Thou compass my path and my lying
down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there's not
a word in my tongue, but O Lord, Thou knowest it all together.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon
me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It's high. I can't attain unto
it. Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee
from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou
art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall
Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say
surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee. But the night shineth as the
day, the darkness and the light are both alike to thee, for thou
hast possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made, and marvelous are thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid
from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought
in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them." Now here's the verse that really made me
think. How precious also are thy thoughts
unto me, O God. How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they're
more in number than the sand. When I awake, I'm still with
thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked,
O God. Depart from me, therefore, ye
bloody men, for they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies
take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that
hate thee? And am I not grieved with those
that rise up against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred.
I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my
heart. Try me and know my thoughts. and see if there be any wicked
way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Don't you love the providence
of God? How great are his thoughts toward
you and me. And we're going to have Two other baptisms tonight. Jessica and Tim Cyphress are
going to confess Christ and believe his baptism. We're going to have
another one next week, too. We've had 10 baptisms this month. I
don't think we've ever had that. That's usually about what we
have in a year, it seems like. So I'm very thankful. I trust the
Lord will continue to bless. I hope we baptize another 1,000.
1,000. 10,000. Why not? Let's ask the Lord to do great
things in our midst, but what a blessing it is to confess Christ
in Believer's Baptism. Let's pray together.