Father’s Providence

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Psalm 104; Lord's Day 10
Psalters: 226, 35, 285, 95
  1. Our Father’s sovereign control.
    1. The sovereign God exercises absolute control over everything He created.
      1. First, He continues to speak the word of power whereby He upholds all that He created (Neh. 9:6).
      2. Second, He governs everything according to His perfectly wise plan (Prov. 16:33; 20:24; Isa. 46:10; Jer. 10:23; Eph. 1:11).
    2. Characteristics of His control.
    3. What God controls by His providence.
      1. He controls the nations,  creation, animals, Satan and evil spirits.
      2. He controls the common and the special, the pleasant and the unpleasant, great and small.
    4. Our faith in God’s providence leads us to reject certain errors.
  2. The proper response of faith is a child-like joyful embracing of it (not just tolerating His sovereignty).
    1. Patient in adversity (Rom. 5:3; James 1:3).
      1. This means that we consciously focus on Him who brings the cross, submitting to His supreme and perfectly-wise will.
      2. We are called to endure, to bear patiently, and to persevere under trials.
    2. Thankful in prosperity.
      1. Gratitude sees that all we are and have (success and prosperity) are gifts from our Father in heaven.
        1. Gratitude realizes that what we deserve and seeing that we never get what we deserve.
    3. Trusting our faithful Father with the future.
    4. Obey our gracious Father by loving Him.