Trusting God's Providence: Clarity, Mystery, and Security
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I want to say three things concerning the underlying Doctrine here in this book it is the doctrine of Providence I wanted to give you three words in relationship to it now the first word is Clarity the second word is mystery and the third word is security all right so let us be clear that this is clear that's our first word Clarity in other words there's nothing sketchy or vague about this in the Bible and it is the very fact that it isn't sketchy or vague that causes men and women to react to it so strongly. [00:54:39]
There is Mystery in it, in that God directs all things, he directs the heart of the king if we stay with Proverbs 21 1 he directs the heart of the king without violating the nature of things, okay without without impinging upon causality, what does that mean in the case of a haswhereus it means this vashti was banished because of a free decision made by ahazweres, and when you read on in the story which I hope as I've suggested to you you will do you discover that there are these amazing little coincidences. [00:111:11]
Because what was actually happening was that God was ordering these events not ordering them by interfering as it were I had somebody tell me not so long ago that they were trapped in an elevator and they were supposed to phone their wife and then the phone wouldn't work and as a result of the phone not working uh he couldn't get his wife out of a situation and because he couldn't get her out of it she actually became a it became a Christian and so he said what an amazing thing it is that God stops elevators. [00:249:54]
Thomas Watson and his body of divinity uses this picture deposi says you were in a blacksmith shop and should see there are several sorts of tools some crooked some bored others hooked would you condemn all these things because they do not look handsome the Smith makes use of them all for doing his work thus it is with the providences of God they seem to us to be very crooked and strange yet they all carry on God's work if we don't understand this if we don't come to terms with this it will have implications in every dimension of Our Lives. [00:509:69]
Because when we read our Bibles it is clear that God often in history has made use of the wicked sometimes to protect and shield his people and at other times to purify and to refine his people right how else do you understand the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar and the forces of Babylon carrying his people away into Exile anybody on that day would say this is a disaster and it viewed in the immediacy of it surely it was a trial but from the vantage point of the banquet glance we see what God was doing. [00:584:39]
The real issue is whether we actually know God through Jesus whether we have come to understand that God is not a cosmic principle that he's not something inside of us that he's not a higher power simply be tapped into but he is the god and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has revealed himself savingly in the person of his son and he seeks us out to draw us to himself to make us his own and to let us know that he cares for us as no one else cares for us. [00:755:51]
We have to learn then to trust the provinces of God even when they seem to be a contrary to his promises because they often do what are you going to do in that context trust the promise I could illustrate it but our time has gone one illustration the end of Acts the Shipwreck scene Paul it's craziness right remember the the as is described there by Luke and God in a vision says to Paul everyone on this ship is going to be saved. [00:785:33]
Esther goes to the throne as a result of the free decision of ahazware us to banish vashti she goes to the throne throne as a result of God creating her DNA and making her really beautiful she goes to the throne as a result of the guy who has the oversight of the thing taking a shine to her and making sure that she's got really well looked after I must stop you have the point during the week you know I wake up singing songs well that's that wouldn't be true you have to check my wife I don't always wake up singing songs. [00:871:08]
I trust in God wherever I may be on Mountain steep or on the rolling sea when Billows roll he keeps my soul my heavenly father watches over me it just was a blast from my past a song from my childhood I came in one of the days of the week and was forwarded all the stuff that had come in from Truth For Life and went over to Kay's desk and in it there's usually things that people send to me and uh and and one of them was a book called songs of the sawdust Trail. [00:938:57]
I had always had the idea that God was standing over me with a whip ready to strike the moment you made a false step but this man said that was all wrong he was ready to help me queer lump in my throat was coming and they started the song again I trust in God I know he cares for me and he said my eyes were opened and I suddenly realized all I could understand he says was that I had found a new father and that he had been looking for me for years. [00:1087:08]
Have you found a new father do you realize he's been looking for you for years to realize that he takes the initiative that we love because he first loved us or maybe you're a deist or a pantheist or an atheist does your view of the world satisfy all the twists and turns and crooked bits and pieces of disappointment and failure and sadness and anxiety and if not why do you stick with that view of the world why not get yourself another one Why Not Bow Down and Trust your heavenly father. [00:1124:28]
Finally just a word concerning the fact that we must accept the security that is here for all who belong to Jesus security that is here for all who belong to Jesus you see even when it is obvious to us that the wicked flourish that evil people seem to be in the ascendancy that bad seems to be called good and good seems to be called bad even when we're disheartened and even when it appears that everything seems to be so crooked and irregular the doctrine of providence is in the Bible to say to us remember that God is actually Sovereign over all these affairs. [00:470:69]
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There is Mystery in it, in that God directs all things, he directs the heart of the king if we stay with Proverbs 21 1 he directs the heart of the king without violating the nature of things, okay without without impinging upon causality, what does that mean in the case of a haswhereus it means this vashti was banished because of a free decision made by ahazweres, and when you read on in the story which I hope as I've suggested to you you will do you discover that there are these amazing little coincidences. [00:111:11]
Because what was actually happening was that God was ordering these events not ordering them by interfering as it were I had somebody tell me not so long ago that they were trapped in an elevator and they were supposed to phone their wife and then the phone wouldn't work and as a result of the phone not working uh he couldn't get his wife out of a situation and because he couldn't get her out of it she actually became a it became a Christian and so he said what an amazing thing it is that God stops elevators. [00:249:54]
Thomas Watson and his body of divinity uses this picture deposi says you were in a blacksmith shop and should see there are several sorts of tools some crooked some bored others hooked would you condemn all these things because they do not look handsome the Smith makes use of them all for doing his work thus it is with the providences of God they seem to us to be very crooked and strange yet they all carry on God's work if we don't understand this if we don't come to terms with this it will have implications in every dimension of Our Lives. [00:509:69]
Because when we read our Bibles it is clear that God often in history has made use of the wicked sometimes to protect and shield his people and at other times to purify and to refine his people right how else do you understand the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar and the forces of Babylon carrying his people away into Exile anybody on that day would say this is a disaster and it viewed in the immediacy of it surely it was a trial but from the vantage point of the banquet glance we see what God was doing. [00:584:39]
The real issue is whether we actually know God through Jesus whether we have come to understand that God is not a cosmic principle that he's not something inside of us that he's not a higher power simply be tapped into but he is the god and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has revealed himself savingly in the person of his son and he seeks us out to draw us to himself to make us his own and to let us know that he cares for us as no one else cares for us. [00:755:51]
We have to learn then to trust the provinces of God even when they seem to be a contrary to his promises because they often do what are you going to do in that context trust the promise I could illustrate it but our time has gone one illustration the end of Acts the Shipwreck scene Paul it's craziness right remember the the as is described there by Luke and God in a vision says to Paul everyone on this ship is going to be saved. [00:785:33]
Esther goes to the throne as a result of the free decision of ahazware us to banish vashti she goes to the throne throne as a result of God creating her DNA and making her really beautiful she goes to the throne as a result of the guy who has the oversight of the thing taking a shine to her and making sure that she's got really well looked after I must stop you have the point during the week you know I wake up singing songs well that's that wouldn't be true you have to check my wife I don't always wake up singing songs. [00:871:08]
I trust in God wherever I may be on Mountain steep or on the rolling sea when Billows roll he keeps my soul my heavenly father watches over me it just was a blast from my past a song from my childhood I came in one of the days of the week and was forwarded all the stuff that had come in from Truth For Life and went over to Kay's desk and in it there's usually things that people send to me and uh and and one of them was a book called songs of the sawdust Trail. [00:938:57]
I had always had the idea that God was standing over me with a whip ready to strike the moment you made a false step but this man said that was all wrong he was ready to help me queer lump in my throat was coming and they started the song again I trust in God I know he cares for me and he said my eyes were opened and I suddenly realized all I could understand he says was that I had found a new father and that he had been looking for me for years. [00:1087:08]
Have you found a new father do you realize he's been looking for you for years to realize that he takes the initiative that we love because he first loved us or maybe you're a deist or a pantheist or an atheist does your view of the world satisfy all the twists and turns and crooked bits and pieces of disappointment and failure and sadness and anxiety and if not why do you stick with that view of the world why not get yourself another one Why Not Bow Down and Trust your heavenly father. [00:1124:28]
Finally just a word concerning the fact that we must accept the security that is here for all who belong to Jesus security that is here for all who belong to Jesus you see even when it is obvious to us that the wicked flourish that evil people seem to be in the ascendancy that bad seems to be called good and good seems to be called bad even when we're disheartened and even when it appears that everything seems to be so crooked and irregular the doctrine of providence is in the Bible to say to us remember that God is actually Sovereign over all these affairs. [00:470:69]
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