Father’s Providence
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
12/11/2016 AM
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Text:
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Psalm 104;
Lord's Day 10
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Psalters: |
226, 35, 285, 95 |
- Our Father’s sovereign control.
- The sovereign God exercises absolute control over everything He created.
- First, He continues to speak the word of power whereby He upholds all that He created (Neh. 9:6).
- Second, He governs everything according to His perfectly wise plan (Prov. 16:33; 20:24; Isa. 46:10; Jer. 10:23; Eph. 1:11).
- Characteristics of His control.
- What God controls by His providence.
- He controls the nations, creation, animals, Satan and evil spirits.
- He controls the common and the special, the pleasant and the unpleasant, great and small.
- Our faith in God’s providence leads us to reject certain errors.
- The proper response of faith is a child-like joyful embracing of it (not just tolerating His sovereignty).
- Patient in adversity (Rom. 5:3; James 1:3).
- This means that we consciously focus on Him who brings the cross, submitting to His supreme and perfectly-wise will.
- We are called to endure, to bear patiently, and to persevere under trials.
- Thankful in prosperity.
- Gratitude sees that all we are and have (success and prosperity) are gifts from our Father in heaven.
- Gratitude realizes that what we deserve and seeing that we never get what we deserve.
- Trusting our faithful Father with the future.
- Obey our gracious Father by loving Him.