The Sovereignty of God [Why! He thinks He's God.]

So what is today's topic. Well today's topic is "Why! He thinks He's God.

God thinks He's God, God knows He's God, in fact God is God. And as such we shall be starting where RC Sproul left off speaking on the Sovereignty of God.

Now at this point many of you will be saying (and rightfully so, maybe...), why on earth would I want one more sermon on the sovereignty of God? You just finished telling me that you wouldn't give us a series of vague topics that wouldn't affect us. Well this will affect you. Today's topic is very crucially tied into the next few topics that we will cover. I.e. Domo Aragato Mr. Roboto, The Evil that Men do and But For Grace I am Damned and finally, Show me your Faith and I'll show you mine.

Today's topic is important because as we ended last year with that talk on Praise, we learned that Man's primary reason for existence is to bring Glory to God. We also learned that God's primary goal is to bring Glory to himself. What better way of realizing how much we should praise God if we realize who He is and what sort of power He wields.

Today's topic is important because in the weeks to come we will be challenged to bring God out of the "box" that some of us may have put him into.

 

First of all let us remember one of my favorite sayings that I thought was one I made up until I saw this version of it in a book while I was studying for this topic. If you remember the talks on the New Age beliefs, Hinduism and Reincarnation. If you remember those talks you will remember this statement.

B1. God is God and He is independent and self existent. He depends upon nothing outside of Himself.

My saying was "God is God and you don't get to VOTE on it."

And since I am so fond of Bible Aerobics, let's pull out those swords and find some backing for this. How many people brought their Bibles? Hold them up. Good! You are going to need them.

John 5:26, John 5:26

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.

In short what that is saying is that the Father is self sufficient and life emanates from him.

 

B2. God is not only independent in existence, but His will is also independent. He knows the future and plans it. And nothing can change His plans....tonight.....or ever.

Let's turn to Daniel 4:35.

Dan. 4:35 Nebuchadnezzar is speaking here and he says as quoted by Daniel

Dan. 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"

Let me repeat that portion: He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand...

Let's turn to Ps. 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Ps 33:10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

There is a saying on Vulcan. Mensh Placht, Gott Laught. Sounds like Klingon doesn't it? Mensh Placht, Gott Laught. Actually it is Yiddish, it means Man plans, God laughs

 

Back in about 1986 or so, during the height of the cold war years, between the USSR and the United States. During the time when President Reagan was talking about the feasibility of a limited nuclear war. When they were discussing the Strategic Defense Initiative, commonly known by the name of that Great Movie, the Star Wars Defense. They'd been discussing how we could survive a nuclear war, how Russia could attack us. The singer Sting came out with a song at this time, that starts with a ticking of a time bomb. And asks the question "Do the Russians love their children too. How do I save my little boy, from Oppenheimer's deadly toy. In case your forgot, Oppenheimer was the genius behind the Atomic Bomb that ended World War II. And it would depress me, because I was worried about what would happen to us in the future, I was worried about what the implications of a limited nuclear war was, I was worried that things were getting out of control, until I listened to this great song.

 

Hearts failing left and right,

Children fear this planet's plight.

Fatalistic fears abound

and take their toll without a sound

But through the vague uncertainty

Comes a bold assurity

This world is under sovereignty

Divinely ordered Destiny

He holds the world together

with the Word of His power

safe within his hands

until HIS own appointed hour

And He's still got the whole world in his hands, tonight.

And only he knows where the sparrow lands tonight

And nothing in this world can change his plans tonight

because he's still got the whole world in his hands...tonight.

Humanistic lies lament

the Holocaust is imminent

Doomsday prophets in the news

predicting who will light the fuse

The fate of his creation isn't subject to a man

the final consummation is according to what? to HIS plan

Cause he's still got the whole world in his hands...tonight.

He's got you and me, in his hands tonight

And nothing in this world can change his plans tonight

because he's still got the whole world in his hands...tonight.

{Petra. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. "Back to the Street" Album.)

 

God is not only independent in existence, but His will is also independent. Nothing can change God's plans.

 

Ok you say that's all very well, I already knew that. Good! because in the next few weeks you are going to question whether you really believe that.

In the next few weeks you will have to come back to this because as we study more and more we will realize what the physical and spiritual and most of all practical considerations of this fact are. And as we study more and more, I guarantee you are going to have to come back and ask your self. How does this fit in with what I believe? Nothing can change God's plans. God thinks and acts independently of us and our actions. He has made plans and they stand firm despite the plans of men.

The fate of his creation isn't subject to a man

the final consummation is according to HIS plan

And nothing in this world can change his plans tonight

Ps 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Let me repeat that:

Ps 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God has ordained everything, before we were even born.

 

 

B3. a) God can never learn

The third thing we have to realize is that God knows everything. But wait, if God knows everything, that means there is nothing more that God can learn. 1 John 3:20 For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

But wait wait, this is deep. How can I say that there is nothing more that God can learn? Well.... if there was something more that God could learn then that would mean that there is something that He doesn't know. Wouldn't it?

Let me say that again. If there was something more that God could learn then that would mean that there is something that He doesn't know. And if that were true, that would mean that He doesn't know every thing. Wouldn't it. And guess what, then 1 John says then he wouldn't be God would he? And John is an honorable man....

B3. b) God can never change His mind

God knows everything. From beginning to end, he created all things, thus he knew what he was going to create before he created it, before they came into existence.

Is 46:9 turn there. Is 46:9 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. 10 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. 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

Now this passage fits in with the above points as well but I bring it out here because I want to focus on the concept of whether God can change his mind or not.

What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

If God could change his mind, what would that mean? That would mean that God had figured out a better plan of action wouldn't it?

If God could change his mind, that would mean that God had learned some new information on which to base this new plan?

If God could change his mind what does that mean? Well that means that prior to deciding to do something the first time God didn't know enough to make the right decision. And if he didn't know enough to make the right decision, then he obviously doesn't know everything does he? And that brings us right back to 1 John 3:20 For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

If God could change his mind, what's worse is that it would mean that mankind had been able to thwart God's first plan and so God had to come up with a better plan. But the Bible says that that is flatly impossible.

Turn to Job 42:2

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. "

Everything that happens is either allowed or appointed by God. Remember that? We decided that that was the case when we talked about Praise and why we existed. Everything that happens to us is either allowed or planned by God.

But wait a minute you say, I know of at least 2 incidents when God changed his mind.

Well the first one happens to be in Jonah. Turn to Jonah 3:10. If you remember, God told Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites. Jonah said "forget you God" so God made him fish food for 3 days then made him fish puke and Jonah got the message and went to deliver his Mail gram to the Ninevites. Well the Ninevites got the drift and listened to this half eaten prophet, who probably looked like he'd been swimming in hydrochloric acid for the last 3 days which he had.

Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

The second spot is Genesis 6. Verse 5 onwards.

Gen 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

The question here is whether God regretted what he had done. The question here is whether God changed His mind about his creation and decided that he was going to destroy them. The answer is no. This statement is what we call an anthropomorphism. Which means the attributing of human or physical traits to God in an attempt to state a point. It's like saying God shelters us under his wings. As you have probably heard before, that doesn't mean God is a very large Chicken.

Here let me read what a few commentators say about this....

In both cases God knew what they were going to do before they did it. With the evil men, it still grieved him. Like it grieves a parent when their child messes up. But the parent knew that the child was going to mess up, but decided to let the child continue so as to let the child learn their lesson themselves.

 

Now wait a minute you say, if God knew all things and planned all things, then what fun is it to be God and wouldn't that make us Robots?

And that brings us to point 4.

B4. We cannot Comprehend God

And the answer is no, and let me answer it this way. Can we comprehend God? Can we understand God? Flip over to Isa. 55:8

Isa. 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Isa. 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isa. 55:10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

Isa. 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You cannot comprehend God, he derives His fun, by bringing Glory to Himself.

The second part of that question is would that make us Robots? And that is something that we will address next week. Because we also have to address the issue of then if God is Sovereign, are we then responsible for our own actions. Because didn't God already plan it?

We also have to address the issue of whether we should get out of bed in the Morning, because after all, if God has everything planned, it shouldn't depend on me should it? I'll just stay here in bed and not worry, I won't worry about witnessing, nor will I worry about working. Obviously that's a stupid attitude, but how do we answer it? You see we are already questioning whether or not we believe that God has everything planned.

God is not only independent in existence, but His will is also independent. Nothing can change God's plans.

and Ps 139:16

Ps 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

And that is what we will cover next week. Are we Robots?

 

Summary:

What does this mean to me today, how will it affect me tomorrow? What was my purpose of teaching you all this?

As I told you, we are laying the foundation for the intense theology that is to follow. But for this week remember that we are commanded to dig deeper into God's word. For this week remember that we are serving a majestic God, whose chief purpose in life is to bring glory to himself. But most of all remember you may be reassured because every thing is under divinely ordered Destiny. Because He does still have the whole world in his hands.

But after all that I've said. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Saviour, if you do not know the simple Gospel message then here it is. God is so great so majestic so powerful and we are all sinners, and we all deserve death and damnation. However God in all his power and glory was willing to send his only son Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh, to die for sin, so that we may not have to pay the price ourselves because He paid it for us at the cross. And all you have to do to be saved is repent and believe in Jesus.

 

1. God's chief aim is to bring glory to Himself

2. God has the whole world in his hands, sleep easy.

3. God can never learn, God knows everything.

4. God has everything planned.

Praise Him every day, when you wake up, when you are sad, when you are happy, when you are mad. In the car, in the shopping malls. Make it an active part of you life. Because we serve a mighty God, and that's what He created you for.