Providence

What this episode covers

Old Testament Reading Our Old Testament reading is Genesis chapter 50, verses 15 through 21. And in this passage, we hear the words that Joseph spoke to his brothers after they had been reunited and after his brothers had dealt so treacherously with Joseph, and he suffered so much as a result of that. Joseph is able to look back and to see that God had a good purpose even in all that they had done to him. So let’s hear God’s Word. This is the infallible and inerrant Word of our God. Genesis 50, verses 15 through 21. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, please forgive the transgressions of your brothers and their sin because they did evil to you.’ And now please forgive the transgressions of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. So do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. New Testament Reading And now let’s turn to the New Testament for our New Testament reading, and this is also our sermon text for today. Acts chapter 17, verses 22 through 34. Acts 17, verses 22 through 34. This is Paul’s speech or his sermon before the Areopagus in Athens. 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 this 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 move and have our being,’ as even some of your own poets have said, ‘for we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine image is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst, but some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Introduction: Finding God’s Rule in Disasters Well, I know all of us are very grateful that the fires that were so threatening just over a week ago, that they have been brought under control. So we give thanks to God for that. And we are also very grateful to God that the fires were not as devastating as they could have been. Some of us had to evacuate our homes, but no one in our church family suffered from the loss of our houses or significant property. For our family, our biggest loss

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