God's Sovereignty

Introduction.

Last week, I told you that we were going to be looking at some of the main beliefs and doctrines of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union. I decided to do a few sermons on this because a few people have approached me about some of the topics and so I thought it would be good to clarify some of our doctrines. It is good though to understand them, especially if you attend the church.

Doctrines matter

Here are a few stats to think about.

In many Western countries, including the U.S., surveys show that many Christians lack knowledge of core doctrines.

Studies by organizations like the Barna Group and Pew Research Center have found that many self-identified Christians struggle to understand basic beliefs such as salvation, the nature of God, and the Bible.

A 2010 Barna survey revealed that only 1 in 5 U.S. Christians could correctly identify key doctrines, like the role of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity or what salvation actually is.

One survey found that Jews, Mormons and Muslims know more about their faith systems than the average Christians does. That the knowledge that most Christians have is a superficial knowledge that emphasizes experience and fun rather than the doctrines that are laid out in scriptures.

They rise of the superficial Christian is attributed to the focus on personal experience, preachers that only preach surface lessons and church shopping.

This isn’t the subject of today’s sermon, i just wanted to point of the need for understanding so that we can be rooted in truth according to the Bible.

If you take a quick look at Ephesians 4:14 we can see one reason that it is important to know the doctrines of the Bible.

Ephesians 4:14 (KJV 1900)

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

The thought here is that we can be easily deceived by the deceptions of men.

There is so much information out there in the world today, even in the church world, that many people are so confused that they don’t know what the Bible actually teaches. because of this, many will take a neutral ground on just about every major biblical concept.

And so if the Christian develops their knowledge of God’s decrees, they will not be carried away by every wind of doctrine.

A solid understanding of doctrine helps prevent believers from being swayed by false teachings or worldly ideas.

Christian doctrine isn’t arbitrary or man-made; it is meant to preserve the truth about God and guide the Church in living out the gospel.

The Church’s task is to teach the whole counsel of God, both in terms of salvation and ethical living, through the interpretation of the scriptures.

And core doctrines such as the nature of God, the work of Christ, salvation, and the resurrection are not merely human ideas, but reflect eternal truths revealed to us by God. and so, it is important that we know these truths.

If the church doctrines were thought of as mere “doctrines of man”, then you would have to apply this to all of the doctrines that men are involved in interpreting.

One example would be the doctrine of Holy Trinity. Trinity itself isn’t mentioned in the Bible so would that be a “doctrine of man”?

So to know and understand church doctrines is important.

But as i was thinking about this over the last couple weeks, I wondered where to start and I thought if I am going to be preaching about the doctrines of God, I should start with God, and so this is where we will begin.

A quick disclaimer. It is not my intention to bash or talk bad or give a bad report about other denominations, however, sometimes to understand, to give a lesson or describe some concept, you also need to understand that negation of that thing so as to get the whole picture.

And so that being said, there may be a few instances where I mention another denominational view so that i can point to what I believe the Bible teaches as the truth a matter.

But today we are starting with God and particularly the Sovereignty of God.

God is Sovereign

Isaiah 46:9 (KJV 1900)

Remember the former things of old:For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Isaiah 46:10 (KJV 1900)

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times the things that are not yet done, Saying, My counsel shall stand, And I will do all my pleasure:

In these verses, we are given a glimpse into the eternal, all-knowing, and sovereign nature of our Creator. Here God calls us to remember that—there is no one like God.

One God.

As Christians we believe that there in only one God. This is refereed to as monotheism. And God Himself declared this in the Bible.

There is a prayer that is called the Shema that comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 it is a declaration of monotheism.

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (KJV 1900)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

According to the this, there is only One true God.

All Christians are monotheistic. We don’t believe in multiple gods or even three gods, we believe in one God. Isaiah 45:5-6 says,

Isaiah 45:5–6 (KJV 1900)

I am the Lord, and there is none else, There is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, That there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

In the Old Testament times, the people that were around Israel followed many man-made gods. They had gods for the weather and some for fertility and some for the crops. They had every aspect of life covered by a god of some sort. They were polytheistic. And this is what set Israel apart from them.

Right from the beginning God announced that He was the only God that there was and that Israel had to put away all other gods.

The Understanding of what God reveals about Himself in His word is central to understanding the doctrines of the church. The fact that we have One God who is three persons is one aspect of that but today i want to look at the sovereignty of God.

This is important because it is the view on the sovereignty of God that defines what a church believes about predestination and the will of man. About salvation and the character of God.

But the Bible tells us that God is Sovereign over all creation. In our passage today God says that “His counsel shall stand and that He will do all He pleases to do”.

and in Psalm 103:19 we read,

Psalm 103:19 (KJV 1900)

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.

There isn’t one part of the creation where God isn’t sovereign. He reigns over all.

There's a story about a young girl painting a large mural for her school. When asked about her artwork, she pointed out that the painting was depicting creation. One observer noticed how the child had drawn flowers, creatures, and planets but then joked, 'Where’s God?' The child beamed and said, 'You can't see Him, but He’s everywhere because He made it all!' Just like this child illustrated, every color and brushstroke was under God’s sovereignty.

Colossians 1:16–17 (KJV 1900)

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The entire universe is under His control and authority.

Sovereignty; two views

When it comes to the Sovereignty of God there are two prevailing views.

The strong view

The weak view

The strong view also known as Divine Determinism.

Emphasizes that God exercises absolute control over every aspect of creation, including human actions, events, and even the choices people make.

God’s will is always done, and nothing happens without His direct control.

Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John MacArthur among others, all teach this view.

Calvin summed up this by teaching that “no wind ever arises or increases except by God’s express command”

The movement of every molecule, the actions of all things are according to the direct command of God.

The weak view of God’s sovereignty

emphasizes that while God is ultimately sovereign, He allows for human freedom of choice and interaction.

John Fletcher, John Wesley, Charles Finney, Billy Graham and others. hold to this view.

while sovereign, God allows for a certain level of autonomy in creation, particularly in the area of human choice.

And God’s plan for the world is not necessarily fully predetermined.

While God has a purpose for creation and knows the end from the beginning, He allows for flexibility in how events unfold.

Our Church leans towards the “weak” view of God’s sovereignty.

Reasons why.

The Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and man’s free will.

I already mentioned some verses that point out God’s sovereignty and you can find them all throughout the Bible.

And we do believe in God’s complete sovereignty but we also hold to the truth that God has given everyone of us the free will to choose.

We have the freedom to make choices that help or hinder our salvation.

Lets look at Philippians 2:12-13 this verse has both man’s free will and God’s will working together.

Philippians 2:12–13 (KJV 1900)

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Paul exhorts the Philippians to “work out” their salvation with fear and trembling. This phrase suggests active participation on the part of the believer.

The command to "work out" is not passive but calls for active cooperation

and while salvation is a gift from God, it requires a response and a ongoing obedience from the believer.

Paul is calling them to live out their salvation, to strive in obedience, and to persevere in the faith.

The good part here is that those who are obedient will be empowered by the Spirit of God.

He is working in the obedient believer, not leaving them to their own devices but enabling them to will and act according to His purpose of salvation.

In John 7:17, Jesus says,

John 7:17 (KJV 1900)

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

We have a choice.

“If any man will do his will” that is a conditional statement.

Jesus clearly presents a condition here for understanding and discerning His teaching:

choosing to do the will of God.

He does not say, "If you are chosen by God, you will understand my teaching,"

but rather, He says that anyone who chooses to do God's will will understand the truth of His message.

The emphasis on choice here shows that individuals have a genuine freedom to choose to obey God's will.

And all through the Bible there are passages that clearly show that people have options.

take a look at

Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV 1900)

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Do you see the human responsibility here, to respond to God’s call,

We see free will to choose here and we also see that their are consequences of human choice. In this context, Israel is urged to be obedient to God for their own well-being.

And this is the same choice that we all have. In John 3:16 we are given the option to believe and have eternal life.

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That “whosoever believeth” is the condition part of the equation.

Then you see the consequences or the blessing. Life or death.

Human freewill

And so now the question comes.

How can we have freewill if God is completely Sovereign?

God is not manipulative or malicious.

He didn’t make us to be robots that are directed by His complete will and then make us do evil and punish us for it.

IF He did, then He wouldn’t just.. In Psalm 89:14 the writer says, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: Mercy and truth shall go before thy face.”

and in 1 John 1:5 we read,

1 John 1:5 (KJV 1900)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God is pure and righteous and perfect in all goodness and justice and therefore He would not ordain a person to do evil.

And He isn’t manipulative to where He is going to course us to do evil as the philosopher Paul Helm teaches.

In his teaching he said that God won’t directly make us to do evil but rather if God desires that we do evil then He will lift His grace away from us so that we will choose evil and even to the point that some people will die in sin.

But God’s word tells us that God will is that everyone will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

So then the question would become “If God wants all to be saved, why would He lead some into sin and damnation?” and the answer would be; He would not.

God is not manipulative or deceptive and would have no need to be.

There are many conditional scriptures in the Bible. Statements that God says, IF you do this Then i will do this, If you come to me, IF you declare with your mouth, IF you confess you sins.

These “If and then” statements are conditional statements and as such we are given choices.

But think about this logically for a moment. If God inspired the Bible to be written and it is full of “if then” statements, then we must be given the ability to chose.

Now some teach that God is tricking us to think that we are making choices but in reality He is making the choice. But that is stupid to suggest because then God would be deceptive and lying.

In Numbers 23:19 is says;

Numbers 23:19 (KJV 1900)

God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

God don’t need to trick us, He is God and He wouldn’t need to.

When it comes to the sovereignty of God and our free will, i always think of it in terms of a diagram.

Imagine that there is a universe where God is sovereign and you represent the sovereignty of God by drawing a circle.

His sovereignty is everywhere but then we see with in that circle another small circle, more like a dot. This is man’s free will.

So although we have freedom to make choices, those choices are not limitless. They are stuck in God’s sovereign reign.

They have boundaries.

So God has decreed that anyone of us can choose to do evil or good. There are not other options.

So while we have freedom of will, it is bound by God’s sovereignty.

We can’t just take over the place and do anything that we want. God is the only one that has true freedom.

Think of this in terms of a bird. You heard the phrase, “free as a bird”. Now that may seem like freedom because your not caught up into all the things that humans are but is a bird free?

No, he is bound to the fears all around him that something may eat him, he is bound to instincts and limited by weather conditions and air pressures and looking for food. and this is the boundaries that God has set for him. He cannot escape them.

And so it is for us, As the Apostle Paul said we are slaves to sin or to Christ. Only two options we have.

So God is completely Sovereign over all things but He has ordained that mankind would have freedom of choice. And this is the doctrine that our church holds to.

Why freewill?

why would God create us to have freewill and have to go through all the trouble of making decisions and having the possibility of messing up?

One of the central reasons God gave humanity freedom of will is to allow for genuine love and relationship between God and humans.

Love cannot be coerced; it must be freely chosen.

If God created humans as mere puppets who did not have the freedom to choose, then love and devotion to God would be meaningless.

John Wesley wrote in his "Works" that God created humans with free will because love is the highest form of relationship, and love is only genuine when freely chosen.

1 John 4:19 (KJV 1900)

We love him, because he first loved us.

Matthew 22:37–38 (KJV 1900)

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

These two verses point out that God loves us and that He wants that love to be reciprocated.

And this command to love God with all our hearts is a implication that we need to choose to love Him after all love that is forced isn’t love.

Love flourishes in an environment of freedom, where one chooses to love because they want to, not because they are forced to or coerced into it.

In marriage, if love were coerced or manipulated—if one partner tried to force the other to say “I love you” or act in a certain way—the relationship would be shallow and meaningless.

authentic love is based on a genuine desire to be with each other

Relationships built on manipulation, jealousy or control is destined to break down because it lacks the authenticity that comes from two people freely choosing to love one another.

1 John 4:18 (KJV 1900)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

And this is why God gave us choice, so that when we chose to follow Him, it would be from real love.

and this brings us to one more reason that God gave us the freedom to chose.

God Desires a Genuine Relationship with us!

When we have the freedom to choose to love Him then we will have a relationship with Him.

A relationship built on love is a relationship that will not fail .

God’s love is unconditional, but it is also respectful. He respects our freedom to choose Him, to love Him, or to reject Him.

That’s why God allows us the freedom to choose—because He desires a relationship that is authentic, not one that is built on fear or compulsion.

When God creates Adam and Eve, He places them in a garden where He walks and talks with them.

Genesis 3:8 (KJV 1900)

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

God came down to commune with mankind in the garden. His first intention for humanity was relational.

He wasn’t a distant Creator, but a God who desired to commune with His creation.

Conclusion

A.W. Tozer said that “Certain things have been decreed by the free determination of God, and one of this is the law of choice and consequences”.

and if we didn’t pick up anything from this message today, i simply want you to know that

God made a sovereign choice to give you a choice. He has decreed that ll who will willingly come to Him and commit to Jesus Christ they have the right to become children of God.

His decree is “whosoever will come, will have eternal life”

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Today there is the God given freedom to choose which side you will be on, but there is no freedom to negotiate the results.

There are only two options. life or death. Today i ask “which one will you choose?”