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Sunday PM April 1, 2007
River Dance
Worship
Please turn to */Ephesians 1:9-12/* please stand for the reading of the Lord’s Word
*/GOD’S DECREE/*
*Ephesians 1:9-12*
*/ /*
/Opening Prayer/
*/Definition of God’s Decree/*
The */DEGREE/* of God was established in eternity past and has reference to
God’s sovereign control over every realm and over all events.
His */DECREE/* is reflected in */Ephesians 1:11/* in that He */“works all things after the /*
*/ counsel of His will.”/*
*/“The DECREE of God is His eternal purpose,/*
*/ according to the counsel of His Will,/*
*/ whereby, for His own glory,/*
*/ He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.”/*
There are only 2 options.
Either God is sovereign and has absolute control over the world and universe
*/OR/*
God does not have sovereign control, and the world and universe carry on in
defiance of His Holy Will.
Of course the first option is true; the world does not operate by chance.
God has absolute control.
*/AMEN!/*
Yet it also affirms that man is responsible for */ALL/* sinful actions.
God is */NEVER/* the author of sin nor does His sovereignty eliminate man’s
responsibility.
*/CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S DECREE/*
*/The DECREE is a single plan encompassing all things/*
*/NOTHING/* is outside the scope of God’s sovereign rule.
*/Ephesians 1:11/* says */“all things” /*are brought to pass by His */DECREE/*.
*/The DECREE covering all things was formed in eternity past but is manifested in time/*
We were chosen by God in eternity past,
look at */Ephesians 1:4 (read)/*
The phrase */“before the foundation of the world” = “from all eternity.”/*
Our salvation and calling is once more related to God’s purpose from eternity past.
Turn to */II Timothy 1:9 (page 1770 read)/*
This says that it is according to */“His own purpose.”/*
*/I Peter 1:20, says “For He was foreknown before the foundation of /*
*/ the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you./*
Purpose emphasizes the resolve or decision of God in His calling
and saving us.
The decision for Christ to take on humanity and shed His blood for humanity was also made */“before the foundation of the world.”/*
*/The DECREE is a wise plan because God who is wise has planned what is best./*
In */Romans 9-11/* Paul discusses the sovereignty of God and His election of Israel
and concludes this */“difficult to comprehend”/* section with a doxology lifting up the
wisdom of God in His sovereign acts.
God’s wisdom and knowledge cannot be comprehended, and His decisions cannot
be tracked as footprints in the sand.
God consulted no one and no one has advised Him.
But because God knows all things He controls and guides all events of */His glory/*
and */for our good./*
*/The DECREE is according to God’s sovereign will – He does as He pleases/*
God does not adjust his plan according to the events of human history;
instead, His */DECREE/* governs human history.
Turn to */Daniel 4:35 (page 1235 read)/*
*/Daniel 4:35/* is all about: God */“does according to His will”/* in the angelic
realm as well as with us here on earth.
In the context of the book of */Daniel /*God determines the course of human history
and the rulers of the kingdoms of earth.
God has established His */DECREE/* in freedom and in independence of everything
and everyone else.
*/The DECREE has 2 aspects/*
*/1.
The directive will of God/*
There are some things in which God is the author;
He actively brings about the events.
*/Isaiah 45:18 - /*He creates
*/Daniel 4:35 - /*He controls the universe
*/Daniel 2:21 - /*He establishes kings and governments
*/Ephesians 1:4 - /*He elects people to be saved
*/2.
/**/The permissive will of God/*
Even though God has determined all things,
He may actively bring them about Himself,
or He may bring them about through secondary causes.
Sinful acts, for example, do not frustrate the plan of God,
but neither is God the author of them.
They are within the scope of God’s */DECREE/* are part of His eternal plan and purpose, but man is nonetheless responsible for sinful acts.
Hence, */“a distinction must be made between the DECREE and its /*
*/ execution.”/*
All acts – including sinful acts – conform to the eternal plan of God,
but He is not directly the author of all acts.
For example, in */I Samuel 8:5-9/* and chapters */19-22/*, when the
people of Israel demanded a king to rule over them, they sinned
against the Lord.
But the Lord had foreordained that kings would come from Abraham’s
lineage in */Genesis 17:6 and 35:11/*, ending with the Messiah.
The people sinned, but God’s plan was being executed.
*/The purpose of the DECREE is the glory of God/*
*/Psalm 19:1/* says the creation of the world is designed to reveal God’s glory.
The hugeness of the heavens and the beauty of the earth reflect the glory of God.
God’s sovereign act whereby He predestined believers to salvation is */“to the /*
*/ praise of the glory of His grace.”/*
God is glorified in the display of His unconditional grace.
*/Although all things are encompassed in the DECREE, man is responsibly for sinful actions/*
This is known as antinomy (anti-no-my) and is important in understanding the
concept that although God is sovereign and has */DECREED/* all things,
however man is responsible for sinful acts.
Antinomy (anti-no-my) comes from the Greek word anti, meaning */“against,”/*
and nomos, meaning */“law,”/*
an antinomy is something that is contrary to law or contrary to human
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