8/14/2016
John Tanner
Our Sovereign God
- Review: Handling Trials God’s way.
- We must EXPECT trials, ACCEPT trials, EMBRACE trials and USE THEM to help others.
- We can accept trials because we know that God is SOVEREIGN , He LOVES us and He is ALWAYS WITH
- By understanding God’s sovereignty, our attitude can be like Job’s: HUMBLE , REPENTANT and UNCOMPLAINING.
- God reveals His character and sovereignty through:
SCRIPTURES and CREATION.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us… He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. [John 1:1-4, 14, 10]
(See also Genesis 1:14-15; Psalm 8:1-4; 19:1-2; 33:6; 147:4)
- God intentionally made the Heavens so that we could see His
GLORY.
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. [Psalm 19:1]
O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! [Ps 8:1]
- Our place in God’s creation is NOT ACCIDENTAL! We are positioned in the perfect spot to have unobstructed views of God’s creation!
- God is sovereign over CREATION , TIME , NATIONS/CULTURES, & INDIVIDUALS .
I declare the end from the beginning and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will. [Isaiah 46:10]
Examples:
- Job is humbled; and the morning stars sing together.
- The nations of Israel, Judah, and Babylonia are judged.
- King Cyrus of Persia is used in God’s sovereign plan.
- God is sovereign over science, man’s discoveries and accomplishments.
- The Wise Men who sought out the Christ Child were…
- The leading “scientists” of their day (astronomers)
- Descendants of the Magi that Daniel saved [Daniel 1-2]
- Familiar with Daniel’s 70-weeks prophesy [Daniel 9], which proclaimed the coming Messiah King
- Eagerly awaiting His arrival
- Star-gazers, tracking the 427-year cycle (with 83-year sub-cycles) of the planet Jupiter—the King’s planet
- Awaiting God’s “right time” to seek the coming King
- Responsive to the glory God displayed in the Heavens
- Our role is to YIELD to God’s sovereign will in our lives.
We are to subordinate OUR WILL to HIS WILL. And when we do, our perspective on our troubles will change!
May God help each of us recognize His sovereignty more completely today!