Sermon Tone Analysis

Note: Series outline and content supplemented by Live Lighter Love Better; Twelve Biblical Decisions for a meaningful life by Cary Schmidt.

These lessons are prepared for the High School LifeGroup

Sovereignty; good word, often misapplied

The attribute of God’s Sovereignty is not an eternal attribute.

Sovereignty means complete rule or dominion over others (some prefer the term “providence” but the point is the same because a distinction has to be drawn between the endless power of God and how He chooses to use that power).

For God to be in control over others there has to be others in which to control.

He can’t display His power over creatures unless the creatures exist.

Therefore, before creation the concept of sovereignty (or providence) was not an attribute that could be used to describe God.

An eternal attribute is something God possesses that is not contingent upon something else.

The eternal attribute of God is His omnipotence, which refers to His eternally limitless power.

Sovereignty is a temporal characteristic, not an eternal one, thus we can say God is all powerful, not because He is sovereign, but He is sovereign because He is all powerful, or at least He is as sovereign as He so chooses to be in relation to this temporal world.

As someone put it, “Sovereignty is the expression of God’s power, not the source of it.”

If the all powerful One chooses to refrain from meticulously ruling over every aspect of that which He creates, that in no way denies His eternal attribute of omnipotence, but indeed affirms it.

It is the Calvinist who denies the eternal attribute of omnipotence, by presuming the all powerful One cannot refrain from meticulous deterministic rule over His creation.

In short, the Calvinist denies God’s eternal attribute in his effort to protect the temporal one.

Additionally, an argument could be made that the eternal attributes of God’s love and His holiness are likewise compromised by the well meaning efforts of our Calvinistic brethren to protect their concept of deterministic sovereignty over the temporal world.

- Leighton Flowers

No one is denying that sovereignty is a current attribute of God, but only in part given that He has not yet taken full sovereign control over everything on earth as it is in heaven.

Passages throughout the Bible teach that there are “authorities” and “powers” which are yet to be destroyed, and that have been given dominion over God’s creation.

Big Lesson: It’s a good thing when God wins

Opening Question:Ever head of a horrible, o good, terrible day / reference to a book written in 1972.

Alexander wants to move to Australia

Losing the illusion of control

Wrestling or resting

Life is lived from the inside out.

Sweetness of Surrender

Surrender to Unquestionables

Surrender to Unavoidables

passing of time.

You cant rewind

Eternal purposes of God

Certainity of death

Accountabilty to God

Surrender to Uncontrollables

Surrender to Unanswerables

Light up your face.

Ecc 8:1 “1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?

a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.”

Jesus, I gie in to the sweetness of your sovereignity in myfe life and my world.