What I thought I'd discuss today
briefly with you was our active participation in the sovereignty
of God. Throughout history, this problem
has been framed as a discussion of the sovereignty of God versus
the responsibility of man. And I don't intend to in any
way solve that today. But what I'd like to do is discuss
it from another frame of reference. I think really that's the wrong
way to state that, quote, problem, because it sets it up as a false
conclusion to begin with. It's not what part does God do
and what part do we do. That's not the question. We believe
God is sovereign over everything. And so his part is 100%. The
question is, what part do we play in that? And it just came
to me that maybe the best way to state that is to state it
as what is our participation as Christians in the sovereignty
of God. When you think about it, God
could have set this all up totally different. He could have hid
the whole thing from us, He could have still chosen or created
a race of people and chosen some to life and some to death, and
it would have all happened and rolled out in the plan and history.
And that race of man kept in the dark about the whole thing
and not participated, and it would have happened. But no,
it hasn't been like that. God has chosen that we are active
participants in this whole history of man. And that's what I'd like
to talk about today. God's sovereignty in the Christians'
salvation and lives. I'd like to look, to start off
with, at five or four passages of scripture which have the dichotomy
of this question absorbed into the verses. First of all, Ephesians
2, 8 through 10. This is concerning salvation.
But as you know, this set of verses very clearly states God's
sovereignty in salvation, and yet it also states our part in
it. So Ephesians 2, eight through
10, for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. So that clearly sets forth the
fact that God is totally responsible for our salvation, and it's not
any of our works having to do with anything, even the faith
is given to us. But then look at what verse 10
says. This is our participation in
the sovereignty of salvation. For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. So this whole salvation is in
order for us to produce good works, not that save us, but
that are a result of God's salvation in our hearts and lives. And
those works are actually foreordained themselves that we should do.
That's pretty astounding. But that's the fact that we are
participants. Salvation is not just God doing
this to us, and we've got our future all mapped out and we're
set, but he's got it such that there's a fruit to it. There's
a result to it. And we are to live lives that
are seen by other people, that's something different about us.
So that's our participation in the sovereignty of God and salvation.
Now, turn to Philippians 1.6. being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. So we know that God's sovereignty
in our lives, setting in motion these good works, he will perfect
it until the end. And actually this is a good work
in us. It's not the works we do. It's
the good work in us that he will perfect until the day of Jesus
Christ. But what does Philippians 1.5
say? For your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now. So we have a participation in
that gospel. But it is set on the fact that
he who began the good work in us will perfect it until the
day of Christ. Now look at Philippians 2.13. For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. This is a
great verse. So this now says that he works
in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So even
our wills he works in, that we will do what he wants. That's
the sovereignty of God. But look at the verse before
this. 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. Isn't that interesting? You know,
the Arminian world could go to town on that verse and just say
that works is what it's all about. We've got to work out our salvation
with fear and trembling without reading the next verse that says
it's God which worketh in you. both the will and to do of His
good pleasure. So God works it into us, and
then we work it out. And that's all His doing. It's
all from Him. It's all the sovereignty of God,
and we are participants. Now turn to 1 Corinthians 4,
7. And it says, for who maketh thee to differ
from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? You see
what he's saying here. And he had been talking about
the fact that that there was some rivalry between Apollos
and himself and people were choosing sides and all of this. And he says, just give all that
up because who makes one person differ from another? What's the
obvious answer? It's God. God makes you to differ
from me in every way that you're different and unique. God makes
that difference. And then he says, Why are you
bragging about something you've got? Where did you receive it?
You received it from God. So there's no bragging here.
And this is such an obvious statement of the sovereignty of God. But yet we are all part of this
process. One of the most famous verses
in this regard is Romans 8, 29 and 30. Let's turn there. And
this is back again to the sovereignty of God and salvation. So Romans
8, 29 through 30 says, for whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn of many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom He called,
then He also justified, and whom He justified, then He also glorified."
The complete string of connected events that lead to our salvation,
total salvation, all the way to glorification in the end.
And it's all past tense, like it's all been done, because God's
sovereign and He's done it all. He's done it all. And we are
the participants in that. Now, in the very same book of
Romans, In the very same discussion, just a few chapters later, turn
to Romans 10, and let's read verses eight through 15. And this is proving our participation
in that string of events. Once again, it's not God's part
and our part. It's our participation in God's
sovereignty that he's built into the process. Romans 10, all the
way from eight through 15, and just think as we're going through
this, what is my life doing in this process? But what saith
it? The word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which
we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. God could have set up
salvation so that there was really no outward manifestation of conversion,
but he didn't do it that way. There is regeneration and conversion,
and it's not that regeneration is God's part, conversion's our
part, It's God doing the whole thing and yet conversion is the
point at which we participate in that sovereignty. For with
the heart man believeth under righteousness and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there's no difference
between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Is that verse true
or not? It's of course true. But the
whosoever is the ones that God has worked in to even want to
call upon the name of the Lord. All the others are wrong motives
or not from the heart, But God works the real thing into the
lives of Christians, the elect, to truly call upon his name.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
Now, look at this chain that has to happen for our salvation. This is kind of like an earthly
chain that has to happen for us to hear the gospel and all.
How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. Think back in your own life.
In your conversion, there had to be some things take place
that God set in motion. There had to be some quote preacher,
whether it was someone witnessing to you on the street or someone
from a pulpit, there had to be a preacher, there had to be the
word, you had to hear it, And that was all part of the sovereignty
of God. Now, there's an excellent example
of this chain of sovereignty in the subject of prayer. You
know, we are supposed to pray. Why should we have to pray? God's
sovereign. Everything that's gonna happen
is gonna happen. Because God made it this way. And there's
a real sense in which he tells us, if you don't pray for it,
you're not gonna get it. Now, you know, you could take
that and you could make an Arminian argument out of that, but we
know that's not truth. The truth is God's sovereign
in everything, but he has built us praying into that sovereign
cycle. So let's look at a few verses
along that line. First of all, Matthew 10, 29
says that there's two sparrows and one of them falls out of
the sky. That doesn't happen without God. Now it stops right
there. You have to fill in the verb.
And some people like to fill in the verb without God knowing
about it. But you know, if God knows about
something, then he's caused it. It's impossible for God to know
about something and not cause it. So a sparrow falling out
of the sky is caused by God. That would tell us that the very
smallest things are caused by God and His sovereignty. So therefore,
why should we have to pray? Scripture says that prayer is
necessary to receive blessings. Let's look at a few of the verses.
I think this is such an Interesting example of sovereignty, James
1, 5-8. If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven
with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that
he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man
is unstable in all his ways. So we know the prayer cycle,
don't we? You start praying, God gets you
to the point of praying his will in the matter, and then it's
done, because God's will is gonna be done. So really, prayer is
mostly about changing us, not changing God. And so that's why
James is saying, you've gotta pray with faith, where you get
the faith from, that's from God. So in James 4, two and three, You lust and have not, you kill
and desire to have and cannot obtain, you fight and war, yet
you have not because you ask not. You ask and receive not
because you ask amiss that you may consume it on your lust.
So, we've got to ask and we've got to ask with the right motives.
Now, this would seem to say to me that I know I may be going
out on a limb here, but if nobody's praying for a certain person's
salvation, that person's not going to get saved. Now, that
could really be taken the wrong way. But what I mean by that
is that God leads us on this earth in the participation in
sovereignty such that there's going to be someone praying for
that person before they're saved. He says, if you don't ask, you're
not gonna get it. Now, maybe that doesn't refer
to salvation, but I just have thought that, so I stated it.
Matthew 6.6, let's look at that. I'm sure we all have a group
of people we're praying for for salvation, family first and others. Matthew 6, 6. But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret, and thy father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. In the next verse. But when you pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they shall
be heard for their much speaking. Then look at verse 11. Oh, well, verse eight,
but not ye therefore alike unto them, for your father knows what
things you have need of before you ask him. Then 11, give us
this day our daily bread. Why do we pray that? He's gonna
give us our daily bread because we're supposed to pray it. It's
all part of being thankful and recognizing the sovereignty of
God and being a participant in the sovereignty of God. Proverbs
15, 29. The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Now look at Luke 18.1. Have you ever had a child bug
you to death for something, and you finally just gave it to him?
Well, that's not like God, and yet here's a parable where he's
telling us this parable to impress upon us the importance of prayer.
And what this parable is, is this widow, let's just read it. He spoke a parable unto them
to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Saying,
there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither
regarded man. And there was a widow in that
city, and she came unto him saying, avenge me of mine adversary.
And he would not for a while. But afterward he said within
himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this
widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming
she weary me." Obviously, there's things that are trying to be
pointed out here. God's not like that judge. And we don't bug him to death,
and then he finally does it. But what the purpose of this
parable is, is to tell us, be like this widow, don't give up
on something that you think is God's will, keep praying for
it and it will happen. Then 1 John 5, 14 and 15. And this is the confidence that
we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will,
and that's gotta be, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of him. Once again, why should I pray
for it if it's God's will? God's will is going to be done.
I should pray for it because he told me to. he asked me to
participate in this active cycle of sovereignty, probably because
when it then comes to pass, wow, I really do know it was God,
and I glorify him, right? I mean, that's the whole reason. All of these examples are showing
us that it's not God's part plus our part. It's not a 50-50 or
a 70-30 or even a 99-1% deal. It's all 100% God, but he has
blessed us with letting us be participants in this cycle. God
is the intimate participant in sovereignty. Here's what's different,
and here's what makes this more than just cold sovereignty that
we should never forget, is God's participation in our history.
Look at the Old Testament. Look at all of the miracles.
Look at all the times God showed himself. Real times. Elijah and the prophets of Baal
and God coming down and zapping that waterlogged altar when the
prophets of Baal cut themselves and cried and tried to get their
God to answer. There's just example out of example
of God participating in human history, an intimate participant,
not a cold, distant deity making his will be done down on this
cold planet, but he's an active participant in showing man his
ways and who he is. What's the ultimate example of
that? the incarnation, the Son of God coming to earth, to this
horrible place, and dying for us on a cross. I was reading recently the account
of the whole days of the crucifixion. It really struck me that the
Lord Jesus, the agony he was in, in the Garden of Gethsemane,
it says he was distressed, and he was distressed and troubled. He was in great agony. You know,
I had never really realized before that, because I was halfway gonna
bring you a topic of, and I may do this next time, is Peter,
James, and John were the inner circle of disciples, right? They
got to see things and do things the rest of them didn't do, and
there's implications there. Okay, so here the Lord Jesus
is after the Lord's Supper and after this great discourse in
John 13, 14, 15, 16. And he takes them all out to
the garden of Gethsemane. He says, I'm gonna be crucified.
And they really didn't understand all this. They really hadn't
hit him. Then after he gets there, he takes Peter, James, and John
a little further. That really never hit me before.
He left, of course, Judas had gone, so that left 11. So he
leaves the eight there a little farther away, and he takes Peter,
James, and John a little farther, and he says to them, it was them
he told, will you watch here for an hour with me? And he set
them to praying. He goes and he prays intensely. He was in agony. And he comes
back in their sleep. And he does this three times.
And this was his inner circle. This was Peter, James, and John
that couldn't stay awake. And so our Lord came to earth
and was in agony for us. This is not a cold God that some
people picture us Calvinists believing in, who is pulling
the strings on the robots and the puppets and doesn't invest
himself in this whole process. Maximum investment by God at
Gethsemane and Calvary and then the empty tomb. and the second
coming. And you could just go on and
on and on. God's participation, he's an
intimate participant in sovereignty. He has showed himself to us so
many times on earth and will in the future. And then we as
Christians are also active participants in sovereignty because he's built
it in that way. There are a lot of other commands
to us as Christians, as participants in sovereignty. Smaller things
than salvation, maybe, and prayer. But he goes, you know, most of
the epistles are built on a model of theology first, and then practical
instructions. They're really commands. We're
not under the law, but these are commands from the Lord to
Christians to do. And you have that in Ephesians,
Four through six, you have it in Philippians three through
four. You have it in Colossians three and four. The last two
chapters of all these epistles is usually practical things for
us to do as participants in the sovereignty of God. First Thessalonians
four and five. And you can just read these back
ends of these epistles for your morning devotions or whatever,
have plenty of food to go on for the day, the week, on things
we should be doing. Examples, 2 Timothy 4, 7, Paul
says, I have fought a good fight, I've finished the course, I've
kept the faith. These are proving that we're participants. He pictured
it as a fight, as a race, and as keeping the faith. You have
a lot of this in James 4, where it talks about our conversation
before our fellow men, and that means our way of life. We are
to have a way of life that is noticed by others as different.
And then you've got 1 Peter, where he says, gird up the loins
of your mind. He also talks about life and
speech before others. Colossians 4, 6, let your speech
be always with grace, seasoned with salt, know how to answer
every man. Be ready if somebody's gonna
ask you for the hope that lies within you. Finally, I think
one of the best ways to wrap this up, is Proverbs 3, five
through seven, as far as a plan for us in how to participate
in the sovereignty of God. Proverbs 3, five through seven. Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Oh, I
forgot to tell you one of my favorite verses in the Bible
is man plans his way and the Lord directs his steps, right? That's in Proverbs. We have a
responsibility to plan our way. What kind of business would it
be if the business never planned its way. Now it has to be flexible
in that plan, right? We have to be flexible in our
plans as Christians, but we're supposed to plan our way. And
then what happens? The Lord directs our steps. So
we plan to go this way, as best we know the Bible, that we're
not violating any principle in there. I'm going to go this way,
Lord. That's what I plan to do. And then He sets us over to the
right here and over to the left there, and it's just a daily
thing, a plan. So man plans his way and the
Lord directs his steps. But here, in all thy ways, acknowledge
him. That's saying in the plan, I
acknowledge you, Lord, to really direct my steps. I'm not gonna
just charge down this plan without acknowledging you every day.
and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from
evil. Boy, if you could wrap it all
up as instructions to us as Christians. We're supposed to trust in the
Lord, and how can we do that? Well, we've seen what he's done
for us. We should be able to trust in
him. Trust in him. Acknowledge His sovereignty. Lean not unto thine own understanding.
Don't think you're so smart. And don't be wise in your own
eyes. Fear the Lord, respect Him, and
depart from evil. That's it in a nutshell. Solomon
has similar things to say in Ecclesiastes and in all the different
parts of the Bible are saying the same thing. We are active
participants in the sovereignty of God, such a blessing. You
know, life could be so dull if we weren't, but we are. And we
wake up every morning to see what God's got in store, even
in the world or in our own little environment. It's pretty interesting
stuff.