"Providential Care" June 23, 2019
Overview
The Providential Care of God
When Paul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia and was invited to give "a word of exhortation" Acts 13:15, he opened his sermon by pounding a single, unmistakable theme: the providential care of God. Providence is God's provision, his guidance, his protection, and his lordship over every detail of life. Paul rehearses Israel's history as a relentless catalog of that care: God chose the ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—as a pure act of grace, setting his heart in love upon them Deuteronomy 10:15. He multiplied them in Egypt, fulfilling his promise that Abraham's offspring would be like the dust of the earth Genesis 13:16. He freed them with an outstretched arm Exodus 6:6, put up with and cared for them in the wilderness, gave them the land, and then provided judges, and finally kings—even raising up David, "a man after my heart, who will do all my will" Acts 13:22. David was a great sinner—an adulterer and a murderer—yet he was a man of repentance and obedience, and that posture of heart is what God honored.
The pinnacle of God's providence, however, is not Israel's deliverance from Egypt or the gift of the land or even the throne of David. It is what Paul announces in Acts 13:23: "Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised." The Messiah, prepared for by John's baptism of repentance, has come. He has borne our sin on the cross, the tomb is empty, and our deepest need—reconciliation with God—has been answered by God himself. Every promise of Scripture finds its guarantee in him; in Christ "every one of God's promises is yes" 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Paul pounds this theme for good reason: our perpetual temptation is to treat God's providential care as something that expired long ago—a coupon no longer valid. But Jesus says, "Do not be anxious… your heavenly Father knows that you need them all" Matthew 6:31-32, and "I will not leave you as orphans" John 14:18. Paul writes that "all things work together for good, for those who love God" Romans 8:28—meaning God even governs the problems he allows for his redemptive purposes. And the Lord declares through Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you… plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11.
The pastoral application is direct: instead of worrying, pray. Prayer is the act of relinquishment, an acknowledgment that every detail of our lives passes before the throne of a sovereign and loving God. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7. God chose you, freed you, puts up with you, cares for you, and has redeemed you in Christ. His providential care has not expired—we live in it still.
Transcript
One of the great joys of studying through the Book of Acts is that you come across some amazing, amazing sermons. 0s
By Justin Art studies so far, we have studied the great sermon of Peter at the time of Pentacost. 11s
We then studied Stevens sermon before he was killed. 18s
And now we come in the 13th chapter of the Book of Acts to Paul's great sermon. 23s
Let's pick up and get the context starting in verse 13 of chapter 13. 31s
Then Paul and his companions set sail from Pof Pefos and came to Purgah in Pamphilia. 36s
John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem. 44s
But they went on from Purgah and came to Antioch in Pacilia. 48s
And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down after the reading of the law and the prophets. 54s
The officials of the synagogue sent them a message saying, 62s
Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, 66s
give it and Paul had a word of exhortation for the people. 74s
Today in the next two weeks we're going to break down this sermon together. 84s
We've entitled it, Pohl's Proclamation. 90s
And at the heart of the beginning of Pohl's sermon is the theme, 94s
the providential care of God, the providential care of God. 102s
Let's start, please. 114s
Verse 16. 115s
So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak. 118s
You is realized and others who fear God, listen. 122s
So he's speaking to the Jews and when he references their and others who fear God, 130s
those are Gentile converts to the Jewish faith. 136s
Now he launches in to the theme, the providential care of God, the pounds this point. 141s
He absolutely pounds it. 151s
The providential care of God is God's provision for us, his guidance of us, 152s
his protection of us, his lordship over all details in life. 159s
It's his provision, it's his protection, it's his providing for us. 167s
And he pounds, he pounds this point for 17. 172s
The God of this people is real. 180s
Chose are ancestors. 184s
When Paul would have said that the Jew would have translated ancestors immediately. 189s
It would have been Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 197s
And also most likely the 12 sons of Jacob, immediately when he says ancestors, 201s
they know exactly what he is talking about. 207s
And God chose these ancestors as a pure act of grace. 211s
They had done nothing to deserve it. 219s
God simply chose them into leadership, chose them for the function that they would do. 222s
I think of Deuteronomy chapter 10, there it says, 231s
Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors. 235s
It's a beautiful image isn't it? 243s
Where God's sitting is very heart in love toward these people that he had chosen into positions of leadership. 246s
Let's go on. 255s
Next part of verse 17, 257s
and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt. 260s
Remember what were they during that stay in the land of Egypt? 268s
They were slaves. 270s
And the scripture says that God made them great. 273s
In other words, God multiplied the people. 278s
Remember the promise he gave, going back into Exodus to 6 chapter? 282s
I will, or Genesis 13, rather, I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, 287s
so that if one can count the dust of the earth, 294s
your offspring also can be counted. 297s
That was the promise to Abraham and Sarah. 302s
I'm going to form this nation and out of this nation is going to come to the Messiah. 306s
And indeed, it is going to be an innumerable amount of people. 310s
Why just try and count the dust of the earth you can't? 316s
That's how large this people is going to grow. 319s
Next part of verse 17, 324s
and with up lifted arm, he led them out of it. 327s
He led them out of Egypt. 333s
Exodus 6 says, 336s
I will free you from the burden of the Egyptians, 338s
deliver you from slavery to them. 343s
I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm 347s
and with mighty acts of judgment. 352s
It is the providential care of all mighty God. 358s
He chooses the people. 366s
He multiplies the people and he frees the people. 369s
Providential care. 375s
And the theme, he just keeps going. 376s
Let's continue on. 380s
Verse 18, 382s
For about 40 years, he put up with them in the wilderness. 384s
See that little phrase there in verse 18 where it says, 390s
put up with them. 393s
There's two words in the Hebrew and they're almost spelled identically. 395s
But there's just a slight variation of it. 401s
You might have a footnote in your Bible saying that there's 404s
a little bit of a word in the Bible saying, 409s
You can translate that depending on which word you choose, 410s
because there's a debate with the manuscripts that one has. 414s
Whether it is put up with or cared for. 418s
So you can translate it either put up with or cared for. 423s
Either one of those two translations is appropriate. 429s
Put up with or cared for. 433s
You can translate it either way. 437s
Either one is acceptable because that's exactly what God did, right? 440s
God put up with the people. 445s
He put up with them in all of their sin and rebellion. 449s
And he also cared for them. 454s
So whether it's put up or cared for, 458s
you can go either way. 462s
We go on. 465s
Verse 19 after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Cana, 466s
he gave them their land as an inheritance for about 450 years. 472s
We're in the NRSV here and this beloved translation, 482s
I'm going to disagree with it. 486s
I'm going to go with other translations. 488s
It's a better translation where it says, 490s
and all this took about 450 years. 492s
That's a far better translation than what they decided on here. 495s
Because you've got 400 years that the people were in Egypt. 499s
You had 40 years of wilderness wandering and then you had 10 years from the time that they crossed the Jordan 503s
until the land was divided out. 508s
That's 450 years. 511s
So a far better translation is to say, 513s
all this took about 450 years. 516s
Go on into 20. 520s
After that, he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. 522s
Remember, judges were not those that we think of in black robes and the courts. 530s
Joe judges were military leaders. 537s
You read through the book of judges and it's the same cycle of themes. 540s
The people relapse into sin. 545s
God brings about retribution, raising up a nation to bring discipline on his people. 548s
The people repent of their sin and then God rescues them through a judge. 555s
It's the same cycle over and over and over again. 561s
Relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue. 564s
Providence of God isn't it? 571s
Providence of God. 574s
He chooses them. 577s
He multiplies them. 579s
He frees them. 580s
He puts up with them. 582s
He cares for them. 584s
He gives them the land and he gives them judges. 586s
Paul is preaching. 592s
And Paul's theme is crystal clear. 595s
And you know what? 598s
He's not done yet. 600s
The theme goes right on. 602s
Next verse, verse 21. 605s
Then they asked for a king and gave them, and God gave them soul, son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin who reigned for 40 years. 609s
When he had removed him, he made David there king. 620s
In his testimony about him, he said, I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart who will carry out all my wishes. 625s
David was the greatest king. 645s
And David was a great sinner. 649s
A great sinner. 651s
He was an adulterer. 653s
He was a murderer. 655s
And that's just the start of the list. 656s
So why is it then that God says, 660s
Here's a man, here's a man after my own heart. 664s
Why? 669s
Notice the claws at the end of verse 22. 670s
Who will carry out all my wishes? 675s
He was obedient. 680s
He was obedient to the desire of what God wanted for his people. 682s
And part of the obedience was David turning in repentance. 688s
In repentance. 695s
He repented of his adultery. 697s
He repented of his murder of Bathsheeb as husband, Euraya. 699s
He repented of his sin. 704s
And God says, There's someone who's after my own heart. 707s
The providential care. 716s
God's provision. 719s
God's guidance. 720s
God's protection. 723s
And Paul says, here it comes. 725s
God chose the people, multiplied the people, free the people. 729s
God cared for the people. 733s
He put up with the people. 734s
He gave them the land. 735s
He gave them judges. 736s
And he gave them the providential care of God. 738s
Pounding the point in his proclamation. 747s
And for good reason. 753s
Because what's our temptation? 760s
Our temptation is to deny the providential care of God. 765s
I think of Matthew, the sixth chapter. 777s
There Jesus says this. 782s
Therefore, do not worry. 784s
Same. 787s
What will we eat? 790s
What will we drink? 791s
Where? 793s
It's the Gentiles who strive for all these things. 796s
And indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 799s
And yet we can treat the providential care of God as if it is that which has expired with the people of old. 807s
Scripture tells us in Romans 8, we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. 821s
That means God even governs the problems that He allows in your life for the His purposes. 834s
And all things for the believer work together for good to those who love Him and yet we can treat the providential care of God. 847s
As if it is something that expired long ago. 863s
Philippians 4 says, do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. 873s
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 884s
You see, instead of worrying, we are to be a people that are called to prayer because it is an act of relinquishment. 891s
It is an act of acknowledgement of the sovereignty and the lordship of God over absolutely every detail of our life that passes before His throne. 899s
And the temptation is to treat the providential care of God as if it is that which went out of business long ago. 910s
Jesus says, in John 14, I will not leave you orphaned. 930s
I will not. 939s
And yet we can treat the providential care of God as if it is something that has expired. 942s
Jeremiah 29, for surely I know the plans I have for you says the lord plans for your welfare and not for harm to give you a future with hope. 949s
And yet we can treat the providential care of God as if it is something that has expired. 964s
Beloved, our sin is fully on display when in our words, in our thoughts, in our actions. 971s
We act think or speak as if the providential care of God was for a limited time, a limited time offer and our coupon. 984s
Has expired. 1000s
Paul pounds the point and for good reason. 1006s
God chose you, multiplied you, freed you. 1017s
God put up with you and cared for you. 1022s
God gave you the land and judges and kings. 1025s
And then he moves into the pinnacle of the providential care of God Almighty. 1031s
Look with me, please, at Acts 13, chapter verse 23. 1040s
There Paul preaches and he says, of this man's posterity, that's David, God has brought to Israel a Savior Jesus as He promised. 1047s
There's the pinnacle of the provisional, the pinnacle of the protection, the pinnacle of the guidance. 1065s
That indeed Jesus has come and borne our sin on the cross that the tomb of Christ is empty, that the sacrifice for sin has been accepted, that our greatest need to be reconciled unto God has been handled by God. 1074s
God himself who sends the Savior into the mess of things that we have made and redeems the world. 1093s
Providing for the personal application of the gospel through our baptism, washing us in the promises of Almighty God. 1104s
It is the pinnacle of his providential care. 1115s
He even talks about the forerunner going on in the verse 24 before his coming. 1118s
John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 1124s
And his John was finishing his work. He said, what do you suppose that I am? 1130s
I am not He. No, but one is coming after me. I'm not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet. 1138s
The guarantee of every single promise of Scripture has Jesus Christ behind it. 1152s
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1, in him, every one of God's promises is yes. 1163s
Paul and his proclamation says, you see the history of the providential care of God? 1177s
Look what else he's done. 1188s
The anticipated prophesied Messiah has come Jesus. 1192s
The love of God, He has chosen you. 1204s
And He has led you out of situations and will continue to lead you out of situations. 1210s
He puts up with you and He cares for you. 1222s
He has redeemed you. 1231s
They turned to Paul and said, brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, 1238s
give it. Paul says, I've got a word. 1249s
And He preached the providential care of God. 1259s
And we live in it, don't we? 1271s
We live in it. 1275s
Thank you. 1298s