And it's a good day. We've had
a good week. And we've absolutely been able
to behold the absolute wonder of
God's grace. I thank the Lord. I know you've heard this, but we can but rejoice. We can but rejoice that right
now our Brother is absolutely beholding the glorious person
of our Savior. I know He is, and I'm glad He
is. I miss him and you miss him,
but I'm telling you we're, oh, what a wonderful, wonderful thought. Sitting around the throne of
God, never, never to suffer again, never to cry again, never to
hurt again. Never to be disappointed again. Never. Never. I look forward to worshiping
with Him. Let's take our Bibles, and I
want you to just look at one verse of Scripture. Psalm 135,
verse 6. 135. While you're turning, this
is a Continuing in that series that
we've been looking at, the God that we worship. And I know that there's no end
to where we would find these, but I'm just thinking that it'll
probably be just another message or two, and I'll stop. with this, but I've just so thoroughly
enjoyed this. I want to speak this morning
on the sovereignty of God. We've looked at the being of
God, the justice of God, the attributes of God, the nature
of God, the sovereignty of God. One verse, Psalm 135, verse 6,
Whatsoever the Lord Jehovah pleased. That did He in heaven and in
earth, in the seas and all deep places. Let's pray together. Our glorious Father, how thankful
we are for this precious and blessed time to be together and
to meet around Your Word. Lord, thank You for Your compassion and mercy
that would draw us to You. Thank You for the means of grace
the hearing of the gospel, whereby you relate unto your people through
the Holy Spirit as we consider and look and come to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Thank you. Bless this time we
ask you for Christ's sake. Amen. When we speak, of the sovereignty
of God. What we're actually saying is
that Almighty God is independent from all others. That's what
we just read right here. Whatsoever the Lord pleased. Not anybody else. Not anybody. Whatsoever the Lord
pleased. That did He in heaven, earth, seas, all the deep places,
whatever God was pleased. He does as He will, when He will,
with whom He will, in the way that He will. Man's conception of Almighty
God is too human, and that's the reason that there's by nature
no reverence for God, no respect. He said in Isaiah 46, 10, My
counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasures. David said in Psalm 115, 3, But
our God is in the heavens, and He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased." Now, I'll tell you, that thought right there, the
thought, the truth of God's sovereignty, that attribute, if I can say
it like that, that description, that characteristic of Almighty
God is the most comforting and settling to the believer that
God Almighty is sovereign. I heard Brother Scott say this,
who's running this show anyway? You've heard him say that. Who's
running this show? A little fickle, puny man thinks
somehow he's got something to do with this. Grasshoppers. That's what Scripture
says they are. Grasshoppers. I tell you, under the most trying
of afflictions and trials, God's people know. They're convinced
that all things work together for good, eternal good. To them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
All things work together for good because it is the good God. That God who is good is working
these things. And He's doing it for His honor.
He's doing it for His namesake. He's doing it for the sake of
His people. He's doing it according to His
purpose. Paul said to the church at Ephesus,
chapter 1, verse 11, "...in whom also we have obtained an inheritance
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works
all things after the counsel of his own will." Listen, Almighty God, who ordains
all things for His people, especially for the people of His eternal
love. He ordains afflictions for their
good and then overrules those afflictions that they might
not destroy them, but that they might bring them to Him. I want to read something to you.
Just listen. It's 2 Chronicles. If you want
to turn to 2 Chronicles 7, verse 12 to 16. I read this this morning
and I got to thinking about the situation that we're in. This country. We're going through some tough
times in this country. Now, you know and I know that
if Romans 8.28 sets forth that all things work together for
good to them that love God, and you write this down, everything
that is going on in this world then falls under Romans 8.28.
All things. All things. All things. Why? Why? Why is this world in the shape
that it's in? Now listen. Listen. I'm talking
now to believers. Now listen. Before I read 2 Chronicles,
Listen to this scripture, Amos 3, verse 6, "...shall a trumpet
be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid. Shall there
be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Now listen. There is a trumpet being blown. This whole world is under and
involved with a trumpet of God's blowing, and he's speaking to
God's people. Now, the unbeliever, God's not saying anything to
him. David said, Lord, if you be silent to me, I'll be like those that's going
down to the pit. Now, unbelievers don't hear anything. Everything's fine if they're
going to be good, if they're going to be tomorrow, if they're
going to buy, if they're going to sell, if they're going to
be fine, don't worry about it, eat, drink. Listen, believers. Famines, pestilences, evil. The Lord said, is there not evil
in a city? And did not I do it? Listen to
the trumpet of Him who is absolutely sovereign. No matter what situation you're
looking at, whatever the Dao does tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Whatever Iran does, I don't care.
I don't care. The trumpet of God blowing. The evil that is in the city,
the Lord says, did not I do it? Did not I send that? Why? Because He's merciful to His
people. These things are sent for the
people of God's good. It's sent for our good. Do you
know why we go through what we're going through? The trials and
the tribulations. Do you know why? It's to draw
us to Himself If everything is all good and fine and great,
we're so prone to forget. The best thing in the world for
us is to suffer. To suffer. That's the best thing. The best thing in the world is to be hungry. Made spiritually. Hungry. Spiritually thirsty. Man, when everything's going
good with me, I can tell you what I do, but let me tell you
something. You let a doctor tell you something
that you don't want to hear, and all of a sudden you realize,
you know what? Let me read 2 Chronicles 7. Verse 12, And the Lord appeared
to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer,
and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven, that there
be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or
I send pestilence among my people, if my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, turn
from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be
open and mine ears content unto the prayer that is made in this
place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house that
my name may be there forever, and mine eyes and my heart shall
be there perpetually." If the Lord withholds comfort to His people, no matter
what it is, whether it's governmental problems or health problems or
monetary problems, whatever it is, if He who is sovereign withholds,
I'm telling you, it's for our good. I don't realize I'm in trouble
until I realize I'm in trouble. Brother Henry Mahan made four
statements that I greatly appreciated, and I wanted to write them down.
He said, We have entirely too many fears for a people to whom
the Lord has said, Fear thou not, for I am with thee. You know what? If I just stop,
just realize, just stop, just a minute, and realize God is
with me. Be not dismayed, for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Oh,
that God would teach me that. Don't be afraid. And I'm so afraid. We have far too many doubts and
fears concerning God's mercy and love and grace for a people
to whom the Lord has said, Him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish, O, in the day of me leaving this
world. If Almighty God be pleased, teach
me this. Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Thirdly, he said, we spend entirely
too much time grumbling and complaining about our trials and troubles
for a people to whom the Lord has said, in the world, you shall
have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I've overcome
the world. And then fourthly, he said, we
have entirely too much attachment to this world And to this present
life were a people who were looking for a city whose builder and
maker is God. Paul said to the church, or to
the Hebrews, we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. That was to the church at Corinth,
I'm sorry. of God's sovereignty that this
world at least gives verbal acknowledgment to concerning creation. They
don't really give. They don't believe it. This world
doesn't believe God's sovereignty. They say they do. Oh, the Lord
made everything. You know, they say that. They
don't believe that because they don't believe God. But when it
comes to salvation, Well, that's one area that I'm telling you.
When you start talking about God's sovereignty in the salvation
of his people. About God, this is what makes
man by nature mad. They don't want God to get the
glory. Now, that's where it comes right down to it. They don't
want God to get the glory. When it comes to salvation, there's
only two thoughts concerning Salvation, either salvation is
by a sovereign God or it's not. Either salvation is all of grace or it's by works, man's works. Either salvation is ordained
of Almighty God and performed and accomplished by Almighty
God or man has got to help God, that's either one or the other. There's only one answer, and
the Scripture sets this forth. The prophet Jonah said, after
the Lord released him from the belly of that whale, salvation
is of the Lord. The Scripture sets forth that
Almighty God, the Father, chose a people. The Scripture says
that the Son redeemed those people. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. The Spirit of God quickens all that the Father
chose and the Son redeemed. He does as He will. We've read this in Romans 9,
but I'm telling you, the reason we read Romans 9 and Ephesians
1, the reason we read it all again, you know why? Because
we're forgetful. Forgetful people. Let me read
you this in closing. Romans 9, 15 to 21. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. Now, listen to the next words
of Almighty God. So then it is not of him that
willeth. Man says, well, everybody's got
a free will. God says He doesn't. Now, let
every man be a liar and let God be true. It is not of him that
willeth. I don't I don't care. I don't
care. I don't care what anybody else says. I don't care what
the street down the church down the street says. I don't care
what the one I don't care. It is not of him that willeth
nor of him that runneth. Exercising spiritual. But of
God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up." God judged Pharaoh, and God hardened
his heart, and Pharaoh hardened his heart. This says that God
said to Pharaoh, the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, see that
shows you The Scripture is the living Word of God. When it says
the Scripture says, God said, even for this same purpose have
I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee, that my
name might be declared throughout all the earth. Why did God raise
Pharaoh up? He said that I might show my
power in judgment and righteousness. Man would say, well, that just
doesn't seem fair. Later on in this last verse,
we're going to find out what God has to say about that. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he'll have mercy, whom he will, he hardeneth. Thou wilt say unto
me, Why doth he yet find fault? Why has he got a problem with
me? Who hath resisted his will? I can't do anything about it. Nay, but, O man, who art thou?"
It says, "...repliest." And that's right. In the margin, if you've
got a margin in the middle, it says, "...answereth again, or
disputest with God." Who are you? Grasshopper. Who are you? You are less than nothing. Raises up his arrogant will against
God. Hates the God that is preached
here. Hates the preachers that preaches
the God that is preached here. Does that change the God that
is preached here? Who are you? Hath not the potter Power over
the clay of the same lump to raise up one vessel unto honor
and another unto dishonor. Here is the bottom line. Almighty
God is sovereign. To those that He's pleased to
show mercy, let me tell you what's going to happen. In the fullness of time, Almighty
God is going to give His people, as they sit under the gospel,
He's going to give them a new heart. And they're going to believe
this message. And He'll break them. They'll
think, oh, that God Almighty showed mercy to me. Oh, Lord,
how can it be that You would choose out of all Inhabitants,
how can that be that God Almighty would show me compassion? That
will be the end result of one. And to the other, all God Almighty
has to do is leave a man alone. Just leave him alone. And that man and that woman that
rebels against the truth of God's sovereignty and creation and
providence or administration and salvation, they will absolutely
say in their heart for sure and outwardly, just give them time,
I will not have that man rule over me. That is not, as I had
a former sister-in-law tell me one time, Say, the God you're
describing is my devil. If God leaves a man alone, now
listen, die in unbelief of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you have
no hope. Now to one, this is a savor of
life unto life. And to another, it's a savor
of death unto death. And Almighty God, in giving a
man a heart, He's lost in the wonder of the mercy and compassion
of God. How could God show mercy to me? And leave a man to himself, and
he'll hate this God. I hate you. I despise you. And he'll go through eternity
despising God. God is sovereign. Almighty God makes even the wrath
of man to praise Him. And I'll tell you what wrath
doesn't praise Him. He doesn't allow. That's what
the Scripture says. Surely the wrath of man shall
praise thee. and the remainder of wrath shalt
thou restrain." Everything is going to praise Him. And what
doesn't praise Him, He won't allow. Now, that's sovereign. Last verse, Psalm 105. I read this the other day. I'm
taken back. Psalm 105, verse 25. Psalm 105, 25. I'm talking about
God's enemies of God. God Almighty. He turned their heart to hate
His people and to deal subtly with His servants. I read that
verse of Scripture here I think I read it for the first time
about a week, week and a half ago. And I was I was taken away, taken
back, I just. I thought, my. What sovereignty,
what power. The enemies of God. He turned
their heart to hate his people. And to deal subtly with his servants. You know why? That God's people
not intermingle with them. When somebody tells you, I don't want you ever to tell me
that again. I'm not going to hear. I hate
what you're saying. All you can do is pray for them. Pray that Almighty God have mercy. This is the God that we worship. Sovereign. And God's people love
to have it so. The world hears of Him and they
say, how can you love a God like that? We do. We do. Lord, You're God. There's no God but You. God of
mercy, God of grace, God of justice. The God that we worship. He's
not trying to be God. He's God. May the Lord add His
blessing to the hearing of His Word and comfort His people according
to His good pleasure for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's take a few
minutes break.