In the Hands of the Sovereign
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Introduction (3 minutes):
Introduction (3 minutes):
Good morning - Today, we gather to look into the profound truth of God's sovereignty.
It's a concept that sometimes leaves us struggling with questions, yet it's an anchor for our faith.
In the tapestry of Scripture, we find threads of God's rule woven into creation, human history, and the redemptive work of Christ.
Today, we explore this theme, addressing the apparent tensions it raises in our minds: evil, free will, human responsibility, evangelism, and prayer.
Point 1: Sovereignty and Evil (5 minutes):
Point 1: Sovereignty and Evil (5 minutes):
Let's start with the thorny issue of evil. The Bible doesn't provide a neat explanation for the relationship between divine sovereignty and evil.
However, it assures us that God neither does evil nor approves of it. Instead, He allows, restrains, judges, and uses it for His ultimate purposes.
Consider Habakkuk 1:13 and James 1:13 as we grapple with the mystery of God's sovereignty in the face of evil. Even in the face of evil, God's sovereignty stands firm.
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
*Study Addition:* The tension between God's control and human responsibility is a profound reality. Divine sovereignty doesn't turn us into robots; rather, "to men belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" Proverbs 16:1 . God desires a partnership between our efforts and His control.
Planning, in alignment with God's will, is an expression of our obedience and trust in His sovereignty.
To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.
Point 2: Sovereignty and Free Will (5 minutes):
Point 2: Sovereignty and Free Will (5 minutes):
Another area of tension is the apparent conflict between divine sovereignty and human free will. Man's will is free, yet bound by sin. Scripture affirms both God's sovereignty and man's willing activity.
Consider Exodus 9:16 and Acts 2:23 as we explore the interplay between Pharaoh's rise to power and the crucifixion of Christ. God's sovereignty doesn't negate our free will but works through it.
This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
*Study Addition:* A.W. Tozer's perspective adds depth to this tension. God's sovereignty means absolute freedom for God. Man's free will means the freedom to make choices, even against God's will. In His sovereignty, God grants us the freedom to choose, fulfilling His will through our choices.
Point 3: Sovereignty and Human Responsibility (4 minutes):
Point 3: Sovereignty and Human Responsibility (4 minutes):
Though God is sovereign, man remains accountable for his actions. The relationship is mysterious but not contradictory.
Paul, grappling with this tension, affirms both divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
Consider Romans 2:5–11
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.
and Romans 9:19–29 as we explore the delicate balance between God's sovereignty and our accountability.
One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ ”
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
It is just as Isaiah said previously:
“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”
Our choices matter, and yet God's sovereignty reigns supreme.
*Study Addition:* The sovereignty of God motivates our Christian life and service. God's commandments are our enablement, and in this tension, we find assurance that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Point 4: Sovereignty and Evangelism (5 minutes):
Point 4: Sovereignty and Evangelism (5 minutes):
Some may wonder, does God's sovereignty hinder our call to share the Gospel?
Quite the opposite! Jesus affirmed God's absolute sovereignty and invited sinners to Himself. The Apostle Paul, in expressing the profound truth of divine sovereignty, passionately prayed for the salvation of his kinsmen.
Consider Matthew 11:25–30
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
and Romans 10:1 as we affirm that our evangelism should be fueled by our understanding of God's sovereignty.
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
*Study Addition:* God's sovereignty is a stimulus to biblical evangelism. In His sovereignty, God is "taking out" a "people for His name" (Acts 15:14 . Our task is to obey and share the message; His responsibility is to save those who believe.
Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.
Point 5: Sovereignty and Prayer (4 minutes):
Point 5: Sovereignty and Prayer (4 minutes):
Finally, let's explore how God's sovereignty intersects with our prayers.
As believers, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that God is for us.
Scripture assures us that God not only hears but also answers our prayers.
Consider Romans 8:31 , Romans 8:32 and 1 John 5:14–15 as we delve into the powerful impact our prayers, in alignment with His sovereign will, can have.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Our prayers, in alignment with His sovereign will, have a powerful impact.
*Study Addition:* Although God is all-powerful and sovereign, He invites us to help change the world through our prayers. While the intricacies of this interaction are a mystery, it is a reality. Our earnest prayers, aligned with God's sovereign will, have powerful results (James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Conclusion (4 minutes):
Conclusion (4 minutes):
In conclusion, dear friends, the sovereignty of God is not a doctrine to confound us but to anchor us. In the hands of the sovereign, evil bows, free will dances within divine orchestration, human responsibility finds purpose, evangelism becomes a divine invitation, and prayer is our confident conversation with the Almighty.
Let us embrace the mystery, trust in His sovereignty, and live out our faith with unwavering confidence in the God who reigns.
As we go forth from this place, may the truth of God's sovereignty be a guiding light in our lives. May it inspire us to worship, to share the good news, and to pray boldly.
For in His hands, we find our truest freedom. Amen.
“God All mighty is sovereign, he is free to do as he pleases, and among the things he please to do, is to give me freedom to do what I please, and when I do what I please I am fulfilling the will of God not controverting it for God has in his sovereignty sovereingly giving me freedom to make a free choice, even if the choice I make is not the one God would have made for me, he's sovereignty is fulfilled in my making the choice and I can make the choice because God said the “great Sovereign God who is completely free” said to me now in my sovereign Freedom I'd be so little bit of freedom on you, now choose you this day with whom you will serve, be good or be bad, at your own pleasure, follow me or don't follow me, come on or go back, go to heaven or go to hell, that in your lap and You've got make your choice.”
