The character of God.
Sermon number 1.
I want to begin this series on the Character of God with a statement on just who God is.
God is independent, unchangeable, eternal and omnipresent. He exists as a spiritual being, having no form or dimensions, and is omniscient (all-knowing), wise, truthful, faithful, good, loving, merciful, graceful, patient, holy, at peace, righteous and just, jealous for His own honour, wrathful towards sin, perfect in every way, beautiful beyond comprehension, and is glorified through the revelation of Himself.
Today we begin a series on The Character of God.
Today we consider the sovereignty of God.
Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e.g. legislative, judicial, and/or executive) authority over a geographic region, group of people, or oneself. A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other. Thus the legal maxim, There is no law without a sovereign.
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other.
Why is understanding the sovereignty of God important in the 21st century?
Well I want to tell you that this is an age where people do what they like
As if there were no God and no tomorrow.
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other
You only need to look at what happens in the world when earthly sovereignty breaks down to get some understanding of the concept.
After the massive floods in New orleans in Septermber 2005 a state of lawlessness broke out. Some called it A Perfect Storm of Lawlessness
In truth, the looters, rapists, and murderers who have terrorized New Orleans began their post-Katrina reign of terror a full day before the situation grew truly desperate—and it was their increasingly lawless behavior that kept willing but unarmed professional and volunteer rescue workers away from the city and from the poor people who needed saving.Thousands who stayed in their low-lying homes in the 9th Ward drowned or now find themselves trapped—starved and dying of dehydration. There came a time when those who acted outside of the sovereignty of United States law were bought to account in accordance with that law. By Robert Travis Scott BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti stepped on the world stage of news events Tuesday when he announced the arrest of a doctor and two nurses for allegedly administering lethal doses of painkillers to four patients at Memorial Medical Center on the third day after Hurricane Katrina. In addition to this many Police officers were also arrested as well as the run of the mill looters. What I am trying to say through all of this is that even though a degree of lawlessness was in place in New Orleans – The prevailing law of the city was the sovereign law of the united States and eventually the criminals had to answer to that law. Admittingly many will have escaped it’s grasp – but in God’s sovereign law all are subject to it.
Here in this moment of Lawlessness in New Orleans you see the Biblical concept of lawlessness producing death.
The Romans chapter 6 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Joshua chapter 77 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"
JOS 7:10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
JOS 7:13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, `Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.
JOS 7:14 " `In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. 15 He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!’ "
This morning I don’t want to give you a complete study on the sovereignty of God but rather to use this passage as a demonstration of how the sovereignty of God works in real life.
The passage starts:-
Joshua chapter 77 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
This is a strange passage for Joshua.
Joshua along with caleb were the only two who had come back to Moses and told them to go in and occupy the promised land.
You can read about that in:-
NU 14:5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."
Joshua then was commissioned to go and take the promised land NU 27:18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."
Joshua was a man who acknowledged the sovereignty of God and was prepared to obey God no matter what!
So what happened?
What happened was when the people of Israel conquered Jericho God had given them very clear instructions.
His instructions was –
JOS 7:16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
JOS 7:19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." JOS 7:20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
7:1-26 The tragic story of Achan, is a a story of how one man’s sin adversely affected the entire nation.
As a sovereign God is to be obeyed. Achan disobeyed one small matter and his disobedience affects the whole nation Throughout this account (as often in the OT) Israel is considered a corporate unity in covenant with and in the service of the Lord. Thus even in the acts of one (Achan) or a few (the 3,000 defeated at Ai) all Israel is involved (see vv. 1, 11; 22:20).
What does god want us to know about this?
I believe that God wants us to know that any thing we do against his sovereignty matters.
Little matters of disobedience matter.
It is true that as Christians little things matter including our secret sins.
On top of that our secret sins affect the mood and the forward movement of the whole community.
Demos Shakarian tells this story from Albania.
In the year 1900 when Isaac was eight and his younger sister, Hamas, was four, the news arrived that a hundred Russian Christians were coming over the mountains in their covered wagons.
Everyone was pleased. It was the custom in Kra Kala to hold a feast for the visiting Christians whenever they arrived. Inspite of the fact that he didn’t agree with the “full gospel” preached by the Russians, Grandfather considered their visits as times set apart for god, and he insisited that the welcoming feast be held on the large level plot of ground in front of his own home.
Now, Grandfather was proud of his fine cattle. With the news that the Russians were on their way, he went out to his herd and looked over them. He would choose the finest, fattest steer for this special meal.
Unfortunately, however, the fattest steer in the herd turned out, on inspection to have a flaw. The animal was blind in one eye. What should he do?
Grandfather knew his bible well; He knew he should not offer an imperfect animal to the Lord, for didn’t it say in the 22nd chapter of Leviticus verse 20m “But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable….”
What a dilemma! No other animal in the herd was large enough to feed a hundred guests. Grandfather looked around. No one was watching. Suppose he slaughtered the big steer and simply hid the blemished head? Yes that was what he would do! Grandfather led the half-blind steer into the barn, butchered it himself, and quickly placed the head in a sack which he hid beneath a pile of threshed wheat in a dark corner.
Grandfather was just in time, for just as he finished dressing the beef, he heard the rumble of wagons coming into Kara Kala. What a welcome sight!
Soon the big steer was roasting on a spit over a huge bed of charcoal!
Before the meal could begin however the food must be blessed.
These old Russian christians would wait before the Lord until, in their phrase the spirit fell upon them.
On this occasion, as always, the Russians waited for the anointing of the spirit.
Aure enough every one began to dance in place.
Soon the blessing of the food would come, and the feast could begin.
But to Grandfathers dismay, the patriach suddenly raised his hand – not in sign of blessing – but as a signal that everything was to stop.
Giving Grandfather a strange penetrating look the tall white haired man walked from the table without a word.
Grandfathers eyes followed the old mans every movement as the prophet strode across the yard and into the barn.
After a moment he reappeared In his hand he held the sack which Grandfather had hidden beneath the pile of wheat.
Grandfather began to shake.
How could the man have known.
Now the patriach placed the telltale sack before Grandfather and let it fall open, revealing to everyone the mild-white eye.
“Have you anything to confess, Brother Demos?” the Russian asked.
“Yes I have,” said Grandfather, still shaking, “But how did you know?”
“God told me,” the old man said simply.
Demos Shakarian says – It was the beginning of great changes in our family’s life!
God is sovereign
The thing we learn about the sovereignty of God here is –
Being sovereign means that God knows all that is happening and it also means that everything he has taught matters!!!!!
Jesus once taught –
MT 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Underpinning all that we have as Christians is the grace and forgiveness of God but we need to understand that everything that God has taught and done as sovereign – Matters.
That is what Joshua discovered that day as they failed to take the city of Ai.
Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel (along with his three friends) resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and win, and he (Daniel) asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
With unshakable conviction, holy daring and delicate finesse of courtesy Daniel and his companions revealed their extraordinary gifts of wisdom and character. Whether they should eat the king’s food was much more than a questions of expedience or health. It related to the integrity of their vows of consecration as Hebrews to the God of Israel. The ceremonial significance of food even when just a part of the meat was dedicated to the pagan gods of Babylon would mean compromising their faith in the Lord God and the laws given by God to Moses. Regardless of the cost they would not defile themselves by eating any food dedicated to false gods.
Daniel and his friends were committed to living a life without compromise.
Do you want to live a life without compromise? Then there are several commitments you can make.
I. You Live a Life without Compromise when you Stay True to Your Convictions. Daniel 1:8
The second lesson we learn about God’s sovereignty is contained in the second part of the reading:-
O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"
JOS 7:10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run.
Joshua is concerned about what people think.
What then will you do for your own great name?"
Underpinning that is the thought that the safety of the people is being compromised – but God is using this indiscretion to make sure Israel do not repeat this fatal mistake that has robbed them of the blessing.
God is not a sovereign who will compromise.
What happens when you compromise for peace sake is well illustrated in the life of Neville chamberlain British Prime Minister.
Chamberlain became Prime Minister when Stanley Baldwin resigned in 1937, and soon became known for its policy of appeasement. There was a four way meeting between Britain, France, Germany and Italy in September 1938. Here an agreement knwn as The Munich Pact was reached, saying that Britain and Germany would never go to war with one another again. This outcome was hugely popular with the British public, and Chamberlain returned to the country a hero and was acclaimed as the man who had saved the world from war, when he stepped of the plane waving that famous piece of paper he said ’I believe it is peace in our time.’ Unfortunately this adulation didn’t last long. By the following September, Hitler had broken his part of the agreement by occupying Prague. The final straw came when Germany attacked Poland, forcing Chamberlain to declare war on Germany on 3rd September 1939. .What I believe our reading tells us this morning is that God is not into compromise.Even the cross is God refusing to compromise with evil at the cost of his son’s life.What do we learn about the sovereignty of God here.
1. Everything matters to God
2. God is all seeing and all knowing
3. God is not into compromise.
4. God is more concerned about long term good rather than short term appeasement.
What does God want us to do?
To take His sovereignty very seriously.
