TEXT: Revelation 19:6

SUBJECT: The Sovereignty of God #6: The Fruits

Today, with the Lord’s blessing, we’ll complete the study we began a few weeks ago on the sovereignty of God. The word, "sovereignty" stands for authority and power. Applied to the Lord, it means He rules all things at all times.

Looking at the world we live in, it’s not easy to believe in the sovereignty of God, but it’s true. The Bible says so,

Thus far, we’ve looked at some things under His Lordship. They are nature, angels, demons, nations, and the salvation of sinners. The list could be added to indefinitely. God controls everything you can name. And the things you can’t name as well. His sovereignty is unaffected by time, space, or opposition of any kind, Psalm 135:6,

That’s what the doctrine is. Now, what does it do for you?

If it’s wrongly received, it will make you worse. We’ve all known good, humble Christians, eager to serve God and win the lost, who got a dose of Calvinism, and became bigoted, know-it-all, trouble making idiots!

If the doctrine of God’s sovereignty has made you proud of yourself, or to look down on other Christians, or to let the unsaved go to hell without a word or a tear, you never got it. Or, maybe you got it, but it never got you.

According to Titus 1:1, there is a

"Doctrine according to godliness".

In other words, true doctrine, rightly received, will promote your holiness. God’s sovereignty is a doctrine that will do you good.

What good will it do you? A lot, of course, but here’s what I thought of.

First of all, the sovereignty of God will strike awe into your heart.

In his book on the bondage of the will, Martin Luther chided his opponent by saying, "Your God, O Erasmus, is too human". He was right. In reducing the sovereignty of God, Erasmus, the genius and humanist scholar was also reducing the majesty of God and making Him seem less than He truly is.

In the four hundred years since that time, things have only gotten worse. Listen to the way people talk about God—and I mean Christians! They take His name in vain; they joke about Him; they speak to Him without reverence; they read His Word without fear; church is a fun place to be, but where’s the feeling of dreadful majesty?

Compare our silliness to the seriousness of men in the Bible. Isaiah sees the LORD and is overwhelmed with a sense of pollution and unworthiness! Moses quakes in the Presence of the LORD. Peter falls on his face before Him. John passes out.

And not only men, but angels bow to Him; Seraphim cannot look at Him for long. Earth and heaven flee from the face of Him Who sits on the Throne!

In Bible days, the saints loved God. But they not only loved Him. They also feared Him and trembled at His sovereignty. And they weren’t alone. Some of our best hymns have the same feeling. Here’s one of them,

My favorite quote from Martin Luther breathes this spirit. At his first Mass, the young monk stood before the bread and wine and was seized with fear,

Luther was right. Believing in the Lord’s sovereignty strikes a godly fear into your heart. And that’s good for you—

A second benefit that comes from believing in God’s sovereignty is obedience.

What makes a child obey his parents? Or a student obey his teacher? Or a worker obey his boss? Or a private obey his sergeant? Well many things are involved of course, but behind them all is the knowledge that the parent or the teacher or the boss or the sergeant can do something about it!

The parent can spank, the teacher can flunk, the boss can fire, and there’s no telling what the sergeant is capable of! Take away that fear and discipline will soon break down. Powerless authority is a contradiction in terms!

When men forget sovereignty, it won’t be long before they forget obedience. Psalm 10:13,

In other words, they don’t believe God can do anything about their sin. Chief among the scoffers was Pharaoh, who sneered,

In time, he found out who the LORD was. But he found out too late—when his country was ruined and his gods humiliated.

Nothing will stimulate obedience more than believing in the sovereignty of God. In knowing He has every right to control your life and every power to chasten you if you won’t submit to His Lordship.

The Book of Hebrews was written to Christians. And, in urging them to stay with the Lord, the author reminds them of His Terrible Majesty,

Pastors often say, "If you’re sinning against the Lord, examine yourself, sort out your motives, evaluate your priorities" and so on. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. But let me tell you something better: If you’re sinning against the Lord, examine…Him!

Who are you trifling with? Who are you provoking? Who are you ignoring? Who are you trying to fool?

It not some weak man or some limited god. It is the LORD who came down at Mount Sinai! The One who made the earth quake, the lightning flash, and the hill to burn. His voice sounded like a trumpet and made soldiers panic. The Israelites were so terrified of this God that they told Moses,

The Lord was making a point that day: Before revealing His will to the people, He revealed Himself, so that they might fear Him and obey His Word.

Believing in the sovereignty of God, therefore, will foster obedience to His Word.

A Third blessing that comes from the doctrine is contentment.

If you know that God is sovereign, you also know that whatever happens to you is by His will. This includes not only the things you like, but also the things you’d rather do without.

Is it God’s will for His people to become sick? To lose a job? To suffer bereavement? To have problems galore? The Bible says it is. Some of the troubles come from living in a world under the Curse. Others are direct chastisements. Some are meant to test your faith or to enhance your witness or to fortify your patience. But whatever the nature of the problem, every one of them is decreed or permitted by God.

It’s easy to forget this. When you do, you start sulking or whining or raging. The Bible word is murmuring. The only cure for murmuring is…what?

Remembering the sovereignty of God.

The Apostle Paul had a problem. We can’t say just what it was, but he called it "a thorn in the flesh". The problem hurt him, of course, and he thought it reduced his effectiveness. But, after praying about it three times, it occurred to Him that the thorn was stuck into him…by God. And was meant to do him good. He said it was there,

The problem, in other words, kept Paul humble. God didn’t stick him with it because He hated him, but because He loved him. It wasn’t to break his ministry, but to make it better.

There’s no way to accept the problems of life without a firm belief in the sovereignty of God. You can pretend everything is fine, you can keep a stiff upper lip, you can smile and laugh and say pious words, but in your heart of hearts, you’ll never accept your troubles until you know,

Now, remember, it’s not talking about the sovereignty of God that makes you content—anyone can do that. It’s believing in it, even when your world is crashing down around you. Job was such a man. With his children dead and his fortune wiped out, Job’s wife urged him to "Curse God and die!" But the man knew better,

Just in case we missed the point, the poet adds,

Believing in the sovereignty of God will help make you content. Contentment is good. Jeremiah Burroughs calls it a Rare Jewel. But there’s something even better than contentment. And the sovereignty of God will stir that in you too.

Believing in the sovereignty of God will make you thankful.

If God is sovereign, then everything you have comes from Him. Whether it is material (like a house, a car, or money) or spiritual (like the forgiveness of sin or the hope of glory) or something in between (like family, friends, and fun). If God is sovereign, then

This includes both the things you worked for and those you didn’t--what someone called the unbought grace of life. None of them came to you by chance or luck; they came by grace.

And what is grace but "umerited favor"? And what do you do when someone does you a favor? You thank him. And if it’s a big one? You become very, very grateful.

Meditating on the sovereignty of God will make you thankful.

It will also make you happy.

This is the most important thing I’ll say today, but because I’ve said it so often the last few weeks, I won’t labor the point. The sovereignty of God fills the believer with joy.

What a rotten world it would be if I were in charge of it! Or if you were. Or if we were. Or if the politicians were. Or the if experts were. And what if the devils ruled the world?

But they don’t. You don’t, I don’t. It is God who rules. And that’s cause for rejoicing. Wouldn’t you hate to board an airplane with a pilot who didn’t know what he was doing? What if he said, "I wonder what this stick is for? And this button, what’s it do?"

But the world is an airplane. And the pilot is God who knows exactly what He’s doing and promises to get us there safe and sound and on time!

Finally, believing in the sovereignty of God builds trust.

If God is sovereign—I mean really sovereign over everything, then we can know that His promises will be kept. I can make a promise—and really mean it. But, because I’m weak and other things affect me, I may not make good on it. I want to, but I cannot.

But God can! Nothing can get in His way or prevent Him from keeping His promises to us. That means we can trust Him. Not as we would a reliable man, but we can trust Him completely, without a care, a doubt or a worry.

The promises of God can be counted on. Because He is sovereign. Holy men have always known this. And once, at least, even a bad man admitted it. Old Balaam, the mercenary prophet, had to say,

Do you believe in the sovereignty of God?

If you do, act like it!

And the love of God be with you. For Christ’s sake. Amen.