Isaiah 44:6-8 The Sovereignty of God 15Jan2012 1539
If you ask me what gives me the greatest security in life – I would say the understanding of the sovereignty of God.
• That is, that ALL things (not just some things) are under God’s rule and control, and that nothing happens without His knowledge or permission. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
• Not just sometimes, on certain occasions, but always and without exception.
This understanding is the anchor to my soul. It gives me calmness in the midst of chaos.
• I am less perturbed by the calamities of life or harsh realities, because every situation that happens, would have taken place under the jurisdiction of God.
• God knows it, God allows it, and it is likely that He is using it to accomplish His purposes.
Personally I am more disturbed by difficult people than by difficult circumstances.
• The greatest security you can have in life is to see and understand the sovereignty of God.
Let’s see Isaiah 44:6-8
6 "This is what the LORD says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come - yes, let him foretell what will come.
8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."
(1) GOD HAS NO EQUAL
The Lord says He is the first and the last. He said it again in Rev 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
• To be Alpha, to be First, to be the Beginning, means everything started with Him. He is before all things.
• To be before all things means everything that existed comes through Him.
• John says “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)
• Nothing comes before Him. He is not subjected to anything, or under anything.
“Apart from me there is no God.” God is the One and Only (John describes Him).
• No one above Him. No one on par with Him. He is the supreme One.
• He’s the boss. He calls the shots. He is the authority. He does not seek permission or consult another’s opinion.
The right response to a sovereign God is to BOW AND WORSHIP Him.
• There will come a day when “where knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God.” (cf. Rom 14:11)
• We worship Him because He is sovereign. We can only worship because He is sovereign.
• Anything less cannot be our object of worship, and is not worthy of our worship, because anything less means there’s someone greater, and that greater one ought to be worshipped.
This explains why we trust Him, and are willing to give our lives over to Him.
• He is my God and there is no other.
• He has no equal. He has no competitor. Nothing comes close to even become a threat to His authority.
Let us seek God and God alone, for there can be no other gods.
• No gods of any kind – whether seen (made of wood) or unseen (idols of the hearts).
• We displace God as sovereign when something else becomes more important to us than God, or when we seek something else to give us what only God can give.
It is good to ponder and ask ourselves:
• Does God holds the same place in your heart that He holds in the universe?
• Is there anything in your life that you have not submitted to Him? Your time? Your relationships? Your future? Your money?
• Let us recognise Him as Lord and worship Him as the One and only God.
(2) GOD IS MY LORD
If He is sovereign, then He must be Lord of my life.
• God cannot be a subset of my life. He is not one out of the many different parts of my life – my work, my family, my school, my ministry, and then my God.
• He is not one of the many parts of our lives and we try to fit Him in.
• He is the Lord in every area of our lives – your studies, your career, your family, our ministry.
God is not like an overseas friend who comes to stay at your house only for a period. He stays in the guest room, does not use the kitchen much, will not dare to switch on the TV, and will not walk into your bedroom uninvited. He is just a guest.
Change that perspective - He owns the house. He can do what He wants. He can open up your fridge and take what He likes. You are His steward.
This is nearer to the picture of the Christian life.
The right response to a sovereign God is to SURRENDER AND SUBMIT to His Lordship.
• God does not control just things. The Bible says He controls earthly kings and preside over angels. He governs human events.
Look at these verses:
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov 16:9)
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Prov 19:21)
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov 21:1)
“…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation…” (Ezra 1:1)
“…for God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose…” (Rev 17:17)
“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13).
Surrender and submit to God. He is more than qualified to be our Lord.
• For the unbelievers, it means we need to confess our sin and pride and accept Christ as our Saviour.
• For us as believers, it means that what you once thought of as your time, your money, your talents, your career, and your interests, is all His.
• We turn our lives over to Him because we’ve been bought by Him.
(3) GOD IS IN CONTROL
God is in full control. The right response to a sovereign God is to TRUST AND OBEY.
• All that comes into my life is either allowed or decreed by a good God who will use it for my benefit.
• When a loved one lies in a hospital bed, I may be rattled but deep down I must know that He is in control. When my finance is running low, I can be hard-pressed but deep down I must know that He is in control.
Nothing will enter my life that bypasses God.
• And nothing will ever enter my life that, if I am willing to trust Him, He cannot work out for my good. In everything, believe that God will work it out for your good!
• Because anything apart from this will mean God is not sovereign. But He is.
Nothing limits God.
• A. W. Tozer says God is the only absolutely free agent in the entire universe.
“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.”
• Therefore Oswald Chambers says we must absolutely refuse to worry. Pray intensely but refuse to worry.
• God is doing things that we don’t understand but we must believe!
When we bow down to pray, are we fully aware of who we are talking to?
• The One to whom we pray has the power to rule over the universe, over every single atom, and yet He loves and cares about you!
• That’s WHO we are talking to when we pray. How can we not worship Him?
PRAYER
• Almighty God, we thank You for this moment when we can pause to ponder your greatness.
• We are mindful of Your sovereignty over all creation and especially over us, Your people.
• We want to acknowledge You as our Lord. We give you permission to run our lives and be our Guide.
• Forgive us for the times we disregarded You and played up our own importance, for the times we have placed our focus on the wrong things.
• Help us remember Your grace. Dear Lord Jesus, we want you to be the centre of our lives.
• We will honour You as Lord. Help us move through this week with that in mind.
• Let your Name be lifted up and Your glory shines through us. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
