God is Sovereign

1
God is Sovereign

• The Providence of God

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What does God being sovereign mean?

• the Lord reigns as king, exercising dominion
  over great and small alike. Gods dominion is
  total He wills as He chooses, and carries out
  all that He wills, and none can stay His hand, or
  thwart His plans. He exercises His rule in the
  normal courses of life, as well as, in more
  remarkable interventions or miracles. New
  Geneva Study Bible

3
God is Sovereign

• Gods sovereignty concerns His absolute rule and
  control over all His creation. God rules
  absolutely over the affairs of men. He sits on
  the throne of the universe as Lord. Everything
  that happens comes about because He either
  directly causes it or consciously allows it.
  Nothing enters into history or could ever exist
  outside of history that does not come under
  complete control. Tony Evans

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God is Sovereign

• In order to be sovereign, God must be
  all-knowing, all powerful and free. If He were
  limited in any one of these areas He would not be
  sovereign. Yet the sovereignty of God is greater
  than anyone of these attributes which it
  contains. His sovereignty allow the expression
  of other attributes. - James Boice

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God in His sovereignty

• preserves His creation.
• God keeps all created things existing and
  maintaining the properties with which He created
  them.
• Hebrews 13 he upholds the universe by the
  word of His power.
• Colossians 116-17
• Nehemiah 96
• He gives us breath! - Job 3414-15

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God in His sovereignty

• cooperates with His creation.
• God cooperates with created things in every
  action, directing their distinctive properties to
  cause them to act.
• Ephesians 17-12 works all things according to
  the counsel of His will, (v.11).
• Natural occurrences (Psalm 1356 1487-8 1044)
• Animals (Psalm 10427-29)
• Seemingly random or chance events (Proverbs
  1633)

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God in His sovereignty

• cooperates with His creation.
• Events fully caused by God and caused by
  creatures as well, (1 Corinthians 36-7).
• The affairs of nations, (Psalm 2228 Daniel
  428-36).
• All aspects of our lives
• His provision, (Ephesians 419)
• Our days, (Psalm 13916)
• Our individual steps, (Proverbs 169)
• Our success and failure, (Psalm 756-7)

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God in His sovereignty

• cooperates with His creation.
• All aspects of our lives
• Our gifts and abilities, (1 Corinthians 47).
• He influences rulers in their decisions,
  (Proverbs 211).
• God influences all people, (Psalm 3313-15).
• God works through His people, (Philippians 213).
• What about our choices? Why pray?
• What about evil?

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God in His sovereignty

• governs His creation.
• God has a purpose in all that He does in the
  world and He providentially governs or directs
  all things in order that they accomplish His
  purposes.
• Psalm 241
• God rules Psalm 10315-19
• Everything is for His glory (Romans 1136,
  Philippians 29-11)
• He rules by decree, (Ephesians 14-5 Acts 223).

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Why it matters.

• There are blessings when we realize the
  sovereignty of God
• It deepens our worship of the living and true
  God.
• Gives comfort in the midst of trails, temptation
  or sorrow.
• Provides encouragement and joy in evangelism.
• Gives us a deep sense of security.
• We realize that He is able.