The Sovereignty of God

1. Read: Psalm 47:1-9

2. About the Text:

1) Children have an uncanny ability to ask the question “why?”

2) Parents understandable get to the point where they may say, “Because I said so.”

3) When my kids got older, they would sometimes question me persistently about a decision that I have made.

4) Sometimes, I would explain; sometimes, I would simply say, “I owe you no explanation.”

5) This illustrates the concept of sovereignty, but God’s sovereignty is much greater.

6) There is no greater authority than God.

3. The term sovereignty.

1) It is related to the word sovereign, a monarch, ruler, king.

2) God is certainly a great King as the psalmist wrote.

3) What does it mean that God is sovereign?

4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. God’s character is absolute because it is part of His being. – “For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (Ps.33:4-5).

2. There is no one beyond God to whom we may appeal. – “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:4).

3. God is not going to change at the whim of His creation.

1) “For I am the Lord, I do not change…” (Malachi 3:6).

2) “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

3) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

4. No created being can assail God.

1) “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:10-11).

2) “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless” (Isaiah 40:21-23).

5. No being is more fundamental than God.

1) “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands” (Psalm 102:25).

2) “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col.1:17).

6. God is holy, and that means He is absolutely independent.

1) “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).

2) “But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16).

1. He commands.

1) “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:8-9).

2) The Ten Commandments!

3) Jesus expects us to teach His commandments – Matthew 28:18-20.

2. He expects to be obeyed.

1) “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name” (Romans 1:5).

2) “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).

3. His will is law.

1) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

2) “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph.5:17).

4. His word stands and will accomplish what He desires.

1) “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

2) “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

1. God’s will will ultimately be done with or without our consent.

1) “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works” (Psalm 33:13-15).

2) “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (Romans 9:18).

3) “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17).

2. God is the potter and we are the clay.

1) “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, ‘Who sees us?’ and, ‘Who knows us?’ Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, ‘He did not make me’? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?” (Isaiah 29:15-16).

2) “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

3) “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Romans 9:20-21).

3. Should we not then consent to the will of God and live?

1. For God to be sovereign means . . .

1) God is Absolute

2) God is the Final Authority

3) God is in Ultimate Control

2. Invitation