{"id":165,"date":"2010-09-21T11:17:37","date_gmt":"2010-09-21T15:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=165"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:29:05","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:29:05","slug":"knowing-god-better-%e2%80%93-sovereignty-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/knowing-god-better-%e2%80%93-sovereignty-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Knowing God Better \u2013 Sovereignty Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PictureThis fall, we\u2019re taking our 3rd<\/sup>, 4th<\/sup>, and 5th<\/sup> Graders about through a series called Knowing God Better.\u00a0 Throughout this series, we\u2019re looking at what the Bible has to say about the character of God.\u00a0 The goal of this study is not simply to learn facts about God.\u00a0 Rather, the goal is to understand God in a way that deepens our appreciation and love for Him, that deepens our relationship with Him.\u00a0 The goal is to understand God in a way that motivates us to become more like Him.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Description of God’s Sovereignty<\/h2>\n

Why should we turn to God when life gets tough?<\/strong> That\u2019s a question each of us needs to be able to answer, and it’s a question directly\u00a0tied to the issue of God’s sovereignty.\u00a0 But as we try to understand the sovereignty of God, I think the first question we need to ask is:\u00a0 What do we mean when we say that God is sovereign?
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many different forms of government across the globe.\u00a0 In the United States, we have a what is known as a representative democracy, where the leaders are elected to represent the interests of the people; and the President of the United States is the highest ranking member of our government.\u00a0 He is elected by the people and is responsible to serve the people.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not how it works in every country.<\/p>\n

In the African kingdom of Swaziland<\/a>, for example, the power of the government is vested in a monarch.\u00a0 And its leader is King Mswati III<\/a>.\u00a0 He is the nation\u2019s sovereign.<\/p>\n

Because Swaziland is ruled by a monarch, things work differently in there than they do here in the United States.\u00a0 In Swaziland, King Mswati doesn\u2019t answer to the people.\u00a0 The people answer to him.\u00a0 As the sovereign of Swaziland, King Mswati can do almost anything he wants.\u00a0 And he can make the citizens of Swaziland do almost anything he wants.\u00a0 He is in complete control, and whatever he says goes.<\/p>\n

The question is:\u00a0 which ruler is more like God in terms of the authority he has over his nation\u2014the King of Swaziland or the President of the United States?\u00a0 With all due deference to the man and his office, the President of the United States is on the losing side of this question.<\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t run a democracy<\/strong>.\u00a0 People don\u2019t vote God into office when we like what he\u2019s doing and out of office when we don\u2019t like what he\u2019s doing.\u00a0 God is the king.\u00a0 He is sovereign.\u00a0 But His sovereignty extends far beyond any single region or principality.<\/p>\n

Psalm 103:19
\nThe Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Extent of God’s Sovereignty<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s consider some of the specific subsets to which the sovereignty of God extends.<\/p>\n

The Earth and All Its People
\n<\/strong>Psalm 119:90-91
\nYou established the earth, and it stands.\u00a0 They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants.<\/p>\n

The Lifetimes of People
\n<\/strong>Job 14:5
\nMan’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.<\/p>\n

Scripture teaches that God determines the exact number of days that each person will live.<\/p>\n

The Events of Our Lives
\n<\/strong>Romans 8:28
\nAnd we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God<\/p>\n

Based on this verse, nothing can happen in the life of a Christian that isn\u2019t intended for that person\u2019s good.\u00a0 That includes the things we like as well as the things we don\u2019t like.\u00a0 It includes things like job promotions and staff reductions; the birth of children and the loss of loved ones; unexpected generosity and undeserved maltreatment.\u00a0 It also includes sin.\u00a0 According to this verse, God even uses the sinful ways we rebel against Him to accomplish good in the lives of those who love Him.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty incredible.\u00a0 That means if you\u2019re a Christian\u2014if there\u2019s been a definite point in your life when you\u2019ve asked Jesus to be your Savior\u2014God is using everything in your life for your good<\/strong>.\u00a0 Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re going to like everything that happens in your life, but it does mean that God has a good purpose for everything that happens to you.<\/p>\n

The Benefit of God’s Sovereignty<\/h2>\n

What good purpose is God trying to accomplish?<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Romans 8:29
\nFor those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to the Apostle Paul, God is striving to accomplish a single goal in the life of every Christian\u2014Christlikeness.<\/p>\n

Remember the question we posed at the outset of this discussion?\u00a0 Why should we turn to God when life gets tough?\u00a0 Here\u2019s the answer:\u00a0 because God uses everything in our lives to help us grow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God\u2019s primary concern for the lives of all those who have trusted Christ is not that we would have everything that we want.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that we would never experience any difficulties.\u00a0 God\u2019s primary concern for our lives is that we would grow to become more like Jesus.\u00a0 As God looks at our lives, He may determine that the tool that will best help you become like Jesus is some kind of problem or some kind of challenge.\u00a0 And so, He allows us to experience problems or challenges.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, when God allows difficulty to enter our lives, that doesn\u2019t mean we will automatically become like Christ.\u00a0 No, we have a choice to make.\u00a0 We have to decide how we\u2019re going to respond to that challenge.\u00a0 We have to ask ourselves, \u201cAm I going to draw closer to God by seeking to please Him during this trial?\u00a0 Or am I going to reject God by seeking to please myself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions for Consideration<\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. How should the sovereignty of God impact the way you think about the problems you face?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. How has God used past challenges to help you grow?<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. How have you misused past challenges by failing to grow?<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. What practices could you put in place to help you respond well to future challenges?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This fall, we\u2019re taking our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders about through a series called Knowing God Better. Throughout this series, we\u2019re looking at what the Bible has to say about the character of God. The goal of this study is not simply to learn facts about God. Rather, the goal is to understand God in a way that deepens our appreciation and love for Him, that deepens our relationship with Him. The goal is to understand God in a way that motivates us to become more like Him.<\/p>\n

    Why should we turn to God when life gets tough? That\u2019s a question each of us needs to be able to answer, and it’s a question directly tied to the issue of God’s sovereignty. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[97],"tags":[132,161,135,134,162,163,136],"yoast_head":"\nKnowing God Better \u2013 Sovereignty Part 2 - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/knowing-god-better-\u2013-sovereignty-part-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Knowing God Better \u2013 Sovereignty Part 2 - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This fall, we\u2019re taking our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders about through a series called Knowing God Better. Throughout this series, we\u2019re looking at what the Bible has to say about the character of God. The goal of this study is not simply to learn facts about God. Rather, the goal is to understand God in a way that deepens our appreciation and love for Him, that deepens our relationship with Him. The goal is to understand God in a way that motivates us to become more like Him. Why should we turn to God when life gets tough? 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