Now I want to speak to you this
morning on the sovereignty of God. Title of this message, God
is sovereign and we are glad. Now let me read you a few scriptures
out of Romans chapter 9. Starting in verse 15, For he
saith, that is God saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then, It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Now listen to verse 18. Therefore
hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will
he hardeneth. Divine sovereignty used to be
preached from most pulpits. but not anymore. Preachers have
replaced God's sovereignty with man's free will. They have made
men the sovereign of their salvation. However, the Word of God knows
no such thing, and God has not abdicated his throne. The Word
of God reveals God who is sovereign over all. When you go back and
read the book of Genesis, you read chapter 1, you will find
out that when God created the heavens and the earth, He created
it just as it pleased Him. God did not create Adam first
and then ask him how He wanted the garden to be made. No, God
made all things ready and then created Adam and put him in the
Garden of Eden. God made things just as it pleased
Him. The Word of God says, listen
now, He giveth no account of any of His matters. God is not
answerable to us at any time. The Word of God says, He doeth
according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand, or say
unto Him, What doest thou? God demonstrates His sovereignty
every day. It is God who determines the
temperature of every day. It is God who sends the rain.
It is God who withholds the rain. It is God who determines every
day's events. Things do not just happen. Things
are coming to pass. They're being brought to pass
as God decreed them before the world began. The scripture says
the steps of a good man, and that good man is the man that
is in Christ. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord. We do not walk haphazardly. It's
ordered. It's ordained of God. How absurd
is it to think that God who is infinitely wise would leave anything
to finite wisdom of which God calls foolishness. God said the
wisdom of this world is foolishness. And to think that God would leave
anything to finite wisdom is foolishness. It's foolish to
think like that. The scripture says this. He shall choose our
inheritance for us. God shall choose the inheritance
of every one of His children. Everyone whom He saves, He chose
their inheritance. Do we not choose our children's
inheritance? How is it, now listen to this,
how is it that men deny God the very thing they fight and die
for? That's the right to choose. And seeing he's the creator of
all, all this, this did not evolve. God created all things. He's
the sovereign over it, it all belongs to him. But here is where
the offense of the gospel is. Here's the offense. God saves
whom he will, and whom he will he passes by. Let me read verse
18 to you again. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. That's
what the scripture says. I read that to you from Romans
chapter 9 verse 18. We must first understand this,
that God does not owe salvation to rebels. God does not owe salvation
to those who despise and hate him. The scripture says the wages
of sin is death. That's what God is going to pay
up. If there's anything that he owes us, it's death. That's
why Jesus Christ, when he came into the world as a substitute
for a multitude of sinners, the reason he had to die was because
he was made to be sin for them. Christ, who knew no sin, was
made to be sin for them. Therefore he had to die because
the wages of sin is death. And this is why salvation has
to be all of grace. If God gave us our wages, our
earnings, it would be death to all, for all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. I didn't make that up. That's
not my opinion. That's what the Word of God says.
Salvation is the sovereign act of God in saving men and women
who deserve to go to hell. All men and women by nature hate
God. All are born into this world
with an enmity in their hearts against God. despising the goodness
of God. You know, the scripture says
it rains on the just and the unjust, but the unjust don't
give thanks for it. No, they're upset because it
messed up their golf game for that day. But the believer who's
been saved and born of God and is tasted of the grace of God,
he gives thanks for that rain. He knows who gives it. But the unbeliever, Oh, he wishes
that God did not exist. Even the religious man wishes
that the God of the Bible didn't exist. Now, the God of our imaginations,
before conversion, and if a man remains lost, he has a God that
he worships, but it's the God of his imagination. As it says
over in the Psalms, they have eyes but they see not, ears but
they hear not, mouths but they speak not. Nothing like having
a God that can't hear my wretched speech. Smell my wretched stink. That's the kind of God men whittle
out. And that's the kind of God they
want. A God who is subservient to them. But if anyone is to
be saved, God will have to sovereignly choose them. Because we will
not choose God left to ourselves. God will have to sovereignly
elect them, call them, Redeem them by the blood of His Son.
Regenerate them by His Spirit. As Jonas said, salvation is of
the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord from
beginning to end. It's all of God. At no time ever
is salvation part of us and part of God. It's all of God. All
of God. And then listen. Jesus Christ
is sovereign. Is he God? Scripture says he
is. Well if he's God, he's sovereign. Now he demonstrated his sovereignty
while he ministered here on this earth. You remember when he went
to the pool of Bethesda? There were many impotent folks
there, many crippled people. He walked up to one lame man
out of all those people who were crippled. He walked up to one
lame man, healed that man, and left. Didn't say anything to
any of those other ones. He healed one leper. There were
many lepers in Israel, but he healed one. He chose 12 disciples. He told them, he said to them,
you did not choose me, I chose you. One day there were many
thronging about Christ. There were many touching him.
Great throng. And he turned around and he said,
who touched me? And the disciple said, well,
Lord, there's a great throng here. What do you mean who touched
you? He says, somebody has touched me. There was a woman there with
an issue of blood that she had had for 12 years. And she touched
him. There were many there touching
him, but only one really touched him and he healed her. How many
times do we read in the scriptures of a certain man or a certain
woman that the Lord healed or saved? Why is it he must needs
go through Samaria? Why must the master go through
Samaria? I'll tell you why. Because over
in John chapter 4 there's a woman who's going to be at the well
to draw water. There's a sheep that's going
to be there and he's going to save her. He has a meeting. This woman doesn't even know
it. Doesn't even recognize or realize it. But the Lord knows. He knoweth them that are his.
The scripture says he knoweth them that are his. He knows where
they are. And this woman of Samaria who
had five husbands. She's going to be there. And
he's going to be there. And he's going to cross her path.
And he's going to save her. That's divine sovereignty, friends.
That's divine sovereignty. Now listen, over in John chapter
5. Now listen to this. As the father
raiseth the dead, even so the son quickeneth, he gives life
to whom he will. That's what he said. Christ said
this over in John 17. Thou hast given him power over
all flesh. that He should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given Him. My friends, God is still
sovereign. God is still on the throne. And
God is still sovereignly saving sinners by His grace through
the blood and righteousness of His dear Son. He's still doing
that. His grace is sovereign and it
always will be. The salvation will always be
according to the sovereign will of God. Every believer, everyone
whom God saves is glad that it's so. Not every rebel hates to
hear of it. My friends, God is sovereign
and we are glad. Until next time, may God bless
His word.