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Johnny Wildt

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Prepare for God’s journey of Providence

Text: Luke 2:1-7

Divine Providence (1-3)

Into: When Mary was told by the angel Gabriel

“that thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom there shall be no end”

Mary’s response, after Gabriel explains to her the nature of the incarnation , she proclaims

“Be it unto me according to thy word”

Mary proclaimed God’s providence.

When the shepherds came to view the Christ child, at His birth, they made known unto Mary..

“all the saying which was told them concerning this child” and Luke records “she pondered all these things in her heart”

Mary pondered God’s providence.

When Simeon said to Mary, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again a many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yah a sword shell pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed”

Mary prepared herself for God’s providence.

One of my wife’s most despised songs of the Christmas season is “Mary did you know?”

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would calm the storm with his hand? Did you know that your baby boy Has walked where angels trod?When you kiss your little baby

You kiss the face of God.

Mary, did you know?

Mary, did you know? Did you know?

Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

The point my wife makes that fumes zeal for biblical accuracy is “she did know.” She knew!!!

She proclaimed God’s Providence; she pondered God’s Providence; and she prepared herself for God’s Providence.

We see God’s Providence in view at the very beginning of Luke 2. God moves the heart of Caesar Augustus who, by his edict calling for a census, sets the historical stage for the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem.

There are NO "accidental events" in the history of the world, for as is often said "history" is "HIS STORY!"

Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

In the period of the emperor known for his reign of peace (Cesar Augustus also known as Octavian) God raises up the child of peace. For many interpreters, Luke is not only placing Jesus’ birth in the context of world history, but he also is making a play on the theme of the peaceful emperor

Note: Divine Providence permeates the pages of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation! This great truth ought to cause all of God's children to shout "Hallelujah! Our God Reigns!" Amen.

Providence means—“God’s gracious oversight of the universe.”

· Every one of those words is important. God’s providence is one aspect of his grace.

· Oversight means that he directs the course of affairs.

· The word universe tells us that God not only knows the big picture, he also concerns himself with the tiniest details.

Five statements that unfold the meaning of God’s providence in more detail.

· He upholds all things

· He governs all events.

· He directs everything to its appointed end.

· He does this all the time and in every circumstance.

· He does it always for his own glory.

A healthy understanding of God's providences should produce praise from His people. In all the setbacks of your life as a believer, God is plotting for your journey.

What God is showing us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the Christmas narrative is that God rules and reigns providentially over all the nations and people of the earth fulfilling His sovereign purposes and plans for His own glory.

Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? (Cent) and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

"The same God Who controls the sun cares for the sparrow", which begs this question… "Why should be so anxious and fearful about what tomorrow holds, when we know the One Who holds tomorrow?"

· Sovereignty—He is in control.

· Providence—He has oversight and care

· Predestination—He is in charge of how everything turns out.

· Wisdom—He makes no mistakes.

· Goodness—He has our best interests at heart.

· Graciousness—We do not deserve it.

Spurgeon once quipped "The keys of providence swing at the girdle of Christ. Believe it, Christian, nothing occurs here without the permit or the decree of your Savior… He that has gone to prepare a place for us by his presence has prepared the way to that place for us by his providence."

Everything is in the Divine purpose, and has been ordered by Divine wisdom. All the events of your life- the greater, certainly; and the smaller, with equal certainty. It is impossible to draw a line in Providence and say this is arranged by Providence and that is not. God's Providence takes everything in its sweep- all that happens. Divine Providence determines not only the movement of a star, but the blowing of a grain of dust along the public road.

God's Providence knows nothing of things so little as to be beneath its notice, nothing of things so great as to be beyond its control. Nothing is too little or too great for God to rule and overrule. All that a man undergoes is also ordained of Heaven.

God ordained… when we would be born; where we would be born; who our parents would be; what our lot in infancy would be; what our path in youth would be; and what our position in manhood would be. From the first to the last it has all happened according to the Divine purpose, and ordained by the Divine will.

Not only the man but all that concerns the man, is foreordained of the Lord- "The very hairs of your head," that is to say, all that has anything to do with you, which comes into any kind of contact with you and is in any sense part and parcel of yourself, is under the Divine foresight and predestination.

You shall neither die before your time, nor live beyond it. All that concerns you, from first to last, all that is of you and in you and around you, is in the Divine purpose. Fate is hard and cruel, but predestination is fatherly and wise and kind. When we see that all things are arranged by Him who orders all things according to the counsel of His own will, then we bow our heads and worship.

Our happiness lies very much in our complete submission to the Lord our God. Oh, it is a blessed thing when we know that God is ordering all the events of Providence. Then we dissolve our own will into the sweetness of His will and our sorrow is at an end!

Since even the very hairs of our head are all numbered; since everything is really ordained by the Most High concerning His people, let us rejoice in the Divine appointment, and take all as it comes, and praise His name, whether our allotment is rough or smooth, bitter or sweet.

Let us cheerfully say, "If the Lord wills it then we will it, too. If He has purposed it, even so let it be, since all things work together for good to those who love God, even to those who are called according to His purpose. (From The Hairs of Your Head Numbered - C H Spurgeon)

Do we really believe and have firm, unshakeable confidence in the great doctrine of divine providence?

God moves in mysterious ways by William Cowper

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

1.Providence should free us from bitterness. When you can’t trace his hand trust his heart.

2.Providence gives us perspective on our tragedies.

3.Providence gives us courage to keep going in hard times.

4.Providence allows us to live by faith.

5.Providence helps us understand how Jesus came and why he died.

Isaiah 9:6-10 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Divine Prophecy (4-7a)

In Luke chapter 2, we see God moving the heart of Caesar Augustus who, by his edict calling for a census, sets the historical stage for the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem.

God through the edict caused Joseph to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to fulfill prophecy.

Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

God had promised that the Saviour would be a human, not an angel (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:16), and a Jew, not a Gentile (Gen. 12:1-3; Num. 24:17). He would be from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), and the family of David (2 Sam. 7:1-17), born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) in Bethlehem,' the city of David (Micah 5:2). All of this occurred just as the Scriptures said, and Caesar unknowingly played an important part.

Divine Placement (7b)

So many had returned to Bethlehem for the census, the small city was overflowing with people. There was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, which forced them to take refuge in the only place available—a shelter for animals.

Kent Hughes - If we imagine that Jesus was born in a freshly swept, county fair stable, we miss the whole point. It was wretched—scandalous! There was sweat and pain and blood and cries as Mary reached up to the heavens for help. The earth was cold and hard. The smell of birth mixed with the stench of manure and acrid straw made a contemptible bouquet. Trembling carpenter's hands, clumsy with fear, grasped God's Son slippery with blood—the baby's limbs waving helplessly as if falling through space—his face grimacing as he gasped in the cold and his cry pierced the night....No child born into the world that day seemed to have lower prospects.

The Son of God was born into the world not as a prince but as a pauper. We must never forget that this is where Christianity began, and where it always begins—with a sense of need, a graced sense of one's insufficiency. Christ, himself setting the example, comes to the needy. He is born only in those who are "poor in spirit." (Ibid)

Brian Bell - So we have Royalty clothed in rags; Majesty emerging in the midst of the mundane; Eternity stepping into time; And the most prominent event of all human history being noticed by no one but…a handful of outcasts.

Swaddled at His birth, wrapped at His death! Jesus was born to d

Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

How far is it from Nazareth to Bethlehem? It was about 80 miles and it took Joseph Mary about a week to travel.

That journey probably took Joseph and Mary about a week, and they didn’t stay in a nice hotel when they got there. All Joseph could find was a stall in a stable, and that’s where Mary delivered “her firstborn Son” (Luke 2:7).

But the journey for the infant Jesus was much farther than 80 miles. He left His place in heaven at God’s right hand, came to earth, and accepted our humanity. Eventually, He was stretched out on a cross to die, and He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But the journey was not over. He conquered death, left the tomb, walked again among men, and ascended to heaven. Even that is not the journey’s end. Someday He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.

As you take a Christmas journey this month, reflect on the journey Jesus made for us. He came from heaven to earth to die for us, making salvation available through His death on the cross and His glorious resurrection.

Praise God for that first Christmas journey!

When God stepped out of heaven above

And came down to this earth,

He clothed Himself in human flesh—

A Child of lowly birth.

—D. De Haan

The irony of the most important event in history taking place in a manger should not be lost sight of; it reveals how God elevates the lowly and humble and rejects the proud and mighty of this world

Jesus lived by the Divine providence of God. and so should we.

John 2:1-5 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

John 7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.

John 7:8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.

John 7:30 Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

John 8:20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

John 17: These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:”

The Divine placement of Jesus was in the manager; was on the cross; and is now on a throne.

“He began in a manger, and ended on the cross, and along the way had no where to lay His head.”

Acts 2:22 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

He Maketh No Mistake

by A M Overton

My Father’s way may twist and turn,

My heart may throb and ache

But in my soul I’m glad I know,

He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,

My hopes may fade away,

But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead

For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark and it may seem

That day will never break,

I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,

He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,

My eyesight’s far too dim;

But come what may, I’ll simply trust

And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift

And plain it all He’ll make,

Through all the way, tho’ dark to me,

He made not one mistake.

The Divine Provision

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

Meet God’s providence

Mature in the faith of God’s Providence

Make way for God’s providence