WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.820 Team, it hardly seems possible that we're about 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.040 to celebrate Thanksgiving once again. Do you 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:11.740 agree with that? Are you ready for it? Well, 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:13.759 some are and some aren't. The first Thanksgiving 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:18.519 was observed in the New World in October of 1621. 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:22.440 Plymouth Governor William Bradford declared a 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:26.160 feast to give thanks to God for the first harvest 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:30.929 of the Pilgrim Colony. Massasoit chief of the 00:00:30.929 --> 00:00:35.270 Wampanoag, and 90 other tribal leaders were invited 00:00:35.270 --> 00:00:39.210 to join the 52 pilgrims on a three -day fast. 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:43.350 There is actually a contemporary account of the 00:00:43.350 --> 00:00:46.509 first Thanksgiving written some two months after 00:00:46.509 --> 00:00:50.310 it. It was written by Edward Winslow, who says, 00:00:51.030 --> 00:00:55.670 our corn, by that he means our wheat, did prove 00:00:55.670 --> 00:00:58.909 well, and God be praised. We had a good increase 00:00:58.909 --> 00:01:02.450 of Indian corn and our barley in different good, 00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:05.870 but our peas not worth gathering, for we feared 00:01:05.870 --> 00:01:08.769 they were sown too late. Some people think peas 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:12.790 aren't worth gathering anyway. They came up very 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:14.890 well and blossomed, but the sun parched them 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:18.209 in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, 00:01:18.409 --> 00:01:23.430 our governor sent four men on fowling. That so 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:26.450 we might, after a special manner, rejoice together. 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.900 after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:34.519 They, for in one day, killed as many fowl as, 00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:37.000 with a little help beside, served the company 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.620 almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:45.560 we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:48.420 amongst us, and among the rest, their greatest 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:52.540 king, Massasoit, with some nighty men. whom for 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:55.060 three days we entertained and feasted and they 00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:58.239 went out and killed five deer which they brought 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:00.920 to the plantation and bestowed on our governor 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:04.340 and upon the captain and others. And although 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:07.859 it be not always so plentiful as it was at this 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:12.819 time with us, yet by the goodness of God we are 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:17.979 so far from want that we often wish you partakers 00:02:17.979 --> 00:02:24.090 of our plenty. It was a couple of hundred years 00:02:24.090 --> 00:02:26.310 later that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the first 00:02:26.310 --> 00:02:31.330 national holiday as a Thanksgiving Day in 1863, 00:02:32.150 --> 00:02:34.050 actually in the middle, as you know, of the Civil 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:38.849 War. He wrote, the year that is drawing toward 00:02:38.849 --> 00:02:41.650 its close has been filled with the blessings 00:02:41.650 --> 00:02:46.430 of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these 00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:49.669 bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that 00:02:49.669 --> 00:02:52.400 we are prone to forget the source, from which 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:56.199 they come. Others have been added which are so 00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:59.419 extraordinary in nature that they cannot fail 00:02:59.419 --> 00:03:02.819 to penetrate and soften even the heart which 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:08.039 is habitually insensible to the ever watchful 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:13.099 providence of Almighty God. Lincoln continues, 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:17.939 no human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:22.129 hand worked out these great things. They are 00:03:22.129 --> 00:03:28.270 the gracious gifts of the Most High God. I do 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:30.729 therefore invite my fellow citizens in every 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:34.129 part of the United States and also those who 00:03:34.129 --> 00:03:36.469 are at sea and those who are so journeying in 00:03:36.469 --> 00:03:39.889 foreign lands to set apart and observe the last 00:03:39.889 --> 00:03:44.050 Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving 00:03:44.050 --> 00:03:49.469 and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:54.759 in the heavens. And he writes on. That, ladies 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.159 and gentlemen, was a president of the United 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:03.139 States. Bradford, Lincoln, and many or most even 00:04:03.139 --> 00:04:06.500 of the founding fathers expressed a strong belief 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:10.599 in the providence of God in founding this nation 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:15.419 and preserving it from its enemies. In his 1789 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:18.120 inaugural address, George Washington, our first 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:22.980 president, spoke of, quote, that almighty being 00:04:22.980 --> 00:04:28.180 whose providential aids can supply every human 00:04:28.180 --> 00:04:33.420 defect. Again, the words of a president of the 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:38.939 United States, pointing us, the American people, 00:04:39.259 --> 00:04:43.579 to the providence of God. I want us to think 00:04:43.579 --> 00:04:48.500 this morning about living on the edge with providence. 00:04:49.899 --> 00:04:54.600 What do we mean by providence? The word providence 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.980 comes from the Latin originally. It's the combination 00:04:57.980 --> 00:05:04.920 of two words, pro, meaning before, and then videns, 00:05:06.100 --> 00:05:09.860 which comes from a Latin verb, videre, which 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:13.279 means to see. It's where we get our word video. 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:20.800 And so it means to see ahead. to see before and 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:26.279 therefore to guide or to manage a process, providence. 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:33.000 The dictionary says providence is the omniscient 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:40.040 divine directing the universe for the benefit 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:45.459 of mankind. Providence concerns God's support. 00:05:45.790 --> 00:05:49.389 his care and supervision of all creation. From 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:52.329 the moment of the first creation to all the future 00:05:52.329 --> 00:05:56.769 into eternity, write some others. I invite you 00:05:56.769 --> 00:05:58.870 to open your Bible with me this morning to see 00:05:58.870 --> 00:06:01.970 a chapter that deals with providence. It is the 00:06:01.970 --> 00:06:05.649 ninth chapter of the book of Nehemiah. We see 00:06:05.649 --> 00:06:09.009 these words in the prayer of the Levites on the 00:06:09.009 --> 00:06:14.800 occasion of the National Day of Prayer. This 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:19.079 text in Nehemiah shows the Jews gathered to reflect 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:23.199 upon God's dealings with them as a nation and 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.600 in response they offer their praise to God as 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:31.600 well as their confession of their sins. They 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.079 look about them and they see the situation that 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:37.540 they are in as a nation and it causes them to 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:40.660 think upon the providence of God and today I 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:43.579 invite you to ponder the providence of God yourself. 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:48.060 Because when you and I think upon the providence 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:52.120 of God, thanksgiving will erupt in our hearts, 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:59.620 exalting the glorious name of the Lord. In chapter 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.560 nine, it says in verse five, and the Levites, 00:07:02.660 --> 00:07:07.060 and it names them, said, stand up and praise 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:11.100 the Lord your God who is from everlasting to 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:14.600 everlasting. And the people stood up and together 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:18.459 they said, blessed be your glorious name and 00:07:18.459 --> 00:07:22.759 may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:27.100 You see as they begin to think about God's providence 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:30.100 upon them as a people, they cannot help but speak 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:34.199 praise to God and exalt his character, his name. 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:38.579 Now I would like for you to trace with me the 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:44.040 subjects of their contemplation, the subjects 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:48.420 of their praise to God, and make each of these 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:51.279 your own reflection of praise to God. In the 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:54.379 first place, they praise God for his providence 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:58.939 in creation. His providence in creation. Notice 00:07:58.939 --> 00:08:04.920 verse six. You alone are the Lord. You made the 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.500 heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:12.680 starry host, the earth. and all that is on it, 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:17.379 the seas and all that is in them. You give life 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:22.639 to everything and the multitudes of heaven worship 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:27.259 you. And so they begin by giving praise and thanksgiving 00:08:27.259 --> 00:08:30.819 to God for his providence in creation. And they 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:35.460 say to him, God, you are the maker and you are 00:08:35.460 --> 00:08:39.440 the sustainer of everything, of everything in 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:43.899 the visible. material creation and of everything 00:08:43.899 --> 00:08:48.620 in the heavenly spiritual dimension. You are 00:08:48.620 --> 00:08:51.059 the maker and the sustainer of all. You give 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:56.759 life to everything. This, by the way, is a common 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.720 cause of thanksgiving to the people of God. Open 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.980 your Bible to Psalm 104 very quickly and look 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:10.570 at this text with me. Psalm 104. I love to hear 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:12.389 your Bibles turning. That tells me that you're 00:09:12.389 --> 00:09:15.009 thinking and you're enjoying the Word of God. 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:21.110 Psalm 104. The psalmist says that God provides 00:09:21.110 --> 00:09:25.230 for all of his creatures here. The psalm reflects 00:09:25.230 --> 00:09:27.830 something of the order of Genesis chapter one, 00:09:27.850 --> 00:09:29.809 but we don't have time to go into that today. 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:34.389 In verses one through nine, God is praised for 00:09:34.389 --> 00:09:39.210 his creative power and wisdom. Oh Lord, my God, 00:09:39.389 --> 00:09:44.370 you are very great. You are clothed with splendor 00:09:44.370 --> 00:09:47.669 and majesty. And on the praise goes through the 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:51.309 next verses. And then beginning in verse nine, 00:09:52.090 --> 00:09:54.870 the psalmist praises God for his intelligent 00:09:54.870 --> 00:10:00.610 design of the creation. And he parades before 00:10:00.610 --> 00:10:06.809 us in his words. God's creation and how God cares 00:10:06.809 --> 00:10:10.470 for it how God planned the earth's ecological 00:10:10.470 --> 00:10:15.149 systems To provide food and water for the animals 00:10:15.149 --> 00:10:20.110 and the birds He says that God causes the grass 00:10:20.110 --> 00:10:24.549 to grow even in far distant places so that animals 00:10:24.549 --> 00:10:28.950 of the fields might eat and He says he gives 00:10:28.950 --> 00:10:35.649 plants for man's cultivation and food As your 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:37.850 eye goes down through these verses, notice that 00:10:37.850 --> 00:10:41.750 he talks about the trees and the mountains, the 00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:47.509 moon and the sun, darkness and sunlight, the 00:10:47.509 --> 00:10:52.389 sea and its numberless creatures. And he says 00:10:52.389 --> 00:10:56.590 all of them have a place in God's created order 00:10:56.590 --> 00:11:03.149 and God provides for all of them. He makes a 00:11:03.149 --> 00:11:05.710 summation statement in verse 24 where he says 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:09.230 how many are your works Oh Lord in wisdom you 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:12.529 made them all the earth is full of your creatures 00:11:12.529 --> 00:11:17.309 And then in verse 27. He says these all look 00:11:17.309 --> 00:11:21.049 to you To give them their food at the proper 00:11:21.049 --> 00:11:24.769 time When you give it to them they gather it 00:11:24.769 --> 00:11:27.929 up when you open your hand. They are satisfied 00:11:27.929 --> 00:11:31.879 with good things When you hide your face They 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:34.720 are terrified and you take away their breath 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:38.580 and they die and return to dust. When you send 00:11:38.580 --> 00:11:42.039 your spirit, they are created and renew the face 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:45.919 of the earth. He concludes the Psalm by saying, 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:51.379 praise the Lord. My friend, the world that you 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:58.200 see around us is not here by chance. It is here 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:02.860 by the intelligent design of its creator. And 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:07.179 as we look at this world and admire its beauty 00:12:07.179 --> 00:12:12.480 and its order, we should reflect thanksgiving 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:17.399 to God. He has designed his creation to bring 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:21.080 him pleasure and to exalt his name and so today, 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.000 On this Sunday of thanksgiving, we praise God 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:29.320 for his providence in all of creation and how 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:36.320 he cares for and manages and guides all creatures. 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:43.080 But the Jews, as they praise God in Nehemiah 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:47.000 9, do not stop with praising God for his providence 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:50.210 in creation. Going back there, you notice that 00:12:50.210 --> 00:12:54.110 he begins in verse seven to praise God for his 00:12:54.110 --> 00:12:59.409 providence in history. His providence in history. 00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:03.009 And again, let your eyes just flow down through 00:13:03.009 --> 00:13:08.049 the text. These Levites begin to recount the 00:13:08.049 --> 00:13:11.490 major periods of their nation's history up to 00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:15.529 this moment. They begin, of course, with Abram, 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:19.460 whose name was changed to Abraham. And in verses 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:22.259 seven and eight, they remind themselves that 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:26.620 God keeps his promises because he is a righteous 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:31.500 God who cannot lie. And then in verses nine through 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:35.039 12, they reflect upon their ancestors who were 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:39.500 led out of Egypt by Moses. And they say in verse 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:43.200 10, God, on that occasion, you made a name for 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:47.789 yourself. And they praise him. Then beginning 00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:52.009 in verse 13, they remember Moses receiving the 00:13:52.009 --> 00:13:56.809 law at Mount Sinai and the provision of the bread 00:13:56.809 --> 00:14:02.289 from heaven and the water from the rock. And 00:14:02.289 --> 00:14:06.409 despite the golden calf debacle, God provided 00:14:06.409 --> 00:14:10.590 forgiveness for his people and he remained with 00:14:10.590 --> 00:14:14.669 them. He did not abandon them there in the wilderness. 00:14:15.950 --> 00:14:19.370 They go on now in verse 19 to think about that 00:14:19.370 --> 00:14:24.169 wilderness wandering, that time of God's provision 00:14:24.169 --> 00:14:27.990 for his people. When he gave his spirit to them, 00:14:27.990 --> 00:14:32.610 it says, to instruct them. Notice they remember 00:14:32.610 --> 00:14:36.549 his guidance by the pillar of cloud and the pillar 00:14:36.549 --> 00:14:41.029 of fire. They remember how God sustained them 00:14:41.029 --> 00:14:45.179 through that 40 years. They lacked nothing. Their 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:47.679 clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:52.460 become swollen. They remember that God gave them 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:55.220 victory over the enemies who tried to block their 00:14:55.220 --> 00:14:57.840 way, and they named two of the most notorious, 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:04.179 Sihon and Og. And they thank God that he multiplied 00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:08.240 their generations, even as those who had rejected 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:15.200 him at Kadesh Barnea died. And those multiplied 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:20.639 generations in verse 23 of this prayer recounting 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.960 God's providence in history, those multiplied 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:28.080 generations enter the land and conquer it under 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:32.139 the leadership of Joshua. God brought them into 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:36.399 the land he had promised. And all the possessions 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:40.159 that had belonged to the Canaanites became theirs. 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:45.919 God gave it to them. And then they remember that 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.159 sad period that followed as they continue, verses 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:53.440 26 and following. As they think about the time 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:59.399 of the judges, when the people of God were disobedient, 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:04.240 and therefore God handed them over to their adversaries 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:09.840 who oppressed them. But, God graciously gave 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:14.440 them deliverers, that is, the judges that are 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:17.820 mentioned in the book by that name. In verse 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:20.440 29 and following, they think about the centuries 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:25.519 since then, the times of the kings and the prophets 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:31.720 of God. They remember these things and how God 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:35.940 admonished them when they were stubborn. They 00:16:35.940 --> 00:16:37.899 acknowledge that they had been stiff -necked. 00:16:38.190 --> 00:16:41.950 and yet God did not put an end to them. He did 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:47.870 not abandon them. What are they doing here? They 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:52.409 are giving thanks to God for his providence in 00:16:52.409 --> 00:16:57.110 the history of their nation. And how that from 00:16:57.110 --> 00:16:59.690 Abraham's time down to the very day in which 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:03.330 they lived, God had overseen them through good 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:07.380 and bad. through success and failure, through 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:12.140 obedience and disobedience. God had cared for 00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:16.940 them, and they give him praise for that. This 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:22.440 reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said to the 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:24.740 Athenians, and I invite you to turn to Acts chapter 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:28.220 17, where we have the record of his great sermon 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:35.509 on Mars Hill to the philosophers of Athens. these 00:17:35.509 --> 00:17:40.349 pagans had scant knowledge of the Bible. They 00:17:40.349 --> 00:17:44.910 knew little of it. Therefore, Paul begins with 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:50.730 what they did know. He references the God that 00:17:50.730 --> 00:17:55.029 was unknown to them. He says, I want to tell 00:17:55.029 --> 00:17:57.650 you about this God that you don't know about. 00:17:58.750 --> 00:18:03.549 And so he says in verse 24 of Acts 17, The God 00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:08.730 who made the world and everything in it is the 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:13.109 Lord of heaven and earth. And he does not live 00:18:13.109 --> 00:18:16.549 in temples built by hands. Athens was filled 00:18:16.549 --> 00:18:20.869 with temples and altars. He is not served by 00:18:20.869 --> 00:18:24.470 human hands as if he needed anything because 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:29.269 he himself gives all men life and breath and 00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:34.619 everything else the providence of God. From one 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:38.880 man he made every nation of men that they should 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:41.900 inhabit the whole earth and he determined the 00:18:41.900 --> 00:18:46.900 times set for them and the exact places where 00:18:46.900 --> 00:18:51.819 they should live You see the Apostle Paul begins 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:55.180 preaching to the pagans of that day the providence 00:18:55.180 --> 00:19:00.480 of God Do you know that there was a time when 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:06.130 every Public school students knew the facts of 00:19:06.130 --> 00:19:11.390 these verses. There was a time when our culture 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:15.450 was aware of the providence of God. We read about 00:19:15.450 --> 00:19:18.130 it in the documents of our founding fathers. 00:19:18.450 --> 00:19:24.509 They knew. But that knowledge has been stolen. 00:19:25.789 --> 00:19:30.789 It has been oppressed. It has been torn out of 00:19:30.789 --> 00:19:34.970 textbooks. and remove from the curricula of our 00:19:34.970 --> 00:19:39.630 schools and our society. And today the American 00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:43.450 people, although by far the majority say they 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:46.789 believe in a god, it is an unknown god in essence. 00:19:50.769 --> 00:19:54.630 We are as ignorant of the god of Acts chapter 00:19:54.630 --> 00:20:00.859 17 as were the Athenians. And our culture today 00:20:00.859 --> 00:20:03.759 needs to hear again of the providence of God, 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:06.539 that he's the maker of heaven and earth, and 00:20:06.539 --> 00:20:11.200 he determines where people live and how long 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:15.319 nations last. It's all in his hands. And he gives 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:19.359 to everyone life and breath and everything. It 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:24.740 is not of our own doing, nor is it of chance. 00:20:26.019 --> 00:20:29.859 However you frame it. philosophically or in terms 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:35.380 of scientific so -called evolution. This world 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:39.279 is not here by chance. It is here by the providence 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:43.119 of God. And we can look back in our own national 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:45.859 history if we're honest enough to do so. And 00:20:45.859 --> 00:20:49.240 we can trace the providence of God in our history. 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:55.160 The laying of a foundation for this nation by 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:59.089 God -fearing people. how different than what 00:20:59.089 --> 00:21:03.490 happened, for example, in Australia, where the 00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.710 nation was really founded as a penal colony. 00:21:08.569 --> 00:21:12.029 But in the United States, what became the United 00:21:12.029 --> 00:21:16.970 States, the new world was founded by God -fearing 00:21:16.970 --> 00:21:19.630 people. What a difference that has made in our 00:21:19.630 --> 00:21:26.130 nation. And then the founding fathers. leading 00:21:26.130 --> 00:21:29.670 to revolution and victory over England, something 00:21:29.670 --> 00:21:32.869 that was impossible humanly speaking. But God 00:21:32.869 --> 00:21:36.009 intervened, I believe, for the colonies and gave 00:21:36.009 --> 00:21:40.970 us these United States. And then they met to 00:21:40.970 --> 00:21:47.150 formulate a means of governing ourselves. And 00:21:47.150 --> 00:21:51.190 eventually the Constitution was formed. I believe 00:21:51.190 --> 00:21:53.589 the Constitution, though it doesn't contain the 00:21:53.589 --> 00:21:58.480 word God, is is woven with the concepts of the 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:03.839 Bible. In fact, the fact that we have three branches 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:06.019 of government come straight out of scripture. 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:12.099 You can read about it in Isaiah chapter 33 in 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:15.779 verse 22, where the founding fathers saw that 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:18.680 the Lord is our law giver, he is our judge, he 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:24.420 is our king. And they took that model of lawgiver, 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:27.619 the legislature, the judge, the courts, the king, 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:32.119 the executive branch, and they built that into 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:37.099 the Constitution. And they put in the Constitution 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:42.299 wisely safeguards, checks and balances, because 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:47.400 they knew the nature of man. They understood 00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:50.099 what the Bible teaches about the heart of man, 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:54.970 and they knew that government needed to be checked. 00:22:56.250 --> 00:23:01.529 They wrote it into the Constitution. That's why 00:23:01.529 --> 00:23:04.710 we need judges today who will interpret the Constitution 00:23:04.710 --> 00:23:11.049 and not make new laws. I'm not going to go there. 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:17.029 I would love to. We can praise God for his providence 00:23:17.029 --> 00:23:21.039 in the history of our nation. We can praise God 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:25.119 for the way elections have turned out. Even when 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:28.980 our candidate didn't win, God was in his providence 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:38.660 working. We can praise God for a third reason, 00:23:39.079 --> 00:23:46.180 along with the Levites. For creation, for history, 00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:50.799 and third, for his providence. in our own day 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:55.440 and in our own lives. Notice in the ninth chapter 00:23:55.440 --> 00:24:01.259 of Nehemiah, these who are praying say, in all 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:04.640 that has happened to us, you have been just. 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:07.980 You have acted faithfully while we did wrong. 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:11.940 Notice that they personalized this. It's not 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:14.339 just that God has been with them in history. 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:18.579 That's true enough. But they say, Lord, you have 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:24.720 been with us today. You are with us now. It has 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:30.480 been at this time 140 years since their nation 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.480 had been overwhelmed by the Babylonians. Generations 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:38.619 now had been in exile and they had come back 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:41.740 now to the land to rebuild the temple and to 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:44.859 rebuild the walls of the city here in Nehemiah. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:50.380 And they say, God, you are at work in this. And 00:24:50.380 --> 00:24:53.019 believe me, Nehemiah recognized it above them 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:55.920 all. Go back to chapter one for a moment and 00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:01.220 see how Nehemiah saw it. In chapter one and verse 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:04.579 four. In the very beginning he says, when I heard 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:07.480 these things about the wall being broken down, 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:10.799 he says, I mourned, fasted, and prayed before 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:14.029 the God of heaven. And what did he pray? Look 00:25:14.029 --> 00:25:18.430 in verse 11. He says, give your servants success 00:25:18.430 --> 00:25:24.170 today. What is he saying? He's saying, God, in 00:25:24.170 --> 00:25:26.569 your providence, be with me in what I'm about 00:25:26.569 --> 00:25:31.190 to do. Then we look into chapter two and verse 00:25:31.190 --> 00:25:37.430 eight. He testifies, because the gracious hand 00:25:37.430 --> 00:25:42.490 of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:46.160 He sees God's providence at work in his life. 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:50.440 Look at verse 12. He says, I set out during the 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:52.859 night with a few men. I had not told anyone what 00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:57.859 my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:01.180 Nehemiah is saying here, this is not my vision. 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.680 This is the vision that God has put in my heart. 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:09.380 And so he says in verse 18, I told them about 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:13.069 the gracious hand of my God upon me. what the 00:26:13.069 --> 00:26:16.490 king had said to me. And then he says in verse 00:26:16.490 --> 00:26:20.009 20, I answered them by saying, the God of heaven 00:26:20.009 --> 00:26:25.710 will give us success. See, Nehemiah is very aware 00:26:25.710 --> 00:26:29.170 of God's providence in his life. Turn over with 00:26:29.170 --> 00:26:33.390 me now to chapter four. And look in verse 14. 00:26:36.349 --> 00:26:39.230 He says to the people, don't be afraid of them, 00:26:39.349 --> 00:26:42.440 their enemies. Remember the Lord who is great 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:46.220 and awesome. He points them to God, and then 00:26:46.220 --> 00:26:49.960 in verse 20 he says, our God will fight for us. 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:53.599 God had taken them this far, he would take them 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:56.359 the rest of the way. Then in chapter six and 00:26:56.359 --> 00:27:00.059 verse 16, at the dedication of the wall, when 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:03.519 the wall had been completed, it says at the end 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:07.559 of verse 16, they realized that this work had 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:13.000 been done, or the next words. with the help of 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:19.799 our God, the providence of God. God's providence 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:22.140 was at work in the life of Nehemiah and the people 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:24.880 of his day, and I want to say to you that God's 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:29.319 providence is no less at work in your life and 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:34.619 in our day. And on this Thanksgiving, let us 00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:37.839 give thanks to God for his providence in our 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:43.150 lives. for his faithful provision and superintendents 00:27:43.150 --> 00:27:49.349 of the life of our church, the life of our families, 00:27:50.589 --> 00:27:55.049 and our own personal circumstances. All of them 00:27:55.049 --> 00:27:59.710 come from God. The successes and the failures, 00:28:00.650 --> 00:28:03.049 the good things that we've experienced and the 00:28:03.049 --> 00:28:05.730 sad things that we've experienced, all of them 00:28:05.730 --> 00:28:09.880 are from God. It is easier to see it in the good 00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:14.299 things, isn't it? Pastor Duane Willis and his 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:18.559 wife Janet were traveling on Interstate 94 through 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:24.759 Milwaukee, November the 8th, 1994. Six of their 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:28.960 nine children were with them in the van as they 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:32.539 traveled to see some relatives. But a brace had 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:35.559 fallen off a truck and was laying there in the 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:38.759 interstate, and the car in front of them swerved. 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:41.380 But he knew, the pastor knew as he drove that 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:46.859 he could not swerve and miss it. He hit it, and 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:49.640 it caused the van to slide, but as that piece 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:52.259 of steel went underneath the car, it ripped out 00:28:52.259 --> 00:28:55.259 the gas tank, causing the whole van to burst 00:28:55.259 --> 00:29:00.240 into flames. Maybe you remember this story. The 00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:03.940 car skidded to a stop. It was engulfed in flames. 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:09.240 Dwayne and his wife Janet were able to get out 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:12.539 of the car. Their son Ben, who was at one of 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:14.779 the doors, was able to roll out. Some people 00:29:14.779 --> 00:29:18.160 coming by put their shirts on his body. It was 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:24.039 steaming with skin that had melted. Ben died 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:27.279 later that night in the hospital. But the other 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:31.500 five children all died in the fire of that van. 00:29:33.400 --> 00:29:38.529 And the world listened. an astonishment, as this 00:29:38.529 --> 00:29:44.710 man and his wife said, God knows all of history 00:29:44.710 --> 00:29:49.970 and time from its beginning to its end. What 00:29:49.970 --> 00:29:54.829 happened to us wasn't an accident. God is never 00:29:54.829 --> 00:29:59.970 taken by surprise. God had a purpose for it, 00:30:00.130 --> 00:30:04.900 probably many purposes. We don't understand God's 00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:08.339 agenda. As Isaiah says, His ways are not our 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:14.200 ways. We asked Him for safety. And it didn't 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:20.160 turn out that way. But it's in the way God answers 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:23.900 our prayers that we come to understand what God's 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:30.279 will is. When all of Job's children were killed, 00:30:30.579 --> 00:30:33.200 he acknowledged the sovereign control of God 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:38.279 behind the evil situation. Job did not say the 00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:44.119 Lord gave and Satan took away. He said the Lord 00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:49.700 gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be 00:30:49.700 --> 00:30:56.029 the name of the Lord. even in the heartaches 00:30:56.029 --> 00:31:02.210 and sorrows of our lives. God is at work. J .R. 00:31:02.349 --> 00:31:05.930 Tolkien, who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy, 00:31:07.450 --> 00:31:11.150 once wrote in a letter, No man can estimate what 00:31:11.150 --> 00:31:14.609 is really happening at the present. All we do 00:31:14.609 --> 00:31:18.710 know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, 00:31:19.710 --> 00:31:26.279 is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:34.319 success in vain, preparing always only the soil 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:39.019 for unexpected good to sprout in. I love that. 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:43.720 The bottom line, folks, is this. God never fails 00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:47.579 to keep his promises and to complete his purposes. 00:31:48.119 --> 00:31:52.539 They are all rooted in his love for you. All 00:31:52.539 --> 00:31:55.700 of them. So what I want to encourage you to do 00:31:55.700 --> 00:31:58.880 is to live with grateful confidence that God 00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:03.160 is at work every moment in your life. Because 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:07.500 that's what His providence is. It is true for 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:09.940 all of creation, it's true of history, but it's 00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:14.819 true for you personally too. Believe it. Rest 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:19.309 upon it. Let it humble you in your successes. 00:32:19.410 --> 00:32:23.809 Let it support you in your weaknesses. Let it 00:32:23.809 --> 00:32:29.690 calm you. Let it embolden you. Henry van Dyke, 00:32:29.730 --> 00:32:33.029 a pastor and a poet, wrote, happy and strong 00:32:33.029 --> 00:32:37.869 and brave shall we be, able to endure all things 00:32:37.869 --> 00:32:41.990 and to do all things if we believe that every 00:32:41.990 --> 00:32:46.809 day, every hour, every moment of our life, is 00:32:46.809 --> 00:32:52.410 in God's hands. Remember that this thanksgiving 00:32:52.410 --> 00:32:57.430 and give thanks to God for his providence. Above 00:32:57.430 --> 00:33:01.970 all his providence in giving you a Savior. One 00:33:01.970 --> 00:33:04.569 who could rescue you from your lostness and your 00:33:04.569 --> 00:33:09.130 brokenness and your condemnation. Who could forgive 00:33:09.130 --> 00:33:11.369 you and give you a purpose in life and bring 00:33:11.369 --> 00:33:15.250 you safely home to heaven. As we give thanks 00:33:15.250 --> 00:33:18.210 to God this day and through this week of thanksgiving, 00:33:18.410 --> 00:33:22.230 let us thank God above all for Jesus. I must 00:33:22.230 --> 00:33:26.630 pray now in his name. We thank you Father for 00:33:26.630 --> 00:33:32.029 your great providence, which we have seen in 00:33:32.029 --> 00:33:36.730 your word, which we have seen with our own eyes 00:33:36.730 --> 00:33:40.730 in the creation, which we have witnessed in history 00:33:40.730 --> 00:33:43.529 as we have read it and lived it. and which we 00:33:43.529 --> 00:33:48.150 have experienced in our own lives, we offer our 00:33:48.150 --> 00:33:53.809 humble thanks to you. My prayer is that this 00:33:53.809 --> 00:33:56.990 Thanksgiving season, we will live boldly and 00:33:56.990 --> 00:34:00.730 confidently knowing that all that we have and 00:34:00.730 --> 00:34:05.349 are is in the hands of a faithful God. In Jesus' 00:34:05.670 --> 00:34:09.449 name, amen. I'm going to ask the worship team 00:34:09.449 --> 00:34:12.269 to join me here on the platform. Because we're 00:34:12.269 --> 00:34:15.849 going to sing together a wonderful hymn, a hymn 00:34:15.849 --> 00:34:18.510 that is common at any time of year, but especially 00:34:18.510 --> 00:34:21.010 appropriate at Thanksgiving. And I would like 00:34:21.010 --> 00:34:24.269 for you to sing this out with gusto, with great 00:34:24.269 --> 00:34:27.929 boldness and faith. Great is thy faithfulness.