The Absolute Sovereignty of God

Let's turn to 1st Timothy chapter 6, 1st Timothy chapter 6 and the title of this morning's message is the absolute sovereignty of God, the absolute sovereignty of God.

I think you'll see by the end of the message that while this is somewhat of a controversial subject among some people, this is, has to be one of the most comforting teachings in all of the

Bible because it has real implications for the life of each believer. So the word sovereign refers to supreme authority and power.

When people hear the word sovereign they might think of a king, someone who has absolute authority over his kingdom.

Now as Americans, if you hear about a ruler who has absolute power, you're likely to think of another term, dictator, right?

Because historically our system of, in our system of government, we have tried to prevent any one man or one branch of government from having that type of authority or having too much power.

And we're brought up being taught that that's a bad thing. After all, power corrupts, right?

This is the saying, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

And that's generally true for mankind, but there is one man, the

God man. He does have absolute power, absolute sovereignty, and he is not corrupt.

Let's read 1st Timothy chapter 6 verses 12 through 15.

Because it's not just the absolute sovereignty of God, you could say it's the absolute sovereignty of Christ the

King. 1st Timothy 6, 12 through 15, the Apostle Paul says,

Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I urge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless, until our

Lord Jesus Christ appearing, which he will make manifest in his own time.

Referring to Christ, this is the part to pay attention to. He, Christ, who is the blessed and only potentate, the

King of kings and Lord of lords. So that statement, we see that Jesus isn't just a sovereign, he isn't just a king, he's what?

He's the King of kings. So he is sovereign over all authority.

So that's why I said, not just the sovereignty of God, but the absolute sovereignty of God.

The absolute sovereignty of Christ. Also, that word potentate, in 1

Timothy 6 .15, some translations will actually render that sovereign. So if some of you maybe have the

ESV, here's how that translates, that version translates verse 15. They say, he who is the blessed and only sovereign, the

King of kings and Lord of lords. So this is a biblical term.

So without question, the Bible teaches the sovereignty of God. But just in case somebody is skeptical, let's look at another passage, this time turned to Matthew chapter 28.

Because there will be people out there, like with any Bible doctrine, there will be people who resist this teaching.

I guess it depends on how far you take it. Some people will hear about the sovereignty of God, and they'll hear maybe a preacher talking about how

God is in control. And I do say that a lot. And some people might wonder, well, how much control are we talking about here?

Does that mean that God is controlling everything? I mean, is God controlling every single event?

Some people would take it so far that if somebody does something evil, well,

God made them do it. That is not what we're talking about. But at the same time,

God does have absolute sovereignty. So we have to figure this out, how far that goes.

But look at Matthew 28, 17 through 19. And again, speaking of Christ, So we see that Jesus has been given what?

All authority. Highlight the word all. He doesn't just have authority.

He has all authority in both heaven and on earth.

And who did Christ receive this authority from? He received it from God the Father. So again, we can talk about the absolute sovereignty of God the

Father. And also, I believe, the absolute sovereignty of God the

Son. One more verse before we get into the implications and how all this shakes out.

But Jesus said in Revelation, or it said about him. No, he does say this in Revelation 1A.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the

Almighty. So Christ says about himself, he is the

Almighty. So I think you're getting the idea. The Bible not only teaches the sovereignty of God, it teaches the absolute sovereignty of God.

King of kings, all power in heaven and on earth. Christ is the

Almighty. OK, so I think that's enough information. That's enough for the facts.

But how does this play out in real life? I mean, what does that mean to us that God is sovereign?

And then maybe the bigger question, does this sovereignty of God, does it conflict with human freedom?

Because that's really the only objection I've ever heard to this. So if there are people out there, they hear about the sovereignty of God.

The people who would resist, they resist because they want to maybe highlight, if not the sovereignty of man, but at least the free will of man.

So the big question is, if God is sovereign, how can man be free? Who's heard this question posed or discussed?

I think it's a pretty simple answer. Man is free. We all have the ability to make choices.

They really are our choices. So mankind is free. But here's the thing.

God is more free. So man has freedom. God, on the other hand, has absolute freedom.

Our former pastor, Larry Riddle, some of you will remember this. He had a saying, and he had three points to this saying.

First, number one, he would say, God is what? He would say,

God is sovereign. God is in control. Same thing. You say, number one, God is sovereign. Number two,

God's timing is always perfect. And number three, I am God's child to do with whatever he sees fit.

Well, now there's a man who believes in the absolute sovereignty of God.

All right, now let's turn to Proverbs 21. Because I think

I just showed you, at least with those three passages, and I could give you three more, six more, 16 more, the

Bible does teach the sovereignty of God without question. So as you're turning there,

Proverbs 21, I'd like to read from this article I found on the website gotquestions .org.

They define the sovereignty of God this way. They say, quote, the fact that God is sovereign essentially means that he has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything he chooses with his creation.

Is there a Bible verse for that? Yes, there is. You can take a note of this. Psalm 115, verse 3 says, but our

God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases. So going back to that article, it says, the sovereignty of God means that God has the power to do whatever he wants with his creation.

It continues, whether or not he actually exerts that level of control in any given circumstance is actually a completely different question.

So let's ask that different question. Does God exert that level of control over his creation and over his creatures?

Look at this verse, Proverbs 21, verse 1. It says the king's heart is in the hand of the

Lord like rivers of water. He turns it wherever he wishes.

Now, I don't know about you, but that certainly sounds like God is exercising control over the heart of the king.

I mean, that's what it's saying, right? Now, we do have to be careful and not jump to too many conclusions.

That does not mean that every king or ruler throughout history, every single thing they chose to do,

God made them do it. And that's not what it says. So that would be,

I think, an example of taking the sovereignty of God a little too far. OK, connecting dots that maybe shouldn't be connected.

What this verse says, though, is that God turns the heart of the king whichever way he wants.

And we should ask the question, what king? What king? Well, if Solomon wrote Proverbs, presumably this is talking about King David and King Solomon, that God would turn their heart.

Yet at the same time, we know that the kings, David and Solomon, did things at times that God didn't approve of.

So if God puts something into the heart of his servant, and they act in accordance with God's will, amen.

I think that's what the verse is saying. God will lead them in the paths of righteousness. He will put things in their heart, and they will do the right thing.

But at times, they will choose in and of themselves to do the wrong thing. And are we to believe that it was

God who led them to do the wrong thing? No, we know that's not true, because James 1 .13

says, So, long story short, if somebody does the right thing, if they're led to do the godly thing,

God gets the credit. If they do the wrong thing, whose fault is that? God's? No, that's their fault.

Okay. Because God is not the author of evil. So, we believe in the sovereignty of God.

The Bible teaches, I believe, the absolute sovereignty of God. But you cannot stretch that to such a degree where God, all of a sudden, is now the author of evil.

He's not. Amen? Amen. But at the same time, does God put things in people's hearts?

Have you ever thought that God was really laying something upon your heart?

You really felt a burden, and you believe that God the Holy Spirit put that burden in your heart to do, yes, to do something, to talk to somebody, to carry out

His will. Does God do that? I believe He does. I think that's what that verse in Proverbs was saying.

Even unbelievers, if you want homework, you can read Romans 9, how the Lord is the potter and we are the clay, and God was involved with Pharaoh.

You remember Pharaoh hardened his heart, and then God stepped in and hardened Pharaoh's heart.

So, even God will do this with unbelievers. Another example, Satan. You remember in the book of Job, Satan was given permission by God to afflict

Job. Okay? Now, who gave Satan that permission? God did.

Were evil things happening to Job? Yes. Who is responsible? Satan.

Who gets the blame? God. Satan. Evil things were happening.

Who gets the blame? Satan. Yet, at the same time, was God sovereign over that?

Here's the thing. God is able to heal. He may allow the devil to do evil things.

He may allow, and I believe God does allow people to do the wrong thing, but God is able to work in and through every situation to bring about His will.

Do I understand that? Do I know how God does it? No, I just know that He does do it.

When something bad happens, because of that, we can never blame God.

Now, let's turn to Proverbs 16. Another example of this,

I think, is Joseph. When he was sold into slavery by his brothers, that was an evil thing to do.

Did God put that in his brother's heart? No, God didn't do that. His brothers were completely responsible for their evil deeds.

Did God allow it? Yes. Did God allow it for a reason? Well, yes. We know what the reason was, because we can look back in hindsight, and this is how

Joseph could say to his brothers, what you did, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

God actually allowed all of that, all of that evil. He used it to exalt

Joseph so that the Israelites could come down to Egypt eventually and be saved from famine.

So God was working all of that evil out for the good of His people.

That's the sovereignty of God. God can use and work through even the most unbelievable evil.

God really is in control. Now, does God exert control over even little things?

Well, let's just look at another verse. I could give you my opinion all day long, but what good is that?

Proverbs 16 .33, this is a very interesting passage.

Proverbs 16 .33 says, The lot, you know what lots are, right? Casting lots.

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is what?

Is from the Lord. Now, we don't know exactly what casting lots was. Some people have equated it to rolling the dice or drawing straws.

We don't know exactly what it is. But whatever decision the lot, whatever came up, whatever decision it signaled, that was from the

Lord. So it's as if God is... I'm not saying that God does this, but when the dice turns,

God can turn it one more time and bring about His result. Again, exactly how it all works,

I don't know. But that's what it says. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the

Lord. Here's what one commentator says about that passage. In other words, much that we attribute to chance is due to the providence of God.

This should be an encouragement to trust in Him. So sometimes you think something just happened.

It's an accident. There's no meaning to it. That's not necessarily true. See, providence is that hand of God, which is really guiding human history.

And then that commentator references Matthew 10, 29, where Jesus says, Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?

And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. So you have a bird that keels over dead.

I mean, that's meaningless. That has no relevance to anything. Well, even something as insignificant, seemingly insignificant as that, it doesn't happen apart from God's will.

So God is working in and through even the little things that you don't give a second thought to.

There's many other verses we could quote that teach the absolute sovereignty of God. Psalm, you can just make notes of these.

Psalm 135, verse 6 says, Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth.

Psalm 103, 19, The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

Proverbs 19, 21, There are many plans in a man's heart.

Nevertheless, the Lord's counsel, that will stand.

See, we are making decisions. We are charting our own course. But, you know, God is at the end, and He's working in and through our decisions.

Isaiah 46, 9 and 10, For I am the Lord, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,

My counsel shall stand. I, the Lord, will do all my pleasure.

I know why some people don't like this teaching, because people want to think, Hey, I'm in control of my own life.

I'm going to do whatever I want to do, and God, He can't say anything or do anything about it.

Is that true? Well, not according to the Bible.

All right, let's turn to Revelation 22 for a moment. I want to give the other side to this, because it really does sound like, with the absolute sovereignty of God, that God is, you know, we say

God is in control, or I don't put it this way, but it could be put

God is controlling everything. I'm not really comfortable with that, because man does have a will.

So we need to give the other side to give some balance. Man does have a will. It's not completely free, because we're born into this world with a bent towards sin.

So we have the sin nature, but mankind absolutely has a will. You know, you can make decisions today, and again, they're your decisions.

We are not pre -programmed robots. God is not the puppet master, and He's just moving us, and it's not really us making the decisions.

It's God. That's not the way it is. We have a will. Look at Revelation 22, 16, and 17.

Someone might say, but where does the Bible teach the will of man? Here's the thing. It's on every page.

It's assumed on every page of the Bible. You know, every time the gospel is preached, it's assumed that people can make a decision and say yes to it, right?

Revelation 22, 16, and 18, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches.

I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Verse 17, and the spirit and the bride say what?

Come, and let him who hears say come, and let him who thirsts come.

Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

You know, if man doesn't have a will, why is the spirit of God asking him to come?

It presumes the man has the ability to respond to the gracious offer of God.

And yet, if a man does respond to the gospel, if a man does respond to the gracious offer of God, first of all,

God needs to extend his grace, so God must move first. But even if man responds, who do we give the credit to?

We give it to God. You know, years ago, I submitted my life to Christ.

Is that because I'm just so smart? I knew that was the right thing to do. I can just pat myself on the back.

I'm such a good person, that's why I did it. No, that is not the reason why God the

Holy Spirit changed the disposition of my heart. So even when we make the right decision,

God is there to receive the glory. But when we talk about the free will of man, or the will of man, does that contradict the sovereignty of God?

This is the big thing. People say, well, it can't be both. You know, it's either free will, and you have free will churches, right?

If you're ever driven by a church, and it's in the name, free will Baptist church or whatever. And then there's other churches that are like sovereign grace, you know,

Presbyterian church. And there's like competing churches, and it's in the name. They're opposing each other's theology.

I don't know if, just in case you didn't know, that's what they're doing. They're signaling which side they're on. But here's the thing.

Both are true. Both are true. People who think the sovereignty of God limits man's freedom, or that it denies man's freedom.

Here's the thing. It's not a contradiction. We're not saying that God is sovereign, and He's not sovereign at the same time in the same relationship.

That would be a contradiction. We're not saying that man has freedom, and yet he doesn't have freedom at the same time in the same...

See, that would be a contradiction. We're not saying that. We're saying God is sovereign, and man has a will to make his own choices.

We're saying... Do those sound the same? Some people think they're opposite. They're not opposite. Can I give a satisfactory answer to every person?

Maybe not. I'm just telling you what the Scripture teaches. The Scripture teaches both.

So what's the title of the message? The absolute sovereignty of God. Let's turn to Romans chapter 8.

I want to leave you with some sort of application or a reason why this matters.

Some people, the past few weeks, have been toiling over the election and the results, and no matter what happened, we knew that half the country was going to be angry.

Here's why. I didn't lose a moment of sleep over it, not because I don't care, but you know why

I didn't lose sleep? I know that God is on the throne before the election and after, and God is sovereign.

That's why I don't worry about these things. Again, I do care, but it's a comforting thought to know that God's in control.

If I didn't think that God was in control, I would be amiss.

I think that's why some people are a wreck spiritually, emotionally, because they have no hope.

They have no security. They don't know what's going to happen, and they're not trusting in the

Lord. But God is sovereign over our nation. Some people don't even care about that because they're going through suffering right now or someone they know is going through suffering.

They're not worried about all that other stuff. They're worried about this person they care about or their own problems.

God is sovereign over suffering. Again, look at the book of Job.

Job and Joseph, we can look at the end of the story, and we knew what God was doing because we read the end.

Well, when you're going through it, you don't know, but you have to just take it one day at a time and believe in the sovereignty of God.

Really, God is sovereign over all things, and we see that here in Romans 8, 28. This, I believe, is the most comforting verse in all of the

Bible concerning the sovereignty of God. If this verse is true, you should never worry ever again.

Look at Romans 8, 28. The apostle Paul says, by the way, writing under the inspiration of the

Holy Spirit, he says, and we know, not we think, not we hope, he says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love

God and to those who are the called according to his purpose.

The only real question is, do you believe that? Are you trusting in that?

Some translations will say that God causes, that it's God causing, because he says here in the

New King James, and we know that all things work together for good. And notice it doesn't say, it doesn't stop there, all things work together for good, period.

No, it's for those who love God. All things are not working together for the good of unbelievers.

I mean, that's just not the promise. It's for God's people. But one translation puts it this way, that God is causing all things to work together for the good of God's people.

Let's keep reading. Verse 29. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified.

And whom he justified, these he also glorified. What's it saying? That the believer, the one who trusts in Christ, he is called, okay, he is justified, he will be glorified.

This is the security of the believer. If God has you, if you're saved this morning, if you know

Christ this morning, you are in God's hands, and he will never let you go.

It's been predestined. It can't not happen. That's the security of the believer. And then he talks about the gospel.

Paul continues and talks about the gospel, how God did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all.

And in that event, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it may be the best example of the sovereignty of God coming together with the will of man.

You realize in the book of Acts, twice, in chapter 2 and in chapter 4, it talks about the death of Christ being predestined or foreordained.

In the book of Revelation, it says that Jesus is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

So throughout human history, from Genesis chapter 3, even before that really, God was guiding human history up until this moment.

It was all leading to this moment where God foreordained that Jesus would die on the cross for our sins.

Did God arrange that? He foreordained it. Now, the men who crucified

Jesus, was that evil? Was it evil to reject Christ and to betray

Christ? Did Judas do something evil? Yes. Who put it into his heart?

It was Satan. Was he fulfilling Scripture? Yes. See, it gets kind of confusing a little bit.

God's certainly in control. The Roman soldiers, you know, the Jewish leader, the leaders of the

Jews, the Roman governor, the soldiers who nailed, drove the nails through Jesus' hands, were they doing something evil?

Yes. Yes, they were. Was it their choice? Yeah, they were making a decision.

It was their choice. So you have the will of man alongside the foreordained event, the sovereignty of God, it all comes together.

And what did it bring about? It brought about the salvation of the world.

God was sovereign over that event. So we see that God is sovereign over the nation.

God is sovereign over suffering. God is sovereign over all things.

And because of that, Jesus was led to the cross. He died for our sins.

And it was God's plan all along. And now we have a choice.

We have a choice. Going back to that statement, and I realize I'm preaching to people who, you know, most of you are here every week.

You've already made a commitment. You've already trusted in Jesus. You've already said yes to this call.

But just for maybe that one or two people online, maybe one or two people here who have never said yes to the call.

I want to go back to Revelation 22, verse 17. And the spirit and the bride say,

Come. Let him who hears say, Come. Let him who thirsts,

Come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

So you have a choice today. You can either trust in the

Lord and believe in His sovereign will, or yes, you can make your decisions for your life and go your own way.

Here's the thing. Even if you choose to go your own way, you realize God is still in control, whether you accept

Him or reject Him. Be much better. Be much better to say yes to God and to receive of His blessings and to receive the greatest blessing of all, forgiveness of sin and everlasting life.

Let's pray. And Father, I do thank you for the absolute sovereignty of God.

You are good. This is a great comfort for us to know that you really are in control.

And Lord, I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for your word and the clarity of it. But also,

Lord, if there's somebody here who has never responded, they've never accepted the idea that there is a sovereign

God above. Lord, I just pray that you would change their heart this morning and help them to realize that you sent your

Son into this world to die on the cross for their sin. He rose again the third day that because He lives, they may live also.

Lord, I just pray that you would change the unbeliever's heart, that they would receive

Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that each one of your children would believe in the absolute sovereignty of God, that we can not worry, not be anxious for the days ahead, but we can trust in you, your goodness, and your plan, for you are sovereign.