4. God’s sovereignty
Remember this and be in a good mood; Take it seriously, you criminals. Remember the things of the past: that I am God, and that there is no other, I am God, and there is no other like me; that from the beginning I have announced what will happen and since ancient times, things that have not yet happened; I say: my counsel will stand, I will do all my will; I call the bird of prey of the East and of a distant land, the man of my council. I said, I will too; I took this lens, I’ll run it too. (East 46. 8-11)
- One of the most fundamental theological axes of all these thirty years is the invaluable truth of God’s sovereignty.
- Let us go directly to our text so that.
- From the beginning.
- We do not refer to anything that does not come from the Word of God.
- This issue is so serious and has an impact on so many painful realities that we dare not trust ourselves to come to the truth without God speaking to us.
In Isaiah 46,9, God says, “I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is no other like me. “Therefore, the problem in this text is the uniqueness of God among all beings in the universe. He’s only in one category. Nobody looks like him. The question is what it means to be God. When something happens, or something is said or thought of, and God answers, “I am God!”(What he does in verse 9), the fact is that you act as if you do not know what it means to me to be God.
God tells us what it means to be the only God, He tells us what is at the heart of his divinity Verse 10: What does it mean to me to be God, is that it?From the beginning, I announce what will happen, and since ancient times, things that haven’t happened yet?
Two statements: first, I declare how things end long before they happen; second, I declare not only natural events, but also human events, things that have not yet been done. Verse 10: “From the beginning I announce what will happen and since ancient times, things that have not yet happened. “I know what those actions will be long before they are done.
Now, at this point, you can say, “What we have here is the doctrine of God’s foreknowledge, not the doctrine of His sovereignty. ” And that’s true, up to this point. But in the next half of the verse, God tells us how He knows the ending in advance and how He knows in advance the things that have not yet been done. Verse 10: “Let me announce from the beginning what will happen and from ancient times, things that have not yet happened; I say: my advice will stand, will I do all my will? When does God announce in advance what will happen, that’s right? how? stay standing, I will do all my will. “
In other words, the way God announces your prescience is by proclaiming your past counsel and purpose. When God announces the end long before this happens, what he says is that “my counsel will be maintained. “And when God announces things that have not been fulfilled. however, it has been done long before they happen, what it says is, “I will fulfill all my purpose. “
This means that the reason God knows the future is because He plans for the future and fulfills it. The future is God’s counsel in the process of being established. The future is God’s goal achieved by God. Then the following verse, verse 11, gives a clear confirmation that this is what it means: “I said it, I will do it too; I took this lens, will I run it too?In other words, the reason my predictions come true is because they are my goals and because I keep them myself.
God is not a seer, nor a fortune teller, nor a mere predictor; it doesn’t have a crystal ball. He knows what will happen because he plans what will happen and does what he plans. Verse 10b: “My counsel will be maintained, I will do all my will. “He has no desires and wonders if anyone will take responsibility for doing so. “I’ll do everything I can. “
So, on the basis of this text, this is what I mean by God’s sovereignty: God has the legitimate authority, freedom, wisdom, and power to do what he wants, and so everything he wants to happen happens. What it means: God plans and governs all things.
When God says, “I will fulfill all my purpose,” he means, “Nothing happens except what my plan is. “If anything happened without God wanting it, he would say, “I didn’t mean for this to happen. “And we asked, “What did you want to happen?”
And he said, “I had this other thing as my goal, which didn’t happen. “
To which we would all say, then, “But thou said in Isaiah 46. 10, “I will fulfill all my purpose. “
And he’d say, “Is that true?”
Therefore, what God means in Isaiah 46. 10 is that nothing has happened or will happen without God having the plan for it to happen; or, to put it positively: everything that has happened or is about to happen is proposed by God. Now, if that sounds a little complicated, let’s talk more simply. Let us confirm this perspective on God’s sovereignty by looking at some scriptures.
Before I take a closer look at some important scripture passages, I would like to refer to the Declaration of Faith of the Elders of the Baptist Church of Bethlehem. My ex display of this doctrine is not the expression of a particular opinion. I simply express and support, a doctrine to which all the elders of this church express their sincere affirmation.
3. 1 We believe that God, from all eternity, in order to show the full extent of his glory to the eternal and growing pleasure of all who love him, by the wisest and most holy counsel of his will, freely and immutably, commands and knows in advancing all that is happening.
3. 2 Do we believe that God supports and governs everything from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secrets of single peoples?All according to his eternal and wise designs to glorify himself, but in such a way that he never sins or unjustly condemns a person; however, ordering and governing all things is compatible with the moral responsibility of all those created in his image.
3. 3 We believe that God’s choice is an unconditional act of free grace that was bestowed by His Son Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world; by this act, God chose, before the foundation of the world, those who would be freed from the bondage of sin and led to repentance and saving faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is how God’s sovereignty is expressed in our Declaration of Faith of priests. Now consider with me the scope of the basis of this in the Bible, then some final implications, and why this is so valuable to us.
The scope of God’s sovereignty can be overwhelming for you, it is for me. And when we face this truth, we all face a choice: will we turn away from our objections and praise God’s power and grace, and bow joyfully to his absolute sovereignty?Or are we going to harden our necks, and resist it?
Will we see in God’s sovereignty our only life expectancy in our death, our only hope of answers to our prayers, our only hope of success in our evangelization, our only hope of meaning in our suffering?Or will we insist there’s something better?That’s the problem we have to face.
Let it be said loud and clear that nothing that is about to read next, however paradoxical it may seem to our limited minds, contradicts the true moral responsibility of which human beings, angels, and demons must do what God commands. us a will. The way we use it makes an eternal difference.
We separate God’s sovereignty in his rule from natural events on the one hand and human events on the other. In the first case, God governs physical processes. And in the second case, God governs human choices.
God is sovereign in what appear to be the most random acts in the world. Proverbs 16:33: “Luck is on its knees, but every determination comes from the Lord. “In modern language, we would say, “The dice are thrown on the table and the whole game is decided by God. “There are no events that are too small that God does not govern for his purposes. “Two birds are not sold for a ceitile, ” said Jesus, “and none of them will fall ashore without the will of your Father. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered?”(Mt 10, 29-30). Every death in Las Vegas, every little bird that falls dead in a thousand woods, this is all something God has already commanded.
From worms on the ground to stars in galaxies, God rules the natural world. In the book of Jonah, God sends a fish to swallow (1. 17), God commands a plant to grow (4. 6) and orders a worm to kill it ( 4. 7). And far above the life of the worms, the stars are positioned and remain in their place under God’s command, Isaiah 40. 26: “Look up, and look who created these things; it was he who pulled out his army according to his number; he calls them all by name; because of the greatness of his strength, and because he is strong in power, none of them will be missed. How much more, then, the natural events of this world?From climate to disaster, from illness and disability to death.
Psalm 147. 15-18:? He sends his command to earth; his words run fast. It gives snow like wool; sprinkle the frost as gray; the one who throws his ice in pieces; Who can resist your cold?Send his word and repeat them; Does the wind blow and the waters flow?Work 37. 11-13:? Thick clouds also carry moisture and scatter clouds from their light. Then, in their cautious opinion, they disperse so that they can do what they are told on the face of the world on earth. Did you bring them with a stick, to your land, or with mercy?
Snow, rain, cold, heat and wind, this is all God’s work. So when Jesus finds himself in the middle of a strong storm, he simply says, “Shut up, shut up. And the wind calmed down, and there was a great calm?(Mk 4. 39) There is no wind, no storm, no hurricane, no cyclone, no typhoon, no monsoon, no tornado in which Jesus cannot say, “Shut up,” and such a phenomenon does not mean that if such events occur, it is God’s will to happen. “Will there be evil in the city without the Lord doing it?”(Am 3. 6). All Jesus could have done about Hurricane Sandy would be to say “Stay still,” and there will be no harm or death.
What about the other sufferings in this life? And the Lord said unto him, “Who made this man’s mouth?”Or who made the mute, or the deaf, or the one who sees, or the blind?Am I not the Lord? (Ex 4. 11). And Peter said to the Saints who suffer in Asia Minor: “May those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator doing good?(1P 4. 19). Is it better to suffer to do good, if it is God’s will?, what to do evil? (1Pe 3. 17).
Whether we suffer from a disability or the wickedness of others, God is the one who finally decides whether we will live or die. Deuteronomy 32. 39: Look now that I am, and that there is no god but me; I kill him and make him live; I’m in pain and I’m healing, and no one can escape me. Or James 4: 13-15 😕 Now you say: Today or tomorrow, we will go to this city and spend a year there, hire and win; I’m telling you, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Why, what’s your life? It’s a steamer that appears for a while, then disappears. Instead of what you have to say: if the Lord wants it and if we live, will we do this or that?Or, as Job says, “I didn’t leave my mother’s house. Matrix and nude I will return; the Lord gave it, and the Lord took it: Blessed be the name of the Lord?(Job 1:21).
The throwing of the dice, the fall of a bird, the crawling of a worm, the movement of the stars, the fall of the snow, the breath of the wind, the loss of vision, the suffering of the saints and the death of all are included in the word of God:?Will I achieve my entire goal, from the smallest to the largest.
As we move away from the natural world to consider the world of human actions and decisions, God’s sovereignty remains incredibly broad. Should they vote in political elections? Candidates and amendments. However, there are no illusions that exalt man as if mere human beings were the decisive cause of any victory or defeat. Only God will have this supreme role. ” Is he the one who changes time and seasons, removes kings and establishes kings?Does the Most High dominate the kingdom of men? (Dan 2. 21, 4. 17).
And whoever is the next president will not be sovereign, he will be governed. And we must pray that he may know this: “As streams of water, the king’s heart is in the hands of the Lord; Does this one, according to your will, tilt you?(Proverbs 21. 1). And when he gets involved in foreign affairs, it won’t be decisive. God will be. ” The Lord contradicts the designs of nations and nullifies the intentions of the peoples. The Lord’s Council is forever; the drawings of your heart, for all generations?(Salt 33,10-11).
When nations did the worst, that is, the murder of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, did not escape God’s control, but fulfilled their sweetest offering at their worst:?Truly in this city they had fought against your holy servant Jesus, whom you agisted, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do what your hand and plan had. predestined to arrive? (In 4. 27-28). The worst sin that ever happened was part of God’s plan, and for that sin, sin died.
Our salvation was guaranteed on Calvary under the sovereign hand of God. And if you believe in Jesus, if you love Him, you are a walking miracle. God gave him repentance (2 Timothy 2:24). God called you to come unto Christ (Jn 6:44). God has revealed you to the Son of God (Mt 11:27). God has given you the gift of faith. For thou art saved by grace by faith; And it is not yours; it is a gift from God; doesn’t it work, so no one brags?(Eph 2. 8-9). God’s sovereignty in our salvation excludes vainglory.
One hundred horrible things may have happened in your life, but if today you are led to value Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can write about each of these horrors the words of Genesis 50. 20: Satan, “In fact, you intend to do evil. against me, but did God do it?
I therefore conclude with Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:11: “[God] does all things according to the counsel of his will. “All things? the cast of the dice, the position of the stars, the election of presidents, the death of Jesus, the gift of repentance, and faith.
What does God’s sovereignty mean for our lives?Why is this doctrine valuable to us? I will express these reasons in the form of exhortations. Why is God sovereign?