The Sovereignty of God
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD Daniel 7:13-14
INTRODUCTION: God is the Lord over everything; there is nothing that He does not rule by His ultimate authority. We celebrate God’s magnificent sovereignty and see His power and authority throughout Scripture. But what exactly is sovereignty?
The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the:
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD as the Biblical teaching that God possesses all power and is the ruler of all things. God rules and works according to His eternal purpose, even through events that seem to contradict or oppose His rule. Scripture emphasizes God’s rule in three areas: creation, human history, and redemption. Scripture testifies clearly to God’s rule over His creation including Christ’s sustaining and governing of all things. The Bible affirms also that God rules human history according to His purpose, from ordinary events in the lives of individuals to the rise, affairs, and fall of nations. Scripture depicts redemption as the work of God alone. God, according to His eternal purpose, takes the initiative in the provision and application of salvation and in enabling man’s willing acceptance.
However there are five issues that seem to be at odds with the claim of God’s absolute rule: evil, free will, human responsibility, evangelism, and prayer.
That is the Bible’s teaching about sovereignty. But how does sovereignty work outside of the Bible? Well according to the Merriam Webster dictionary Sovereignty is a: supreme power especially over a body politic, b: freedom from external control or c: a controlling influence.
Sovereignty is often used to explain the right of kingdoms and nations to rule themselves. The United State of America is a sovereign nation and has been since the sovereign rule of Great Britain was broken and the nation rose from the ashes of war.
The sovereignty of nations changes regularly. Nations have come and gone depending upon the whims of people and the authority of God. For it is God, having ultimate sovereignty who directs the coming and going of all the nations and those who are responsible for controlling them. However there will come a time when sovereignty and all authority will be handed over to someone else. This time in history when all authority and dominion will be given to the Son of Man was shown to the prophet Daniel.
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Transitional sentence: But what does that have to do with each and every one of us in our daily lives?
I. What Are Man’s Plans?
God’s sovereignty over all creation gives Him authority over all of life on this planet. That means He directs the paths of each and every person whether that person believes in Him or not. So every time we make a plan God will direct what happens in that plan for good or ill and we all make a lot of plans.
A. So why do men and women make so many plans? Is it because of our fickle ever changing personalities? Maybe it’s the deep desires of our hearts to have stuff? Or maybe, we just don’t know what we want so we constantly make plans trying to find what we want.
1. So, just to make sure we are all on the same page let’s take a look at what a plan is. A Plan according to the:
Dictionary of Bible Themes is a:
Design or scheme, prepared in advance of doing something.
How many of you scheme on a regular basis? Sometimes a job will require scheming or planning in order to manage an appropriate outcome of a situation. Every Sunday each of you are a witness to a scheme. This worship service comes about because some of us plan it out in advance. We have a desired outcome for everyone who is here and we plan the service in such a way as to achieve that desired outcome. However even in all of our planning we know that the final outcome for each of you will be up to the Lord and His desires.
2. Our daily plans and goals.
How many of you make schemes on a daily basis? You must have made at least one today. You got out of bed and planned to be here. Our plans include an expected outcome or goal along with a check list of all the steps necessary to get here. Those of you with children have to make extra plans. Plans for yourselves but also plans for your children. Some of you have to plan to be here but also may need to collect someone else along the way so that person can be here to.
Sometimes our plans are much larger. Perhaps there is a plan in the works to switch jobs which requires moving. There’s a lot of planning there. Or maybe it’s time to flee the cold and you are planning to head south. Or maybe you are planning to over throw the U.S. government - that’s probably a bit to far but…it happens.
But where do these schemes and plans come from?
B. They begin in Our Hearts.
1. Proverbs 19:21 says:
21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Many a plan begins in the heart. Our hearts drive our desires and our desires drive us to scheme and plan to decide how to fulfill our desires.
2. As the desires of our hearts grow they drive our thoughts to plan and scheme. James 1:14 says:
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
The problem with the desires of our hearts driving our thoughts to plan means that all to often those plans are evil. If our desires are evil then temptation causes our thoughts to come up with evil plans and schemes. Schemes that are best left alone. Schemes that bring about sin which when conceived bring forth death.
This doesn’t mean that we can’t scheme and plan, we just need to make sure that the goal of the scheme is for good and not evil.
But what makes a plan evil? Quit often evil plans are:
C. Self-Centered Plans
1. James 4:13 says:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
These men have a plan. Let’s go and make money. Unfortunately the goal of the plan is self serving. All they want to do is make money. The money isn’t necessarily the bad part, but the desire of their hearts makes the plan about the money and not about God. The plan being about money makes the plan about them. It is a self serving plan.
2. All to often our thoughts and plans are of our own nature, and ultimately self-centered. If we are only thinking about ourselves, and sometimes those around us, then we are not involving the Lord. If we are not involving the Lord then our plans are self-reflective. Self reflective plans are about us.
Self reflective plans seldom acknowledge God’s sovereign ways.
But:
II. What Are God’s Sovereign Ways?
A. Well, God’s ways are not our ways.
1. Isaiah 55:8 says:
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
Obviously there is something different about God’s thoughts that set them apart from our thoughts. For one thing He isn’t tempted by evil and doesn’t have wicked desires causing Him to scheme and plan to fulfill those evil desires unlike us. And for a second thing God’s schemes and plans come together for His glory and Honor to strengthen and grow His Kingdom and to defeat the powers of darkness. Which is often the opposite of what our thoughts and desires do.
2. So, Praise the Lord that our selfish ways are not the ways of God! Our ways often produce plans that lead people away from God. Whereas God’s ways will always draw people to Him. Therefore we must submit our thoughts and our ways to God’s sovereign thoughts and ways.
The fact that God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways means that:
B. God’s ways are greater than our ways.
1. Isaiah 55:9 says:
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Heaven is higher than earth. God is sovereign and I am not. When we accept this fact than we are able to let go of our own thoughts and desires and accept His plan for our lives. We are able to accept his good plan as the right plan and let go of our own self centered plan.
When we are able to do this then we will see that:
2. His greatness and goodness will draw us and our plans and desires to Himself. As we recognize that His ways are different than ours we also have to recognize that His ways are much better than ours. He is good, and so are His ways.
As we draw closer to Him and see His plans unfold we will see that:
C. God’s ways always work together for Good.
1. Romans 8:28-30 says:
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.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
In His sovereignty God can see all of time from beginning to end. In His sovereignty He can make all of His plans work out for good. His plans may not always go well for each and everyone of us all the time but His plans will work together for the good of all who love Him and for His kingdom.
Ultimately:
2. God does not want to harm us. His plans and ways, are for our benefit so that we may have eternal life. Without His goodness and without His ultimate good plans, we would be separated from Him. This is His ultimate desire, that all men should come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.
If His desires become our desires, than we should have:
III. An eternal perspective about our plans. Which should begin with the idea that:
A. Our futures are unknown.
1. James 4:14 says:
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
This thought follows after the plan to head to a certain city, trade and make lots of money. We have no idea what will happen to us in the future. We make plans to improve our lives or we can make plans based on rational or irrational fears.
Have you ever heard of someone dying in their home from a plane crash? Fear can lead people to do or not do a lot of things. A fear of dying in a plane crash could keep someone from flying or if taken to far from even leaving their home. What if the fear of flying forced that individual from leaving home because home is not in the air in a plane. But one day a plane crashes into the house and the person dies in a plane crash. That person made plans, self-centered plans, based on an irrational fear but died in a plane crash anyway.
What kinds of things can you think of that have happened in your life because you made plans, but those plans didn’t work out. I know there are a lot of things in my life that have sent me off the reservation because I didn’t think about or know about the eternal perspective of what I wanted to do.
This story shows that ultimately we are in God’s hands. It is for Him to determine the number of our days.
2. Except for knowing that our eternal home will be with Jesus when we call upon His name, the rest of our lives and plans are ultimately in God’s hands. We can make plans to avoid getting sick, or avoid getting in an accident, or to get rich and live well for the rest of our lives but we have no guarantee that our plans will work. But we can be sure that we will have eternal life when this life ends.
That eternal life is found in Christ Jesus through faith. That’s the one plan you can make that will succeed. So plan to call upon the Lord and then do it.
But for all those other plans you make, make sure you acknowledge God’s sovereignty and:
B. His divine will.
1. James 4:15 says:
15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
At this point with our original plan of going to a city for a year and trading so that we can make a profit this verse is telling us to leave room for God to decide what will happen. Verse 14 tells us that we don’t know what will happen in our lives so we need to make room for God’s will.
We need to accept the fact that our plan may not work. What we want might turn into something entirely different because of what God wants.
2. As we recognize that His plans are greater than our plans because of His sovereignty, because He rules over all and has purpose in everything, we need to recognize our need for His will above our own. Make your plans but leave room for Him to work by accepting His will in whatever you plan.
And as your plan unfolds hold onto the:
C. Assurance that God’s Purposes, no matter the outcome, will bring about blessings.
1. Romans 10:12 says:
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
God desires to pour out a blessing on all those who call on His name. The blessing may not be riches or a wonderful pain free life, but His riches will be abundant.
All you have to do is read the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and you will see that:
2. His desire for us is our good. He richly blesses all those who call upon Him. It is in His sovereign reign that He calls us to Himself through the purposes of His plans.
Some of those wonderful blessings are:
You are adopted by Him as a son or daughter.
You are redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus.
Your sins are forgiven.
He has made known His will for you.
You are written into His will.
You have salvation in Christ Jesus.
You are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit as a pledge.
You have been given a suit of armor to wear into battle with the Evil one.
With all of this how could we possible say that God doesn’t have our best interest at heart. How could we not respond to God’s sovereignty.
But what should:
IV. Our response to God’s Sovereignty be?
A. First we should call on the Lord
1. Romans 10:13 says:
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This idea of calling isn’t just picking up the phone and chatting. This calling upon the Lord is one of panic. If you had fallen down into a well and couldn’t get out what would you do? Would you be nice and quiet and call for help? Or would you scream at the top of your lungs trying to get someone’s attention?
That’s a no brainer to me. I’d be screaming as loud as I can as long as I can.
There’s just one thing about:
2. Calling upon the Lord. It includes listening to Him and opening our hearts to receive what He has to say. When your down in that well and you never stop and listen you just might miss His directions on how to get out. He won’t necessarily drag you out kicking and screaming; He just might whisper into your ear about the ladder that is behind you.
Don’t be the one doing all of the talking all the time. Take some time to listen, learn to hear His voice, accept what He is telling you. Then you will truly be saved.
Once you are saved the next response is to:
B. Remain in the Lord
1. John 15:4-7 says:
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is an excellent metaphor about our lives with Christ Jesus. Grapevine branches don’t live if you cut them away from the main vine. They dry up and wither. If you, a child of God, doesn’t remain in the vine you will dry up and wither. You will be good for nothing except throwing into the fire. Stay connected to the vine and bear some fruit. That’s what a child of God must do.
Remaining in Him requires us to:
2. Spend time with Him in prayer. Spend time in the word, spend time with your brothers and sisters in Christ. As we remain in Him we will submit ourselves, our plans and all that we have to Him as we long for more of Him rather than us.
Finally, as you remain in Him:
C. Pray to Him
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
That is one of the biggest things for remaining in Him. Pray. Pray continually. How often do you talk to your spouse, your parents, your children or your friends? If your not talking to Him more than that your not talking to Him enough.
2. To call upon Him we have to converse with Him. We have to have a running dialogue with Him. Just remember the running dialogue requires that we listen too. We have to listen for what He would have us know or do. He will speak through the Holy Spirit. He wants to hear what we have to say but if we don’t take the time to listen we will never know what He has to say. He is sovereign, we must listen. We must know His plan, we must know His will. We must act upon His guidance.
CONCLUSION: God’s sovereignty, His rule and authority is over all of creation. We can accept His sovereignty and acknowledge His Lordship or we can fight and struggle trying to do it our own way. Be still and know that He is God. Be still and come before Him in awe and reverence. Know that it is not in our strength or by ourselves that anything exists. Know that our plans and desires are just as fleeting and fickle as everything else in our lives. Be assured that His will and not ours will be done in Heaven and on Earth. Because of His sovereignty, we are His.
Lord, thank You that Your plans are higher and greater than our own. We praise You for Your sovereignty, for Your goodness, and for Your ultimate authority. May we continue to draw closer to You and long for Your will to be done above our own. Amen.
