The Witness Ministries
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind
Understanding God - 7
Fellow partakers of God’s grace,
Greetings to you in the most wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus.
We are pleased to resume our focus on "Understanding God". Our prayer is that
the Lord opens your eyes of understanding, along with ours. May He count us
worthy of the greatest gift of all: a continual revelation of His glorious
Person.
UNDERSTANDING GOD 7
So far, we have considered introductory matters and explored the Person and
attributes God. We have also considered the Godhead and the division of roles
within the ranks Godhead. In addition, we started a sub-series on The
Sovereignty of God, exploring, thus far, the rule of God and the basis of His
sovereignty. We urge you to go back to the previous messages on "Understanding
God", if you can find the time. This will help you to have an unbroken flow of
understanding.
Extent of Sovereignty
As an introduction, we need to be conscious of some of the relevant Scriptures:
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for
Me?" (Jer.32:27); "I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I
make alive: I wound and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My
hand" (Deu.32:29); "Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord
commandeth it not?" (Lam.3:37); "I am God…declaring the end from the
beginning…My counsel
shall stand and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa.46:9-10); "For with God nothing
shall be impossible" (Lk.1:37).
In considering the extent of God’s sovereignty, we need to know that there are
no limits. He is in possession of the keys of Hell just as much as the key of
Heaven (Rev.1:18, Isa.66:1). As we will yet confirm, He rules over His children,
the heathen, angels, demons, Satan, kings and the entire universe!
This does not in any way imply that all creatures of God are willing subjects.
Yet, relative to our subject, the only difference between the angels of God and
His faithful children, on the one hand, and Satan and his fellow fallen angels,
on the other hand, is the willing submission of the former. All creatures of God
must submit to Him, whether willingly or
otherwise: "As I live every knee shall bow before Me" (Isa.45:23, Rom.14:11). On
this note, we move on to consider the specifics.