We’ve been going through a series of your favorite verses. Our ministers that meet from lunch surveyed their churches and posted on Facebook to find out people’s favorite verses from which to preach. What surprised me was that these verses weren’t about making ourselves feel good, they were all about God and what He is doing in this world.
A few weeks ago, I asked Jeff when it would be helpful to him for me to preach again. He suggested I take today’s topic- God Provides. Little did we know at that time that Jeff would be preaching a funeral on Friday and a Quinceneara on Saturday. God provided, knowing Jeff’s need even before he did.
As I thought about the topic, my mind immediately went to the song Jehovah Jireh, so I asked our worship leaders to sing it this morning. I remember back when I was in St. Louis how a nearby church hosted an outreach they called Journey to Bethlehem. People could come and take a tour of various stations leading to the stable where Mary and Joseph were there with baby Jesus and conclude with worship. It was so popular, the church had to organize a program to occupy people waiting their turn for the tour. They had to have spies among the ushers because I got picked to go up front with a group of volunteers. They placed us among the families of Mary and Joseph as they celebrated and prepared for the journey to Bethlehem. They were dressed as Jews at the time of Jesus’ birth, placed us in a circle to spin around as we sang:
Jehovah Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me
Jehovah Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me
My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory
He gives His angels charge over me Jehovah Jireh cares for me, for me, for me
Jehovah Jireh cares for me
Now, I always assumed that this song came directly from the Psalms, but when I went to find the source for the song, I found it was actually compiled of several other verses.
Jehovah Jireh, my provider- Genesis 22:14
His grace is sufficient for me- 2 Corinthians 12:9
My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory- Philippians 4:19
He gives His angels charge over me- Psalm 91:11 (This verse is actually a prophecy about Jesus, Satan
even used it in his efforts to tempt Jesus- told Jesus He could jump from the temple and the angels would
protect Him, but Jesus didn’t fall for it.)
All of this got me excited about preaching the idea of God Provides. I was going to find all the passages that call God Jehovah Jireh and illustrate them with our favorite verses for today. So, I spent a good part of Monday seeking the many references to Jehovah Jireh. Tuesday morning, Jeff texted me for my main text today so he could add it to the bulletin. I initially told him good question and I was only partially being facetious, why? There is only one time in the Bible where the name Jehovah Jireh is used, this caught me by surprise.
The author of Hebrews summarizes the narrative (read Hebrews 11:17-19, then tell the story). God called Abraham to prove his love by sacrificing Isaac, his only son. Abraham didn’t understand it, but he obeyed. He approached the mountain with faith that God will provide. The group arrives at the mountain, then Abraham and Isaac continued alone.
As they climbed the mountain, Isaac asked about the sacrifice- we have the wood (it’s weighing me down), we have the fire, but what about the sacrifice? Abraham answered, God will provide. You know how sometimes you tell someone something and you keep repeating it because you’re trying to convince yourself as much as you are them? I believe this may have been one of those times for Abraham. They climb to the top of the mountain- God will provide. Abraham gathers the stones and builds an altar- God will provide. He arranges the firewood on top of the stones- God will provide. He binds Isaac’s hands behind his back so he can’t resist- God will provide. He places Isaac on top of the wood- God will provide. He raises the knife into the air to take his son’s life- and then God provided!
The angel of the Lord calls out to Abraham and he turns to find a ram caught in the thicket. He lets Isaac down and they sacrifice the ram. We see in Genesis 22:14 that Abraham calls the place The Lord Will Provide- Jehovah Jireh. Notice he didn’t call it the Lord did provide or the Lord provided, but the Lord Will Provide. Even then, Abraham was looking to the future. Years later, this is the mountain where Solomon built the first temple. More importantly, I believe that Abraham is pointing to the time when God will sacrifice His only Son.
So, only one time in Scripture is the name Jehovah Jireh written. Yet, we have this song that reminds us that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory. That line in the song got me thinking about what are my needs, how has God supplied for me? So, I’ve got to share a bit of testimony.
I believe that God has used this church to supply for me and my family in so many ways. We moved here over 7 years ago, coming out of an unhealthy church situation. My family was hurting, but because of your love for Christ and for us, we’ve become part of the family, and healing has taken place.
When we first got here, we lived in my parents’ camper at France Park for 6 weeks, it rained all but 2 of those days (which is why Terri no longer likes to go camping). We thought we’d find a house to buy, but our credit wouldn’t allow it, even though we found a house we liked. We had to rent for a time. After about a year, I saw a foreclosure sign near the school and called the number to find out that we weren’t able to purchase that house. A year after that, we pre-qualified for a loan and began to look for a house, knowing we would be able to buy. One of Terri’s teacher friends mentioned that she knew a guy who flips houses and was working on one then. We called Jan Baldwin, our agent, who said she knew that guy, he does good work, and she’d call him. Apparently, someone else had first dibs, but we could come and look. It turned out, he was renovating the first house we had looked at and was making all the fixes we figured would take years for us to get done and the price was still in our range. The first person in line didn’t call him back until we were at the lender’s office signing the closing documents. I’m convinced God provided that house for us in a much better way because we waited on His timing.
Most importantly, we’ve been able to share in your prayers and encouragement. Through good times and bad, you’ve been there to pray for us, no matter what we may be going through. I remember the time Elizabeth was unable to walk. We called the elders and they came to pray over Elizabeth. Within hours, she was back on her feet. There have been many other times where your prayers and encouragement have helped us get through. So many ways at so many times, we’ve simply sat back and said, “Look how God has supplied!”
Many of you have similar stories, we could spend hours sharing just how good God has been to us. God supplies all our needs according to His riches in Glory. Ultimately, God’s provision comes through Jesus. As we look at some of the favorite verses that people shared with us, I noticed that the gospel of John provided 3 images of how this provision takes place.
Read John 6:35. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He provides nourishment, both physical and spiritual. Jesus points back to Exodus 16. David summarizes the story in Psalm 105:40-41. While in the desert, God provided quail and manna for the people of Israel. He took care of their physical needs. This is why we have ministries like the food pantry, our monthly lunch where anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for a meal, and other benevolence ministries that help people through their emergencies and point them to Jesus. But nourishment from Jesus is more than physical, it’s also spiritual.
Let’s look at the events that led up to His declaration of being the Bread of Life. The day before, Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children. The people responded by declaring that maybe He is the promised Prophet. When Jesus perceived their intention to make Him king, He withdrew from the crowd and that night walked across the water.
The people chase Jesus down the next day and ask for more teaching. He responds by telling them they’re only seeking Him because He had fed them the day before. The people then asked how to do the works of God and were told to believe in the One God sent. This wasn’t good enough for the people, they asked for a sign. Never mind that it was signs that had drawn them to Jesus in the first place, never mind that He had fed the 5,000 the day before. It wasn’t enough- how often do we see that mindset today?
Jesus tells the people that the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven to give life to the world. The people, still not getting it, ask Jesus to give them this bread always. Jesus declares that He is the Bread of Life- he who comes to Him will not hunger, he who believes in Him will not thirst. The people were like, “But, but, but… we know your father and mother, how can you say you are the one God sent from heaven?” Jesus stood His ground, the people didn’t like His answers, and many fell away that day.
Notice the language Jesus used in this passage- whoever eats my flesh, whoever drinks my blood. Sound familiar? I believe Jesus was pointing ahead to the Lord’s Supper. The bread points to His flesh, the cup points to His blood, sacrificed for the sin of all who will come to Him.
The next verse is John 10:10 (read). This speaks of God’s provision of protection. Jesus contrasts Himself to thieves and robbers by two related images. First, He points out that He is the Good Shepherd. Unlike thieves and robbers, He enters through the door and is recognized by the sheep. He knows His sheep, calls them by name, and leads them safely. (Read Psalm 23.) The other image is that Jesus is the door, the correct way to enter God’s protection. Note that some prosperity gospel teachers point to verses like this and say this is evidence of how God simply wants to give us stuff. Contrary to that belief, protection sometimes looks more like the events in the book of Job.
In the first couple chapters, we’re told that Satan came to a gathering of God and His angels. God asked him what he’d been up to and Satan tells God, “I’ve been roaming across this earth, this way and that way, up and down.” God asks him if he’s considered His servant Job, a righteous man. Satan declares that’s only because of how God has blessed him (prosperity gospel fruit), so God agrees to allow Satan to attack as long as he doesn’t touch Job. That day, Job lost 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, servants, plus his 7 sons, and 3 daughters. How does Job respond? He humbles himself and worships God.
For a second time, Satan attends a gathering of God and His angels. God asked him what he’d been up to- “Roaming the earth, to and fro, up and down.” God asks him if he’s considered His servant Job, who is still a righteous man. Satan protests that it’s only because God didn’t allow him to touch him, take away his health and see what happens. So God allows Satan to attack again as long as he doesn’t take Job’s life. Soon, Job has lost his health and is covered with painful boils. His wife tells him he should just curse God and die. His friends come and tell him how all his troubles are his fault for having done something wrong. What does Job do in response? He humbles himself before God and worships.
So what’s the result? In the end, God sets Job’s friends straight and restores Job with twice what he had before. But he had to make it through the trial, Job knew life wasn’t about seeking the treasures of the world, it’s about worshiping God. Our mission on earth is not to seek riches, our mission is to worship God and thereby enter the door.
Our last verse is found in John 14:6 (read). Here, Jesus is preparing the disciples for what is to come. He’s going ahead of them to prepare a place, will return, and bring them back with Him. But this has Thomas confused- “We don’t know where You’re going (You haven’t exactly told us), how are we supposed to know the way?” Jesus responds, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
Now, contrast that to what the world has to say. I’ve seen this popular bumper sticker with the word “COEXIST” formed from a variety of symbols from various world religions. You see, we live in a world that declares there are many ways to heaven, eternal life, or whatever else you may decide to call it. When it comes down to it, if it makes you feel good or seems right to you, go for it. No one can say you’re wrong.
Now, compare that to another bumper sticker with the word “CONTRADICT” formed from a number of symbols from various world religions and referencing John 14:6- they can’t all be right. You see, if Jesus declares Himself to be the only way to God yet all these other faiths are also correct, then Jesus has to be a liar and we know that’s not the case. There is such a thing as absolute truth. There is only one way to eternity- Jesus.
So God supplies nourishment, He supplies protection, He supplies salvation- all of this through Jesus Christ. How should we respond? Well, those of us who are already in Christ Jesus ought to be thankful. We should be showing gratitude for how God has provided so that the world will see our witness.
For those who don’t have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you need to turn to Him. You need to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came to this earth, died to conquer sin, and rose again so that we can be reunited with God. You need to repent or turn away from the sins in your life, declare Jesus to be Lord and Master of all your life, and be baptized in the water- burying the old self and rising up a new creation. We give you the opportunity to do that now.
