Providence. John Calvin defined it as the invisible hand of God. It’s when God guides and directs what is happening in the world (and in our lives) even when we can’t see how everything fits together.
700 years before Christ was born, an influential prophet named Isaiah spoke about a coming King who would suffer, face rejection, and atone for sin. This sermon is a close look at those words in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 and how it points forward to fulfilment in Jesus.
There is so much detail in this prophecy that we can’t escape the conclusion that everything was perfectly planned ahead of time, even in the midst of chaos and sin. This gives us increasing confidence that God continues to work providentially in the world generally, and in our lives specifically, even when we feel like we are in the dark.
You sometimes hear it said that Jesus was “born to die that we might live.” This sermon tells us how, and is a reminder that God’s job is to be God, and that our job is to trust that God is God.