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Our God Does Whatever He Pleases (Psalm 115)
Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.
Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.
Well, it is always good to sing scripture. I was reminded that that was the passage that George Mueller preached from as he gave his wife�s funeral, that God was good, and that God was good in giving her to him, giving her to him for such a long time, and giving her to him only to be taking her back because she was a dear Christian lady.
He is good, and his love endures forever. Well, D .L. Moody, some of you know the story, was an evangelistic preacher, and he regularly preached the gospel in large camp meetings, large revival meetings.
Back in those days, there were all kinds of hecklers and people that disagreed with him and shouted things back. The final night of one campaign, an usher handed him a note, and he thought it was going to be an announcement, so he quieted the large audience and opened up the little piece of paper, and it said one word and one word only.
It said, �Fool. Cindy, you know this, don't you? But he was a pretty sharp guy, and he said, �This is most unusual. I have just been handed a message which consists of but one word, the word �fool. I repeat, this is most unusual.
I have often heard of those who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names. Some are laughing a little later than others. �But this is the first time I have ever heard of anyone who signed his name and forgot to write the letter.
And then he changed his sermon and preached on the text, �The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. But I think there's another more subtle type of atheism, and it's an atheism that manifests itself by believing things about God that aren't true, specifically things about God's sovereignty that aren't true.
How sovereign is God? When you think about God and even the root word in sovereign, reign, how sovereign, how much does God reign? Does He reign over the big things and not the small things? Does He reign over the reign and not eternity?
How sovereign is God? Is He sovereign over every atom in the universe? Is He sovereign over Lyme disease, cancer molecules? Calvin said, �Ignorance of sovereignty is the ultimate of all miseries, yet it's the highest blessedness if you understand it.
Today, we're going to talk about the sovereignty of God over everything. I read this week that 61 of churches are attended by females, ladies. That means 39 are men. Ever ask yourself the question, why is that?
Here's one of the reasons why I think that's true, is because so often now churches talk about personal relationships with Jesus. And that's coming from a very feminine kind of aspect where ladies want personal relationships.
And yet if you talk to men, you know how you get them to follow somebody? You talk about the lordship of Christ Jesus. He's King, He's Savior, He's Lord. And that when Jesus says, �Follow Me you'll get men to follow Him.
It's kind of like when you go to churches and everything's blue lights and loud music and Jesus is my boyfriend stuff. No wonder men don't go to those churches. Okay, real men. But I'll tell you something that will strike in the hearts of both men and women is the utter naked sovereignty of God over all things.
It's difficult because it's going to be pride crushing. But the most difficult doctrine is the one that will help you in the times when things are the most difficult. And we're going to look at today six realms of God's sovereignty designed to help you trust in Him and yield to Him and be refreshed in Him that you might praise Him.
I have two sermons ready, one on the Holy Spirit, one on the sovereignty of God. I have two icons to push. I push sovereignty. So you're ready? Turn your Bibles to Psalm 103 as we're beginning to look at this whole idea of the sovereignty of God.
It is hard for us in our churches because we are pride driven, we are in America, individualism is king. Don't tell me what my rights are. We tell Britain, we serve no sovereign here. That was the slogan of the American War of Independence.
We don't like someone who's in charge of everything and we come up with code words like fortune and chance and fate and serendipity. But what does the Bible say? And that's our goal. I know that's your dear goal, Christian, because you're here and you want to learn from the Bible.
What does the Bible say? Psalm 103 verse 19, the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all. Isn't that amazing? The sovereignty of God rules over all. Move forward to Psalm 115 and you'll see the same kind of language.
Remember, these are songs. These are our psalms. You sing about this. You have joy when it comes to this. You're thinking God is a sovereign God. I used to sing that song when I was younger. My God is an awesome God.
Here this God, he's a sovereign God. He has eternal purposes. He does all his good pleasure, Isaiah 46. He does everything after the counsel of his will, Ephesians chapter 1. He does everything for his own glory.
He fordeans everything that comes to pass. And look at how the psalmist writes it in prose. But our God is in the heavens. Psalm 115 verse 3, he does whatever he pleases. This is one of those sermons where you're going to think, you know, I can't do this kind of sermon anymore.
I believe in this kind of, well, my God would never do that. Well, my God's a God of love. Well, my God, it doesn't matter what your brain manufactures as God. This is the God with whom we have to do and whom we have to believe in and trust and submit to.
Paul ends, said defining sovereignty with reference to God, it means that God is the supreme ruler and authority, that he ordains whatever comes to pass and that his divine purpose is always accomplished.
Tozer said God's sovereignty requires that he be absolutely free, which means that he must be free to do whatever he wills to do anywhere at any time to carry out his eternal purpose in every detail without interference.
Where he is less than free, he must be less than sovereign. And so you know what's coming. If God is free and sovereign to do everything that he wants to, that means we're less than free and less than sovereign.
You begin to read the Bible and these are some of the words that come at you as you read about God's sovereignty. Lord, Lord of hosts, most high, king, sovereign, almighty, throne, appointed, established, reign, dominion, rule, decree, ordain, command, predestined for ordain, authority and control.
One thing you won't find in scripture, you won't find scripture saying God's sovereign but. It's all or nothing. And the scriptures teach it's all. He's sovereign over everything. I mean what would the other option be?
Instead of God controlling the world, a world uncontrolled, spiraling around with no order, no guidance. The godness of God is rule. Even the name God implies dominion, authority, power. Turn to Daniel chapter 4 please.
Let me just show you one of the best sets of verses to summarize God's ultimate rule. And I like this because it's from a king. So now a king describes God's kingship. Kings are totally in control back in those days.
No wonder when the scriptures say that God turns the king's heart whatsoever way he wishes. If he can do it to a king, he can do it to anyone or everyone or no one. Daniel chapter 4. Here's what the king said about the capital K, king of kings.
Verse 34. But at the end of that period I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done?
That is amazing. That is a powerful positive side to the sovereignty of God. But that is going to imply the negative side as it were when Isaiah says, this is the plan devised against the whole earth and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations.
The Lord of hosts has planned it and who can frustrate it? And as for a stretched out hand, who can turn it back? The Bible teaches emphatically that God is sovereign over everything. And let's look at these six all encompassing realms of God's total sovereign control so that you might praise him and think there is nobody like this God.
You can't make up such a God and that you might, some of you I think are going through that book that everyone should read sometime, Trusting God by Jerry Bridges and the subtitle is Even When What? Life Hurts.
Because this is the balm that will help you sleep at night. This is when you get the phone call. There has been an accident. Something is wrong. You ought to be thinking, I don't know all the details.
But I know I can tuck myself underneath this God who is good. He is kind. I see it in the person and work of Christ Jesus. And I know he is sovereign over everything and I simply have to trust in him.
Number one, the first area where God is having total dominion and sovereign control is over all his creation. Trust this God because he is in control of all creation. You might ask yourself the question, well, why are there deserts on the planet?
Why is there more water than land? Why are there not 25 Mount Everests? Turn to Psalm 135 please and I want you to see that God has even called the moon and the stars and the sun servants. Can you imagine?
I don't know what you call them. I was standing in New Zealand looking up and I did not see the North Star. I saw the Southern Cross. Fascinating to not see Big Dippers and all these kind of things and Orion's Belt.
You are seeing things from the South and I see the Southern Cross. And when I see stars, I think, man, that's fascinating. When God sees stars, what does he say? Those are my servants. He is sovereign over them.
Psalm 135 verse 6 and 7. Whatever Yahweh, that's his personal name, or we translate it Lord pleases. He does. In heaven and in earth. Think about it for a second. I can't even be sovereign over what goes on in my own house.
My own life. The 495, excuse me, 495. Close. When I'm here 25 years, I'll get it right. Do you say 495 or the 49? 495. I know. Do you say the pike or pike? See? Uh-uh. I don't buy any of that. Psalm 135 verse 6 and 7.
Whatever the Lord pleases, he does. In heaven and in earth. In the seas and all the deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. Who makes lightnings for the rain. Who brings forth the wind from his treasuries.
That's how sovereign God is. He's sovereign over creation. Go back to Psalm 119 while we're in the Psalms. Can you imagine God telling the moon and the sun and the stars to do what they're told? You go there.
You stay here. You come here. Almost like a man training a dog. What fascinating obedience. These galaxies instantly respond to the precise commands of God. Psalm 119, 90. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations.
You establish the earth and it stands. They stand this day according to your ordinances. For all things are your servants. And this even comes up in the way we talk about rain. Now I was trying to ride my bicycle yesterday and it kept raining.
And even the way I say it, it was raining. Do you know in scripture instead of having the theme, it rained. Typically you'll hear this instead. Genesis 2. The Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 11. He will give rain for your land in its season. Deuteronomy 28. The Lord will open for you his good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land. Even there, taking any kind of chance out.
I mean, I have about four weather apps trying to figure out is it going to rain? Is it going to snow? Do we cancel service? What do we do in the wintertime? Et cetera, et cetera. There's no chances of rain for God because he's controlling the hydrological cycle.
I think rain is more than moisture condensing in the sky and then precipitating from the sky. It is that. But every drop of rain falls exactly where God planned it to drop. One reformer said, It is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God's sure command.
Now when I think about this, it makes me trust in this powerful God. But here's what it also makes me do. Something that my grandma taught me to do, I don't want to do. And that is complain about the weather.
Because that's God's weather. And when God sends rain, he sends ice, he sends cold. That's God's weather. And so remember, all complaining is wrong. And all complaining against God's weather certainly isn't righteous.
It's best to praise the king for the weather, whatever it might be. Fault finding against the king of the weather? Look at Psalm 107, since we're in the Psalms still. Psalm 107 showing how God controls things that we can't control.
Like wind, like the sea, like the sun. This unpredictable sea, this untetherable sun. Who controls such things? God is in control of all this, the Scriptures teach us. Psalm 107 verse 25. These verses here should lend you to think about the Lord Jesus and how he can still the storm on the Sea of Galilee.
For he spoke and raised up a stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea. Verse 25. Now in verse 29, he caused the storm to be still. Only God does that. So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
I mean, can you imagine Joshua, it says, The sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Now you show a God like this and you preach a God like this, there will be more than 39 of the people who were men because this is a God that men and women and children are glad to follow.
No wonder when Jesus said, follow me, he meant it. The omnipotent God. And by the way, if he's sovereign over all these created things, I have a question for you. Are you a created thing? The answer has to be yes.
That means he's sovereign over you. Deep down you know you're a created being. You know it's true. Lorraine Bettner writes this, Every thinking person readily sees that some sovereignty rules his life.
He was not asked whether or not he would have existence, nor when, where or what he would be born, whether in the 20th century or before the flood, whether white or black, whether in America or China.
It has been recognized by Christians in all ages that God is the creator and ruler of the universe. And since this is true, you ought to say, God, I praise you and I trust you. It is Revelation 4 that says, Worthy are you, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.
God is sovereign over all creation. And you ought to trust in him. Number two, God is sovereign over all history. The second all-encompassing realm of God's sovereignty is history. Not just creation, but history.
Again, designed for you to trust in him and praise him. And when I'm talking about God, I'm certainly talking about the triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. We have the essence of God, and then we have three persons, and so I'm not saying these things only apply to the Father, or the Son, or the Spirit.
I'm saying this is one God, and he is sovereign. God the Father is sovereign, God the Son is sovereign, and God the Spirit, he is sovereign. God is king over all history. Why don't you turn with me to the book of Acts, please.
Typically at our church, we are verse by verse to the book of Hebrews. We're probably 70 messages into the book of Hebrews. I'll be going to California for some vacation later today, and so I wanted you to hear these words ring from my mouth today.
God is sovereign. We'll get to the book of Hebrews another day, unless Revelation 22, the Lord comes back. That would solve many problems, and I believe he is going to come back, because he's sovereign and he keeps his word.
He's sovereign over creation and all history. He rules in every time and in every place, every speck of dust, every world leader. Daniel knew it, and now Paul knows it too. Acts 17 .26 Paul's preaching, and he says, and he made from one man every nation of mankind.
By the way, there's only one race, the human race. There's your verse. To live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation. This is the God, that Daniel says, who changes times and epics, who removes kings and establishes kings.
He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to the men of understanding. No wonder Paul can write in Romans chapter 13, that government authorities are existing because of God. Established by God. In God's universe, what ifs and if onlys are actually not really, and never a doubt, trusting in this King.
Jerry Bridges writes in that book I referenced earlier, confidence in the sovereignty of God, in all that affects us, is crucial to our trusting Him. If there's a single event, in all of the universe, that can occur outside of God's sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him.
His love may be infinite, but if His power is limited, and His purpose can be thwarted, we cannot trust Him. You may entrust to me your most valuable possessions, I may love you, and my aim to honor your trust may be sincere, but if I do not have the power or ability to guard your valuables, you cannot truly entrust them to me.
God is sovereign over all of history, and whether that's good history or bad history, no wonder Job said to his wife, you speak as a foolish woman speaks, shall we indeed accept good from God, and not accept what?
Adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. He's sovereign over creation, He's sovereign over all history, but what about the tiny details? What about the micro details? Macro maybe we get kind of deistically, what about micro?
Let's learn now that God number three is king over every specific tiny detail. Turn to Matthew chapter 10 please, and let's look at the Lord Jesus. As I talk about the sovereignty of God, there's something in me that wants to make sure we see this transcendent attribute properly through the lens of the Lord Jesus.
Job understood that God was sovereign, he just didn't know if God was good or not. He didn't know if God was kind or not, he didn't know if God loved him or not. And of course we know as we see the text of scripture and we see Jesus, the incarnate God and Savior, we know that God is not just sovereign, but He loves sinners, He wants their best.
We think about agape, we think about Jesus giving His life a ransom for many, we think about Jesus who seeks and saves, that was what was lost. What about these tiny details? What about little atoms? What about little molecules?
Are they just kind of like frivolously out there? Matthew 10, 29, Jesus said, now I want you to think about small, minute, insignificant, are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Can you imagine? Every hair numbered. No wonder Proverbs 16 says, the lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord. Luck is out, fortune is out, random chance is out. That exists but only in the vocabulary of uneducated pagans.
Odds in Vegas are 100 certainties in the plan of God, the King. God makes things happen. Jonah 1, each man said to his mate, come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.
So they cast lots and the lots fell on. I mean, it had to happen. Randomness or God at the helm, those are your two options. Which one's more reassuring? Turn to Ecclesiastes 7. I think what happens is we think about some of these specific details in life.
We're fine with the ones that maybe help us, encourage us, that might give us hope that God's triumphantly sovereign over. But then there are some verses that I call gut-punch verses that kind of take your breath away because it's great to say God's sovereign over all these wonderful things, but what about difficult things?
All right, let's just throw it out there. Is God sovereign over sin? Is God sovereign over calamity? In the days of prosperity, Ecclesiastes 7, be happy. I like that advice. But in the day of adversity, Ecclesiastes 7 ,14, consider.
When it's a good day, be happy. Enjoy what the Lord has given you. On days of adversity, think. You would not believe how many people I meet and the first word that comes out of their mouth describing what they do is I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel.
This is a bad doctrine to be the feeling kind of person. I think. I need to consider. What do you need to consider? God has made the one as well as the other so that men will not discover anything that will be after him.
Did you see that? The day of adversity? God made that. He's sovereign over it. Listen to Isaiah 45. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these things.
How can that be? And the text says it. Just imagine if God wasn't sovereign over evil, where would you be then? Lamentations 3, who is there who speaks and it comes to pass unless the Lord has commanded it.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth? If you get that, if you get Amos chapter 3, if calamity occurs in a city, has not the Lord done it, then you can truly appreciate Romans 828.
How can God cause all things? How can God work together all things? How can He take all these evil things and turn them out for our good and for His glory? You can appreciate Romans 828 when you realize God's sovereign over evil.
And He can use sin and Satan and trouble and everything else to accomplish His eternal purpose. Where are the pastors who teach these verses? Are they afraid? Are they embarrassed? Are they ashamed of the King of King?
God is sovereign over all good and bad and everything that's ever happened to you, God is sovereign over that. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You're just a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.
That's James 4. That's the response to this all-encompassing realm of God. He's sovereign over creation, history, tiny details. Number four, design that you might not worry, design that you might trust, rest in this God.
He's sovereign over your birthday and your funeral. He's sovereign over your birthday and your funeral. I visited Jack O 'Leary this week and I don't think I've ever met a man face-to-face that I knew has had two new hearts.
Right? The new heart from the Lord Jesus granted by salvation and then he had the heart that was put in him. We think it might have been a lady who was killed. And I was talking with him and we were talking about all kinds of people and things and sovereignty and God's goodness in our church family and we even began to talk about some of those here at the church who have died.
We thought about Tom Shepard and Blake and others. What do we do if these things are just accidents? What do we do if this is just random and maybe we're next, maybe we're not. Is God really sovereign over your birthday and your funeral?
The King of the Universe could have decided that you would never be born. He could have decided that you'd be born in a different country. At a different time. To any parents that pleased Him. He chose your exact parents.
He chose your exact strands of DNA. He chose the day of your birth. He chose the color of your eyes, hair, skin, whether you're male or female and everything else about you He chose. There's nothing about you that was not sovereignly decided upon by the Triune God.
I mean nothing. And that includes your death. Turn to Psalm 31 please. I want you to see two Psalms that talk about this. Job says since His days are numbered, the number of His months is with you, His limits you have set so that He cannot pass.
I have no idea when I'm going to die and short of the Lord's return I will die but there's nothing I can do. No amount of exercise. I like to exercise. No amount of echinacea or vitamin C or zinc. None of that will decelerate the time of my impending funeral.
I like exercise. I like doing all those kind of things but the day that I'm going to die has been ordained. Psalm 31 verse 15 I mean I just revel as I hear myself read these verses. Revel in this great God.
My times are in your hand. I mean remember He's singing about this. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Lord, I can just trust in You. These people are trying to kill me but I can trust in You.
Psalm 139. How about that? I often read part of this Psalm when I visit people if they've got a new baby and I think about this with little ones. God's sovereignty over even the day you die. I mean you could have 10 ,000 SWAT team members protecting you on that day but if it's your turn to die you're dying.
Matter of fact if it's not your day to die you can have 10 ,000 gang members pursuing you and you will not die. Why? Psalm 139. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance. Verse 16. And in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them.
Isn't that amazing? The day that you're going to die is ordained. Pink writes to deny the divine decrees would be to predicate a world and all its concerns regulated by undesigned chance or blind fate.
Then what peace, what assurance, what comfort would there be for our poor hearts and minds? What refuge would there be to fly to in the hour of need or trial? None at all. There would be nothing better than the black darkness and abject horror of atheism.
How thankful we should be that everything is determined by the infinite wisdom and goodness of God. What praise and gratitude are due unto God for his divine decrees? Number five God's not only sovereign over creation history macro, history micro, your birthday and your funeral but also He's sovereign over every act committed by man.
Every act committed by men and women He's sovereign over. Now we're leading someplace I'm leading you somewhere because some of you will acknowledge many of these things but point six you're going to have a hard time with so I'll just tell you ahead of time I'm trying to force you with this text to say God is sovereign over everything.
He's sovereign over all creation. He's sovereign over every act committed by man. True or false? God called Cyrus anything but a godly king my shepherd. True. He even called him in Isaiah 45 his anointed.
Are evil people and evil outside of God's sovereign umbrella? Well let's look at a few passages. Number one, Genesis 45 please. People easily see that God is sovereign over rain but when they're confronted by the Bible as it clearly instructs every reader that even the sinful and unrighteous deeds of humans are under the auspices of God's sovereign control they shudder, they squirm, they don't like it.
How and why is this the case? Could it possibly be and might there be some people here today those who struggle with this concept and this doctrine, this God because they have not bowed their hearts and minds to the clear teaching of scripture and their only defaults are philosophy logic.
Well what about free will? What about this? What about that? God makes me a robot then, etcetera etcetera. We'll get there. That's not my point right now. My point right now is God is sovereign over all of scripture I mean sovereign over all of creation, all of people because scripture teaches it.
Joseph understood the sovereign rule of Yahweh in the midst of his sinful brother's actions. Do you see it in chapter 45 verse 8 of Genesis? I'm excited to read through Genesis in the next 52 weeks. How many chapters in Genesis?
50. Is that right? Is that right? 50? I get a check sometimes. You want to pass with the checks. Alright, 50. Thank you. 50 weeks. By the way, there are some crazy things in there and we're going to read them every Sunday because if it's God's word it's good for you, yes?
I'm going to give those to Pradeep to read, those hard ones. I'm not dumb. Makes me blush already thinking about it. Genesis 45 verse 8. Now therefore it was not you who sent me here. Wait a second, they did.
But not ultimately but God and he has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. And then in chapter 50 verse 20 you know this verse, you've heard this verse I just want you to hear this verse and not have a false theology placed over these verses to blunt the trauma of our pride.
As for you Genesis 50 verse 20 you meant evil against me and that's exactly what those brothers did. Evil intentions, evil motives. But God meant it for what? Because he's sovereign over all those evil intentions.
He meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. Sometimes we see how God sovereignly rules over evil and what the benefits are. Other times we don't see but it's still true.
God is sovereign over wicked people. Can you imagine if he wasn't? Question, what's the worst sin ever committed on this earth? There's a particular sin that's the worst sin that's ever been committed.
What was that sin? Evil people sinning it's the worst one by far. The response must be the crucifixion of the innocent man, Jesus Christ. No one deserves the execution and torture of Jesus less than him.
No one deserved it. Yet observe carefully the words of scripture. Turn to Acts chapter 4. This is the one by the way if you're ever talking to someone and they're not getting this God ordains evil. God is using evil.
God is sovereign over evil. They're afraid to use this language. They want to say things maybe about allowing. They want to say things maybe permitting. They want to say something else about it to blunt this.
I want you to always go here and think God thankfully wonderfully took the worst sin ever committed and gave you heaven for it. If you'll just trust in him. No one deserves this execution less than the Messiah.
Excuse me. Acts 4 .23. When they had been released they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priest and elders had said to them. When they heard this they lifted up their voices to God with one accord and said Oh Lord it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David your servant said why did the Gentiles rage and the people's devise futile things.
The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. Listen for truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod evil man evil intentions and Pontius Pilate evil man evil intentions along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel they're evil they're doing this to Jesus but make sure you never forget this because you'll have no hope in a world of evil if you don't to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur.
Friends the death of Christ Jesus at Golgotha was sovereignly planned by God even though sinful men will give an account for their sinful actions. Both are true. Derek Thomas says God reigns to the stumbling hobbling service of his people and the rage and malice of his foes to establish his eternal purpose for this world.
The alternative options by the way are frightening. Number six. And finally God is king over the eternal destiny of every person. It's one thing to say God's sovereign over the rain. He's sovereign over my skin color.
He's sovereign over my parents. It's another thing to cut to this chase. God is sovereign over the eternal destiny of every person. I mean what's the option. He's sovereign over everything but that this is the stumbling block of all stumbling blocks that God controls who goes to his heaven and who goes to hell.
I don't know if you've ever stubbed your toe on a big rock before and it just split open and you can just see the blood and feel the throbbing. This is the kind of doctrine that causes that that God alone chooses the destiny of every human being that is offensive to people and the only way you'll get this doctrine besides the spirit of God helping you submit to it is saying to yourself what does every person deserve it.
Better start off there. What does every person deserve when Adam sinned. What did he deserve when Eve sinned. What did she deserve when Abel sinned, Cain sinned David sinned, Jephthah sins. Moses sins, you sin.
I sin, what does sin deserve. We don't even understand the depth of our depravity and so no one deserves heaven. Who is in heaven that says I deserve to go. We don't really understand grace but I'm not working off depravity now and sin.
I'm after the sovereignty of God over eternal life and eternal judgment. If you think salvation is something that you do, you're going to have a problem with this. If you think it's something other than Jesus did all the work he lived a perfect life according to the law he was born of a woman, born under law obeyed the law not for him because he was already righteous but obeyed the law for us and our law breaking he paid for it.
Calvary we know that's true because he's seated at the right hand of the father now if you think somehow you let God save you, you did save him, that your faith is the cause instead of a result you're going to have problems with this doctrine.
Thomas Arnold said the distinction between Christianity and all other systems of religion consists largely in this that in these other religions men are found seeking after God while Christianity is God seeking after men.
Somehow today in evangelicalism we've imbibed too deeply the lie that grace is contingent upon work and merit in what you do. No one left in his sinful fallen state would ever approach God let alone dwell with God, a thrice holy God without God's permission based on covering of sin and atonement and pardon we're not saved by anything we can do but we're saved by the king's good pleasure.
Turn to Romans chapter 9 please. I know some churches that want to rip this chapter right out of their Bible but it is such a wonderful chapter because A it's true of God whether you like it or not and B this is hope for unbelievers.
If you've got an unbelieving friend and you're hoping that they can just come up and give themselves a different skin color and the leopard can change its own spots and they can go from a sun of darkness to a sun of light on their own and they can regenerate themselves, you are going to wait forever but this king, this sovereign king beckons people in spite of them and he makes them alive and they freely respond with belief and repentance and trust.
We're not saved by anything we can do but we're saved by the king's good pleasure in and through the person of Christ Jesus planned in eternity by the father applied by the spirit of God. Verse 14 Romans 9.
What should we say then? You probably say a lot if you look at verse 13. Jacob I loved Esau I hated. You're going to wonder what's going on there. And you're going to ask questions. And here's the question you're going to ask verse 14.
Is there injustice on God's part. I mean he loved one and he hated the other. Remember what they both deserve by the way. And then Paul responds by no means. For he says to Moses by the way Moses was put in the cleft of the rock and Moses said God I want to see your glory and the goodness of God pass by.
And this is the verse showing the essence of God. You want to know what the character of God is at his essence. Here it is. He's a choosing God. He's a sovereign God. For he says to Moses I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
That's sovereignty. And I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Hallelujah. That it wasn't. He didn't have compassion on anyone. I mean the angels that fell. The one third of the angels fell.
He did not have mercy on them. He did not have compassion on them. And he didn't owe them anything except justice. But here he gives mercy to some. Wow. He gives compassion on some. Verse 16. Hear this.
Well so then it depends not on human will. Your little idol of free will isn't so free number one. And that's not what causes your salvation. It doesn't depend on human will or exertion working trying but on God.
And this is a God. And we know this in the person work of Christ Jesus has mercy. Yeah show me where that's found in the Bible. Paul verse 17. The scripture says to Pharaoh for this very purpose I raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever he wills. You gotta let that stop and just sink in. I know what you're gonna say. Then why are we accountable. If he does this. Verse 19 you will say to me.
Then why does he still find fault. Who can resist his will. If you ask the question theologically I understand. If you ask the question I'm putting God under my thumb. And he deserves an answer to me.
He deserves to answer me. Here's the response. Who are you. Oh insignificant man. To answer back to God. You better shut your mouth. Is what you should do when you talk to God like that. Well what does molders say to the molder.
Why have you made me like this question. Has the potter no right over the clay. Don't give me robots. Give me pottery. Language to make out of the same lump. The lump that all deserve to be used for what.
Privy pots for honorable use and another for dishonorable use. Why is the potter can take clay and make privy pots and china at his own good pleasure at his own good will. But God can't do that. Verse 22.
Here's an insight into why God saves some and not all. He could have saved all he could have saved none. But he saved some not all. There is a hell. Judas is. There would have been better if he never been born desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known.
That's one of the reasons why there are people suffering in hell. And eventually the lake of fire has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction in order. Verse 23. To make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy you will do not know how good you have it until you realize what people are doing who have rejected this God and they don't believe in the son which he has prepared beforehand for glory true or false.
As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. I hope you say true. Because that's Acts 13 48. As many as been appointed to eternal life believe. As Persians said. Attempts have been made to prove that these words do not teach predestination.
But these attempts so clearly do violence to the language that I will not waste my time in answering them. God determines who goes to his heaven because nobody deserves to go. And for him to save anyone is amazing grace.
Well what's the response to all this. Dear friends. Here's a response. Submit to the teaching of scripture that God's sovereign over everything. Here's a response. Stand in awe of such a great God. Here's a response.
Be humble. And when you pray the way the Lord Jesus taught his disciples to pray in that model prayer thy will be done. That recognizes that God is sovereign. Here's a response. Fear God. That's the beginning of wisdom to entrust yourself to this God who deserves honor and reverence and fear.
Here's a response. Don't complain. Don't complain about your spouse or your friends or your workers or your children. Shall not the judge of the universe do right. Is he not sovereign over them. Here's a response.
Rejoice. Revelation 19. Hallelujah. For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Calvin said it comforts him to know that he has been received into God's safekeeping and entrusted to the care of his angels and that neither water nor fire nor iron can harm him except in so far as it pleases God as governor to give them occasion.
I shall not be afraid. Psalm 56. What can mere man do to me. Here's a response. Father. Increase my faith. Build my faith. Help me realize that while I might be panic stricken when I get the phone call there's a problem.
There's a sickness. The test results are in. You're not panicked at all. Can you imagine God biting his nails wondering and worrying. Here's a response. The sovereignty of God makes the worst person's life bearable.
Innumerable. One writer said of the evils that beset human life innumerable to the deaths that threaten it wherever you turn all things around you not only are hardly to be trusted but almost openly menace and seem to threaten immediate death.
Embark upon a ship. You are one step away from death. Mount a horse if one foot slips your life is imperiled. Go through the city streets. You are subject to many dangers as there are tiles on the roofs.
If there's a weapon in your hand or a friend's 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 lying hidden your house continually in danger of fire threatens in the daytime to impoverish you and at night even to collapse upon you.
I'm a bearer of good news. He the writer says I pass over poisonings ambushes robberies and open violence. And for our modern people nuclear war. But our times are in his hand. I would be worried if I thought about undesigned chance and blind fate.
But the peace that I get from God and the assurance and the comfort. No wonder. David says many oh Lord my God are the wonders which you have done. Your thoughts toward us there is none to compare with you.
If I could declare and speak to them they would be too numerous to count. Our God is a sovereign God. Let's pray. I thank you Father for this time where we can look upon your word and even think about the Lord Jesus Christ in eternity.
You had that plan to send the son to rescue us. And in time your spirit the Holy Spirit helped the Lord Jesus obey. And then you through your spirit applied Jesus' life and death to our account. If I had to control everything here Father I would be left undone.
I would be worried. But your servant the Lord Jesus said he would send another one the Holy Spirit just like him to help us to sovereignly make sure everything is going to plan. Father I pray that you would give joy to the hearts of every parent here with a loved one who is wayward every spouse that's here with a loved one who has not bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus.
Every person here who has medical tests waiting for the results and have gotten some back that are bad. Father this is the balm. It's not about signs and wonders and music and blue lights and emotionalism up on a stage it's a God proclaimed through a frail preacher that he rules he reigns Jesus Christ out of all the kings is the one who is kinging and of all the lords is lording.
And that he would be called our savior our friend, our advocate. We praise you for that. There's someone here who has not bowed the knee either to this doctrine or to the Lord Jesus. Because you are sovereign and you use means like preaching and prayer, grant them saving faith today in Jesus name we pray.
God's word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text. Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 10 .15 and in the evening at 6. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston.
You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.