God Will Provide

What a beautiful hymn about trusting in God. Very appropriate for the message that I have for you today. We all know we're going to be going through tests and trials throughout our life. As long as we are breathing creatures, there are going to be things that are going to happen that are not agreeable, that are not of our choosing. But there's something that we can use when we're going through these difficult trials and tests, and it has to do with one of God's names. It's the name God will provide. Yahweh Yereh. Y-I-R-E-H. I know that throughout my life, there are times when you throw your hands up and know there's not much more you can do, and you still know God is there. He will provide the way out, the way to solve things, many times when we don't have much hope left. And there's a scripture that sometimes we take for granted, but it means so much. I don't think anyone can really grasp the enormity of this scripture and what it actually means. Let's go to first let's go to James chapter 1 verses 16 and 17. James chapter 1 verses 16 and 17. It says, do not be deceived my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation of shadow or shadow of turning. And this shows that God provides. He provided us with life. He provided us with this beautiful earth. And many times we take it for granted, but we should count our blessings every day and be grateful. It's one of the things to be appreciative. It was said that the most common sin that people commit is the sin of ungratefulness, of ingratitude. It might not be the most serious, but it's the most common. And here we see God. Everything that we enjoy that's good comes from Him. And if we go back to the very beginning of the Bible, we will see how many times God provides Yahweh-Yereth. Let's go to Genesis chapter 1 in verse 1. Have we ever considered this scripture to be one where God provides?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. See, God provided man, first of all, with a universe. He doesn't need it, but He provided it for the plans that He has in the future. So everything we see around us is part of that original creation. It didn't come from some matter and energy on its own. No, matter and energy and time, they all have a beginning. And this is mentioned in Genesis 1.1. That is a scientific declaration. And guess what? Scientists cannot explain why something exists instead of nothing.

If God did not exist, nothing would have existed because nothing can produce something. And so we have here God the provider. And then in verse 26, once He created the universe, there's not really a term in Hebrew for the entire universe. So it's mentioned the heavens and the earth as part of the whole creation project. In verse 26, God said, Let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And so it is that man is the master of the earth because God gave us a super brain that can figure things out and can create out of his own imagination music, art, knowledge. All of these things come because we were made in God's image. And it's Yahweh Jireh. The brains that we have, the intelligence to solve problems, all of this comes from God. And of course, there's the destiny that God is reproducing himself. And so he says in verse 27, So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. So it's actually humankind that consists of males and females. They're all made in the image of God. They all have the qualities in their personality, in their intellect, in their emotional capabilities. All of that is a reflection of God in a smaller physical scale, we understand. God provided the ideal setting on the earth for both men and women. He provided. Does anybody doubt? Does somebody say, well, God, I don't like the color of the sky. Why didn't you make it red? Well, isn't that beautiful azure blue? Just wonderful with the greenery of the plants. And then you have the contrast with the rocks and the water that reflects. God has very good taste, and he provided that as a setting for man. And then we go to Genesis 3, verse 9. Here's something that maybe is not considered very much. Genesis 3, verse 9. After Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they sinned. What did God do? One of the things he did is in verse 9. It says, then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? So he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. Well, God had not taught them about having shame. God created them like a honeymoon couple. They were free. There weren't other human beings at that time. They were the only ones. They were in this big bedroom full of beautiful flowers and creeks. And so it wasn't God who taught this about to be guilty of something. So God immediately realized they had done something wrong. And so verse 11, and he said, who told you, talking God here, who told you that you were naked? God didn't. So again, all of these problems with the sexuality, and we see all of the perversions that are. God did not create that for man. He created sex to be something good and private and loving. And so God questioned him. He says, have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? Then the man said, the woman whom you gave to me with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate. Immediately, Adam was blaming someone else instead of having recognized he was guilty along with her. And notice what happens in verse 21.

It says, also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. And so here's the action that God provides clothing for them. And in the process, because you don't have skins hanging around, the only skins that were there were animals that had them. So God had to kill certain animals, take the skins and clothe Adam and Eve. And when that blood was spilt and that animal was dead, don't you think it reminded God that one day it wasn't going to be animals? That God was going to provide clothing for them? It was going to be his son, that he was going to provide the sacrifice that would shed blood. And so you see, God had all this in mind about providing man with the possibility of erasing their sins through someone taking the guilt and the penalty for it. Notice in 1 Peter chapter 1, we have two scriptures that tell us that when God and the Word planned everything out, they knew man would eventually sin and a penalty would have to be paid. So it says in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 17, he says, And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. The term stay can mean pilgrimage because we're on a pilgrimage in this life. We know it's not going to last that long. Some people think it's just a nice, wild party that they want to do. Others prepare for that coming kingdom. There's a purpose. There's a religious purpose for our lives. It's a pilgrimage. This is only temporary. He says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, money wasn't involved, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, from your parents. Aimless conduct because they don't understand the plan of God. I know my parents didn't. They were Catholics. My dad really never attended except maybe twice a year. Didn't really care for religion. He'd have had a bad experience in one of those Catholic schools when he was a young man. Turned him off to religion. But my mother was very devout. And yet, they didn't have an idea of God's plan of salvation. And I received false teachings and traditions from that church. And I had to change my life because it was an aimless way of living. And so it says here, but verse 19, we received that redemption or that forgiveness with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained, which means planned ahead before the foundation of the world, before the creation of things, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through him believed in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. So God provided that. He knew we were all going to need it one day. And now we go to the scripture where it first mentions the term Yahweh Jireh. And that was with Abraham. Let's go to Genesis 22.

And starting verse one.

Very important verse. It says, now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham. So anybody that God is working with is going to be tested and tried. That means God wants to see what kind of heart we have. When things are great, then it's easy to follow God. What about times when they're not great? When we go through difficult trials. Are we going to abandon God then?

And he said to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am. Then he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. Do you hear an argument from Abraham? Do you hear a denial from Abraham? No. Because he knows God will provide. He will provide an answer to what I'm going to go through. Did Abraham know exactly? No. He walked by faith. He trusted in God.

And so, after this, it says, So Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. So Abraham was an obedient follower, one of the most difficult trials that any human being could have gone through. And yet, he trusted in God, and God would provide. Sometimes we don't know how God is going to carry things out. But we know he has a plan for each one of us. Each one of us has to go through our own journey through life. Nobody has the same journey. And he knows when to test us, and when to give us relief from testing. Notice in verse 10, when everything was set, and Abraham had the altar with Isaac bound, it says, and Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. So he said, here I am. And he said, do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him. So Abraham had the knife. He was ready, and he was about ready to have it descend on his son's throat. And at that last second, God stopped him. He says, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes. So he was so set on doing God's will, he hadn't lifted his eyes when he knew, okay, the trial is over. What I feared the most didn't happen. And then he saw relief God provided. And he lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. God placed that ram right there. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide, Yahweh Yereth.

As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided. Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said, by myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son. blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea, seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because of the Messiah that would come, because you have obeyed my voice.

And so we have again the two parts of our lives. One is what we have to do, which is to obey God, to follow Him, to be under His protection.

The men of God in the Bible are described many times in the Bible as having walked with God. In other words, they're in accord, they're in agreement. You're not going to do things that are displeasing to God. You're going to walk with Him comfortably, as the first message mentions, that we can't have this type of just obedience to the letter and not to the Spirit. We need both. We need to carry out things, but with the right heart, with the right mind. Abraham had that. Abraham could have had a horrible attitude. Well, God wants me to do this, and oh, He would have a terrible God after I killed my son. I don't want to ever see God. He could have done that. That would not have been pleasing to God, because God was looking at His heart, as well as the action. So both. You need faith and works. Good works by themselves are not the answer either, because you can say, well, I'm not going to keep the Sabbath, but I'm going to be nice to people, and I'm going to be good and loving and do that. See, that works without faith. Does not work. Faith without works does not work. You need both. And by the way, the commandments, they're used to lay the foundation of a person's life.

A solid, the rock. And then, through the Spirit, the letter of the law, you build the building on top. But you need to have that firm foundation, because He says, those that don't obey me, those that don't keep my sayings, it's like having a building, but on sand. It's not going to last. So you need both. I remember I didn't know much about the letter, the Spirit of the law, when I started obeying God as a very young man. But I knew what was expected of me. I wasn't keeping the Sabbath day. I wasn't having the right foods to eat.

I wasn't obeying God with what I was earning. So what did I do? Well, I straightened those things out first. And then, God starts giving you more understanding, more blessings. He gives you more discernment of how to do things. But unless you have a sound foundation, you're never going to do it with just faith alone. So this is what Abraham showed us. And notice the faith of Abraham was so strong when he contemplated that night after God had spoken to him. How is this all going to work out? But I know God is faithful. Every good gift comes from him.

I know I have to still obey him, no matter how hard it is. And so look at Hebrews chapter 11. It shows us here a little bit about Abraham's thoughts when he contemplated that sacrifice. Because, of course, there are a lot of mixed feelings and how is this going to work out. And this is what is shown in scripture that he actually thought in Hebrews 11 verse 17. It says, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.

And he who had received a promise offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, And Isaac, your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. He thought, well, if my son dies, there's nothing impossible to God.

He'll just resurrect Isaac out of the dead. Now, that wasn't the result, but see, he was thinking, how is God going to work it out? We must never put God in doubt that he is our provider. We don't know how God is going to provide, but we know that to those that love and obey him, all things work out for good. Notice Romans chapter 8 verses 28 and 29. It says, And we know, this is part of faith, that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

So, once we're in God's hands, we're letting him guide us, letting him, in that sense, show us the way. I quit driving my own car of life at baptism. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do that. I'm going to be in the back seat now. Just let me know what to do. You're going to be in the front seat. You're going to guide my life.

I don't know where it's going to go, how it's going to be, but I'm not putting you in the back seat and just call you when I need you, because I got myself in so much trouble. Now, I'm going to be in the front seat. I'm going to be in the front seat. I'm going to be in the front seat. I'm going to need you, because I got myself in so much trouble.

No, you're in the front seat. When I'm in the back seat, I say, Lord, I don't know. This looks kind of scary over here. How are we going to work out? Well, he's still... He'll work it out for all of us. That's the important principle involved. So he says, all things will work for good. Doesn't mean everything is good that happens. But in the long run, for those who are called according to his purpose, for whom he foreknew. He had a plan where he was going to call people that were going to be part of his kingdom, of that first resurrection, when Christ comes back to reign under him.

He had all of this. He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. So he started working with us to be that way. That he might be firstborn among many brethren. So we get to be part of God's family with Jesus Christ as our elder brother. And we're his siblings. That's the offer that God has for each one of us. Do we want that future kingdom?

And this verse, Romans 8, 28, actually harkens back to a scripture in the Old Testament when he says, all things work together for good. Do you remember who said that the first time in the Bible? Anybody know? Joseph in Genesis chapter 50, Genesis chapter 50 in verse 18. When his brothers came and they were all worried that he was going to punish them, wreak vengeance upon them for almost having killed them, remember, and throwing them and sold them to the Midianites. But Joseph also believed God would provide for him. Because Joseph was obedient and put God in the driver's seat in his life. And so he says, then his brothers, verse 18, also went and fell down before his face and they said, Behold, we are your servants. Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you. God made it possible. God is using Joseph to provide for the children of Israel to survive, to thrive, and to come back to the Promised Land in the future. And he spoke kindly to them. So throughout the scriptures, we see that faith that God will provide. If we have patience, if we do our part, and we will eventually have a trial that will be the last trial, that'll be the last health trial. But until then, God is providing and he's going to provide for us once we die with a resurrection, with a kingdom that is coming. Notice in 1 Peter chapter 1 something interesting that Peter says here in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 6 and 7 talking about the trials.

Talking about the faith for salvation in verse 5. He says, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials. And so he said sometimes the trials don't last a short time.

It says if God considers that it has to go longer, for what reason? He says here in 1 Peter 6 and 7 he says that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Christ comes back, he's going to congratulate the people that went through so much and remain faithful. Notice Paul, how he dealt with these trials thinking of the purpose behind them. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 16. He says, Therefore we do not lose heart because of the trials. Even though our outward man is perishing and our bodies are wearing down as part of the second law of thermodynamics, which is called entropy, which is everything is winding down. This universe is like a clock that is winding down. It's losing useful energy. If God did not intervene in the future, this universe would eventually have what they call a cold death, because the atoms eventually will lose their spin and then everything will be cold. And nothing will remain that is active. And so it says here that though our bodies are perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. So we can renew our spiritual lives every day. We can't do it with our physical lives very much. I remember John Visser, who we had the memorial. He was 98 years old. And until the last three, four, five months, he was still active. He was doing so much. His spirit was renewed day by day until finally death caught up with him. And that happens to us. He says, for our light affliction, and I tell you, I wouldn't want to have Paul's light afflictions like being beaten and whipped and even stoned. And he says, well, looking at the future, it's still a light affliction, which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, that spiritual character that is being formed in us. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We know God is there. Sometimes it doesn't look like there's going to be a solution, but God is there. He will provide.

And so we have to have that faith. Notice in 2 Corinthians 12, just a couple of chapters over, in verse 7.

Paul talks about the tests that he's going through. He says, verse 7, unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, talking about revelations of God, he was given so much spiritual wisdom and understanding. It would have been very easy for him to get vain and cocky.

And so he said, God said, Paul, I've given you so much. You can do miracles. You have all this understanding. And guess what? You're going to have a thorn in the flesh to keep you humble. And so he says, unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelation, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. So God allowed this to have a very problematic disease. In Galatians, the last chapter, he says that when he went over there, he said the Galatians got to love him so much they would have given him their eyes. So it looks like Paul had this problem with his eyes that were painful and he had a hard time with it. You can imagine the first sense that we enjoy the most. It looks like he was having problems with that. He says, concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He was anointed. He was prayed. And guess what? God said, no, you still need this so you don't get vain and cocky. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses. For Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. That's one of the purposes for fasting, is just to have our bodies in a weakened state so we realize how little we really are.

Let's go to Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14.

Don't have too many scriptures left.

Hebrews chapter 4, verse 14.

God provides the help.

It says, verse 14, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. God knows what we're going through. He went through much worse. Jesus Christ suffered the most humiliating and excruciating torture for each one of us. So he can sympathize with us.

But was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So we go through this all the time in life. And to have God and remember that one of his names is Yahweh Yereth, which means God will provide. In Philippians 4.19, that's exactly what Paul talked about. Philippians 4.19. 19.

He says, and my God shall supply, which another translations have provide, all you need. He's going to supply our needs, not necessarily our wants. One thing is what we truly need, the other thing is what we want or desire that is excessive. He will provide all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I remember hearing one of the previous pastors of this church, Dennis Luker. We had Leanne Luker.

We picked her up for the women's weekend. We had lunch with her. Wonderful lady. And she, as well as Denny, while he was still alive, they mentioned that the most difficult trials that they went through in life. There was a period of time that was about two years long. They had to go through. It was the most difficult trial. Finally, they were over it. But when they looked back, they said that was the time when they had most spiritual growth in their lives. Has that happened sometimes? I know it's happened to me, too.

So if we don't go through that, how are we strengthened and fortified? As we conclude, let's go to Matthew 6, verse 25. This is the classic scripture about God providing. Christ gave it. The Sermon on the Mount that we heard in the first message. Matthew 6, verse 25. He says, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life. This is the term there means anxious, having, becoming a worry wart, being so stressed out. God does not want us to be stressed out about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and a body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? You know, have you ever seen a line of birds with a little cup where they have to go and get handouts somewhere? No. They always are provided for. And he says, God cares more about us than he does the birds. He says, which of you, by worrying or, again, being stressed out, can add one cubic to his stature? So you're going to be a certain stature, and you don't see anybody really being able to increase that much with what genetically is established. And so he says, why stress out about it?

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. And believe me, now that we have a lot more knowledge from botany, and you look at some of these flowers under a microscope, and they are just astoundingly beautiful. Not just what you can see physically, but you look under a microscope, more beauties come out. Solomon, nothing could be said about that. He just had on clothing, and that's all. But the intricacy of a flower goes all the way to the molecular level. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which they is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? People say, well, God can't intervene. I'm not going to ever have what I'd like. Therefore, do not worry, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things, the Gentiles, those who don't seek God, seek for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. He's aware of all of our needs, but he wants us to put first what? Seek first the kingdom of God, being part of that kingdom, and having his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. He will provide the physical things, but we have to put the spiritual things first in our lives. That's the key. If we want God to be an abundant provider, say, therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Suffice or sufficient for the day is its own troubles. So we are going to go through trials, and it's important to remember one of God's names, a name that gives us hope and faith. Yahweh, your wrath, God will provide.