In this episodes of Hope for Today, dive deep into the profound topic of the sovereignty of God. Journey through biblical insights and discover how God’s powerful control is based on His divine position, power, and pleasure. As David Hawking unpacks scriptures from Isaiah, Proverbs, and Psalms, listeners are reminded that God orchestrates every element in the universe according to His definitive plan and purpose. Explore how sovereignty integrates with providence, portraying the compassionate care God extends to all creation.
Talk about the sovereignty of God. The Bible says in Proverbs 16, for he’s made everything for himself, including the wicked for the day of doom. You say, oh, God delights then in the punishment of the wicked. No, according to Ezekiel 18, verse 23 and 32, God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. But it is a part of his pleasure to say that all people, whether they are wicked or righteous, will in fact experience the consequences of everything the plan of God is outlined. And that is what God wants done. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is Hope for Today. God doesn’t ask permission from men. He doesn’t wait for human approval. He doesn’t change course because the world rebels. He said in Isaiah, I will work, and who shall reverse it? You see, when God purposes to act, no man stops him. No man can stop him. No nation overturns him. No power on earth can undo what he has decreed. Today, Bible teacher David Hawking returns with day two of a message called The Sovereignty of God. If you need to be reminded that the Lord still rules, still acts, and still does all His will, well, stay tuned. We’re about to take a deep dive back into God’s Word on the sovereignty of God. Stay tuned. First of all, a quick reminder that our current series on the attributes of God is available for you, all 16 messages on MP3 CD for just $20. We also have David’s original sermon notes and outlines for this series. These are the notes he used to preach these messages. And that bundle for all the messages in the series is just $10. Folks, download these and use them to follow along as David teaches. That’s the Attributes of God Sermon Notes and Outlines, $10 at davidhawking.org. Or call us at 875-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada and Bibleist 24253 to order those resources. And we’ll repeat the contact info later in the program. Right now, though, here’s David with Day 2 on The Sovereignty of God.
SPEAKER 03 :
The sovereign God is ruling everything. Now come to Isaiah, please, chapter 43, and let me show you that it’s not only his position that’s affecting his control of everything, but it’s his power. It’s his power. Isaiah chapter 43 is a rather strong statement, but I’m afraid that a lot of us don’t read these verses, or at least when we do, we skip over it. Isaiah 43, 13. It says, indeed, before the day was, I am he. Don’t you like that? And there’s no one who can deliver out of my hand. I love this statement. I work, and who will reverse it? Did you think you could change what God’s doing? You can’t change it. You say, but look what happened. Well, whatever happened, happened. Well, you’re saying that God caused that? Well, he does cause all things. The Bible says he’s working and ruling. Well, why would he do that to me? Oh, the implication is that you deserve better? Well, hey, I didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to me. I got fired. What are you talking about? Well, on a human perspective, I could say there must have been something you did. Hey, I was the best employee they had. Really? Well, I guess God chose the best one to get rid of. Well, why would he do that to me after I worked so hard for him? I don’t know. But I want you to know that if it happened, it happened. Have you ever noticed how when friends tell you that, it isn’t really the most thrilling thing you wanted to hear? You know, your heart is longing for some explanation about how wonderful you are, and isn’t it terrible what has happened? But you know, you’d be at peace and sleep better if you just said, well, it happened, brother. That’s what happened. You know, there are a lot of things that have happened in my past I don’t understand. I want you to know what my friend John MacArthur says delights my heart and makes me laugh every time I hear him say it. He said, I know I’m right, otherwise I’d change my view. Now there’s something about that that I really like. You know, it sounds arrogant, but there’s something I really like about that. It’s like an honest admission of what we really want to believe, see? Listen, friends, whatever happened, happened. And our problem is understanding it. And God says, well, I know. I know you don’t, too. And I have reasons as to why I haven’t let you in on it. And man, that’s frustrating. You know what you have to do? You have to relax. And it’s so hard when you don’t know. You have to just relax and say, I don’t know what happened. One of the most refreshing things to hear about somebody who’s endured a terrible tragedy, you say, well, why do you think that all happened to you? Hey, I haven’t got the foggiest idea. You know, that is not immaturity. That is often the fullest expression of maturity that ever could come to a believer. I have no idea why it’s happening. I just know it did. And I’m going to praise the name of the Lord that he’s got a reason, he’s got a purpose to everything, and I’m going to praise him. I know he’ll work it out for his glory. Colossians 1.17 says, Talk about control. In Hebrews 1.3, upholding all things, not just a few, upholding all things by the word of his power. It is God’s power that is behind his control of everything, including the laws of gravity. But his pleasure, turn to Psalm 115 again. Psalm 115. This doctrine that God is controlling everything. The sovereignty of God is based on his position, his power, but also his pleasure. He’s doing what he wants to do. Psalm 115, 3. But our God is in heaven, and he does whatever he pleases. Psalm 115, verse 3. Look at Psalm 135. Psalm 135, verse 5. It says, For I know that the Lord is great, our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places. Whatever the Lord is doing, he does so because it pleases him. In Proverbs 16, 4, it says, The Lord has made all things for himself. Listen to this. Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. Whoa. Talk about the sovereignty of God. The Bible says in Proverbs 16, for he’s made everything for himself, including the wicked for the day of doom. You say, oh, God delights then in the punishment of the wicked. No, according to Ezekiel 18, verse 23 and 32, God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. But it is a part of his pleasure to say that all people, whether they are wicked or righteous, will in fact experience the consequences of everything the plan of God is outlined. And that is what God wants done. Wow. Let’s move to a second one. The sovereignty of God is not only talking about his powerful control of all things, but folks, it’s talking about his providential care. of all things. Providence means there is a purpose. Providence means somebody is taking care of us, even though we don’t understand. So we call this the providential care of all things. It involves several things. Turn to Isaiah, please, chapter 55. Isaiah 55. When you say God is caring for everything, he’s not just controlling it with a lack of compassion and interest. He has a real care for it. And it involves several things. It because they are not the way we do things. And Isaiah makes that very clear. Chapter 55, verse 8. God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Interesting that the verse preceding this was about pardoning. Look at the end of verse 7. He will have mercy on him and to our God. for he will abundantly pardon. The point is that God pardons people that you don’t think deserve it. God forgives people who deserve hell. And he all of a sudden cleans up their acts, saves them, and it’s a wonderful thing. God saves them. And we say, that’s great, but why did he save him? My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. You say, he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. Do you know how awful he is? My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts. Romans 11.33 says his ways are past finding out. Turn back to Genesis 50. Genesis chapter 50. From the series we did in Genesis, verse 19. What a classic statement of the sovereignty of God about his care of all things is found in the words of Joseph. Genesis 50.19. Joseph said to them, his brothers, do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring about, as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Do you know that even in times of disaster, that God can have a caring purpose that no one sees at the time? He could cause a generation to suffer some pain because of their failure to prepare adequately for a disaster that he knows is in the future. But all of those are human explanations. Here’s an example where somebody could see easily why God did that. Hey, you know, I was really treated bad, Joseph said. You meant it for evil. That’s clear. You guys wanted to wipe me off the face of the planet. But let me tell you something. God meant all this for good in order to obviously preserve many people alive in a serious crisis, a famine that covered our land and covered the land of Canaan. God obviously was fulfilling a purpose here. And you guys didn’t even know when you decided to throw me into that pit, you didn’t even know that that’s what God was going to do. See, sometimes, folks, we really do see the end of what’s category bad. We see the end of some tragedy about how God brings good out of it. And that sort of helps our struggling hearts to understand that, yes, I guess all things are being worked for his glory. But half the time, we don’t know, we don’t understand, we haven’t yet heard, and it may even come after our death. I’ve seen that a lot, by the way. I’ve seen people not know why something happened in their life. They die, and those who’ve lived past them and were friends of them then see after their death the reason behind God’s plan previously, which they did not understand. That’s very true also. Not counting the fact that God’s purpose may relate to something entirely different than what we ever thought. I think of this often as I think of a missionary named Chauncey Sheldon. been dead for many years, worked for 41 years in an area where he had very little fruit. He was really not an effective speaker, a very average person, to say the least. He worked with a given man, just going over the Bible with him constantly, a man who was illiterate, came right out of the jungles of the poorest country in the face of the planet, and he worked with him and worked with him and worked with him. And people used to question him when he came home about what he’s doing, you know, 41 years and no real, he couldn’t come up with numbers or anything else. And yet that one man that he dealt with, I had the joy of meeting with and ministering with in Africa. That man was turning Africa, at least in the central part, upside down for God. That man became a dynamite for God. And it says he owes it all to that one man that came by his village every day and talked to him about the Bible. You see, you don’t know, but God does. He has providential care in terms of his ways. His ways aren’t your ways. His thoughts are not your thoughts. It also affects his wisdom. Turn to Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2. Daniel chapter 2 verse 20. So many times in discussions about what God is doing, we act like we know. We don’t know. Even some things that are obvious, you may miss the biggies that God has hidden in his own counsel. God has great wisdom as to why he allows the things to happen that do happen in our lives. Daniel 2, verse 20, Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness when you think no one does. And light dwells with him. I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s demand. God’s sovereignty, changing times and seasons. removing kings, putting them down. Empires once exist. He said, get rid of that one. That’s long enough for them. Put this one up. Send that guy over there. Put that one in power. And God is exercising a sovereign control of everything, whether we know it or not. And what is behind it? The wonderful wisdom of God. God knows exactly what he’s doing. But it also involves his actual work. Turn, please, to the New Testament for some examples that may warm our hearts. In Philippians chapter 1, When you talk about the providential care of God, it involves his ways that seemingly are often different from what we would have thought should be done. His wisdom is behind his ways, so we can’t figure it out, but he knows why he’s doing it and why it has to be done that way. And his work is actually involved because he doesn’t stay outside of it and leave it up to you to figure it out. God literally works in the affairs of men. I read in Philippians 1, verse 6, this wonderful word of encouragement to a believer. It says, Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Did God just save you and then leave you alone to work it out? That’s not the teaching of the Bible. God not only began a good work in us, but he’s going to continue to work it out. And I kind of like to know that. Isn’t it encouraging to know that God’s working in your life right now? You say, well, all I’m doing is sitting listening to you. God is working in every life here. No matter what floods your brain, I’m not that stupid to know that at times your mind wanders. What was the score of that game? You know, I didn’t put that thing in for lunch. Oh, my goodness. I just want you to know something. That God’s working in all of us. There isn’t anything happening in your life he doesn’t know about. And the wonderful thing to my heart is that he actually cares. He cares about me. In chapter 2, just flip over to that. Look what it says in verse 13. You talk about God working in you. Philippians 2.13 says, It is God who works in you both to will and to do things. for his good pleasure. Wow. God is not a passive observer, and I thank God for that. He’s working in my life. Acts 15, 18 says, Known to God from eternity are all his works. He’s working. It’s not only involving his care of all things, his ways, his wisdom, his actual work. It involves his will, whether we like it or not. Some people have God doing something, and hopefully it isn’t his will to do it. He did it, I know, but he probably didn’t want to do it. Folks, let me clear this doctrine up that’s troubling a lot of Christians around America. Whatever God does, he wants to do. I just want people to understand that whatever God has done, he wants to do. And by the way, whatever God wants to do, he does. I cannot believe how many Christians believe that God wants to do something, but won’t do it. because of reasons he sees in us. I cannot believe that, but we believe it. There are a lot of Christians who believe God really wants to do something nice, but can’t. What? Is that your God? Whatever God wants to do, he will do. He doesn’t leave anything undone. You say, well, he didn’t do it for me. Well, what he wanted to do is not do it for you. At least up to this point. I love to think of these things. I’ll tell you, it helps me to walk through this and find out who God is. Because I’m messed up down here, man. I’m trying to struggle with it all like you are. And I read about God and I say, what am I so worried about? Enter Jesus. Don’t worry at all. A little bit. don’t take one thought in your little brain about anything that’s in the future, for sure. Don’t even worry about what you’re going to put on, what you’re going to eat, what you’re going to drink. Don’t worry. Why? Because your Heavenly Father knows all about it, and He loves you. He’ll take care of you. Amen? God will take care of you. He’ll lead you all the way. Praise the Lord. So just trust Him. Well, can I be a little concerned? I got it. Hey, I’ve come up with it, folks. How about… prayerful concern you understand if i could just spiritualize this a little bit you know we are so concerned and god has touched our hearts to pray about this and in our prayers the anxiety comes out the prayers aren’t to worship the living god the prayers are to express how we’re all worried wait a minute Ephesians 1.11. Look at Ephesians 1.11. You talk about the will of God? Is he in fact performing his will in the affairs of men, all things? Here’s what it says, Hebrews 1.11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his what? His will. So if you ask me about the sovereignty of God, I speak of His powerful control of everything, based on His position, His power, His pleasure. I look at His providential care of everything, and I see His ways, His wisdom, His work, His actual work, and the fact that it is His will. It’s being done. Number three in the sovereignty of God. Watch it. This is the tough one. Back to Romans 9 in your Bible. The sovereignty of God involves His personal choice. of the destiny of all peoples. Sovereignty of God involves the personal choice of God in the destiny of all people.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s Bible teacher David Hawking, and you’re listening to Hope for Today. David will be back to close out today’s lesson in just a moment, so stick around for that. Right now, though, Matt’s here, and we have something you’ll definitely want to add to your home Bible study library.
SPEAKER 01 :
This month we are offering a bundle pack for all 27 teaching series by my dad in the New Testament. The Gospels, Acts, Pauline Epistles, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation, all are included. Matt, I’d love to read through the Gospels with your dad’s study notes in hand.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think that would help me experience the vast wonder and blessing of our Lord’s life and work on earth.
SPEAKER 01 :
and the life-changing power of Christ’s work of salvation on the cross. You know, Jim, how about the essentials of Christian life and practice that Paul teaches in his epistles?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, the study notes provide clarity, definition, explanation, and application.
SPEAKER 01 :
Your dad tackles these books, answering questions we’ve all asked, and the outlines guide you through each and every verse. And like our Old Testament sermon notes pack, the New Testament series sermon notes are much more than a straight line, one, two, three point list. Yeah, for a given message, David’s sermon outlines and notes start with an engaging introduction, a key verse for the passage. Great for memorization. Exactly, and a theme as well. Then we have outline points to guide your study along with definitions, cross-references, vital notes for the context and more. Now, how about explanations of cultural idioms? Yeah. Exploration of applicable history. Faith-assuring apologetic points. Evidence for the truth of Scripture. And more. More and more, Matt. We’re receiving notes from our listening family telling us of the value of these sermon notes. And again, this month we’re offering sermon note outline packs for all 27 of my dad’s New Testament teaching series. The complete bundle is just $75. That’s less than $3 per series. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, we also want to tell you about a book by David called The God of the Bible. Well, inside The God of the Bible, you’re going to find help for when life hurts, when plans fall apart, and when you’re left with questions the world can’t answer. This book points you back to the one place where real hope is found. The God of the Bible. It’s a strong reminder that God isn’t distant, he’s not detached, and he’s not unknowable. God is real, he’s personal, and he’s at work in the course of human life and history. This resource, The God of the Bible by David Hawking, is yours for just $20, and you can order this or any of our resources by phone at 875-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Bible is 24253. And of course, ordering online is convenient. The website, davidhawking.org. And just before David returns to close out our study time, if this ministry is strengthening your walk with the Lord, would you pray for us and prayerfully consider sending a gift this month or each month as God might direct and supply? Is God using Hope for Today to encourage you, to establish you in truth, and to keep you grounded in his word? Well, if so, do pray for us and know that your support financially would also mean a great, great deal. Your giving helps keep Hope for Today on the air. It helps us cover the cost of broadcast time, our presence on the internet, and helps us continue declaring the truth of God’s word without compromise in a time when so much has gone shallow. To make a donation by phone, call us at 875-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Or donate online at DavidHawking.org. That’s DavidHawking.org. And if you’d like to send a financial gift via a good old-fashioned letter, then write to us in the U.S. at HopeForTodayBox.com. 39, 27, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, BC, V2S, 8P1. And here’s David with some closing comments.
SPEAKER 03 :
Several years ago, I was teaching in a graduate school program on the attributes and abilities of God. And one of the students in that class was my own wife. After she finished the course and took the final test—she did well, by the way— And I’m not dumb. I gave her an A. You can count on that. But you know, she wrote down at the bottom of her test paper, after a whole semester, to me personally, she said, I have never heard any subject that has so affected my life as much as your discussion on the sovereignty and greatness of God. So, folks, I hope you’re hearing these broadcasts. You don’t miss one. If you do miss one, flip over to our website, davidhocking.org, and listen again. Pick it up and maybe get the tape and put this in your library. If there was ever a series that we did on the radio that you should have in your library to listen to often, it’s the one we’re doing now, The Attributes of God. By the way, all of my sermon notes for this series we’re also putting on a CD, and you can study in more detail and have the notes and the references right in front of you. It’s very helpful. And I encourage you, learn about who God is. It’ll make all the difference in your life. You’ll not worry anymore. You’ll be at peace. God’s running the show. He’s calling the shots. It’s all going to come to pass exactly as He predicted and prophesied. It’s all going to be fulfilled, and you can count on it. Well, don’t miss a single broadcast.
SPEAKER 02 :
God bless you. Well, if you missed anything from today’s broadcast or would like to hear it again, maybe share it with a friend, visit us at DavidHawking.org. And there’s many resources available for you on the website. See what’s there for you. Again, DavidHawking.org. Well, next time David continues our series on the attributes of God, we’re going straight to the Word, the Word of God, to see who He really is and what He’s revealed about Himself. Invite a friend to listen along with you for our next broadcast on Hope for Today.
