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The objective of this lesson is to strengthen the believer's awareness of the powerful connection between God's sovereignty, God's love, our spiritual security, and God's unbreakable promises.
The failure of many Christians to relate to God's sovereignty creates enormous problems in their lives. One enormous problem: they conclude that accepting God's sovereignty results in a personal terror of God. They conclude that the key to faithfulness is to be terrified of God. These Christians conclude that the key to a life of continual faithfulness is to be terrified of God continually so that "my terror of God is always greater than the allure of evil's pleasures." To them, faithfulness is not based on Christian joy or desire. A believer must be terrified of the brute force of an all powerful God. This terror controls him or her resulting in his or her "walking the line."
A proper understanding of God's sovereignty conquers unfounded Christian terror by replacing unfounded terror with the joy and hope. The joy and hope come from understanding the sovereign God's commitment. The issue is the sovereign God's commitment, not human [our] deservedness.
Consider Acts 8:5-8. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds gave attention to Philip's message as they witnessed the signs that he performed. In the case of many who had unclean spirits, the spirits came out of them shouting with a loud voice. Many who suffered paralysis or lameness were healed. As a result of Philip's proclaiming and healing, there was much rejoicing in that city.
Carefully examine this incident and note the repeated emphasis on the fact that people's joy was produced by Philip's message. Look at "proclaiming" in verse 5, "said" in verse 6, and "preaching" in verse 12. Examine the context of each statement.
In the larger context of these verses, Philip evangelized the city of Samaria for the first time. Note his message did not cause massive depression, enormous anxiety, or great dread. The impact of his teaching and work produced "much rejoicing" in Samaria. If you are tempted to think that the primary reason for the rejoicing was produced by Philip's casting out unclean spirits and healing people with untreatable medical problems, look more closely. The crowds gave serious consideration to Philip's message: "...were giving attention to what was said by Philip..." (verse 6).
Help students note that the response was produced by people believing what Philip said about God's kingdom and Jesus Christ's name. The signs functioned to verify Philip's identity [he was in competition with Simon] as God's spokesperson.
Their joyful response primarily was produced by Philip's message: "But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike" (Acts 8:12).
Note the connection between the message, believing, joy, and the good news. For those who believed, what Philip said was truly good news.
This was not the only time the message about Jesus Christ produced joy. In the same Acts 8 read verses 26-39. This time Philip taught a man from Ethiopia (verse 27). Philip taught him about Jesus (verse 35) and baptized him (verse 38). The result: "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39). From the beginning, those who responded in faith to the resurrected Jesus had a natural response of joy or "gladness" (see Acts 2:46, 47).
Help your students see the parallel in the response of those in Samaria and in the Ethiopian--rejoicing.
An insightful understanding of God's sovereignty creates the awe of profound respect, not the kind of fear produced by terror. When a person believes who and what Jesus is as the sovereign God's gift to us, he or she is overwhelmed with a sense of appreciative respect. He or she respects God's greatness, God's love, and God's merciful considerations. He or she demonstrates this respect is deep and genuine through the surrender of obedience. This person is not terrified by God. He or she is deeply respectful and profoundly appreciative.
Jesus is God's gift to us. Every spiritual blessing people can receive flows to us through Jesus. The awareness of what God did and does for us in Jesus is profound. That awareness produces deep appreciation and overwhelming respect.
The superior slave is produced by a deep respect that results in overwhelming love and profound appreciation. The superior slave cannot be produced by a trembling terror that fills him or her with a nervous dread of possible punishment. The superior slave welcomes God's sovereignty. He or she knows God is sovereign and deserves respect.
In Christ we are the sovereign God's slave. We are slaves who are tenderly loved by our sovereign Master. We know who and what we are, and we profoundly appreciate all He does for us. We belong to Him in respect.
When one who believes in and trusts Jesus Christ yields to God's sovereignty, he or she does not develop a "have to" religion. He or she develops a "want to" religion. This believing Christian serves the sovereign God from a sense of privilege, not out of a sense of necessity.
The Christian who appreciates God's sovereignty is motivated by desire rather than by necessity.
An understanding of God's sovereignty produces incredible blessings in the Christian's life.
The blessing of knowing "I am incredibly loved": read Romans 5:6-11. God allowed Christ to die for us when we were absolutely helpless. Nothing in humanity, nothing that humanity was capable of doing made humans deserving of Jesus' death. And the sovereign God committed Jesus to that death before we committed ourselves to Him! How can any Christian possibly doubt the sovereign God's commitment to his or her salvation? If God made an unimaginable, enormous investment in my salvation before I committed myself to Him, how can I doubt the sovereign God's commitment to my salvation after I committed myself to Him? God will do even more for us after reconciliation than He did for us before reconciliation.
The Christian who understands God's sovereignty does not yield to that "used" feeling. He or she is astounded by the depth of God's love. He or she knows God's boundless love is the source of God's commitment.
The blessing of knowing "I am secure": read Romans 8:31-39. The fact that God is sovereign means nothing is superior to God. If the sovereign God loves us, nothing [external of our rejection/rebellion] can remove us from the protection of His love. If the sovereign God loved us enough to allow His own son to die for us, how can we doubt His commitment to us? God's justification places us beyond Satan's declarations of our unworthiness. No form of disaster can rip us away from God's love. Through Christ [not through ourselves!] we are conquerors! No force external of our wills can remove us from God's love given us in Jesus Christ.
The Christian who knows what the sovereign God did and does for him or her in Christ knows no force external from self can rip him or her away from God's love.
The blessing of knowing the certainty of God's promises: read Genesis 22:18 and Galatians 3:16. Hundreds of years passed between Genesis 22:18 and Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Yet, God kept His promise to Abraham! The sovereign God promised Abraham all people would be blessed through a descendant of his--and it happened! It happened because the sovereign God willed it to happen! God promises, in Christ, that we are forgiven, sanctified, purified, redeemed, and reconciled. The sovereign God promises if we are in Christ, these are among His gifts to us. We can depend on the truth of His promises! The sovereign God promises that if we will maintain faith in Christ until our death and express our faith in godly behavior, we shall live with Him after judgment. We can depend on the truth of that promise! There is no need for an anxiety that cries, "Will God keep His promises to me?" No force in our world or His can prevent the sovereign God from keeping His promises!
The Christian who knows what the sovereign God did and does for him or her in Christ knows the sovereign God does not deceive or lie. Because God is sovereign, there is never a need for Him to deceive or lie! The sovereign God keeps His promises! Nothing is so powerful, so influential, so overwhelming as to prevent the sovereign God from keeping His promises! He is sovereign!
Questions:
The answer to this question will be based on the individual's understanding of the relationship between God's sovereignty and the Christian's joy.
Use Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 8 in your answer. Gladness characterized the behavior of the first converts in Acts 2 and rejoicing characterized the response of new converts in Acts 8.
God's sovereignty reveals the depth and certainty of God's love.
Nothing outside of our will can sway or overpower God. No force external of ourselves can rip us away from God's love. Early Christians suffered adversity, but adversity was powerless to separate believers from God's security.
The sovereign God does not deceive, cannot be "convinced" by another force to deceive, will not lose interest in us because of "other more interesting concerns". We are His concern--the death and resurrection of Jesus proved it! He does what He promises, and His sovereignty means nothing can prevent Him from keeping His promises.
Thought and discussion question:
Share the way(s) your concept of God's sovereignty has changed.
The answer to this question will depend on the individual.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 13
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