October 22, 2023 - The Sovereign
Notes
Transcript
*Let me know if you’ve been there and done that...
I come home from the store - and I have 1 sucker...
…but 3 kids.
My oldest - Trey - he wouldn’t care.
BUT - My 2 daughters...
They would!
SO - The sucker I was given was a gift - for Tia.
So I give it to Tia.
Tenley - seeing this play out - comes over and says - “That’s ok, I still know that you love me daddy”
NO - that’s NOT what she says!
What does she say?
“That’s Noooot - Fair!”
WHY - does she say that?
Think thru your answer to that question.
TODAY - we come to a point in 1 Kings - Where Solomon has now died...
And his son Rehoboam is about to be made king.
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,
4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”
5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”
8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?”
10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs.
11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”
13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him,
14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents.
17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
SO - recap of the story...
Rehoboam becomes king of Israel...
And Jeroboam COMES to Rehoboam...
And he complains to him that the Northerners had been forced to BUILD southern projects...
And so The PEOPLE are trying to tell the new King - that their burden was HEAVY!
That the YOKE handed down by Solomon was too heavy on them!
So Rehoboam seeks counsel!
Where does he go for help?
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
7 And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”
So the OLDER guys tell him - Respond with FAVORABLE words to the people - and they will become your Servants!
They tell him - BECOME a SERVANT to them....and they will in turn - SERVE you!
What does Rehoboam do?
He IGNORES the counsel of the Old Men...
And instead seeks out the younger guys…
What’s their ADVICE?
10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs.
11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”
it’s HARD to imagine someone HEARING this advice - and deciding that it - MADE SENSE...
But that’s what happened!
Rehoboam decides to use THIS advice…and speak THESE things to the people!
Let’s just say - it doesn’t GO WELL.... shocking!
20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only.
So ONLY the tribe of Judah followed Rehoboam.
NOW - I we just walked thru the entire story for today...
BUT - NOW - to the main point for today...
Do you remember what God had told Solomon when Solomon decided to disobey God and marry those foreign women?
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”
God says - this is what [I] will do!
But I thought that Rehoboam went to the OLD Guys - and THEY gave him advice...
AND then - I thought that Rehoboam went to the YOUNG guys - and THEY gave him advice!
And then REHOBOAM MADE his choice!!????
Isn’t THAT what happened?
This says that GOD did this!
Let’s go back to chapter 12 - our text today and see what it said about this!
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
What we see here today… is this...
SLIDE:
The Sovereignty of God and the Accountability of Man
These 2 truths - on the screen right now - are truths found ETCHED in scripture...
WOVEN into the FABRIC of God’s truth...
YET - TOGETHER - these are probably THE HARDEST truths to ACCEPT and BELIEVE - as mere men and women.
I think (Actually - I KNOW) that MOST Christians will nod their heads at these truths...
YET - they haven’t DUG DEEP enough...
Or STARED long enough at what these truths ACTUALLY mean - to even be confronted by their reality!
Welp - get ready.
SLIDE: Under the Sovereignty of God: Man is Accountable
Under the Sovereignty of God
Under the Sovereignty of God
Might seem like a weird place to START - BUT… I know that we would ALL agree that Man is accountable...
so let’s go there first!
Let’s go back to our text today - and see the Accountability of Man play itself out…in the text.
6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.
Solomon - did what was evil.
Solomon made choices.
And there were consequences…FOR SOLOMON...
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
God said - “Since this has been YOUR PRACTICE and YOU have not kept my covenant...”
Clearly - what we’re seeing here is that Solomon - chose to do these things.
And EARLIER in our text today - we saw that Rehoboam made choices as well!
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
We read this and THINK - Great job… way to seek COUNSEL!!
v8
8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
[HE] - Rehoboam decided to NOT LISTEN to the older men’s advice!!
Instead - as we read - He listened to the YOUNGER men - and it resulted in the tearing apart of the Kingdom!
NOW - we know that THESE MEN made decisions..
They weighed the iNFORMATION they had at the time - and they made choices...
True? - YES!
NOW - let’s go to v15… PARTIAL verse...
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
The KING did NOT listen - WHY?
He liked the younger guys advice BETTER? - YES...
AND…SO...
He chose to go with the Younger Men...
And the CONSEQUENCE of that decision - led to the Kingdom being DIVIDED!
NOW - Let’s look elsewhere in scripture to see MEN making choices - and being accountable for those choices!
Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh…and request that Pharaoh let the people of Israel go...
13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
More plagues come - Frogs come...… does it help?
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
OKAY.... well gnats come next…
Response?
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Over and Over again - we see the same result...
32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
PHARAOH - making choices…!
What ends up happening?
Pharaoh FINALLY lets the people go - but like a POLITICIAN - he flip flops and decides to go after the people and chase them down!
They make it to the Red Sea - Moses and the people make their way across...
Pharaoh follows them in - AND - he and all his men are killed when the waters collapse on them!
CONSEQUENCES!
How about Joseph and his brothers...
17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.
20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
It’s not looking good for Joseph...
His brothers have a plan to kill him...
But Reuben - one of his brothers - didn’t want to kill him.
So they didn’t!
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.
The brothers then make ANOTHER decision...
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.
So they SELL Joseph into slavery!
Choices MADE!
HOW about Jesus HIMSELF?
Do you guys remember what Jesus said - as he hung on the cross - ABOUT those who were killing Him?
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
So Jesus is ON the cross...
Being TORTURED to death...
And He asks for - - Forgiveness for them!
NOW - that implies that they -
were accountable for what they did… yes?
AND...
that they NEEDED forgiveness for what they did....yes?
OK - - 3 different episodes in Scripture...
3 different instances of MAN - making choices.
BUT let’s look at ONE MORE - real quick...
In about 740 B.C. - Assyria began its conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
And about 20 years AFTER THAT - 722 B.C. - the capital city of Samaria was overtaken by the Assyrians...
What came from all of this?
The Exile!
Decisions made - and CONSEQUENCES came!
NOW - let’s go back to each of these 4 scenarios - where we’ve seen the ACCOUNTABILITY of MAN...
And let’s look at the other side of the coin...
SLIDE: Under the Sovereignty of God: God is in Control
Under the Sovereignty of God
Under the Sovereignty of God
Now - under the sovereignty of God - is God in CONTROL - sometimes?
PARTIALLY?
Let’s go back to our scenarios...
We started - with our text today...
If you remember - Rehoboam sought counsel - REFUSED to listen to the older men...
LISTENED to the younger men - and decided it was a good idea to tell the people that he would make their YOKE HEAVIER!
He made a choice to do this!
He WANTED to do this!
And he suffered the consequences of his decision...
YET =
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
This WHOLE thing was BROUGHT about by the LORD.
And so - *HANDS UP (COIN)
[Rehoboam made a choice] / / [GOD made a choice]
God was WORKING here!
Rehoboam was accountable for his choice (the Kingdom was removed!!)
YET - God was in control!
How about Moses and Aaron - going before Pharaoh?
Pharaoh keeps REFUSING to respond positively to Moses...
Keeps refusing to let the people GO!!
But then we read this…in Romans chapter 9 -
Where Paul is speaking about the absolute Sovereignty of God in His election of souls...
Paul KNOWS the arguments that come when people really DIVE into the Sovereignty of God....
What will they say? - they will say - That’s not FAIR!
Well - that’s what Paul says in verse 14...
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Here we see - Pharaoh WHO kept REFUSING to listen to God…!
Was raised up - BY God…
He was PUT in that position BY God - so that God could show His power - in dealing with Pharaoh.
[Pharaoh Made choices] - [God made choices]
Pharaoh was ACCOUNTABLE… and yet - God was orchestrating all of it!!
What else?
Back to Joseph and his brothers!
Joseph’s brothers SELL him into slavery...
And IN the story - we even see the brothers CONTEMPLATING how they should handle Joseph...
We should kill him...
We shouldn’t kill him...
OK - let’s SELL him!
So they do.
But then we read this:
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.
6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
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.
So if we ask Joseph, "Who sold you into slavery...
"Do you really believe that your brothers sold you into slavery...
Did they choose to do what they really wanted to do?
He would say - Yes
..”But now i understand that behind it all, God was working to bring me here...
That God ultimately sent me here...THROUGH what my brothers willfully chose to do.”
So - who sent you into slavery?
How do you answer this question - biblically?
the brothers did
God did
It’s a both-and answer!
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
See - here we see - 1 ACTION (Joseph being sold into slavery)...
AND 2 agents at work...
You - THE BROTHERS - meant it for evil
But GOD - meant (IT) for good!
NOW - How about Jesus?
Jesus - when on the cross - asks for forgiveness for those killing Him...
34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Jesus knew they needed forgiveness...
They were WICKED men - making decisions!
They were ACCOUNTABLE...
YET…we read this...
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
Wicked, sinful men put Jesus on the cross. Is that right?
Men who are MORALLY responsible for what they did...
YES! - Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the peoples of Israel!
THESE people put Jesus on the cross!
But is that the FULL answer? - - Biblically?
Absolutely not!
READ verse again/
next verse...
28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
What’s the answer?
Evil MEN put Jesus on the cross!
GOD put Jesus on the cross!
The DESIRE of these evil men was to CRUCIFY Jesus!!
They did what they WANTED to do!
AND yet - God's plan was that Christ would go to the cross!
Before the foundation of the world....before SIN existed...
The plan of God was that Christ would go to the cross!
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
The 2 sided coin of the crucifixion of Christ has on one side:
mankind's decision to kill Christ (mankind nailing Christ to the cross)
Christ's plan to lay down His life (God the Father nailing Christ to the cross)
The very SAME ACTION - of the killing of Christ - being carried out by MANKIND - AND - God
MANKIND meant it for EVIL - trying to protect their own PRIDE
GOD meant it for good - GRACIOUSLY laying down His life to SAVE THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE!
ALRIGHT!
Last one...
In 722 - Assyria conquers Israel...
Decisions MADE!
Yet - -
WHY did Assyria attack Israel?
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
What's God saying here...It says - Assyria, the rod of my anger...
So God here is NOT HAPPY - He's angry!
And He calls Assyria - the rod of His anger!
He's raising up Assyria - COMMISSIONING them to do something... He says - The staff in THEIR hands is my anger!!
next verse...
6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
God here is describing how He raised up Assyria to be the TOOL of His judgment against His own people!
God wanted to JUDGE Israel...SO He USED Assyria to do that!
So Assyria - attacks Jerusalem...and the people of Israel.And what we need to notice is the first part of verse 5 that we just read...
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
WOE to Assyria!
This isn't a good "WHOA!"...
It's a - You are IN TROUBLE kind of WOE!
And it's directed at Assyria!
next verse
6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
God raises up ASSYRIA...to destroy Jerusalem...THEY DO...
And then God judges Assyria!
HOW?
7 But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;
This is saying - Assyria's motive in destroying Israel wasn't to DRAW them closer to God...
Assyria didn't view themselves as an instrument of God… Instead -
PRIDE fueled their desire to DESTROY...AND BECAUSE that was true...
God judged them IN THEIR CARRYING out the very thing
God commissioned them do...
We’ve seen - the Accountability of Man - AND - The Sovereignty of God
How do we process this?
I’ve used this analogy before - and I’ll go back to it...
**You're at the ZOO (standing outside the Lion's Cage...
You put some RAW meat outside the cage on the ground.
And that Lion SEE's you do it.
In that moment - What is the cage doing?
The cage is RESTRAINING that lion from what?
From DOING what LION's - listen - BY NATURE - do...EAT MEAT!
NOW - let's say that you NEVER opened that cage door so that lion could eat the meat...
WOULD THAT MEAN that the lion - IS NOT A MEAT EATER?
Could we DECLARE that the lion is NOT a meat eater if we NEVER opened the cage door?
Of COURSE NOT!
The cage simply RESTRAINED the lion - from DISPLAYING his TRUE self!!
So whether the LION displayed it or not - the LION is GUILTY of being a MEAT EATER!
NOW - thinking about ASSYRIA...God KNEW the TRUE ASSYRIA...
God KNOWS the hearts of man -
And in this case - Assyria was caged up...WAITING to display their TRUE SELF...
And God- WANTING to judge His own people - Opened the door of the cage...!
NOW SIN - Sin - in our analogy here - would be equivalent to EATING MEAT
For the Lion - eating meat is - WHAT IT DOES!
BY NATURE - it’s what it does!!
The Lion CRAVES IT!
LOVES IT!!
Is a SLAVE to IT!!
What do I mean by that?
Does a lion control raw meat - or - does raw meat control a lion?
We know the answer!
SIN is WHO WE ARE!! - by nature!
And BY NATURE - we are SLAVES to sin…!
We are ACCOUNTABLE for it in our lives...
AND YET - we must know - Our God - is THE SOVEREIGN!
In COMPLETE control!!
God WANTS us to know this!
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
The God we come every week and SING ABOUT...The God we come every week in AFFIRMATION OF...
He is in COMPLETE CONTROL...
NOTHING falls outside of His control...
That’s what - Sovereignty means!
And it’s the GREATEST news - WHY?
Because it means that GOD’s PLAN - is in motion....
It’s BEING played out!
Which points to the reality that God PURPOSES ALL things...
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
12 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
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.
See God doesn’t EVER have to choose a - PLAN B...
He’s never scrambling COURSE-Correct the details of our lives!
Think of how we - as humans - classify things - such as - suffering
We classify things - based on - what?
Based on our - Understanding!
God sees the ETERNAL picture...
We see ONLY - RIGHT NOW!
AND YET - we come across something as simple as - getting DETOURED on the highway - or - STUCK in a traffic jam...
And we classify it as a form of suffering in a fallen world...
When in REALITY - maybe God was saving you from a fatal accident up ahead?
And if WE KNEW [THAT] - then we wouldn’t CLASSIFY that traffic jam as - suffering.
Maybe we wouldn’t CLASSIFY that bout of cancer - as SUFFERING...
SUMMARY...
Under the Sovereignty of God
Man is Accountable
God is in Control
- Accountable - we make choices...
- And we experience consequences
We are accountable...
THEREFORE - repent and believe in the gospel!
TURN to Jesus today -
SURRENDER yourself - and embrace Christ and Christ alone as your Salvation!
- God in Control - He reigns over - ALL - things
- He does as He pleases - at all times...
And He desires that you be saved!
Let’s pray!