GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND PROVIDENTIAL
You have heard us say God is sovereign a few times now in this series. Today, I will attempt to explain and help us understand the sovereignty of God. I will also share the closely intertwined subject of God’s providence. We’ve been doing a survey of the attributes of God rather than an extensive study of each one. This subject alone, we could spend weeks breaking down deep and difficult passages of scripture. In this series, I am trying to give us basic lessons, terms, and of course, application so that we will better understand who God is moving forward here at Calvary. Before I go any further in my attempt to teach this subject, let me quote from the textbook Foundations of Pentecostal Theology: Any theological attempt to explain the sovereignty of God is clearly limited by humankind’s finite perspective. -Duffield and Cleave
The tension of this subject in scripture is that God is sovereign and providential, working out His will in the scripture and in our lives, but at the same time, we also have free will and are responsible for our decisions. God is working His will, but He is also involved in moving hearts and leading His people by the Spirit, to do what pleases Him. We can choose to resist or cooperate with His Word and Spirit in our lives.
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!
God’s sovereignty refers to his absolute and unrivaled rule over all of creation. To affirm that God is sovereign is to affirm that He reigns, universally and invincibly. God’s sovereignty implies His absolute ownership (Gen 14:22; Deut 10:14; Job 41:11), authority (Ps 47:2, 7), and control (Job 38–39; Jer 5:22; Eph 1:11) over all things. God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence express His sovereignty. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and in all places, over all of His creation.
Nothing in the universe occurs without God’s permission. God has the power and knowledge to prevent anything He chooses to prevent, so anything that does happen must, at the very least, be “allowed” by God. -Gotquestions.com
God’s sovereign dominion includes:
Nature: Psalm 135:6-7 The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. 7 He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.
Human history: Acts 17:26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
God’s control extends to what seem to us to be chance events: Jonah 1:7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
God is even sovereign over events where judgment has come on His own people (Genesis 50:20) or appears to defeat God’s purposes, exemplified best in the crucifixion of Christ, which occurred within God’s predetermined purpose (Acts 2:23; 4:27–28). Talbert, L. (2018). God’s Sovereignty over Creation. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.
God is Providential
If sovereignty is God’s authority and reign over all creation, His providence is the governing power that oversees and works out his plans for it.
I just spent time with some pastors, and one of them shared an illustration of God’s sovereign plan in missional work using the analogy of chessboards. He said, imagine God has before Him 10,000 chessboards and He is actively moving and working with the pieces to make moves for His will and purposes. To accomplish a plan, God, through a variety of experiences and choices, moves a man from one board to another (from atheism to faith in Christ, from one country to another too) to fulfill His purpose to reach a godless village with the gospel. Perhaps you can look back at your life now and see how God has sovereignly worked out His will for you, and you should not think you are here today by accident. You are free to resist God, but those who put up their sails or surrender their lives to the leading of God’s Spirit will find themselves in God’s will.
“The Christian view affirms that God has not merely created the universe together with all its properties and powers, and that He is preserving all that He has created, but that as a holy, benevolent, wise, and omnipotent Being, He also exercises sovereign control over it. This sovereign control is called providence.” -Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, Duffield and Cleave, pgs 113-115
This does not mean that God’s control is opposed to creaturely agency. Christian theology generally recognizes that God has created responsible agents who are free to act within their appointed spheres, a freedom which has permitted evil, in the form of disobedience to God’s will, to make its appearance in the created order. Bray, G. (2018). Providence. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.
The following are some of the ways God demonstrates His providential care:
God governs the physical universe (Gen. 1:6-8; Prov. 8:28-29).
God cares for the animal creation (Matthew 6:26; Psalm 36:6).
God providentially governs the nations. He sovereignly and graciously governs the earth’s kingdoms (Ps. 22:28).
God cares about the details of every person’s life (Jer. 1:5; David’s life - Ps. 139:14-16).
God provides protection for the righteous (Ps. 5:11-12).
God supplies the needs of His people (Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:32-33).
God hears and answers prayer (Phil. 4:6).
God’s Sovereignty and Providence
Jeremiah 25:1-14
After 70 years in Babylonian exile, everything seemed lost for Israel:
Jerusalem destroyed
The temple burned
The Davidic king dethroned
God’s people in captivity
Babylon fell to Persia in 539 BC. A new king rises: Cyrus the Great.
God predicted Cyrus by name, 150+ years earlier
Through the prophet Isaiah, long before Cyrus was born, God said: “Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’…‘He shall build my city and set my exiles free’” (Isaiah 44:28). And again: “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus…” (Isaiah 45:1-7;13).
Ezra 1:1-6
Cyrus, a pagan Persian King, issues a decree allowing the Jews to return and rebuild the temple.
Proverbs 21:1 says: The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.
Cyrus is a living illustration of that verse.
Nothing looks overtly miraculous, but behind geopolitical shifts and imperial policy, God is: Fulfilling prophecy, preserving His covenant people, rebuilding the temple, and preparing the stage for the coming Messiah centuries later.
The Bigger Redemptive Picture
This return from exile:
Restores temple worship
Reestablishes Jerusalem
Preserves the Jewish people
Protects the lineage that will eventually lead to Jesus
Without God’s appointment of Cyrus and his decree, there is no rebuilt temple, no Second Temple Judaism, and no historical context for Christ’s ministry. What looks like imperial politics is actually redemptive history.
Today, God is sovereign over the events of our world. 2,563 years ago (538 BC), the pagan King Cyrus of the Persian Empire freed the Israelite (Jewish) people to return to Jerusalem, resettle their homeland, and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. 2,563 years later, Israel is attempting to return the Iranian homeland to the Persian people.
Application/Takeaways
Remember that God is supreme over all creation, kingdoms, and world events
Followers of Christ can have confidence in God’s plan for the world. The headlines of Wars, geopolitical tension, and economic uncertainty may alarm us, but scripture reminds us: God is not reacting to history; He is directing history.
Our hope is not in governments or world leaders. Our hope is in the sovereign God who rules over them.
On a personal level, God is in charge and is working out things for our good. We do not know God’s secret will or plans for our daily and future lives. But we can know and trust God to providentially care and work out His good and perfect will for our lives.
We can trust and rest in God’s purposes and plan.
Recognize God’s care and provision in our lives
Instead of a hyper focus on what is uncertain and worrying over perceived or potential problems, what if we recognize the faithful providence of our sovereign God?
As we learned in our Philippians series, the mind requires spiritual discipline and intentional redirecting towards God instead of the things that make us worry.
Take inventory of how God has provided work, housing, food, companionship, help, a church that cares, brothers and sisters in Christ, and a hope and future in Christ.
Even if we have made wrong choices, or lost a job, dealing with relational conflict, or have been facing financial setbacks, God is still present and working.
God is orchestrating redemption behind the scenes
Story of Pastor Kurt Seaburg and the Calvary Community Center (School, 3 Stones Church, etc)
Proverbs 19:21 You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.
Though we make plans for the future, ultimately God’s purpose will prevail and unfold.
Remain faithful to follow what God has already revealed
God revealed what we need to know in His Word. God has given us His Spirit to guide us into truth, in His will. Providence doesn’t mean passivity; we are called to cooperate with God’s sovereignty by following the Spirit, obeying His Word, and keeping our faith in Christ. These two work together to lead us in what we are to believe, convictions we should hold, and lives we ought to live.
When I followed God’s revealed will in the Word, God unveiled His secret will for my life.
The life of a disciple is not my will, but His will be done. The disciple has surrendered his or her will to follow Christ. Now we live to know God and His will that He has revealed in the scriptures.
Discussion
What is the difference between God’s sovereignty and God’s providence?
Why do you think it is difficult for humans to fully understand God’s sovereignty?
Pastor Ryan used the “10,000 chessboards” analogy that was shared with him. How does that illustration help you understand God’s providence?
What situations in your life are hardest to trust God with right now?
Why is it important to remember God’s sovereignty when we experience hard times?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
How can we pray together for you today?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and, when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways, and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!