Evidence Of Sovereignty

For those of you who were here this morning, I want to disclose I did not use Glenn's notes for this message, but there's going to be similarities. Earlier this year, I listened to a man preach a sermon from the book of Ruth. In that sermon, he was talking about spiritual famine, how God sends spiritual famine into this world. There's spiritual famine in the world today.

And he mentioned from the book of Malachi until John the Baptist, there was 400 years of spiritual famine. God did not raise his prophets up for 400 years. This country just celebrated its independence anniversary yesterday, 250 years they celebrated yesterday, or we celebrated yesterday. 150 years longer than this country has had its independence was the amount of time of that spiritual famine.

And he went on to talk about preachers. Gospel preachers, many you all probably would know how they've gotten older. Some of them are experiencing health problems and issues. Some of them need to retire and can't because there's nobody to take their place. And he talked about how some of them have died. Some of them that we know have died.

And this is the statement that he made If I did not believe in the sovereignty of God, I would say it's a scary thing. If I did not believe in the sovereignty of God. And that statement that he made struck me. And it caused me to think about what is the sovereignty of God? Do I even understand what that means? Do we understand, do we think about what God's sovereignty is? The word sovereignty itself is not found in the Bible.

It's nowhere in the Bible, but we can see it on every page, cover to cover, if we look, God's sovereignty. The dictionary definition says, having unlimited power or authority, absolute, supreme power that cannot be checked by anyone or anything. And that's God. God has absolute power, authority, control, and rule over all things.

He's holy and he's sovereign, whether we believe it, whether man believes it, or to what degree he believes it, it doesn't change the fact God is sovereign over all things. And very few people seem to understand or comprehend the absolute hopelessness of the center. Eternal condemnation without the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it does not seem like in this world that too many people consider that anymore. But we should stop and think about God's sovereignty, about what our need of him is. And I hope in this passage, this message that we talk about today, that we can consider some of that. And his sovereignty, Glenn covered some of this this morning.

God created everything. He's sovereign over his creation. In Genesis 1-1, God, in the beginning, created the heaven and the earth. God created all things. And as Glenn pointed out, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost was present in the beginning.

God said, let there be light, and there was light. And he divided the light from the darkness. He created the earth and the seas. And he departed them from the dry land, the grass, the herbs, the trees. The day and the night, he created everything, the galaxies and the planets. And God created man. Out of the dust of the ground, he breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living spirit, a living soul. And that was Adam. And then God took a rib from Adam and created woman, and that was Eve.

I want to read to you, Glenn read part of this, but John chapter 1, verses 1 through 5, you don't have to turn there, I'm going to read it to you. This is about Christ in the beginning as well. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him And without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life. And the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness. And the darkness comprehended it not. Now the word that is being referred to here is the Lord Jesus Christ. The word is Christ. The life is Christ. The light is Christ.

He shines his light in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not. Man comprehends his light not, or does not comprehend his light unless it's revealed to him. In John 3, 19, it says, men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. And that's what the Bible tells us what man is. He's a sinner. We sin, we've come short, we've fallen short of the glory of God.

The Lord Jesus performed many miracles in this world. He healed the sick. He caused the blind to see. He gave the lame the ability to walk. He cleansed the lepers. He made the deaf to hear, he raised up the dead, and the poor had the gospel preached to them. Matthew 11, 5. He cast out demons with his word. He fed 5,000 people with five fishes and two loaves. He controlled the wind.

In Matthew 8, if you recall, there was a storm that was brewing, and the disciples and the Lord were on the ship. And the Lord was asleep. And the disciples were scared. They were afraid they were going to die. The waves were coming up over the ship, and they woke him up.

And the Lord rebuked the wind, and he calmed the seas. And the Bible says there was a great calm. Christ controlled the sea. He walked on water. He even enabled Peter to walk on the water as well. He is sovereign over all things. He has authority over all things.

And by grace, we believe this. And some believe and some don't. But it's only by the grace of God that any of us believe. It's not anything that we do. We hear that here all the time. It's nothing that we do. It's not of anything that we perform, not any works that we should boast about. If we believe, if we understand anything, it's because God reveals that to us.

2 Timothy 3.16 tells us all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. This is the word of God and we should read this, we should study it, and we should heed what God is telling us in his word, given by inspiration. And it's not right for us to question God. We are the creature. He is the creator. And the creature has no right or authority to question the creator.

Isaiah 45, 9, shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, what makest thou? Now, my study is going to come from Romans chapter 9, if you want to turn there. Romans chapter 9, this is Paul talking to the Jews. They're discussing Israel and the Jews are talking about why some believe and some don't.

And this grieves Paul because this is his kinsman. These are friends. This is his people, so to speak. Some believe and some don't. And many of us in here probably can relate to that. We have people that we're close to, family members possibly, friends, that don't believe. And there's nothing that we can do about that. God has to reveal that to them. He has to give them that ability. But Paul says, Starting in verse six, we're gonna go through most of this chapter. Romans nine, verse six.

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel, which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Paul is basically saying here the word of God has not failed because some don't believe. God's word cannot and will not fail. Not all people that are born in Israel are the children of God. They're not the promise of God. Just because somebody's born in a certain country, a certain place, does not mean that they are a child of God. Paul also goes on to include that not all of Abraham's descendants are the promise of God. It says in verse 9, for this is the word of promise.

At this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son." This is referring to Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, that is Isaac. He was the promised son that God gave to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah, at one point, decided that they were, I guess, going to help God out, her and Abraham. And she brought Abraham, her maidservant, Hagar. And so Abraham and Hagar had a son. His name was Ishmael. Ishmael was not the promised son of God to Abraham and Sarah.

Isaac was. So Ishmael represents the flesh. He is the flesh. He is a descendant. He is a seed of Abraham. But he is not the promise of God. Isaac is. So This tells us that grace is from God. God is sovereign in his grace. And grace, as we know, is unmerited favor. It's not earned. It's not deserved. And God is not under any obligation to share his grace on anyone.

He chooses who he shares his grace on, not based on anything that humans expect, human expectation, not because of what anybody thinks is fair or unfair, God chooses whom he chooses. And that is according to his will, his purpose, in the Lord Jesus Christ. If a man does not deserve God's grace, if he can do nothing to earn God's grace, then it must be God who chooses who he shares his grace upon. God's will, God's purpose, and this points us to election. Some people don't want to talk about election, but God chooses or God elects whom he sheds his grace on in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now look at verse 10, Romans 9, 10. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.

It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. Verse 13, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. This tells us God is sovereign in his love. He chose one to love and he chose one to hate. Before they were ever born, before they could ever do any good or evil, before they could ever do anything good or bad, God loved one and not the other. So it is written, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Chosen of God before they were ever born, chosen before the foundation of the world.

And the Bible tells us that we love the Lord because he first loved us. Our love for him is in response to his love for us. We didn't wake up one day and choose to love the Lord. We didn't decide we're gonna love God today. He chose us, and because of that, we love Him.

Christ said to His disciples, you've not chosen me, but I have chosen you. That's in John 15, 16. A look down in Romans 9, look at verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Paul says, God forbid. 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.

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 the 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. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will hardeneth. He shows mercy for some, and he hardens others. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh over in Exodus, and he told him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

That's Exodus 5.1. And here's Pharaoh's response to that. Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And God lifted up Pharaoh to show God's power to Pharaoh and also to the children of Israel, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. That's what the Lord said.

This shows us that God is sovereign in his mercy. Pharaoh probably thought of himself as being sovereign. He had all this power and authority, so he thought, and it was all given to him by God. to show God's might, to show God's power, to show God's honor.

God sent plagues on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. He sent frogs and lice, flies and locusts. He turned their water into blood, their ponds, their lakes, their rivers. And he also brought death upon the firstborn of Egypt. And Pharaoh let the children of Israel go. And people of Israel questioned Pharaoh. And they asked, why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? So Pharaoh went after the children of Israel.

God hardened his heart. I'm sure that his ego and his pride was bruised. from the people questioning him as to why he let the children of Israel go. And I picture Pharaoh chasing after Israel like a raging animal with his army. He's going to show them his honor and who he is, so he thinks. And Israel stopped at the Red Sea. They had nowhere else to go.

And Moses told the people there, fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. Moses goes on to tell the people, the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace. And God told Moses to lift up his rod and stretch forth his hand over the sea and divide it.

And the waters parted and the children of Israel crossed on dry land. Their feet didn't even get muddy. And once they got across, Pharaoh and his army tried to cross, and the Lord told Moses to stretch his hand out over the sea once more, and God dropped the walls of the water onto the Egyptians, and they all died.

And the Bible says there remained not so much as one of them. God showed mercy on some, And on others, he did not show mercy. Israel was spared and the Egyptians were absolutely destroyed. God received honor from all of them, those that he spared and those that he destroyed.

And Pharaoh and his army died in fear and shame and regret. But they knew who God was because he showed them. He showed them who God was. And what about the children of Israel? God had mercy on them. God has mercy on whom he will and whom he hardeneth he will. And this does not sound like a God who loves everybody, as we often hear today. God did not seem to love Pharaoh based on these scriptures. God did not show mercy to Pharaoh based on these scriptures. God chose a people to love and to have mercy on, and it wasn't because of anything that they did. They were chosen according to the grace of God, according to his love, his mercy, before the foundation of the world in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask, what makes the difference What makes the difference? Who makes the difference? God makes the difference. Only God. Look at verse 19 of this scripture.

Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but old man, Who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power of the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? Verse 22, what if God, willing to show his wrath His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had aforeprepared unto glory, even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." It says, you know, who are we to question?

God. Who are we to ask the creator, we the creature? Why hast thou made us thus? Our God is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever he has pleased. In Isaiah 55, eight and nine, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. and my thoughts than your thoughts. This shows us God does as he pleases. He is sovereign.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. God was pleased to send his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world, a world where we were perfectly satisfied to live in our sin, in our trespasses, without a thought of our Savior.

A world where His own people received Him not. A world where men hated Him without a cause. A world where the Lord Jesus performed miracles and healed the sick. A world where men mocked Him and beat Him and spit on Him and nailed Him to the cross. A world where Christ suffered and died.

The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, dying for the sins of His people, covering them in His righteousness, that we might have everlasting life in Him. He is our substitute for sin. He knew no sin, and He became sin for us, that we might have life. I wanna read to you, you don't have to turn here, a passage from Ephesians chapter two. And I'm gonna start with verse four, I'll read this real quick.

But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, hath he quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved. and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness through Jesus Christ. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. We are saved by grace through God's gift of faith, not of anything that we do, not of any works that we perform, and this is the message that I wanna get across, and this is what Glenn stated in the first message.

Romans 6.23 tells us the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Sin is death. We are sinners. Eternal life is the gift of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And this should always be the message. It should always be the message. Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the message.

John 17.3 says, and this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. That's on the front of our bulletin every week.

What an amazing verse. In closing, God is sovereign in his grace, in his mercy, in his love, and over all creation. Man cannot be justified to God except in the Lord Jesus Christ and in him alone, not of works, not of deeds or anything else. Christ told us, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Christ also said, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Jesus Christ and him crucified is the answer to all things, all problems, all issues, all trials, tribulations, and adversity. Thank you.

Evidence Of Sovereignty

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