The Sovereign Word
Notes
Transcript
ME: God Controls (vs. 1-3)
ME: God Controls (vs. 1-3)
It may be one of the greatest understatements to say we live in uncertain times.
The trials and difficulties of our world leave many wondering,
Is human history spiraling out of control?
Can we overcome these trials we face?
What is going on in our world?
On a big scale,
We have economic uncertainty,
Political uncertainty,
International uncertainty,
As was mentioned earlier,
This is sanctity of life Sunday,
So, we have uncertainty around the trajectory of abortion in our country.
And of course, all the uncertainty surrounding COVID, vaccines, and masks.
College students are wondering if they will be able to get a job in their field.
If you are single,
You may be wondering if God will provide a spouse for you.
If you are elderly,
You may be wondering about your health, or your relationship with your adult children or your grandchildren.
We all have a temptation toward anxiety,
A fear of the future.
And that is precisely why the supreme sovereignty of God is so vital.
God displays His supreme sovereignty over human salvation.
The fact that He saves us from our sins through Jesus’ death in our place.
But God also displays His supreme sovereignty over the little details of human history and our daily lives.
We call this the providence of God.
God’s sovereignty is a great mystery.
Now, I am not an expert when it comes to electricity,
But I have had the circuit breaker kick in my house once or twice.
Has this happened to anyone else?
The way I understand it,
Is when this happens,
It is not for lack of power,
But just the opposite.
Too much power tries to pass through into the house,
And it overwhelms the panel causing the circuit breaker to kick.
That is the way I think of God’s sovereignty.
The power of God tries to pass through our feeble little minds,
And our logic breakers kick,
So, the power is not able to pass through because we cannot handle it.
The Book of Proverbs has some of the most memorable verses on the sovereignty of God.
Which makes perfect sense,
Because God is sovereign over everyday life,
And Proverbs looks at wisdom in practical everyday life.
So, this morning we are looking at the Sovereign Word primarily in Proverbs 16:1-20.
Now, I am not going to pretend that we are going to fully understand the sovereignty of God this morning.
In fact, just the opposite,
Our logic breakers will kick from time to time as we try to pass the power of God through our minds.
But my hope is we would see how much more sovereign God is over our everyday life than we are currently aware of.
Why?
So, that you will fear less,
You will have less anxiety,
You will see God on display as you go through trials,
And you will know with absolutely certainty that His purposes are good.
Proverbs gives us great examples of how God sovereignly rules over both tiny events and great events in this world,
For His good purpose.
Slide
So, we are going to see how the Sovereign Word pertains to a variety of things.
God Controls (vs.1-3)
God Judges (vs. 4-5)
God Saves (vs. 6-9)
God Reigns (vs. 10-15)
God Humbles (vs. 16-20)
Because God is sovereign, we have a responsibility to trust Him.
God’s sovereignty makes many of us uncomfortable because we think:
“I have free will, God cannot infringe on my choices, otherwise it is not free will.”
This is a human-centric view of the universe that makes our free will central and everything else revolves around us.
Friends, this is both unbiblical and unhelpful.
Yes, we have free will, but we are also constrained by our nature.
I have free will to jump off this platform and dunk a basketball,
But I can’t because I am constrained by my nature.
Likewise, the bible says we are all sinners by nature,
So, though we have free will, we do not have the will not to sin.
It is inevitable that we all sin,
Regardless of how much we try not to.
Therefore, the Bible teaches that God is sovereign over us,
And He is sovereign over kings and rulers.
He is supremely sovereign over all.
This is really really good news.
His sovereignty means He can use evil to accomplish His good purposes.
Nothing can prevent His good purposes.
Therefore, no matter what suffering we face,
His sovereignty tells us that it does not have the last word.
So, as we begin to look at the sovereign word,
We must understand that this is an incredibly deep and challenging subject.
Slide
Therefore, let us begin with the truth that God Controls in vs. 1-3,
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
What exactly is vs. 1 saying?
Well, it is talking about our capability to make plans.
Our ability to reason,
Our actions,
Our choices,
And it is saying that none of these things can interrupt God’s sovereignty.
We make a lot of plans, right?
We have this ability as part of being made in the image of God.
We can plan ahead, take steps, set precautions.
And this is a good thing.
Brothers and sisters, the greatest example of this is trusting in Christ.
There is no better plan we can make.
Because the Bible says a judgment day is coming,
As a sinner, I know that I am not ready to stand before God on my own merit,
So, I trust in Christ to be my refuge.
Friends, if you are here today and you have not yet made that plan.
Please listen, danger is coming,
Wrath is coming,
Flee that wrath by trusting in Christ.
That is the only plan that will save you.
The Bible says to trust Jesus in your heart and confess Him as Lord and He will save you.
So, this means planning ahead is a good thing.
As long as we understand that all our plans are subject to God’s sovereignty.
Understand that God gets to decide what will happen.
Why? Because God is all knowing,
As vs. 1 implies, He knows what you are going to say before you say it,
So, in some mysterious way,
This means that God even ordains what you are going to say.
Proverbs is teaching us that you may plan to say this or that,
But what you end up saying has been ordained by God.
Slide
That is also what vs. 9 is saying,
When Proverbs says the heart of man plans his ways,
It is talking about how I, as a person, arrange things in my life.
It can involve wicked schemes or good strategies.
Ultimately it is talking about when we think deeply about something,
To put things in order.
So, Proverbs is saying that when I give a wise answer,
And when I follow through on the plans I make,
It is because God is enabling me to do it.
Any plans I make can only be established by God.
For all the freedom I have to plan,
It ultimately serves to advance God’s designs.
So, it is not just that God has the last Word on my plans,
But His Word is the most sound Word on every subject.
My plans, and even my words, are ordained by God.
That is what the Bible is saying here.
God is sovereign over every aspect of my life,
Even the areas I think I have complete control.
This is a great thing because it means the success of my plans do not dependent on my ingenuity,
Rather, they are dependent on God’s will.
But this raises a challenging question:
Is the Bible saying we are basically mindless robots, then?
Of course not.
We are still responsible for the choices we make because we make them.
But it is saying that the words we speak and the steps we take all fall under the sovereignty of God.
If I really think about it.
I don’t fully understand my own life.
Not to the extent God does.
I do not remember every decision I’ve made, and why I made it.
But God does.
Have you noticed that about yourself?
You forgot you did this,
You forgot you said that.
You do not really know why you did this or said that.
But God both knows and understands the purpose behind what you did and what you said.
Put it all together and this means God is really involved and active in the decisions we make.
I make a plan, but God decides how I actually end up living it out.
We make all sorts of plans,
Large and small,
To orchestrate the events of our lives,
But God decides what is going to happen in the end.
This is true of our major life plans,
Where I go to college, who I marry, having children, my career, going on a missions trip, when to retire,
I can make all these plans regarding these things,
But they are all subject to the sovereign power of God.
And this is true on a daily level as well.
I may plan to go to Walmart to buy socks,
And it may happen,
But other times my plans do not work out the way I plan.
Maybe I plan to go to Binghamton to meet someone for lunch,
Or I plan to get up early tomorrow to get a jump start on next weeks work,
But all these plans I make may or may not happen.
Why?
Because my plans are subject to God’s sovereignty.
I would not even be alive tomorrow if it is not God’s will.
So, each day, we should thank Him for another day,
Then we must make our plans by asking God,
Is this your will? Is this your will?
Because everything we do is ultimately up to God.
Friends this should be embraced as a wonderful thing.
A mighty God, sovereign over all.
But many have an issue with this,
Because we like our self-will.
I want to be able to do as I please.
Everyone one of us come into this world,
As children we say that I want to do as I please.
We all have this essence inside of us,
And it is incredibly hard to break free from it.
We convince ourselves that doing what what we want is freedom,
But the Bible says that is not true freedom.
In fact, the Bible says that is slavery.
The Bible says true freedom is bowing gladly before our sovereign God.
The sovereignty of God is what sweetens the bitterness of the trials we go through in life.
Because God’s sovereignty tells us that God overrules these trials,
And He will bring us home one day.
So, this concept, the sovereignty of God, is both loved and hated.
I might love when God rules over the hardships in my life,
But when He wants to rule over me,
That’s when I have a problem, right?
Why is this?
Slide
Because, as vs. 2 says, all my ways seem right to me.
When evaluating something,
It must be compared against a standard.
If I do not compare my ways against God’s standard,
Then all my ways will seem pure in my own eyes.
Because we all think we are innocent in everything we do.
But do not be so sure.
Slide
Proverbs 30:12 simply says:
There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.
So, what this means is though I may see myself as pure,
Only God can weigh my spirit.
He knows me down to my deepest self.
He knows my innermost motives.
He knows me better than I know myself.
And He will judge my filth.
As humans we have a tendency to deceive ourselves about our own goodness.
If we were judging ourselves,
We would always reach an innocent verdict.
Because we judge ourselves against our own made-up standards.
While we judge others much more harshly than we judge ourselves.
We are masters at justifying and rationalizing our own sin,
So, that we can feel good about ourselves.
We will say things like, “I know I should not have lost my temper,
But what that person did to me was awful.”
Or “I know I have trouble controlling my tongue,
But there is this guy at work who swears like a trucker, and he is always talking about people behind their back,
So, at least I am not that bad!”
Notice how the standard against which we measure ourselves is not God,
But our own made up standards.
The problem is,
God does not use our made up standards,
He measures us against His perfect righteousness.
And we may be able to cover up what is in our heart with other people,
But not with God.
Nothing is hidden from Him.
Slide
**Because God is sovereign,
My responsibility is to trust Him.
This is what vs. 3 implies.
We are to have humble dependence on God.
Really, God’s sovereignty should humble our pride,
So, that our response is to lean on Him, and not ourselves.
Proverbs is not discouraging us from planning,
It is reminding us that the result of our plan belongs to God, not us.
So, that we can never say, “look what I did!”
Rather, we would say, “look what God did!”
When I make plans,
I must make them by a conscious application of God’s Word.
Vs. 3 is the only explicit command in our entire passage this morning.
It is telling us to dedicate our plans to God.
We are responsible to make wise decisions.
We must embrace both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.
There are two wrong assumptions we make.
First, we think that if we truly have free will then God must not be sovereign.
Or we conclude that for God to be supremely sovereign then we are not truly free.
Both assumptions are completely wrong.
The Bible teaches that God is completely sovereign,
And it teaches that we make real choices for which we are accountable.
This does not mean that we make our own plans then ask God to stamp them with His approval.
Rather, we pray ahead of time,
Then allow God’s Word to be the supreme guide to making our plans.
Do not allow fear of the future to paralyze you.
Realize that even if our plans do not work out the way we hope,
God can use whatever happens for His purpose in ways we may never understand.
So, we can live peacefully because God is in control.
If God’s sovereignty makes you uncomfortable,
Then you are misunderstanding the Bible.
God’s sovereignty tells us that God’s got this!
So, because we are not in control of our lives, we do not need to fear as if we are.
WE: God Judges (vs. 4-5)
WE: God Judges (vs. 4-5)
As comforting as God’s control is,
Slide
The fact that God judges, as vs. 4-5 teach, does not always rub us the right way.
The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
God has made all of creation with a purpose.
He will bring everything to His desired end,
Even the wicked, Proverbs says, must stand under God’s sovereignty.
They will face judgment on the day of disaster.
There are no loose ends in God’s world.
God rules over all, even His enemies.
And He uses human rebellion for His good purposes.
Even though this is offensive to some,
This is really good news because it means that not even wickedness escapes God.
Look at Judas for example.
Judas betrayed Jesus.
Jesus said it would have been better for Judas if he had never even been born.
Well, Judas did not have a lot of say in whether or not he was born.
God knit him together in his mother’s womb.
So, God chose this for Judas.
This is complex stuff.
Because no one forced Judas to betray Jesus,
He agreed to it of his own volition.
And he stands responsible for this on judgment day.
He must give an account for his choice.
He was not compelled by another,
And yet, it was God who knit him together,
To work out everything according to His will.
This is a challenging yet beautiful truth of the gospel,
Because on the other end, look at Saul for example.
Saul woke up one morning breathing murderous threats against Jesus and His people,
But went to bed that evening praising Christ for his salvation.
Saul has to give an account for all of his sins against God and His people.
But when he does, the blood of Christ pays for all his sins.
God has done the same for us.
All of us here were once His enemies,
But look at you now!
Jesus calls you friend!
Perhaps not all of you though.
Perhaps you are still an enemy of His.
If so, you need to hear this message of grace.
God has extended His arms to you,
Urging you to be reconciled to Him.
By trusting in Christ.
By following Him and His sovereign power.
So, I plead with you to stop rebelling against Christ,
Stop fighting against Him,
Come to Him and know His forgiveness.
Even though it may look like the wicked prosper at times,
Slide
Vs. 5 assures us that the proud who refuse to submit to God will not go unpunished.
They will not be able to escape God’s judgment.
This is terrifying because we are all sinners,
But it is also comforting because it means God will do something about all the evil and injustice in this world.
Later in this passage, we talk about how God humbles the proud.
Proverbs places pride right up there with some of the worst company.
It is listed as one of the seven deadly sins.
We see here that the consequence of pride is judgment.
God finds it detestable when we have a proud heart.
Any type of arrogance,
Thinking that we are better than others, will not go unpunished.
The good news about this is that it means that evil and suffering will not last forever.
If you feel uncomfortable about the idea of God’s sovereignty,
Ask yourself, do you really want to live in a world where God is not supremely sovereign?
If God is not in control, how can we believe His promises?
If He is not sovereign, how can we be certain that he will put an end to evil and suffering.
Without the sovereignty of God, there is no hope.
GOD: God Saves (vs. 6-9)
GOD: God Saves (vs. 6-9)
But because God is sovereign,
We have hope that He will pour out His wrath on sin,
Slide
Vs. 6-9 teach us that God Saves.
By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
God saves by paying for sin, this is what it means when is says iniquity is atoned for.
God judges evil,
But He is gracious by judging human sin at the cross,
As a means to save those who trust Christ from hell.
All sin is evil, but God graciously turns His wrath away from our sin,
By pouring it out on Christ as a substitute on the cross in our place.
So, vs. 6 teaches that payment for our sin reveals God’s covenantal love toward us.
Steadfast love and faithfulness summarizes the posture of the wise toward God.
This posture represents good works that demonstrate faith.
This phrase is essentially a rebuke against formal religion that lacks genuine faith.
It communicates a sense of loyalty of heart.
Immediately after that, fear of the Lord represents faith,
Faith turns a person away from following evil.
These are the fruits of repentance.
It leads to growth in Christlikeness.
After God saves us by paying for our sins,
He makes us wise by depending on Him.
Slide
Vs. 7 talks about a man’s ways pleasing the Lord.
What ways please the Lord?
Following His law and obeying His Word.
What is the result?
It says after being reconciled to God,
It reconciles you to others.
It heals your personal relationships.
It can even transform your relationships with your enemies.
However, because the world is broken by sin,
2 Tim 3:12 also teaches that righteousness is persecuted.
But in time, Proverbs is teaching that even your enemies will be at peace with you.
Because this is also suggesting victory over our spiritual enemies;
The world, the flesh, and the devil.
How do we have victory over them?
Because Jesus has defeated them by His death and resurrection,
And we get to share in that victory.
You see, God’s sovereignty is good news because by it, He saves us from our sins, makes us wise, and defeats our enemies.
His sovereignty is good news because it means He can take evil and use it for good.
His sovereignty means the suffering in your life is not meaningless,
Nor will it remain forever.
You may not understand how your suffering could ever be a good thing,
But you can trust a sovereign God who is near to you in your suffering.
Who entered into your suffering,
And died in your place.
He has a sovereign reason for why your suffering is happening,
And one day,
He will do away with all evil and suffering forever!
God is certain to make everything work out in the end.
Slide
Then vs. 8 compares righteousness and injustice.
Your choice between these two things reveals where you will spend eternity.
It is using comparison to teach a lesson.
The lesson is that it is better to be poor and righteous,
Than it is to be rich by having gotten your money in a wicked way.
Regardless, Proverbs reminds us that He is working all things together for His good.
Although, there may be times where it seems like evil is winning,
Or things are not working out the way you want.
Even though God may feel distant,
Trust that He is working together His will.
If evil succeeds,
It will only be temporary.
In the end, God will overcome evil.
YOU: God Reigns (vs. 10-15)
YOU: God Reigns (vs. 10-15)
Because as vs. 10-15 show us, God reigns
Slide
An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment. A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it. In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
In this context,
The king’s word was law.
There was a level of finality when the king spoke.
So, the king of God’s people would be wise to seek guidance from God regarding his judgments.
King David was a great example of this.
Described as a man after God’s own heart,
As king, 2 Samuel says that he spoke as a messenger of God.
The author of Proverbs, Solomon,
Similarly asked God for a discerning heart to be able to rule the people.
This wisdom given to kings was a gift from God,
And ultimately it was God’s verdict given through the king.
Because God is sovereign over a king’s heart.
Slide
Proverbs 21:1 adds:
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
This is the same idea we talked about earlier about God being sovereign over our plans,
Now it is just being applied specifically to kings.
Using irrigation imagery to paint the picture.
God’s hand directs the heart of the king like an irrigation system directs water.
Now this is interesting,
We are in the thick of some really deep stuff.
As a sinner, a king would have evil in his heart, flowing out like water.
So, the king’s heart is the source of evil,
And God directs that evil in a certain way,
Like gates in an irrigation system direct water.
This is very difficult to wrap our minds around.
Let me see if I can resolve this difficulty some with the most evil thing that has ever happened in human history,
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The Son of God, perfectly innocent,
Did nothing but love God and love His neighbor,
And He was unjustly tortured and murdered.
What happened to Jesus was absolutely evil.
But what did God have come of Christ’s death?
Your salvation!
So, God is more than capable of using evil to accomplish His good purposes.
The testimony of Joseph in Genesis is another great example of this.
Many years after his brothers sold him into slavery,
He reunited with them,
And said that what they meant for evil, God used for good.
So, think about that,
God intended this evil thing to happen,
He planned it, He worked it out according to His will,
But He used it for good.
God can use evil things to accomplish good.
Despite God’s ability to accomplish good out of evil,
It does not relieve you of your responsibility for your actions.
This Proverb reminds us that ultimately, God causes the king to fulfill His will.
Slide
Vs. 11 is an example of God’s justice that is mediated through the king.
Just scales is advising against unethical business practices.
Weights and measures were generally standardized by a royal authority,
And noted as such with an inscription.
Proverbs 20:23 says that unequal weights are an abomination to God,
And false scares are not good.
Proverbs is not only concerned about this from a wisdom perspective,
But from the law.
Both Leviticus and Deuteronomy forbid using unequal weights and measures.
Dishonest scales became a way to make dishonest gain at the expense of the poor.
They would use heavier counterweights when buying items,
So, they did not have to pay the actual price of something.
Then they would turn around and use lighter weights when selling,
So, others were overpaying for goods.
Therefore, Proverbs says that you must use just and honest scales.
Behind the wisdom of having just scales,
Is the reality that God sovereignly maintains righteous order.
This is why God is concerned with having just scales.
God oversees and is concerned about justice.
He oversees through human kings.
Because human kings held limited sovereignty.
The king had a responsibility to establish order in the land where he would rule.
As a reflection of God’s supreme sovereignty over all of creation.
In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus says the good news is that the kingdom of God is near.
Why is the kingdom of God being near good news?
Because God is a powerful, awesome, and perfectly good king.
Therefore the message about His supreme sovereignty is good news!
What kind of kingdom would this be if the King were not supremely sovereign?
It would be terrifying!
Forces of evil running free unchecked by God’s sovereignty!
Fortunately, as Proverbs teaches us, this is not the case.
Brothers and sisters, I want you to embrace God as king,
That you would live a life of repentance to, and faith in, your King.
Obedience to the King’s commands leads to joyful freedom,
While disobedience leads to slavery.
He is an all-powerful King reigning over the entire universe,
And you must embrace this because this is not gonna change.
But this is good because He is good,
He is loving and all His ways are right.
Slide
Psalm 47:2 says:
For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
Isn’t that incredible?
God is the great King over all the earth!
Slide
Later Psalm 47:7-9, says:
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
How powerful is that?
The princes of earth belong to God.
He is supremely sovereign even over those who have limited sovereignty.
This is why Jesus is called the King of kings and Lord of lords.
As King, God gives many decrees, laws, and plans.
He is not some lazy king.
He is moving and active,
He has plans and He puts His plans into motion.
He is involved in His kingdom.
Slide
Look at Isaiah 14:26-27:
This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
In other words, no one can turn back the plans of God.
Even if you were to assemble all the forces of heaven and earth,
It would still not be enough to turn back God’s hand.
This is the sovereignty of God.
This is His supremacy over all of the universe.
He is high and lifted up far above all created beings!
Why?
Because it shows His greatness over all of us who are below Him.
He sits enthroned over the earth.
Slide
Arthur Pink beautifully wrote:
“Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, He is Lord of heaven and earth. Subject to none, influence by none, absolutely independent; God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him.”
This is God’s sovereignty.
When you read things like this,
It makes you think, “Wow! What a God!”
He is absolutely free to do as He pleases in His universe.
He is the King!
And what is He pleased to do?
He is pleased to do good!
And so, when Jesus began His public ministry,
He said, “Rejoice! for the kingdom of God is near!”
Slide
And His rule would be established through righteousness, as vs. 12 teaches.
Because the throne is established by righteousness, a wise king would find wicked behavior detestable,
He would understand that he gains God’s favor when he rules through righteousness.
A wise king has a sense of consciousness,
And a love for honesty, as we see in vs. 13.
Not only must the king himself be honest.
But a wise king loves those who are honest.
Because dishonest counselors can be disastrous for a king.
Slide
When you have power or authority,
You are tempted to exchange what is right,
For what you delight.
And God describes those who use authority this way as an abomination.
In ancient times, the king essentially held the power of life and death.
Therefore, a king’s fury is characterized as a messenger of death.
And likewise, a wise king would cause his land to flourish,
Like clouds that bring spring rain cause crops to flourish.
This concept can also be applied to people other than kings.
If you possess power of any kind,
Then you have the ability to bring happiness or misery to certain people.
You have the ability to sprout happiness like a spring crop.
And you have the ability to be like a petty tyrant.
WE: God Humbles (vs. 18-20)
WE: God Humbles (vs. 18-20)
But if you are like a petty tyrant,
It is likely because you are proud.
Slide
And vs. 18-20 teach us that God humbles the proud.
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
Both lines of vs. 18 essentially teach the same thing.
When we are proud, we are unteachable.
Therefore, when we are proud, we are headed for destruction.
Pride seems to be described as a special kind of evil in Proverbs.
Because pride directly opposes the first principle of wisdom,
That is, to fear the Lord.
But pride also directly opposes the greatest commandment to love God,
And the second, to love others.
That is why when we are proud we are at odds with God,
With others,
And often even with our own self.
This is the reason it says when we are proud, destruction will come.
Slide
Vs. 19 again uses a comparison to teach a lesson.
This lessons says it is better to remain humble with the poor,
Than it is to find wealth with the proud.
Why? Because the proud are destined for destruction.
So, those who divide the spoil with the proud will likewise be destroyed.
But Scripture teaches that the opposite fate awaits the humble.
The humble receive grace from God,
The humble gain honor.
Therefore, it is better to remain humble with the poor.
Solomon was a blessed man.
He teaches that wealth can be seen positively as a blessing.
However, a full biblical teaching also notes that wealth is a temptation.
The Bible refers to many of the wealthy as evil,
Because many of the wealthy mistreat the poor,
And become arrogant because of their wealth.
Slide
This pride that is associated with wealth is addressed by Jesus in Matthew 6:24, He says:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
When we hoard wealth it indicates a diminished devotion toward God.
It indicates a lack of faith in God’s provision.
In other words, it indicates that we trust our wealth more than we trust God.
So, the poor have a special place in God’s agenda.
Because the humility often associated with poverty enables us to recognize and receive God’s mercy.
This is why the early church was willing to keep all their possessions in common.
When we humbly understand a matter,
We find success.
This happens through humble trust in the Lord.
Understanding a matter implies paying attention to God’s way for us.
In other words,
Trusting in the Lord blesses us,
It makes us happy.
Slide
We could do an entire sermon on pride,
Conclusion:
But we have already ventured through some deep waters together this morning.
We have made our best effort to understand these things.
And we must continue to try and understand God’s sovereignty.
Drink up the depths of God’s sovereignty,
But know that we will never be able to understand it fully.
What we do know is that His sovereign plan is centered on Jesus.
God’s sovereign plan is to exalt Christ and redeem us.
There is no stopping God’s plan,
So do not try to stand against it,
Rather, embrace it!
Repent of your sin, trust in Jesus, and you will be saved.
What we talked about this morning may be scary,
Or you may not agree,
But this truth is a comforting truth.
And that is how we apply the sovereignty of God,
First, by being comforted by it.
Do not be frightened that our world seem as if it is spiraling out of control.
It isn’t.
Do not be anxious,
Do not worry about these things,
God rules over all things.
Yes, there is evil in this world,
But do not be anxious,
God even rules over the evils in this world.
So, be comforted and be encouraged by God’s sovereignty.
Pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
As we face trials in life, trust God.
Trust in what He is doing.
Do not be afraid,
Bring these things to God in prayer.
We cannot fully understand the things happening in this world,
We could try to understand this for the rest of our lives,
And still not be able to figure it out.
But we cannot shrink back from what God says about His sovereignty.
We must believe it.
So, we are all faced with a choice.
We can rebel and fight against God’s sovereignty.
Or we can praise God that we understand why Jesus said the kingdom of God is good news.
We can say that because God is sovereign,
Our responsibility is to trust Him.
This is something we do with gladness.
Because the alternative is some random wicked force running through the universe,
And God has no control over it.
This force could wipe us out,
Wipe out those we love at any moment.
And all God could say is that it wasn’t Him but He couldn’t stop it.
That, to me, is a terrifying thought.
I want to trust a God that is supremely sovereign over all He does,
And I will gladly worship Him!
Pray.