Acknowledging God's Sovereignty

Sunday August 24th on Acts 4:27-28
27 "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen."

We're looking at a powerful picture of God's sovereignty. It's amazing! God has written history according to His eternal plan, which we usually don't comprehend. The crucifixion of Jesus was no exception. - Oh Boy, how we go the extra miles to avoid at all costs anything and everything that resembles hard, difficult or, please, the Lord forbid, persecution. "Oh please not persecution!"

Our modern day soft and sissy Christianity can't do hard, it doesn’t even acknowledge or comprehend that those things we work so hard to avoid may actually be written into God's script concerning our life. - "That may have been good for Jesus, but I ain't Jesus", someone will undoubtedly retort. - So nowadays, as we work to determine the Lord's plan and will for our life, and because we do not often comprehend or possibly accept the fact that by God's sovereign will, He has already decided beforehand such difficulties and trials will be included for whatever purpose, we lock up in fear, doubt and faithlessness. For us to move forward in the face of our fears just isn’t possible.

Now two things come to mind: a) essentially our actions will reveal our true ability to trust in the Lord to protect, provide and direct. And, b) Ultimate Obedience. Will our response expressed through obedience, regardless the cost or sacrifice, become impossible to accomplish because fear and doubt will be allowed to eclipse what we know in our hearts what the Lord had at one point spoken. What had initially inspired us to at least attempt walking on water, has now changed, causing us to pee all overselves in doubt and paralyzing fear. - This dilemma the Apostle Paul understood as he wrote, "And the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9

Our intense focus on what we can touch, feel, see, smell and hear (essentially our natural senses), completely locks out our spiritual ability to assess or discern the spiritual realities as discuss in Romans 4:17 where Paul writes, "...as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations in the presence of Him who he (Abraham) believed - God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not now exist as though they did, v18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, So shall your descendants be. V19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, although already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. V20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, v21 and being fully convinced that what He (God) had promised he (God) was also able to perform. V22 And therefore is was accounted to him for righteousness."

Now concerning our trust and faith in God, the writer of Hebrews adds in chapter 11, v1"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen." V3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." And then in v6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."

So, at least for now, the ultimate questions return to, a) What do you know in your heart of hearts the Lord has spoken to you, and b) With that spoken word are you willing to accept His sovereign will/plan regardless the cost or the sacrifice. -- Boil it down to this; are you able to place your complete trust and confidence in a Sovereign God to ultimately take care of you?

It is necessary to count the cost.