Introduction: Approach, Definition, Demonstration

Introduction to the Series: The Sovereignty of God

0:01 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up unto a high mountain.

0:09 O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up. Be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.

0:28 Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God. One of the great delights of a servant of God is that he is commissioned by his Lord and authorized by such passages as these in the dispensation of his ministry or in the discharge of that ministry to seek to set before men the character, the nature of the great God revealed in Holy Scripture. And I wish to begin this night a series of studies which I was forced to formulate in terms of a series of studies.

1:08 I was asked to speak at the evening Bible school, family Bible school, held in Montclair, five or six churches cooperating each year for this Bible school, and they assigned my topic. And the preparation was so enriching to my own heart and thinking of this assembly of people and the point at which we are in the progress of seeking to move toward Christian maturity and understanding the truth of God. I believe. And I trust.

1:40 It was the leading of the Lord to determine to bring this series, at least its basic essence, here Sunday nights for some weeks. Our theme is going to be that of taking one of these aspects of the greatness of our God, one of his characteristics, his attributes, and bring it into sharp focus from many sections of the Word of God and then seek to apply it to the practical issues, both of life and death. and then seek to apply it to the practical issues, both of life and death. and of ministry.

Three Essential Attitudes for Approaching God's Sovereignty

2:11 Our theme is going to be the sovereignty of God. Now, as we come to any subject in the Word of God, the things that I'm going to say by way of introduction are always true. But in a very particular way, when we seek to plunge some of the mysteries that surround the Godhead,

2:34 these three attitudes or dispositions of mind and spirit are particularly necessary. For we're coming into the realm of a study which has caused the most sensitive spirit and the most profound mind to bow with awe and wonder, to lay down all the powers of intellect and reason and rationalization and simply bow in loving worship.

3:05 And I trust that God will lead us to that place as our study unfolds from week to week as God is pleased to spare our lives. And bring us together. Now, as we approach this subject of the sovereignty of God, there are three things by way of introduction that I trust will be true of us in our entire study. First of all, we must take the Scripture alone as our guide.

3:34 Isaiah 8 in verse 20 says, To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no law, there is no light in them. To the law, to the testimony, what God has revealed, if they speak not according to this word, it's because there is no light in them.

3:58 We have been thinking Sunday mornings of the Lord Jesus as our prophet. And God says, first of all, in the Old Testament prophecy concerning Christ as the great prophet of his people, and then in its New Testament fulfillment quoted by Peter in Acts 3, that it shall come to pass that whosoever shall not hearken unto him in all that he says, so that as we come to this subject, as with all subjects, we must be willing to walk down any path that is marked out by divine revelation. Now, in some of these paths marked out by divine revelation, there are tremendous obstacles.

4:40 When we look at that path of holiness marked out by divine revelation, we find such statements, as cutting off right hands and plucking out right eyes, denying self, taking up a cross. Those things are not pleasant to the flesh. But the man or woman who is determined to have a holiness that is biblical and scriptural, he seeks under God to walk down that path of Bible holiness, no matter what obstacles stand in his way.

5:08 When we come to other subjects, those paths marked out by divine revelation, there are obstacles and problems. And this will be, nonetheless true or not the lesser true or not less true. That's what I want to say, get my lesser least here. Not less true when we come to this profound subject.

5:28 But we want to walk down any path which divine revelation leads us. We must continually remember that God has already declared in Isaiah 55, 9, that my thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways, for as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my thoughts above your thoughts, and my ways above your ways. And so we must walk down that path which divine revelation leads us.

5:57 Secondly, not only must scripture alone be our guide, but faith must be the climate in which we approach this subject. There are two ways to approach any subject in the scripture. One is to approach it in a cold, calculating, jaundiced eye sort of a way, without any...

6:18 without any disposition of faith. Now if you approach this subject this way, I have a prediction to make without claiming to be a prophet. You'll find this study very, very distasteful. But I have another prediction to make.

6:34 If under God you're unable to approach it in the climate of faith, I believe it can be to some of you like getting saved all over again. For there are few truths in the word of God, which in this way tie together so many other truths. And so as we approach it, we must come in a climate of faith. We are touching issues which transcend the power of human reason to grasp.

7:02 And as one of the old Puritans has stated, and it comes back to me again and again, we may believe where we cannot fathom,

7:11 faith may swim where reason may only wade.

7:17 Faith may swim where reason may only wade. And as we seek to penetrate that veil, that's...

7:26 It surrounds that great mystery who is God. And penetrate it as far as Scripture will lead us. No further. Not seeking to disclose the secret things that belong to God, Deuteronomy 29, 29, but lay hold of the revealed things, all the revealed things, as we enter that burning light that surrounds the throne of our God.

7:50 We must never forget that faith may swim out into the great deeps of divine truth where reason may only wade. And if you'll only go as far in embracing the truth of God as your reason will let you, I pity you. You've got a small God and you'll have a small shriveled up soul. I remember one time witnessing to a Jehovah's Witness, and he got very smart and sarcastic with me.

8:23 He said, now look, here you've got your three headed God, one God in three persons, three God in one. Explain that. He thought he had me hung up and I turned and said, my friend, I'm glad I can't explain. I'm glad I can, but I have a God so great that I can't compress him into my little teacup mind any more than I can go down to the shore some weekend and come back with the Atlantic Ocean in the trunk of my car.

8:51 I might as well try to compress the great mysteries of the Godhead into my little mind. And I said to this man, sir, where my mind cannot comprehend, I come up to a veil where my reason finds it. Impossible. To enter, but my spirit may penetrate that veil and prostrate itself before God in worship.

9:13 One of the great burdens of the late Dr. Tozer's heart was to restore to the Church of Jesus Christ, the concept of God, which would leave the people of God glad to confess that reason only could wade in these great mysteries of faith could swim and feed upon the revelation of God. And so faith must be the climate in which, we approach this, as with the great mystery of the Trinity, one God in three persons, three persons in unity. So here there is that veil.

9:48 There is that veil.

The Challenge of Human Pride and the Need for Faith

9:51 And then not only is there that veil, which makes it necessary that we come in a climate of faith. There is a natural disposition of the human heart when it comes to this subject that would make us want to reject it because it cuts the last nerve of human pride to be brought to the place where I realize that. Everything in God's world is under God's control. Everything is to leave me in one of two positions either rising up in the creature pride of my heart and cursing the God like that or falling down at his feet in broken submission

10:33 and worship. You read in our Lord's day when he sought to spell out this truth of the absolute sovereignty of himself and of his father that it had this precise reaction with some.

10:49 John chapter 6 verses 63 to 66. We read of that reaction when our Lord told the Pharisees of his day that the man cannot come to me except it were given him of my father. It says when his disciples heard this many went back and walked with him no more because this was to cut the nerve of human pride to acknowledge and utter dependence upon the will of God even to be savingly drawn to Christ and this they could not take.

11:21 May I say? By way of testimony.

11:25 I said is my goal. You didn't know this many of you but I trust you have experienced at least some measure of the fruit of it. I said is my goal even before God called me to this pastor it but especially when I thought of coming into a pastor at where I would attempt to preach through regular sections of the word of God and where I determined to read through whole books like we're doing Sunday morning. I said Lord as I seek to crystallize in my own mind what you've said about these issues of your sovereignty of man's responsibility all of these things Lord let me never adopt a theological position that will make me embarrassed to turn up any page of the Bible

12:08 and preach it now. Let me give you that again Lord. Let me never adopt any position on any truth that will make me embarrassed to turn up any page of the Bible and to preach it in all of its fools. Well, you know what happened is I would have my devotions and seek to regularly read through the New Testament and sections of the old as well.

12:31 I would turn up sections like John chapter 17 and I would read words like this.

12:38 Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said I thank thee Father. I was given the authority over all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many as thou has given nice to bother that sounds like the father gave some people to the son. He said I don't pray for the world, but I pray for these. It seemed like our Lord was particular in his love and in his working of salvation and I used to get over that father.

13:10 Then I'd come to a section like Romans chapter 9 where God says who are thou old man that replies to against God shall the thing form say to the thing that formed it. Why has thou made me thus hath not God the right out of the same lump of clay to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and whom I will I heart and I used to hope almost the phone would ring or something would happen get through that passage, but I knew they were there and then this lifetime ambition Lord. What am I going to do if I'm preaching through the Gospel of John and I come to chapter 17.

13:48 I can't suddenly come down with the virus and call somebody else in to preach on it and then take up the chapter 18. It bothered me. I prayed over those passages and I asked God. For light, but you know what?

14:03 My problem was I was trying to approach this matter not in a climate of faith, but in a climate of rationalizing and reason and trying to trace out the ways of God to the satisfaction of my little pea brain.

14:21 I marvel that God didn't chastise me. I had enough sense not to attack it from the pulpit because I knew it was in the Bible, but in my heart there was a war until God by his spirit was pleased to show me that. Faith may swim where reason may only wait and my reason hasn't gone any deeper, but my faith is swimming in waters that up till a year or two ago were utter, utter strange waters to me, but they're blessed waters and I want you to come and swim with me, but it's got to be in the climate of faith.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit for Divine Revelation

15:02 So we approach the subject scripture alone our guide faith as the climate in which we study and then the third thing that's absolutely necessary. Dependence upon the Holy Spirit must be our posture. The posture of the soul must be one of utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit to teach. We return for a moment to Matthew chapter 11 Matthew chapter 11 verse

15:38 25 to 27 Matthew 11 25 at that time. Jesus answered and said, I thank the old father Lord of Heaven and Earth. Because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and has to reveal them past reveal them on to be even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the

16:18 son, but the father neither knoweth any man the father save the son and he to whomsoever the son will. Reveal him then that familiar passage in Matthew 16 Simon whom the men say that I am well John the Baptist one of the prophets, but whom do you say that I am our to Christ the son of the living God Simon son of Jonah flesh and blood have not revealed this unto thee but my father who's in heaven all that God would return to his church this simple yet.

17:01 Basic Christian truth that divine truth is only understood by divine revelation and that divine revelation comes by the spirit first Corinthians 2 and verse 12. Now we have received if we are Christians not the spirit that is of the world but the spirit which is of God for what purpose that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God the spirits been giving among other reasons that he might bring us into an inheritance and an understanding of that which is our possession one of the greatest of those possessions is to know the God of the Bible in truth for this is life eternal

17:43 that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ who now said this is why Paul prayed as he did in Ephesians 1 in verse 17 as he thought of those Ephesian believers those who are indwelt and sealed by the spirit unto the day of redemption he prayed that God would grant to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation God give them a copious measure of the spirit that will lead them into an understanding of truth and so as we approach this subject scripture our guy willing to walk down any path marked out by divine revelation faith the climate in which we're going to move dependence upon the Holy Spirit the

18:27 posture of our hearts and if that is the posture of our hearts then we'll cry out as David did in Psalm 119 in verse 18 open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy love so may God help us as we approach the subject even though I'll not be preaching these three points each night maybe ought to do it for a month and it would seek in sink in scripture our guy faith the climate dependence upon the Holy Spirit the posture of our hearts all right then with this introduction behind us let us begin tonight at least

Defining the Sovereignty of God

19:06 to attempt to define what we mean when we say the sovereignty of God and then secondly begin to demonstrate at least in a genuine general way this doctrine from the Word of God now when I announced about 15 minutes ago that I was going to bring a series of messages on the sovereignty of God what in the world am I talking about well it's a subject that is vast comprehensive one that perhaps we could define with some exactness if we were to use technical long involved definitions but basically it's simply taking those

19:48 passages from the scripture which assert in no uncertain terms the God who the God that he is the God who rules and reigns in the world that he's made and the world which he now governs someone has aptly said this subject is a vast subject and he embraces everything that comes into the picture of God as Lord and King in his world the one who works all things after the counsel of his own will directing every process in ordering every event for the fulfilling of his own eternal plan

20:27 now that's what we're going to study those aspects of the word of God which teach this everything that comes into the picture of God and God's will and the word of God is the word of God which teach this everything that comes into the picture of God is a of God as Lord and King in his world, the one who works all things after the counsel of his own will, directing every process and ordering every event for the fulfilling of his own eternal plan. Ah, but someone says, Pastor, I've been reading my Bible for 10, 15, 20 years. I've never found the term the sovereignty of God in the English Bible. Have you ever found the term Trinity?

21:09 I don't think so. Do you worship God as Father, Son, and Spirit? Oh, you say, yes. Do you worship the one God, unity and Trinity, Trinity and unity?

21:21 Yes. Why? Well, you say, that's the key that unlocks the whole concept of the nature of God. He's Father, Son, and Spirit, and my whole Bible tells me that in the same way.

21:32 Though the phrase, the sovereignty of God, is not found in the Scriptures, that concept is found from Genesis to Revelation. And it is what I would call the very backbone of divine revelation. And a failure to grasp this is like trying to walk without a backbone. Everything just hangs every which way.

21:55 But it's when this truth begins to be understood by the revelation of the Spirit that all the other bones and flesh of divine revelation come together into a harmonious unit like the human body built upon the basic structure of the backbone. The backbone becomes a beautiful and useful thing. Without that backbone, it becomes a mass of a limp flesh and disjointed bone. And I must confess that for years, my understanding of the Scripture, though it was sufficient in God's grace for my need then, as I look back now, I can see that so much of it was just that, disjointed flesh and bone.

22:39 And perhaps ten years, I'll look back and say that of my understanding now. I hope I will. But this has helped at least to begin to put a backbone into my understanding of the framework of the truth of God. Now there are several ways to consider the sovereignty of God as we seek to define it.

22:57 The sovereignty of God can be considered from the perspective of God's plan and God's purpose. What God purposed and God planned. And if so, then we would come into a discussion of what the theologians call the purpose of God. The decrees of God.

23:24 What God purposed and planned in eternity. These things are God's decrees. Or we can study the sovereignty of God, not so much in plan and purpose, but in execution and fulfillment. Then we move into the realm of the two areas where we're going to study it primarily, the matter of creation.

23:57 What God made. And the decrees of God. And providence. Over that which he made.

24:02 And I believe we've had a good introduction to this through our catechetical instruction. And I believe this has perhaps laid somewhat of a foundation for our study now. So we're not going to deal with this area of study, the sovereignty of God in plan and purpose. We will touch on that perhaps two or three weeks from now in one aspect of it.

24:20 But primarily we're going to focus here upon the sovereignty of God in the execution and fulfillment of his plan and purpose. And that will bring us into the realm of creation. Of creation and providence. Not what God purposed in the secrets of his heart in eternity, but what God is executing before our eyes in the pages of the book of God and in our own lives.

24:41 This I believe will be far more edifying and to our profit. All you young theologues, you can debate this, infra, supra, and all the rest, but be clear on this. And when you go out to preach, don't try to do too much here with the folk in the pew. You'll put them to sleep.

24:59 But try to help them here. And you'll give them solid substance of truth that will be to their edification. Now so much about the definition and our approach to the subject of the sovereignty of God. Now let's tonight in just a general way attempt to define, I mean to demonstrate this doctrine from the word of God.

Right and Wrong Ways of Proof Text Teaching

25:22 We want to walk down any pathway marked out by divine revelation. Now since we are not studying one given passage. Or one book, such as we did this morning, took three verses of the word and saw just what it said and let the message emerge from it. We're taking a subject and we're going to bring many verses to bear upon that subject.

25:43 And I want to say, by way of introduction, that there is a right and a wrong way of proof text teaching. Now you know what I mean by proof text teaching? Where you make a statement and you say, look up John such or Acts such. Now there's a right way and a wrong way of proof text teaching.

25:57 If you're anywhere taking notes, we have proof text teaching. We had first of all an introduction, then we had a definition of the sovereignty of God. Now we're coming to the doctrine demonstrated from the Scripture. A, ways of proof text teaching.

26:12 Number one, wrong way. Especially done or done with great effect and devastating destruction by the cult. Here a man stands in his depraved reason. The mind of natural man is darkened.

26:33 God says the thoughts of man are foolishness. They're vanity. It seemed like for two days in a row when I opened up my Bible to turn to my place for my devotional reading, it fell open to that place where it says, thou knowest the thoughts of man that they are vanity. And God just seemed to be burning that thing into my heart.

26:49 Whenever I think is a man, it's hot air. That's what vanity means. A thing of nothing, a puff of smoke. And so man whose thoughts are vanity, he's going to decide what God's like, what Christ is like.

27:03 And he says, whatever's true, Jesus Christ can't be eternal God. Since there is Jehovah who's eternal, you can't have another Jehovah because two or three can't be one and one can't be three. And because I've decided it can't be so, whatever the Bible says, it can't say that. So here's what they do.

27:23 Out of the stuff of their own depraved, fallen, darkened reason, they come up with a proposition. Here it is. And they spell it out. Jesus Christ.

27:33 According to the Jehovah's Witness, was created way, way back before the world was created. But he was a created being. There was a time when the Word was not. You see?

27:44 He's sort of a God, but he is not eternally one with the Father, equal to the Father as touching his Godhood. A Jehovah's Witness will never say that. But now if you're going to spawn this thing on the religious crowd, you've got to come with a barrage of Bible verses. So what do they do?

28:00 With this proposition, which is rooted in depraved reason. They're going to come up with this proposition. To the great reason, under the direction of the devil, they come to the Bible. And rather than coming to the Bible, and letting the whole drift of Biblical teaching make their proposition.

28:17 They've already got their proposition, rooted in their own minds, and now they come to the Bible and take a text here out of context, out of harmony with the whole entire revelation. And they find another text over here and another text over here. And when they come to your door, and they turn those machine guns of text on you and that, that, that, that, that, that, that. And give you those twenty words.

28:36 20 texts, it shakes some of you, and be honest, it does. Because you can't quote 20 texts with equal authority that prove the true Christian position. Now that's the wrong way of proof text teaching. Some people do this with the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. The minute you begin

28:58 to declare God is sovereign in creation, in providence, or in grace, and it's especially when you teach the Bible proof that God is sovereign in grace, in saving men, immediately they'll quote a little phrase. Well, but the Bible says whosoever will. I know it does, and that doesn't contradict one bit God's sovereignty in grace. But a person who's determined that whatever the Bible teaches, it can't teach that, they're going to run for every little text, see, to try to support the preconceived notion of their own mind. Now that's the wrong way of proof text teaching.

29:31 Now what's the right way? By the help of God, we want to do this. What's the right way? Well, the right way is this. I stand here. In fact, let's get the man kneeling.

29:44 That's better. That's the posture of dependence upon the Holy Spirit. I come saying, oh God, I'm just a creature. Your thoughts are not my thoughts. I'm a dark and depraved sinner,

30:02 and even though I'm regenerated by the Spirit, Lord, at best my thoughts are not your thoughts, and yours are not mine. Lord, I don't come as the judge of the Bible. I come as its student. I don't come as the judge of the Bible. I come as its student. I don't come as the judge of the Bible.

30:14 I don't come to criticize your revelation. I come to embrace it in faith. So this person comes to the Bible. Now how does he come? He doesn't come with his propositions already proven.

30:27 He comes wanting this book in the whole drift of its teaching to give him his propositions. So he opens up his Bible and he reads, in the beginning, God. He says, wait a minute, whatever this book says, it's going to tell me something about God and what He is. He is doing in the world that He made. And then as he reads through, as I did recently when I had

30:53 that bad leg and read through the book of Genesis in a couple of days, I was astounded to see things that I'd never seen before, of again and again, why, what is that book of Genesis and Exodus, but the unfolding of this God who in the beginning created and is now working to recreate a great multitude of redeemed sinners for His own. All that He was doing was more than just doing. He was doing all that He was doing. He was doing all that He was doing. He was doing all that He was doing.

31:18 Also, He was doing that He would give everything for the Father God is giving his bread to the treasure of the Father God, just as He did with the Lord God in the beginning, but He got over all that and said, look, that in the beginning is not going to give me a kind of food. That He's going to give me bread forever, and that He's going to come to my temple.. Just a through.

31:57 Junk all his watchtower materials, get down on his knees and say, Oh God, send your spirit to illuminate me and begin to read his Bible. If God was pleased to give him light, he'd see the divinity of Christ and the trinity of God on every page of the Bible.

32:15 Because all of God's believing people through the centuries have seen that. So he comes to the Bible and out of that general drift of revelation, there come the propositions. Now, here's the proposition, and now the Christian, that thing reeled to his heart by the teaching of the spirit, he wants to teach it to others. Now, what can he do?

32:37 Well, he can start in Genesis chapter 1, and he can try to go through the whole Bible and give every passage and every instance that demonstrates this, or he can try to find particular, which are little nutshell summaries of what the whole Bible teaches in an expanded way. So what does he do? He says, here's a proposition, God is sovereign.

33:04 Here's a text that wonderfully summarizes it. Here's a passage that summarizes it. Here's a circumstance that illustrates it. And his proof text are simply little capsule summaries of the whole drift of biblical revelation, not mere twisting of verses to satisfy a proposition that has its root.

33:27 in his own mind. And so as we approach this subject and will be using proof texts, I trust God will help us to use them the right way. 2 Peter 3, 15 and 16 tells us about people who use proof texts the wrong way. Notice 2 Peter 3, verses 15 and 16. And account that the long

33:55 suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul. Isn't that grace? The same Paul that came down and told Peter off in front of all that crowd of Galatia. He says, that's my beloved brother. I hope you say that about me when we've had to tell you off in the scriptural sense.

34:18 Remember, the man who loves you most is the man who tells you the most truth about yourself. And Peter recognized that. He said, boy, when Paul put me in my place, he did it because he loved me, loved the truth of God. So he calls it the truth of God. And he says, I love you. I love you. I love

34:28 you. I love you. I love you. And he calls him his beloved brother. And he said, according to the

34:31 wisdom given unto you, hath written unto you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which some of the things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest. And that word rest means they put it on a rack and they twist it out of its normal shape. They rest as they do the other scriptures unto what? Unto their own destructions, on their own destruction. In other words, they take a text and wrenching it away

35:06 from the analogy of faith, wrenching it away from the whole drift of biblical revelation, they twist it and squeeze it and mold it until it fits this presupposition of their own minds. God says they do it to their own destruction. Oh, may God deliver us from that, from taking his word and resting it. That's the wrong way to use a proof text.

Old Testament Demonstrations of God's Absolute Sovereignty

35:30 Now, with that little introduction on how to use proof text, as we seek to demonstrate this doctrine from the word, let us tonight just simply try to apply this principle and take several general assertions of the absolute sovereignty of God. Here's the doctrine demonstrated from the scripture. How we're going to do it, proof text, wrong way, right way, be some general assertions of the absolute sovereignty of God. Absolute sovereignty of God, first of all from the Old Testament and then several from the New

36:10 Testament. Now, there are dozens of verses we could quote, but what we're trying to do now is find those few that give us in capsule form what the whole Bible teaches on the subject. In the Old Testament, three passages, the first one in the book of the Psalms. Psalm 115, and we shall look at the context.

36:34 All proof text teaching that is valid will never be afraid to read the verses before, the verses after, and compare one verse with another. This, again, is the great weakness of the cultist. He'll take a phrase out of a half a verse and never read what precedes or what follows. Psalm 115.

36:57 Notice the general theme of this Psalm, and I believe it will help us in our understanding of the key text. Verse 1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the

37:24 heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands, mouths, but they speak not, eyes they have, but they see not, ears they have not, and they hear not, noses and smell not, hands, etc. Then he comes to the climax in verse 8. They that

37:44 make them are like unto them, so is everyone that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. You see what he's doing? The heathen are coming to God's people and saying, Where is your God? Point him out to us. Here are our gods. We can't see your God. We can see ours. He said,

38:04 Ah, yes, you can see your God, but because you can see him, you can also handle him. You can make him. You can make them. Eyes, but they see not, ears, but they hear not. But he says, Our God is the

38:15 great unseen God, who is spirit, who dwells in light unapproachable. And as he seeks to bring into focus the most outstanding attribute of God in contrast with the gods of the heathen, what attribute of God does he bring into focus? Notice verse 3. Our God is in the heavens. He

38:35 hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. He sets forth as the great contrast between the true God and the false gods the absolute sovereignty of Jehovah. He hath done in every realm whatsoever he hath pleased. One of the key texts which in a wonderful way summarizes what we're taught from Genesis to Revelation. Now to the book of Isaiah

39:05 for a moment, please. Chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40.

39:20 Isaiah chapter, I'm sorry, 46. My zero, six looked like a zero with a little tail on it, but it's Isaiah 46 that I want. Beginning with verse 5. To whom will you liken me and make we equal and compare me that we may be like? God is speaking through the prophet and then he makes a

39:43 contrast. They, those who have other gods, lavish gold out of the bag and weigh silver in the balance. They hire a goldsmith and he make it a god. They fall down and they worship. They carry

39:54 it on their shoulders and they make it a god. They make it a god. They make it a god. They make it a builder. They put him in his place. He stands, shall not remove. But he can't answer them in

40:01 trouble. He can't hear them. And so God says, oh, remember this, the folly of this kind of God. And some of the Israelites had gone a whoring after their heathen, the heathen deities in the areas around them. And now God is going to contrast himself again with the heathen deities.

40:17 Verse 9. Remember the former things of old, for I am God. There is none else. I am God, there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, my foreknowledge shall stand. No, my counsel. Why can God declare

40:43 the end from the beginning? Not because he sits back passively with folding hands to see how things are going to work out. No, no. He says, I declare the end from the beginning. Why? For my

40:55 counsel. My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. See it? That's the God, the true and the living God. The God who's able to declare the end from the beginning. Not because he set the

41:12 thing in motion, backed off and put his hands behind his back and said, now I dare not interfere and in any way manipulate with the hearts and minds of men. For this would be beneath the dignity of that creature. Even though he's a rebel sinner, has defied me. Even though he spurned my God.

41:28 Grace and, and rejected my authority. I dare not in any way impinge or infringe that freedom in any way. So God, poor God, the picture that's painted in our day stands back, hands behind his back and looks to see how man will work things out. And then God puts his okay on it. That's a caricature,

41:50 beloved. That's not the God of the Bible. This is the great God of the Bible who declares ancient things that are not yet done. I'm saying my counsel shall stand. I will do all my pleasure. And then he gives an illustration in

42:09 verse 11, calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed my counsel. He's talking of a heathen king whom he calls a ravenous bird that is under the control of God. Yeah, I've spoken it. I will bring it to pass. I have purposed it.

42:30 I will do it. That's the God of the Bible, God of absolute and unshakable sovereignty. And then one more key passage in the Old Testament, perhaps the greatest in this area, because it takes us into several realms. Daniel chapter four, Daniel chapter four. I trust this is not wearisome to any.

43:02 If it is, it's going to be a rough night for you, because this is wonderful. Someone said it gets gooder and gooder. The second time I've gone over this material and I thought I just about squeezed as much blessing from my own soul out of it when I gave this about a week ago. But if nobody else is getting blessed, I'm fed. The Lord is

43:27 feeding my own soul upon his truth. Daniel chapter four. Let's get the setting of the passage. Nebuchadnezzar, this great and powerful king of Babylon who thought that he came to the kingdom on the steam of his own nobility, militarily and otherwise.

43:45 God said, Now, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, I want to teach you a few lessons. I want to teach you something that the only reason you're there at the head of Babylon is because I give the kingdom to whomever I will to give it. God wanted to teach this lesson to this man, Nebuchadnezzar. And we read about that earlier in the book. I'm trying to find the exact reference here. Yes, God is saying to him,

44:12 all right, Nebuchadnezzar, I'm going to make you like a beast of the field for a while to teach you a lesson. Daniel chapter 4, notice verse 16 and 17. Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass over him. For seven years let him be in this condition. This matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand by the word

44:34 of the holy ones to the intent, here's the purpose, that the living, these heathen people, may know that the most high ruleth, present tense, in the kingdom of men, and giveth, it, even heathen kingdoms, to whomsoever he will. He said, now this is the lesson. I want the people of Babylon to know that they are not the great rulers they are, simply because of their military acumen and all the rest. He said, I want them to know that they're fulfilling my purpose. So

45:07 Nebuchadnezzar is put into this state of being an animal like a beast, and the time passes, and notice the confession of this man when that time is done, later on in the chapter, down in verse 35. We go back up to verse 34, and at the end of the days, those days when it says he had hairs like eagles feathers, his nails as long as birds claws. Imagine a king from all the regal splendor of the court to some kind of a half-beast that would have given good support to some of the theories regarding cavemen. That's probably what he looked like. And

45:51 at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, verse 34, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and my understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion, whose rule, whose reign, whose sovereignty is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom is from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. And he doeth according to his will, in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him,

46:30 What doest thou? There are times when as a father, as a parent, my child purposes to do something. Little Beth, she was awfully slow learning that she was not to take that little centerpiece off the round coffee table over there in the parsonage. And Joel and Heidi learned a bit more quickly, but Beth, it seemed like six slaps on the hand didn't do any good, but one little tap on her bottom worked well. Why? I don't know. Perhaps if we have a psychologist in the crowd, you can

46:58 explain that. You strike her hand hard, and she'll just look at you and grin, but just tap her real easy there, and it got the job done. But you see, in her youthfulness, in her childishness, in her infant desires, she wants that little thing, but when she reaches out her hand, I have a perfect right, and I have all the power necessary to lay my hand on hers and pull it back and say, No, Beth, you're not to do that. Now, when God stretches out his hand to do something that is an execution of his divine and eternal decree and purpose, who is there that's going to put his hand on God's? Now, wait a minute, God, you can't do that. Nebuchadnezzar

47:40 said there's not a one. He doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and earth, and none can stay his hand and say unto him, What doest thou? Nebuchadnezzar came to recognize the truth that many professing Christians hate with a lot of love. The perfect hatred that God is absolute sovereign in his word above, here, and beneath.

New Testament Demonstrations of God's Absolute Sovereignty

48:10 Those are three general assertions from the Old Testament. Now, briefly, in closing, we'll have time for just two general assertions from the New Testament, which, again, are wonderful summaries of the entire fabric of divine truth on this matter. First of all, the book of Ephesians chapter 1.

48:38 As I've been praying about where to settle for our regular exposition during the coming months through the winter, if I were to say anything now, I'd say I believe perhaps the first, at least the first two chapters of Ephesians may be the source of our detailed study. And this was one of the chapters that used to bother me, because three or four times, as Paul unfolds in this, which is the longest sentence in the, probably in all of Paul's letters, it goes from verse 3 to verse 14. As he unfolds the process of redemption, again and again, he traces it back in its end to the

49:19 glory of God, and in its source to the good pleasure of God's will. Notice verse 5, last phrase, according to the good pleasure of his will. Verse 9, the latter part, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. And then we come to the climactic state, in verse 11, in whom we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh, now get this, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. How many things is God working after the counsel of his own will? All things. Well, what

50:04 are the all things? In its context, he's talking about salvation. In Daniel, some of the all things are the movement of God. In Daniel, some of the all things are the movement of God. In Daniel,

50:14 some of the all things are the movements of men and nations, the armies of heaven and earth. But in its context, he's talking about these Ephesians and why they were saved by Jesus Christ. And he traces it back as far as the Bible marks out the path, the counsel of God's will. Well, someone says, well, what's behind that? Why did he will this way or that way? And at that point, he must

50:41 say, the secret things belong unto God, but the things that are revealed belong unto us, and to our children. And so in this text, we read that God worketh all things. Now, we Christians love the all things of Romans 8, 28, don't we? First thing that happens when you get a flat tire on your way to church, at least I hope the first thing that happens is, look over to your wife and say, what did you leave those nails in the garage floor for? No. You remember, all things are working

51:13 together for good. Lord, I don't know what your purpose is in this, but you've got some purpose. See? All things. Just a blank, like X in geometry, not geometry, X in algebra. You know, the X

51:28 can be anything that the formula necessitates. So God has said, all things, all things. Same phrase here. All things work together for good in the life of the Christian, only because there's a God who is in control of all things to make them work together for our good. And yet so many would take

51:52 comfort from the all things that don't stop and realize, how can I be assured that all things work together for my good unless there's the God who's in control of the all things? If the devil can cross God up and catch him unawares, I'm in bad shape, and so are you. But if I've got a God who's even in control of the devil, and in the strict sense, he's God's devil, he's God's devil, he had to ask permission from God to touch Job. And God says, you go that far and no further. Right? And

52:24 he came back again. God said, you can go a little further, but no further. Now God's not responsible for his rebellion, the devil, nor any of his wickedness, any more than he was responsible for all the terrible, dastardly deeds that accompanied the crucifixion of our Lord. But Peter was not the least bit embarrassed to say to the Jews who crucified Christ in Acts 2.23, he was delivered

52:48 up, Christ, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. And you have taken him by wicked hands and have crucified and slain him. But he said, in all of your dastardly deeds, you were but servants to accomplish the purpose of the most high God. You say, I can't understand that. I can't reconcile it. Who asked you to?

53:08 God just told you, believe. Peter just stated it. Where are we? In the realm of rationalizing or in the climate of faith? Can you believe where you can't understand? Will you let faith swim where

53:24 reason can only wade? He worketh all things after the counsel of his will. One last text, and then we close tonight. Romans chapter 11. And this is particularly forceful because it comes at the conclusion of

53:42 the richest doctrinal section, perhaps in the entire word of God, as far as its systematic dealing with doctrine. Paul has laid out by the inspiration of the Spirit man's universal need of grace, Romans 1 to 3. God's provision in grace, the latter part of chapter 3 through chapter 8, both for justification. And then he deals with the mysterious dispensations of grace, that the Jews, who were the main channel of grace to the world, have now been set aside, and the Gentiles are that channel. And he deals

54:24 with these impenetrable mysteries of God's electing grace. Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated. Who art thou that replyest against God? Those chapters that we must approach, not with the cold, hard, incisive reasoning of an unbelieving man who wants to squeeze God into his mold, but with that tender, teachable spirit of a little child. And when he comes to the end

54:51 of all that, what does he say? Notice this wonderful peon of praise beginning in chapter, verse 33 of chapter 11. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out or tracing out. In other

55:16 words, Paul said you come to a place where you can't trace the ways of God back any further than he allows us. We come to that veil where the human mind must stop. This is what Paul is declaring, and he's doing it with joy. That's what I want us to catch as we study this thing. That this is not something we grudgingly give up and say, well, I guess

55:37 I can't reason it, so I'll just sort of give up. No, no. Paul's delighting in this. He says, oh, the depth. He says, I delight that I've come to that veil. I've faced waters where reason can

55:49 no longer wade, but faith can swim. He's not begrudgingly saying this. This is a peon of praise. How unsearchable are his judgments, for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor? You see, when someone comes to a pastor for counsel, if they're really coming

56:08 for counsel, not as I've said before, for confirmation of their own notions. Sometimes people come for confirmation of their own notions. They've got a carnal itch to do something, and they want to sort of sprinkle the holy water of a preacher's opinion on it, so that'll sanctify it, and they come with their notions. But when someone comes for counsel, what they're saying is, look, here's a problem personally, or in my life, or family, or situation, and I don't see the thing in the right light, and know the passages of the word and principles that'll tell me what to do, so I come. Perhaps you can be God's instrument to point out what the word says on

56:43 this. Now, when did God ever have to go and ask a counselor and say, wait a minute, look, the devil and sin have entered the world, and I just don't know quite how to handle all this. Where did God ever have to go for counsel? See how ridiculous it is? This is what Paul is asking. When did God

57:00 have to go to anybody for counsel? Who has been God's counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be reconfenced unto him again? Is there anybody that can claim, well, I took the initiative and gave God something, so he owes me something? No. The very breath I breathe, even if I breathed it in hell, was the gift of God. I have

57:25 nothing but what I've received. Isn't that what the scripture says? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Light, breath, your very existence. So who at first, who took the initiative and gave

57:36 something to God, and now can stand back and say, God, since I gave you that, you owe me this? Why, it's ridiculous. Paul is so in the ridiculousness of this. And then he comes to his climax. Notice it now. For of him, through him,

57:54 and unto him, all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. And oh, dear ones, with all my heart, I long that God will band together an assembly of people who, from the depths of their hearts, can say as they pause before that veil where reason and understanding,

58:19 understanding cannot penetrate, but through which a spirit taught of God may enter, that the result of our study will be precisely this, that we shall fall down before our God, saying, oh, the depths, both of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his ways, of him, through him, unto him, of him, in accordance with his eternal purpose, his decree, his decree, his decree, his decree. Through him, by his creation and providence, and unto him, in ultimate glory, are all things to whom be glory forever and forever. Amen.

59:04 And in this sense, all that transpires, even the ultimate judgment of the wicked, as well as the glorification of the saints, will fall out to the glory and praise of God. For God has chosen a course for him. A mystery that will bring to himself the most glory. If you don't believe that's true, you read of the saints in the book of the Revelation who are not only rejoicing that they're cleansed and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, but they worship God as they see the smoke ascending from the pit of hell.

59:46 And they say, as we read in verse 19, true, chapter 19 in verse 2 of the book of the Revelation, Alleluia, verse 1, Glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God, for true and righteous are his judgments. For he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And they said, Alleluia, and her smoke rose up forever and ever. There's the picture of redeemed saints glorifying God, not only for salvation, but for his righteous judgment upon the wicked.

60:24 Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Worshiping God in His Unsearchable Judgments

60:25 Amen. Amen. Amen. If you've got a God who's so merciful that you can't worship him for his judgment, you've got a God that you've conceived out of the stuff of your own depraved mind,

60:37 he's not the God of the Bible.

60:41 And that sounds like strange language in our day, doesn't it? For we've fashioned a God according to our own notions.

60:50 And before that God we worship, and in reality we're worshiping ourselves. But this great God, who's glorified and magnified, even in allowing the course of sin to come to those great, climactic events of the end time with the antichrist and the great multitudes that will follow him and be cut off from the judgment of god the saints in heaven who see god no longer through a glass darkly but face to face are just as free to praise him for the revelation of his mercy for his judgment as well as the revelation of his mercy and to the extent that we are able

Concluding Exhortation and Prayer

61:30 to enter into that spirit now we know our god as he would have us know him so we have in these two portions ephesians 1 11 and romans chapter 11 verses 33 to 36 two statements which in a wonderful way summarize the whole sweeping breadth of the biblical teaching the lord willing next week we'll start in with the specific areas of god's sovereignty creation providence and grace now will you pray you that god would enable you to walk down any path which his word leads you

62:08 pray for strong faith to swim where reason may only wade pray that you'll have the posture of utter dependence upon the holy spirit and then i assure you dear ones i think those who've been here long enough know this that if you have problems that are not the result of a proud heart that stands off trying to judge god i will never discuss this subject in an argumentative way the minute i sense it's in that climate i won't discuss it the other day several folk at the home who wanted to talk about this subject and the minute i sensed there was any kind of a heated spirit i said no we're dealing with god let's stop unless we can discuss it in a climate lord what have you

62:52 revealed so if you have real honest questions i'll be glad to talk with you but i'm so convinced this truth is taught in the word one of the men came about a year ago he said pastor i got some problems with god's sovereignty i said to him calling by name i said look i believe you know what it is to get on your knees and open the bible and ask god to teach you and i'm so convinced this is taught in the word i'm not even going to discuss it with you i said let's let's declare a moratorium on discussion and you just pray and read the bible for the next two or three months and pray that if this truth is there god will teach it to you all right i've never had to sit down and discuss the subject with him he at his own accord told me said the lord's cleared up my

63:32 question he's taught me he's taught me may god grant that that'll be the discussion of heart that each one of us by his grace will take before him for as the study unfolds we're going to see that this is not just theoretical abstract theology this will have such practical bearings right down to matters like how you pray for your children how you witness to your neighbor all of these areas will be touched by your view of god as the sovereign in the world that he has made let us bow together in god when you're pleased to pull back

64:14 the veil of light that surrounds your holy throne blessing and glory and on unto you are all things to whom big glory oh teach us to ship where we cannot understand leave where we cannot fathom

64:45 make us teachable give us faith divine revel it's tonight before the god whom they've heard about tonight and that the destiny of their soul will then be in his hands oh may they seek his

65:25 mercy may we as your people learn to worship father we feel that even words attempting to convey the great truths of who you are