The Overruling Sovereignty of God

God's foreknowledge is exhaustive and true because God is holy, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  God knows all things actual, and He knows all things possible, and He knows all these things perfectly.  He knows all things that can possibly be known, including all future events.  This exhaustive knowledge is something that is unique to God alone, it is intrinsic to His very nature, it is in part what it means to be God.

In Isaiah 40-49, is speaking to Israel and firmly explaining to them about the worthlessness of their idols that they have been worshiping.  The point of these passages is to show the supremacy of God, as God, above all other "gods."  Now it is in this passage God is very clear about His ability as God to know all things, including all possible future events.  He says, 

"Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen.  Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome.  Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods" (Isaiah 41:22-23).

And then, 

"Remember the former things, those of long ago;  I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

What God is making plain is that He knows perfectly all events, including all future events.  Now why or how does God know these things?  He knows them because He alone ordains them to be and then see to it that they come to pass, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  "  God is not just simply able to predict these things because He is so observant or has exhaustive knowledge of the world and all the creatures (including man) that He has created, but God knows all future events and able to predict them ahead of time because He has sovereign reign and infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge and He decrees what must come to pass.  This is what He says at the end of Isaiah 46:10, "I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."  God is clearly saying that He alone has absolute rule and reign over every aspect of the universe, at every moment and at all time, and this most certainly includes all events in human history and the heart of every person.

Consider what Proverbs says about the overruling sovereignty of God concerning the intentions and plans of  finite man...

• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
• "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (Proverbs 16:1).
• "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
• "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Prov 21:1)

Every plan by a created being is subject to be overruled by the will of God.  God knows all things perfectly because God has ordain everything according to the counsel of His will.

• "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
• "We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).
• "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Application:

1. God's sovereignty confronts and defeats human pride.  We Americans are pound of our independence and so in our sin we believe that somehow we are independent from God.  That God must submit to our will and that He must do what we ask.  We sinfully believe that somehow God cannot act unless we give Him permission, that God cannot save unless we tell Him that it is okay.  This simply is not true.  God is sovereign and He will  have mercy on whomever He wills and He will harden whomever He wills "What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires" (Romans 9:14-18).

2.  What God has promised, God is able (and will) keep.  This is why Paul says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).  And why he urges us to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) because in the very next verse he says, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  And why he prays in "now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1Thessalonians 5:23-24).

3.  We ought to remain bold and confident in the face of suffering because God is sovereign over all things including our sufferings. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

4. God will accomplish His mission.  His saving grace, His glorious gospel will be spread among all peoples, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).

 Amen!

Our Sovereign Savior

Recently, I have been reading a book written by multiple contributors.  The title of the book is, "Whomever He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy."  It has been a GREAT read.  In one particular chapter, Steven Lawson is expounding on Revelation 5:1-14 and he provides some tremendous insight and clarity.

In verse 9, John writes, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."  In the context, we find the four angels and the twenty-four living elders all singing a new song of praise in response to the sovereignty of Christ in salvation.  Below is a portion of what Steven Lawson writes as he expounds on the definite atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  I quote it in length because I know that I cannot say it any better or more to the point than he does.

This is what he writes,

"What does this new song mean, that Christ has purchased with His blood a people for Himself?  This word purchased is a word drawn from the marketplace.  It is a term taken from the business world, indicating that a finished financial transaction has taken place.  It means that a purchase price has been paid, and the purchased object is given to the rightful buyer.  Notice, there is no ransom to Satan theory of the atonement in this text.  Jesus is not paying the gold and silver of His blood to Satan in order to free sinners from his bondage.  To the contrary, when He died upon the cross, Jesus did business directly and exclusively with the Father.  This was an inter-Trinitarian transaction between the Father and the Son by which the Son paid the definite price to secure the salvation of all who would believe upon Him.  Jesus Christ bought His people with His shed blood (Acts 20:28).  This Lamb gave His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 15).

Do not miss the particularity of Christ's atoning work on the cross.  Heaven is rejoicing that He bought us "from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (verse 9).  This text does not say He redeemed everyone in every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  If that were so, the whole world would be saved.  The fact is,  a perfectly just God cannot require a double payment for the same sin.  If Jesus has already paid the ransom for everyone'e sin at the cross, then on one would go to hell.  If purchased sinners did go to hell, God would cease to be righteous, something that is clearly impossible (1John 1:9).

But to the contrary, Jesus actually purchased a specific people out of, or out from among, every people group.  "Tongue" here speaks of language groups, "people" of ethic races, "nations" of national identities, "tribes" of genealogical descents.  Out of fallen, ruined humanity, Jesus purchased all who had been given to Him by the Father from before the foundation of the world (John 6:37-39; 10:26-30; 17:2,6,9,24).  Not a drop of His blood was shed in vain.  It is all victory at the cross.

Simply put, Jesus possesses everything He paid for at the cross.  Jesus was not jilted, nor shortchanged.  Jesus did not pay an infinite price for the salvation of sinners and receive less than what He bought.  He did not purchase the entire world, but only received believers in return.  He did not merely make the world savable, contingent upon man exercising faith and, thus, in part, saving himself.  Instead, He actually saved a definite group of people out of the world.  He did not simply make us redeemable.  Rather, Jesus actually redeemed us by His death upon Calvary's cross.  It was a finished transaction upon that cursed tree.  Jesus did not procure a hypothetical salvation for all sinners, if only they would have the good sense to believe on Him and close the deal.  Instead, at the cross, Jesus actually purchased out of these groups a specific people for whom He intentionally died and actually secured their redemption.  Only by this understanding of the cross can one truly sing "Jesus saves."

Moreover, all whom Jesus purchased will one day find themselves around the throne of God.  He did not die for an anonymous mob of people, some of whom will never make it to heaven.  He did not die for a nameless, faceless human race.  Rather, upon the cross, He died for each individual sheep.  He gave Himself up for the church (Ephesians 5:25).  All for whom He died, He saves.  It is impossible to exhaust the significance of this redeeming work of Christ upon the cross.  We can never get our arms around it completely.  We can never ascend to the heights of it, nor plumb the depths of it.  It is too high, too deep, and too broad.  It is too wonderful to comprehend that Jesus Christ redeemed a vast number of hell-bound rebels in His sin-bearing death."

O that we might truly see our Sovereign Savior in His definite atoning work of the cross and join the angles and the elders in this gloriously good and exceedingly joyful new song.  The mission is accomplished by the Lamb.  What Jesus came to do, He has completely done.  Salvation is of the Lord!  Jesus saves!  May seeing this glorious reality bring unspeakable and unshakable joy to your heart. 

13 Things a Lost Person Cannot Do

by Curtis A. Pugh

That the lost sinner must cast himself wholly on the mercy and grace of God must be obvious to those who read and believe the Scriptures. But the Bible knows nothing of such foolish man-made ideas as "praying the sinner's prayer", or "making a decision for Christ", or "inviting Jesus into your heart" or "going forward to receive Christ." No New Testament preacher ever used such terms or tactics! To tell spiritually dead sinners that there is something they can do to bring about their salvation is damnable heresy for by its false hope sinners are taught to trust in what they have done rather in Christ who has done all. 

Consider these thirteen spiritual things an unsaved person cannot do:

1. HE CANNOT THINK AS GOD DOES: 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

2. HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND GOD:

". . . thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself . . ." (Psalm 50:21) 

"Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know?" (Job 11:7-8)

3. HE CANNOT SEE SPIRITUAL THINGS:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

4. HE CANNOT KNOW HIS OWN HEART: 

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"(Jeremiah 17:9)

5. HE CANNOT PROPERLY DIRECT HIS OWN PATHS:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23) 

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

6. HE CANNOT FREE HIMSELF FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW:

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written,Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Galatians 3:10)

7. HE CANNOT RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not . . ." (John 14:17)

8. HE CANNOT HEAR (receive & understand) GOD'S WORDS:

"He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." (John 8:47)

"But the natural (unsaved) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." (1Corinthians 2:14)

9. HE CANNOT BIRTH HIMSELF INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of manbut of God." (John 1:13)

"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9:15-16)

10. HE CANNOT PRODUCE REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN CHRIST:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

". . . for all men have not faith." (2 Thessalonians 3:2)

"For unto you it is given . . . to believe on him . . ." (Philippians 1:29)

". . . if God peradventure will give them repentance . . ." (2 Timothy 2:25)

". . . to them that have obtained like precious faith with us . . ." (2 Peter 1:1)

11. HE CANNOT COME TO CHRIST:

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him . . . Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." (John 6:44, 65)

12. HE CANNOT BELIEVE ON CHRIST:

"But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you." (John 10:26)

13. HE CANNOT PLEASE GOD:

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. . . . So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."(Romans 8:5, 8, 9)

SO THEN, MANKIND IS SHUT UP TO THE FACT OF HIS OWN TOTAL INABILITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT HIS LOST CONDITION.

In the light of these things which a spiritually dead (lost) sinner cannot do, how then do we account for the command of God to all men to repent? The Bible does state that God ". . . now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). What do we do about the counsel of God to men which says they are to believe on Christ? Would God command and instruct men to do that which they cannot do?

We answer an emphatic "Yes!" Our proof is the holy Law of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai. While there was nothing wrong with God's Law, no man is able to keep those commandments (1 Timothy 1:8; Romans 8:3). No man ever kept the Law of God and yet God was right to give it to man and command its keeping! By that Law we see ourselves as sinners (Romans 3:20). That was the purpose of the Law!

While God requires repentance (the will to turn from sin) and faith (the will to believe in Christ), no man is able of himself to do either. Thus, as with the Law, man is forced to see that there is nothing good in him and that he cannot repent and believe savingly in Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible God's children recognize their own inability to do anything to save themselves. In addition to the portions previously quoted in this tract, consider the following statements: 

• ". . . I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7:18)
• "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24)
• ". . . I am shut up, and I cannot come forth." (Psalm 88:8)
• "Turn us. O God of our salvation . . ." (Psalm 85:4)
• " . . . Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God."(Jeremiah 31:18)
• "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our riqhteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee . . ." (Isaiah 64:6, 7)
• ". . . Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:9).

Those who think that they can properly repent of their own ability and savingly believe of their own faith fall into error. They trust in their own ability and not in the saving work of Jesus Christ! Is not this true of those who boast of their past sins and their turning from them? Do they not claim that they did it themselves? Repeatedly we hear this in their popular "testimony meetings." Some are willing to share the glory and admit that they had a little help from God, but even this is wicked confidence in the flesh. And do not some religionists boast of their faith as if it was some great thing worthy of reward? Faith (confidence) in my faith or in my turning to God is not ". . . the faith of God's elect."(Titus 1:1)

Paul wrote concerning true children of God, ". . . We . . . worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3). To trust in anything done in the flesh (human nature and strength) is to have "confidence in the flesh." To trust in your prayer, your baptism, your goodness, your faith or any experience you may have had is to have confidence in the flesh and not to trust in Christ. The faith and confidence of the true believer is in Christ! Those born of God trust not in rituals, sacraments, good works, their own repentance or their faith in Christ, but rather in Christ alone!

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith . . ." (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you trusting in your faith or are you trusting in Christ? What is the object of your faith? Do you really see that all your "righteousnesses are as filthy rags"? (Isaiah 64:6). Have you seen that you deserve Hell? Are you willing to take your place as a sinner and if God sends you to Hell will you say He is just, fair, and righteous to do so? Or do you think yourself unworthy of eternal punishment?

Consider these words from the old English Baptist Gadsby Hymnal.

O beware of trust ill-grounded;
'Tis but fancied faith at most, 
To be cured, and not be wounded:
To be saved before you're lost.

Have you never been wounded by the Word of God so that your sins have been laid bare? Have you never been lost--that is, have you seen yourself as hopelessly lost and a Hell-deserving sinner? How can you think yourself saved if you have never been lost? Jesus said, ". . . I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). If a sinner, surely the Scriptures cited in this tract have shown that you are helpless to do anything about your terrible lost condition!

Salvation is free and comes, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us . . ." (Titus 3:5). Look to Jesus Christ, who has done all things necessary and possible, "for he shall save his people from their sins"(Matthew 1:21).

May God give you grace to see yourself as He does, and may He give you the twin gifts of". . . repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) so that you are ". . . not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39).