Choosing Egypt over the LORD

"The LORD had demonstrated his superiority over Egypt and its gods at the exodus and had been known to Israel ever since as 'the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt'.  Theologically speaking, to go down to Egypt for help was to commit apostasy." - Webb, p127.

Providence Efficacy - III

"(God's) purposes will always prevail.  (For an example) against Assyria, he says - 

Isaiah 14:24–27 (NKJV)

²⁴ The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, 

“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, 

And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: 

²⁵ That I will break the Assyrian in My land, 

And on My mountains tread him underfoot. 

Then his yoke shall be removed from them, 

And his burden removed from their shoulders. 

²⁶ This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, 

And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 

²⁷ For the Lord of hosts has purposed, 

And who will annul it? 

His hand is stretched out, 

And who will turn it back?”"

 - Frame, ST, p143.

So Why Go On About This?

"So why go on about this (the necessity of the new birth)?  What's the importance of it?  What's the big deal?  I am arguing this way as a pastor, as a shepherd of souls, as a preacher.  I want my people to get their doctrine right, of course, just as I want them to get their worship right, and so on.  But fundamentally, I want them to go to Heaven with me.  This is the goal of all ministry." - Wilson, AC, p176.

And this is why I have, as a pastor, found this such a very important book.

Acts - A Manual for Church Growth

"In its (Acts) twenty-eight chapters there are about thirty-seven references to the growth of the Church.  Indeed 'The Growing Church' would be a more suitable title than 'the Acts of the Apostles'.  Of the thirty-seven or so references, six associate growth with the quality of church life and of Christian character, seven link growth with the evidence of 'signs and wonders', and twenty-four link growth with the preaching of the Word of God - indeed in 12:24 the growth of the Church is actually called the growth of the Word, as if they were so closely related that they could be identified one with the other." Motyer, Preaching?, p19.

Acts 12:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied.

Good Providence

God declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:10).

The efficaciousness of God’s providence in the affairs of all men at all times is hard to fathom.  That you exist, that you are aware of your surroundings, that you have made the choices you have made, even that you are here this morning is all because God’s counsel stands and nothing happens apart from His perfect will and desires.

Now, we can either kick against such an all-consuming, all controlling God and instead take credit for our own good choices.  We can refuse to acknowledge that God is in control of all things and instead relegate all evil happenings to random chance.  We can try to put God in a box, outside of the ultimate providence of all things – but the moment we do, we find an idol has filled the void and we fall into some form of Baal-worship, trying to control the world through any and every means possible.

Or, without ever able to understand all the reasons why God has done the things He has done, we may come with faith granted to us – faith to believe in Him, faith to believe in His Son, and faith to believe that not a hair can fall from our heads apart from the knowledge of God according to His counsels which are perfect wisdom, perfect glory, and line out a perfect story.

When you are in the middle of a story, you often do not know why certain events are taking place.  Well, you are in the middle of a story.  Just because the Author has not told you why He has done what He has done gives you no reason to doubt that He has done it.  And what had been declared and proven to You by the cross of Jesus declares that He has nothing but good in mind for those He loves and has called to Himself.  Come and worship the Triune God who knows the end from the beginning – even from ancient times.

Politics and Religion

"(Judah's) determination to rebel against Assyria (with Egyptian support) is the political expression of a rebelliousness which runs far deeper.
It may be strange to modern ears to hear politics and religion so intimately connected, but for the people of God in Old Testament times life was not compartmentalized into the sacred and the secular as it all too often is with us.  The one LORD was Lord of all, and whether or not you respected his lordship was inevitably reflected in the way you made political decision, just as in any other sphere." - Webb, p127, commenting on Isaiah 30:1-17.

And this is the case today because of a faulty two-kingdom view of the world and nascent Gnosticism in our midst.  Believe whatever you want between your two ears; just don't think you can impose that religious system anywhere out here in the real world.

This is another way that has made our faith and the church impotent.  Many actually believe it should be impotent!

Providence Efficacy - II

"For his own reasons, God sometimes wishes to delay the fulfillment of his intentions, even over a period of years...Through that period, he may allow himself to suffer apparent defeats.  But...each apparent defeat actually makes God's eventual victory all the more glorious.  The cross of Jesus is, of course, the chief example of this principle." - Frame, ST, p143.