The Sovereignty of God

God is Sovereign Over Nature

In Psalm 147:15-18 we read of God’s control over elements such as snow, hail, the cold, wind and water.

Psalm 147:15–18 NKJV

15 He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; 17 He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? 18 He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

In Jonah 1, we read of God commanding a fish to swallow Jonah and in Jonah 4 we read of God commanding a plant to grow and a worm to eat that same plant.

Lastly, in Job 37:11-13 we read of God’s control over storm clouds

Job 37:11–13 NKJV

11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. 12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth. 13 He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy.

I think that this passage is particularly relevant as we reflect on the destruction that Western North Carolina faced from Hurricane Helene. I believe that it offers a helpful reminder that this storm, as horrible as it was, didn’t catch God off guard and that He didn’t fall asleep at the wheel but that He is in control and orders all things for His purposes even when we can’t see them.

Perhaps most importantly though is the God who we see in the Old Testament controlling the winds, waters, and storm is the same God that we see in Matthew 8:23-27. It reads,

Matthew 8:23–27 NKJV

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

In short, Jesus Christ is God in flesh. He is in control of all things and nature is no exception. The same Jesus who we see calming this storm is the same Jesus who we see bleeding at Calvary and that same Jesus lives and rules over all things whether it’s the fall leaves in your yard or mighty hurricanes in the Gulf. Jesus is in control.

God is Sovereign Over Nations

As we approach election day, it’s not unusual to find ourselves feeling a little more anxious than usual about the direction that our country is headed and whether the candidate we want to win will win, but the Bible speaks to that issue as well. In Daniel 2:21

Daniel 2:21 NKJV

21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

Furthermore in Daniel 4:17, we read.

Daniel 4:17 NKJV

17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’

So, as we wait to see who our nation has elected as her new president next week, one thing we can be sure of is that God will have in office who He wants in office for His divine plan and whether it’s who we wanted in or not, we should remember this precious truth from Proverbs 21:1.

Proverbs 21:1 NKJV

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

This passage should remind us to pray for God to reach into the hearts of our leaders, whether republican or democrat, and to grant them salvation. Another thing I want to point out is from Psalm 33, it reads:

Psalm 33:10–11 NKJV

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

As Christians, I feel fairly certain that virtually all of us in here are heavily conservative people politically. One thing I want to remind us of is that we need to remember that although the Republican party is closer to our biblical convictions, we must not confuse today’s republicanism with Christianity. Just a few days ago, Vivek Ramaswamy, one of JD Vance’s closest friends spoke at a Trump rally and in his speech he expressed support of homosexual marriage. One thing we need to realize is that Christless conservatism is a slippery slope and that one day even their plans will fail and all that will remain is the counsel of the Lord.

When we remember that God is sovereign over natures and rulers, we should find peace in our hearts and encouragement to pray for God’s will to be done.

Moving on to less controversial points, we can also be encouraged by remembering that:

God is Sovereign Over Events

Are you aware that God is sovereign over every event that takes place? As a matter of fact, Proverbs 16:33 tells us that He is in control of even the results of a rolled dice. It says:

Proverbs 16:33 NKJV

33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

I don’t know about you, but that is an extremely relieving thought to think on. That God doesn’t leave our daily lives up to mere chance, but that He is actively engaged in the events of our lives and is the One who determines what we will witness and experience day in and day out. A biblical example of this can be seen in Genesis 15:12-16. In Genesis 15, God promises Abraham that his descendants will form a nation but that they will end up in captivity but that God will hear them and deliver them from their Egyptian bondage. Well, if you fast foreward to the last quarter of Genesis, you meet a guy named Joseph and do you know that it is through this one guys life that God works to deliver Joseph’s people from starvation and it’s also through this one man’s life that the people of Israel end up under Egyptian bondage for God to eventually deliver them.

From Joseph’s coat, to the betrayal of his brothers, to the lie of Potipher’s wife, to his imprisonment and elevation to power, God ordered every event of Joseph’s life for a purpose event when Joseph didn’t understand. This is why at the end of Genesis, Joseph tells his brothers, “You mean’t it for evil, but God mean’t it for good.”

Another place we see that is in the most horrendous act ever preformed which is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But in Acts 4:27-28, Peter tells us that although it was the wicked hand of men that killed Jesus, it was God Himself that ordained it to happen in eternity past.

Acts 4:27–28 NKJV

27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

So, whatever big events or little details you might be worrying about today, be reminded that God is sovereign over those too. Now, with the crucifixion of Jesus in mind, I want to look at one more thing which is that God is sovereign over salvation.

God is Sovereign Over Salvation

At Beacon, we’re unashamed to say that salvation is all of God from beginning to end. But is it biblical? I think so, but let’s see what the Bible says.

In John 6:44, Jesus tells us that no one comes to believe in Jesus, unless the Father draws us to Him and that everyone who He draws will be resurrected to new life on the last day.

John 6:44 NKJV

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

In 2 Timothy 2:24-25 we read that God has to grant repentance to someone in order for them to know the truth, or to know salvation.

2 Timothy 2:24–25 NKJV

24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

One story where we see this happen is in Acts 16:14

Acts 16:14 NKJV

14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

In Ephesians 2:8-10 we read that salvation is by grace through faith and that these things are a gift of God and that God Himself has ordained, or prepared beforehand, that through this salvation, we would be His workmanship, or His trophies of grace.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Finally, Philippians 1:6 tells us that salvation is all of God from beginning to end.

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I think that this is just a beautiful truth to think about. That God has taken ahold of us by grace and that He will firmly hold us and won’t let us go.

Now, unless there’s some misunderstanding, I want to make it clear that this doctrine doesn’t mean that some people come to Jesus and He turns them away. As a matter of fact, there’s never been a single soul who came to Jesus for salvation that wasn’t granted it. What I am saying however, is that if it weren’t for God, we would have never wanted to come to Jesus in the first place.

So, today, we’ve seen that God is sovereign over nature, nations, events and salvation. Here’s a few ways this doctrine can apply to us today:

If God is Sovereign, we should fear Him.

If God is Sovereign, we should trust His promises.

If God is Sovereign, we should serve Him.

If God is Sovereign, we should pray to Him.