Doctrine: The Decrees of God

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Doctrine: The Decrees of God
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Decrees of God — Providence and Purpose

Scripture: Ephesians 1:11

I. Review: The Decree of God Defined

A. Definition from Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 7: God's decrees are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his will, whereby for his own glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass B. Key Scripture: Ephesians 1:11 — God works all things according to the counsel of his will C. Weighty matters within this doctrine that will be addressed in coming weeks

1. The nature and reality of evil
2. Hard providences
3. The spiritual state of loved ones
4. The tension between God's sovereignty and human responsibility

II. From Decree to Execution: Creation and Providence

A. God's decree must be worked out — the Westminster standards call this the execution of his decrees B. Creation as the beginning of that execution

1. God decreed creation from eternity, then worked it out in time (Genesis 1)
2. Creation is external to God — distinct from him
3. We are not pantheists: God is not running through all he has made as an outflow of himself C. Providence follows immediately upon creation
4. Definition from Geerhardus Vos: the external work of God by which he causes the created universe to continue to exist, causing it to operate and reach the goal intended by him
5. Definition from Westminster Shorter Catechism: God's most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all his creatures, ordering them and all their actions to his own glory
6. We are not deists: God did not wind up the universe like a clock and step back — he remains intimately and actively at work

III. Biblical Foundations for Providence

A. Preservation of creation

1. Nehemiah 9:6 — "You preserve all of them"
2. Colossians 1:17 — "In him all things hold together"
3. Hebrews 1:3 — "He upholds the universe by the word of his power" B. Seedtime and harvest — providence over the natural order
4. Genesis 8:22 — God's covenant with Noah: seasons, day and night shall not cease
5. Psalm 104:14, 21, 28 — God provides food for animals and man; he causes the growth C. No such thing as chance
6. Proverbs 16:33 — "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord"
7. Illustrated in Acts 1 — disciples cast lots to replace Judas; Matthias chosen by God's direction
8. Popular concepts of luck, fortune, fate, and chance are not how Scripture describes the world D. God holds the whole world in his hands
9. Daniel 4:35 — Nebuchadnezzar confesses God does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and inhabitants of earth; none can stay his hand
10. Job 12:10 — In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind
11. Job 12:23 — He makes nations great and destroys them

IV. Providence and God's Purposes

A. Key word: purpose — God does not preserve without direction; all providence is unto his purposes and glory B. Supporting texts

1. Ephesians 1:11 — "according to the purpose of him who works all things"
2. Ephesians 3:11 — "the eternal purpose"
3. Isaiah 46:9-10 — "My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose" C. Revelation and the unfolding of God's providential purposes
4. Revelation 5:1-5 — the sealed scroll represents God's ordained purposes over all of human history; only Christ the Lion of Judah is worthy to open it
5. The scroll is royal and sealed — God's purposes are set, not subject to revision
6. All of God's decrees of creation and providence include the decree for Christ to come — there is no decree apart from Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10, Colossians 1:16)
7. Revelation 21:4-5 — "Behold, I am making all things new" — the trajectory and goal of all God's providence; no more mourning, crying, or pain
8. Already/not yet: the new creation has already begun to break in through Christ's work and will be completed fully and finally at the end

V. Coming Next Week

A. Providence and God's means — how God works out his providence B. Then continuation of the broader study of the decrees