What God Does: God Provides

Manuscript Template

Title:  What God Does: God Provides

Focus Statement:  

Function Statement:  

Tweetable Phrase:  

Main Text:  Genesis 16 - Manna from Heaven

Supporting Text:  

God Provides: Everything you need for a Godly life (2 Peter 1:3), at the proper time (Psalm 145:13-16), to those who ask (Matthew 7:7-11), so you lack nothing (Psalm 34:10).

Remember: Shapes identity (Ephesians 2:11-12), sustains faith (Lamentations 3:19-23), motivates obedience (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Ask: According to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15), while keeping God’s commandments (1 John 3:22), while believing you will receive (Mark 11:24), and being grateful even before God provides (Philippians 4:6).

Trust: Do not fear (Jeremiah 17:7-8), do not worry (Jeremiah 17:7-8), do not be shaken (Psalm 125:1), because God will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  Matthew 6:25-34 / Luke 22:19

Memory Verse: Philippians 4:19

Benediction:  2 Peter 1:3

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

Baptism

David, in keeping with the example of Jesus, you have come here today so that you might receive the sacrament of baptism.

Baptism is not itself the door to salvation; you have already recieved that through your decision to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your LORD and SAVIOR.

Baptism is an outward sign, proclaiming to all the world that you have taken Christ Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR, and that it is your purpose always to obey Him.

David would you share your testimony.

Before I baptize you, so we may know that you understand the significance of the step you are taking, we want to ask you a few questions:

Do you believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

That Jesus Christ the Son suffered in your place on the cross, that He died but rose again, that He now sits at the Father’s right hand until He returns to judge all people at the last day?

And do you believe in the Holy Scriptures as the inspired Word of God?

That by the grace of God every person has the ability and responsibility to choose between right and wrong, and that those who repent of their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are justified by faith?

Answer: All this I steadfastly believe.

And finally...

Do you intend for your baptism to testify to all the world that you are a Christian and that you will be a loyal follower of Christ?

Answer: I do.

[walk over to baptismal]

David Blanchard, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Congregation...Luke 15:10 states

Luke 15:10 “10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.””

Let’s Join the Angels in celebrating the decision David has made today. [clapping, cheering, etc]

To honor the step of faith of everyone who received the sacrament of Baptism moving forward, we’re going to have everyone who is baptized sign a water drop with their name and date of their baptism and hang it from the baptismal.

[David hang his water droplet and take picture]

My prayer is that The Light KC can be a church that lives out Luke 19:10 seeking and to saving the lost, and very soon we can cover this baptismal in reminders of the amazing work God has done in our community.

Let’s give David one more round of applause for the decision he’s made today.

[clapping, cheering, etc]

MEMORY VERSE

Before we get started...

...who took on the challenge of memorizing our Bible verse this week.

Please join me.

Colossians 1:16

“16 For in him all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers

or rulers or authorities;

all things have been created through him and for him.”

Great job.

ME/INTRO - Tension

Have you ever been asked to do something that was never on your radar to do?

When Ellie was in 1st or 2nd grade, she came home with a paper from the Cub Scouts.

They had apparently done a presentation at her school, and she was very excited about it.

She showed me the paper, and said, “dad can we go camping?”

For context, growing up, I never camped in a tent.

My family did camp but it was in a 24’ travel trailer.

We would go canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hiking, have camp fires, etc...

...but we had a place to get out of the rain

...and when the day was over, we had a bed, air conditioning, and a small kitchen so we could have real food.

The idea of taking all the time to setup camp, sleeping on the ground, always being too cold (or too hot), having bugs flying around me, get rained on, being woken up by Racoons, etc. … never appealed to me.

One thing you may or may not know about me, is I hate being dirty...and camping is dirty.

But...Ellie knew what she was doing.

She not only told me about all the great things that the CubScout person told her she’d experience (none of which I wanted to do),

but she told me that she wanted to do it all with me.

We’ll you can see where this went.

We signed up,

I was even volentold into being her den leader.

I was leading 8 kids in scouting, an activity I never did as a child and was not particularly interested in.

But over the years, the adventure of Scouting has been great.

We’ve done some amazing things together; camped, hiked, shot clays, shot bows and arrows, seen bison, and I have slowly acclimated to sleeping in a tent.

But I’m not going to lie, if it looks like it is going to rain on a campout, I sleep in the passenger seat of the truck.

WE - Tension

As a father, I had no idea that Ellie was interested in camping until she said something.

Even though I had no interest in camping,

I did (and still do) want to give her the experiences that she is interested in,

and as her father I want to share in those experiences with her.

And whereas most of us can probably relate to stories about how our parents Provided experiences like this for us, or how we Provide experiences like this for our children...

...things get mentally a little trickier when we think about how God Provides for us.

I didn’t know Ellie wanted to go camping before she asked so it wasn’t on my radar...

...yet, the bible says in Psalm 139:1-6 that

God perceives my thoughts from afar...

That before a word is on my tongue...

God knows it completely.

One question I sometimes think about and regularly get asked is

“If God already knows everything, why do I need to pray, or ask God for the things I need and want?”

Have you ever thought about that?

Have you ever questioned why sometimes God Provides what you need without you asking, but other times God waits until you ask?

Have you ever questioned why a Loving God would have us (as Jesus taught) “ask, seek, and knock” “persistently” to get what we want and need?

That is what we are going to talk about today.

This is week 7 of our Summer Series titled our “Verses to Live By: Truth for the Road Ahead”

Throughout the summer we’re looking at a different bible verse each week in an attempt to answer three questions that I think we all need answers to

WHO IS GOD

WHAT DOES GOD DO

WHAT DOES GOD CALL US TO DO IN RESPONSE

Each week, we’re also going to have a memory verse (with accompanying memorization aid) so that together we can be intentional about putting scripture deep in our heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to

transform our thinking

guide our decisions

deepen our faith

You can get the verse of the week memorization aid at the info desk after service.

We have already wrapped up the first 1/3 of our series on “WHO GOD IS”, where we saw that God is...

Sovereign,

Holy,

Righteous,

Just,

That God is Love,

our Refuge,

our Protector,

That God is Unchanging,

and Patient

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

Last week we looked at the first aspect of WHAT GOD DOES

We saw that God Creates.

That God created everything

That God created us in His image

That God invites us to Co-Create with Him

and that because of free will, we can choose to create Good or to create Evil

This week, we’re going to look at another aspect of What God Does: how God Provides

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Exodus 16: Sanctuary Bible Page # 57]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text - HEAD

God Provides

I want to start by taking a brief survey of what the bible says about God’s Provision.

It is easy to hear the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, which ends with Jesus telling the disciples in...

Matthew 21:21–22

“21 ...“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.””

Sometimes it is easy to think that praying is like the scene in Bruce Almighty

[Video: Bruce Almighty - Prayer Scene - 2:17-4:15)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpVmrS3QxS0

Just like Jim Carrey, when we ask - God delivers whatever we ask for in prayer...Right???

But we all have experienced that this is not true.

God is not a Magic Genie.

God does not just give us anything and everything we ask for.

That would go squarely against what Matthew wrote a few chapters earlier where Matthew compares God to a good earthly father

He writes in Matthew 7:11 ...

“11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Not everything we ask for is good for us, or good for others.

And that was my favorite part of Bruce Almighty - the scene where Jim Carrey got it.

[Video: Bruce Almighty - how to pray - 0:50 - 2:45]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg5Ihkw3vZw

Jim Carrey realized that God doesn’t answer every prayer with a “YES”, but does answer prayers with a “YES” that align to a few criteria.

The bible tell us what those criteria are.

First,

God provides what we need for a Godly life

2 Peter 1:3 “3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Second,

God provides at the proper time

Psalm 145:13–16 “13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. 14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

Third,

God provides to those who ask

Matthew 7:7–11 “7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Finally,

And God provides so we lack nothing

Psalm 34:10 “10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

So how does God Provide?

God Provides everything you need for a Godly life (2 Peter 1:3), at the proper time (Psalm 145:13-16), to those who ask (Matthew 7:7-11), so you lack nothing (Psalm 34:10).

That means that any time we ask for something we need or want, we can get three different answers.

Yes - what we asked for will help us live a godly life, it is the proper time, and God is glad to give it to us - just like a loving father would

No - what we’re asking for will not help us live a godly life, and like a loving father, God withholds from us what would be bad for us

Not yet - what we’re asking for will help us live a godly life, but it is not be the right time, so God has us wait

And this “NOT YET” answer for me is the hardest.

Usually with a little time and hindsight I can understand the times when God has said “NO”.

It doesn’t feel good in the moment, but later, I understand and even appreciate that God withheld.

But the “NOT YET” is hard.

I typically know that what I’m asking for aligns with God’s will.

I just don’t understand God’s timing.

So what are we supposed to do while waiting for God’s “NOT YET” to turn into a “YES”?

I think God calls us to do three things

REMEMBER

ASK

TRUST

I want to briefly look at each of these through a story in Exodus 16

The Israelites were just freed from Egyptian slavery through 10 miraculous plagues.

The Israelites were in the process of traveling from Egypt to the Promised Land, being led by Moses.

That’s where we pick up the story in Exodus 16.

God calls us to...Remember

The first thing God calls us to do while waiting for His Provision is to Remember.

Starting in Exodus 16:1, we read...

Exodus 16:1–3 “1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.””

I think we need to go back 1 chapter to better understand what is going on here.

Remember, the Israelites had just been miraculously freed from Egyptian slavery.

They not only got their freedom, but according to Exodus 12:33-36, when the Israelites were leaving Egypt they asked for and were given gold, silver, and clothing from the Egyptian people. The bible says that Isreal plundered Egypt.

They left Egypt not lacking anything. God Provided.

Now in Exodus 15:22, it has been 3 days since they were freed from and plundered Egypt.

Please read with me what happens a mere 3 days after being freed from slavery...

Waters of Marah and Elim

Exodus 15:22–27 “22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.”

Let’s look at this story on a map.

[Image: Map - Marah to Elim]

Israel walked 3 days to get to Marah from the Red Sea.

They ran out of water and got so worked up that they started to grumble against God.

They completely forgot everything that God has just done (literally days before) to PROVIDE for them.

If they had REMEMBERED how God had just miraculously provided for them, they could have easily waited faithfully for God to provide the water they needed

The passage says that they came to Elim where there was 12 springs.

Elim is 1 day’s walk from Marah.

All they had to do was wait for 1 more day and God would have provided without the grumbling and complaining.

REMEMBERING what God has done in your life is a spiritual discipline that

shapes your identity,

sustains your faith

motivates obedience to God’s commands

Remembering what God has done in your life shapes identity (Ephesians 2:11-12), sustains faith (Lamentations 3:19-23), and motivates obedience (Deuteronomy 5:15).

When life gets hard, what has God done in your past that you can look back on and REMEMBER; strengthening your faith and helping you to remain obedient to God’s direction for your life?

God calls us to...Ask

The second thing God calls us to do while waiting for His Provision is to Ask.

So after being freed from slavery, the Israelites didn’t remember what God had done for even 3 days.

When they had a legitimate needs (water), they didn’t even ask, they grumbled.

And even though did didn’t ask politely, but choose to grumble, God still heard them.

Let’s pick up the story in verse 6

Exodus 16:6–15

“6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” 10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” 13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.”

Israel is not doing very well, but this is one of those sections of the bible, where God’s love and mercy is so clearly on display.

Just like a loving father, God Provides even when the children don’t listen.

God knows that they need food and water to survive.

God knew in Chapter 15 that they ran out of water.

God knew that they were running out of food in Chapter 16.

God already had a plan to make sure they got everything they needed.

But instead of asking they threw a fit.

The bible gives 4 criteria that God outlines for how we are to ask Him for things.

1 John 5:14-15 - According to God’s will - our requests need to align with God’s plan for our lives

1 John 3:22 - While keeping God’s commandments - our actions matter, we need to obey what we already know God has told us to do

Mark 11:24 - While believing we will receive - we don’t ask in HOPE, we ask in FAITH - believing God loves us and will provide for us

Philippians 4:6 - And grateful (giving thanks) even before God provides

When we ask God for the needs and desires of our heart, we need to ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15), while keeping God’s commandments (1 John 3:22), while believing you will receive (Mark 11:24), and being grateful even before God provides (Philippians 4:6).

So why does God have us ASK for what we need and want?

Prayer is one of the main ways that we engage in a relationship with God

Asking God for our needs and wants helps us acknowledge that God is in control

Asking God for things through prayer helps us think through what we’re asking for and helps us align our desires with God’s will

God has us ASK because He loves us, wants to have a relationship with us, and wants to teach us how to align our desires to His will.

For those of us who are parents, we know that HOW YOU ASK is almost as important as WHAT YOU ASK FOR.

When Ellie wanted to go camping she got me to say yes BECAUSE OF HOW SHE ASKED

She knew that it was my desire to spend time with her, so she made it clear she wanted to go camping with me

She is a good kid and by and large follows the rules, so it is easy to reward her with her wants

I think she knew that if she asked in the right way, I would say yes

And she was very grateful, and still is for the adventures we go on

So, do you pray to God, asking Him to give you your needs and wants?

How do you ask?

Do you ask only what aligns with His will, while keeping His commandments, believing that like a loving father He will provide, and giving thanks even before God acts?

God calls us to...Trust

The final thing God calls us to do while waiting for His Provision is to Trust.

When God provided the manna (food from Heaven) for the Israelites He didn’t provide it every day.

We read in Exodus 16:4–5 how God chose to provide. It reads...

“4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.””

God Provided food for the Israelites for 40 years in the desert.

Every morning except the Sabbath there was Manna on the ground that they were to collect.

They were told to only collect enough for that day (roughly 3-4 pounds per person).

Anything they collected beyond what they needed would rot.

On the 6th day they were to collect twice as much, and TRUST that it would not rot and could be used on the Sabbath

Not everyone trusted, and the excess they collected rotted.

The Bible says that by putting our Trust in God, multiple things happen

Jeremiah 17:7-8 - When we trust in God we have no reason to fear

Jeremiah 17:7-8 - When we trust in God we have no reason to worry

Psalm 125:1 - When we put our trust in God we cannot be shaken and endure life’s trials

Proverbs 3:5-6 - When we put our trust in God, God will make your paths straight

When we put our trust in God, there is no reason to fear (Jeremiah 17:7-8), no reason to be worried (Jeremiah 17:7-8), no reason to be shaken (Psalm 125:1), because God promises that He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So...when you are in need, do you truly TRUST God?

Are you afraid that whatever need you have will never get filled?

Do you find yourself shaken by life’s challenges?

Or do you TRUST, that like a loving Father, God will PROVIDE when the time is right?

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

Jesus sums this up in a teaching that He gave on the Sermon on the Mount.

Starting in Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus taught...

“25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

If you leave today with nothing more than this...

Know that God loves you.

God wants you to have not only what you need, but wants you to have the desires of your heart as well.

But like a loving father, God won’t give you what is bad for you.

God will not give you what you are not ready for.

God will withhold from us, to teach us what we need to know so we can handle the gifts that He gives us.

God PROVIDES

And when we have to wait for that provision, we’re called to...

Remember all the ways that God has provided for us in the past

Ask for what we need and want that aligns with God’s will

Trust that God will provide when the time is right

And to remember this truth, our memory verse for the week is

Let’s all read it together.

Philippians 4:19

“19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who feels God calling them to respond to today’s message.

Maybe as you think about how God Provides, you need to come up and ask Him to help you Remember all the ways that He has PROVIDED for you in the past so you can stay faithful while waiting for Him to PROVIDE now.

Maybe as you think about how God Provides, you need to repent of how you’ve asked in the past. Seek forgiveness for the self-seeking ways you’ve used prayer to get what you wanted, and commit to seeking first God’s will for your life moving forward.

Maybe as you think about how God Provides, you need to give your fears and worries to God, Trusting that He will PROVIDE when the time is right and will make your paths straight.

Or maybe, you heard this message and you haven’t yet put your faith in Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR. Maybe you need to pray to God

Admitting that you are a sinner and need forgiveness

Verbalizing your Belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died on the cross paying the penalty for your sins, and rose from the dead on the third day giving your hope of an eternal life with God in Heaven.

Confessing that Jesus is your LORD and SAVIOR

If today is the day that you put your faith in Jesus, please come see me afterword. I’d love to walk with you as you start your new life in Christ.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

2 Peter 1:3

“3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

This week...

Let’s stop looking at God like He is a genie, ready and waiting to grant any request we make.

Let’s instead start seeing God as the loving father that He is

Providing everything we need for a Godly life (2 Peter 1:3)

Providing everything we need at the proper time (Psalm 145:13-16)

Providing everything we need when ask (Matthew 7:7-11)

Providing everything we need so that we lack nothing (Psalm 34:10).

And when we pray, asking God to PROVIDE, let’s humbly accept that answer He gives; weather a YES, NO, or WAIT

Remembering that God has faithfully PROVIDED for us in the past

and Trusting that God will continue to PROVIDE when the time is right

Quick reminder...

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

In what ways have you experienced God's provision in your life that shapes your identity?

How can you remind yourself of God's past provisions when faced with new challenges?

What does it mean to you to ask for God's provision according to His will?

What steps can you take to trust God more during difficult times?

How can being grateful before receiving what you ask for change your perspective on life's challenges?