God Is in Control 3/12/2017

Summary: ANNOUNCEMENTS: LT meeting tomorrow at 7pm, Easter Egg Candy, Family Meal/Meeting next Sunday PROVIDENCE The doctrine that God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do: and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. The goal this morning is to help see things through the lens of God being in control of all things, to have spiritual eyes in your perspective, and to see things as God does. Paul says in Ephesians 1:11, “he makes everything work out according to his plan.” or, Ephesians 1:10 NET God accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will Colossians 1:17 NLT 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Hebrews 1:3 NLT The Son sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. This fact is hidden from us until we read it in Scripture. So lets begin by taking a survey of key biblical texts: Inanimate creation and the weather Psalm 148:8 NLT 8 fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, Job 37:5-12 NLT 5 God's voice is glorious in the thunder. We can't even imagine the greatness of his power. 6 "He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. 7 Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power. 8 The wild animals take cover and stay inside their dens. 9 The stormy wind comes from its chamber, and the driving winds bring the cold. 10 God's breath sends the ice, freezing wide expanses of water. 11 He loads the clouds with moisture, and they flash with his lightning. 12 The clouds churn about at his direction. They do whatever he commands throughout the earth. Job 38:24-38 NLT 24 Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind? 25 "Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? 26 Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? 27 Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up? 28 "Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? 29 Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? 30 For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes. 31 "Can you direct the movement of the stars-- binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? 32 Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear (Big Dipper) with her cubs across the heavens? 33 Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth? 34 "Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? 35 Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct? 36 Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? 37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven 38 when the parched ground is dry and the soil has hardened into clods? Psalm 135:6-7 NLT 6 The LORD does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. 7 He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses. Psalm 104:4 NLT 4 The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants. Matthew 5:45 NLT For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 2. Animals Matthew 6:26 NLT 26 Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 10:29 NET Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. Job 38:39-41 NLT 39 "Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions' appetites 40 as they lie in their dens or crouch in the thicket? 41 Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God and wander about in hunger? 3. Random or Chance Events Proverbs 16:33 NLT 33 We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. Ecclesiastes 9:11 NAU again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all. chance here for the Israelite means “the unexpected” PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY CAUSATION These passages affirm that such events are entirely caused by God. Yet we know that, in another sense, they are entirely caused by factors in the creation as well. God directs, and works through the distinctive properties of each created thing, so that these things themselves bring about the results that we see. In this way it is possible to affirm that in one sense events are fully or 100% caused by God and fully or 100% caused by the creature as well. However, divine and creaturely causes work in different ways. The divine cause of each event works as an invisible, behind-the-scenes, directing cause and therefore could be called the “primary cause” that plans and initiates everything that happens. But the created thing brings about actions in ways consistent with the creature’s own properties, ways that can often be described by us or by scientists who carefully observe the processes. These creaturely factors and properties can therefore be called the “secondary” causes of everything that happens, even though they are the causes that are evident to us by observation. Primary vs. Secondary Causation 4. God directs the Rise and Fall of the Nations Job 12:16-25 NLT 16 Yes, strength and wisdom are his; deceivers and deceived are both in his power. 17 He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools. 18 He removes the royal robe of kings. They are led away with ropes around their waist. 19 He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power. 20 He silences the trusted adviser and removes the insight of the elders. 21 He pours disgrace upon princes and disarms the strong. 22 "He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom. 23 He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. 24 He strips kings of understanding and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland. 25 They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards. Acts 17:26 NLT 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. Daniel 4:34-35 NLT 34 "After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. 35 All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, 'What do you mean by doing these things?' 5. God Directs the Direction of Our Lives Jesus reflects on our need to see and depend on God’s provision for our daily needs: Matthew 6:11 NLT 11 Give us today the food we need, Paul has this same perspective when he writes in Philippians 4:19: Philippians 4:19 NLT 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Paul sees that God is in control and taking care of him even though we know from Philippians 1:7; 13–14; 17 that Paul is in a Roman prison. Psalm 139:16 CSB Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. Job 14:5 NLT 5 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. Jeremiah 10:23-24 NLT 23 I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. 24 So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. Proverbs 20:24 NLT 24 The LORD directs our steps Proverbs 16:9 NLT 9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. A man may plan his road to the last detail, but he cannot implement his planning unless it coincides with God’s plan for him. He is deluded if he supposes that he has unfettered control and can impose his will on every situation without limitation in order to make his plan a reality.” (Waltke, Proverbs, vol 2, p. 16) Proverbs 21:1 NLT The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases. EXAMPLES: Ezra 1:1 NLT In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: Ezra 6:22 NLT 22 Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the LORD had caused the king of Assyria to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel. Success & Failure Psalm 75:7 NLT 7 It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall. 1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT 7 What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift? CONCLUSION: God’s providential work in our lives extends to all aspects of our lives. Our words, our steps, our movements, our hearts, and our abilities are all from the Lord. CAUTION: God’s providential direction as an unseen, behind-the-scenes, “primary cause,” should not lead us to deny the reality of our choices and actions. Again and again Scripture affirms that we really do cause events to happen. We are significant and we are responsible. We do have choices and these are real choices that bring about real results. Scripture repeatedly affirms these truths as well. Our choices are real choices and do have significant effects, because God has made us in such a way that he has created us with the property of willing choice. Some would say that if our choices are real, they cannot be caused by God. But the number of passages that affirm God’s control is so considerable, and the difficulties involved in giving them some other interpretation are so formidable, that it does not seem that this can be the right approach to them. It seems better to affirm that God causes all things that happen, but that he does so in such a way that he somehow upholds our ability to make willing, responsible choices, choices that have real and eternal results and for which we are held accountable. Exactly how God combines his providential control with our willing and significant choices, Scripture does not explain to us. But rather than deny one aspect or the other (simply because we cannot explain how both can be true), we should accept both in an attempt to be faithful to the teaching of all of Scripture. In the weeks ahead we will deal with some of the challenges to our view of God that these texts raise for us. We will seek to answer some of the harder questions but the question will be, are we willing to submit to God or will we seek instead to create and craft a god of our own imagination? CONCLUSION: submission and dependency How shall we respond? First, are we truly willing to submit to Scripture, to all that Scripture teaches? We can cherry pick, but just because we don’t believe in gravity doesn’t make gravity cease to exist. Do we really want truth, and if so are we willing to submit to it. I want to challenge us toward humility. Are we willing to break and bend, to learn and grow, to repent of hard hearts. Are we willing to cast ourselves, including our intellects and wills, on the mercy of God. We will be looking at different facets of the doctrine of God in the weeks ahead to prepare us to be obedient to the mission God has called us to. We are looking at the doctrine of God to prepare us to be evangelists. Look around, there is room for more people here and we need to get serious about sharing the Gospel, but first we need to see who God is, so that we have the correct motivation. NLT Psalm 18:26 To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. Acts 26:14 NLT 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.' All things work together for good but its good as God defines it. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT 17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. As we look at these truths, we will either see God’s goodness and greatness or we will harden our hearts and rebel against God.

God Is in Control 3/12/2017

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