The Doctrines Series
1. The Doctrine of Scripture.
2. The Doctrine of God.
3. The Doctrine of the Holiness of God.
4. The Doctrine of God’s Sovereignty.
5. The Doctrine of God’s Omnipotence.
6. The Doctrine of Creation.
7. The Doctrine of the Image of God in Man.
8. The Doctrine of Sin.
9. The Doctrine of Justification.
10. The Doctrine of Sanctification.
11. The Doctrine of the Perseverance and Glorification of the Saints.
12. The Doctrine of Eternity.

The Doctrine of God's Sovereignty:
“From all eternity God, by the wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordained all that comes to pass. Yet God is neither the author of sin, nor does he violate the will of his creatures, nor is the liberty of second causes removed, but rather established. Although God knows whatever may or can come to pass, he has not decreed anything because he foresaw it as that which would come to pass. God, the Creator of all things, upholds, directs, and governs all creatures, actions, and things, from the greater to the least, by his wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge and the free and unchangeable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. In his ordinary providence, God makes use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure.”

What Does It Mean?:
“What does it mean that the Bible teaches that God is sovereign? It means that God is in absolute control of his world and everything that happens, without any gaps, limits, interference, or thwarting of his rule. It means that God alone determines all that will happen and rules the means by which everything will happen. This means that God never has questions, never is surprised, never is frustrated, never wonders, never is greeted with mystery, never wishes he could have, never looks back with regret, never is hoping, never is waiting, never feels helpless, has nothing he can’t figure out, and never finds himself at a loss. No one can back God into a corner. He is never pressed to do something. There is no authority over him that he has to answer to. He does what he pleases, decides whatever he wants, and acts as he wants. To say God is sovereign is simply to say that God is God and there is no one like him.”

Two Aspects of God's Sovereignty:
1. His Decrees
2. His Providence

Biblical Windows on God's Sovereignty:
1. The Liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. (Ex 7-12)
a. Deliever His People from Bondage
b. Bring Great Judgement on Egpyt
c. Demonstrate He alone is Lord
2. Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 4-5)
3. Jonah
4. The Sparrows
5. The Conversion of the Gentiles (Acts 13:13-52)
6. Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-33)

Ten Plagues Vs. Egyptian Gods:
1. Hapi (god of the Nile)/ Water turned to blood
2. Heket (goddess of fertility, water & renewal, had a frog head)/ Plague of frogs
3. Geb (god of earth)/ Lice from the dust of the earth
4. Uatchit (fly god of Egypt)/ Swarms of flies
5. Hathor (god of love and protection associated with cattle)/ Death of Cattle
6. Isis (goddess of medicine and peace)/ Ashes turned to boils
7. Nut (goddess of the sky)/ Hail rained down
8. Seth (god of storms and disorder)/ locusts from the sky
9. Ra (sun god)/Plague of darkness
10. Pharoah (considered god on earth)/death of firstborn

The Sovereign One:
“He is the Lord, the sovereign one. The world he created, with its vast array of elements, does his bidding. He answers to no one and has no weaknesses. There are no limits to his authority and power. He uses his power and authority when he wishes and with whom he wishes. He displays the glory of his sovereignty for his own glory. He is the Lord. So the hope of his people is always him. It is his rule over all things and his rule on their behalf that give his people rest and courage. What he chooses to do no one can question and no one can stop. The liberation from Egypt is an ‘I am the Lord’ moment, his sovereignty on full display. Be in awe. Worship. This is your Lord.”

Secondary Agents:
“God rules his world in a way that does not violate the true significance and validity of secondary agents. What does this mean? It means God establishes what he has ordained without ever reducing us to robots. What we think is real and important. What we say has meaning and purpose. Our choices are valid. Our thoughts, desires, actions, choices, experiences, relationships, and locations are all the means by which God accomplishes what he has ordained. So we can never say that since God has ordained everything that happens and rules everything all the time, then what we do and say doesn’t make a difference. He rules his world in such a way that our choices are valid and our actions are important. He is sovereign over the ends and the means.”

So What?
“If you really do believe that your world is not out of control or driven by fate or chance, but rather that it is under the careful control of one who is the definition of power, wisdom, and love, then you will live with a peace of heart, a confidence, and a hope that you could find no better way. Think of how different life looks when you really do believe that there is no situation, location, or relationship that you could ever be in that isn’t ruled by King Christ. Think of how different your attitude and emotions are when you believe that we are not caught in an endless cycle of history repeating itself, but that we are in a world where God is progressively working out his perfect, preordained plan.”

God's Sovereignty:
1. Humbles Us
2. Respond with Surrender
3. Trust over Knowing
4. God's Control Is Not Always Obvious
5. The Truth of God's Sovereignty
6. Hope When You Pray

Hope In Prayer:
“Some people say that if God is in complete control of everything, then there is no reason to pray… But the Bible never encourages you to think this way. The Bible Commands you to pray. The Bible welcomes you to pray. Jesus gives you a model for how to pray. The Bible records stories for you of how God answered the prayers of his people… You simply cannot read your Bible and conclude that prayer is an empty meaningless religious activity... Rather than discouraging prayer, the sovereignty of God gives us reason to pray and reason for hope as we do so.”

CMC Statement of Theology: "God"

“God is the one and only true God, eternal, perfect and infinite in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, mercy, righteousness and power; transcendent above the world as its Creator, yet immanent in the world as the Preserver of all things. God is self-existent and self-revealing in three divine persons…”

CMC Statement of Theology "Holy Spirit"
“The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and with the Son in the triune Godhead and possesses all of the distinctively divine attributes. He is God, present and active in the world, ministering conviction of sin to sinners and regeneration to penitents. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to believers, in whom He resides. He ministers comfort, assurance, guidance, and victory. He is the agent of sanctification in the believer’s life, producing progressive growth in Spirit-fruit. He empowers believers and works through them in the distribution, manifestation, and ministry of spiritual gifts.”

Reflection Questions/ Sunday School Discussion:
1. What is the role and importance of doctrine of God's sovereignty in your life? How has this doctrine impacted your faith in the last week?
2. Where are you tempted to exchange worship and service of the Creator for the creation?
3. What person, place, or thing exercises the kind of control over your heart that only your Lord should have?
4. Does the Lord rule your thoughts, desires, choices, words, and actions?
5. Where does the desire to be sovereign rear its ugly head in your life? What sin reveals itself in your words and actions when you give way to that desire?