Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sovereignty 13.*

The year is drawing to a close, so I thought I ought to draw to a close this extended series that I have been doing on the sovereignty of God.

*[P]* I actually think that I could continue it until the LORD returns.

I stated right at the beginning that viewing sovereignty is like looking at a coin: you see either the head or the tail; you can’t see both sides at the same time.

And we can view things either from man’s perspective, the choices and decisions he makes, the view of his will; or we can view things from a different perspective, the Divine perspective; and you see God in sovereign control over all.

This is the view that Scripture presents, for most part.

I could take almost any passage of Scripture (other than the Song of Solomon) and preach the sovereignty of God.

I don’t know how many of you make a practice of reading through the Bible each year – if you do, you might like to do so next year with a yellow pencil and highlight every passage that presents the sovereignty of God, where you see God directing events, events that would not happen unless God were in control.

I tell you at the end of the year you will have a yellow Bible!

The sovereignty of God is infused throughout the entirety of Scripture.

That is why I could continue this series indefinitely.

So in this brief overview we have seen יְהוָה’s absolute sovereignty over absolutely everything on earth: *[P]* controlling all events on land, sea and air.

Things aren’t merely due to the merely mechanistic forces of nature – there is “Someone driving the car”!

determining the direction and outcome.

Too often we fail to see God’s hand at work, hear what He is saying, because we do not regard Him as directing every single event that takes place in this world that He made and controls.

God is in control, it is not in us to determine the outcome – the Scripture is not ashamed to ascribe responsibility of all to Him, both good and bad: [*Lamentations 3:37-38*/ //Who can speak and it will happen if the Lord has not commanded it?

Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that disaster and good will come?/]

So then we looked beyond this earth and saw יְהוָה’s complete control of the unimaginably vast heavens *[P]* – immense and awesome power beyond our ability to comprehend.

It didn’t happen by chance, by atoms coming together by random forces.

There is a Creator!

Hallelujah!

They are the work of His fingers – He was actively involved in their coming into being.

And throughout we have seen that God’s sovereignty stems from Him being Creator.

I remember speaking out at the prison about Robin’s guitar – it was admired by quite a few who came along, no doubt they would have liked to own it; but nobody disputed that it was Robin’s – why?

He didn’t buy it; it is his because he made it!

If you make something, you own it; and you can do with it as you choose: you can: sell it, keep it, give it to someone, or even set fire to it and play the star spangled banner.

Then from the incomprehensibly large, we turned to the inconceivably small – down to the quantum level *[P]*.

God controls every single atom, or electron or quark – down at that level where behaviour is unknowable, when only probability can describe what takes place.

And we saw that there is no such thing as random or chance events.

God is in control of ALL! Then I turned to living things – things with life *[P]*, first plants then animals – things with a will.

We saw that יְהוָה is in total control.

But it goes beyond all that we analyse with our science – there is a whole spiritual realm *[P]* which sophisticated modern man largely ignores.

So I looked at the spiritual realm – again Scripture reveals יְהוָה in absolute control, not only over angelic beings, but also evil spirits and satan himself.

So finally we came to where the rubber hits the road: *[P]* what about man?! We like to think that we control the direction our life takes but we saw that *[P]* [*Proverbs 21:1* “/The king’s heart is as a stream of water in the hand of יְהוָה, He turns it wherever He wills/.”]

And I looked at a couple of kings, in fact they were over empires – yet they were יְהוָה’s servants.

Although יְהוָה was not their “god” yet still He directed their steps to carry out His own purpose.

And it is not just kings – /every/ character you encounter in the Scripture plays the part assigned to him in the Divine drama.

Why should it be any different with us?!

In particular I addressed יְהוָה’s sovereignty both in salvation and in reprobation, the lost.

I was talking with Graham about that message; I said to him that I felt that it lacked practical application.

He helpfully sent me an email with some points that I will include today.

You see?

It is all very well to talk about the sovereignty of God, but what should be my response?

*[P]* That is what I want to look at today – having looked at the sovereignty of God, let us conclude this series by considering the impact that יְהוָה being sovereign should have on my life.

I had quite a few headings because really a concept of יְהוָה’s sovereignty lies behind every right response to God, because that is who He is.

But I have condensed them down to 7 points: 1~/ *AWE! [P] [Job 25:2*/ //“Dominion and awe belong to Him Who establishes peace in His heights./]

I guess the whole real purpose of my taking this series is encapsulated in this.

It is my heart that we know God!

That He be glorified and honoured for who He actually is!

That we know Him as He is! GREAT!

Glorious!

AWESOME!

Way beyond our tiny ability to conceive!

Transcendent!

Above and beyond!

That we give Him the glory due to His Name!

To expand our concept of Him!

It grieves me that we reduce God to some small concept where He is there just as our personal little helper to aid us get on in life.

He is BIG!

And has plans and purposes way beyond our comprehension!

If anyone had a handle on the sovereignty of God, it was the apostle Paul.

He would consider the sovereignty of God – and it would so blow him away that he would just have to put aside what He was saying and burst out in a peon of praise.

Here he is considering the purposes of God, His ways of mercy: [*Romans 11:32-36*/ //For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all./ (then he can’t contain himself:)/ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counsellor?

Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever.

Amen./]

That should be our response to the sovereignty of God: PRAISE! *[P]* יְהוָה’s sovereignty evokes a song of praise – He is in control: [*Philippians 4:4*/ //Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!/] [*Psalm 22:23*/ //You who fear יְהוָה, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel./]

Declaring His greatness!

– the greatness of His deeds, His plans, His purposes – the wonder of creation in its vastness and its minute intricacy – the miracle of life – the wonder of salvation – His mercy, His grace, His compassion! – His loving-kindness; His patience; His absolute control over every single atom, creature, event.

You are just left staggering in awe!/ /All you can do is fall down on your face in WORSHIP! *[P]* That is what a vision of Jesus will do, the One who has all authority: [*Revelation 1:17-18*/ //When I saw Him, I fell down at His feet like a dead man.

He placed His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid!

I am the first and the last.

I am the living one!

I was dead, but now I am alive for ever and ever.

I have authority over death and the world of the dead/.]

That is what John did, that is what Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Daniel all did when they had a vision of Him on the throne!

I used to be greatly taken with Moses, the man of God; I longed to have a vision like he did at the burning bush.

He was on his face because the ground where he stood was holy – then it came to me, יְהוָה is just as holy now as when Moses was at the burning bush – if he was on his face, then so too should I, because יְהוָה hasn’t changed.

What is missing is my perception of Him as He really is.

A lot of our problems, complaints and grizzles, our dissatisfactions would vanish if we were mindful of the sovereignty of God, His glory, rather than our petty predicament.

If we worshipped!

*The world does not revolve around me; it is directed by One who is one the throne.*

We need to bow the knee, not stiffen the neck.

[*Psalm 5:7*/ //But as for me, through the abundance of your steadfast love I will enter your house.

I will bow down toward Your holy temple in awe of You./]

And in: [*Psalm 33:8*/ //Let all the earth fear יְהוָה.

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him./]

That verse associates fear, with awe.

*[P]* 2~/ *Fear* should also be our response to the sovereignty of God.* *Do you recall the fear in standing outside the headmaster’s office?

Of course you don’t, that never happened to you, right?

But I do – why the knocking knees?

Because he had the authority to punish – and in my day they did!* *In Roman’s 13 Paul tells us to respect and fear those in authority – he is talking about human rulers – because they hold the authority to punish because they have dominion.

How much more the King over all those kings, the One who is sovereign over them!

When you consider that God is in control of all – the vast and mighty heavens, the tiniest detail of every molecule, what are we before Him?!

Such power such knowledge!

Such dominion and authority!

It is wise to fear the one in authority – otherwise you are likely to cop it!

We saw that יְהוָה is sovereign over reprobation – He has the right to consign you to everlasting torment.