02 Providence: God is good and He cares for you

02 Providence: God is good and He cares for you

02 Providence: God Cares about You

 

Sermon Outline

  1. The World is not Fatalistic or Mechanistic
  2. Providence defined
    1. Good and in control
    2. Good defined (Gen 50:20, Dt 8:7, Ps 119:38, 73:1, 73:28, 84:11, Mk 10:18)
    3. Control illustrated
      1. In earthly matters, we plan to build and then plan to maintain the building.
        1. David did this with the Temple (1Chr 22-27)
        2. So also God does the same in his glorious creation (2Chr 20:6, 1Ti 6:15, Rev 17:14, 19:16, Ps 2:2-4) (Vandergroe, Vol 1, 151)
      2. God’s providence includes:
        1. Very small matters (Mt 6:26, 10:29-30),
        2. Chance events (Prov 16:33, Acts 8:26-39, Jn 4, Gen 24)
        3. Choices of men (Exod 11:3, Prov 21:1, 19:21)
          • Questions asked (Beeke PT 169)
        4. How does God’s providence relate to the laws of nature? (Ps 136:25, 147:8-9, Mt 6:30-32)
          1. Laws of Nature have to do with Cause and Effect, consistency.
          2. Yet notice what the Word says about things like the weather – natural events: (Ps 147:8, Ex 9:23, Lev 26:4)
          3. Vern Poythress in his Work Redeeming Science (p18,21) reminds us that Natural Laws aren’t independent of God.
        5. How does God’s providence relate to the sins of men? See also Vandergroe 162
          1. God does not make anyone sin, we choose sin, (Jam 1:13-15)
          2. God Permits it (Psa 81:11-12)
          3. God Restricts it (Gen 20:6)
            1. God doesn’t let sin go any further than will fulfill his beneficial plan for his people.
          4. God Governs it (Rom 9:17, Gen 50:20)
        6. How can God’s providence permit the prosperity of the wicked? (Mt 5:45, Eccl 8;12-13, 1Tim 5:24, Rom 14:12)
          1. We are all wicked.
          2. Some wicked people, are adept at working the world systems, others aren’t.
          3. Remember that true prosperity has nothing to do with this world and the things of this world.
        7. Why do the righteous suffer alongside the wicked? (Eccl 9:2, Job 1:12, 2:6, Heb 5:8)
          1. There are 4 reasons shy the righteous suffer along with the wicked:
            1. First – There is a Spiritual Battle happening
            2. Second – We live in a fallen world with sickness and disease and death
      3. Third – We live in a fallen world where sinners do things and those things affect others.
      4. Fourth – We ourselves are sinners.
  3. Application: We can be patient in adversity and thankful in prosperity (Vandergroe 167) (John 16:33, Acts 14:22)

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