The Gracious Providence of the Lord God

Intro: The Gracious Providence of the Lord God...

What is grace?

here are 131 uses of grace in the ESV — 124 in the New Testament, 86 of which are from the apostle Paul, which means two-thirds of all the uses of the word grace in the Bible are in one author: Paul.

So, to answer the question, let’s just limit ourselves to Paul grace is undeserved favor

Romans 3:24: “[We] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Grace is what inclines God to give gifts that are free and undeserved by sinners.

Romans 5:15: “If many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” So, grace is that quality in God that produces free gifts for guilty sinners in salvation.

Romans 11:5–6: “At the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” So, you can’t work to earn grace. It is free and undeserved.

Paul also comes at grace a little differently in other passages.

2 Corinthians 9:8: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” Now, that seems to picture grace as a power or an influence for obedience.

2 Corinthians 12:9: Jesus says to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

1 Corinthians 15:10: “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder [that was the effect of grace] than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

So as we look at the question what is grace? We see that grace is the character trait, disposition or inclination of God to treat people better that we deserve, but the word grace also refers to the action or the power or the force of this grace to produce real practical outcomes in peoples lives. This grace makes us adequate to do good deeds, to endure suffering or to work harder than anyone else for the sake of the Gospel.

As Gospel believers we need to expand our definition of grace as something more that undeserved favor to the power which enables us to serve and suffer for the sake of the Gospel.

What is Providence?

The word “providence” is striking. It comes from the word “provide” which has two parts: “pro” (Latin: “forward,” “on behalf of”) and “vide” (Latin: “to see”). So you might think that “provide” would mean: “to see forward” or “to foresee.” But it doesn’t. It means “to supply what is needed; to give sustenance or support.” And so the noun “providence” has come to mean the act of “providing for or sustaining and governing the universe by God.”

Why is this? There is a linguistic reason and the theological reason. Linguistically “pro” means “on behalf of” as well as “forward.” So “pro-vide” can mean “to see on behalf of.” We say in English: “I’ll see to that.” “See to” means “take care of, provide for.” In other words “seeing something with a purpose” is to make provision for what you see. “Seeing to” something is acting on behalf of something. It is “providing.” Thus, providence is the act of God’s “seeing to” the universe. He’ll see to that.

Theologically, there is a reason why “seeing to” means “providing for.” Remember the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac his son. Before they went up the mountain, Isaac said to his father, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7). Abraham answered, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And when God had shown Abraham a ram caught in the thorns, Genesis 22:14 says, “Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide.”

Whenever it says “provide” in Genesis 22 the Hebrew word is, “see.” Very simply Abraham said to Isaac, “God will see for himself the lamb.” And in verse 14: “The Lord will see.” Why does God’s “seeing” in Hebrew mean that he will provide? I think the deepest answer is that God never simply sees without acting. He is God. He is not a passive participant in a world that exists without his sustaining it. Wherever God is looking, God is acting. If God perceives, he performs. If he inspects, he effects. In other words there is a profound theological reason why “providence” does not merely mean “foreknowledge,” but rather “the active sustenance and governance of the universe.” When God “sees,” he “sees to.” His seeing is always with a view to doing. Where he patrols, he controls.

What then, is the providence of God? Here is the answer of the Heildelberg Catechism (Question 27): It is:

The almighty and everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth, with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

And why should we study this? What good will it do? Here is the answer from question 28.

That we may be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from his love, since all creatures are so in his hand that without his will they can not so much as move.

I. The Gracious Providence of the Lord God to Communicate With Us

A. The reason we have a book of the beginnings is because God in his gracious providence choose to provide for us a book.

He provide the creation narrative

how humanity came to be

that we are people of value because we are made in the image of God

We are a people of purpose, to fill the earth by having families and to fill the earth by creating a godly culture and atmosphere to abide in.

B. God chose to communicate with us in a way we can understand.

God communicated to the people using the common forms of communication of the time. So what does this mean?

Well we come to Genesis 2 and think why is there two creation accounts?

In ANE literature it was common for the to provide a general description of an event then provide specifics. We see this through out Genesis

Gen 5:28-32, Gen 6

Gen 10:25 Gen 10:32 - Gen 11

Gen 11:27-32 Gen 12ff

So what we find in Genesis 2 is not another account of creation account, but God providing for us the details of day 6.

God explains how he formed man

God explains how he created a beautiful Garden for man to dwell in

God creates a helper suitable for Adam so they can together be image bearers of God on the earth.

God performs the first wedding ceremony

Not only that, but in an era with no chapters and verses, God provides natural divisions for the book. “These are the generations”

Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary Man’s Felicity (2:4–25)

The refrain These are the generations (4a) divides Genesis into sections at 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 19; 37:2.

ii. God reveals himself to us, He is the LORD GOD

1. In Gen we God, Elohim in his majestic power, speaking and creating, diplaying for us his awesome power, beauty, creative genius. There is no doubt that we are dealing with an all powerful God.

2. In Genesis 2 we see he is the LORD GOD. If in Genesis 1 we see God’s transcendence. in Genesis 2 we the Lord’s immanence.

a. We the Lord forming, taking his time, desiring to relate to his creation.

b. we see a God who is all powerful but who is also near to us, initiating a relationship with us, providing for us.

II. The Gracious Providence of the Lord God to Sustain the Earth For Us

A. God is also sustaining the earth.

No man to work the ground

a mist was going up watering the whole face of the earth

B. God was creating and sustaining the earth for Adam and Eve at the same time

C. God continues to sustain the earth for us

i. Psalms 135:6-7

ii. Psalms 104: 13:14

iii. Col 1:17

iv. Heb 1:3

III. The Gracious Providence of the Lord God to Provide For Our Needs

A. We see in Gen 2 God providing for the needs of those he has created.

B. God provides for Adam and Eve all of their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

C. God continues to provide for needs.

God provides for our spiritual needs

God provides for our emotional needs

God provides for physical needs.

Conclusion

We see that in God’s gracious providence he continues to provide for our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. He sustains the earth and our lives in His hand. He provides the word so we may know the truths of that lead us to him.

We see in his word, in christ we have all we ever need.

But his providence is a gracious providence, because we do not deserve it. but he provides for us anyway.

As a result his gracious providence in our lives it should be encourage us to live a life that honors and pleases him. His gracious providence should spur us to good deeds, his gracious providence should help us endure suffering. his gracious providence should stir in us to work harder in doing Gospel work for our communities. the gracious providence of God in our lives should be the force that launches us int our communities to make a Gospel impact in our world.