Well, this evening I want to consider the topic, the idea of God's providence. And as we heard a fantastic sermon this morning from Psalm 3, it's in God's providence that this is a bit of a follow-up from this morning's sermon. And also I've noticed in God's providence, as President Kim gave us a four-point sermon, which I'm sure threw you all off a bit in the Lord's providence. I have a two-point sermon for you this evening, so you can go home with a solid six and feel a bit balanced as your Lord's Day concludes. But to do that, I want to look at Acts chapter 17. So turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 17, and I'll be reading from verses 22 through 28, and then we'll also be considering our catechism, questions 27 and 28, which I'll reference throughout the sermon. So keep those questions in mind as I read from Acts 17 verses 22 through 28. This is the word of the Lord. Let us give our attention to it now. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with an inscription, to the unknown God. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything. Since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything, and he made from one man every nation of mankind, to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and we move and have our being. As even some of your own poets have said, we are indeed his offspring. As far as the reading of God's word, may he bless it to us this evening. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for your word that you have laid open before us this evening and pray that our hearts would be ready to receive it, that your Holy Spirit would pierce us to the heart, that he would bring conviction of sin, but also the sweet comfort that we find from your fatherly care, from your fatherly providence and provision for us as your people. may you bless this time, and may you be glorified. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. So this passage, as you know, has received quite a bit of attention throughout the history of the church. And the reason why, rightfully so, is because we find ourselves in a passage where Paul is proclaiming the one true God, the God who is in the midst of the men of Athens, and what he calls them to be idolaters of this unknown God. They had committed themselves to worshiping this God who they called unknown. And Paul sees the idol worship within Athens, and he is cut to the heart. He's moved to proclaim the God who is, the God who made the world and everything in it. Paul is proclaiming the works of God, namely his creation and his providence. And then he's also proclaiming the chief end of man, and that is to seek God and to know God. And then he's calling his listeners to repentance and to faith, and he's preaching the hope of the resurrection. You remember Luke sums up Paul's preaching just before our passage, and he says that Paul was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. That was the content of his messages, of his preaching. So let's remember a bit more. Let's dive a little bit deeper into the scene that we're jumping into now to provide a little bit of context so we know what we're digging into this evening. So Paul is, remember, on his second missionary journey and he finds himself in Athens. He's sent there by the brothers who had sent him there because of this persecution that he received in Thessalonica and Berea. And he's there and he is proclaiming God's word. Paul's waiting for Silas and Timothy to come to him. And the text says it's fantastic what the text says that he was provoked as he saw that the city was full of idols. He was cut to the heart and he was moved to reason with the Jews in the synagogue and reason daily in the marketplace with the Gentiles. So now you see a little bit what Paul's motive is here is to proclaim Christ to both the Jews and also to the Gentiles. Through his reasoning in the marketplace, He gets the attention of the philosophers. You remember the philosophers are interested in hearing something new. They're always about gathering together and hearing the next new thing. And so they see that this man is in the marketplace proclaiming Christ and the resurrection and they wanna know more. You remember this passage was preached not too long ago and you remember that they call him to the council, to the Areopagus to give it a fence of what it is that he is proclaiming. So he preaches a sermon to the council, and what a bold sermon he preaches. And we'll see a little bit more of why there is such boldness in this proclamation. He addresses the men of Athens, and he recognizes that there are religious people. He knows this based on what he's seen so far in the city. As he walks through the city, he sees that it's full of idols. He sees that there is an inscription to this unknown God, that they are a worshiping people. They're a religious people. They're concerned to worship these gods. And that provoked him to proclaim Christ. And the most notable I've mentioned already of these idols was to the unknown God. And that's what drives him to then proclaim the one true God, the one true God who made all things and sustains all things and governs all things. So in our text this evening, as well as in our catechism, we're going to see that because God upholds all things through his almighty power and presence, we can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity and have confidence in the Lord's care and provision for us. So think of that, we can have confidence in the Lord's provision and care for us because by his power and his presence, he is upholding all things and he is governing all things. So as I mentioned, I have a two-point sermon for you, and I'm really just following the structure of our catechism. I'm looking at questions 27 and 28. And my first point is this, what is the providence of God? What do we know to be the providence of God? And our second point this evening for consideration is, how does the knowledge of God's providence help us? So you see the what, what is the providence of God, and so what? How does this help us? How does this knowledge benefit us as God's people? So we turn now first to the language of the Heidelberg Catechism found in question 27 to give a preliminary answer to this question. What is God's providence? So listen to how our catechism shares the language that it uses to describe God's providence. Providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures. And so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, all things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but by his fatherly hand. Don't you love the language of our catechism here? The warming language of all things come to us, both good and bad, from the care of our God who is a father and brings all things by his fatherly hand. Providence, we can think of, is God's sovereign power in upholding and governing all things. Look with me again at verse 24 in Acts chapter 17. Look what Paul says in verse 24. The God who made the world and everything in it. So Paul is proclaiming Christ, but what does he start with here? He's starting with creation. Paul starts with creation, and by starting there, he's making an important point to the audience by which he is proclaiming Christ. The worldview of his listeners is completely contrary, completely different from the biblical narrative. For instance, the Stoics, one of the groups of philosophers that Paul is proclaiming, as Acts 17 tells us, they were pantheistic in their worldview, meaning that everything is God or God is in everything. Evil is necessary in their system because divine reality is this one divine whole. It's a cyclical worldview. Evil must happen because that's just the way things go. That is what goes around comes around, you can think. While the Epicureans, another group of philosophers that Paul is proclaiming Christ to, they believed that the gods were uninvolved in human affairs. They believed that the gods were distant. So Paul is really addressing these two extremes. That God is in all things and that God is distant from all things. The Epicureans taught that the purpose of life was pleasure. No pain. They were seeking the pleasure of life now. They wanted it now. eat, drink, and be merry. While the Stoics stressed living in harmony with nature and depending on their own natural reason, ascending to this God through their own natural reason. And Paul is proclaiming a God. It's very interesting here. You have to catch this. He's proclaiming a God that is both distinct from his creation, unlike the Stoics, but that he is imminent or he is near his creation. He is acting within his creation, unlike the Epicureans. So it's very interesting to note by this one claim here, the God who made all things, Paul is coming at the views and the beliefs of both the Stoics and the Epicureans. In Paul's proclamation, you might ask, what does this mean to us? Is this relevant today? Well, in our 21st century context, it certainly is relevant because on one hand we have the claims of modern science that the universe has been created by chance and all things are just coming about by chance and on the other hand we have the spiritual but not religious converts that are infatuated with this pantheistic idea of karma. So you can see that as we come to this text this evening it's very much relevant to us because our friends and our neighbors and our family members are believing some of the remnants of the philosophies that Paul was preaching against. And this is why the world looks at us in confusion when we say that God created all things out of nothing. That seems like very familiar language to us, but when we proclaim that to those who do not believe in God, they look at us funny. Because they don't believe in a God who created all things out of nothing and who is distinct from his creation. The world was brought into existence out of nothing by the only one who could do such a thing, and that is namely God himself. Paul, by starting with creation here in our text, he is breaking open the worldview, the cyclical worldview of his listeners. The world did not emanate or come out of God, as the Stoics believed, but rather the heavens and earth were created out of nothing. God spoke and it was. This statement also emphasizes that God is distinct from his creation. The creator is distinct from his creation, which is again important for his listeners. God is showing by, Paul is showing that God is not dependent on his creation. We may be tempted at times to think that God depends on us. But Paul makes it very clear that God is distinct from his creation. And Paul gets at that with this next phrase. So I've spent a lot of time talking about creation. You may wonder, well, I thought we were talking about providence this evening. And it's important to note that you have to spend time speaking about creation to then talk about providence because that's what Paul does here. As I follow the flow of the text, look what Paul says next. In verse 24, the God who made the world and everything in it being Lord of heaven and earth. So God not only created the world, but he now sustains and upholds the earth, the heavens and the earth. He is Lord over all creation. And to have a right view of creation, we must then examine and embrace the doctrine of divine providence, which is why Paul is linking the two. In one breath, he's saying God created and he is Lord over all things. In fact, providence can be thought of as a continuation of God's creation because God is preserving all things that he did create and he is governing them with his divine governance. And our catechism is so helpful here in this language that providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures. The God being proclaimed, the sustainer of all that is, does not live in temples made by man or served by human hands as though he needed anything, is what Paul says next. Unlike the gods of Paul's listeners, unlike the gods of those who we proclaim Christ to, the God of heaven and earth cannot be contained in a building or manipulated by our gifts of service. God does not react to us. The Bible claims that God is self-sufficient and he is not dependent on his creation, and that's very good news for us. If we think about the implications of God not depending on us and not reacting to us, how would we trust such a God? We serve a God who is distinct and self-sufficient in and of himself, and that alone brings us great comfort as we think of the God whom we serve. When we offer God our worship, we aren't adding some type of glory to him, but we're merely recognizing that he is glorious and we're proclaiming his glorious nature. One commentator puts it clearly when he states, it's absurd, therefore, to suppose that he who sustains life should himself need to be sustained, that he who supplies our need should himself need our supply. Any attempt to tame or domesticate God, to reduce him to the level of a household pet dependent on us for food and shelter, is again a ridiculous reversal of roles. We depend on God. He does not depend on us. It is God himself who gives to all mankind life and breath and everything in it, as Paul proclaims in Acts 17. In his general providence, look what Paul says next. In his general providence, God has, as Paul says, determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place in verse 26. And this is why our catechism can go on to say that God so rules them that leaf and blade and rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, all things, all things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but by his fatherly hand. So, contrary to the ideas of our day of chance and fate, many people find themselves finding this false security or false hope in the ideas of chance and fate. And at times we too can be tempted because that is the language of our day, is it not? We can be tempted to think about things that come to pass as being that of chance or that of fate. I think of all the romantic movies that we watch, right? The fate that the two become lovers at the end. This idea is baked into our society, into our culture. But we, the people of God, cling to the clear teaching of scripture that God affects all things. He affects all good things, and he also permits evil things to be done as he directs all, both good and evil, to his own glory and to the salvation of his people. Both good and evil to his own glory and to the salvation of his people. I hope you're feeling the comfort already as we just think a bit about God's providence that both good and evil come to pass from his fatherly hand. affecting all good things and also permitting evil. That nothing is outside the counsel of God's perfect will. And in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, Zacharias, your sinus, sums it up with this statement. He says that all things, even the smallest, fall within the providence of God so that whatever is done, whether it be good or bad, come to pass, not by chance, but by the eternal counsel of God, producing, if it be good, and permitting, if it be evil. Ursinus goes on to claim that the ends of the doctrine of divine providence are the glory of God, patience in adversity, thankfulness in prosperity, and hope in regard to future things. And we see that this leads us to the so what. So I've spent time now explaining what providence is, that all things come to pass from our creator and our sustainer God who has created and is sustaining all things. So now what? How does this benefit us? And that leads us to the so what? Why do we care about this providence? And the catechism asks the question this way, how does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us? And this is where I find the catechism so helpful and comforting because not only is the rich doctrine laid out for us in question 27, but then in question 28, the question is asked, what does that mean for you, Christian? Why does that matter for you? So you can see here that there is this connection between doctrine and life that because we have this understanding of who God is, the one who provides and sustains and cares for all things by his fatherly hand, then we are driven to write worship of him. We're driven to a comfort because of that doctrine. The follow-up question connects the doctrine and our Christian living. Paul in Acts 17, he's doing something similar. So, so far he has said that God has created all things. He is Lord over all things. He's not made, he cannot contain him in temples made with human hands or by man. And the so what for Paul is that he is calling unbelievers to repentance and faith. So here's where we break a bit because Paul, what he does is he shows that the knowledge of this God who is the creator and the sustainer, he is calling unbelievers to repentance and faith. And our catechism is addressing believers and that's where we find the comfort. But let's spend a little bit of time looking at how Paul addresses the unbeliever. Paul has presented a God as creator and Lord over all of his creation and he moves to what this matters for his listeners. He's showing the audience the purpose of man's creation. and that is to seek God and to know him. To seek God and to know him is what Paul proclaims. Mankind was created to know God. And contrary to the gods that his listeners worshipped, the unknown God, God has made himself known. He has made himself known through both nature and scripture. So mankind has a responsibility, a duty to seek God by virtue of their creation is what Paul is getting at here. And God has condescended to make himself known. This means that all people everywhere are left without an excuse. Paul is addressing the unbeliever in Acts 17 like he does in Romans 1 to show that God's revelation through nature is sufficient in the sense that it leaves man without excuse before a holy God. God's revelation through nature is enough to provoke mankind to seek God, to know that there is a creator who exists, who deserves our worship. God has made himself known through the works of creation and providence that all people everywhere experience God's work of creation and providence. But due to sin, as Paul references this first man that humanity came from, a reference to Adam and the sin that man is now corrupted by, The natural man is separated from God and their fellowship is broken. And as Paul stated at the beginning of our passage, the true God is unknown to his listeners because of this sin. And for those who have not put their trust in Christ around us, our family members, our neighbors, our co-workers, our close friends, And even those here that have not. The God who has made himself known remains unknown. And due to this corruption of sin, none of us were able to come to a saving knowledge from God's revelation in creation. And this is Paul's concern for his listeners. Remember, Paul is proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection. he is calling his listeners to repentance and faith but he recognizes and he knows that he has little faith in the natural reason of his listeners he knows that it's a supernatural act of God by the regenerating act of the Holy Spirit that these people can be saved that is the only way they can be saved but it is through the proclamation of the gospel that he is bringing here, the proclamation of Christ and the resurrection that God uses as a means to save his people. And the proper response of all creatures is to worship God who created all things. And remember, he sustains all things. He provides for all things in his providence. The problem is that humanity in and of themselves are not able to rightly worship God. So what's necessary? They can come to an intellectual knowledge that this God exists, that he ought to be worshiped. But again, it's only the regenerating act of the Spirit who comes and gives us a new heart, new motives, that we can then worship God rightly. The gift of salvation removes our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh. we've looked at the ways in which god has made himself known in a general way through the work of creation which paul notes here and even how god's general act of providence how he upholds all things the so what for them is to repent and believe and the so what for you who have not believed is to repent and believe but there's also a so what so what for those who have repented and do believe. There is comfort that is brought to us in this passage who have placed our faith in Christ. God's general care for all of his creation, believers and unbelievers alike, serves the greater ends and the special care for his church, for his people. And God's special providence is for those who are his, those who he chose before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. And it is only those who are in Christ that receive the benefits that we see in question 28 of our catechism. While Paul is addressing the unbeliever, our catechism addresses the believer in question 28. Because we have union with Christ, by virtue of our union with Christ, we now have communion with God. We have fellowship with God. We have relationship with God. God, through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, has redeemed us. And we find great help and comfort in knowing that we have communion with this God who has not only created all things, but sustains all things. And because of this knowledge, remember the words of our catechism now. Because of the new life we have in Christ, because of the communion we have with God by virtue of our union with Christ, we can be patient in adversity. We can be thankful in prosperity. And for the future, we can have good confidence in our faithful God that no creature will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will, they can neither move nor be moved. All creatures are so completely in his hand that they can neither move or be moved. And this is why Paul can say at the end of our passage, because in him, we live and move and have our being. So now, as you consider this news of God's providence, what is it that you are struggling with? What is it that you are anxious about? As we get news of a terminal sickness of a loved one or the financial unrest that seems to be so ever-present around us, the economic turmoil, a virus that's sweeping the land that seems to not want to go away, we're gathered here in these uncertain times, but the proclamation is that our God provides. that our God brings provision, even in the midst of our time now. So as we're faced with those times of doubt and trial and struggle and suffering, though they seem to be many now, as 1 Peter says in his first epistle, they're only for but a little while. They're only for but a little while because the hope that we have is found in Christ, who is our firm foundation, who is our righteousness that we know he will bring us into glory. And this is why Paul proclaims as the passage goes on to the unbelievers to repent and to believe because God will bring judgment. And for those of us who are found in Christ, the comfort is that he is ours and we are his and he will not forsake us. So let us find great comfort in this news of providence this evening. And as we conclude, we've seen that because God upholds all things, through his almighty power and presence, we can be patient in adversity. Whatever adversity it is that you're facing, I can only imagine what that may be. Even in prosperity, God in his gracious will has caused some to prosper greatly. And in that, we can be thankful. And we can have confidence. This is what it's all driving to. We can have confidence in the Lord's care and provision for us who are his. We rest secure on the finished work of Christ who has purchased our redemption with his atoning death. Because of our union, again, we have communion and relationship with God. And that is sweet. That is a sweet communion as we hear his word proclaimed and we think about the ways in which he's provided for us. and we ask for him to give us remembrance of the things that he has done and the promises that he has made to us, we can have confidence that the Lord will deliver on his promises. Because he is faithful and has promised to keep us to the end. Because again, in him we live and we move and we have our being. Let us pray. Our gracious God and Father who has created all things and sustains all things. We are thankful for the doctrine of your divine providence that in it we can find great hope and comfort as your people. That you have given us rest in Christ knowing with this great confidence that you will bring us into glory. So we ask now that as we consider further throughout this week, your providence in these trying times that we would rest assured on the firm foundation that is found in you and the sacrifice of Christ and the purchase of our redemption and that we would look forward with hope of eternal life and that we would proclaim you with boldness to those who do not believe and again that we would rest in the power of your Holy Spirit to convict the hearts of unbelievers and to call sinners to repentance. So we trust you now and we thank you for the comfort of your word and ask that it would stick with us in our minds and in our hearts and it would cause us and drive us to live lives of gratitude. We pray in the name of Christ and for his sake. Amen.