Let's pray together. Father, you are your own interpreter. You interpret your scriptures by your spirit in our lives, and we ask for that. A special help now as we attend to your word.

Brewed over this assembly, I pray, to banish unbelief and resistance.

The mind of the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law.

Indeed, it cannot. And those who in the flesh cannot please God. So I pray that

miracles would be wrought

in transforming the mind of the flesh

into the mind of the spirit.

Guard me from error and make things plain, I pray.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

So my definition of providence is God's purposeal sovereignty.

The word is not used in the ESV,

and therefore you can't say I'm using a biblical definition because it has no biblical use.

And definitions are based on use.

I'm distinguishing it from sovereignty because sovereignty is God's authority and power to do what he wills.

And that doesn't tell you what he wills or why he wills it.

And Providence does, at least in my definition.

So purposeful sovereignty means that providence is God's sovereignty going somewhere with an ultimate

purpose and extending in a certain degree into people's lives and the universe.

So answering those two questions is what we're about tonight. How far does it

extend? And what's he up to in the universe? Why did he make it? Why does he run it the way he does?

Here's Westminster Catechism question 11. What are God's works of providence answer God's works

of providence are his most holy wise powerful preserving and governing preserving and governing

...