THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD, THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST

Preface and Introduction to Sovereignty
My dear beloved family and friends,
Welcome to the Sovereignty of God from Forest R. Steenfott.


We are nearing the end of our current studies. I have searched for weeks on what the Lord wanted me to take up in our devotions and studies. Nothing seemed to be right. I found a book in a used bookstore that turned me on. I believed that this was the leading of our Lord. The book is Foundations of the Christian Faith-Volume one,The Sovereign God , by James Montgomery Boice. Published by Inter-Varsity Press, Downer Grove, Illinois 60515, 1978. This book has greatly influenced my thinking about the sovereignty of God. I sensed the peace and the influence of the Lord on my thinking of the sovereign God for our studies.

I have been using in my home Bible studies the Psalms over the last several months. The Psalms that I have used the thought of the sovereignty of God has come through.

I have an assignment for you. Go back into the Old Testament. Search out the main Bible characters like, Adam, Abraham, Moses, David. I will help you with this search. Look for their relationship to a Sovereign God. How is God represented with each of these persons? How does God appear to you from these passages? I realize this is a very large assignment, but you will get more out of it than whatever I may say or teach. I am using some well known Bible scholars.


Praying Always with All prayer and Supplications:


I wish to share with you three Christian songs. They are as three prayers. The first two are more private in nature. Please think of your own heart attitude as you read or sing these. It will be best to do it alone in private devotion to God..

Psalm 46: 10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."


Have Thine Own Way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.


Have Thine Own Way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.


Have Thine Own Way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!

Power all power surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!


Have Thine Own Way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!-Amen.


Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me.

Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me;

Melt me, Mould me, Fill me, Use me

Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me.-Amen.


This next song is a community type of prayer. Get together with your spouse or another Christian friend. Sing it together. I had just finished my sermon on the person and life of Jesus Christ. I asked the congregation to stand and take hands. We sang "Open our eyes, Lord." There was not a dry eye in the house after we sang this song.

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus,
to reach out and touch Him.
And say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen,
Open our eyes, Lord,
we want to see Jesus.-Amen.


I received this interview with Doctor R. C. Sproul, from a Christian Web-site. I will be using a small portion of it.


MR: I would assume then, that you are not in favor of the church growth movement?
Sproul: Well, my view of general revelation teaches me that I can learn from science and from nature things I cannot find in the Bible. And church growth methods learn significant things from secular research. I can learn things, for example, about management, about structure, and things like that, from a pagan. But if you want to have that as the whole driving factor of your church, you are doomed to prostitution. There is a content and a mission to the church that the Bible gives us that is transcultural, and transhistorical. And though I can learn certain techniques of how to organize, and how to reach out to people, I must never compromise the mission and character of the church to preach the gospel, the good news of Christ's death for sinners. And I think that people who get caught up in methods do just that, they compromise the mission of the church.

MR: What about chances for reformation?
Sproul: Well, obviously only God can bring a reformation, and I don't know what his plan is, providentially speaking. Everything is so stacked against it that it would be easy to succumb to despair. But on the other hand we are seeing a crisis in the evangelical church. We've seen the failure of Liberalism, and though it's painful, we've seen the liberal church beginning to understand that people aren't going to subscribe to that for very much longer because there is no reason for them to get up on Sunday morning and go to church. The evangelical church, however, has bought into what Os Guinness calls modernity, ("No God But God," Breaking With the Idols of Our Age," with all of its relativism, and pluralism, and so on, that have the seeds of its destruction sown within it. And yet, it is in the renewal of the evangelical church that I see as the greatest human hope for reformation. But it's going to take a recovery of the (1) authority of Scripture, and of the (2) gospel of Christ, and a (3) massive awakening to the character of God.

MR: What can the average layperson do to fulfill his or her responsibilities in that regard?
Sproul: The first thing I would tell that person would be to read the Old Testament, and to get re-aquainted with the character of God. Because every great movement in the church, and all great theologians for that matter, certainly mastered the New Testament, but they did not ignore the Old Testament because they understood that the-[Old Testament was the history of God's own self-disclosure].-And there is so much to be learned about the (1) majesty of God and the (2) sovereignty and (3) grace of God in the Old Testament, that to spend time there will often awaken us from our dogmatic slumbers about what Christianity is all about.

The commands given by God in the New Testament are really based upon our witness of the Son of God, who is Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit of God with whom we as believers are directly involved. We are really missing something about the character of God if we are not knowledgeable of the living stories from the Old Testament. The sovereignty and attributes of God are brought out clearly in the Old Testament. I'm going to take us through portions of the Old Testament to show the importance of our responsibility to our sovereign God. What I am talking about is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior, but we must commit ourselves to Him as Lord and Master of our lives. In your thinking what does the sovereignty of God mean?
Everyone in the Bible, By William P. Baker, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966.

This information on the Old Testament saints is more on the order of their biography. It is a good overview of their life. I will add some Scripture passages for your research looking for their intimate relationship to their sovereign God.

The sovereignty of our God means that He has absolute power, command and authority over all of His creation. This includes every individual, peoples and nations, even his angels on high do his biding.

Hebrews eleven is the great faith chapter. There is one factor involved, in "faith," Hebrews 11: 6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Read all of Hebrews the eleventh chapter. It will underline the value of these Old Testament saints. The twelfth chapter brings you and me into the faith factor, read it. Some of these Old Testament saints are spoke of in the New Testament, Hebrews the eleventh chapter. Notice that there is an outstanding problem with these saints. They are to much like you and me, but God used and blessed them, as He will with us, too.

I will be giving you some research Scriptures. I will be asking two questions. These are: "How is God represented with this person? ____________ How does God appear to you in these passages?________ I will answer the questions to help you.


FOLLOW ME: By Ira Stanfhill

I traveled down a lonely road and no one seemed to care, the burden on my weary back had bowed me to despair; I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me, and then I heard Him say so tenderly: "My feet were all so weary upon the Calvary road, the cross became so heavy I fell beneath the load; be faithful, weary pilgrim, the morning I can see. Just lift your cross and follow close to me."

"I work so hard for Jesus", I often boast and say, "I've sacrificed a lot of things to walk the narrow way; I gave up fame and fortune. I'm worth a lot to thee!" And then I heard Him gently say to me: "I left the throne of glory and counted it but loss, My hands were nailed in anger upon a cruel cross; but now we'll make the journey with your hand safe in mine. So lift your cross and follow close to me."

O Jesus, if I die upon a foreign field some day, would be no more than love demands. No less could I repay; "No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die." These are the words He gently spoke to me: "If just a cup of water I place within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that I demand;" But if by death to living they can Thy glory see, I'll take my cross and follow close to Thee.

Father, I have desired so to be blest and happy with the trapping of this world. I had the best of parents and education, high paying job, which afforded me the best in housing, cars and friends, but it keeps changing. It is a consent battle to maintain my quality and standard of living. Friends that I thought I had are now my enemies. I'm not happy. I am sick deep down inside of me with life. I am frustrated and depressed. God is there an answer? Is it possible to have happiness? Amen.

The Lord Jesus gave many answers to these questions. The first were the beatitudes of Matthew five. The second is Matthew 6: 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." And lastly Matthew 11: 28 - 30 "Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Adventuring Ray Stedman

We have seen that the great purpose of God's Word and of the Holy Spirit in whose power we understand it is to bring us to maturity in Jesus Christ and truly reflect His image and His character. God seeks to bring us to maturity in Jesus Christ so that we are no longer children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. He wants us to be able to walk straight and confidently down the path of truth with our heads held high as steadfast followers of God. Through His Word, we are able to discover where we have come from, where we are going, and why we are here.

Note: Pentateuch-The first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; The Law also known as the Torah; "In the Pentateuch, therefore, we have a true and logical introduction to the entire Bible; and, in type, an epitome of the divine revelation.-Scofield Reference Bible

Each division of the Old Testament makes a unique contribution to our maturity as believers. The Pentateuch lays the foundation for our faith and maturity, telling us who we are: God's image-bearers but fallen, broken by sin, and need of a Savior. We have to explore the foundational truths of the Pentateuch: human helplessness and need, God's answer of Israel's failure and wandering in the wilderness, the encouragement of God's gracious and undeserved provision for Israel, and the second giving of the Law in Deuteronomy that restores and prepares believers to enter the Land of Promise, the place of victory.-Ray Stedman

This study of the Old Testament characters will take us to Revelation one and Nineteen. This is the revelation of the exaltation of Jesus Christ. The fourth an fifth chapters give our expression of this in our worship of our God and Lord.

Revelation 4: 10 "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Revelation 5: 9 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."

ADAM:

As the meaning of his name in Hebrew, "of the ground," implies, Adam was created dust and given life by God's breath into his nostrils. Adam was put on earth to live obediently and responsibly before God and given freedom to enjoy every part of creation except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Persuaded to sample the fruit of the forbidden tree by Eve his wife, Adam disobeyed God. His disobedience alienated him from God, his wife, and all nature, and set off the chain-reaction of sin. Genesis 2-5
Research Genesis 1:1, 1:26-31, 2:15-17, 3:7, 3:14-(15)-24

How is God represented with this person? The sovereignty of God is seen very clearly in the fact that He created out of nothing that which had no prior existence. This speaks of the material universe. He next created the animal kingdom. Then out of the elements of the earth He created man. Then by His Spirit man became a living person, in the likeness of God. This gave God ownership of what He made. God has all the rights and privileges over all of His creation.

How does God appear to you in these passages? There is a favorite Hymn that says it best. How Great Thou Art:

"Oh! Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout universe displayed: Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art!"


ABRAHAM:

HEBREWS 11: 8 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.-17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

The patriarch, who was the father of the people of God, Abraham left the security and comfort of ur because of the call of God. Promised a land and descendants, Abraham lived most of his life without either, having to live on trust. God entered into a covenant with Abraham, assuring him that He kept His word. Finally, in his old age, a son called Isaac was born to Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Abraham supreme test of faith came when God apparently went against His own promise and ordered Abraham to sacrifice the boy. Abraham obediently prepared to carry out the orders, but was stayed at the last minute when God intervened. Abraham finally secured a piece of land in the Promised Land when he bought a plot with a cave at Machpelah, where both Sarah and he were buried. Appropriately, his name in Hebrew means "father of a multitude," and he is revered as the spiritual ancestor of all Jews and Christians.
There is much to Research about Abraham Genesis 11-25, but specifically read these passages. (13:1-18; 14:17-20; 15:1-21; 17:1-5; 17:9-14; 18:1-14; 18:16-26; 21:1-4; 22;1-14)

How is God represented with this person? Hebrews 11 shows that God saw Abraham's faith, but in actuality Abraham had some failures of faith. Yes, he got up and moved, but stopped off for 20 years until his father died. He also took some family with him which he was not to do. Lot, his nephew was a pain for Abraham later on. The sovereignty of God moved Abraham along. Abraham's faith grew over the years. The sovereignty of God was shown in His prophecy that Abraham and his seed will possess the land.

How does God appear to you in these passages? I see so much of the grace and faithfulness of God in His sovereignty over us through our failings. We have so much to be thankful for. We should give our God all the glory due to His Name.

I would encourage you to read Genesis 24. It is a beautiful love chapter. It fore shadows the church age. The Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the body of Christ, the church.


MOSES:

Hebrews 11: 23 "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned."


The great personality who was God's agent in delivering the Hebrews from slave labor camps of Egypt and molding them into the nation of Israel, Moses was born near the Egyptian capital, Memphis, at the time the oppressive measures against the Hebrews were being intensified. The Pharaoh had decreed that all male Hebrew were to be murdered. The infant Moses was saved by a stratagem in which he was set in the bulrushes along the Nile where the princess walked, found by the princess, and raised in the Egyptian court. In spite of his status and training as an adopted Egyptian prince, Moses had a sense of justice and an awareness of his Hebrew background. One day, when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he impetuously struck the Egyptian and killed him. When he learned that he was known as murderer, he fled to Midian, married into the family of Jethro, the priest, and settled into the life of a nomad shepherd. There God confronted Moses and commissioned the reluctant, stammering, excuse-making fugitive to go back to Egypt to lead the Hebrews out of captivity. Moses took Aaron, his brother, into his confidence and persuaded Aaron to do the talking. The interviews with the Pharaoh were unsuccessful. In spite of pleas and threats, the Pharaoh refused to give up his slave laborers. Finally, after God sent a series of ten increasingly ghastly plagues, the Pharaoh relented. The rag-tag group of Hebrew fugitives followed Moses eastward toward Suez, but the Pharaoh angrily changed his mind and sent armored columns to herd them back. The mighty act of God's deliverance followed, in which the Hebrews, under Moses' leadership, crossed the waters, and the pursuing Egyptians were drowned. The following forty years were full of crises as Moses molded his motley assembly of complaining, unbelieving, and rebellions tribesmen into a nation. At Sinai, God, through Moses, entered into a solemn coverant with the wanderers. God and Israel pledged to be faithful to one another and rules of conduct were drawn up, describing how Israel should respond to God's goodness. Moses' strength of character in spite of discouragement's marks him as an all-time "great" among men. After bringing his people to the edge of the Promised Land, Moses died. He had welded the whining, faithless refugees into a disciplined, dedicated community, however, and had made Israel aware of its destiny as being God's chosen people. There are references to Moses in nearly every book in the Bible.


1. Research Exodus 2: 23 through 4: 17


How is God represented with this person? Read over this very carefully. The Sovereignty of God comes through very clearly in the calling of Moses to deliver God's covenant people. Remember the covenant was made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Sovereign God keeps His promise. The person of Moses came about through the calling of God for the work God wanted to do. Moses was prepared over 80 years to perform the work of God, but Moses had to make the decision in faith to obey God.


How does God appear to you in these passages? We have in our hands the complete Word of God. We have no excuse in not obeying God's Word. Each of us has a general calling from God. He will make clear in what direction to go when we surrender to our sovereign God. BUT we must meditate on the Word of God and pray.


2. Research Exodus 31: 18 through 34: 9;


How is God represented with this person? This is the breaking of the original tablets of the Law over the Golden Calf. Moses intercedes for the people before God. God's wrath is kindle, but repents. This is testing Moses' attitude. There is one thing I want you to notice in the giving of the second tablets of the Law, Exodus 34: 1-8. The giving of the Law was by the grace of God


How does God appear to you in these passages? God's Word cannot be broken without suffering the consequences of it. It was over the matter of idolatry in God's chosen people. Apostle John made a statement about this in respect to Christians, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen" (1 John 5: 20 - 21). As with Israel's ignorance was not excuse the same is with us.

3. Research Numbers 20: 1-12


How is God represented with this person? Moses lost his cool and got angry. He disobeyed God. The action that Moses took made God look like a fool before His chosen People. God's judgment was swift and permanent. That denotes sovereignty.


How does God appear to you in these passages? There is a Scripture passage in Philippians with God's sovereignty on our part, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2: 12 - 15). Many of us have no fear and trembling before our sovereign God. The Bible that the world sees are us believers in Christ. What does the world around us see in you and me?


DAVID:

Israel's most famous king, David was considered to be the ideal ruler and the prototype for the promised Messiah, in Jewish thinking. David was Jesse's youngest son, born at Bethlehem as one of the tribe Judah, and early noted for his musical ability. Sent to soothe the emotionally ill King Saul with his music, David rapidly advanced in Saul's court until his popularity made Saul insanely jealous. David fled for his life, and became leader of a band of outlaws. After Saul's death on Mount Gilboa, David returned home, was made the king of Hebron and waged a long but successful war against the Philistines. He ultimately won over the supporters of the house of Saul, was recognized as king of the entire nation, and moved his capital to a point midway between Israel and Judah, changing the name of this Jebusite city to Jerusalem. Following the move, David made Jerusalem the religious center of the new nation by bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the capital. His magnanimity to former enemies won him the respect of nearly everyone. At the time, David showed himself to be a good organizer and general. He extended the nation's borders in all directions, and brought prosperity and prominence to his people. His later years were marred by a sordid affair with Bathsheba. David's bad example undermined his sons, Incest, murder, rebellion, and plots within David's own household turned his final days into one of deep trial. One son, Absalom, nearly succeeded in his revolt. Nevertheless, David's deep trust in God, his sense of justice, and his personal attractiveness were apparent until nearly the end of his life. The nation fondly remembered his reign as its golden age. (1 and 2 Samuel; 1 and 2 Kings; 1 and 2 Chronicles; Ruth; Ezra; Nehemiah; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts; Romans; 2 Timothy; Hebrews; Revelation)


Research 1 Samuel 16: 1-23; 1 Chronicles 21: 1 - 22:12


How is God represented with this person? Our Sovereign God makes the choice on who serves Him. God looks on the heart, not the outward appearance. David felt guilty for the spacious house he had, While God dwelt in a tent. He desired to build God a great temple, but God denied David the opportunity to build it. David was in war time with blood on his hands. Solomon, his son will build the temple


How does God appear to you in these passages? God makes the choice in people to serve Him and decides the times for the event to happen.


THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION


My sisters and brothers, please stay with me as we advance into our receiving the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we inter the New Testament. The sovereignty of God flows over from the Old Testament into the New Testament.

For this particular study, I will be going with less pages for you. I want you to carefully comprehend what it means to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of your life. I'm not suggesting that you may not have done this already. I have been saved and walking with the Lord and Master for over fifty years. I'm just as human as you are. Many Christians have never made the first step into a life of surrender to Jesus as Master over their lives. It must be a fresh commitment ever day. Apostle Paul is saying the same thing:

Galatians 2: 20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

1 Corinthians 15: 31 "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."

Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Here are statements spoken by the Lord Jesus in the three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke. I'm only giving you the text, please look up these verses and read them into the context. This is not brought out in the Gospel of John.

Matthew 10: 38 "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

Matthew 16: 24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Mark 8: 34 "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Mark 10: 21 "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."

Luke 9: 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 14: 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciples.

Apostle Paul makes a very profound statement about this matter, which says,

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then?Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 5: 20 - 6: 2)

I also ask that you read carefully Romans six, seven and eight.

Romans six lays out doctrinal statements of truths that need to be obeyed. Look for the words, "know, reckon, yield and obey.

Romans seven tells us how to fail, and we will, but it gives the remedy.

Romans eight is the victory.

I will be using portions from a book by James Montgomery Boice, Our Sovereign God. About James Montgomery Boice: And a Statement on the Sovereign God Boice was, until his death in 2000, the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, the teacher on "The Bible Study Hour" radio program and chairman of the board of City Center Academy. He held a B.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Theology from the University of Basel in Switzerland. In addition to authoring numerous journal articles, he was a consulting editor for theExpositor's Bible Commentary. His books and commentaries include Foundations of God's City and the five-volume work The Gospel of John.
"There are qualities in God we will never fully understand. We can speak of God's self-existence, self-sufficiency, eternity and triune nature. Nevertheless we must always recognize that we don't understand them completely, for we are not like God in any of these qualities. We must simply confess that he is God and that we are his creatures. The infinite is beyond our understanding, because to a degree we share in them. This is true of most of God's attributes: wisdom, truthfulness, mercy, grace, justice, wrath, goodness, faithfulness and others. It is this category that will occupy us now."-James Boice

Over the last few years, I have studied and taught First, Second, Third John, Jude, Second Peter and Revelation one, two and three. The underling theme of these books is the Lordship of Christ. I was saved in 1947. The pastor of my church and older Christians taught me to fully surrender my life to the Lord Jesus. It hasn't been easy because of the culture in which we live. The American society and culture is democratic, "we the people, for the people." We have no concept of a monarch rule. I'm speaking of kings or dictators. We can vote people in or out of government on mere emotions.

Isaiah 55: 6 "Seek you the LORD while he may be found, call you upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.Notice that the verse 6 gives an invitation; verse 7 give an imperative need that we have; while 8 and 9 gives the reason for the Sovereignty of God in relation to man."


THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST BEGINNING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT


A. W. Tozer Sovereignty of God from Knowledge of the Holy

The Knowledge of the Holy

By A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God - There Meaning in the Christian Life, Copyright 1961.


PREFACE By Tozer


"True religion confronts earth with heaven and brings eternity to bear upon time. The messenger of Christ, though he speaks from God, must also, as the Quakers used to say, "speak to the condition" of his hearers; otherwise he will speak a language known only to himself. His message must be not only timeless but timely. He must speak to his own generation.

The message of this book does not grow out of these times but it is appropriate to them. It is called forth by a condition, which has existed in the Church for some years and is steadily growing worse. I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular mind. The church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men. This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.

The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.

With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, "Be still, and know that I am God," mean next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in the middle period of the twentieth century.

This loss of the concept of majesty has come just when forces of religion are making dramatic gains and the churches are more prosperous than at any time within the past several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and our losses wholly internal; and since it is the quality of our religion that is affected by internal conditions, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider field.

The only way to recoup our spiritual losses is to go back to the cause of them and make such corrections as the truth warrants. The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.

As my humble contribution to a better understanding of the majesty in the heavens I offer this reverent study of the Attributes of God. Were Christians today reading such works as those of Augustine or Anselm a book like this would have no reason for being. But such illuminated masters are known to modern Christians only by name. Publishers dutifully reprint their books and in due time these appear on selves of our studies. But the whole trouble lies right there: they remain on the selves. The current religious mood make the reading of them virtually impossible even for educated Christians.

Apparently not many Christians will wade through hundred of pages of heavy religious matter requiring sustained concentration. Such books remind too many persons of the secular classics they were forced to read while they were in school and they turn away from them with a feeling of discouragement. - A. W. Tozer


The Conclusion By Tozer - The Open Secret

"When viewed from the perspective of eternity, the most critical need of this hour may well be that the church should be brought back from her long Babylonian captivity and the name of God be glorified in her again as of old. Yet we must not think of the Church as an anonymous body, a mystical religious abstraction. We Christians are the Church and whatever we do is what the Church is doing. The matter, therefore, is for each of us a personal one. Any forward step in the Church must begin with the individual.

What can we plain Christians do to bring back the departed glory? Is there some secret we may learn? Is there a formula for personal revival we can apply to the present situation, to our own situation? The answer to these questions is yes.

Yet the answer may easily disappoint some persons, for it is anything but profound. I bring no esoteric cryptogram, no mystic code to be painfully deciphered. I appeal to no hidden law of the unconscious, no occult knowledge meant only for the few. The secret is an open one, which the wayfaring man may read. It is simply the old and ever-new counsel:Acquaint thyself with God. To regain her lost power the Church must see heaven opened and have a transforming vision of God.

But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men's attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants favors. The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Saviour. He it is that sitteth upon the circle of earth, who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in, who bringeth out His starry host by number and calleth them all by name through the greatness of His power, who seeth the works of man as vanity, who putteth no confidence in princes and asks no counsel of kings.

Knowledge of such a Being cannot be gained by study alone. It comes by a wisdom the natural man knows nothing of, neither can know, because it is spiritually discerned. To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world. It is easy because the knowledge is not won by hard mental toil, but is something freely given. As sunlight falls free on the open field, so the knowledge of the Holy God is a free gift to men who are open to receive it. But this knowledge is difficult because there are conditions to be met and the obstinate nature of fallen man does not take kindly to them.

Let me present a brief summary of these conditions as taught by the Bible and repeated through the centuries by the holiest, sweetest saints the world has ever know: First, we must forsake our sins. The belief that a holy God cannot be known by men of confirmed evil lives is not new to the Christian religion. The Hebrew book, theWisdom of Solomon , which antedates Christianity by many years, has the following passage: "Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth: think of the Lord with a good heart, and in simplicity of heart seek Him. Be found of them that tempt Him not; and showeth himself unto such as do not distrust Him. For forward thoughts separate from God: and His power, when it is tried, reproveth the unwise. For unto a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject to sin. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in." This same thought is found in various saying throughout the inspired Scriptures, the best known probably being the words of Christ, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Second, there must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith. This is what it means to "believe in Christ." It involves a volitional and emotional attachment to Him accompanied by a firm purpose to obey Him in all things. This requires that we keep His commandments, carry our cross, and love God and our fellow men.

Third, there must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit. Then we must practice whatever self-discipline is required to walk in the Spirit, and trample under our feet the lust of the flesh.

Fourth, we must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world and become completely detached in spirit from everything that unbelieving men set their hearts upon, allowing ourselves only the simplest enjoyment of nature which God has bestowed alike upon the just and the unjust.

Fifth, we must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God. This will take some effort, for the concept of majesty has all but disappeared from the human race. The focal point of man's interest is now himself. Humanism in its various forms has displaced theology as the key to understanding of life. When the nineteenth-century poet Swinburne wrote, "Glory to Man in the highest! For man is the master of things," he gave to the modern world its new Te Deum. All this must be reversed by a deliberate act of the will and be kept so by a patient effort of the mind.

God is a Person and can be known in increasing degrees of intimate acquaintance as we prepare our hearts for the wonder. It may be necessary for us to alter our former beliefs about God as the glory that gilds the Sacred Scriptures dawns over our interior lives. We may also need to break quietly and graciously with the lifeless textualism that prevails among the gospel churches, and to protest the frivolous character of much that passes for Christianity among us. By this we may for the time lose friends and gain a passing reputation for being holier-than-thou; but no man who permits the expectation of unpleasant consequences to influence him in a matter like this is fit for the kingdom of God.

Sixth, as the knowledge of God becomes more wonderful, greater service to our fellow men will become for us imperative. This blessed knowledge is not given to be enjoyed selfishly. The more perfectly we know God the more we will feel the desire to translate the newfound knowledge into deeds of mercy toward suffering humanity. The God who gave all to us will continue to give all through us as we come to know Him better.

Thus far we have considered the individual's personal relation to God, but like the ointment of a man's right hand, which by fragrance "betrayeth itself," any intensified knowledge of God will soon begin to affect those around us in the Christian community. And we must seek purposefully to share our increase light with the fellow members of the household of God.

This we can best do by keeping the majesty of God in full focus in all our public services. Not only our private prayers should be filled with God, but our witnessing, our singing, our preaching, our writing should center around the Person of our holy, holy Lord and extol continually the greatness of His dignity and power. There is a glorified Man on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven faithfully representing us there. We are left for a season among men; let us faithfully represent Him here.

From here on I will not be asking questions for you to answer. The teaching will be more lecture form. If we were person to person, I would bring you into a discussion of what we are reading and studying. I'm sure you have questions. You could E-mail me your question, frsteenfott@aol.com, and I will try to answer. I love all of you, and Lord bless you.-Forest


Introduction to the Person of Jesus:


I have found that Apostle Paul's epistle to the Colossians gives very clearly who Jesus is. First we must consider some of the back ground to this church from The MacArthur Study bible, "Several years after the Colossian church was founded, a dangerous heresy arose to threaten it-one not identified with any particular historical system. It contained elements of what later became known as Gnosticism: that God is good, but matter is evil, that Jesus Christ was merely one of a series of emanations descending from God and being less than God (a belief that led them to deny His true humanity), and that a secret, higher knowledge above Scripture was necessary for enlightenment and salvation."

The teachings of Gnosticism was that Jesus was not the God-Man, and secondly, there is higher knowledge than is the Word of God. Be very careful what men may write or say concerning the Word of God, even changing the words, which effects the translation.

First, consider, Colossians 1: 9For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;10that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."
There are two issues we need to cover in this Scripture passage. First being who the Son of God, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyedus into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

This phrase out of this text, "Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins," makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of God and also the son of man. Here are just a few Scripture passages that support this view, John 1: 1 - 3, 14, 18; 14: 1 - 6; Hebrews 1: 1 - 3.

Secondly is the matter of knowledge, Colossians-"that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," and "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasingHim, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." This is not talking about a higher knowledge that is only available to just a few people, but to all those in the church. We must make up our minds "that in all things He (Jesus) may have the preeminence." Jesus stated this in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6: 33 "But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Introduction to the Revelation of Jesus:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty-Revelation 1:8:


There is a matter that we must understand about our Lord. The four Gospels present Jesus as the humble servant. Though He spoke as one having authority. Apostle Paul elaborates on this in Philippians 2: 5 - 11 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Jesus Christ is exalted this very hour, this very day. He is no longer the humble servant, "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" "And Jesus came and spock unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28: 18-20). And "But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).


We have now arrived at the climax of our Bible Study, of Christ standing among the Lampstands, His church, and His own words to the seven representatives of His church. This is the day in church history that we are living. I know that God spoke directly to Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets of the Old Testament. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were primarily to Israel and the world. But this is our time. Revelation chapters two and three are spoken directly to the church you and me. The Lord Jesus Christ said to each of the seven churches, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The Revelation was directed to the seven churches, which we are a part of, today. We give much credence to, and interest in the parables in the Gospels, but never a thought to Revelation one, two and three. Of all my fifty plus years in the church, I have never heard teaching or sermons on the second and third chapters of Revelation, other than the church of Ephesus, "You have left your first love."

I believe that we are living near the end of the church age, for there is a great apostasy occurring in the Christian Church. Apostle Paul spoke eloquently to our place today in the church of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5: 14 - 21).

These Scriptures speak to our relationship with one another in our local Church. The 22nd verse to Chapter 6: 9, speak of our family and workplace relationships.


Revelation 1: 1-8 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."


As Jesus is today in and with His Church:


Revelation 1: 10-20 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

I made an extensive study of the first three chapters of Revelation. I concluded that the seven churches were in actual history and prophetic for the entire church age.

"And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."

What John had seen of Jesus Christ's sovereignty is revealed in each of the churches. He is involved with us in the same matter.

2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2: 8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

2: 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

2: 18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

3: 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

3: 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Of all of the disciples who were the apostles, John was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. In his seeing and hearing his Master, "when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." This is the same Jesus whom we have today. Is He truly Master and Lord of our lives? That is a very profound question for each us to answer. Are we only giving lip service to it.

Jesus Christ declares that His earthly ministry provided for man's salvation through His death and resurrection, which gave Him by the Father absolute sovereignty over all especially His church. We need to honor Him in all things. Let us take some time right now, and pray in respect to this.


FAIREST LORD JESUS


Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, O Thou of God and man the Son:

Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.


Fair are the meadows, Fairer still the woodlands, Robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, Who makes the woeful heart to sing.


Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight, And all the twinkling starry host: Jesus shine brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels heaven can boast.


Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations! Son of God and Son of man! Glory and honor, Praise, Adoration, Now and forever more be Thine! Amen.


"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."

Let us turn to Revelation 19. This Is the Actual Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Reign on Earth:


Revelation 19: 6 - 16 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,"Alleluia: for the Lord (Jesus) God omnipotent reigneth."

Let us go back to the first Chapter of Revelation,

"Verse 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

How can that be what is called the righteousness of the saints.

Ephesians 2: 8 "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

We are save by God's grace through faith in Jesus as Savior. Our works come from committing ourselves to Jesus Christ as Lord of our life. We all will face the Bama Seat of Christ, for rewards to be given, or our losses made, Romans 14: 8 - 12; 1 Corinthians 3: 8 - 15; 2 Corinthians 5: 7 - 10.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.


The Glorious Presentation of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords:


11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.


This Person is not the President of the United States of America. He is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, the son of man. He is the Almighty God; He shall rule them with a rod of iron. We should have a great humbling awe of Him. He should be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords in our lives right now


Is Your All on the Altar?


Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest as you yield Him your body and soul.


You have longed for sweet peace and for faith to increase, and have earnestly, fervently prayed; but you cannot have rest or be perfectly blest until all on the altar is laid!


Would you walk with the Lord in the light of His word, and have peace and contentment always? You must do His sweet will to be free from all ill - on the altar your all must lay.


O we never can know what the Lord will bestow of the blessings for which we have prayed, till our body and soul He doth fully control, and our all on the altar is laid.


Who can tell all the love He will send from above, and how happy our hearts will be made, of the fellowship sweet we shall share at His feet when our all on the altar is laid!


The War, Death and the Wrath of God has Come:


17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.


How Can the God of Righteousness and Love Do This Vengeance? The Scripture Gives the Answer:


Romans 1: 16-25: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."


Romans 3: 10-26: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none thatunderstandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways:And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.


John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.


1 Timothy 2: 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;


Romans 6: 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


God has provided the way for man's deliverance through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, but most reject it, "We will not have this God to reign over us," the nonbeliever says.


"The Sovereign God" by James Montgomery Boice. Chapter 11, Page 149, Our Sovereign God

God's sovereignty has absolute authority and rule over his creation. In order to be sovereign God must also be all-knowing, all-powerful and absolutely free. If he were limited in any one of these areas, he would not be entirely sovereign. Yet the sovereignty of God in greater than any one of the attributes which it contains. Others may seem important to us-love, for instance. But a little thought will show that the exercise of any of these attributes is made possible only by the sovereignty of God. God might love, for example, but if he were not sovereign, circumstances could thwart his love, making it useless to us. It is the same with God's justice. God may desire to establish justice among human beings, but it he was not sovereign, justice could be frustrated and injustice prevail.

Rather it is a doctrine that gives meaning and substance to all other doctrines. It is, as Arthur Pink observes, "the foundation of Christian theology . . . the center of Gravity in the system of Christian truth-the sun around which all the lesser orbs are grouped." It is also, as we will see, the Christian's strength and comfort amid the storms of this life.

We may grant that God rules heaven. But the earth is an ungodly place. Here God's authority is flouted and sin often prevails. Can we really see God's authority in the midst of such a world. The answer is that if we look at the world alone, obviously not. But if we begin with the Scripture, as we must do if we would know God, then we can affirm it; the Bible everywhere declares that God is sovereign. We may not understand that doctrine. We may still wonder why God tolerates sin. But still we won't doubt the doctrine nor retreat from its consequences.

In the Scripture the sovereignty of God is so pervasive and important a concept that it is impossible to treat it comprehensively. A few texts, however, will make the doctrine plain.


"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all." (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)


"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation." (Psalm 24:1-5


"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10)


"Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. God

reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the

people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the

shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted." (Psalm 47:6-9)


Other Scripture text shows that God's sovereignty extends to the human will and therefore also to human actions. Thus God hardened Pharaoh'' heart so that he refused to let the people of Israel go. On the other hand, he melts some individuals' hearts so that they respond to his love and obey him."

I wish to break in at this point to show the attitude of Jesus our Lord in His call for men to serve Him,

Mark 1: 14-20 "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come you after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him."

Notice what Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, "Come you after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." The same with James and John, "straightway he called them." Jesus gave them no options or benefits. The sovereign God spoke and they obeyed.

This same call of His to be in His service for each of us is the same today. You may have some problem with this.

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16: 24-27)

He is not begging and gives no options. Though there will be rewards, but probably not in this life. It may be just the opposite when you take up your cross.

Jesus Christ said this in His Sermon on the Mount,

Matthew 5: 10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you,"

Could you be exceeding glad? This Christian song should be the expressions of your heart.


I'd Rather Have Jesus


I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.


I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause,

I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame,

I'd rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.


He's fairer than the lilies of rarest bloom,

He's sweeter than the honey from out the comb;

He's all that my hungering spirit needs,

I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.


"The Sovereign God" by James Montgomery Boice

"It may be objected, as we noted above, that some men and women nevertheless defy God and disobey him. But this observation cannot overthrow the teaching of the Bible concerning God's rule over his creation, unless the Bible is allowed to be self-contradictory. The explanation of the seeming contradiction is that human rebellion, while it is in opposition to God's express command, falls within his eternal or hidden purpose. That is God permits sin for his own reasons, knowing in advance that he will bring sin to judgment in the day of his wrath and in the meantime it will not go beyond the bounds that he has fixed for it. Many things work against the sovereignty of God-from our perspective. But from God's perspective, his decrees are always established.

The real problem with the sovereignty of God, from the human perspective, is that men and women basically do not like this disturbing and humbling aspect of God's character. We might think, if we were to look at the matter superficially, that men and women living in the midst of a chaotic culture would welcome sovereignty. "For what could be better," we might argue, "than knowing that things are really under His control, in spite of appearances?" But this opinion fails to reckon with humanity's basic rebellion against God seen in our human quest for autonomy.

"Autonomy" Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition of

1.

: The quality or state of being self-governing; especially: the right of self-government.
2.

: Self-directing freedom and especially moral independence.
3.

: A self-governing state.


Rebellion has been characteristic of humankind since the earliest moments in the history of our race. But it is particularly visible in contemporary culture, as R. C. Sproul points out in The Psychology of Atheism. Our democratic system, for example, rejects all monarchical authority. "We serve no sovereign here" was a slogan of the American War of Independence. Today, though over two hundred years have gone by, the motif is still with us. So "government of the people" really means "government by myself" or at least by those who are basically like me and agree with me. God, the rightful Lord over all nations as well as over all individuals, is carefully excluded from the decision-making institutions of our national life.

Nor is the church much better, as *Sproul also indicates, we often hear the "Savior" characteristics of God stressed-his love, mercy, goodness and so on-but the matter of his Lordship is absent. The distortion is particularly clear in evangelism. In modern practice the call to repentance is usually called an "invitation," which one can obviously accept or refuse. It is offered politely. Seldom do we hear presented God's sovereign to the authority of his appointed king, Christ Jesus.

Today, even in theology, the emphasis in the church's proclamation is a liberation. But sometimes the liberation is from God as well from "oppressive social structures," as the proponents of liberation theology term it. "In a word," says Sproul, "modern ‘Liberation' involves a revolt against the sovereign authority of God as members of church and state join forces in a mutual act of cosmic treason."


*Quoting from An Interview R C Sproul, Interviewed by Michael S. Horton .


The basic reason why women and men do not like the doctrine of God's sovereignty is that they do not want a sovereign God. They wish to be autonomous. So they either deny God's existence entirely, deny this attribute of his existence or else simply ignore him for all practical purposes.

The immediate factor in the current breakdown in respect for authority is the impact of European existentialism through the works of such men a Friedrich Niedegger, Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Martin Heidegger. In their works the autonomy of the individual is a dominant philosophical ideal before which all other concepts, including the existence of God, must be eliminated.


"existentialism" Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition of

: a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but center on analysis of individual existence in as unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for his acts of free will without any certain knowledge what is right or wrong or good or bad.


The problem did not begin with existentialism, however. It began long before that-when Satan confronted the first woman in the Garden of Eden by asking her the diabolical question, "Did God say?" (Challenge of God's Word) and then by suggesting that in disobeying what God said she and her husband would become "as God, knowing good and evil." As God is the crucial phrase, for it means to become autonomous. It was the temptation to attempt to replace God in the matter of his sovereignty.

Did the results promised by the serpent follow? Not at all. It is true that the man and woman did learn the difference between good and evil, in a perverted way, They learned by doing evil. But they didn't gain freedom they wished. Instead they gained bondage to sin, from which only the Lord Jesus Christ through his obedience to the Father was able to deliver both them and us. Human autonomy led to the crucifixion of Christ. True freedom comes by the crucifixion with Christ."


Thoughts by Forest Steenfott: At this point, I wish to tell of a couple that joined one of my home Bible studies. I had just started our studies on First John. It makes many statements of the Christian living under the sovereignty of God. When we got into the second chapter the gentleman brought up the subject of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He wondered what it meant. I devoted several weeks to this subject. I felt that the two of them were coming along well in respect to our studies. I continued on into Second and Third John, Jude and the first three chapters of Revelation. I had asked the wife of this gentleman that brought the subject of Lordship, to type up several items for our studies. One of them was on the Bible doctrine of Election. She told me that God was not fair in His choosing one person and not another. I explained the matter of election was by His grace or we all would go to hell.

I began noticing a change in the attitude of this couple as the months went by. Then one evening the husband phoned me to tell me that his wife wanted to divorce him, and they will not be coming back to the Bible study. She wanted out of their marriage, because she found another lover. That relationship broke up another marriage. After some time the gentleman in this case had a woman come in and live with him to help make the house payments. He is now with a second woman. What a web we weave for ourselves when we want the pleasures of sin. We dig ourselves a hole deeper and deeper into sin. Obedience to Christ brings joy and peace forever more.-Forest


We find true freedom when we are willing to accept reality as it is (including God's rightful and effective sovereignty over creation) and when we allow him to make us into all that he would have us be. The matter of God's sovereignty, far from continuing to be an offense to us, can become a wonderful doctrine from which we derive great blessings.

What are these blessings? First, a realization of God's sovereignty inevitably deepens our veneration of the living and true God. Second, knowledge of God in his sovereignty gives comfort in the midst of trials, temptations or sorrows. Third, an understanding of the sovereignty of God will provide encouragement and joy in evangelism. Finally, knowledge of the sovereignty of God will afford a deep sense of security.