Is God Defeated?

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and in control of all things (Isaiah 46:10). The Scriptures, particularly in Isaiah 46:10, declare God's sovereignty, stating that He declares the end from the beginning. God's purpose is unwavering and cannot be thwarted by human unbelief or actions. This sovereignty means that all events and outcomes are determined by God's eternal counsel, reinforcing that He operates according to His will, ensuring all creation aligns with His divine plan. Through passages like Daniel 4, we see that God's will reigns supreme over all earthly inhabitants, confirming that He can do as He pleases.

Q: How do we know that God is not defeated by human unbelief?

God's faithfulness is not dependent on human belief; He remains sovereign regardless of our responses (Romans 3:3). In Romans 3:3, Paul addresses the concern of whether human unbelief nullifies God's faithfulness. The answer is a resounding 'no'—God's purpose is unchangeable and His will cannot be thwarted by human skepticism or lack of faith. This emphasizes the strength of God’s covenant; His promises and His power are absolute, meaning that even when faced with widespread disbelief, His divine plan will prevail. The notion that God might be thwarted by human choice fundamentally misrepresents His nature as the Almighty, omnipotent creator.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand God's sovereignty?

Understanding God's sovereignty assures believers of His control and ultimate plan for salvation (Ephesians 1:11). Recognizing God's sovereignty is crucial for Christians as it shapes their understanding of salvation and providential care. Ephesians 1:11 states that God works all things according to the counsel of His will, highlighting that nothing occurs outside His providential oversight. This understanding cultivates trust and confidence in God's plan, especially in times of uncertainty, as believers affirm that nothing can thwart His purposes. A robust grasp of God's sovereignty also helps believers avoid the pitfalls of viewing God as impotent or waiting on human actions to enact His will, ultimately reinforcing the assurance of their salvation and a faithful God.

Q: How does God's omnipotence relate to His plan for salvation?

God's omnipotence guarantees the certainty of His salvation plan (John 6:37). God's omnipotence is foundational to understanding His plan for salvation. In passages like John 6:37, Christ declares that all whom the Father has given Him will come to Him and none will be lost. This assurance is rooted in God's supreme power; He is able not only to save but also to keep His elect secure throughout their lives. Believers can take comfort in the fact that God's promises are backed by His ability to fulfill them, and His sovereignty extends even into the realm of salvation, ensuring that His chosen people will ultimately realize their inheritance in Christ. Understanding this aspect of God's nature allows Christians to rest in His unchanging purpose.

Q: What do we learn about God through the scripture?

The Bible reveals God as almighty, sovereign, and faithful (Isaiah 45:5-6). The Scriptures provide a comprehensive view of God's character, portraying Him as all-powerful and sovereign. In Isaiah 45:5-6, God states, 'I am God, and there is none else.' This declaration emphasizes His unique position as creator and sustainer of all things. Through His sovereignty, He ordains events and circumstances to fulfill His divine purposes, ensuring that His will is accomplished throughout history. Additionally, God's faithfulness is a recurring theme, emphasizing that believers can trust in His promises and His covenant relationship with them. As followers of Christ, understanding these attributes deepens our reverence and worship, aligning our lives with His divine nature.

Now, our subject today is, is
God defeated? Is God defeated? Is God disappointed? Is God frustrated? Paul wrote
in Romans 3, verse 3, listen to the Word of God. For what
if some did not believe? They did not believe God, did
not believe His Word, did not believe His promises, did not
believe His Son. Shall their unbelief make the
faithfulness of God without effect? Will that destroy the faithfulness
of God to His Word, to His covenant, to His Son, because people don't
receive it and don't believe it? Or what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make void
the purpose of God, cancel it out? What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief defeat the
will of God? And the purpose of God and the
covenant of God, is God defeated? You know, I read in the Scriptures,
when I read the Word of God, I read that the living God, the
God of heaven and earth, is almighty. Is that what you conclude from
the Scriptures that you read? God is almighty, God is sovereign? As David said, our God's in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever He pleased,
whatsoever the Lord pleased. That did He in heaven, earth,
in the seas and all deep places. In Genesis 18, when God announced
to Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would have a son, and Sarah,
the Scripture says, laughed inwardly, God Himself asked this question,
God Himself, is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything
too hard for the And then in Exodus 33, in reply to this request,
Moses asked God, show me your glory. God, show me your glory. And in reply to that request,
God said, all right, Moses, I will cause all my glory, my goodness
to pass before you. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. I will be merciful and show mercy
to whom I will show mercy. That's my glory, the sovereignty
of my mercy, the sovereignty of my grace. That's my glory.
And then in Isaiah, Isaiah, if you read Isaiah 45, Isaiah 46,
this passage is taken from Isaiah 46. But you read Isaiah 45, the
whole chapter in chapter 46, it tells us the same thing. God
is almighty. He said this, I'm God. There's
none else. I am God. There's none beside
me. I declare the end from the beginning. Do you know what he's saying?
The end of all things is already purposed and already declared
from the beginning. What's going to happen in the
end has been decided from the beginning. I declare it, God
says, because he foreordains it. He said, I declare the end
from the beginning and from ancient times, way back yonder in the
eons of eternity. God said, I have from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, I have declared them.
And I say that my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. I have spoken it, God said, and
I'll bring it to pass. Does that sound like God can
be defeated? Does it sound like God can be
disappointed or frustrated or turned away from His purpose
or sidetracked? He said, I'll do all my pleasure. I've spoken it. I'll bring it
to pass. I've purposed it. I'll do it. In Daniel 4, listen
to this. All the inhabitants of this earth
are reputed as nothing. And God, and God, doeth according
to his will, his will. And we're hearing a lot today
about man's will and free will and your will and my will and
all these things. But the Scripture says that he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of this earth and none can stay his hand, none
can stay his hand, none can stop him, none can say unto him, what
are you doing? What doest thou? He said, can
I not do with my own what I will? Hath not the potter power over
the clay to make of the same lump a vessel unto honor and
a vessel unto dishonor? That's what God said to Jeremiah.
He said, you come down to the potter's house, I'll teach you
something. And he took Jeremiah down to the potter's house and
he said, what's that potter worth? I'm the potter, you're the clay.
and I'll do with my own what I will. He worketh in Ephesians
chapter 1, the scripture says, he worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. It says that twice. A man can
receive nothing except it be given him from above. And Pontius
Pilate, when our Lord stood before him in anger because Christ didn't
answer him or show him the respect he thought he deserved and ought
to have, why, he said, answerest thou not me? knowing that I have
the power to crucify you or let you go?" And our Lord replied,
you could have no power over me at all except it were given
you from above. You see, even the death of Christ
was ordained of the Father. He died the appointed Savior
for the appointed people at the appointed hour of the appointed
death. And all things that took place at that cross, even the
things they said and the things they did, were prophesied hundreds
of years before Christ died. They carried out by their wicked
hands and minds and hearts the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. That's what I read in the Bible.
God is almighty, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign
in all things. He's never defeated, cannot be
defeated. Is anything too hard for God?
He declares the end from the beginning. But when I hear today's
preachers, when I hear today's preachers, I hear a different
God preached. I hear a note sounded that presents
an impotent God, a God who wills to do certain things and can't
do it, a God who wants to do all these great, wonderful things
and men won't let Him, just won't let Him. That's what they say.
God has a wonderful plan for your life, and you won't let
Him work it out. God wants to do these things and wills to
do these things and desires to do these things and sets out
to do these things, but He's not able. Men don't believe. They won't let Him have His way.
Isn't that strange? I heard a preacher not long ago
on television defining election, election mentioned in the Bible
so many, many times. But this is the way he defined
election. He said, Well, it's this way.
God votes for you. And the devil votes against you,
and you cast it aside and vote. That makes God a minority. That
makes God outnumbered two to one. Is that the God of the Bible? He just has one vote in this
thing? And Satan has an equal vote? And poor, depraved, wretched,
dead, depraved sinners have an equal vote with God Almighty?
And his purpose rides on whether or not you cast your vote with
him or the devil? And God stands around and waits
to see what you'll do in order to affect His purpose? That's
not the God of the Bible. They say, give God a chance. Almighty God operates on chances? Let go and let God have His way. You mean God waits for you to
let Him do something? What kind of God is this? It's
an impotent God. There's no fear of God before
their eyes. They've never heard the true
God of the Bible preached. I hear preachers say this, and
I read this on bulletin boards. God has no hands but your hands.
Then how do you make the universe? Oh, God has no feet but your
feet. Then how does He walk about the universe and about heaven
and command the lightning to go and the lightning to come
and the rains to fall and the snows to cover the earth? How
does God keep all this in in its right perspective. How does
He come in mercy and grace to visit sinners if He has no feet
but yours and mine? I hear men say, God needs you,
God needs your tithe, God needs your talent, God needs your time.
He does. What did He do before I came
along? And I ask this, then why did He say in His Word, if I
were hungry, I wouldn't ask you? And He said, the cattle on a
thousand hills are His, and the gold and silver that hasn't even
been mined is His. The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness thereof. God doesn't need me. It sounds
like I need Him. Other people say this. I hear
this preached. Salvation's up to you. But the
Bible says salvation's of the Lord. The Bible says the salvation
of the righteous is of God and of Him only. One of the disciples
asked him one day, who then can be saved? And he said, with me,
and it's impossible. And then some preacher comes
along and tells him, it's up to me. And here my Lord's saying,
it's impossible with me. But that which is impossible
with me is possible with God. Other people say this. I hear
them say this all the time. It's up to your free will. You're
saved by your free will. But that's not what the Bible
says. The Bible says it's not of him that willeth nor of him
that runneth. It's of God that showeth mercy. It's all up to you, they say.
It's up to your will. You can say, I will or I won't.
Well, that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says we're born
of God. We're born not of the will of
the flesh, not of the will of man. We're born of God. That's
what this book says. There's a great contradiction
here. The Bible has an almighty God and preachers today have
an impotent God. The Bible has a God who declares
the end from the beginning. And the preachers of today have
a God that doesn't know what's going to happen. The Bible presents
a God that's able to save. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And preachers today have a God
that sits back and waits to see what the creature will do. There's
a contradiction here. A horrible contradiction between
today's pulpit and God's timeless scriptures. And I'm amazed that
the people in the pews don't rise up and question this lack
of agreement between the God that's preached and the God that's
presented in the Word of God. I'm amazed. I'm presenting my
question. The great discrepancy. Totally
out of agreement. What's being said is totally,
completely out of agreement with what has been written. The so-called
worship of the Lord today. Do you ever listen to it, watch
it, do you ever take part in it? The so-called worship of
the Lord. Now this is God that they say
they're worshiping. And it's characterized by what?
Hand clapping, arm waving, entertainment, drums, boasting, money raising,
contest, begging, luxurious cathedrals and temples and churches and
pride of accomplishment. That's what today's worship consists
of and is characterized by. Is that not true? Watch it. But
the Scripture says, here's what the Bible says, listen, God is
in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence
before Him. Listen to the Word of God. The
Lord is in the heavens, you're upon the earth. Therefore let
your words be few. Be not hasty to utter anything
before God." The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The wise man said, come, children, let me teach you respect and
reverence and fear of the Lord. Holy and reverent is His name.
Oh, I tell you, when Isaiah saw the Lord, the Scripture says,
he cried, oh, woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips, and
I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Daniel said,
When I saw the Lord, my comeliness melted into corruption. Job said,
O Lord, I've heard of You by the hearing of the ear. Now mine
eyes see of Thee, wherefore I hate myself. I've put my hand on my
mouth. I've spoken once, twice, things
too wonderful for me. I'll never speak again." John
said, I heard His voice, I heard the voice of Almighty God, I
heard the voice of the risen glorified Redeemer, and I turned
to see who spoke to me, and I fell at His feet as a dead man. He didn't jump up and wave His
arms and bounce around. He that humbleth himself shall
be exalted, and he that exalteth himself shall be abased. The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. The Lord is nigh unto them of
a broken heart. He saveth such as be of a humble,
contrite spirit. The psalmist said, Come, let
us bow down. Not stand up and be counted.
Bow down. Not dance around the room. Come,
let us bow down and worship. Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His name together, for the Lord our God is a terrible
God." Brother Mahan, you're in a minority. You're a throwback to modern
religion. This is not what people believe
about God. This is not what preachers today
believe about God. I know that. You think I don't
know that? But I'll tell you this, this
is what the Bible says about God. The Bible says God is almighty,
and it means just what it says. God is sovereign. God is omnipotent. Almighty God will work all things
after the counsel of His own will. What He decreed to do,
He will do. He declares from the end, from
the beginning. Let me show you something. Let's
see what the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, has to say about
this very thing. Turn to John chapter 6. Turn
with me to John chapter 6. John 6. And here our Lord is
speaking to, just like I am this morning, speaking to religious
people. Everybody's got religion. Just
about everybody belongs to somebody's church, or made a decision, or
joined the church, or been baptized, or there's something. And our
Lord was speaking to all these religious Jews and Israelites
and all these people in John chapter 6. And in verse 36, listen
to what He said, I said unto you, you have seen me, you have
seen me, and you believe not. You have seen me as I am, who
I am, what I am, and you don't believe me. All right, I say
this about our day. We've seen God. We've seen God
in the heavens. The heavens declare the glory
of God. The firmament shows His handiwork.
O God, when I consider the sun, the moon, the stars, the things
which Thou hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful
of him? You've seen the God of the universe. You've seen God
in creation. Yes, you have. He's known by
the things that are made. And all things were made by Him
in heaven, earth, and under the earth. And all things are sustained
by Him and contained by Him. And in Him they live and move
and have their being. That takes a powerful, powerful
God. Every little star is on a charted
course. Every atom in the universe is
where it is because God watches over it to keep it from blowing
this thing up. You've seen God in His law. He's holy. Holy and
reverent is His name. Christ said, You've seen me.
You've seen me. You've seen God in His law. He's
holy. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. You've seen God in the Old Testament
pictures and types and shadows. Adam, he met with God. He sinned
and God cast him out. Noah, know anything about Noah
who found grace in the eyes of the Lord? Was that all decreed
and purposed and carried out according to His announcement?
He said, man's days will be 120 years. There'll be eight souls
saved. So as by what? You familiar with
Abraham? God called him out of his father's
house and he's 75 years old. Come out. Go to the land I'll
show you. I'll give you a son. Give you
a son. Did he do it? You know about
Moses? Tried to deliver Israel while
he was in Egypt. He was a 40-year-old man in the
prime of life with all the Egyptian throne behind him and his wealth
behind him and his influence behind him and God resisted his
efforts and sent him out to the desert for 40 years till he became
an 80 year old man and then brought him back into Egypt with a shepherd's
cloak and a shepherd's staff and used him to deliver a nation.
You know anything about Israel? God chose them. David, you've
seen God. He's there. You've seen God in
the flesh. Jesus Christ came to this earth.
You've seen. and heard what he had to say.
And what's the result? Christ said, you've seen me.
You've seen me. Me in a without excuse. God may
be known by the things that are made. God may be known by the
conscience he gives. God may be known by the very
practical understanding that if God is God, he's God. And somebody's in charge. that
this thing is not just left to run itself. Now, you've seen
me, he said, and what's the result? He said, you believe not. I'm come in my father's name
and you receive me not. He was in the world and the world
knew him not. He came unto his own and his
own received him not. You've seen me and you believe
not. You will not come to me that you might have life. Isaiah
said, He's despised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from
Him. You've seen me, and you don't
believe. Well, then God's defeated. God's
defeated. It's at the conclusion, God's
disappointed. It's not gonna be like He wants
it to be. Oh, yes, it will. Listen to the next verse. However,
Christ said in John 6, 36, You've seen me, and you haven't believed,
but all that my Father giveth me shall come to me. All that
my Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to
me I'll in no wise cast out." What did he say? He speaks as
no other man ever spake. He speaks with authority because
he has all authority in heaven and earth. All power over all
flesh, he said, is given to me. And He said, All that my Father
giveth me. Before the world began, the Father gave to the Son a
people out of every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue unto heaven, as
the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore, a numberless
number, an innumerable company. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies, according as He chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy.
I'm bound to give thanks for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. The lamb slain from the foundation
of the world was given a people from the foundation of the world.
You can't deny that. All that my Father giveth me
shall come to me. They shall come. He said, Of
the sheep I have which are not of this foal, them I must bring.
And they shall hear my voice, and they shall be one shepherd.
My sheep, hear my voice. I give them eternal life, and
they'll never perish. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. Whom he foreknew, he predestinated
to be conformed to the image of his Son. And whom he predestinated,
he called. And whom he called, he justified.
And whom he justified, he glorified. Not one of them is lost." Ooh,
that's the power of God. That's the sovereignty of our
Lord. Sovereign in creation, providence and salvation. That's
the God of the Bible. Is that the God you hear and
preach? Or the whiny, defeated, disappointed, frustrated God
who's up there in heaven wringing His hand because folks won't
let Him have His way? And then our Lord continued,
verse 38. Listen. He said, You've seen
Me, you've heard Me, and you hadn't believed Me. But some
will, some will, He said, All that my Father giveth me, they'll
come to me. And him that cometh, I'll under
no circumstances in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven,
not to do my will, nor your will, nor any man's will. I came to
do the will of him that sent me. We talked about that a while
ago, the will of God. I came to do. Christ Jesus came
into the world to do the will of God. He said, I came to do
the will of Him that sent me. God works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Christ came to do Thy will. Lo,
I come, He said in Hebrews 10, to do Thy will, O God, by the
which will we are sanctified, by the which will we are saved,
by the which will we are redeemed through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once and for all. Salvation by whose will? Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. I came down from heaven not to
do my will or your will, but the will of Him that sent me,
and by which will we are sanctified." And when he prayed in John 17,
he said, I finished the work you gave me to do. Now glorify
me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Well, what is the will of God? What is this will that Christ
came to do? What is this will by which we're
saved? What is this will of God that
He finished? Look at verse 39. He said, You
see me, but you don't believe me. But all that He gave me will
believe me, because I came down to do His will. And this, verse
39, And this is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which
He hath given me, All which He gave me, entrusted in my care,
over which He made me the surety, all which He gave me, I should lose nothing, not a
one, but raise it up again at the last day. Oh, my soul, the
will of God shall be done. Thy will be done. Our Lord taught
us to pray. He will. He saved. He will save
His people. He gave Christ to people. He
calls them His sheep, His brethren, His elect, His people, His jewels. Christ died for those people,
and He says, I'll lose none of them. I'll lose none of them.
But on that last day when the trump shall sound and the voice
of the archangel cries forth, I'll raise Him from the dead.
This is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which He
hath given me, I'll lose nothing. Is God defeated? Doesn't sound
like it, does it? Is God disappointed? Doesn't
sound like it. Is He frustrated? Is He powerless? Doesn't sound like it. I only
hear that when I hear preachers. When I read the Bible, I don't
get that message. And He said, This is the will
of Him that sent Me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth
on Him hath everlasting life. Yes, the Father gave Him a people. and their redemptions complete
in Christ. But they shall hear the gospel, and they shall be
one foe and one shepherd. They'll come. My sheep will hear
my voice, and they'll follow me." Now watch him as he closes.
And they began to murmur. When he preached that, they murmured. They said, why, here, this man's
the son of Joseph. We know his mother and father.
He said he came down from heaven. How can he be from heaven? And
he replied, murmur not among yourselves. I said unto you,
no man can come to me. except my Father which sent me
draw him. And they shall all be taught
of God. And he that hath heard of the Father and learned, he
comes to me." Is God defeated? No, sir. You want this message?
It's on tape along with another message. Send $2 and I'll mail
it to you. Here's the address as we go up
there. Until next week, God bless you.

Is God Defeated?

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God is not defeated by human unbelief?

Why is it important for Christians to understand God's sovereignty?

How does God's omnipotence relate to His plan for salvation?

What do we learn about God through the scripture?

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About Henry Mahan

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Is God Defeated?

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How do we know that God is not defeated by human unbelief?

Why is it important for Christians to understand God's sovereignty?

How does God's omnipotence relate to His plan for salvation?

What do we learn about God through the scripture?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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