The Absolute Sovereignty of God

By grace, as my pastor John Piper would say, may I always start as a Bible-believing Christian that desires to put the Bible above all sytems of thought... not start with a doctrine in order to defend a system.

So here I am, at the tail end of about 8 hours a day of study for the past three days, absolutely enjoying, being encouraged by, challenged by, and in awe of the Scriptures. And so helped by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, Pastor Piper, J.I. Packer, and C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory).

God's sovereignty over all things has brought me down to me knees literally and humbled my heart more times in these past few days in the Word than ever before. Reading the Word is not only a command, but what a delight!

Isaiah 46:8-10
"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'”

Daniel 4: 34-35
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

Psalm 115:3
"Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases."

Romans 9: 18-23
"So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?' But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vesseld of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory."

Job 42:2
"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

Psalm 33:8-10
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the word stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples."

Ephesians 1:11-12
"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."

Psalm 135:6-7
"Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses."

Romans 13:1
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Proverbs 19:21
"Many are the plans of man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

Proverbs 16:33
"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD."

Proverbs 21:1
"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will."

Amos 3:6
"Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?"

Isaiah 45:7
"I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things."

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
"Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Matthew 10:29
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father."

Three stroies of God's sovereignty:
Job 1:1--2:10: the Sabeans killed his servants and stole his possesions, The fire of God burned the sheep and servants, The Chaldeans took the camels and killed his servants, a great wind knocked down the house killing his family, and Satan struck Job with sores--yet the Bible says "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord," "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" God has power of Satan.

Joseph in Genesis "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." (Gen 50: 20a)

Luke 23:1-46 The most evil act ever commited, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:24-30: "And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

Isaiah 53:10
"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."

Romans 8:32
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

"God wills in one sense what he disapproves of in another sense."
God is fully good, with absolute sovereignty.

Grace abounds,
Sara