GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  HE IS SOVEREIGN

TEXT:  "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." 

- Psalm 115:3

For some time, people in America have been creating an image of God, based upon their own personal preferences and desires.  This ideology breaks the first two of God's Ten Commandments.  The end result is not God, but an idol that is powerless and worthless.

It is not shocking that talk-show hosts and entertainers are guilty of such idolatry.  What is shocking is the number of "ministers" who portray God in such ridiculous ways.  These days, some portray God as a grandfather-type figure who winks at sin and accepts everyone unconditionally.  Others consider God to be a bellhop who waits to serve us.  The humanization of God is nothing more than idolatry.  God is not a human.  He is divine. 

When a man takes his Bible and explains how God REALLY is, most get quickly offended.  Through the pages of the Bible we come to know God as He really is, not as a talk show host portrays Him to be.  In the end, we come to realize that the modern thought about God is nothing more than foolish thinking, contrived by the enemy to deceive and destroy souls.

As we get to know God, we learn about a major truth that most reject:  God is sovereign.  The word, "sovereignty," is defined as having absolute power or authority.  On the surface, I think most of us would agree that God is sovereign; after all, He is God.  The application of this truth bothers many people.  If God is sovereign, He takes orders from no one.  The prayers of many professing Christians resemble a lord ordering his servants.  We must understand that God is Lord, not us.  We do not order Him around; instead, we receive commands from Him.  Sadly, many church members consider obedience an option.  We cannot correctly call Him our Lord, when we refuse to obey Him.

Since God is sovereign, we must also face this fact:  God does what He wishes.  The Psalmist states this:  "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."  Modern "Christianity" teaches that God responds to situations the way we want Him to.  Furthermore, some "religious" teachers state that God uses the same logic we do.  Of course, they forget that our logic is flawed by sin.  Thus, most people are offended when God does not act the way they expect Him to. 

More than once, the Bible refers to God as a potter and mankind as the clay.  The imagery produced by this comparison is comforting to some and troubling to others.  Many are offended that mankind has no more influence over God than clay has over the potter.  Deep within us is a desire to be divine ourselves.  We want God to be in charge when problems get too great for us, but we want to be in control otherwise.  Despite our idolatrous hearts, the fact remains that God is the potter and we are the clay.  We did not create God.  He created us.  It is His design, not ours, that will be used.

Even more troubling for professing Christians are verses of Scripture like Romans 9:18: "So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills," and Romans 9:21:  "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"  These verses do not describe God like we want Him described.  But what do these verse teach?  These verses emphatically state that God is sovereign.

Sadly, many will attend church on Sunday morning, hoping that God will give them an injection of excitement or joy.  Instead, God desires that we come to His house to worship Him.  Worship is not about feeling warm and fuzzy inside.  Instead, worship is about kneeling before the Sovereign of the universe and giving Him the honor that is due. 

One of the common lies that people believe is that there are many roads to God.  Talk show hosts tell people that there is a Muslim way to God, a Christian way to God, a Buddhist way to God, etc.  This kind of heresy exalts every religion to the same level as God.  But there is just one God and just one way to Him.  Some believe that mankind is on the same level (or very close to the same level) as God.  This too is heresy.  God is sovereign.  He is not sharing power with the "prophet Muhammad," or anyone else --- including us.

Since God is sovereign, He is not accountable to us.  Some foolish people demand that God give them a reason for a calamity or some mysterious event.  There are many things I do not understand, but God is not required to give me an explanation.  When bad things happen, God will not answer to a congressional hearing or respond to a subpoena.  One day, we must answer to Him for our lives, but He will never have to answer to us.  I just know this:  God is sovereign.  He is good.  He knows what He is doing, even if I don't understand.  Since He is sovereign, He does not owe me a reason for anything He does.

God is sovereign.  For the Bible-believing Christian, this is comforting.  Despite the fleshly desire to exalt "self" to the position of divinity, we humbly recognize that God is Lord and we are His servants.  Thus, we find our honor in simply being servants of the Most High God.  We simply give our honor to Him.  He deserves our honor, worship and devotion for a number of reasons; primarily because He is God, the Sovereign of the universe. 

Since God is sovereign, He deserves and demands unconditional surrender and unfailing obedience, honor, and worship from us.  As God, He is worthy of nothing less.

Can you honestly call yourself a servant of the sovereign God?