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Seeing the Sovereignty of God
God has an answer for the world that we see all around us. The ultimate answer to all men’s problems is resolved by believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and so we must learn it, love it and share it as often as we have occasion.
In addition, there is an attribute of God that I want to highlight that we desperately need to be reminded of, strengthened by and comforted in and it is what’s known as the Sovereignty of God. This attribute means that God in His triunity is in control of all things that come to pass. Listen to Paul refer to Christ as Sovereign in 1 Tim 6:15 (ESV) “he [Christ] who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Here is a quote from Pastor John Piper on why we need to think about the sovereignty of God:
“Sometimes we need to be reminded by God himself that there are no limits to his rule. We need to hear from him that he is sovereign over the whole world, and everything that happens in it. We need his own reminder that he is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss. We need his assurance that he reigns over ISIS, terrorism, Syria, Russia, China, India, Nigeria, France, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America — every nation, every people, every language, every tribe, every chief, president, king, premier, prime minister, politician, great or small. Sometimes we need to hear specific statements from God himself about his own authority. We need God’s own words. It is the very words of God that have unusual power to settle our nerves, and make us stable, wise, and courageous.” John Piper
I want to read you some verses and my hope is that they will settle you as they begin to paint the picture that God is high in the heavens, in total control of all things, not just all “good things” at all times here upon the earth. To doubt this is to bring into question the very GODness of God.
God’s Sovereignty
Ps 115:3 “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”
Ps 135:6 “Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places.”
Isa 46: 9-10 “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’”
Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”
1 Pet 3:22 [Jesus] “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”
Ps 33:10 “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the people's.”
1 Sam 2: 6-7 “The Lord kills and brings to life;he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.”
John 6:65 Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.
These verses ought to put steel in our spines as we face this world. They ought to create boldness in our prayer life know ing that when we pray, we speak to One who cannot be refused, thwarted, or denied...ever. Seeing God as Sovereign logically leads to prayer.
Now I would like us to look at a very familiar passage in the form of the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15: 11-18. What we will see is that God is not only sovereign over big things like go...
