The Provision of God

Genesis 22 14. the Bible says in Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh as it is said to this day in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen I want to talk to you here for the next few moments simply about the provision of God it is my prayer it is my belief that you're going to receive a fresh revelation greater understanding a greater appreciation for what the provision of God means in your life let's bow our heads God we thank you for your power your presence your anointing that we feel in this house God I ask you for the next few moments and give me your words to speak to the hearts and minds and spirits of your people I ask you this morning to help us not to just be hearers of your word but to be doers also that your word might take root in our hearts and produce life in the days of the weeks and the months to come God anoints your word anoint our ears and we'll be careful to give your name the praise in Jesus name amen amen you may be seated I've come to learn come to believe that that one of the great ways to really get to know God one of the great ways to get to know the character and indeed the very nature of God is by the names of God that are revealed throughout scripture because in Bible culture in Bible times a name was generally meant to say something specific about a person a name was generally not something random that was a sign but a name was meant to say something about the very character and the Very nature of a person so it's not like it is nowadays where parents hear a name that they like and they choose a name that they like for the most part for their children or I guess these days the more popular you are if you are a celebrity you try to come up with as weird of a name as you can come up with and but but we just randomly assign names to our children in many situations it was meant in Bible times for a name to say something specific about a person so it was not even uncommon for parents to give a child a name that might reflect the circumstances of that child's birth but as that child of would begin to grow begin to develop other characteristics parents would actually go back and change the name of that child to reflect those new characteristics and so you look through scripture you see that Satan means opposer or adversary devil means accuser or slanderer this tells us about the very role the very nature the very character of the enemy yes he is an opposer and yes he is an accuser around yes he is a slanderer he was seek to oppose both man and God and he would seek to accuse God before man and man before God we also see that Jacob in the Bible meant he'll Grabber or trickster and many times in Jacob's life he would live up to the ideals of his name he would prove to be a trickster winner he would trick his brother and steal his Birthright up he would prove to still be a trickster later in life when he would trick his uncle Laban but but we also see that Jacob had a an encounter with God that changed his life he had an encounter with God that changed his character it changed his nature and we see that when his character changed that God also changed his name that God took this trickster this he'll grab around and God changed his name to Israel which means one who prevails with God indeed you find a scripture that it was not uncommon for God to change a person's name when their character changed that's why I get excited whenever I read in Scripture that I've got a new name that's written in glory I don't know what that means to anybody else I hear today but when I look back over my life and uh when I consider where I used to be and what I used to be and what my character used to be I get excited that God has given me a new name there ought to be somebody in this house who remembers where you used to be there ought to be somebody in this house who remembers the man or the lady that you used to be and you ought to be thankful for the grace and the mercy of God that he saw that your character changed and God gave you a new name well I went to God you would use this against the enemy the next time he tries to come against you with condemnation about what you used to be the next time he tries to condemn you about where you used to be you want to use this against the enemy yes devil you're right that's where I used to live but I've got a new name Everything Has Changed I'm not the man that I used to be uh oh things are passed away and behold all beings have become new in my life ah but the names of God revealed in scripture provide great revelation of his character in the verse we read this morning we find one of the compound names of God that reveal a aspect of his character we're reading in the lives of Abraham and Isaac and I know many of us are familiar with the story but just allow me to provide a little bit of context God had appeared to Abraham and promised him that he would have a child who would make him the father of many nations but when God made this promise to Abraham Abraham and his wife Sarah were older people and years began to pass and Abraham and Sarah found themselves getting even older and nothing was happening and so then they began to get discouraged they made mistakes they try to to manufacture of the promise of God through their own means their own ability their own methodologies but the Bible lets us know that when it seemed far beyond being impossible that Sarah gave birth to Isaac and God told them that it was through Isaac that that promise was going to be fulfilled many years later after Isaac was born a God again appeared to Abraham and told Isaac to tell Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain that he would show him and there to offer Isaac as a sacrifice and as Unthinkable as that might sound uh the Bible does not record any back and forth between Abraham and God or any sort of uh a resistance from Abraham towards God but in the very next verse the Bible lets us know that Abraham moved in obedience to God he took Isaac he took two servants he took a donkey he took wood for sacrifice and they traveled some three days to the mountain that God has shown him and when they got to the mountain Abraham left the servants behind him and he and Isaac climbed that mountain to the place of sacrifice when they got to the place of sacrifice Abraham built an altar and he laid Isaac on that Altar and Abraham was on the very verge of sacrificing Isaac the promised child of when an angel stopped the hand of Abraham and told Abraham not to harm Isaac that heaven has seen that Abraham was willing to be obedient to the voice of God and it was then that Abraham looked uh and saw her Ram in the bushes and Abraham offered that Ram as a sacrifice instead of Isaac the very next verse in this story is right after Abraham saw the lamb and offered that lamb that Ram as a sacrifice the very next verse in that story is what we read as our text this morning and Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh as it is said to this day in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen and so here one of the compound names of God has revealed uh Jehovah Jireh and it means the Lord who provides now you've got to know that Genesis 22 14 is the only verse in the entire Bible that calls him Jehovah Jireh that name is only revealed to Once in the entire Bible he's only called Jehovah Jireh one time in all of scripture but I'm so glad this morning that that one mention is enough I'm so glad this morning that there is a confirmation that it's a part of the character and the nature of God to be a provider I'm so glad that I know that he is a Jehovah Jireh I believe there are testimonies in this room men and women who could say I know for a fact that he is Jehovah Jireh because if not for Jehovah Jireh I would not be the man that I am this morning if not for Jehovah Jireh I would not be the lady here that I am this morning if not for regard who provides we would not be the family that we are right now if not for Regatta who provides we will not be the church that we are right now I am what I am because God has been a provider but what does it mean to provide that might seem like a silly Elementary question but I was surprised when I really began to study The Core Concepts of what it means to provide the etymology of the history the core concept of the word because before doing so I would have told you that to provide is to give somebody something or to supply something but I learned and study that we get the word provide from the Latin Pro V Daddy a pro means before we use Pro in many words proactive and so on Pro means before Daddy doesn't mean to give or to supply but for Daddy means to see it's from the word for daddy that we get words in English like video it has everything to do with the ability to see and so when you combine the two provided it simply means to see before somebody needs to hear what I'm preaching this morning because in the truest sense to provide is to look ahead to prepare in advance to act with foresight seeing is a vital part of truly providing uh in fact it would appear that seeing God might be the most important part of truly providing God so it is therefore not coincidence but the root word of provision is vision somebody needs to hear what I'm preaching It's Not Mere habit sense but the root word of provision is visitor because with provision there's an element of being able to see ahead and to give specifically what is needed a based on what specifically has been seen I found this to be consistent throughout many languages and I found this also to be consistent with what we find in Scripture I said a few moments ago that Jehovah Jireh means the Lord who provides but the literal translation of Jehovah Jireh is the Lord who sees or the Lord have seen I'm preaching this here this morning because I'm convinced that the concept of Jehovah Jireh has become watered down over the years I'm convinced that we've lost a lot of the meaning of of Jehovah Jireh over the years and the way we use it now does not reflect the way how it was meant to be used or the way it was used originally because in that moment when Abraham called God a Jehovah Jireh in that moment when the life of the promise had been spared and God gave a substitute sacrifice in that moment when God stopped the hand of Abraham and when Abraham called god Jehovah Jireh he was just saying it like people say nowadays he wasn't just saying he's a God who gives me stuff he wasn't just saying he's a God who gives me things but in that moment when Abraham said he's Jehovah jira Abraham was saying he's a God who sees me he's a God who saw exactly uh where I was I didn't realize it but God was watching the entire time I didn't recognize it but God did not take his eyes off of me and my eyes like he saw exactly where he was taking me and he has made a provision in my life he's a God who sees and knows my God I want to preach this morning Against The Whispers of the enemy because the enemy would show up in your situation and try to convince you that God doesn't know where you are the enemy would try to show up in your circumstance and try to convince you that God doesn't see what you're walking through he'll try to convince you that God doesn't see you where he's taking you he'll try to convince you that God doesn't know what lies ahead but can I preach a fresh confidence into somebody's Spirit he's Jehovah Jireh he's a God who sees he's a God who knows ah because if we're not careful we might begin to see the provision of God as just some random generic list of things that he gives us or we might begin to see the provision of God as a shopping list that we use to go to God to get what we think we need based on what we can see but I'm preaching here this morning that the vision of God the foresight of God is a vital part of his provision in your life it's a vital part of his provision in my life it's a vital part of his provision to this church it would appear to me that the greatest comfort in the provision of God lies not in what he can do but it lies in what he can see well I'll say that again the greatest Comfort uh in the provision of God lies not in what he can do but it lies in what he can see because God's ability here doesn't matter if he can't see where you are God's ability doesn't matter if he can't see you what you're walking through but I'm going to preach it this morning until somebody believes it there's a God who sees and there's a God who knows there's a God who knows exactly where you are today ah in Genesis 22 as they made their way into the place of sacrifice Isaac began to look around and ask his father questions Isaac said I see the wood I see the fire but where is the Lamb for the sacrifice Isaac is going by what he can see and what Isaac can see raises more questions than answers what Isaac could see makes Isaac wonder how can we possibly do what God is telling us to do how can we possibly complete what God is telling us to complete how can we possibly make the sacrifice that God is calling us to make but Abraham's response to Isaac's question was that God would provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice without a doubt Abraham had much trepidation as he climbed that mountain without a doubt Abraham had probably as many questions as Isaac did but Abraham made that Journey with the fresh confidence he says God will provide himself a lamb once again that word provider literally translates to God with seed to it that's the confidence I went to God I could preacher into somebody's Spirits I don't know what it is that you might be walking through this morning I don't know what situation you might be climbing over this morning but I went to God you would leave Atlanta West with the fresh confidence that God will see to it God will see to it huh once again God did not just provide Abraham with something God gave Abraham exactly what he needed in order to do what God had told him to do there was nothing else God could have given Abraham in that moment that would have satisfied the moment other than what God did provide because once again we serve a God who sees ahead a God who sees all a God who sees where you are at this moment and a God who sees where he's taking you the God who sees Where Your Children Are this morning a God who knows where your grandchildren are this morning a God who sees what is to come a God who sees where his church is this morning a God who sees where this nation is this morning a God who sees where our world is and he will supply what we need uh we find examples of God being able to see ahead throughout the life of Abraham when God first appeared to Abraham to talk about the promise Abraham's name was not Abraham it was Abram and Abram means exalted father yet at the time when God chose Abraham Abram was 75 years old and had no children God chose to use a man called exalted father when he was 75 and had no children the next time God appeared to Abram he was even older and now he had one child Ishmael that was the fruit of his unbelief he had one child that was the evidence of his failure his weakness his shortcomings and it was in that conversation that God changed his name from Abram to Abraham which means father of a multitude I hope you grasp what I just said God did not wait for the birth of Isaac to change the name of Abram God did not wait for the promise to be fulfilled to change his name but God changed his name to Abraham when all he was was an old man with the fruit of his failure all he was was an old man with the evidence of his unbelief all he was was an old man with his Ishmael and God says I don't have to wait for the promise to come to pass to change her name but I can speak to you now not based on who you are I can speak to you now not based on what you've done I can speak to you now not based on what you have but I can speak to you now based on where I was taking you out because I'm a God of provision I'm a God who sees what's to come and I can change her name before the promise is even born I'm a God of provision ah I'm so thankful that we serve a God who can see ahead I could spend the rest of the day telling you story after story about the provision of God in my life in my family's lives and those of you who've been there for a while you've heard some of the stories you're familiar with my family but my parents were missionaries in Liberia West Africa we spent some 33 years on the mission field in West Africa and prior to becoming a missionary my father was in the army of the U.S army but he was stationed in different parts of Africa and so even before I was born since the early 60s my parents were in parts of Africa and in all that time in Africa the decades we spent in Africa we had never owned a waterbed but before we went back on one trip my oldest sister got absolutely out of it she was not going back without a water bed she had to have a water bed my dad told her absolutely not I'm not spending all that money on a water bed it is out of the question you're not getting a water bit and I explained to the first service and I'll tell you here for those who don't know my father some of you do but for those of you who don't when he was in the Army he was a drill sergeant and that should tell you a little something about who he is and what a no from him means you get to know from my dad it's that's a good note but he talks about it to this day he'd never seen my sister like this she would not take no for an answer bordering on rebellion and disobedience I'm not going back without a water bed I refuse to go without a water bed finally my father relented he went to a garage sale waterbed bought the waterbed mainly just to get her to please just leave me alone I don't know didn't know if the water bed was any good just your water bed would be in Africa please leave me alone about the water bed but none of us had any way of knowing was that within just a few months of our return to Africa a civil war would break out that would last the next 15 years or so but in the in the initial days of that Civil War because our home was near the government radio station and whoever controlled that radio station could spread whatever propaganda they wanted to spread and it was always a high priority Target when there was a coup attempt or any sort of overthrow or whatever but we lived near the government radio station so it became a high priority Target and so for 17 days straight we were trapped on the front lines of that war we could go upstairs and look out the back over the back gate and see Rebel forces and look over the front gate and see government forces and for 17 days we were trapped in our home taking bullets and other things uh every single day but we would not have survived those 17 days in sub-Saharan Africa without electricity and running water without the water from that waterbed ah I know that's not a million dollars we we pray about Jehovah Jireh and just give me a bunch of money and millions of dollars or whatnot I know that's not a million dollars but in that moment a billion dollars would not have done us any good somebody needs to hear what I'm saying in that moment all the money in the world uh done us any good but I'm only standing before you alive and well on this Sunday morning because we serve a god of provision I'm only standing before you here alive and well because we serve a God who can look down from heaven and put something in the mind of a teenage girl that says don't take Noah for an answer don't stop asking her until you get a yes don't stop asking until you get a water better because to you it's just a water better but to me it's provision to you it's just a luxury but to me it's a reservoir that's going to save your lives because I know what it is to come I know what's going to happen next month I'm a God a provision and I've got to make sure you've got what you need to make it through what you're going through huh I'm a God of provision oh come on somebody needs a faith to increase in this room but somebody needs their faith to rise there's a God who sees and there's a God who knows there's a God who knows what lies ahead and he is well able to perform he is well able to perform oh my God hear me this morning when I say that there are times when God will provide experiences something perhaps something unpleasant that you must encounter and Conquer now to prepare you for what is to go I'm reminding you this morning of David who while watching his father sheep in the wilderness would find himself confronted by a lion and you have to stand all by himself in a wilderness fight a lion and then a bear would come and attack the father's sheep and once again all by himself without support without encouragement David would have to stand and defeat a bear and I can imagine David wondering why God was allowing him to experience those things why God was allowing him to face those things but you fast forward in the life of David when David now stands on the biggest stage of his life facing the biggest giant he had ever faced you see that when everybody else was paralyzed by fear that David had a different experience that while everybody else was cowering with fear David took a few minutes to have a testimony service David said one day I was watching my father's sheep a lion came and attacked my father's sheep but somehow someway Jehovah God gave me the victory up over the lion but that's not all on another day I was watching my father's sheep and a bear came and attacked my father's Sheba and once again the same God I gave me victory over the bear I didn't understand why I had to go through it when I went through it I didn't understand why God allowed it to happen but now I realize he didn't forsake me he was just preparing me he saw what was to come and he was making sure I was ready for the moment because now when everybody else is paralyzed by fear I'm able to stand up and say the same God that delivered me from the Paul of the lion the same God that delivered me from the Paw of the the bearer is able to deliver me from the hands of the Philistine he did it before and he'll do it again he did it before and he'll do it again he brought me through before and the same God is able to do it again his provision was getting me ready for the moments chief once again his provision is not based on what we can see it's based on what he can see and that's something we should be thankful for I look back over my life and brother Jerry I shudder to think where I be today if God had done to me according to what I saw and what I thought at various times in my life but without any doubt the greatest example of the provision of God is revealed in the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world the one who was foretold of even in the garden with Adam and Eve sinned God let them know the consequences of their sin the consequences of their failure and those consequences have not changed God said now there's going to be pain there's going to be guilt and shame there's going to be separation from God and there's going to be death but I'm just so glad that God never leaves us in that place because in that same conversation God told Adam and Eve that one day the seed of the woman was going to bruise the head of the serpent Adam and Eve had no way of understanding the real significance of this statement but God is speaking in his provision see this is the only first the only time in all of scripture where God talks about the seed or the Bible talks about the seed of a woman because biologically the woman has no seed and in every other instance when the Bible talks about seed is talking about the seed of a man but here God is speaking in his provision God is looking thousands of years into the future and God is saying things are Bleak right now things are broken right now things seem to be hopeless right now but he's saying his provision uh that one day a child uh is going to be born and he's not going to be the seed of any man he's not going to have any Earthly father and through him there will come Redemption through him man will be reunited with God in an intimate way through him man will be able to rise and walk in the newness of life in him we will live and move and have our being he would bear the sin of the world he would redeem us from the curse of the law he will defeat the power of death hell and the grave he who knew no sin would become sin for you and I that we might become the righteousness of God in him through him we who once were afar off have been able to be brought nearer to him we would be able to enter the holies of holies through him the works of the devil will be destroyed but run to us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall become wonderful a counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father the prince of Pisa and he would change everything he would change everything uh God did this because he saw what was to come and he has already provided a way of Escape God would provide a lamb that would take away the sin of the world and it's because of this lamb it's because of this provision that you and I can go free it's because of this provision that you and I can rise above the consequences of sin and failure in our lives that there would be no more spiritual death that there will be no more separation from God that there would be no more guilt shame and guilty stain in our lives so if you're here this morning and you've never received the benefit of this the greatest provision of God please don't leave this house the way you came you can be filled with the spirit of God you can be baptized this morning in the name of Jesus that's not just ritual that's not just Pentecostal tradition but we're baptized in the name of Jesus for a reason the Bible says for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ that's something Supernatural happens in the waters of baptism that you come out of the water is different you have put on Christ you have put on that very provision of God and so that when the Judgment of God looks at you and says the wages of sin is death it sees the provision it sees the lamb it sees that you've put on Christ and it says yes the wages of sin is death but that wage has been paid there's been a sacrifice there's been provision made for the sin in his life there's been provision made for the sin in her life and now because they put on Christ they can go free and God did this because he knew that we needed it he knew that we could not be the people that we want to be without his provision we cannot be the church that we desire to be without his provision so I preach here this morning a simple message of a God who sees a god of provision a God who knows where you are and a God who knows what is to come a god whose provision is sufficient for our lives and that when God provides God doesn't just give us stuff it doesn't just give us things but it gives us exactly what we need in order to do what he's called us to do gives us exactly what we need in order to be what he's calling us to be and his provision would match the circumstance his provision will match the situation I'm getting ready to close musicians and come Genesis 22 14 our scripture this morning and Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh as it is said to this day in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen there's something about that last line that speaks powerfully to me in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen one day it will be revealed that when you go all the way to where God has been trying to take you when you go all the way to the place of sacrifice when you obey God and follow God all the way to where he's been trying to take you in the Mount of the Lord it will be seen so you've got to remember but Abraham did not see the provision of God he did not see that that Ram in the bush until he was on the very verge of sacrificing Isaac he had to travel three days without being able to see what God saw in his provision he had to climb that mountain with all the questions with all the concerns unable to see God had already provided built an altar laid Isaac on the altar he was on the verge of sacrificing Isaac unable to see what God saw and his provision what am I saying so you might not be able to see it now but that's okay you might not be able to see it now but that's okay just don't stop walking don't stop climbing don't stop building Don't Stop Believing don't stop being faithful don't stop obeying don't stop praying don't stop fasting don't stop trusting you might not be able to see it now but one day it will be seen one day you will see what God saw in his provision one day everybody will be able to see what God saw in his provision but in the meantime don't lose hope in the meantime don't lose heart in the meantime don't get weary in your well-doing in the meantime don't get discouraged and throw in the towel in the meantime don't allow the enemy to convince you that because you can't see it that God has not provided it one day it shall be seen can we stand all over this building I'm preaching here this morning a very simple message of confidence and Trust in God a confidence that says God my trust doesn't lie and what I can see but my trust lies in your provision my confidence doesn't lie and what I can see but my confidence lies in your provision and I just trust you enough to be faithful I just trust you enough to keep walking I just trust you enough not to throw in the towel I'll say it one more time the enemy has somebody just about convinced that God doesn't see where you are has somebody just about convinced God doesn't see what you're walking through somebody just about convinced but God doesn't see where you're going but I'm preaching here Jehovah Jireh there's a God who sees there's a God who knows there's a God who sees there's a God who knows and he's in this room this morning Jehovah Jireh is in this room this morning and he wants to baptize somebody in this house with the fresh confidence that he's with you he wants to baptize somebody in this house with the fresh confidence that all is well he was a baptize somebody in this house with the fresh confidence that he knows exactly where he's taking you and that you can make it that you can make it just keep walking just keep walking come on if that's you this morning why don't you step out huh these altars are open uh if that's you this morning why don't you step out and find a Blazer where you can say Jehovah Jireh my trust is in you Jehovah Chira My Hope isn't you Jehovah Jireh my confidence is in you I believe you see me I believe if you see if you cease morning God I believe you see me this morning God my confidence my trust my hope lies into Jehovah Jireh [Music]