Our God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. He is limitless, infinite, boundless.
He is sovereign. By this we mean that He has both the authority and the power to accomplish his will as the supreme Ruler of all things.
Isaiah wrote, “I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will... Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it” (Isaiah 46:10–11, CSB).
The Psalmist declared, “The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth” (Psalm 135:6, CSB) and “Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases” (Psalm 115:3, CSB).
The story of the Egypt’s Pharaoh during the ten plagues is an interesting example of God’s sovereignty. While Moses was still in Midian, before he returned to Egypt, the sovereign God spoke. “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart...” (Exodus 4:21–22, CSB).
In order to accomplish He sovereign plan, God moved to harden the heart of Pharaoh. Later we read that Pharaoh made the conscious decision to harden his own heart. Interesting!
Paul used Pharaoh as an example of God’s sovereignty when he wrote to the church at Rome. “I raised (Pharaoh) up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Romans 9:17-18, CSB).
Here’s some good news... Just as the omniscient God choses to forget the sins that He has graciously forgiven, so God limits His ultimate sovereignty by allowing mankind free will. Let that sink in... God has all power and all authority, but He limits Himself as He freely grants to mankind the freedom to obey or disobey; the right to choose.
God spoke through Joshua saying, “Choose this day who you will serve” (Joshua 24:15, ESV). I suppose that God could have exercised divine authority and demanded complete obedience, but he allowed His children the freedom to choose.
Jesus’ message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, ESV). In other words, choose... Make your own decision!
God sovereignly chose Abram while he was still living among the pagans in Ur. From all the people living on earth, God picked Abram and invited him into a relationship that changed the world forever. God worked sovereignly, and Abram responded freely and obediently.
Again, God sovereignly chose Saul of Tarsus and appeared to him on the road to Damascus. God went to extraordinary lengths to invite Saul into a relationship that changed the world forever. God worked sovereignly, and Saul responded freely and obediently.
God sovereignly worked in your life to orchestrate the circumstances that led you to Himself. Think about it. You were born into a specific family at a preordained time. God protected you from destructive decisions and strategically led you to where you are today.
Be thankful! “He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15, CSB).
South Georgia Baptist Church
Amarillo, Texas
Mike Martin, Pastor
mike@southgeorgiabaptistchurch.org