What a day to look forward to when all of the trials and pain and the sufferings of this life are over and we get a brand new glorified body and be with our Savior where we will see Him in all of His glory. I know that the sufferings of this life are part of God's purpose to make us long for heaven and home. And my wife is going through some difficult, painful trials. She sends her love. She just been pretty sick the last couple of days and a lot of pain, but she's feeling better. I talked with her this morning and she said, please give you her love. Now the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ And I've said this before, but it's so true and bears repeating. His lordship is the heart of the gospel. Jesus Christ is on his sovereign throne of power, ruling over this whole universe and everything in it. Now all unregenerate false religionists hate the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They don't hate their Jesus that they've conjured up in their own mind, but they hate the Christ of Holy Scripture. And we were right there with them. Is that true? In our unregenerate state, we had the same deceitful, hateful heart that all of those who will go to hell getting what they deserve, had the same heart. And we as God's enlightened children, we do not put ourselves above anybody. We know it's by God's grace that he makes us to differ. He's given us a new heart, a heart to love him. And we bow before his lordship and recognize his hand in everything. Let me, before we turn to 2 Kings 2, let me quote an excerpt from an article our dear brother and pastor friend Don Fortner wrote. He wrote these words. He said, God is for us in His sovereign providence. Romans 8.28. All who are born of God know by the Word of God, the inner witness of the Spirit and the experience of faith, that all things good and evil, prosperous and adverse, pleasant and painful, work together for good to God's elect. There shall no evil happen to the just. Proverbs 12, 21. Everything that comes to pass, comes to pass by the hand of God, for the glory of God, and for the eternal good of all the people of God, there are no exceptions. Now, I've titled this message, Mockers of God's Sovereign Power. Brother David's message last week from Hannah's prayer, God kills and God makes alive, was an excellent introduction to this morning's message, and I thank God for him. And Wednesday night as well, just set the stage for what I wanna bring before you. Now we read this in Psalm 713, we don't have to turn there, but Psalm 713 also tells us that God ordains the instruments of death. In other words, We have an appointed time when we're gonna go through that door marked death, and God ordains that instrument which he uses. Now I'm here to tell you on the authority of God's word that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, no judgment. That doesn't mean we haven't sinned. That means that God has taken our sins and removed them out of His sight forever through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. So, we know this body will lay down, go back to the dust from whence it came. but absent from the body is present with the Lord. And just as soon as that ordained time for us to leave this earth comes upon us through whatever instrument God is pleased to use, we're gonna be there. I think about this a lot, but I'm up in age. But I thought about it a lot throughout the time that I've walked with Christ. I know it's kind of weird. And so do you. You don't know what that guy that's coming toward you 70 mile an hour is going to do. You don't know that. You don't know if you'll die of an incurable disease or heart attack or go to sleep and not wake up except in glory. We don't know that. And God has ordained it that way to keep us looking to Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith. With that in mind, let me bring you up to date to our text. Elisha, one of God's prophets, witnessed the power of God in taking Elijah to glory in a whirlwind. And he, Elisha, was the prophet that took Elijah's place. He had asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit And Elisha cast his mantle, Elijah did, and Elisha picked it up, and the other prophets were watching him. They didn't see Elijah go up in the whirlwind, but they were watching Elisha, and he smote the river, and the waters parted just like Elijah had done when he was God's ordained prophet on this earth. So Elisha is walking now as God's prophet. And here, in 2 Kings 2, verses 23 and 24, we read these words. And he, that is, Elisha, went up from thence unto Bethel. And as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head, Go up, thou bald head! And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tear forty and two children of them. And then he, Elisha, went on. Now I know that's disturbing when we say that these children were cursed of God, but they were. And it was God who sent those two she bears to tear 42 children apart. I know most people, especially people that don't know Christ, are disturbed by that. I know that. And in my heart, I mourn for the parents of those children because I lost a son. I know the pain. But we're not talking about our emotions or our human reasoning or logic. We're talking about what the Word of God says. And I can give you several illustrations of our Lord Jesus being in control of everything that moves. Everything, animate or inanimate for that matter. Remember when Noah was commanded to take all animals aboard his ark, the Lord's Ark? That was hundreds and hundreds of years after Adam fell. Those animals were wild. They ate one another. But our Lord on His throne made all of those animals willing to go aboard the ark. That's what He does with us. We're all wild, ungodly, sinful men and women until God brings us under the preaching of His gospel. raises us from a state of spiritual death, giving us faith to believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's what Elisha witnessed. He witnessed the power of God in raising up Elisha. He witnessed the power of God in giving him the wisdom and the understanding that he had given to Elijah and that falling on him. Brethren, we need Christ. And here we are dead in trespasses and sins. We need to be raised from a state of spiritual death. And by God's power, he does that. And we see that it was God's power that raised up Jesus Christ from the grave. and he was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. So those things that Elisha saw point to what we by faith see for the glory of the one who loved us and gave himself for us. Our Lord Jesus not only made those animals willing on the day of his power to go aboard the ark, we read where when The plagues fell on Egypt. He was in control of the locusts, the frogs, the flies, everything that had life. Those plagues came upon Egypt by the sovereign power of God. Only God could have done that. And then, after he moved in the heart of Pharaoh to let his people go, our Lord Jesus wouldn't even let a dog bark. Don't tell me he doesn't have power over all animals. A little puppy, a little puppy, hungry for its mama's milk, couldn't even whine. Our Lord shut the mouth of all of those dogs. There's been times when I woke up in the middle of the night wishing he would shut the mouth of the neighbor's dog. And not only that, as his people wandered in the wilderness and they complained of not having food to eat, Our Lord Jesus sent thousands, thousands, and thousands of quail into their camp. And they didn't give God thanks. They just started preparing the quail, started eating them, and God killed thousands of his people because they didn't thank him. It's a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, isn't it? In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus concerning all of us. I'll probably share this story with you, but let me share it again. A little boy was given permission to spend the night with one of his school friends, and as they sat down to dinner, the daddy just started digging in, started eating. He said, well, don't you folks thank God for the food before you eat? And the daddy said, nah, we just dig in around here. He said, that's exactly what my dog does. I know that sounds a little humorous to us, but it illustrates a very important point. We're thankful people. Everything we have comes from God. He's the one who makes us to give. He's the one who gives us the things that we have. And we're not to glory in that, but just to give Him all the praise and all the thanks. There was fiery snakes that came into the camp of God's chosen people, and people were dying. God sent those fiery snakes into the camp of his people. It was God doing that. He's in control of everything. It was a picture of our need of Christ, because we've been bitten by that serpent, and the poison of sin is going through all of us. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must Christ be lifted up, and we must see Him on His cross, taking our sufferings and my sins and His body on a tree. granting us a full pardon because of his supreme sacrifice for his people. God's in control of everything. When our Lord was walking with his disciples through the country, they needed some tribute money. And he told Peter to go throw a hook into the water. And he had moved a fish to pick up a coin. And then he moved that fish to go over and pick up Peter's hook. And Peter took the coin out of the fish's mouth. And they had the money they needed to pay the treatment that was due. You see, this is God's doings. His disciples were fishing. And he said, after they'd fished all night, throw the net on the other side of the boat. Lord, this is our occupation, we're fishermen, we know what we're doing. Well, they didn't say that, but that's what they felt. Peter said, nevertheless, I'll throw the net where you say, we'll throw the net where you say. And he loaded up that net with so many fish, they couldn't hardly get it into the boat. It was just amazing what God was doing. And this is the God we serve. God commanded the ravens to feed Elijah. Do we worry about what we're gonna have to eat tomorrow? We're concerned, I know we're concerned. We want the necessary foods and clothing and the housing and all of that, but it's God who gives it to us. God doesn't even let a sparrow fall from the tree without his permission. And our Lord Jesus said, be of good cheer, you're more valuable than the sparrows. So, we're serving a God who delights in His people who know that He's in control of everything. A people who puts their complete trust in Him. Now if you will turn to Galatians chapter 3, God's preachers boldly declare God's power in the miracle of the new birth. Our hope is in Christ and God's enlightened children believe that salvation is of the Lord. Now why do we believe that? Because God's Word tells us that. God Himself tells us that salvation is of the Lord. Jonah had to learn that by being thrown into the water and God had prepared a big fish to swallow Jonah. And by the way, Jonah was dead in that fish's belly. And I know there are people who debate that. That's okay. There are people who don't believe that. Some so-called preachers, which God didn't send, portrayed Jonah as in that fish's belly with a table and a lantern and his notes, preparing to preach to the needy. But our Lord Jesus said this, He said, as Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish's belly, so must the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth. Was our Lord dead? Yes, sir. He laid down His life for us. In that fish's belly, Jonah was dead and when the Lord gave him his life back, he had a message, God kills and God makes alive. Now tell you the truth, we were just as dead spiritually as Lazarus was physically when the Lord said, Lazarus, come forth. Life precedes our coming to Christ. That's the reason we are made willing on a day of His power. And we heard it in Sunday school this morning. God sends the Spirit of His Son into our heart, revealing Christ to us, giving us an understanding of the mystery of the gospel. This is God's doings, and it's marvelous in our eyes. Now here in Galatians chapter three, Now let me share this with you before I read our text. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness that he, God, will accept. We have no righteousness of our own, none. And trying to establish our own righteousness is mockery. It's mockery of God and his revealed word. And those who believe in Jesus Christ believe that he, the Lord Jesus, redeemed us. He didn't try to redeem us. He got the job done. God doesn't try to do anything. We believe that our Lord is in the heavens doing whatsoever He pleases to do. And it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal His Son in me is what the Apostle Paul wrote under divine inspiration. So Jesus Christ redeemed us, and we believe that Jesus Christ is our resurrection. He is. He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised again for our justification. We believe God justified us. He's not waiting to try and justify us. He's not watching the people of this earth, waiting for them to give him permission to do something. God doesn't wait for permission from anybody. He does what pleases Him. He rebuked Job. With these words, where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? God didn't get any permission from anybody to do what he did in creation, and he doesn't get any permission from anybody to create us anew. It's Christ in us, the hope of glory that he has created. That's the new man, and that's God's doings. We believe Jesus Christ is the reason The reason God shows mercy on us, God has a reason, and that reason is for the glory of Jesus Christ. And we believe that. Why do we believe these blessed truths? God says so in His Holy Word. Now here in Galatians chapter 3, starting at verse 1, I want to read down through verse 3. The Apostle Paul, riding on a divine inspiration, said, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you? This only would I learn of you. Received you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? Now, brethren, we are dead, like I said earlier, spiritually. And it's God who brings us under the preaching of the gospel. It's God who begins the work in us. It's God who saves us by his own sovereign power, delivering us from the power of darkness and translating us into his eternal kingdom. It's God who's doing that. The flesh had nothing to do with that. Now this gospel is the only gospel there is. There's false gospels, but the only true gospel is this gospel that gives our Lord all the glory. I know men personally, who found fault with Henry Mahan because our dear brother, Mr. Mahan, who's going on to be with the Lord, taught and preached that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That God does not start the work until he brings us under the preaching of the gospel. And they separated themselves from me because I believed what Henry Mahan preached. It's the gospel that God uses. He sends his spirit when we're under the preaching of the gospel. This is what this says, that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ had inevitably set forth among you, crucified among you. This only would I learn of you, receive you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. And so it's by the hearing of faith that we receive the spirit. Now look here in Galatians chapter three, starting at verse seven, we read these words. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. So then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Now, remember, those children were cursed by God. Elisha was the instrument, but the curse came from God. And it says here, it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. If we don't keep the law perfectly, from the time we're in our mother's womb to the time we leave this world, then we're under God's wrath. Now I know that's something that we can't do, but there are many religious people who still believe that they're justified by the works of the law. And they're professing Christians that think they can take the law and combine the law with faith and become progressively better. Matter of fact, John Reeves just got a letter from a preacher in New York that evidently he picked up one of the bulletins from the Rescued Baptist Church. And this man in New York wrote John a letter And he said, babes in Christ are not without sin until they progressively get better and better. God will not accept them until they're without sin. Well, that man has no understanding of the two natures. And if he thinks he's without sin, he calls God a liar. Because Paul wrote these words, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? He didn't say, O wretched man that I was, he said, O wretched man that I am. And as long as we're in this body of death, sin is what we are and sin is what we'll do. There's another nature, which is the divine nature. God has made us partakers of the divine nature. That's the new man. That's the creation of God that's without sin. And we have that blessed truth that Christ in us is our hope of glory. But we still sin. Now let me ask, is that true of you? You can nod your head. You can say, yeah. Or you can sit there and think, not me. I'm not a sinner anymore. and you're making God a liar, that's mockery, and that's what we're talking about, mockery of God's sovereign power. And no man is justified by the law, and you could even put any kind of work in there, by meeting on a Saturday, by getting baptized, by making a decision for Jesus, anything that you put in there destroys gospel preaching and justification by the blood of Jesus Christ and living by faith. We have no one to give glory to but to our wonderful God who has come to us. when we're dead in trespasses and sins, moved upon us, brought us under the preaching of the gospel, and sent his spirit into our hearts so that we could understand, like Larry brought up in Sunday School this morning, so we could understand this mystery of the gospel. God does this, and he does it for his glory. Now, here's some glorious good news, and I trust that it'll be a blessing to you while you turn to John chapter 5, which is a closing passage. John chapter 5, if you will, please. Here's a blessing. It's the doctrine of substitution. This is good news. for a sinner, a sinner who deserves nothing but God's wrath. Substitution. Jesus Christ, when He hung there on that cross, suffered the wrath of God. God the Father held nothing back. He poured out His unmitigated wrath on His darling Son, and we were in Christ when He did that. God has already punished us. And He's a just God. He cannot demand punishment twice. First at my Savior's hand, then at mine. He can't do that. And so we're free from the wrath to come. And who gets all the glory? God Himself. God, our wonderful, great triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They're of one mind. And what we read in scripture earlier, in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We heard this in Sunday school. In the body of Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of God. Folks, listen. If you don't come to Christ, you don't come to God. We must see Him as Jehovah God Himself. His disciples cried out, Lord, show us the Father and we'll be satisfied. He said to them, have I been so a long time with you and you have not seen me? He that has seen me has seen the Father. We are to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Jehovah God, our Creator, equal with the Father, equal with the Holy Spirit. I'm not denying the great three in one, but I am saying this, Jesus Christ is God Almighty. He has been raised from that dead state or that grave that he was in. And God has highly exalted Him and put Him on the throne, ruling over this whole universe and everything. And why did God the Father do that? Because He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And here in John chapter 5, starting at verse 18, We read, therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father do. For what things whoever he doeth, These also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth, and He will show Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. And that word quickeneth just means made alive. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. that all men, let me read that again, that all men, and that's just a word, men is just a word, that includes the women as well, that all men and women should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily. I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Now I'm not a smart man and I'm not an educated man, but I can read and I have a little understanding that God has given me. He has put His Son, the Spirit of His Son in my heart, has given me eternal life because of what Christ has done for me. For no other reason, Jesus Christ is to receive all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory. We're to honor Him, even as we honor God the Father. And if we don't, If we don't honor Him as we honor God the Father, we don't honor God at all. We're just filled with nothing but sinful mockery. Just as sinful as all those who'll spend eternity in hell. So I beseech you, come to Christ. Come to the Christ of Holy Scripture. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Brethren, if we deny the salvation of God's elect by the perfect redeeming work of Christ Jesus, if we say that God loves everybody, then we deny the love of God. If we say that Jesus Christ died for everybody, We deny the death of Christ. If we deny the will of God in our salvation, believing what false religions are saying that God is not willing and you should perish, but that all should come to repentance and you can resist God's will. If we believe that, we've ruled out the will of God. If we deny the power of God in salvation, then we've denied God. We've ruled out the love of God, the death of Christ, the blood of Christ, the will of God, the power of God. What's left? One lady told a preacher, don't take away my free will. Well, I tell you here, I want God to take away my so-called free will. and look to His sovereign will, His sovereign power, His sovereign grace. We rule out the grace of God in salvation. If we attribute anything of our doings to the salvation of God's elect, it's nothing but sinful mockery. Aren't you thankful? that our Lord Jesus Christ paid the price in full for all of our sins, and that he promises us he'll be with us throughout our journey throughout this earth. And when we leave, we'll be caught up to be with him where we'll see him in all of his glory. And we'll get a brand new glorified body. What a day to look forward to. What a God we have. What a wonderful God.