God Is In Control!!!!!

I took the time this week in our service to take break from our sermon series "The Importance of Supporting the Local Church" to remind our church that God is in control. I don't use the pulpit for any political reason on purpose. I take advantage of separation between church and state. But I cannot ignore the fact that this coming Tuesday is a big decision for us, American Christians.

So, I took time to remind the members of our church, and I want to remind our Christian community, that GOD IS IN CONTROL!

I went to the mechanic on last Tuesday for a smog check and before I got out the van the first thing that came out of the mechanic's mouth was "Who are you voting for?" Before I could get a word out of my mouth he says; "I'm voting for Obama!" He then goes on to comment that if a black man gets in office there will be a civil war. I said to him that this is the type of thinking we don't need going into this election because if a white man (another republican) gets in office there's going to be a riot of the highest portion and it won't be just the minority (African-American, Mexican, etc) there's going to be some white folks as well.

When I left the shop, I was trouble by his thinking and needless to say there are many others who are thinking the same way he is. However, as a believer of Jesus Christ, we need to be reminded that GOD IS I CONTROL. Not Obama, McClain, Biden, Palin, Prop 8, Prop 9, or Prop 100. GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!

We may and/or may not like the outcome this coming Tuesday but let's keep in mind that the sovereignty of God reigns no matter what. Here are a few facts about the sovereignty of God we should hold on to going into election day Tuesday:

1. He existed before anything else. Ps. 90:2: “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.“ Eternality trumps finiteness every time.

2. He created all things.
John 1:3: “All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.”

3. He sustains all things.
Col. 1:17: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Hebrews 1:3 adds that Jesus is the radiance of [God’s] glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word.

4. He is above all things.
Isaiah 46:9-10: “Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; [I am] God, and no one is like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will.” God is not limited or restrained by anything.

5. He knows all things.
Ps. 139:1-4: “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.” The knowledge of God is described in Scripture as exhaustive, thorough, covering the details down to the smallest possible levels.

6. He can do whatever He pleases.
Jeremiah 32:27: “Look, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?”

7. He orchestrates all things.
Eph. 1:11 reminds us that God “works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will.”

8. He rules over all things.
In Daniel 4:34-35, the most powerful man on earth decided to take on God. When God was through with him, here was what he said, “But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

9. He is in control of all things.

He controls the choices of world leaders--Prov.21:1: “A king’s heart is a water channel in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses.”

He controls the course of human events--Ps. 33:9-11 - The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.”

He controls calamity (Amos 3:6 says, "If a disaster occurs in a city, hasn’t the Lord done it?” The psalmist is awed by this: He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants"; "He unleashes His winds, and the waters to flow . . . Lightning and hail, snow and cloud, powerful wind that executes His command." (Psalm 104:4; 147:18; 148:8). Isaac Watts was right, "There's not a plant or flower below but makes your glories known; and clouds arise and tempests blow by order from your throne."

He controls our circumstances (James 4:13-15: “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Stonewall Jackson believed that whether he lived to fight another day was completely in the hands of the Lord.

My friends, please keep in the attribute of God before you when you go to the polls and when we leave, GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!! Our response to God's sovereignty is to TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT! We may and will not understand everything God is doing but it's not us to question God but to TRUST GOD. He knows what He's doing.

Be blessed until next time.