Sovereign
1 Chronicles 29:11,
This is a book of the Bible that gives a lot of focus to David the king, but also brings into focus several times God's faithfulness and God's sovereignty.
I think all of us would probably say the greatest sin is the sin of idolatry, and there's always the danger that even as Christians, we can commit idolatry. And one way is by viewing God not as He is revealed in the Word, but what you could call shrinking God, or dwarfing Him. We can be guilty of Romans 1, that kind of truth suppression, even as Christians, as to who God is. I am sure you've heard of this book, it was written way back in the 1960s by a man named J.B. Phillips, an Anglican clergyman, it was titled, Your God is Too Small. And Dr. Packer, in that classic work, Knowing God also says something similar. He says,
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, (and that's a very special word in the Bible, that in particular brings in the focus of God's sovereignty) Yours is the kingdom, O Lord and you are exalted as head above all.”
This is a book of the Bible that gives a lot of focus to David the king, but also brings into focus several times God's faithfulness and God's sovereignty.
I think all of us would probably say the greatest sin is the sin of idolatry, and there's always the danger that even as Christians, we can commit idolatry. And one way is by viewing God not as He is revealed in the Word, but what you could call shrinking God, or dwarfing Him. We can be guilty of Romans 1, that kind of truth suppression, even as Christians, as to who God is. I am sure you've heard of this book, it was written way back in the 1960s by a man named J.B. Phillips, an Anglican clergyman, it was titled, Your God is Too Small. And Dr. Packer, in that classic work, Knowing God also says something similar. He says,
"The modern age is the age of the God-shrinker."
But it's always been that way, you could say, you go right back to the Bible. God complains in Psalm 50, “You thought that I was altogether like you.” God is complaining that you've shrunk God. No, God is not like us, we are like him. We are image-bearers, but we are not God. God's holiness, that word holy says, God is different, God is far above us. And to understand how great our God is, there's several ways we can do that, but certainly we need to meditate frequently on the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. And that word, sovereign, or sovereignty, is not found in your Bible very often, is it? Maybe once? Twice? Three times? And so someone might think, “Well, why do you make such a big deal of the sovereignty of God when that word is only used a couple of times in your Bible?”
But the concept of God's sovereignty impregnates our Bibles in all different ways. In words like these for example, the Most High, the Lord of hosts. You also have that expression in Ephesians 1, all things. “We know that he has purposed to work all things according to the counsel of his will.” Or we could go to Romans 8, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” But probably the key concept, or the most fundamental concept in your Bible to understand that God is sovereign are two words, king and kingdom. He's a sovereign king. That word, king, is used 50 some times: the everlasting king, the King of heaven, the King of kings, the King of Glory. And that word kingdom is often used in the New Testament. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God 162 times in the New Testament alone.
And the very core meaning of that word kingdom, is the concept of reign. It's also used to refer to the realm, but it's really the concept of reign. God is ruling, reigning, God is sovereign, God is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. And we believe, as far as his rule, it extends over everything and everyone, it's universal, that's the scope. You hear that word scope a lot of times, the scope. The scope of his rule or reign is universal. That means it is the rule over all things; even the devil comes under the rule of God. Every bad thing that happens in this universe, hurricane storms come under the rule or the reign of God.
The Bible says every footstep, that's right every footstep you take in the everyday life comes under the rule and reign of God. Proverbs 16, “Man plans his way but God directs his steps.” A.W. Pink, I made reference to this book on Sunday night, the Sovereignty of God. An excellent book if you haven't got it, I really recommend you read it. It's a nice practical, pastoral approach to the sovereignty of God. But here's what he says, he gives something of a definition,
But the concept of God's sovereignty impregnates our Bibles in all different ways. In words like these for example, the Most High, the Lord of hosts. You also have that expression in Ephesians 1, all things. “We know that he has purposed to work all things according to the counsel of his will.” Or we could go to Romans 8, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” But probably the key concept, or the most fundamental concept in your Bible to understand that God is sovereign are two words, king and kingdom. He's a sovereign king. That word, king, is used 50 some times: the everlasting king, the King of heaven, the King of kings, the King of Glory. And that word kingdom is often used in the New Testament. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God 162 times in the New Testament alone.
And the very core meaning of that word kingdom, is the concept of reign. It's also used to refer to the realm, but it's really the concept of reign. God is ruling, reigning, God is sovereign, God is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. And we believe, as far as his rule, it extends over everything and everyone, it's universal, that's the scope. You hear that word scope a lot of times, the scope. The scope of his rule or reign is universal. That means it is the rule over all things; even the devil comes under the rule of God. Every bad thing that happens in this universe, hurricane storms come under the rule or the reign of God.
The Bible says every footstep, that's right every footstep you take in the everyday life comes under the rule and reign of God. Proverbs 16, “Man plans his way but God directs his steps.” A.W. Pink, I made reference to this book on Sunday night, the Sovereignty of God. An excellent book if you haven't got it, I really recommend you read it. It's a nice practical, pastoral approach to the sovereignty of God. But here's what he says, he gives something of a definition,
"To say that God is sovereign, is to say, God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Most High, who does according to his will in the army of heaven, Daniel 4. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Almighty, possesses all power in heaven and earth, Psalm 115. To say that God is sovereign is to say that he is the governor among all the nations, Psalm 22. To say that God is sovereign, is to declare that He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 1 Timothy 6."
So when we say that God is sovereign, we're essentially saying this, “He made all things, and he rules all things, and he has a right to rule the universe that he made for his glory, and what he does as he pleases.” To use the imagery of Romans 9, “He has the right, as the potter over the clay, he's sovereign.” So if we believe that, if we believe God is that big, then we have every reason to believe that he will answer any prayer that we bring according to His will, not our will, and enable us to face any trial we face. I came across this quote by the Puritan Thomas Watts, and he viewed sovereignty as medicine for anxiety. As medicine for anxiety. We are living in the most anxious generation on record, they say. It's a generation that has basically refused to acknowledge God as God. But here's the medicine for anxiety.
And the doctrine of divine sovereignty should drive us to the throne of grace. Even realizing, no matter what impossibilities we face in our lives. There are no impossibilities with God. None can stay his hand. That's a wonderful incentive to pray, isn't it? You can bring all your care and cast it upon him. Even Jesus wanted us to keep in mind the sovereign God when we pray, “Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
And the doctrine of divine sovereignty should drive us to the throne of grace. Even realizing, no matter what impossibilities we face in our lives. There are no impossibilities with God. None can stay his hand. That's a wonderful incentive to pray, isn't it? You can bring all your care and cast it upon him. Even Jesus wanted us to keep in mind the sovereign God when we pray, “Thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Posted in Pastor Devotional