By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #387 ~ 

In a society where there is so much emphasis placed upon our role and responsibility, where so much is said about individualism, independence, self-reliance, and personal pride, it’s essential to understand God’s role, His rule, His responsibility, His supremacy, His overarching authority. In these last years before the end of this age and the rapture of the church, we must know that God is God and that He is sovereign, He is in charge of everyone and everything. This means people, families, churches, countries, rulers, events, jobs, the economy, sickness, decisions, everyday details, etc. 

Last week I talked about how God is reigning and ruling over this world. He is in control! His purposes are being accomplished! He is building His kingdom! “The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Ex. 15:18). Today and in the next post I will share many examples of God’s sovereignty. When you read these, look at the verbs, for then you will see what God is doing, and that He is sovereign. 

* Abraham – “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing.” Gen. 12:1-3, 13, 15, 17:26, 18:18-19; Ps. 105:8-11
* Angels – “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matt. 26:53, 2 Kings 19:35, Ps. 103:20-21
* Animals – “Look in the scroll of the Lord and read, ‘None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate.’ For it His mouth that has given the order and His Spirit will gather them together.” Is. 34:16; Num. 22:28; Ps. 104:10-12, 18-23; Is. 46:9-10, 11:6, 65:25; Matt. 10:29

* Babies – “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Gen. 18:14, 1 Sam. 1:5-6, Ps. 139:13-15, Jer. 1:4, Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:12-25
* Church – “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matt. 16:18, Ps. 27:1, Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 2:20-21, Rev. 7:9-10
* Creation – “By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him… in Him all things hold together.” Col. 1:16-17, Gen. 1, Jer. 32:17, Ps. 104

* David – “Tell My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I cut off all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great.’” 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Acts 13:22, 36
* Death – “The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and raises up.” (1 Sam. 2:6). “God raised Him up again putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” Acts 2:24, Matt. 28:6-7, Luke 7:14-15, John 11:43-44, Heb. 2:14-15
* Demons – “He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.” Mark 1:34, Luke 4:41

* Disaster – “I bring prosperity and create disaster; I the Lord do all these things.” Is. 45:7, Lam. 3:37-38, Amos 3:6, Luke 13:1-3, Rev. 8-9
* Earth – “The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity… Your statues stand firm, holiness adorns Your house for endless days.” Ps. 93:1-2, 5; Ps. 47:7-9
* Everything – “His dominion is an eternal dominion. His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him ‘What have you done?’” Dan. 4:35-35; Ps. 9:7, 11:4, 45:16, 93:1-2, 145:11-13; Dan. 7:14 

* Future – “I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I do all that I please.’” Is. 46:9-10, Dan. 7, Matt. 24:3-31, Eph. 1:9-11, 1 Thess. 4:17, Revelation
* Gospel – “No man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:10, Is. 55:10-12, Luke 21:12-19, John 6:44, Rev. 14:6-7
* Israel – “You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.” Deut. 7:6-7, 8:18; Ex. 6:7; Ez. 37:23-24; Luke 21:20-24; Rom. 11:25-27

* Jesus’ Birth – “As for you Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Judah.” Mic. 5:2; Is. 7:14, 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:30-31
* Jesus’ Life – “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Psalm 69:21, Deut. 18:15, Is. 53:3, Hos. 11:1, Zech. 9:9, Zech. 11:13, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John  
* Jesus’ Death – “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.” Acts 2:23, Psalm 22:1-24, Isaiah 53:4-12, Matt. 27:33-50, Luke 23:33-46, Acts 4:27-28

* Job – “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21, 14:5
* Jonah – “So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah” (Jon. 1:7). “The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah.” Jon. 1:17, 2:10, 3:10, 4:6, 4:7
* Joseph – “It was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of Egypt. You intended to harm me but God meant it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Gen. 50:19-20, 45:5-8; Ps. 105:17-22

* Judgment – “‘Surely as I have planned it, so it will be… I will crush the Assyrian in my land” (Is. 14:24-27). “He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity” (Ps. 98:9). “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it… I saw the dead, the great and the small standing before the throne… Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20:11-12; 1 Sam. 2:9-10; 2 Kings 19:25, 31; Ps. 9:5, 8, 16-17; Is. 10:5-12; Rev. 8-9
* The Length of Your Life – “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with you; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one them came to be.” Ps. 139:16, Acts 13:36, 2 Tim. 4:7
* Your Life – “Many are the plan in a man’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Pr. 19:21). “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How can anyone understand his own way?” (Pr. 20:24). “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Rom. 8:28-29; Job 12:13-16; Ps. 115:3; Pr. 16:9, 16:33; Jer. 10:23
* The next post will list out many more verses about how God is sovereign over everything. 

I am amazed, I am impressed when I read this long list that spells out the truth of God’s sovereignty. And the fact that God is sovereign tells us that He is God, and that He reigns, rules, decrees, directs, commands, chooses, predestines, ordains, predicts, plans, leads, initiates, governs, guides, acts, manages, and restrains. It’s so encouraging to know that God is sovereign over this world! 

It’s also encouraging to know that God is sovereign over our lives. “Man plans his way and the Lord directs his steps” (Pr.  16:9). As for myself, I plan out every single day, and yet, I know that God is sovereign. He leads, intervenes, overrides, controls, and works in and through me in ways that I do not understand (Is. 55:8-9). This truly encourages, strengthens, and comforts me for I know that my life is not out of control, but under God’s control, and that His sovereignty in my life is for my good and His glory.

God’s sovereignty is one of the most heart-changing, soul-motivating, peace-giving, joy-producing, God-glorifying truths there is. I think I’d go crazy if I knew that life was completely up to me, that I had to be in control – but thankfully, I am not. “I will lead you in the way you should go” (Ps. 32:8). “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Ph. 2:12-13). “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (Ps. 23:6). “I will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 1:8

What you must also understand is that God cannot bring about His prophecies, His predictions of the future without being sovereign. All the things that were written in God’s Word about the end-times, Christ’s coming, the day of the Lord, and the kingdom ages will not happen by chance, or by what man does, but only by God being sovereign, by God reigning and ruling in the lives of people and in the workings of this world. Eph. 1:9-12

It is a such a privilege and honor to be involved in God’s work at this time in history. As the months and years go by, we will see that God is sovereign, that He is fulfilling His prophecies and plans concerning Christ’s coming. And then there will be that last generation of Christians (Matt. 24:34) who will witness God fulfilling all that is written in Matt. 24, Luke 21, Rev. 6-7, and 1 Th. 4:15-17.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power… Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Psalm 145:11, 13