And now we are going to move to the subject of God's sovereignty and our responsibility. God's sovereignty. Since God is sovereign in all these things that we've seen Him sovereign in, then what does that say about our responsibility? I mean, if God determines all these things, and we saw that He indeed did. Well, then where does that leave me? What's my responsibility as a person? So we're going to look at that, and you have your outline there. And there are two things we must guard against when we think about God's sovereignty. And we must guard against fatalism and determinism. Fatalism and determinism. Anytime we study God's sovereignty, we have to make sure that we don't fall into either fatalism or determinism. You see, our minds, as humans, we want to fit everything into a neat package. We just like things to be orderly. We want to understand things. And you hear people say, I'm just trying to get my mind around it. Now what they mean is, I'm just trying to get it so I can understand it. We want to put things in their place. That way we can understand. And so as rational beings, we want everything to be totally rational. And yet God is so much greater than us, we cannot fit Him into our neat package. And that's the problem. We want to make Him fit into our neat package. We want to make Him fit into our way of thinking. And in our minds, we cannot fit God's sovereignty and our responsibility into a neat package. in our minds for the package to be neat. If God is sovereign over everything, then determinism, in other words, what will be, will be, and so I might as well just go with the flow, is what makes rational sense to us. Or fatalism, which is basically the same thing, that, I mean, I can't determine and change what God's will is God's will, so it doesn't matter what I do, right? He's going to accomplish what He wants to accomplish. Now that makes rational sense, but it's not biblical. And so what we've got to do is we've got to bow our minds to the authority of scripture. We've got to say, okay, it doesn't make sense. I can't get my mind around how God can be sovereign and in control of all things and work all things after the counsel of his will. And yet, me still be responsible for what I do and what happens. We just can't put it together. And this has been a argument that people have had throughout the centuries, theologians have had. People tend to either come down heavy on man's responsibility, or they tend to come down heavy on God's sovereignty. And so, The truth is we've got to hold both of these truths in tension. Learn to live with the tension of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Don't ever think you can completely resolve in your mind how to understand those things. But be assured, in the infinite mind of God, there is no contradiction, there is no place of unrest. God is able to totally put the two together with no problem. So just be content to live in that tension, recognizing the true truths, but not being able to totally put them together. A student fails an important exam, so he tries to excuse himself by saying, well, God's sovereign, and he determined I'd fail that exam, right? I mean, nothing can happen outside of God's sovereign will. We agree to that, right? so hey it was god's sovereign will i fail that test so hey how can i be blamed for it or a job interview goes bad well goddamn woman had that job anyway you know he's sovereign so he determined i was going to do bad in that interview so what will be will be hey sarah sarah right uh... or you know well if it's my time to go i'm gonna go tornado warning went off they just said a tornado is coming my way but I'm going to go about my business. God's in control. I'm not going to worry about it. If it comes, it comes. It's the idea that God has already written out the script, and we're simply players playing it out. It's like God has already written the film, and we're a part of that film, and He's just letting it roll now, and we can't help it. We're just caught up in it, and we have to do what we do. That's fatalism. That's determinism. That is not biblical thinking. All right? The Bible is clear. God is sovereign, and His sovereignty does not negate our responsibility. His sovereignty does not negate our responsibility. It's probably one of the basic, you know, God chooses those whom He will save. Scripture teaches that, the elect, the chosen. Jesus said, All the Father has given to Me will come to Me. Doesn't sound like there's any place for anything else to happen, does it? If you've been given to the Lord Jesus, You will come to Him, right? God's sovereignty. Yet at the same time, we are responsible for placing our trust and faith in Christ. But yet you say, well, nobody can do it unless God chooses them. Unless God places the faith in them, they can't do it. So how can He hold somebody responsible that He's not placed the faith in for them to believe Him? How can they still be responsible? They are. We are responsible. We are responsible creatures. And again, We can't figure out how it works out, but trust me, in God's economy, in God's mind, there is no problem at all. The Bible will tell you, believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Where does that place responsibility? On you. Jesus says, all the Father has given me will come to me. Chosen in Him from the foundation of the world, while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, He caused us to be born again." Where does that put emphasis, Joe? On God's sovereignty. That's right. Jesus said, no man can come to Me unless the Father draw him. Where does that put responsibility? on God. He says, also, anyone who comes to me, I will in no wise cast him out. Where's that put responsibility? Oh, man, to come to him. Right. So, again, just hold him in tension. Don't try to solve the issue. Just say, well, the Bible teaches both. I'm going to believe both. Now, let's look at sovereignty of God in prayer. Because that's something people say, well, if God is sovereign and what's going to happen is going to happen, then why should I even pray? I mean, He's determined already what's going to happen. So why do I even need to bother to pray about it? Well, God's sovereignty does not negate prayer. In fact, it encourages it. Because if God's not sovereign, why pray to Him? If He can't change things, if He can't do anything and everything, why even ask Him? Right? Now, you wouldn't come up to me and say, Preacher, make my CDs pay 4% interest. You wouldn't ask me to do that, would you? Because you know I couldn't do it. So you wouldn't bother to ask me that. But you might come up to me and say, How about making those sermons a little shorter? You might say that, right? Because that's something I have a little control over. Why would the Bible even tell us to pray if God wasn't sovereign and make a difference? It would be a waste of a breath! All right. If God is all-powerful, then it makes sense to pray. If God is not all-powerful, then it doesn't make sense at all to pray. So God's sovereignty should encourage us to pray. Now let's look at some biblical examples. Look over in Acts chapter 4. Somebody sit on your remote control and get the thing going. Yeah, I understand that. Ah, okay, it quit. I was at Home Depot the other day and left here in the car while I went to look for something and went ahead and locked it. And when she decided she wanted to open the door for something, the alarm started going. I was way out there in the garden center and I heard it sound like my car. I said, is that my alarm going off? Surely not. And then I kept hearing it and I kept getting closer and sure enough. So I was able to stop it. But still, not before she was mildly embarrassed, I know. All right, life is fun, isn't it? Over in Acts chapter 4, John and Peter were arrested by the religious leaders in Jerusalem, and they were told that they should no longer preach and proclaim life in Jesus and the resurrection in the Lord Jesus. So what do they do? All right, let's pick up verse 19, chapter 4 of Acts. But Peter and John answered and said to them, that's religious leaders, Whether it be right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge. For we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard. And when they had threatened them further, they let them go, finding no basis on which they might punish them on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened. For the man was more than 40 years old, on whom the miracle of the healing had been performed. They got it was lame and got healed. And when they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord. Here, they're going to God in prayer. First they establish God's sovereignty. O Lord, it is you who did make the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, acknowledging God as the creator of all things. That is the greatest display of his sovereignty is he's a creator. I mean, everything that is is because he made it. if he can make everything surely he can do everything right who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David your servant did say why did the Gentiles rage and the people devise futile things the kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord against his Christ for truly in this city They were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you did anoint both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur." Now, that's a strong statement about God's sovereignty, isn't it? But nothing could happen even in the crucifixion of Jesus that God had not foreordained, that it was not according to His predetermined purpose. So once they've established firmly God's sovereignty, now they pray. And now, Lord, take note of their threats and grant that Your servant may speak Your Word with all confidence. while you do extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. So they clearly believed in the sovereignty of God, stated it. But they also, because of that, believed in prayer and asked the Lord to give them the boldness they needed. And indeed, he granted it, did he not? In verse 31. Another example is. over in Philemon 22. Now you remember who Philemon was? He was the master of Onesimus and Onesimus had escaped and he had become a believer and he had come to know Paul and worked with Paul. It comes after Titus if you're looking for it and before Hebrews. And Paul writes back to Philemon basically saying, you know, he's a brother now, so treat him like such. But what I want us to look at is what Paul asks Philemon to pray for him in verse 22. And at the same time, also prepare me a lodging. For I hope that through your prayers, I shall be given to you. Bless you. Now look at that. That through your prayers I might be given to you. Paul is asking him to pray for his release from prison. Now why would Paul not say that God's sovereign power might release me from prison? Instead, he says that through your prayers, through your praying, I shall be given to you because he knew God could sovereignly release him. He was in prison in Philippi. He didn't know what God's sovereign will was. He doesn't presume on God's sovereign will. But he asked Philemon to pray that he would be released. So our responsibility is to pray, to ask God as much as we can discern His will, to ask Him, knowing that He is sovereign and He can accomplish and will accomplish His will. So rather than the sovereignty of God negating prayer, it encourages prayer. In fact, prayer is an expression of our trust in God's sovereignty. Look at what Paul asks for prayer about in Ephesians. He says, and pray on my behalf. That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. Now you would think anybody who was a bold proclaimer of God's truth, a bold ambassador for Christ, it would be Paul. But what does he pray? He says, pray that God will give me the words to speak and that he'll give me the boldness to speak it. He knew God was sovereign. He could have said, well, God wants me to speak with boldness, and He's going to give me the boldness. If He wants to give me the words He wants me to speak, He'll give me the words to speak. I'm just going to leave it with Him. But He didn't say that. He said, pray for me. Pray. Because the sovereignty of God does not negate the need for prayer. It encourages the need for prayer. Because God is indeed able. And that's number B. Prayer is an expression of our trust in God's sovereignty. expression of our trust in God's sovereignty All right that brings us to point number three God's sovereignty and prudence or wisdom And we're going to wait and get that next week Lord willing But I do want to go back over the outline to make sure you have filled in all the correct places Roman numeral one we must guard against Fatalism and determinism. All right, good. Romans 2, God's sovereignty and prayer. A, God's sovereignty does not negate prayer. It encourages it. Good. All right. And B, prayer is an expression of our trust in God's sovereignty. Good. You did good. You got 100. All right. Next week, Lord willing, we will talk about prudence, wisdom. God's sovereignty does not negate us using wisdom. Well, I just trust God, so I'm gonna walk across the street. If you don't want me to get hit, I won't get hit. Yeah, well, you'll get hit, and you'll be in heaven, and he'll say, that wasn't smart. All right, so next week, Lord willing, we will pick up at that point. Paul, come and lead us in our prayer.