The Lord Reigns

Problem you have likely experienced some turbulence. A bumpy flight can cause you to grab the armrest and maybe question the ability of the pilot life can be like that in the unexpected turmoil we face may spark some panic. But make no mistake, God is in control. Here's Alistair Begg to tell us more. Today I'm Truth for Life. I wanted to read just one verse from the Bible from Proverbs chapter 21 and verse one. It reads as follows.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will amen if you're tall like me, you need on a regular basis to have your life's recalibrated by the truth of God's providential care in 1975 we traveled from the dogs in New York to Tilbury in London on a Russian ship called the Mickey alarm went off. It was the best the Russians could produce it like a floating bathtub. It it sank off the coast of New Zealand in 1986 the mystery for me was that I had not sunk during our voyage we were traveling for class because there wasn't 1/5 class and and I learned then that I wasn't remotely interested in becoming a sailor and particularly when the seas became almost overwhelming that it said in the booklet, however, that we shouldn't be alarmed because this vessel had stabilizers.

Oh I said to myself this is terrific stabilizers of what we call in Britain training wheels so you don't fall off your bicycle so you would ask your friends. You have stabilizers. While this big thing had stabilizers they didn't apparently they put them out on a number of occasions I could never have known because there were times when down in the depths of this carcass in in bunk beds with me on the top talk bad.

That is, and and it seemed to me. I said I don't know if there's anybody up on the bridge until I think there's a possibility that this thing just got started in and is going nowhere. It may actually just be going going down to Wall Street article with Henry Allen, who was once the editor of the Washington Post remember her. I told you before he began his opening sentence was terrific. It was arresting. He said for the first time in my 72 years, I have no idea what's going on and I remember when I read. I think Annette is apropos but I'm feeling it all over again and I feel that some of you may be to the sense in the political, social, spiritual, ecclesiastical framework of tonight that not a few people because of the turbulent nature of the journey, find themselves say is anyone in charge around here and that's why Proverbs 21, one is the verse that I want to take and give to you in these final moments.

This is a picture here of the providence of God, that in the same way that the farmer would cut trenches in his fields in order to ensure that the streams of water reach their design destination. So Solomon says this actually extends on the part of God to kings and presidents and rulers of the air so as to remind us when we may be tempted to wonder if anyone is in charge that an actual fight. The Lord God omnipotent reigns.

I have three words. The first is clarity. The second is mystery. The third is security. First of all, then clarity why clarity because this truth conveyed in pictorial form here at the beginning of Proverbs 21 is a truth that isn't hidden in a corner of the Bible you wouldn't have to go and fed it around in the Scriptures to define this truth know it.

It's extends is it where at the very forefront of all that we discover whether we go to the Psalms are two Proverbs, or whether we go to the profits of living all the way to the very end of the Bible to the book of Revelation. Classically, in Isaiah 40, Isaiah writes, he that is, God sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

He brings Princess to nothing and he makes the rulers of the air as emptiness the universe was made by him is providentially sustained by him and is entirely dependent upon him, that God is sustaining he is operating he is directing everything according to the Council of his will, preserving all of his creatures to the appointed in that he may be glorified and that it may be for our good.

Now, how in the world as it that God actually accomplishes this well the reformers were good at this and I'll tell you what they said they said God acts by physical force on in their matter on stuff that he acts in animals by instinct and appetite that he acts in intelligent beings by motives suited to our faculties and he acts in his redeemed people by the influences of grace and I say to you that it is a very clarity of these things in Scripture which is met with resistance and with unbelief and in large measure because we are living at a point in our nation's history where we are tempted to foster big big views of man, I'm tempted to say huge views of my and small diminishing views of God so that our children are raised with no notion of their origin nor understanding of there being any arc through the journey of their life's and no occasion to ponder their ultimate destiny. They are growing up without answers to foundational questions. Where did I come from, what I my where my going and didn't like great turbulent seasickness. The Bible is absolutely clear what you say if it's that clear doesn't really matter. Yes, it really really matters. Remember when Paul begins with the Athenians. He starts from this very point, after having said to them, I can see your religious people and that you have various shrines around here in Athens.

He said what I like to tell you really. Apparently you you you want to cover your bases in there that there is if there is a deity that you do not know you have one little statue for him or for her and he says well let me tell you about this and what's his only line the God who made the world and everything in cannot be contained in buildings made by hands before there was time before there was anything there was God.

Clarity.

Secondly, more briefly, mystery what the Bible tells us, and it is poetically portrayed here again in our text which gives as a topical study as you would see what it tells us is that the kings and the rulers of the world have their hearts governed by God. There governed by God powerfully and yet at the same time invisibly, God directs the heart of the king without violating the nature of things no even a cursory reading of the Bible will help us to understand this. Take for example our studies and asked her a long time ago now and the decision of the eye has awareness to ditch his wife Vashti was his decision was largely on account of his ego possibly on account of an illicit use of alcohol, certainly on a desire to look at the big guy in front of all of his friends and he caught himself foisted on his own petard and in a moment. Vashti was gone.

It was his choice. It was his choice to accept the directive of his friends who said let's have a talent competition let's bring in all the cute ladies and let's choose one out of the group.

He said the I like to do that as well and it is on account of his own decision that Esther became the focus of his attention and of his favorite. It was his own decision when he couldn't sleep to have an audiobook. Not one of our audiobooks, but an early form of audiobook. He called for his people, so could you read to me. They said will read to read them something that would be regarded as relatively tedious. Perhaps the design would be so they could get off to sleep. He made a decision and done Vashti. He made the decision and to castor. He made a decision to have the program and what happened while it led to the hanging of him and to the exultation of Mordechai. Why, because the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord blesses one illustration you can go to art exact seats you can go to Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar who devastates the people of God who drags them all off into Bible who exalts himself to a degree that is quite incredible. If you've ever thought that any contemporary politicians resembled Nebuchadnezzar you can understand that they don't even come close and yet in Jeremiah 25 nine God says of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar is my servant.

How because the king's heart is a stream of water. Now it works in a way whereby as I say and this is important to understand God does not destroy the natural faculty, nor does he take away the freedom of the will, even when, as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar. The inclinations of the king or of the ruler or of the president, even when the inclinations are correct and their motives are impure. He still makes then the instruments of his pleasure and the ministers of his Providence at one of the ways to text any doctrine is to ask yourself the question. Well, in light of what is being said. How does this work with Jesus. How would we find it unfolding in the life of Christ himself and that I would say well I'm glad you asked, and I would turn you in for your homework to acts chapter 4 and two Peter and John before the Council after they prayed for boldness and so on and then here is the statement from these men sovereign Lord who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in who, through the mouth of our father David, your servant said by the Holy Spirit. Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot in vain.

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed Sahm to in other words, here goals the rulership of the world says we will oppose this, we will oppose this king.

All right, that's the context and truly in the city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus your anointed one, both Herod and Pontius Pilate. The kings, the rulers, the governors notice the next phrase to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place there. My friends is both the clarity and the ministry that the exercise of rebellion as a free choice on the part of the rulers and the kings set forward guards foreordained plan of salvation.

Are you worried that there may be nobody up on the bridge clarity mystery and finally security because this is it isn't the birthright of all who are in Christ. Those who are trusting in God. Those who are resting in him, so that even when it's obvious that the wicked flourish. Even when I when we are disheartened. Even when things just look so I would've joined so misshapen, so crooked.

This again is where the Puritans help us you know this quote I hope you do if you don't, you need to learn it from Thomas Watson suppose he says you were in a blacksmith shop and should see these several sorts of tools some crooked some boat others who would you condemn all these things because they do not look handsome. The Smith makes use of them all for doing his work.

So it is with the providence of God. They seem to us to be very crooked and strange, yet they all carry on God's work is the appointed end towards which God works his glory and our good. What is that good health, wealth, happiness now and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose and that good enough phrase. If you ever say to yourself I don't know how I'm going in my Christian life I don't know what I'm doing. I don't I don't know what God has for me.

I don't know what he's doing with me me tell you what he's doing with because the Bible tells us in a phrase he's making you and me like Jesus. That's what he's doing to make us like our elder brother. Romans 828 is is is achieving the reverse isn't and we know it well and recorded with frequency. What about the 29 factors for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be what to be conformed to the image of his son. So all the sad things all the crooked things all the broken things all the disheartening things all the up down turbulence of the world and of our own private worlds in the economy and mystery of God is a basis ultimately for security.

He has purpose from all eternity to do it when Paul writes to the Corinthians, he says, and in the present tense. Existentially we are being transformed into his likeness.

So his eternal purpose is that we might become like Jesus's existential purpose is that the ongoing reality of our lives might be to make us more like an then eschatological to his purposes, the same John and when we see him we will be like him well. I think it was a word for me. Maybe a word for you Scana good you know I get to preach myself by doing it.

Let me finish. In this way with her childhood illustration, not a childish one, but one from childhood. My grandfather, my mother side took me all the time on public transportation all around Glasgow did because he never drove a car is wounded so badly in the first world war was impossible, and so we would go on the underground where know where we just go completely around and eat toffees and then we would go on the big scary which two cars across the client and then when we got safely on that site we would for an adventure come back on the Wii ferry, which was only four people know cars could go on and on. All of these travels.

I learned lots of things and he would point things out and on the client. He would show me he would say, do you see do you see that little boat that goes out there to the big boat. Sometimes the bell would ring, signaling that the hole was coming in, signaling that it 7 o'clock. I understand perfectly. Thank you and I say yeah I see I see the little going out there and he said if you if you look carefully, you will notice that the somebody comes off that little boat and goes up into the huge oceangoing liner and and he said that that is because that person is the pilot and and he is the one who is able then to bring that oceangoing liner into its final destination and they would tell me says son you see in some ways Jesus is the pilot only Jesus will be able to get you to your final destination and they would tell me this little chorus.

Do you want a pilot signal, then to Jesus. Do you want a pilot then bid him come on board for he will safely guy across the ocean. Why until at last you reach your heavenly harbor so far. His words proved true, why would it not, is grounded in the very word of God that he who has begun a good working will bring it to completion of the day of Jesus Christ.

It's clear it's mysterious bring security and also alter call from us a deeper sense of humility. Alister finding us today that no matter how rough the journey God is in control. This is Truth for Life.

Please keep listening. Alister will be back in just a minute to close with prayer. First, let me mention our book recommendation today.

It's a book that will help you put into practice what we've learned today the title of the book is pray big. Learn to pray like an apostle. It's written by Alister this book pray big will help you pray more consistently with greater urgency, a practice that can be a challenge for so many of us in the book Alister takes a close look at the prayers of the apostle Paul for the Ephesian church by examining how Paul prayed, how often he prayed we can draw from his example to improve our own prayer life to deepen our relationship with God.

The book pray big will help you focus on who you're praying to help you grasp the bigger picture of who you are and who God is. Requester copy of pray big.

It comes with the corresponding study guide and it's yours by request. When you donate today to support the teaching you hear on this program. Visit our website Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884 that let's join Alister with the closing prayer. Gracious God, we stand on holy ground because we are able to look down through the corridors of time and see that from generation to generation. You have kept all of your promises. Send executed your warnings and so we pray that tonight this week carried on what are we cold since we know it or is it will take is unexpectedly that none of us may dries it where to go. I wouldn't steer the vessel of our life's into the destination that we might be humble to realize that only Christ may be the captain of our salvation and only then he on the bridge of our life's may grant to us. The security of wrestling in your life. Here is so God as we try to you in Jesus name, amen. The longer we live in the same place, the more comfortable we become are also able to develop a sense of belonging to a community, but as Christians we really don't belong here at all tomorrow. Find out why our alien status provides more than we can imagine Bible teaching of Alister is furnished by Truth for Life. Learning is for Living