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Swirling around but remember that God is sovereign is an absolute must.
When you get to know me and you say around me That sure was lucky.
If I've done it once I've done it a thousand times since I've been here I'll say what and you think I don't hear you
and I'll send you'll say that was sure lucky and I'll say pardon me.
That was sure lucky and then all of a sudden you can just see the slow machinations of the mind go uh.
Yeah, that was sure.
I'm sure blessed and We don't even have pot lucks at this church.
We have pot Providence's why because we want to be very peculiar.
No, because if things are left up to chance fortune fate and
luck.
You rob God of all his praise that he's due because when you see good things from God's
hand and today See bad things from God's hand you can keep your mind on the Lord.
Good and bad and everything in different.
We don't want to ascribe it to luck.
I will allow you to say chance because Jesus in a parable said.
With the parable of the Good Samaritan by chance a certain guy was walking.
But that's a different kind of chance than then luck this morning the sovereignty of God.
Basil the Great said that fortune and chance are pagan terms.
I Think luck is a pagan term.
Good luck.
You're gonna study for a big exam.
I don't need good luck because you know I was someone start want to think about a hee -haw song if it weren't
for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.
This world is corrupt and it's spiraling down.
Laws of entropy are in play and things go from good to worse.
So I need something more than luck.
I want to know that I have a God and when he calls himself the king of kings and Lord of Lords.
He is in fact such.
Normally we take a pick we pick a passage and we just go through it verse by verse.
I said to the lifeguard at the pool this week.
He asked me when I was swimming I got done swimming.
He said well were you working on your message in the pool and What he meant was were you trying to figure out what you were going to say?
And I said which passage to preach and I said well I was working on my message.
But I already know what I'm going to preach because it was Ephesians for the week prior and it's Ephesians for this week until We work our way through and he
looked at me with one of those moments those Kodak moments and he goes.
It's a good way to teach the Bible, you know.
And where are we these days where we don't learn the whole counsel of God verse by verse?
Systematically if you're out of town and you want to find a good Bible teaching church I'll give you one question when you when you call there could be
many but this is my favorite one.
What book of the Bible is your pastor preaching through verse by verse?
Because if he is you'll know he has a high view of God's of sufficiency of his word.
He is the authority of God's Word the inspiration of God's Word and he wants to teach all of it and so we're not going to be doing that
today and if you're gonna if you have a Bible you're going to need to put Some WD -40 or some break -free or some kind of
silicone right here because we're going to look up tons of passages.
I normally don't do this because I want you to see the context but today you're going to need to do that you could listen if you'd like, but
I just as soon have you get those black pew Bibles and Look at those
with me Arthur pink once said from every pulpit in the land.
It needs to be thundered forth that God still lives that God still observes and that God still reigns.
And by God's grace today that's what I want to do is thunder forth from the pulpit every atom in this universe is under the control
of God and it can you can Praise him for that and think about it the slogan of the American War
of Independence.
You remember what that was?
We serve no sovereign here.
I mean this whole manifest destiny thing this whole New England deal Boston Tea Party, you name it and we just all like
individuality individualism and here if we're not careful our humility might take
a dive because It's hard.
Listen what Spurgeon said most men quarrel with this.
But mark the thing that you complain of in God is the very thing that you love in yourselves.
Each man likes to feel that he has a right to do with his own as he pleases.
We all like to act like little sovereign.
That's something so here's what we'll do this morning.
Let me give about 11 areas of life that God's sovereign and we'll make some practical applications for each 11
of these Doctors Emmett came up with the outline.
And so I'll just follow along his with his outline.
I'd almost tempted with a crowd like this to do kind of a Sunday night thing and we'll do that this morning.
If you're a visitor, we usually don't do this on Sunday morning.
So next week don't blurt anything out unless you want to get escorted by the
Hub, what is sovereignty?
Can somebody give me a good definition of the sovereignty of God?
What does it mean?
Anyone you don't even have to raise your hand.
He's absolute absolute.
What
how about absolute controller?
Okay, good ruler good.
Master, okay.
Excellent.
He answers to no one that's good.
He's in control.
Good, he's his own motivation for doing things.
Let me read you what the Westminster Shorter Catechism says his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his will.
Whereby for his own glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
The independence of God that he does what he pleases as he pleases only as he pleases right.
God does whatever he pleases.
He sits in the heavens and he's the one that does whatever he wants.
Moody handbook of theology said with reference to God.
It means that God is supreme ruler and authority.
He ordains whatsoever comes to pass and his divine purpose is always accomplished.
Can you think of some other titles for the Sovereignty of God.
We said some of them Lord.
I've got King Almighty only sovereign.
What does God sit on to give us more pictures of this before we look at these 11 areas?
He sits on a throne.
The times are in his what hand.
Okay good.
Why don't we turn to Isaiah 46 to start and just to give you an idea of the overarching sovereignty of God.
Nothing can take him by surprise.
There's no greater force than he is.
So he has to change his plan and God brings to pass whatever he wants to bring to pass.
Now it's easy to start with when we look to look at these 11.
But it's gonna get harder because you're going to draw some implications as you should.
By the way I was talking to Dave this morning and he is just rereading the sovereignty of God by pink.
And if you want a good book to read you need to read that book.
It will change your life because it's so chock full of scripture the sovereignty of God by pink.
You will be humbled and under praise.
It is wonderful to know that there's a God who's big who wrote that book a while ago.
Your God is too small.
You study the sovereignty of God first.
You want to buck against it and then you go.
I can't believe this is so great.
Isaiah chapter 46 verse 9 remember the things former things long past for I am God and there is no other I
am God and There's no one like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning.
I mean that no one does that.
Do they from ancient times things which have not been done.
I mean who does that?
There's no one like me.
He said earlier saying my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.
I'm calling a bird of prey from the east.
The man of purpose from a far country.
The man of my purpose from a far country.
Truly.
I've spoken truly.
I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it surely I will do it.
So let's do number one.
Number one the first area of God's sovereignty is that he's sovereign over creation.
You ever ask yourself the question of why is the planet two -thirds water and one -third land?
Well, you might be able to give me the scientific reasons.
But the reason is because that's the way God likes it right.
God is sovereign over creation.
Why does it rain?
Why are there different climates?
Why are there fields?
Why are there minerals?
Psalm 135 verse 6 says whatever the Lord pleases he does in heaven and on earth in the seas and all the deeps.
Let's just get our Bibles and really start looking at some verses.
Genesis chapter 2 verse 5.
You know when it comes to weather I was a Christian and like everyone else before I was saved.
I always complained about the weather.
That was like my grandma's hobby.
She quilted and she complained about the weather.
You could even buy the weather.
Little station by you know 20 years ago a little transistor weather channel.
And so you can complain about the weather even more because you're more up -to -date.
Think about the Internet now if she was alive.
But Genesis chapter 2 verse 5 it's interesting.
I can't think of a place there may be one.
But the Bible doesn't say it rained.
The Bible says what?
God sends the rain.
The personal pronoun is in there are there in fact the name of God himself.
Genesis 2 5.
Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprouted for the Lord God.
Yahweh the Covenant -keeping.
God had not sent rain upon the earth.
Let's go a few chapters ahead a few books ahead.
Deuteronomy chapter 28 just to give you the idea.
It is God the one who makes it snow or rain.
God said I want it to snow today.
I Mean this whole thing of oh, it's winter out, and we're miserable.
You can either buck the system of God or you can say God you sent snow.
Thank you.
Genesis chapter 28 verse 12.
There are many, but I'll just give you these few.
The Lord will open for you his good storehouse.
What neat?
Picturesque Hebrew language.
The heavens.
The Lord to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.
Remember the Word of the Lord came to Elijah in 1st Kings chapter 18.
He said I'm going to send what?
Rain, I'm the one sending rain.
It just doesn't say it rained.
How about the wind?
You think the Bible says that God makes the wind blow?
Let's turn to what Psalm 107 and again.
We're gonna have a lot of Bible turning pages today, but that's okay.
Psalm 107 verse 25.
Not only the rain but also the wind.
For he spoke Psalm 107 25 and raised up a stormy wind.
Which lifted up the waves of the sea?
Skip a few verses.
Verse 29.
He caused the storm to be still still so that the waves of the sea were hushed.
God controls the wind.
A true or false God controls the hail.
Who are false.
God controls mildew?
Listen to this verse.
Hey guy 217.
I smote you in every work of your hands with blasting wind mildew and hail.
Amos 4.
I smote you with scorching wind and mildew.
You know you look at something small and you go well.
God's sovereign over the mildew.
Next time you're cleaning the kitchen you can think of that.
Or the bathroom.
Shower in between all those cracks in there.
Listen to what Calvin said.
It is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God's sure command.
What do the insurance people call earthquakes?
An act of God.
They got it, right.
As an act of God.
When I grew up it was always those.
I think it was the Butter commercials.
No.
No, it was a margarine commercial.
It's not nice to fool Mother nature.
I was an effective ad campaign although theologically aberrant.
God governs the Sun the moon the rain clouds evaporation wind thunder lightning
earthquakes landslides fire ice floods famines forests.
See.
The Sun doesn't even go up by blind instinct.
Joshua 1013.
So the Sun stood still.
Remember how God made the Sun stand still.
2nd Kings 2011.
He brought the shadow of the stairway back.
Ten steps by which it had gone down on the way of the stairway of Ahaz.
God controls all creation.
He's sovereign over creation.
Included in that is he's sovereign over Children, let's look at this for a second.
Psalm chapter 127 verse 3 under the same number one.
God's sovereign over childbearing.
The ability to procreate and the power to have children is not something we can do.
God's sovereign over that.
By the way, this is very good because God has chosen your parents.
He's chosen your skin color.
He's chosen what country you were born in and when.
God's sovereign over everything about you.
Psalm 127 verse 3 behold children are a gift of the Lord.
They're from God's hand.
The fruit of the womb is there is reward and if you say well that doesn't really talk about a sovereignty.
Directly.
Well, let me give you Genesis 32.
Then God's anger burned against Rachel and he said am I in the place of God?
Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?
Jacob understood that God opened the womb and closed the womb.
Revelation 4 here's a praise song in heaven verse 11 Thou didst create all things and because of thy will they
existed and they were created.
God's sovereign over animals.
God's sovereign over weather.
God's sovereign over all creation.
First one.
All right.
Let's do the second one if you're timing one down ten to go so we need to hurry.
But you guys are the hardcores today.
It's just gonna be like Russia where you preach for three hours.
You take a break and preach for three more hours, right?
WPI visitors.
We'll have more doughnuts.
You were really nice to you ahead of time.
See and then.
So God's sovereign over creation.
Secondly God's sovereign over all history.
He's sovereign over all history.
Turn to Daniel chapter 2 if you would I'll never forget the day.
It was the day that the President Clinton was elected president in
1992 1992.
I was in seminary learning how to be a pastor learning how to be a preacher and there was a man who
is Also wanting to be a pastor in class and he basically had a heart attack because President Clinton was elected.
I mean he was going apoplectic.
I mean his he was just you know I thought I was gonna have to get the defib defibrillator pads out and shock
him or something.
Maybe shock therapy would have been good.
I'm not sure but he could not contain himself.
He was so Aghast that President Clinton could be elected.
I want you to vote of course, and I don't like it when people kill babies in the womb.
Not seeing anything politically per se, but there's only one vote that counts come 2004 for
who's gonna be the next president in an ultimate sense, isn't it?
If God wants somebody president, they're going to be president and look at Daniel chapter 2 verse 20.
Daniel knew it.
Daniel answered and said let the name of God be blessed forever and ever for wisdom and power belong to him.
Boy, if I could pray like that and it is he who changes the times and the epics.
He removes Kings and establishes Kings.
He gives wisdom to wise men and the knowledge to men of understanding.
So, how about in 2004 when somebody gets elected we just say God Thank you for giving us
a governor.
Thank you for giving us a president and it is a lot better than anarchy.
And it just takes the burden off doesn't it?
Think about what the people were doing in the New Testament times.
God Nero's the ordained man.
Okay submit to Nero first Peter chapter 2.
How about Paul when he went to that priest that ordained a Government priest and Paul's like you
whitewash sepulcher and then he's like, oh, that's the the high priest.
That's the ordained priest rather.
Oh, sorry God sovereign over all life.
How about this Proverbs 21 1 the king's heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord.
He turns it wherever he wishes and if God turns the king's heart wherever he wishes.
Can he turn the serfs hearts wherever he wishes them to go?
I remember we used to have a big sandbox in the back of our yard.
Actually, it was the neighbor's yard kind of on the border and we would we would bring in big buckets of water.
We would make these kind of forts and ravines and here's the bad guys and here were the good guys.
And of course the good guys always won and everything.
But you put the water right in the middle and if we didn't like the ravine there.
We would just dig out the side and you could just pour the water right there and make it go wherever you wanted.
I was my own little sovereign sandbox.
King God just does that with people not sovereign over
history not just past but present and Future we can vote.
Yes, but I don't have to have a fit who's going to be elected next.
I Mean, I want righteousness to reign, of course, but if it doesn't then it doesn't God's sovereign over all
history.
That's why I like reading history.
If you want to study things in college and don't know what to study study history because you can see God's hand in all this.
I'm reading the the pianist book the Narrative of it was written
in Poland to start off with the call the death of the city and being in the Warsaw ghettos with 600
,000 other Jews and trying to live and out of 600 ,000 Jews it got down to 60 ,000 Jews and then the
Russians the Germans destroyed them and 20 lived 20 out of 600 ,000 in the
Warsaw ghetto and I just read this and I'm saying Just look at God's hand in all this and then I start thinking about Satan
and the Jews and spiritual warfare and everything else everywhere.
You go you study history and it really is it's maybe trite now, but history is what his Story you
see all of God's hand.
All right, let's make it a little hotter in here.
Number three.
God is sovereign over the circumstances of life all the circumstances of life good and evil.
Of course all the whacked -out Charismatic TV shows that God wants you healthy and wealthy and wise and everything else and God's a big genie
God.
I'm gonna do a sermon on this sometime Kim gave me the idea.
I won't do it now, but all that you guys are here I'll let you know just imagine taking the bar the crossbar sliding
it down to the very middle and some people preach that God is just a God of that the plus sign add Jesus to your life and
get all the good stuff and As you do you just lower the bar.
That's a sermon in the making someplace.
But here we accept good from God and things that aren't so good from God.
They come from his hand.
He is sovereign over those and he has allowed those he has permitted them.
He's ordained them.
Whatever terminology you'd like.
Two weeks ago.
I quoted Ecclesiastes 714 that God has made the day of adversity the day of happiness.
Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 45 verse 7 just to give you an idea that
Both good and ill lamentations 338 come from God both good and ill.
Fortunately for us as I say fortunately I say strike that for my terminology.
Thankfully for us God takes these things and works them together for our good.
Even though they're ill all their calamities God can make those things work for good.
So look at Isaiah 45 7.
The one capital O for the personal one God the one forming light and creating darkness.
Causing well -being and creating calamity.
I am the Lord Yahweh who does all these things.
God is sovereign over all the good that has ever happened and he's sovereign over all the bad or he's not sovereign at all.
That's why we need to say like James chapter 4.
Well today I'd like to do this or that according if God will let me.
Number four, this is a good one.
This has helped me so often in my life and I bet you it'll help me in my death.
God is sovereign over the duration of your life.
I Love to lift.
I love to take vitamins.
I love to Do all that kind of stuff.
But I am NOT going to add one Day to my life.
You are going to live as God as long as God wants you to live and not a day longer.
Or a day shorter.
Let's look up a few of these.
Job 14 5 Lewis Brown can be in Iraq and If he
is to die at 70 years old.
Nothing is going to happen to him because God has ordained the day that he will die
on the flip side.
For us if we'd like to have the presidential secret security team around us and we go to
Manhattan for something and we want to live when it's your day.
It's your day.
There's nothing you can do about it.
Look at Job 14 5.
Since his days are determined the number of his months is with thee and his limits thou has set so that he
cannot pass.
You can't live any longer.
I think about my father dying and if I think about it too long.
You just you just kind of break down and weep and cry and you think but God I can trust you.
I can trust you if you slay me or slay my father.
That was the day and God I just have to yield myself to you.
I have just have to say you're God and I'm not.
Think about children that we have and you have.
Children are gifts from God and there we are stewards last week we were on the Cape and
Maddie couldn't breathe and she's having all the croup stuff and I mean Gracie and.
And Pretty much all had it, you know, it just always strikes me.
Especially after I went to Anne Fleming's daughter who was laying there at two years old a brain dead
because they she had the croup.
And she was given up a shot of steroids and had allergic reaction and then she died.
And so I was there with the family.
This was five six years ago.
And so then you take your own kid into the emergency room and they said your kid.
She's two and she really needs a steroid shot.
She really needs a steroid shot.
Would you give it to your own kid?
Yes.
And so as you watch the needle go into your child thinking this could cause their death.
You have to say God you gave me this child.
This child was given to me for five days for two years for 30 days.
This child may bury me or I may bury this child and God you are sovereign and I'm going to have to trust in you.
This isn't a pie -in -the -sky stuff.
Ron and Cheryl Farrar as hard as it was two years ago.
Those kids were a gift from God one day gift and a three -day gift and God said I'm taking those
babies.
And if you don't believe in the sovereignty of God, you will go crazy and you will be comfortless.
But you can be comforted knowing this was God's gift to them and God is in charge and even though we can't figure out all
the whys I Mean, that's that's it.
That's a good study in and of itself.
Why is the scripture silent on so many areas?
Because God's even sovereign over the writing of Scripture and he wants to be silent in those areas and we are just forced to trust him.
We don't know the answers, but we know the person of God.
Listen to Psalm 31 15.
My times are in by hand deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
David is having all these people trying to kill him and he says my times are in your hand God.
I'm going to bed.
I'm gonna sleep.
You run the universe.
Let's do the flip side of this number five.
God's sovereign over the way you die.
Not only how long you live you could even say how the quality of life.
But he's also sovereign over the way that you'll die.
Can you think of anybody in the Bible who God said to them?
This is going to be the way you die so we can prove the point kind of a tricky one.
Okay, I can't think of the exact quote.
Okay, that was very good the writing on the wall and Daniel.
Okay, your dames days are numbered.
I didn't think of that one.
Okay, you said okay, how about when Peter
was told by the Lord in a certain way he was going to die.
Let's turn there John chapter 21.
Even the way we're going to die our our health are the sicknesses the type of death.
I Was over in India a few months ago, and I just thought God I hope it's not ordained for me to die.
These trees.
We had a four -hour drive from one big city to a smaller city and in this little SUV.
Which is you know huge for there and you've got one of those little.
Like little harnesses that you can hold on to.
In the backseat.
I thought oh four hours.
We've been teaching all day and I've got bronchitis and I'm just gonna lay there.
I had a hold on to that thing.
My mean my entire arm was getting sore because you're driving in and out of traffic and there's no lines and it's just you
know Missing each other by that much and they're playing, you know, they're basically playing chicken.
There it was horrible.
I just thought God, I'm glad you're sovereign.
I just want to go back.
Oh Man John 21 18 truly
truly I say to you when you were younger you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wish.
But when you were grow old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not.
Wish to go you say well, that's not about his death.
That could be anything.
Contrary verse 19 now this he said signifying of what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had spoken this he said to him follow me.
By the way on a side note.
It has nothing to do with sovereignty.
It's just the sweetness of goodness of God.
God's not the sovereign God like Allah.
He's a sovereign God who's personal and close and Peter denies the Lord three times and then Jesus says to Peter
By the way, you're gonna die and as you die, you're gonna glorify me.
What a good thing that must have been for Peter.
I'm gonna make it until the end and I'm gonna die glorifying you.
Can you imagine if that was told you by God you're gonna die and you're gonna get killed in a way.
You don't want to die.
But as you do you're gonna glorify me and you're gonna be faithful to the end.
How sweet is that?
Okay, this is a little bit easier number six.
God's sovereign over the good acts of men.
When somebody does something good God's sovereign over that.
I Think we would have no problem with that.
That's pretty much the Way, we think of things.
I'll just read you the verse Isaiah 44 28.
It is I who says of Cyrus He is my shepherd and he will perform all my desire.
God is sovereign over the good things that this King Cyrus did when it came to captivity.
Ephesians 2 10 where his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.
The things that we do.
God is sovereign over that.
Now let's get tougher number seven.
God's sovereign over the evil acts of men.
God's sovereign.
Let's just even push the envelope a little bit.
God's sovereign over sin.
Let's push it even farther with terminology.
God ordains sin.
God for ordained sin.
God we won't use the word predestined because that's talking about a person but God is sovereign over sin.
Now I could give you many examples.
Two weeks ago I gave you the example of Job that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
That necessarily does is not sin.
How about when Joseph's brothers took him and sold them into slavery?
That certainly was sin, wasn't it?
Let's just go for the one that's straight for the jugular and that's Acts chapter 4.
Let's just make sure we understand that the worst sin of all time.
The crucifixion.
God was sovereign over yes people responsible, but God's sovereign over it.
Jesus was not a victim.
Get that terminology out of your mind that he's up there and he can't do anything about it.
Jesus is sovereign over all including sin.
And by the way I love having a God that I get to worship who's sovereign over sin because when I see sin going on out there I go.
Jesus is king over it.
Makes if you get this one, right.
Acts chapter 4 the Lord hardening Pharaoh hearts.
Pharaoh's heart is an easy one.
If you get this one, right.
God's saying I want you to destroy my temple in Jerusalem.
That makes it easy.
If you get this one, right when God calls Nebuchadnezzar my servant as he fillets the Jews.
You can you can get it.
Acts chapter 4 verse 23.
The worst evil of all.
When they had been released they went to their own Companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
And when they heard this they lifted their voice to God with one accord and said Oh Lord.
It is thou who just make the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
Who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of the father David our father David did say?
Why did the Gentiles rage and the people devise futile things.
The kings of the earth took their stand.
The rulers were gathered together against?
The Lord and against his Christ.
For truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus whom thou didst anoint both Herod and
Pontius Pilate.
Along with Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.
To do whatever thy hand and thy purpose predestined to occur.
I Guess we can use the word predestined.
Jesus is sovereign over sin.
Aren't you glad?
And you say well, this is hard to take.
It is hard to take because it probably drives you right back to the garden and God could have stopped Adam and Eve from eating that fruit.
Could he not have.
He could have but he allowed them to do it.
Did he not for reasons?
We could get into in another message, but God is sovereign over sin.
I mean I could push the envelope even farther.
Listen to this one first Kings chapter 22 verse 20.
God is willing that King Ahab be deceived.
Using the devil to do it and the Lord said who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramath Gilead.
And one said this while another said that.
Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said I will entice him.
And the Lord said to him how and he said I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets.
Then God said you are to entice him and also prevail go and do so.
God is sovereign over sin.
How about this one.
Absalom pollutes his father's bed by incest.
2nd Samuel 16 22.
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
Not technically incest, but the concubines.
Yeah, what does God say about this.
2nd Samuel 12 11, but says the Lord behold I will raise up evil against your house from your own
household.
I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.
Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Israel and under the Sun.
God is sovereign over evil tainted.
No sullied no.
As one man said as the as the Sun comes down Shining with its rays on a
bed of manure.
The Sun is not sullied because its rays hit the manure, right?
Alright, let's keep going.
I Think All right number
eight God's sovereign over the most trivial things again so much different than the God of Allah and the
Muslim God where he's just this big kind of fatalistic God goddess is Sovereign and he controls everything but he's
close.
He's concerned.
He's concerned about our minute details proverb 1633.
Why don't we turn there, please?
This is not going to be your Foxwoods verse.
I don't want you to use this for Mohegan Sun.
Foxwoods are any of the other places
Proverbs 1633.
I Could take you to Matthew 10 where all the hairs of your head are numbered.
No sparrows fall apart from the father's goodwill.
What's Proverbs 1633 says the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.
Boxcars.
God wanted it that way by the way, J. Vernon McGee used to say when God wants to really judge you He gives you a lot of
money.
I guess if someone wins the lotto in Massachusetts, they could say it's God's will.
But I don't think they would say it in a worshipful way.
I think they'd say the most trivial matters.
Jonah 1 7 each man said to his mate come let us cast lots.
So we may learn on whose account is calamity has struck us.
So they cast lots and the lots came on Jonah.
Think God wanted it that way.
Exactly.
All right number nine.
This is the hardest one of all.
No, maybe not.
It does feel like a Sunday night crowd.
Definitely God is sovereign over the salvation of sinners.
In other words God's sovereign on who goes to heaven and who doesn't.
We're fine with the weather.
We're fine with circumstances.
We're fine with duration of life and the way we die and what our financial background is and what our skin color is and
what?
Kind of health we have or don't have.
We're fine with all those and we have to just say God you're in charge.
But when it comes to the salvation of God over sinners people start having a panic attack.
Who goes to heaven and who doesn't now remember this all deserve what?
Hell.
So this is not going to be a message about grace.
But grace is only grace when God rescues some of those that deserve hell and takes them to heaven.
Now, let's go through this a little bit.
It is a stumbling block.
Let me read to you what Jonathan Edwards said about this doctrine.
From my childhood up my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God's sovereignty and Choosing whom he
would do eternal life and rejecting whom he pleased.
Leaving them to eternally perish and everlastingly tormented in hell.
It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me He said but there's been a wonderful
alteration in my mind in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty from that day to this so that I
scarce ever have found so much as the rising and of an objection against it in the most absolute
sense in God's showing mercy to whom he will show mercy and hardening whom he will.
The doctrine has often appeared exceedingly pleasant bright and sweet.
Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God.
What was the difference?
He got saved that was the difference before he just thought this was some kind of capricious God up here.
Just eeny meeny miny moe and now he says I love this.
Why would you want to love the doctrine of the sovereignty of God over the destiny of sinners anyone?
Why is it something that's good?
Why would you be pleased about it?
Anyone you don't have to go to bed at night saying I
didn't evangelize 10 ,000 people today and when they died.
It's because of me they went to hell and they and I should have evangelized more.
I'll put it on a positive spin if you will.
There is hope for evangelism because God's sovereign over salvation when you knock on the door God's working in their
hearts.
They're going to get saved in spite of you not quoting the Bible King James.
Perfect.
New Americans perfect.
Now, I don't know why it is but Think about it this way.
Did God choose Israel and not choose the other nations?
Did he choose the Canaanites the Hittites the pericytes Cellulites the electrolytes.
No, he didn't choose any of those.
Did he just want to see if you're paying attention he only chose the Israelites and why don't we have a problem with that
people will have a.
You know people can't sleep at night because they think well God chooses certain people individually yet.
They're fine with Israel as my chosen people.
God is sovereign.
You don't know why he does things but we know he does.
And I praise God that he chooses people because you know what we all as Ezekiel says we have a heart of
stone and we are to pray and if God looks down the corridors of time and sees who's gonna choose Him
and then decides to pick those.
He's not going to have anybody saved because he's gonna look down the corridor of a time and see a bunch of people doing what?
Sinning loving themselves not seeking themselves.
There's they're not doing good.
They're not seeking God.
Their mouths are corrupt.
Their speech is corrupt.
Everything about him is corrupt and God says I see down the quarters of time.
There's no one there.
So I'm gonna have to choose a remnant out and we all
before we were saved joined the choir that said we will not have this man.
We all joined in when Job chapter 20 who is the Almighty that we should serve him.
But God's grace comes.
Let's go to John chapter 1 verse 12 and 13, you know these verses.
But I just want to make sure you realize that God is sovereign over who goes to heaven and who doesn't and I'm glad
I'm glad he's sovereign if it.
Well, think about it this way when you get to heaven.
Will you ever say this?
This is my outside.
This is taken from my brother.
He always says this so I'll use it as well.
It's from an even drop the list when you get to heaven.
You will not look God in the eyes and say We did it.
But doesn't that really boil it down?
It's an act of grace.
1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses in verse 10 says but by God's grace.
When you evangelize everybody quotes to verse 12 in chapter 1 of John, but they never say verse 13.
But as many as received him to him.
They gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in his name and it is true.
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved, but I'll tell you it's not in you.
Bad tree doesn't produce good fruit.
Verse 13 who were born not of blood.
I don't care who your parents are if Abraham was your dad.
Nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.
It's God's boat that wins.
Here's a here's a wrong way to teach it.
God votes for your salvation.
Satan votes against against and you cast the dividing boat.
Praise God, that's not true because all your votes are this God.
I vote.
No, I Vote yes, because I want the cross kind of made into a plus sign all the gimme stuff that you're gonna give me.
But that's not the real God.
So God votes.
Yes God Satan votes.
No, and you cast a dividing vote.
If God votes yes, and you vote no and sin votes.
No and Satan votes.
No and the world votes.
No who wins?
Just like with political election, it's God's vote that just that's what the end of the text says, isn't it?
Doesn't it Romans John chapter 1 verse 13, but of God's it's God's will.
How about James 1 18 you can just write that down in the reference in the exercise of his will?
He brought us forth by the Word of Truth.
It's God's will that saves not man's will.
And if you think well, it's it's my will that saves.
You don't understand that your will and your mind and your emotions have been Tainted by the fall you've been corrupted by the fall
and you can't offer anything good to God.
People say well, I've got free will.
You may have free will but I want you to define it.
I'll tell you what free will isn't.
It isn't free from the sin that dwells in you as an unbeliever because Sin is rage sin is
reigning and raging.
It is not free from the world's influences that say gratify self.
It is not free from Satan's influences because 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verses 24 and following says all unbelievers
do Satan's will.
Can you imagine doing Satan's will.
And Fourthly, it is not free from God who can regenerate you without
your permission.
So what do you mean by free?
Do you mean free to make decisions within your nature?
Free to go to this store or that store are free to sin this way or free to that sin that way.
I'm fine with that kind of free will but not free will from God.
Free will from sin.
Free will from Satan.
Free will from The world because you're not free you say well, then I'm a robot.
No, you're not a robot.
You're clay in the potter's hands according to Romans chapter 9.
That's what you are listen to.
Same passage Romans 9 16 so it does not depend on the man who wills are the man who runs but on God who has mercy.
Sovereign over salvation.
Just think about it this way even if I was gonna try to talk about logic.
How can God be sovereign over everything except your island of righteousness your will?
He can't.
He can't get in there and do something.
Well, here's what happens people make caricatures and I grew up.
It was a When I was in my 20s in Los Angeles and had these crack houses.
And so Darrell Gates the chief of police Got these little tanks and these tanks would go in and they would bust down the doors these
big SWAT team tanks bust down The doors and they would round up all the culprits who were selling cocaine.
They said yeah, that's what God is.
God is like that caveman.
The proverbial caveman who walks over and the lady's got really long hair with all kinds of split ends and everything.
He just grabs her hair carries her like that.
That's how he saves people and they're biting and kicking and screaming.
No, don't save me.
That's not what God does.
God does this.
God says you're a rebel yet I love you for reasons that only the Trinity knows and I love
you anyway.
And I'm going to make you a like Christ and I'm going to make you Someone into my own family and I'm
going to give you a new heart and the second God gives you a new heart.
You're not scratching and climbing against God.
Don't save me.
You have a new heart and new affections.
So now you love what you used to hate and you hate what you used to love, right?
He changes your heart.
So if you say yes, I have freedom.
Yes, you do.
The freedom is this you're free to sin all you want before you're saved.
God gives you a new nature and that new nature now has freedom to worship God or not worship God.
Think about it this way.
Is there free will in heaven?
In a sense, you'll have a glorified body.
You're free to worship God as much as you want but not in what the world calls free will somehow you're free to sin in heaven,
no, I Just always ask people If what do you mean by free will?
Jonathan Edwards meant the right thing nine people out of ten in churches.
Do they mean the wrong thing and just always ask them this question.
Are you free from the sin in you?
No, you're free from Satan's will second Timothy to know are you free from the world's influences?
No, and the big one is are you free from God?
If God has you marked and elect you are going to get saved and I might add you're going to like it
In a real way because you'll have a new nature you'll say God.
You chose me and when you get this in your mind for me.
It was like a charismatic second blessing except it was more a different second blessing it was a second blessing to realize he didn't have
to choose me, but he did and I believe if you get this doctrine, right, you will lose sleep
over it not in the bad way.
But a good way laying there thinking what's the difference between my twin and me?
What's the difference between my dad and I was different between all these people nothing except God's good pleasure the same difference
between the Hittites and the Israelites.
They weren't bigger.
They weren't better.
Like I tell the story all the time my friend Scott labs and we grew up together we worked together our families had cabins
together and Scott labs is called the anvil now and he's bald and he's big and he's got a
Beer that goes down like this easy top guy down like that.
I wouldn't say these on Sunday morning.
He goes down like I mean, it seems like Sunday night down like this.
Why am?
I a Christian and called in the ministry and why did Scott labs go to his girlfriend that he got pregnant a couple times at
A bar, but the gun to her head and pulled it and it misfired.
So it didn't kill her.
What's the difference between Scott Mike?
Family friends our parents went to the same high school.
We work together.
We did all kinds of stuff together.
We listen to rock and roll music together.
What's the difference when we get to heaven?
What will the difference be?
The difference will be the grace of God and that's why we will all praise him all the more because we don't deserve to be There that's why grace is grace.
One part works 99 billion parts grace and what do you get?
You will not get to heaven and say God.
I'm different than everybody else because I really you know put my pen to task and I studied hard and that's why I believe in
You you get to heaven you'll say this.
I can't believe you gave me the grace.
Faith everything I could put it this way is
faith the cause of salvation or the result of salvation.
I teach this all the time, but it's in the context of this.
It will determine how much you praise God is your faith the cause of salvation God.
I believe God said.
It's up there like this for a long time and just waiting for you to believe and now you believe good.
Are did God give you the gift of faith?
Well according to Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9.
Even if you want to argue the neuter there go to Philippians chapter 1 verse 29.
It is God has granted you faith even the faith you have is from God.
Well the last two we don't really have too much time for them except I'll just try to push it a little bit more.
Number 10 God's sovereign and sanctification.
You don't have to try to sanctify yourself alone.
God's sovereign over that you could read Philippians 1 6 and Romans 8 and then lastly
Number 11 God is sovereign not only who goes to heaven, but who doesn't go to heaven
and let me just to take you to one last pass.
Romans chapter 9 verse 22.
People say well, I'm a puppet.
Why go evangelize.
Then you need to study God's sovereignty a little bit more.
You're not a puppet.
You should evangelize because God says to evangelize.
You pray because God says go evangelize as you're turning to Romans chapter 9 I will say that God hates
sin.
Men are fully responsible.
God's plan does include sin but you have to be careful with the terminology because God in Romans chapter 1
verse 13 says that he's good and he can't be stained by any sin, but Romans chapter 9 makes it clear
verse 22.
What if God although willing to demonstrate his wrath to make his power known endured with much patience vessels of
wrath prepared for destruction.
God is sovereign over these vessels.
Let me read you another verse first Peter 2 8 Stone of stumbling in a rock of offense.
For they stumble because they are disobedient to the word and to this doom they were also appointed
Proverbs 16 for the Lord has made everything for its own purpose even the day even the wicked for the day of evil.
Luther said mere human reason can never comprehend how God is good and merciful and therefore you make
Yourself a god of your own fancy who hardens nobody condemns.
Nobody pities everybody.
You cannot comprehend how a just God can condemn those who are born in the sin and cannot help themselves.
But must by a necessity of their natural Constitution continue in and remain children of wrath.
The answer is God is incomprehensible thorough and Therefore his justice as well as his other
attributes must be incomprehensible.
It is on this ground that Paul says Oh the depths of riches of the knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past
finding out.
As you know, the terminology is God chooses under salvation and he passes over those that he doesn't
choose.
Did I say last verse let me give you one more.
It's too good.
Genesis chapter 20 strike that from the Genesis chapter 20 last one.
Let me show you these two together God's will and man's responsibility together.
My point today is just basically been God's sovereign over everything when you think of the snow think of everything else.
How does man's will and God's sovereignty go together it doesn't.
It's like Kuiper said there's two ropes coming down from heaven.
You can't see the pulley that's way up there.
But there's two ropes pulleys up there and if you jump on to one.
There's human responsibility you jump on it.
It just doesn't work.
You jump on God's sovereignty.
You know, we're all robots, but you have to jump on both together.
That's right.
Look at both here.
Doesn't even say anything would they're just compatible in God's mind.
Now Abraham Genesis 20 journey from there toward the land of Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur than he
sojourned in Gerrard.
Abraham said of his wife Sarah.
She's my sister.
So a bit like King of Gerrard sent and took Sarah.
Is that true by the way?
Half true half true true.
Abraham said it was Excuse me verse 3 but God came to a bit like in a dream in the night and said to him behold You are a dead man because
of the woman whom you have taken for she is me.
I Don't think Abraham knew that but I'm always amazed, you know, we know what's coming next, but these
poor guys and ladies who are living in those times didn't know.
If you're job, you didn't know that this was a big display of cosmic Justice of God and dealing with Satan.
You didn't know these big.
And away we
go.
I couldn't talk today when I started.
Sometimes when you get up here just kind of kicks in you go.
Now a bit more.
I can not come near her and he said Lord without slay a nation even though blameless.
Did he not himself say to me?
She's my sister and she herself said he is my brother and the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.
I Have done this.
I didn't touch her.
And God said this is such an amazing passage for six.
I know that in the integrity of your heart.
You've done this and I also kept you from sinning against me.
Therefore.
I did not let you touch her.
But it's so classic and you don't see the the narrator try to give all the reasons.
How can man's will and God's will be together and sovereignty and responsibility?
How are they compatible and isn't meant to mean all these things?
They're just there.
That's so nice just to say, you know what.
I don't have to force mental closure and I can just kind of live with it.
God's sovereign man's responsible.
That's what the text Luke 22 22 for indeed the Son of Man is going as it has been determined but
woe to that man.
It's determined, but he's responsible.
Acts 2 22 men of Israel listen to these words.
Jesus the Nazarene a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your midst.
This man delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God you nailed to a cross.
It's kind of nice just to let both coexist.
God didn't tie it up in a nice tidy box.
Well, those were the 11 you may find more but I thought those were pretty good.
Let me just give you some some takeaways.
Number one, it should make you stand in all God and God could be sovereign over all this.
Secondly it should make you not complain at all.
Because the circumstances God has put you in he could have easily stopped or gotten you out of those.
Thirdly, it should make you never worry because if God has ordained the end.
Next it should cause you to rejoice like no other.
Revelation 19 6 hallelujah for the Lord our God in the Almighty Reigns.
And lastly John Calvin said it makes life bearable.
Innumerable are the evils that the set human life innumerable to the death.
We need not go beyond ourselves.
Our body is a receptacle of a thousand diseases.
Now wherever you turn all things around you are not.
Only hardly to be trusted but almost but almost openly menace and seem to threaten immediate death.
Embark upon a ship.
You're one step away from death.
Mount a horse if one foot slips your life is impaled.
Go through a city street.
You're subject to as many dangers as there are tiles on the roofs.
If there's a weapon in your hand or a friend Harm awaits all the fierce animals you see are armed for your
destruction.
But if you try to shut yourself up in a walled garden seemingly delightful.
There's a serpent sometimes that lies hidden your house continually in danger of fire threatens in the daytime to impoverish you
at night.
Even to a collapse upon you I passed over poisoning to ambushes robberies open violence.
But there's so much out there, but God is king.
Here's what we should do 134 that's right back to 206 mark if you come up
and leave us.
I'd like us to sing a cappella so ladies.
You can just stand your seats and so number one.
We're gonna have this.
There's the Redeemer this side here.
Number two this side here we're losing our tenors.
Number three all together so 206 there's Redeemer side one this side number one
side two three.
Let's just really sing out to the Lord.