What is God Like? – Part 5
“When people are getting sleepy, if you want to arouse and wake them up thoroughly, preach the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty to them; for that will do it right speedily.” C. H. Spurgeon
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines sovereign as: “Supreme in power; possessing supreme dominion; as a sovereign ruler of the universe.” Concerning the ruler of the universe, the Psalmist gives us these words:
“The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19). “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases him.” (Psalm 115:3). “I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.” (Psalm 135:5-6)
The meaning of sovereignty could be summed up in this way: To be sovereign is to possess supreme power and authority so that one is in complete control and can accomplish whatever he pleases.
A number of similar definitions of sovereignty can be found in books on the attributes of God:
“Furthermore, His sovereignty requires that He be absolutely free, which means simply that He must be free to do whatever He wills to do anywhere at any time to carry out His eternal purpose in every single detail without interference. Were He less than free He must be less than sovereign.
Grasping the idea of unqualified freedom requires a vigorous effort of the mind. We are not psychologically conditioned to understand freedom except in its imperfect forms. Our concepts of it have been shaped in a world where no absolute freedom exists. Here each natural object is dependent upon many other objects, and that dependence limits its freedom.”[1]
“God is said to be absolutely free because no one and no thing can hinder Him or compel Him or stop Him. He is able to do as He pleases always, everywhere, forever. To be thus free means also that He must possess universal authority. That He has unlimited power we know from the Scriptures and may deduce from certain other of His attributes.”[2]
Subject to none, influenced 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. So His own Word expressly declares: ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’ (Isa. 46:10); ‘He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand’ (Dan. 4:35). Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things ‘after the counsel of His own will’ (Eph. 1:11).”[3]
“God’s supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in Scripture. Inanimate matter, irrational creatures, all perform their Maker’s bidding. At His pleasure the Red Sea divided and its waters stood up as walls (Ex. 14); and the earth opened her mouth and guilty rebels went down alive into the pit (Nu. 14). When He so ordered, the sun stood still (Josh. 10); and on another occasion went backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isa. 38:8). To exemplify His supremacy, He made ravens carry food to Elijah (I Kings 17), iron to swim on top of the waters (II Kings 6:5), lions to be tame when Daniel was cast into their den, fire to burn not when the three Hebrews were flung into its flames.’ (Psa. 135:6).”[4]
“The ‘god’ of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. The ‘god’ who is now talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible Conferences is the figment of human imagination, an invention of maudlin sentimentality.… A ‘god’ whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits naught but contempt.”[5]
The creator of the universe is the ruler of the universe! We all are born with that knowledge (see Rom 1:18-28). The atheist doesn’t rail against false gods, but he hates the God he knows exists. Furthermore, we will all one day acknowledge Him, if not as we live and breathe, at the judgment seat of Christ before we face the torments of Helll.
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi. 2:9-11. cf. Rom. 14:11. Isa. 45:23)
[1] A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1961), p. 115.
[2] Ibid., p. 116.
[3] A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God (Swengel, Pa.: Reiner Publications, 1968), p. 27.
[4] Ibid., p. 25.
[5] Ibid., pp. 23, 24.
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To be continued. . .
The Battle Cry 
I listened to short audio clips about the sovereignty of God on Todd Friel’s broadcast yesterday and jotted down the preacher’s name, Steve Lawson to try and find the entire sermon. He pastors Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in and hosts a website called New Reformation Ministries. I turns out that he preached an entire series of messages about The Sovereignty of God Over America that begins with the sermon at the download site here, and that continues here. What I have heard so far is really good and very scriptural.
The bottom line is that considering the present time in America and the new administration, resting in God’s sovereignty ovr our nation is extremely comforting.
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