God is Sovereign
Notes
Transcript
What is Sovereign?
What is Sovereign?
The idea of God being sovereign, or the sovereignty of God is something that is etched all over Christianity
Something that you have probably heard, but just don’t know what it means
The word sovereignty means: supreme power or authority.
When we think compare this to God it simple means that God is sovereign, or has supreme power and authority, over everything
God is in control of all things that we see, and every action that takes place
This comes from God’s divine traits
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
God is all powerful and knows all
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
God is outside of time
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
God is the creator of all things
Because of these traits, we can see that God is a Sovereign ruling God
He is in control of all things
What if God doesn’t?
What if God doesn’t?
The question that happens a lot is - if God is all powerful, in total control why does bad things happen?
Why allow evil and sin?
I want you to consider this analogy
If a man were to put an ant in a bowl, the “sovereignty” of the man over the ant is not in doubt. The ant may try to crawl out, and the man may not want this to happen. But the man is not forced to crush the ant, drown it, or pick it up. The man, for reasons of his own, may choose to let the ant crawl away, but the man is still in control. There is a difference between allowing the ant to leave the bowl and helplessly watching as it escapes.
The same thing is true of God
Though God may allow something to happen, that doesn’t mean that He is not in total and complete control over what does happen
In fact Paul even tells us about that
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Paul is telling the Christian’s in Rome that God is sovereign He is in control.
So when bad things are happening he tells them to take solace in the fact that God is still in control and that He is “all things work together for good”
He has a plan for them
I think to best understand God’s sovereignty we need to look at a story in the Bible that shows it off perfectly
Joseph’s start
Joseph’s start
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Joseph was the son of Jacob
Jacob loved Joseph to the point where he made him the head over his brothers in the field
“coat of many colors” is really just a longer cloak that symbolizes Joseph being over his brothers
Clearly his brothers hated him
Joseph then had dreams that he told his brothers and father about
The dreams involved him in essence ruling over his brothers and family and them bowing down to him
This obviously made them more mad
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
The brothers at first had enough and decided to kill Joseph
But instead we see that they didn’t kill him but sold him into slavery!
He is sold to Egypt
Pretty terrible brothers, that almost makes you feel like he was abandoned by God
Joseph in slavery
Joseph in slavery
1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
Joseph being sold into slavery was still faithful to God and we see that in Vs 2 it says
“The Lord was with Joseph”
Despite being sold into slavery He was still with Joseph
7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
Joseph, in charge of all of Potiphar’s house caught the attention of his wife
Vs 10 tells us that Joseph was handsome and she wanted a piece of that!
But doing what any Godly man does/should do he told her no
When she persisted he ran, leaving his clothes that she yanked
Potiphar’s wife then told Potiphar that Joseph tried to have sex with her (LIE), and that when she refused and he heard the men coming he ran (LIE).
At hearing this any rational man, including Potiphar would be angry
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
So naturally Joseph was thrown into prison
Yet notice that the Lord did not leave him
All through the tough and bad
God was there
Joseph in prison
Joseph in prison
While Joseph was in prison the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker both got thrown in prison
While in prison they dreamed two specific dreams, and Joseph was able to interpret what the dreams meant
Because of this both men ended up getting out of prison and the dreams came true, but for Joseph the cupbearer forgot about him
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
After two more years in prison we see that Pharaoh has a dream and he calls all the magicians to try and figure it out, but cannot
Then the cupbearer remembers Joseph
Joseph is brought out of prison to interpret the dreams Pharaoh had
After hearing of the dreams he tells them that God is going to bring about 7 years of feast, and then 7 years of famine
He then tells Pharoah that he needs to appoint someone that can be over the storage of grain from the 7 years of feast in prep for the 7 years of famine
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
Because of this Pharaoh made Joseph the second in command over all of Egypt
From slave to prisoner to leader
Talk about a turn around
But the story doesn’t stop there
The Brothers test
The Brothers test
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.
When the famine hit the Land, Jacob (Joseph’s dad) heard that Egypt had grain
He sent his sons (Joseph’s brothers to Egypt)
Through a lot of different tests Joseph ultimately caused his brothers to bring Benjamin the brother of Joseph to Egypt
1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
Joseph finally couldn’t take it anymore and cried out and revealed that he was Joseph their brother
The one that they sold into slavery
This was a moment that most of us would have loved to have
Revenge on those who wronged us
Justice and finally God’s plan was here to bless Joseph and end his brothers
But instead look at what Joseph said
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
“God sent me before you to preserve life”
8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
“it was not you who sent me here, but GOD!”
Joseph in his payback moment instead realized that God was orchestrating the whole thing!
That God was in full control!
When Joseph was made manager over his brothers God was in control
When Joseph was beat up and sold into slavery by his brothers God was in control
When Joseph was made lord over Potiphar’s house, God was in control
When Joseph was wrongly accused and sent to prison God was in control
When Joseph interpreted dreams, but was forgotten, God was in control
When Joseph interpreted dreams for Pharaoh God was in control
When Joseph provided grain for everyone God was in control
And now when Joseph saw his brothers is was truly that God was in control!
Joseph was a living embodiment of what Romans 8:28 tells us
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Joseph’s life was one messed up wreck after another - and yet God worked it out!
Conclusion
Conclusion
We must realize that God is in control!
Rather we are in times of good, or times of bad, we must remember that truth
God is Sovereign - he is ruling and leading and guiding everything!
He is in control!
Be encouraged by that!