Voddie Baucham: If I Had Died - POWERFUL

My main cardiologist made it clear that we got there within an hour or two of my death. That is not what Providence means. And I was like, look at you, girl. But I'm not sure how I feel about that. You know, as we look at our topic for this weekend, Providence, I think it's important that we define the term.

And this is something that, for me, has been even more meaningful as of late. I was able to be here shortly after going through all of my recent escapades and heart failure and heart surgery and all of these other things.

And as I've told some of you, when we got to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, they, of course, didn't tell me this at the time. But after we got into all of this and began to be treated, my main cardiologist made it clear that we got there within an hour or two of my death.

And our normal response to that is, well, that was providential. Now, it was, but not in the way that we usually mean it. You see, for most Christians, we think you got there within a couple hours of death.

You didn't die. Therefore, that was providential. But if I would have died, unless you understand that that would have been providential as well, you don't understand providence. You see, for most of us, we use the word providence as a substitute for luck.

That was providential. We mean, it could have been bad, but it ended up being good. Therefore, it was providential. That is not what providence means. Thirdly, God's providence flows from his aseity or his self-existence.

Verse 25, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. God needs nothing. He is God all by himself. He has no needs.

You know, one of the things, some of those things just make us cringe, right, theologically. You know, and one of the things that make me cringe is when we talk to little children, and children ask a lot of questions, right?

And when we tell little children that, you know, God, for example, made the world or he made man because he was lonely. No. No. Only people who are inadequate and have needs are lonely. God's not lonely.

In fact, not only is God, by virtue of being God, not lonely, but the triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has existed as the triune God throughout all eternity and within the Trinity was not lonely.

Amen, somebody. God needs nothing. God does not need you. I remember in my hospital bed, it was one of those moments where, you know, I was so proud of my wife and then a moment later, just worried. Bridget was on the phone with someone and they were trying to be, you know, encouraging to her and basically saying, hey, listen, he's gonna make it.

He's gonna be okay. Because, you know, God's got work for him to do. And I remember my wife on the phone saying, you know, I appreciate that, but God is no man's debtor and he doesn't need my husband.

I'm praying that he spares my husband, but if he does, it won't be because he needs him. And I was like, look at you, girl. But I'm not sure how I feel about that. Like, she got off the phone and I was like, but you need me, right?

Like, I mean, you know, as long as the theology is straight over there and it's just right here, we're like, you need me, right? Yes, yes. God needs nothing. God doesn't need you. He doesn't need me. And he's going to prove it one day because we're going to die.

Somebody's going to get all our stuff and the world's going to keep on spinning. It won't even slow down to acknowledge your loss. God needs nothing. He's got all by himself. Romans 11, 36, for from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be glory forever. Amen. Deuteronomy 4, 39, know therefore today and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. There is no other. Deuteronomy 32, 39, see now that I, even I am he and there is no God besides me.

I killed and I make alive. I wound and I heal and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. Isaiah 44, 24, thus says the Lord, your redeemer who formed you from the womb. I am the Lord who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.

God is God all by himself. He is self-existent and he needs nothing. Job 41, 11, who has first given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. God owes you nothing and he needs nothing from you.

Psalm 50, 10 through 12, for every beast of the field is mine. The cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world and its fruits are mine.

I love that. God says if I was hungry and I wouldn't be hungry, but if I was, I wouldn't tell you because the day God needs something from you is the day that God is not God. Providence is not just the Christian version of luck.

Providence doesn't mean that something turned out better than it could have. Providence refers to the means and the ways by which and through which the sovereign creator of the universe governs all things according to the counsel of his will and to the praise of his glorious grace.

This is providence. I'm grateful for God's providence that allowed me to live. Amen. However, I know this. I didn't look today. I meant to check today, but I didn't look today. But the last time I checked, the death rate was still one per person, which means this time in God's providence, I didn't die.

But there will come a time where in God's providence, I will die and my death will be as providential at my non-death because providence is not about you or me, but about God and his glory and the way that he creates us for his glory, cooperates with us for his glory and causes us to fulfill his purposes for his glory.

And ultimately, we see that in the redemption of God's elect, that God sends forth his son to die for sinners, that God sends forth his son and in his providence, Christ takes on the sins of his people.

He lives a life that we could not live and dies a death that we could not die in order to pay a price that we could not pay. And he defeats death, hell and the grave, rises again on the third day and is available to all who will come to him through repentance and faith.

Providence brought Christ into the world. Providence brought Christ to the cross. Providence raised Christ from the dead. It wasn't an accident. And providence brings Christ to you.