Who is Your Provider

Who is God to you?

For me when I look at the Son I am reminded so much about Him

He is a communicator.

He is a Creator

He is the Beginning and the End

He is Provider.

Turn to Genesis 45 this morning.

Genesis 45:16–20 (CSB)

16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan.

18 Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.’

19 You are also commanded to tell them, ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your dependents and your wives and bring your father here.

20 Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”

Now turn over to Matthew 4. There are some similarities between these two stories and i would like for us to see just how they apply to us as Christians today.

Matthew 4:1–11 CSB

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

Where do you turn when you find yourself in need of something?

For most this answers changes throughout our life.

As a baby and toddler, we always turned to our parents when we had a need. “I need food, I need clothes...”

As a child, if we were honest, we were more likely to turn to a grandparent to get the thing we “need” when our parents wouldn’t give it to us. “I need a new toy, I need candy, I need a snack (Kids always ask grandparent in front of the parent.)

As an adult where do you turn? Still to your parents? to your spouse? to something else?

The reality is that the world today is out there tell people that it can provide what you need better then anything else.

I was listening to pastor Robby Gallaty from Long Hollow the other day and he gave this statistic:

37% of the Teenagers in America believe they will be famous.

They can be you tube famous, ticktock famous, Instagram famous, sports, famous, or any other way.

Here is the question…Why?

Why do you want this so badly? Why is it that you need the approval of others so badly, Why do you need your name to be known?

Why are you so concerned with how many subscribers, followers or like you have on your social media platform?

Because the world has made us believe that this is what we need to sustain ourselves.

I need the worlds approval and support to provide for my mental, and emotiaonal well being.

To be fulfilled I have to have the best of what the world has to offer.

I have to have the best job, the best phone, the best house, the best car, the best family, the best dog, the best picture of my meal from last night.

Do you see what I am saying, when we say it out loud it sounds crazy, but that is the reality of what our life and our culture reflects.

And here is another reality, that I want to show you first this morning.

I. The World will always offer provision apart from what God offers.

look again at what Pharaoh says to Joseph when he tells the to come.

Genesis 45:20 CSB

20 Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”

Friends, when Satan decides to go on the offense, he doesn’t always do it by attacking!

I think that too often we given Satan too much credit for OUR mistakes.

* He will often come at you with promises of riches, fame, good health, good mental health, love, appreciation, promotion, and so much more!

The world comes and says I want to give you ALL THE BEST OF THE LAND!

BUT NOTICE THAT IT IS NOT JUST THAT, look at how Pharoah starts the sentence out.

“Do not be concerned about your belongings.”

Now this would seem to make sense because the “best” of the land would surely be better than anything that some poor wondering shepherds currently have right?

But here is the question…Who gave Jacob what he had?

Who blessed Israel with the land that they lived in, the cattle that they had.

Genesis 32:13-15 tells us just a portion of what Jacob had as he prepared a gift for his brother Esau out of fear.

Genesis 32:13–15 CSB

13 He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.

You see what happens is every time someone gets a new truck, every time someone gets a raise or a promotion. New house, a new phone… we forget all the things that God has already given us!

And that is what the enemy wants, He wants us to believe, that the things of the world will always be better than what God can provide.

That is exactly what Satan did to Jesus in Matthew 4:8

Matthew 4:8–9 CSB

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”

Satan said to Jesus, if you will just forget what God has sent you here to do and if you will just fall down and worship me, I will give you ALL THESE THINGS!

Some of you here today have been seeking provision from everywhere but Jesus.

You have changed jobs, you have been through a divorce or been in adultery, you have changed friends. You spend hours on Instagram or on TikTok looking for approval, looking to fill a void in your life and you still feel empty...

why? Don’t miss number 2

II. When you seek Provision from anywhere other than Jesus, you will always be left wanting more.

One of the attributes of God is Aseity, and it is found in acts 17.

Acts 17:25 CSB

25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.

God and God alone, has need of nothing!

We on the other hand are a finite creation and thus we are incapable of sustaining ourselves.

Had God not created trees, and fish, and flowers and the Sun, we would cease to exist.

The best that we have will only last for so long.

William Post III, $16.2 million. Just three months after winning the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988, Post experienced crime, bankruptcy and poor spending decisions, such as the purchase of a restaurant and an airplane. Post was $500,000 in debt and filed for bankruptcy in the early 1990s, according to Bankrate.

Evelyn Marie Adams, $5.4 million. Adams won the New Jersey lottery twice in 1985 and 1986 and admitted to being broke in an interview with The New York Post in 2012. Adams reportedly gambled excessively and lost the majority of her money in Atlantic City.

Andrew “Jack” Whittaker, $315 million. Whittaker’s 2002 lump-sum payout of $170.5 million supplemented his existing net worth of roughly $17 million. The millionaire donated a good percentage of his earnings to various charities and foundations until his divorce and the death of his granddaughter. From there, he experienced extensive theft and began drinking heavily.

Alex and Rhoda Toth, $13 million. The couple accepted payments of $666,666 over a 20-year span in 1990, but filed for bankruptcy in 2006 after living lavish lifestyles in Vegas and enduring a sleuth of legal expenses resulting from family drama. The couple was later charged with tax evasion. Rhoda was sentenced to two years in prison and was fined $1.1 million.Solomon had everything, He had money, he had the houses, he had the women, he had the fame, he had the life that we all try and attain and what did he say about it?

Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 CSB

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” 3 What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? 4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it hurries back to the place where it rises. 6 Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. 7 All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. 11 There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.

No matter what you do, the world will NEVER BE ENOUGH. THE EYE IS NOT SATISFIED BY SEEING, NOR THE EAR FILLED WITH HEARING.

What is God’s Name? He gives it to Moses when he asked what to tell Israel if they ask… He say I Am… and he leaves it open.

why does he leave it open? Becasue He is…what you need!

Jesus said

I am the bread of life John 6:35.

I am the light of the world. John 8:12; 9:5.

I am the gate. John 10:7.

I am the good shepherd. John 10:11,14.

I am the resurrection and the life. John 11:25.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.

I am the true vine. John 15:1,5

Jesus is what you need!

He is the only thing that will not leave you feeling void when he provides for you.

In John chapter 4 he tells the woman the well that everyone who drinks from the water that He gives will never get thirsty again.

The water that Jesus gives will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life!

Jesus is the only one who is able to fill the void that is in your life!

If you are lost, you have no hope outside of Jesus!

If you are a prodigal, you will quickly find that you have no JOY outside of Jesus.

This is why David prayed, restore to me the joy of thy salvation.

FRIEND, STOP TURNING TO THE WORLD WHO MAY ALWAYS GIVE YOU INSTANT SATISFACTION BUT WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU FILLING FULL.

Let me give you 2 applications and then I’ll let you go eat.

Application

What is the world offering you and at what cost?

What are some ways that Satan is tempting you that you may not even recognize?

My wife had a great statement about this when we were studying together. She said, “Satan will often give us good things out of balance.”

There is such thing as too much of a good thing.

Money - at what cost?

Rest - at what cost?

Every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to 5 to 10 things.

In the fast food world we live in today, count the cost of what you will give up to receive what the world is offering!

Hallmark Christmas Movie Tonight - (This is what your life would be if you would have made that one decision) - different job, different financial situation, different car, different, house…DIFFERENT CHILDREN, DIFFERENT SPOUSE.

2. Have you drank from the well that never runs dry?

a. If you were to walk out of this place and step off into eternity, would you wake up in the presence of Jesus? Or would you be like the rich mane in Luke 16 who lifted up his eyes being in torments.

b. How do you know you will be in Heaven. If your answer is anything other than because I have repented of my sin and trusted in the death burial and Resurrection of Jesus, then you will not see the glory of Heaven.

Jesus said I am the way! It must go through Him.

He is the one who we must draw our provision from.