The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 3

Wade Webster

In the last installment of this study, we notice the sovereignty of God declared in the titles of Scripture.  In this part of our study, we will see it declared in simple statements in the Scriptures.

Sovereignty Declared

In addition to the titles that we have in Scripture identifying God as sovereign over the nations, there are clear statements of His sovereignty. Consider a few of these statements:

• “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Sam. 2:1-10).
• “Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He answered, “Here I am.” And he said, “What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.” Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him” (1 Sam. 3:11-18).

“Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope” (1 Chron. 29:10-15).

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 2

Wade Webster

In the first part of this study, we introduced the sovereignty of God.  In this second part of our study, we want to define it and to see it declared.

The Sovereignty Defined

What is the sovereignty of God? No doubt, most of us have heard of it, but we might struggle to define it. Let’s start with the word sovereign. A sovereign is a king or a ruler. Thus, the sovereignty of God deals with God’s position as a ruler. Sovereignty is defined as absolute rule or authority. God has absolute rule over His creation. He doesn’t have to answer to anyone for His actions. He doesn’t need anyone’s help to do what He wants to do.  Nor, for that matter, can anyone stop Him or hinder Him. God sits on the throne of the universe as Lord and He does what He wants. Consider some verses that speak of His rule:

• For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations” (Psalms 22:28).
• “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne” (Psalms 47:8).
• “Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him” (Psalms 72:11).
• “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously” (Psalms 96:7-10).
• “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all” (Psalms 103:19).

Most sovereigns have a limited territory and rule. They rule a limited area for a limited time. God does not have these limitations.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal. No one can overpower Him, outthink Him, outflank Him, or outlive Him. He is Sovereign of sovereigns.

Sovereignty Declared

If the sovereignty of God is Biblical, and it is, then we should be able to find proof of it in the Bible. Please consider how God is described:

• Abraham called God the “Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25).
• David called God “the King over all the earth” (Psa. 47; 83).
• •Isaiah called God “the God of the whole earth” (Isaiah 54:5).
• Jeremiah called God the “King of the nations” (Jeremiah 10:6-7).
• Micah and Zechariah called God, the “Lord of the whole earth” (Mic. 4:18; Zech 4:14).
• Paul described Jesus as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Timothy 6:13-16).
• John described God as “the Lord God Omnipotent” (Revelation 19:6).

Clearly, these titles identify God as being sovereign over the nations.

The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations - Part 1

Wade Webster

The most important thought that a man can have is what He thinks about God.  If we think correctly about God, then we will likely get many other things right.  If we think incorrectly about God, then we will likely get many other things wrong.  Jesus suggested a similar thought in a discussion that He had with the Pharisees. He asked, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Mat. 22:41-42, NKJV).  What they thought about Christ was the most important thought that they could have.  As you know, they got this wrong and many other wrong things followed it. They understood that Christ was going to be the son of David (Mat. 22:42), but they missed that Christ was also going to be the Lord of David (Mat. 22:45).

How we think about God is the most important thought that we can have because it determines what we do for God.  If we think that God is a great God, then we will do great things for Him.  If we think less of God, then we will do lesser things for Him.  Compare how Solomon and the people of Malachi’s day thought about God.  Solomon thought that God was a great God and he did great things for him.  Consider what he said to Hiram, king of Tyre:

And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him? Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful (2 Chronicles 2:5-9).

Great thoughts about God produce great deeds for God.  In contrast, the people of Malachi’s day thought less of God and did less for Him.  In fact, their thinking about God was so bad that God confronted them about it.  We read, 

A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, The table of the LORD is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the LORD of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you profane it, In that you say, The table of the LORD is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the LORD of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the LORD. “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—For I am a great King,” Says the LORD of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations” (Malachi 1:6-14).

Little thoughts about God produce little deeds for God. It will be our goal in this study to get our thoughts about God to be right.  Specifically, we want to get our thoughts about God’s sovereignty right.  In this study, we will see God’s sovereignty defined, declared, displayed, and dismissed.

When We Love One Another - Part 3

Wade Webster

John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11). In these verses, we will see three things that we show when we love one another.  In the last two installments of this study, we noticed that when we love one another we show that we are  born of God and know God.  In this installment, we will notice that we show that we are indebted to God.

When we love one another, we show that we are indebted to God. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:9-11). I want to call your attention to two small words in the eleventh verse. - “if” and “so.” There is no way to understand the verse without understanding these two little lwords. First, let’s look at the little word “if.” The word “if” is sometimes used to refer to the possibility of something. At other times, it is used to refer to the reality of something. It is used to refer to what has happened instead of what might happen. I believe that this is the way that it is used in our text. Since God so loved us in the past, we ought to so love one another in the present . That brings us to the little word “so.” It is an adverb that emphasizes the degree or the extent to which God loved us. God loved us to the extent that He gave His only begotten Son for us. No doubt, the little word “so” reminds us of another verse that features that word. In the gospel that bears his name, John records the following words of Jesus: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son that we might perish, but enjoy eternal life. God also loved us to this extent that we might love one another in the same way. God gave us an example to follow. In the gospel of John, we find these words of Jesus: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Two chapters later, we again read: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Clearly, we are to love one another as God has loved us. In the third chapter of his first epistle, John wrote , “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:16-17). Did you see the parallel in the passage? Jesus laid down His life for us, and we are to lay down our lives for the brethren. Getting back to our starting text - 1 John 4:9-11, since God loved us so much, we ought to love one another. As we conclude this point, let’s notice one more word. The word that I want us to end with is the word “ought.” This word has more letters by itself than the other two words do combined. The word “ought” refers to that which we have an obligation to do. We are obligated to love one another because of how God has loved us. When we love one other, we show how much we have been loved.

We have seen three things that we show to others when we love one another. We show that we are born of God, that we know God, and that we are indebted to God.

When We Love One Another - Part 2

Wade Webster

John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11). In these verses, we will see three things that we show when we love one another.  In the last installment of this study, we noticed that when we love one another we show that we are  born of God.  In this installment, we will notice that we show that we know God.

When we love one another, we show that we know God. Since God is love,, we declare that we know Him when we love one another. John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). If God is love, and the Bible says He is, then those who are born of God and know God should show His love in all that they say and do. To John and others, Jesus declared, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34.-35). When Jesus’ disciples loved each other the way that He loved them, then all men could know that they were His disciples because they knew His love and were practicing it. The disciples had received an invitation to be one of His disciples or students. They were following Him closely. They were day after day sitting at His feet as He taught. They were watching as He interacted with people. They were learning both by what they heard and by what they saw how to love. Mark records an occasion, when this is clearly seen. He wrote, ““Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:17-22). Did you notice what Mark recorded? Jesus, looking at him, loved him. Sadly, the rich young ruler didn’t love Jesus back. Jesus offered the young man the opportunity of a lifetime. He commanded the young man to sell all that he had, to give it to the poor, and then He invited him to come and follow Him. Jesus invited the young man to be a disciple, but the young man refused because he had such great possessions. This young man would never learn to love others as Jesus did. With the exception of Judas, the twelve disciples would learn to do so. Judas would talk about precious ointment being sold to give the money to the poor (John 12:1-8), but He didn’t really care about the poor. He was a thief and kept the bank bag. Some of the money might have eventually made it to the poor, some of it was going to be pilfered and end up in his pockets. In contrast, Peter and the others would genuinely learn to love like Jesus. In Galatians, we find Peter reminding Paul and Barnabas to remember the poor, which they were eager to do (Gal. 2:10). The disciples were covered in the dust of their teacher. People could see that they had been with Jesus. In the book of Acts, Luke records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”(Acts 4:13). Although this passage is dealing with boldness and not love, it shows that they were learning and living what they had heard and seen from Jesus. There is, by the way, a connection between love and boldness. Later, in the chapter that we are studying, John wrote, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (I John 4:18).