Okay, before I have you turn
to scriptures, and there's going to be quite a few, so just kind
of get your fingers ready, nimble, flipping, or just listen. What
we're going to look at this morning is the independence, the independence
of God. And I looked in the dictionary,
and that word independent means the fact or state of being independent. And you look up synonyms for
independence, and lo and behold, you will find sovereignty." Sovereignty. God is sovereign. We know that. That's part of the name of this
church. The sovereign grace of God is
what we talk about. God is sovereign. That's who
He is. And grace is how He saves. That's in Webster's Dictionary.
You know, as far as the synonyms, And I believe, and I'm going
to quote some writers on this, a spiritual and saving knowledge
of God is the greatest need of every human being. I'm going to rephrase this. A
spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of
every human being. We cannot press upon our neighbors,
our family, our children, this enough. Because if the Lord gives
our children grace, they're going to live on after we pass. But I will tell you this, the
older I get, my scope of what is important, it gets smaller
and smaller and smaller. And I can just chuck about anything
and just come back and forth to church on Wednesday and Sunday,
well that's not much of existence. You say that now, when you get
older, and you can't move, and you can't walk, or you're in
a wheelchair, or whatever, things become, our perception, it gets
narrower. It gets narrow. Now the receiving
the grace of God gets broader and more splendid. The little
verses that Jackie talked about, the anchor, never thought about
that way. Wonderful. Matt had something to share back
there about the fuller soul. Wonderful. Things like that mean
so much to me. And again, I would rather talk
about that than I would talk about sports. I would rather
talk about that than I would talk about the weather. And then
the more people I see and they talk about stuff, politics, this
virus, it doesn't matter. I'm so sick of this. Just change
this conversation right now to what thinking of Christ. I'll
never forget when I was younger, my first job out of college.
was up in St. Louis picking up supplies for
our garden center, and this guy, this religious guy, he was loading
my truck, and he just came around. What do you think about the end
times? What do you think about Christ coming again? What do you think
about the beast and this and that? And he was all fired up.
And I just looked at him and I said, if I'm in Christ, I don't
have to worry about it. It shut him up. And he didn't
say another word to me. And again, this is something
that happened to me 30-something years ago. Yeah, I'm a really
good testimony of the grace of God. I can bring that up for
such a long time ago. But this is so essential. It is so important for us and
our children and our neighbors and our family. A spiritual and
saving knowledge of God is the greatest need of every human
being. The story of Martha and Mary. sat at Christ's feet and heard
Him. Perhaps she knew He wasn't going
to be around that much longer. Perhaps she believed some of
the things He said about He was the resurrection and the life.
Martha, which we get on to her quite a bit, but if the Lord
came to our house, she was serving. There's nothing wrong with that,
but you got cumbered. And that's what life in this
world, in this United States, when we expect so much, and we
have so many things on overabundance, that's our problem. We get cumbered. And you'll hear the workmen,
the older workmen, and the teachers talk about getting rid of stuff,
going through stuff, and cleaning house. It's a comfort. It's a comfort. So a spiritual and saving knowledge
of God. Because an unknown God can neither
be trusted, served, or worshipped. You can't worship. Remember in
the book of Acts? They were trying to cover all
the bases. They were trying to cover the Gentile God. They were
trying to cover the Jewish God at Mars Hill. And Paul goes and
he sees an idol set up to the unknown God. So he camps there
and he says, this one I'm going to preach to you, because you
don't know who it is. So an unknown God can neither be trusted, served,
or worshipped. Turn with me to the first passage,
Job 22. Job chapter 22. So we're talking
about the knowledge of the holy, the knowledge of God. And God
is independent. He is independent in and of Himself. But this is what I'm saying,
and this is what the Scriptures say, and this is the only thing
we've got. So if you have a problem with the Scriptures, then your
problem is with God, because this is God's book to us. Job
22 and verse 21. Acquaint now yourself with Him,
that is God, and be at peace. thereby good shall come unto
thee." What does Romans 8.28 say? It says, all things working
together for good. Why are they doing that? Because
we have a saving knowledge, a saving spiritual relationship with God
through Christ by the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is involved. Turn
with me to Jeremiah chapter 9. Jeremiah chapter 9. and verses
23 and 24. Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 23 and
24. Thus saith the Lord, let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom. There's always somebody smarter.
Let not the mighty man glory in his might. There's always
somebody stronger. Just wait a few years. Let not the rich
man glory in his riches. There's always somebody richer.
What is that going to get you? but let him that gloryeth, glory
in this, that he understands and knows me. I'm the Lord, that he understands
and knows me. We want the best for our children,
we want the best education, we want the best well-rounded, but
any of that, it pales compared that they would have a knowledge
of who Christ is. who God is. It's essential. Daniel chapter 11 and the latter
part of verse 32. Daniel chapter 11, the latter
part of verse 32. But the people that do know their
God shall be strong, and do exploits. The people that
do know have a mental, more importantly, a spiritual heart knowledge.
And I could go, there's, look, Nave's topical Bible, there is
a bunch of these, and I'm just going to do these three. We will,
by God's enabling, this morning, look biblically at this supreme
characteristic of God and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself
to us as it's unto salvation, perhaps for some, others perhaps
growth and grace, and a true heart knowledge of our kind potentate. That's what we're going to look
at is the independence of God. God is, first of all, essentially
independent. That is, He is in need of no
one. He alone is holy, sovereign,
all-powerful, and supreme. The truth that He chose to create
and to call out and to redeem any of the fallen sons and daughters
of Adam's race is and was only, as Ephesians says, chapter 1,
verse 5, according to the good pleasure of His will. Because
I know sometimes, as a believer, we get amazed, well, why is this
happening to me, or how come, you know, we, like other people,
we get our eyes off Christ, and we get complaining and worrying.
But we go back to the fact that God is God, and we're not. And so we back off, and this
is the believer, he realizes God is on the throne, and God's
on the throne for him, and for her, and so, It humbles us. As the rest of the world, and
the rest of this world is madness, it's called right, what is wrong,
it's called right, and it's getting worse. It's getting worse. But
why is that? Well, some of the old writers
said it's because they don't know, they have no knowledge
of who God is. They have no knowledge of who God is. Just like I said
last week, all of a sudden, just John 3.16, John 3.16, no. The main, I say the main, the
most often mentioned, get a concordance and look, the most often mentioned
characteristic of God is holy, His holiness. That's mentioned
more than His love, that's mentioned more than His unchangeables,
that's mentioned more than His omnipotence, omniscience, it's
His holiness. The truth that He chose to create. It was only because it was according
to the good pleasure of His will. He is self-existent and that's
why He could say to Moses in Exodus chapter 3, who should
I say sent you? Who should I tell Him sent me?
He says, tell Him I am that I am. We would like a bit more than
that. But God owes no one an explanation. He surely doesn't.
Turn to Job chapter 35. Job 35, verses 6, 7, and 8. God is essentially independent. Job 35, verses 6, 7, and 8. Elihu says, if you sin, what
do you do against God? If you sin, what do you do against
Him? Or if your transgressions be multiplied, what does it do
unto Him? If you be righteous, what do
you give Him? Or what receives He from our
hand? Thy wickedness may hurt another
man as thou art, and thy righteousness may profit the Son of Man. But
it doesn't do anything to God. It doesn't affect Him in the
least. Job chapter 36. One chapter over, 36. Verse 26, Behold, God is great,
and we can know Him not, neither can the number of His years be
searched out. It's like somebody said this
morning in Bible class, time. Time is for us. Time affects
Him in no way, shape or form. Why? Because He's essentially
independent of everything. All creatures, time, space, any
of these things. Psalms 102. Psalms 102, verses 25-27. Of old hast thou, God, laid the
foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy
hands. They shall perish. but thou shalt endure. Yea, all
of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change
them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy
years shall have no end." No end. This is the God of the Bible. This is the God of the Bible.
Turn to Isaiah 43. This is the God that is not being
preached. It hasn't been preached for a
long time. It's never been preached in free will, Armenian, easy-believism,
decisionalism churches. And we have to know who He is.
Because an unknown God cannot be trusted, served, or worshipped.
Matter of fact, the charge in the Old Testament was, you thought
I was like you. And in the New Testament, you
know, you're worshipping, you know, God doesn't need a place.
You're worshipping with your hands and your attitude and bodily
exercise and these different things that don't profit. Isaiah
43 and verse 13, Yea, before the day was, I am He. I am. And there is none that
can deliver out of my hand. I will work and who shall let
it? I'll work and who's going to
stop it? This is the God, the Sovereign, the Supreme. And there
are so many more passages. So many more passages. God was
under no constraint, no obligation, or no necessity to create. That He chose to do so was purely
an act of His sovereign will to do so. Ephesians 1 verse 11. Turn with me to Acts. Chapter
17. Acts chapter 17. Well, this really... This really what? It puts all
the glory, and all the responsibility, and all the honor, and all the
mercy, and all the justice and judgment, it puts it where it
belongs. In God's hands. And we are in God's hands. Acts 17, verses 24 and 25. God, that made the world and
all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped
with men's hands, look at this next phrase, as though He needed
Anything. Kind of makes us feel real insignificant,
doesn't it? Kind of like Isaiah, like grasshoppers. Kind of like that song that sticks,
Dust in the Wind. Yeah. Yes. God who needeth anything, seeing
He giveth to all life and breath and all things. God is essentially
independent of everything. He needs He is no gainer if we worship
Him or not, if we submit to His commands or not, if we love Him
or not. He is no gainer. We cannot add
to Him. And the Scripture says if He
conceals Himself, nobody can reveal Him. Salvation, grace,
faith, repentance, is in His hands to give as He sees fit. Now, but we know, this is true,
but we also know, secondly, that the truth of the Scriptures is
also that God will be approached. He created us, He will be worshipped. The angels worship Him, but bless
the Lord God all my soul He's allowed, He's caused some of
His creatures, fallen sons and daughters of Adam's race, some,
to worship Him. But we've got to know who He
is. We've got to know beyond a shadow of a doubt. When He
speaks, the worlds were created. Who can resist His hand? We know this is also truth. He
will be approached, He will be known, God will be honored, He
will be worshipped, He will be submitted to. Now there's two
ways. One, now, in mercy. That's why we tell our kids,
we continually cry for mercy. Our friends and everybody that
will hear us, cry for mercy, because the cry for mercy, it
shows that you're nothing. It shows that you can't do anything,
you need help. You're stuck, you're drowning,
whatever. Like Peter, Lord help me, ere I perish." Simple cry. It doesn't need to be a long
recited sinner's prayer. It doesn't need to be a long
Roman's road of grace. It can be, Lord, help me, ere
I perish. We know this is true. These things
are going to be true. He will be honored. He will be
known. He will be worshipped. He will
be submitted to. One, either now, in mercy, or later, in wrath. you will be caused to worship
Him. Not in a saving way, in a damning
way. It says, hand on your head and
He will cause you to bow. Every knee shall bow. It doesn't
make any difference if you're a president, if you're a king,
ask Nebuchadnezzar. We will be made to bow before
His throne. However, He must do all the work
in our salvation, in our coming to Him, in our reverencing Him.
He must enlighten us, or we who are born in darkness and death
will never be saved, will never come, because we don't know Him. He has to give us the knowledge.
2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse
9. And again, if this is just things
I was making up, you don't have to listen to it. But this is
coming directly from the Word of God, and we know that every
Word of God is pure, says the Scriptures. Says the Bible itself. 2 Timothy 1, verse 9, "...who
God, through Christ, has saved us and called us with the holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began." Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians. Chapter 1. Verses 3-6, Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. according
to the good pleasure of His will. Why? Because He can do that.
Why? Because He has the keys of life
and death in His hands. Why? Because He is essentially
independent. And even in this understanding
of His free unmerited grace, what do we say? The Lord says
to the disciples, well, how shall we pray? The Lord says, Thy will
be done. You know, we want the best for
this country, we want the best for our family, our friends,
our neighbors, but the bottom line is when you pray these things,
thy will be done. Which shows again that we are
the receiver on the receiving end of everything. And if He
decides to do it, fine, if He doesn't decide to do it, we understand. We understand.
We bow to His right to do with us as He sees fit. This is living,
breathing, owning His independence. This His chosen people will do.
Like they've said in time past, Eli said, it's the Lord. Let Him do what He thinks is
right. That's what Eli said in 1 Samuel 3.18. This shows humility, it shows
gratitude, it shows thankfulness. Again, David said in Psalms 18
verse 28, a simple phrase, Lord, light my candle. I've never seen
a candle light itself. Lord, light my candle. We sing this lovely hymn by Francis
Scott Key, Thou must light the flame or never can my love Be
warm to praise. He has to do it. Why? Because He's essentially independent.
He chooses to answer prayer. He chooses to bless us. We're
His children. You do things to your children
because they're your children. And if you don't want to do them,
you tell the kid, no, I'm not going to do it. And they may
fuss, but you're the parent. You're the parent. Well, turn
to Romans chapter 9. Listen to what Paul said. Owning, and this chapter is probably
the most spurned chapter in all of Scriptures. People want to
take it out. They want to rip it out. Some
of the new Bible commentaries, they mess it up. But this is
what Paul says in Romans chapter 9, verses 9-15 and 19-21. Romans
9, verses 9-15. For this is the word of the promise,
at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son." This
is Abraham and Sarah. And not only this, but when Rebekah
had also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, for
the children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, why, 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. And as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we then
say? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. He's essentially independent.
He doesn't need us. He's chosen to let us in his
kingdom. And as children, thankful children,
we're grateful. We're so thankful. For he said
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I
will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. See,
these verses like this just keep bringing the believer back to
showing that everything is from God's hand. Keeps bringing us
back. Yes, but I'm one of his children.
Yes, you are. Thank God. But it's not because
of anything you did, or anything I did, or how I said it, or what
I said. Well, he's going to speak the
truth. verses 19 through 21. Will thou then say to me, why
does God yet find fault for who hath resisted his will? Nay,
but, O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the
thing formed say to him that formed it, why have you made
me thus? Hath not the powder power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel to honor and
the other unto dishonor. See, these are objections. These
objections are universal and they've been throughout all time.
So when you tell somebody about election, about God's choosing
grace, well, that's not fair. That's what they said here in
Romans. Same thing. Why? Because human nature is
the same. It doesn't make a difference if you're Chinese, if you're
Polynesian, American, black, white. It doesn't make a difference.
Depravity knows no bounds. But God is not constrained by
our depravity. He's not hurt, harmed, or helped. He's essentially independent.
Yet, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. So
that's what Paul said. And we saw what David said. And
that's what Eli said. And we saw what Francis Scott
Key said in that song. Light the flame. You've got to
do it. And I say again, according to this infallible Word, We can
search this book, or we can have the intellectual wherewithal,
or we can have a feeling, but even all these things we cannot
find out God. It's got to be by divine illumination. We cannot find Him out. He must
reveal Himself to the sinner. He makes them know Him and themselves. We basically own God and we own
ourselves. We own our sinfulness, And we
repent and believe. And we don't believe in Him. James says the devils do the
same thing. We simply believe God. We simply believe God to
be who He says this book says He is. So it's like we saw in
Bible class. Everything that was written in
those, Peter, it was according to promise. They didn't even
have the New Testament. It was according to promise.
And that's what we have. God is faithful. He cannot lie. He says He shall save His people
from their sins. Are we a sinner? Am I a sinner?
Are you a sinner? God has the right to save or
condemn, to show mercy or to exact vengeance, to redeem or
to forbear. This is why I tell us to cry
for mercy, to cry for help in time of need, says Hebrews, to
mourn for Him, and He alone will comfort those who mourn, says
Matthew. He will be known, and to know
Him truly is to love Him and to worship Him. Let's close with
1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 17. 1 Timothy. Chapter 1, verse 17. Now unto
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and
glory forever and ever. Can we say that? Can we say that? I remember reading, it may have
been Pink, Spurgeon, when we're in glory, if He throws If we
see our parents thrown into hell, or our children, or any such
thing, we will still say, to God be the glory. Oh, that's
harsh. There's not going to be that
kind of emotion. See, our emotion muddles the stuff up. We will
be able to say, because we know that it's grace and mercy that
we're even there. My desire and my prayer is to
make the God of this Bible so very clear and to make the way
of salvation, which is Christ, very clear. And like those elders
in, I guess, I believe it's Numbers or Joshua, the city is a refuge
to make sure that those roads, there's nothing in the way because
we're guilty and we need to flee to Christ, our refuge. May grace
be with us and with us all. Amen.