The Sovereign God

 The Sovereignty of God

Job 1:6-12 & Job 42:7-13

 

Theme:  

God’s sovereignty is one of the most important principles in Christian studies.  When we think about God, we must think right thoughts about God’s power and authority.  God’s sovereignty is a natural consequence of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.

 

Points to Ponder:

I.               God is in complete control

II.             Mankind gets into trouble when we rebel against God’s sovereignty 

III.            God has a perfect will and a permissive will 

 

Call to Action:

a.     Considering God’s Sovereignty: seek Him more

b.     Considering God’s Sovereignty: abandon worldly philosophies 

c.     Considering God’s Sovereignty: look for God’s hand at work 

 

Statement of Truth:

In response to the sovereignty of God we must look for God in the ordinary not just the extraordinary

 

On Your Own:

Keep in mind:  There are no limits to God’s rule. This is part of what it means to be God. He is sovereign over the whole world and everything that happens in it. He is never helpless, never frustrated, never at a loss. And in Christ, God’s awesome, sovereign providence is the place we feel most reverent, most secure, most free. Whenever God acts, he acts in a way that pleases him. God is never constrained to do a thing that he despises. He is never backed into a corner where his only recourse is to do something he hates to do. He does whatever he pleases.  God is sovereign over the universe, salvation, suffering, and in life and death. 

 

Study the following passages:  Psalm 33:10; Job 23:13; Psalm 115:3; Ephesians 1:11; Revelation 19:6; Deuteronomy 30:19; Genesis 50; Lamentations 3:37-38

The God of All-Ness

 The All-Empowering God

Psalm 139

 

Theme:  

God not only created heaven and earth but what we will learn today is that He fills them as well.  This is the All-ness of God and there is no place we can go that God is not already present.

 

The attributes of God are broken down into two categories:

1. The communicable attributes of God

 

2. The incommunicable attributes of God

 

I.   Three non-communicable attributes:

a.     God’s Omniscience 

b.     God’s Omnipresence 

c.     God’s Omnipotence 

 

Statement of Truth:

God is everywhere present, and He cannot be contained, and He cannot be escaped.

The Nature of God

 The Nature of God

Exodus 3:13

 

Theme:  Trying to fit the idea of an infinite God into a finite brain is like trying to pour a swimming pool into my childs sippy cup.  Obviously, it won’t fit.  

 

Statement of Truth:  

God is the uncreated creator

 

I.               God’s Attributes:

a.    God is an immaterial being, a Spirit

b.    God is eternally existent

c.     God is a personhood

d.    God is a transcendent God 

e.    God is an intimate God 

f.      God is self-sufficient

g.    God is self-existent

 

II.            Understanding God’s Eternality

a.    I AM is in the eternal present tense

                                               i.     God has no past {yesterday}

                                             ii.     God has no future {tomorrow}

 

III.           Understanding the Trinity

 

Note:  God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit are unique and separate and yet they are all the same deity.  God is one.  Yet the Bible declares there are three who are called God.  

 

Other Text Referenced Today:

·       Psalm 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.”  

·       Psalm 119:1 “The heavens and the earth declare the glory of God.”

·       John 4: 23-24 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

·       Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”

·        Deuteronomy 6:4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone is one.”

·        Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Pursuit of God

The Pursuit of God

Philippians 3:2-16

 

 

Theme:  For the believer of Jesus Christ to set their mind and heart for the greatest pursuit in all the universe.  What is that activity?   Life’s greatest pursuit is the knowledge of God.

 

 

POINT TO PONDER:

The most important thought you'll ever think, is what you think, when you think about God.  Because what you think, when you think about God, will impact everything you think. So, think right thoughts about God as you think.

 

I.               True Grace Creates Desire for More Grace 

 

 

Statement of Truth:

The Spirit is not deadening; he is addicting.

 

Four Reasons Why We Must Pursue After God {THE WHY}

         

A.   We must Pursue God, in order to know Him v7-8

B.   We must Pursue God, to confirm our justification v8-9

C.   We must Pursue God, because we are so imperfect v12

D.   We must Pursue God, because He has made us His own v 12

 

Three Steps in Pursuing After God  {THE HOW}

A.    Develop a holy dissatisfaction

B.    Forget the things which lie behind

C.    Strain forward to what lies ahead

 

The Knowledge of God

 The Knowledge of God Wk2

2 Peter 1:1-5

 

 

Theme:  
Knowing God is so important.  There are many aspects to knowing God.   Today, we will learn that the knowledge of God isn't just a set of facts that we learn; it is something that grows within us as we experience the almighty. 

 

POINT TO PONDER:

The most important thought you'll ever think, is what you think, when you think about God.  Because what you think, when you think about God, will impact everything you think. So, think right thoughts about God as you think.

 

Statement of Truth:

You cannot grow beyond what you know

 

I.               Keys to Expanding Your Knowledge of God: 

 

1.      Moral excellence / virtue

2.     Knowledge

3.     Self-Control

4.     Perseverance

5.     Godliness  

6.    Brotherly love

7.     Love

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT

THE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT

2 Peter 1:1-5

 

 

Theme:  People think they can manage anything from their diet to their desires with enough self-control. In this study we will learn that growing in the knowledge of God is the only real hope we have.

 

 

POINT TO PONDER:

The most important thought you'll ever think, is what you think, when you think about God.  Because what you think, when you think about God, will impact everything you think. So, think right thoughts about God as you think.

 

 

Statement of Truth:

Grace is all that God is free to do because of what Jesus Christ has done

 

 

I.              GOD WANTS TO MULTIPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM

 

A.    Everything you need to meet all of life’s demands have been given to you

B.    The everything is in seed form

 

 

Question to Consider:

Why can’t we find the things we desperately look for?

 

Answer:  

 

 

C.    The location of the everything, is found in the understanding of the Divine Nature of God

 

 

II.            THE OBSTACLES TO THINKING RIGHTLY ABOUT GOD

A.    Our souls have been distorted by sin

                                   i.     The corruption of the world

                                  ii.     Self-corruption

 

 

III.         THE REAL REMEDY

You have to set your mind toward spiritual growth