I'll ask you, if you will, to
turn with me once again to the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Ecclesiastes chapter 7, and I
am speaking to us tonight from verse 13. Consider the work of
God. For who can make that straight
which he hath made crooked? Consider the work, the work of
God. In Psalm 107, we read five times
these same words. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children
of men. In Psalm 111 in verse 4, he hath
made his wonderful works to be remembered. In Psalm 28 in verse
5, because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation
of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up. Consider the work singular. When we read that men should
praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to
the children of men, we see that it is plural. There are three
works of God that we should praise God for, creation, redemption,
and providence. We should consider His work of
creation. This verse says, consider the
work of God. And we should consider His work
of creation. And when we do so, we are amazed
at His power. When we consider His work of
creation, we are amazed at His power, how that He spoke all
things into existence. Matter is not eternal, only God
is eternal. Everything else He has created. In the Apostle Paul in Romans
chapter 1, you remember he tells us that God did not leave and
has not left himself without a witness throughout the world. All men recognize his eternal
power and Godhead because it is manifest. His power, his wisdom,
his Godhead is manifest in the things which may be seen. It
doesn't matter where a person was born. Where a person lives,
in the darkest part of this planet, God has not left himself without
a witness. The works of creation manifest
his power, his eternal power, and his Godhead. The psalmist
said, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament
showeth his handy work. The work of creation. And we
should consider his work of redemption. And when we do, we are now amazed
with his grace. When we consider his work of
creation, we are amazed at his power. But when we consider the
work of redemption, we are amazed at his grace. To think God would
give his only begotten son to save rebels like you and I. What grace, what grace, amazing
grace. And we should consider his work
of providence and when we do, we are amazed at his care, his
care. I believe that it is God's work
of providence that is and mentioned in our text tonight and we are
told to consider, consider the work of God. Some see it as an answer to the
complaint that is mentioned in verse 10 of our text where we
read, say not thou, what is the cause that the former days were
better than these? For thou does not inquire wisely
concerning this, Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight
which he hath made crooked? Also, because of the text itself,
the complete text that we read tonight, consider the work of
God, for who can make that straight which he, that is God, hath made
crooked? What exactly is God's work of
providence? We are to consider His work,
His work of providence. What exactly is God's work of
providence? It is God working out in time
what He wisely purposed according to the counsel of His will in
eternity. That's my definition of providence. It is God working out in time
what he wisely purposed according to the counsel of his will in
eternity. And the Lord Jesus Christ has
assured us that there's nothing, there's nothing, nada, there's
nada, there's nothing, there's zero that takes place in the
life of one of his own without your father. Look with me, if
you will, in Matthew chapter 10. Very well-known passage of
Scripture, but let's turn again and read Matthew chapter 10 and
verses 29 through 31. Matthew 10, beginning in verse
29. Are not two sparrows sold for
a farthing? And one of them shall not fall
on the ground without your father. But the very hairs of your head
are all numbered. Fear you not, therefore. You
are of more value than many sparrows. John Gill's comment on this passage
is this. The design of Christ is to assert
the doctrine of providence. as reaching to all creatures
and things, even the most minute and worthless. He instances not
in men, nor in the beast of the field, but in the fowls of the
air, and in those of the inferior sort, and more useless, in sparrows,
yea, in little sparrows, as the word may be rendered. whose price
was so low that two are obliged to be put together to fetch the
least sum of money current. And yet the providence of God
is concerned with each of these, so that not one of them is taken
in a snare, or killed with a stone, or shot flying, or sitting, but
by the will of God. From whence it may be strongly
concluded that nothing comes by chance, that there is no such
thing as contingency with respect to God, though there is to men
with respect to second causes, that all things are firmly ordained
by the purpose of God and are wisely ordered by his providence. What is God's providence? It
is God working out in time what He wisely purposed according
to the counsel of His will in eternity. When we think about
providence, the providence of God in your life, the providence
of God in my life, consider the work of God. Since you've turned
here to Matthew, look in chapter 11 and let's think for just a
moment of the providence of God in the life of John the Baptist.
In chapter 11, we read, and it came to pass when Jesus had made
an end of commanding his 12 disciples, he departed thence to teach and
to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the
prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and
said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for
another? Here's John the Baptist shut
up in prison. Our Lord in another place said
of him that there was none born of woman greater than John. And yet as a faithful servant
of the Lord, he is shut up in prison and we know what is going
to take place. He's going to have his head taken
off. by a wicked king. What are we
saying? We're saying there's nothing
that takes place in time that God has not wisely purposed an
old eternity. The providence of God in this
man's life. He was born in a very unusual
way in the sense that his parents were past childbearing age and God visited them and gave them
a son. And he was faithful in his calling.
He was the forerunner of Christ. He had the privilege of announcing
to Israel that the Lord Jesus Christ, the
promised Messiah, was here and pointed him out. Behold. the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sins of the world." What a privilege. What a privilege. What a blessing. And how faithful
he was. Even to rebuke the king who was
living in adultery with his brother's wife. Rebuked him openly. And so he's
in prison. And the Lord Jesus Christ knew
he was in prison. And the Lord Jesus Christ has
the power just in his mind, if you please, just to give the
thought in his mind for his release. But he doesn't do it. He allows
him to remain in prison. And so John sends two of his
disciples. I know men have said, well, he
sends two of his disciples because Let a matter be established in
the mouth of two or three witnesses. But John, after everything is
said and done, was still a man, wasn't he? How would you have
felt if you had been in his position? How would I have felt? I know he has the power. All
he need do is give, just speak the word, and I'm out of this
place. out of this prison, but he doesn't
do it. And so when these two disciples
came and asked the question that John had told them to ask, are
thou he that should come or do we look for another? Was John
doubting? I don't think so. I don't think
so. Jesus answered and said unto
them, go and show John again those things which you do and
hear. This is very important. This is very, very important
now. The blind receive their sight.
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ come into this world? He came
into this world to save sinners. The blind receive their sight,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached
unto them. And blessed is he whosoever is
not offended in me. You go back and you tell John
these things. And blessed is he who is not
offended in me. Who is not offended in me, that
is, in my providence. Blessed is he who is not offended. There are three truths tonight
that I want us to consider about the work of God's providence
in our experience, in my experience, in your experience. First of
all, and remember when we speak about God's providence, we're
talking about the things that God works out in our lives, things
which He ordained in eternity. And He ordained these things
according to the counsel of His will. The first thing is this, no matter
what takes place in your life or my life, it's part of God's
providence. Let's remember this, that God's
work of providence in our lives is holy, is holy. If you will, turn with me to
Psalm 145 and verse 17. Whatever it is, It's not unjust. Whatever it
is that God has ordained for you and for your life, for your
experience, it's not unjust. God's work is holy. Psalm 145 and verse 17, the scripture
says, the Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all
his works. Whatever the work is in your
life, God is holy. It is just. God is not doing
an unjust thing to you. There are things that God's children
experience that the best we can say about them is simply this,
they are past finding out. That's the best we can say, isn't
it? They're things that God's children experience in this world. Part of God's providence, no
doubt about it. We don't question that. And we
know His work is holy. And the best we can say about
some of these things is simply this, they are past finding out. We cannot explain. We cannot
completely comprehend. Who, what child of God, has never
been perplexed like the psalmist in Psalm 73 when he said, God
is good to Israel, but as for me, as for me, who has not been
perplexed at things that we experience in this life? When we see the
prosperity of the wicked and the righteous suffering, who's
not at times perplexed. But whatever it is, my point
is simply this, God and his work is holy. Whatever he's ordained
for you to go through, for you to experience in this life, it's
not unjust, not on God's part. He and all his work are holy. Number two, consider God's work
of providence in our life is for our good. Romans 8 in verse
28. One man said this, and I quote,
it is natural to murmur when things go wrong. It is supernatural
to hold our peace. And he mentions Aaron, the first
high priest, when God killed two of his sons. Same day, the
same time. And Moses said, hold your peace. What God has done is holy and
God is good. God is good and everything that
he does is good. It is natural to be disappointed
when our plans miscarry. It is supernatural to bow to
his appointments. It is natural to want our way.
It is supernatural to pray, not my will, but thine be done. It is natural to rebel when a
loved one is taken from us in death. It is supernatural to
say from the heart, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken
away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Romans 8 and verse 28, whatever
the providence is in your life, we know that it is part of the
all things that are working together for your good, if you are one
of his children. Romans 8, 28. 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 know this
is true, just as we know that God's providence is holy. He
is holy, therefore everything that he does is holy. And he is good, and all his work
is good. even sin, and perish the thought,
and God forbid that any child of God would ever use this truth
as an excuse for sin. But yet the fact is, even sin,
though God is never the author of it, He is able to overrule
it for His people's good. Now I'm trying
to learn that when things that I call disagreeable come my way,
just to remind myself whatever it is, it's simply part of the
all things. That's what I'm trying to learn.
Whatever it is, it's part of the all things that are working
together for my good. Whatever. Because God is good. And God does good. Do you know
the name God? The title God comes from the
word good. The English word good. That's
the definition of God. He's good. And so therefore everything
he does is good. So first of all, consider God's
work of providence, and our life is holy. Consider God's work
of providence, and our life is for our good. You say, I don't
understand it. No, you don't. And maybe never
will. Maybe you will. I don't know. In eternity, you may be able
to understand these things. Maybe God will reveal it. But
the third thing, consider God's work of providence in our life
is for our learning. For our learning. Whatever it is, God may use it
to teach me to search the word of God. whatever the situation,
whatever the difficulty, if it is a difficulty, or the good
things. You know, we tend, or at least
I do, have a tendency to look at God's providence and think
about the things that are disagreeable, but let's remember those agreeable
things, those things that we enjoy, those things that we are
happy for and thankful for. Those are all part of God's providence
as well, not just the things that we consider uncomfortable. Whatever the situation may be,
is there a promise? Is there a promise in God's word
that will exactly answer to this situation? Is there? Have you
ever seen a man, I remember when I was a A teenage boy, I went
to work at a grocery store. Hinckley and Pelot. Hinckley and Pelot. I can't remember
the name. But anyway, an old grocery chain
that used to be here in Houston. And I remember that manager that
hired me, he had on his belt, he had a ring. It must have had 100 keys on
it. And you know the thing about
opening a lock, only one key will open that lock. And how
many times, maybe you've done this, I've done this, I've had
several keys, not a hundred, but several, and I didn't know
which one went to this lock, and so I had to use, try this
one, try this one, try this one, and finally, I found the right
key. And you know, that's the way
it is about the promises of God sometimes. There's a promise
for you, for me, whatever the need is, and the Word of God
that will fit exactly to whatever our situation is, but maybe we
don't know it. And so in God dealing with us,
in his providence, he's teaching us to search the scriptures,
to look into the scriptures, and to look for that one key. Christ is the key to the scriptures,
I know that, but to look to that one promise that will exactly
answer to our need. And the Bible tells us, and we
know this is so, we have so many exceeding great, great and precious
promises in the Word of God. God may use it to teach us to
search the Word of God. Number two, God may use it to
teach us patience. Whatever the providence is, God
may be using this to teach us You remember in John Bunyan's
Pilgrim's Progress, there were two characters, I believe, who
were in that house he visited pretty much in the beginning
of the book. And they wanted everything now.
They wanted all of their good things now. I can't remember
their names. And that's the way we are for
the most part. We want everything, the good
things now. But our Lord, in His first miracle
that He worked, when He began His public ministry, when He
turned that water into wine, you know, we see a principle
there. When that governor of the feast asked that man, he
said, well, most people serve the good wine first, and then
the wine that's inferior later. But you've reserved the good
wine for last. And that principle is true, isn't
it? The world gives its good things if we can call them good
now. God reserves his good things
for later, for later. We sang that hymn this morning,
Beulah Land, Beulah Land. And in Beulah Land, we can see,
we can see the, shining shore where mansions are prepared for
us. We want everything now, but God
has reserved the best for last. And the third thing, God may
use it to teach me the vanity of all things under the sun,
whatever the providence is. After all, you remember that
was the text for this whole book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes
1 and verse 2, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Consider the work
of God, the work of God. Consider his providence. What
a blessing it is for you and I to take the time to consider
his providence and to recognize that what he has made crooked
cannot be made straight. That God's purpose, God's will,
is going to be accomplished. Consider the work of God, for
who can make that straight which he hath made crooked? Many years
ago, I bought a book. The title was The Crook in the
Lot. The Crook in the Lot. I believe it was written by Thomas
Boston, but I'm not positive. And I took that book with me
to Mexico. And all the time I was there
in Mexico for 10 years, I started reading that book several times
and never got very far in it. Brought it back with me when
we moved back here to the States. And then one of God's providence,
when God took someone suddenly that we loved away from us, all
of a sudden I could read that book and not put it down. the
crook in the lot, and every person, every child of God will find
your lot in this life. There are things that God has
made crooked, and you cannot make them straight. You can't. But God's grace, remember this,
as the Apostle Paul learned and tells us in 2 Corinthians 12,
God's grace is sufficient no matter what the providence is. I trust the Lord would be pleased
to bless these thoughts and words to us tonight. And I'm going
to request to him, I want us to sing at him, what a friend
we have in Jesus. They were playing that this morning,
such a blessing. What a friend, what a friend.
354.