Sermon Tone Analysis

Faith in God’s providence, instead of repressing our energies, excites us to diligence.

We labor as if all depended upon us, and then fall back upon the Lord with the calm faith that depends upon him.

—C.H. Spurgeon

Much of our study of providence has been examining God’s working in the lives of OT saints.

Even much of our study on the incarnation and the crucifixion we spent examining the connection of OT prophecies to the NT fulfillment in Jesus.

One might be tempted to ask the question, does God still work through providential means today in the church age?

Is providence still God’s modus operandi, His primary method of operation?

What does the Bible Say?

To answer our question we are going to survey the book of Acts and draw out timeless principles concerning God’s providence.

What can we learn of God’s providential working in the early church from the book of Acts?

1. God may intervene directly in the affairs of His church and in the individual lives of His people (Acts 5:1-11; cf.

I Corinthians 11:30)

2. God is free to alter circumstances in ways that are humanly impossible (Acts 5:17-24)

3. God may preserve or deliver His people through aid even from our enemies (Acts 5:33-40)

4. God may choose not to intervene even in behalf of His choicest servants (Acts 7:54-60)

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So far we have talked about examples of dramatic deliverance, but God does not always choose to intervene.

God allowed Stephen to be martyred.

But martyrdom is no less providential than deliverance, and the martyrdom of Stephen was as providentially superintended by God as was the martyrdom of His own Son.

Such details are part of the outworking of God’s all-wise and always good purposes.

Remember, God both exercises and withholds His sustaining, preserving providence.

Do you know the names Roger Youderian, Ed McCulley, Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and Pete Fleming?

Jan. 8, 1956 deep jungles of Ecuador lost their lives as missionaries.

Could God have directed them differently?

Could God have protected them?

Did they commit some act of indiscretion that put them outside the realm of God’s protective providence?

Is that even possible?

What, then, is the explanation for this “tragedy?”

Have you every head this statement, “the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will”?

Given our current point on providence do you agree with that statement?

A veteran missionary to Colombia, South America, modified that statement as follows: “The most fulfilling, joyful, and peaceful place to be is in the center of God’s will, but it is not necessarily the safest.”

It seems to me that the Bible is full of examples of God’s people often—not occasionally—being placed in unsafe, uncomfortable, and dangerous situations … Most prayers in Scripture focus not on the personal safety and benefit of the believer but on the power, majesty, testimony, and victory of God over his—and our—enemies … The Lord calls us to obedience in spite of the ‘costs’—not to personal comfort and safety!

God’s perfect will may not be the “safest” place by any normal human definition—but it is the place of supreme peace and confidence in His providential oversight over all our circumstances.

5. God is capable of working in people we would never expect, even through events that seem to us tragic, senseless, and counterproductive to the cause of Christ (Acts 7:58-8:3)

We already read the account of Stephen being stoned in Acts 7.

Imagine you are reading Acts for the first time.

What are your initial thoughts about Saul after you read this account?

Do you think any of the early church believers were praying for Saul (except that God would zap him)?

Did any believers suspect God might be working in that man’s self-righteous, hostile, gospel-hating heart?

Think about the last person on this planet you might expect to come to Christ and be used mightily of God.

We have no idea what God might be doing in the hearts and lives of people around you—often in people you might least expect.

6. God uses persecution and affliction to accomplish His purposes for and through us (Acts 8:3-4)

Historically, persecution has been the wind of God's providence to scatter His people and, with them, the seed of the Word.

Nothing in the text indicates that the disciples had been ignoring the commission; quite the contrary.

“What is plain is that the devil (who lurks behind all persecution of the church) over-reached himself.

His attack had the opposite effect to what he intended.

Instead of smothering the gospel, persecution succeeded only in spreading it.”

7. God may direct us to minister in unpromising places and unlikely situations, with apparently minimal potential, for His own purposes (Acts 8:26-40)

God providentially directed Philip to to go where?

desert place!

Where was Philip currently?

Do you think Philip might have had reason to object to God’s leading?

Why go into such a sparsely populated area when God was using him in such great ways in Samaria?

But Philip was obedient to the leading of God.

Whom did Philip meet?

An Ethiopian.

What was his occupation?

He served as royal treasurer in the court of the queen of Ethiopia.

Why is this significant?

Think of the exponential extension of the gospel well into the African continent through this single “coincidental” meeting out in the middle of nowhere.

By the way did Philip understand or know about the potential future reach of his humble act of obedience to God’s leading?

Do you think Philip will be rewarded by Jesus far beyond his imagination one day?

Phillip before the bema seat: “I just shared the gospel with one guy in the middle of the wilderness” Jesus’ reply: “Yes, but I used that act of obedience to reach a nation.

Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

So the Spirit of God led Philip and the Spirit of God had directed the Ethiopian to a very particular passage of Scripture.

Do you know where the Ethiopian was reading?

It was in Isaiah.

The fact that the Ethiopian was reading Isaiah 53 is wonderfully providential!

But it is not only where he was reading but what he was reading that really causes God’s providence to shine!

What version of the OT is the Ethiopian reading?

Not the Hebrew OT!

He most certainly would not have been able to read Hebrew.

He was reading the Septuagint—the Green translation of the Hebrew OT.

The Greek text in vv.

32-33 is identical to the LXX.

It is slightly different from the Hebrew text.

(Does that fact teach us anything about the version arguments that plague modern churches?)

How did the Ethiopian obtain a copy of the LXX? God directed people to translate and disperse the OT even to the continent of Africa!

How long was this providential meeting of Philip and the Ethiopian prepared for ahead of time by God? Decades, even centuries, in the making!

8. God may intervene in the lives and affairs of people in spectacular, unexpected, extraordinary ways if He chooses (Acts 9:1-8)

God is free and fully able to break into time and space to intervene in people’s lives.

On the road to Damascus was not the first time He had ever done so, nor would it be the last.

Olive Fleming Liefeld: 201-202

9. God can intervene in humanly hopeless, dangerous, and even life-threatening situations (Acts 12:1-19)

How much hope (humanly speaking) does Peter have in prison?

What just happened to James?

Not looking too good for Peter.

What do you think the church was praying about for Peter?

Do you think they were praying for deliverance?

The text does not say.

Earlier in Acts 4 the believers were threatened with persecution because they were preaching the gospel.

Did the church pray then for deliverance from persecution or death?

No they prayed for boldness!

Most likely, because James was just executed for his faith, the church is praying for Peter to have boldness to meet his end well.

God providentially allowed James to be killed for His faith.

But here God intervened providentially to spare Peter’s life.

10.

God can use human disagreements as the catalyst for diversifying the ministry and more effectively accomplishing His purposes (Acts 15:36-41)

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How would you describe the conflict between Paul and Barnabas in this passage?

“Sharp disagreement”- we get our English word “paroxysm” (a fit, convulsion, or sudden violent emotion or reaction).