The Sovereignty Of God

It seems there was a time in the church when most folks if they did not fully understand the sovereignty of God, they at least had a general idea what it meant or was referring to. I don’t know what happened to those days but it seems like they are very much in the past. Many in the church today when asked will just shrug their shoulders and say: I don’t know. Beloved, this should not be.

I really am not sure why this is the case but most likely it would stem from one of two reasons. I remember back in the 80’s when I was a student at Rhema Bible Training Center in Broken Arrow, OK; Rev. Kenneth E. (Dad) Hagin used to tell us that when folks are ignorant about a subject it is because of either No Teaching or Poor Teaching on that subject.

That is true if it is Mathematics or Basic Bible Doctrines. If nobody ever teaches you that 2 + 2 = 4, then you are ignorant because of no teaching. If somebody teaches you that 2 + 2 = 6, then you are ignorant because of poor teaching. The same would hold true regarding Bible truth.

“What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou?.(Daniel 4:35) To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.” Arthur W. Pink

The sovereignty of God represents the ability to exercise His holy will or supremacy. The Most High, Lord of Heaven and earth, has unlimited power to do what He has resolved. Being absolutely independent, God does as He pleases. None can deter Him, none can hinder Him. I remember growing up my Dad, Dr. Leo Fram, used to say about the sovereignty of God that God can do what He wants, whenever He wants, to whoever He wants, through whomever he wants, just because He wants to because He is God and no one can question or say anything about it.

Scripture is full of examples that prove this out both directly and indirectly.

“Remember the first events, because I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there’s no one like me. From the beginning I revealed the end. From long ago I told you things that had not yet happened, saying, ‘My plan will stand, and I’ll do everything I intended to do.’” Isaiah 46: 9 & 10 God’s Word Translation

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46: 9 & 10 New Living Translation

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 & 12 New American Standard Bible

“The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.” Psalm 89:11 New American Standard Bible

“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Psalm 115:3 New American Standard Bible

“Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” Psalm 135:6 New American Standard Bible

Besides all these Scriptures that deal with the Sovereignty of God directly, there are many stories in the Bible that demonstrate it as well. In the Book of Acts Chapter 12 we have the account of where Peter was arrested and the Bible tells us that prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God, and God sent an angel to supernaturally deliver him. But in Acts Chapter 5 after Peter’s shadow is healing folks, they laid hands on the apostles and threw them in jail. In this case, God sent an angel to deliver them, but it was not in response to any prayer that was offered, God just sovereignly moved.

We can also look at the life of John the Baptist and see the Sovereignty of God. In Luke 1:15 we see that the angel of the Lord spoke to Zacharias and said that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit, while still in his mother’s womb. John was an Old Covenant Prophet. In the Old Covenant nobody was filled with the Holy Spirit; that was reserved for the Church Age and New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit only came upon the Prophet, the Priest and the King; yet John was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb before he was even born. Who can tell God that He can’t do that? Nobody! God can do what He wants.

These are just a few quick thoughts about a subject that was prevalent in years gone by but not so much today. I for one would like to see a return to this type of teaching and preaching. I believe we need to have a view of our God as indeed being an awesome God that does just as He pleases and as He intends, who nothing is too difficult for. I want to leave you with one final Scripture that a very popular chorus was based on back in the 80’s that for those of you that have been around the church for that long will surely remember.

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17 New King James Version