WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.900 These days, if you said there's only one true 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:08.480 God, you'd probably get some pretty quick confrontational 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.160 questions like, who says so? Or what makes you 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:13.279 think your God is better than all the other guys? 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:16.719 How would you answer that question? Well, today 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.120 I'm going to tackle it head on. Stay with me. 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:24.660 Welcome to this edition of Living on the Edge 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:28.160 with Chip Ingram. We are an international discipleship 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:30.559 ministry devoted to helping Christians worldwide 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:33.399 live out their faith for the glory of God and 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.679 the benefit of all people. We're in the middle 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:38.320 of Chip's series, The Real God, as he walks through 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.280 seven fundamental characteristics of God that 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.420 tell us a little bit more about who he really 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:46.380 is. By the way, if you haven't already, download 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:49.310 Chip's message notes for this series. They contain 00:00:49.310 --> 00:00:52.090 his outline, scripture verses, and key fill -ins 00:00:52.090 --> 00:00:54.590 to help you remember what you hear. Download 00:00:54.590 --> 00:00:57.710 them under the Broadcasts tab at livingontheedge 00:00:57.710 --> 00:01:02.049 .org. App listeners tap Fill in Notes. Well, 00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:04.109 if you have a Bible, go now to Romans chapter 00:01:04.109 --> 00:01:07.829 8 as Chip dives into today's message, The Sovereignty 00:01:07.829 --> 00:01:11.750 of God. You know, everybody has a job and there's 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:13.849 parts of it that you sort of pinch yourself and 00:01:13.849 --> 00:01:16.390 say, wow, I can't believe I ever got to do that. 00:01:16.890 --> 00:01:20.170 And for me, it has been probably traveling to 00:01:20.170 --> 00:01:23.290 places around the world that as a young kid in 00:01:23.290 --> 00:01:26.709 central Ohio, I just never even kind of knew 00:01:26.709 --> 00:01:29.510 were there. And one occasion was a number of 00:01:29.510 --> 00:01:31.549 years ago, I was flying from Beijing to Hong 00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:33.909 Kong. Annie and Teresa were with me and they 00:01:33.909 --> 00:01:36.909 were separated like 20 rows somewhere. And this 00:01:36.909 --> 00:01:38.709 will surprise some of you, but sometimes I get 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:41.609 in a talkative mood because I traveled a lot. 00:01:41.750 --> 00:01:44.730 I just found if you could say, hi, how are you? 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:47.200 You know, that was delicious. Just, you know, 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.560 six, seven, eight phrases in, you know, five 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:52.040 or six different languages. It really helps people 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:54.579 connect. So I just thought, you know, I'm going 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:57.540 to probably say hi and how are you in Chinese. 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:00.040 And then I'm going to open my Bible and do some 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.560 work. And so there was a lady right next to me 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:07.280 in early 30s, I think. And I gave her my best 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:10.659 Chinese. Hi, how are you? And the answer just 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:17.689 shocked me in the clearest British accent. I'm 00:02:17.689 --> 00:02:21.150 quite good, actually. How about yourself? And 00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:25.069 I just noticed that she had very finely manicured 00:02:25.069 --> 00:02:28.310 hands. Her briefcase was at her feet, and it 00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:31.169 was monogrammed. It was leather. Just from the 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:34.129 jewelry that she had on and the very pristine 00:02:34.129 --> 00:02:38.289 business suit, I was aware, just like, I think 00:02:38.289 --> 00:02:40.169 she's probably a pretty successful businesswoman. 00:02:40.770 --> 00:02:45.550 And I think she saw my Bible, and some dialogue 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:49.069 began to happen. And I've spent the next two 00:02:49.069 --> 00:02:53.870 hours explaining to her my best understanding 00:02:53.870 --> 00:02:57.270 of who God really is, the gospel. But I've never 00:02:57.270 --> 00:02:59.490 ever, this was like one of those conversations 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:03.889 of a lifetime. I had never met someone who for 00:03:03.889 --> 00:03:08.050 the first 23 to 25 years knew nothing of God. 00:03:08.490 --> 00:03:11.830 She grew up in Beijing. Her parents were a part 00:03:11.830 --> 00:03:15.289 of the cultural revolution. God was outlawed 00:03:15.289 --> 00:03:18.840 completely. Her parents had some level of education, 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:21.560 and so they were discriminated against, and they 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:26.340 were made street sweepers. She was really intelligent, 00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:31.219 so less than 1 % could get a college education. 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:35.120 She passed all the tests, did her undergraduate 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:38.740 work in Beijing, did graduate work in Europe, 00:03:38.780 --> 00:03:42.379 and then she was in a multinational company in 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:47.229 London. all the externals, it was obvious she'd 00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:50.909 been very, very successful. And so if you can 00:03:50.909 --> 00:03:53.530 imagine someone who's had no concept of God, 00:03:53.629 --> 00:03:58.090 there is no God, who then gets educated and then 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:02.129 had a very humble, very humble financial socioeconomic 00:04:02.129 --> 00:04:05.189 beginning. and now found herself for about the 00:04:05.189 --> 00:04:08.310 last eight or 10 years in London, multinational 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:12.090 corporation. And she now was like exposed to 00:04:12.090 --> 00:04:14.469 this world that she didn't know existed. And 00:04:14.469 --> 00:04:17.509 she was beginning to explore various truth claims 00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:21.209 and various religions. And our conversation was 00:04:21.209 --> 00:04:23.529 different than anyone that I'd ever had because... 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.060 I began to explain just a little and she paused 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:30.699 and it wasn't antagonistic and it wasn't like, 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:33.740 prove this to me. It was like someone with a 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:36.680 desire to know and she said, well, I've been 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:39.160 doing lots of reading in the last 10 years and 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:42.259 I studied the world religions and different philosophies. 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.660 Would you explain to me why your God is better 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:50.019 than all other gods? But not, it wasn't like, 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:53.459 you know, hands on her hips. It was like a child 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:56.899 who'd never heard and said, you seem to make 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:00.399 sense. Would you please help me understand? And, 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.839 you know, it was one of those moments like, oh 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.920 God, please help me. And I... explained to her 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:09.500 the character of God, that there was a creator 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:11.600 and that she was deeply loved and she's made 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.720 in his image and there was a fall and the suffering 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:17.279 in the world and all of us are separated and 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:20.360 God the Son came and has died in her place, rose 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.180 from the dead. He's a redeemer and he loved her. 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:26.500 He had a new life and it's a free gift and, you 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:29.220 know, for two hours, I mean, I'm just, you know, 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:33.100 hmm, hmm, you know, and she was just leaning 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:37.339 forward and, you know, taking notes. And I gave 00:05:37.339 --> 00:05:41.160 it my best shot. And I always had this thought. 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:43.459 I thought if this is not going to happen, by 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:46.360 the way, if like she would walk through that 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:50.600 door right now, what I would say is, you know, 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:55.040 I sort of did that on the fly, but I've had some 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.959 time to prepare now. And I'd really like to make 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:03.920 it a lot clearer about why I worship the one, 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:07.449 the only. the sovereign God of the universe. 00:06:07.610 --> 00:06:09.649 And on the front of your notes, if she would 00:06:09.649 --> 00:06:11.870 walk in that door, this is what I would share 00:06:11.870 --> 00:06:16.089 with her. I would tell her that the reason I 00:06:16.089 --> 00:06:20.569 think my God, the creator God, the unique God, 00:06:20.689 --> 00:06:23.899 the one and only God. is better than all other 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:26.040 gods, all other religions, and all of the truth 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:29.480 claims is because he's before all things. He 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.420 created all things. He upholds all things by 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:34.759 the word of his power. He's above all things. 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:38.839 He actually knows all things actual and possible. 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:42.000 He controls all things. He can do all things. 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:45.740 He accomplishes all things. He rules over everything. 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:50.170 And he's in control even of prime ministers and 00:06:50.170 --> 00:06:53.569 nations and kings. He's actually in control of 00:06:53.569 --> 00:06:56.889 the visible and the invisible. He's the alpha 00:06:56.889 --> 00:07:00.370 and the omega. He is outside of time. He's the 00:07:00.370 --> 00:07:03.649 all -knowing, infinite, self -sufficient, holy, 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:07.490 loving creator of all that is and ever will be. 00:07:07.670 --> 00:07:11.910 And he loves you. I worship the sovereign God. 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:16.009 of the universe. His purposes cannot be thwarted. 00:07:16.029 --> 00:07:18.410 He has a purpose for your life, for nations, 00:07:18.610 --> 00:07:24.490 for peoples. That's why. And then I would have 00:07:24.490 --> 00:07:27.269 her read all those passages that I gave you on 00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:30.610 the front of your notes very, very slowly. And 00:07:30.610 --> 00:07:34.290 as you open your notes, I put those purposefully 00:07:34.290 --> 00:07:37.290 and that can feel very overwhelming. But here's 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:40.769 something, if you would care to do this, because 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:42.980 We're going to talk about the sovereignty of 00:07:42.980 --> 00:07:45.180 God. And there's some pretty significant intellectual 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:47.600 issues about the sovereignty of God. There's 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.519 some pretty big biblical issues about the sovereignty 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:55.060 of God. But when we finish, I believe what God 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:57.500 would want you to get more than anything else 00:07:57.500 --> 00:08:01.779 is that perhaps the most comforting aspect of 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:04.779 the character of the God that you serve is the 00:08:04.779 --> 00:08:08.160 sovereignty of God. That in the midst of a fallen 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:11.519 world and pain and difficulty and mystery and 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.300 things you don't understand, in mistakes that 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:17.259 you will make and I will make, in betrayals and 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:20.620 hurts, in things that happen in a world of terrorism 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:24.600 and the sex trade, of radical Islam, of upside 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:28.240 down economics and corruption, I believe the 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:31.579 most comforting attribute of God is that he's 00:08:31.579 --> 00:08:34.039 sovereign. So what I want to do is I want to 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:36.679 give you sort of some intellectual aspects and 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:38.460 I want to give you some biblical background, 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:41.259 but then I want to share what I think is the 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.120 Bible's story of the sovereignty of God that's 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:48.080 heart and intention was to comfort you and to 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:50.759 answer the big question of life is if there is 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:53.480 a good God and if he really cares, how can there 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:56.409 be so much evil and suffering? And what you're 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:58.629 going to see is that for a season, in a limited 00:08:58.629 --> 00:09:01.470 way, God will allow evil and he'll actually flip 00:09:01.470 --> 00:09:04.149 it and use it for good for those that are called, 00:09:04.309 --> 00:09:05.970 for those that love him, for those that walk 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:08.710 with him. So as you open your notes, I thought 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:11.409 I would give a definition of sovereignty because 00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:13.950 maybe some of you are like me. I've never heard 00:09:13.950 --> 00:09:16.750 the word. I was a new Christian, a Christian 00:09:16.750 --> 00:09:19.110 maybe a year, year and a half, and a good friend 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:22.889 was in an accident in our college campus. He 00:09:22.889 --> 00:09:26.320 was best friends with my roommate. And he was 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:28.340 in intensive care. He was paralyzed from the 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.860 waist down. The doctors told us that there was 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:33.000 very little chance he would live. He had internal 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:36.659 bleeding. And all I remember, I was a young Christian 00:09:36.659 --> 00:09:38.600 and a member down in the emergency room. And 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:41.960 Frank was just screaming, I can't feel my legs. 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:46.399 I can't feel my legs. And about. 20 of us college 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:48.919 students, we prayed for him there. Then we went 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:51.519 up to the chapel and we just begged God for two 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:54.240 days to save his life and God intervened. But 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:57.200 I remember as we were praying, a girl that was 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:00.659 far more spiritual and mature than me, I remember 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:03.220 just vividly her saying, God, I thank you that 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:05.220 in the midst of all of this, that you're sovereign, 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:07.620 that we can trust you, that you're in control. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:10.879 I don't know if you've ever been in a prayer 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:13.120 meeting where someone was praying and they said 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.320 something and you thought, I don't know what 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:18.100 that means. And so I was definitely not going 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:21.519 to ask the girl. So I asked a friend. I said, 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:24.779 you know, when she was praying, thank you, God, 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:27.200 that he's sovereign. What's that mean? I mean, 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:29.879 maybe I just had a bad education. I'd never heard 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.320 that word before. I'd never heard anyone say 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:35.360 God is sovereign. And so notice sometimes the 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.759 dictionary is a great place to do Bible study. 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:40.559 The word sovereign means above all, superior 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.100 to all, the greatest, the supreme in rank and 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:47.259 power, holding a position of authority, a ruler, 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.559 excellent, reigning, a person who possesses sovereign 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:53.779 authority and specific like a monarch or a ruler. 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.000 And I put some synonyms down there that help 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.879 me to think of it. It's the ultimate authority. 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:02.879 It's the king of kings. It's the Lord of lords. 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:06.259 It's someone who is completely without equal 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:10.659 that is absolutely free in the universe. That's 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:15.740 the God that you serve. He's the unique one, 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:20.460 the creator. He's all powerful. He's all knowing. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:23.100 He's all wise. He's all loving. He's completely 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:26.019 holy. He's infinite. He's self -sustaining. He 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.679 needs no one. Before there was time, before there 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:30.600 were planets, before there was existence, he 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:34.450 was before, he will be after. He is the sovereign 00:11:34.450 --> 00:11:39.309 ruler, king, creator of all that is, of all that 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:43.389 ever was, and that all will ever be. That's a 00:11:43.389 --> 00:11:49.250 huge, that's a huge statement about who you serve. 00:11:50.929 --> 00:11:53.830 I tried to take what I've learned about the sovereignty 00:11:53.830 --> 00:11:56.269 of God and put it in a couple paragraphs to summarize. 00:11:57.019 --> 00:11:59.139 The sovereignty of God is that which separates 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:02.240 the God of the Bible from all other religions, 00:12:02.419 --> 00:12:07.639 truth claims, and philosophies. We say God is 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:11.700 sovereign. We declare that by virtue of his creatorship 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:15.279 over all of life and reality, his all -knowing, 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:18.379 all -powerful, and benevolent rule, that he is 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:20.379 in fact the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:24.940 and in absolute control of time and eternity. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:27.899 Think of that. You might underline that. He's 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:33.539 an absolute control of time and eternity. And 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:35.659 then put a little squiggly line under the last 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:38.799 one because here's where the comfort comes. Nothing 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:43.279 will come into my life today that he did not 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:47.500 either allow or decree for my ultimate good. 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:52.659 Nothing today, nothing ever. Doesn't mean it's 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:56.710 easy. People do terrible things. In a fallen 00:12:56.710 --> 00:13:00.990 world, terrible things happen. But if God is 00:13:00.990 --> 00:13:06.070 sovereign, he either decrees this is his will 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:09.830 or it is allowed. And if I will cooperate and 00:13:09.830 --> 00:13:13.090 trust him, he will actually take the very worst 00:13:13.090 --> 00:13:15.769 that can happen in your experience and mine. 00:13:16.549 --> 00:13:20.529 The mate that walks out, the cancer that brought 00:13:20.529 --> 00:13:23.669 death, the drunk driver that went left of center, 00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:27.169 The wayward son, the wayward daughter, the betrayal 00:13:27.169 --> 00:13:30.610 by a business partner, the upside down financial 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:34.929 experience, the loss of a house, even terrorism. 00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:40.149 God says, I'm in control of it all and I don't 00:13:40.149 --> 00:13:43.370 keep my people from the effects of a fallen world, 00:13:43.470 --> 00:13:48.190 but I will use, I will use these things as you 00:13:48.190 --> 00:13:51.070 would trust me and go through the pain and lean 00:13:51.070 --> 00:13:54.879 in and let me love you through them. I will ultimately 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.659 use them for your good. And if you ever get that, 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:01.440 and it's a huge faith statement because in your 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:04.679 pain and difficulty and betrayal, it is really 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:08.220 hard to believe that. But the Bible is clear 00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:13.539 on that. How do we know that? I've given you 00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:17.259 four or five things about how God reveals his 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:21.240 sovereignty. And I would encourage you to find 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:24.409 one of these old things. that force you to turn 00:14:24.409 --> 00:14:30.210 pages and go to where it says he's above all 00:14:30.210 --> 00:14:32.309 things and look up the verse and read it slowly. 00:14:33.929 --> 00:14:38.110 He's in control of all things. And just read 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.690 through each of those passages very, very slowly. 00:14:40.929 --> 00:14:44.190 And I think what you'll experience is your view 00:14:44.190 --> 00:14:46.470 of God will get bigger and bigger and bigger 00:14:46.470 --> 00:14:48.769 and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. 00:14:49.470 --> 00:14:54.379 And there'll be phrases that He created all things 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:57.960 and through him all things and for him all things. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.139 Thrones and dominions and powers. His purposes 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:05.059 aren't thwarted. You'll get this larger and larger 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:08.440 and larger picture of God. And faith is always 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.320 rooted in the character of God and the promises 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:13.600 that he makes. And if you don't have a clear, 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:16.440 accurate picture of God, you can't trust him. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.940 And if you have a small God, you'll always have 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:22.220 big, overwhelming problems. But if you have a 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:25.620 big, big God, then little by little, those problems, 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:28.460 they won't be less painful, but they'll be smaller 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:31.240 and smaller in the perspective of a sovereign 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:34.200 God who made you for himself, but made you for 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:36.720 eternity, not just this little window of time. 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:39.559 So let's go through some of the intellectual. 00:15:39.940 --> 00:15:43.620 This is the proof. of God's sovereignty, and 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:45.299 then we'll talk about some heart relationships. 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:47.659 First of all, he reveals his sovereignty through 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:51.639 his titles. Sovereign Lord, Most High, Alpha 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:54.379 and Omega, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. You 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:56.080 don't have to believe in the Bible. The Bible 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:58.659 is very clear. God's not looking for any teammates. 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.480 He's not looking for any syncretism. He's saying, 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:05.539 I am above all other gods. Second, his promises 00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:09.190 demand that he's sovereign. Romans 8, 28, a very 00:16:09.190 --> 00:16:11.750 familiar passage says, For we know that God works 00:16:11.750 --> 00:16:14.509 all things together for the good, for those that 00:16:14.509 --> 00:16:16.730 love Him and that are called according to His 00:16:16.730 --> 00:16:20.690 purposes. You're listening to Living on the Edge. 00:16:20.889 --> 00:16:23.429 Before we hear the rest of Chip's message, let 00:16:23.429 --> 00:16:25.730 me remind you that we are a listener -supported 00:16:25.730 --> 00:16:28.610 ministry. Your financial gifts help us create 00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:31.210 programs like this one, develop new resources, 00:16:31.429 --> 00:16:35.000 and encourage pastors globally. prayerfully consider 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.200 supporting us today. Then go to livingontheedge 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:41.440 .org to give a gift. Thanks so much for your 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:45.320 help. We'll hear again as Chip. Now, that means 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:48.200 if God's going to work everything for good, He 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:50.899 needs to know every situation of every person 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:54.500 and every circumstance and every motive to weave 00:16:54.500 --> 00:16:57.080 it in a way that will work out for your ultimate 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:03.620 good. In Philippians chapter 2, we get, God's 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:07.799 ultimate plan for God the Son. And in chapter 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.440 two, verses nine through 11, it says, therefore 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:13.599 God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.339 name that is above every name so that at the 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:19.359 name of Jesus every knee should bow. Those in 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.900 heaven and on earth and under the earth and every 00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:25.079 tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:30.200 glory of God the Father. Angels, demons, believers, 00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:34.640 unbelievers, Everything that has ever been created, 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.640 there will come a day and there will either voluntarily 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:41.779 out of relationship or involuntarily out of power, 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:45.500 every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Lord 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:48.799 of Lords and King of Kings. You have to be sovereign 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.660 in order to make a statement like that. You got 00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:54.319 to be in control. The third way that God reveals 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:57.960 his sovereignty is through prophecy. I don't 00:17:57.960 --> 00:17:59.880 know if you've thought of this, but when this 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:02.420 book was written or came to a close, and still 00:18:02.420 --> 00:18:05.220 a huge portion, one third of all the Bible is 00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:09.980 prophetic. One out of every three verses is God 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:12.920 telling us in the future, specifically without 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.559 error, 100 % of the time, this is what's going 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.500 to happen. And it gives you tremendous confidence 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:22.599 because he is the alpha and the omega. In the 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:25.619 time of Israel as today, there was competing 00:18:25.619 --> 00:18:28.390 gods. And so God made this challenge speaking 00:18:28.390 --> 00:18:30.970 through Isaiah in Isaiah 44, six through eight. 00:18:31.089 --> 00:18:34.930 He says, this is what the Lord says, Israel's 00:18:34.930 --> 00:18:37.829 king and redeemer. And notice how he identifies 00:18:37.829 --> 00:18:41.250 himself. The Lord of hosts or the Lord of heaven's 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:44.430 armies. I am the first and the last. There is 00:18:44.430 --> 00:18:48.250 no other God. That's pretty clear. Who is like 00:18:48.250 --> 00:18:52.349 me? Rhetorical question. The answer is no one. 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:55.880 But he's throwing out a challenge. Let him step 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.940 forward and prove to you his power. So in other 00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:01.660 words, okay, there's Baal, there's Molech, there's 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:03.019 all these gods, there's all this competition. 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:06.640 Okay, let him step. Now, here's the test. Let 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.380 him do as I have done since ancient times when 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:12.460 I established the people and explained its future. 00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:16.160 So what he's saying is, I've told you in advance, 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:18.059 this is going to happen, this is going to happen, 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:19.940 this is going to happen. And the challenge to 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:23.740 these other gods is this. don't tremble or be 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:26.400 afraid. He said, didn't I proclaim my purposes 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:29.299 for you long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:32.640 any other God? No, there is no other rock, not 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:36.460 one. And the challenge is, if your God can tell 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:38.900 the future with 100 % accuracy all the time, 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.380 then let him step up and do it because from ancient 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:45.490 times, that's what I've done. And I was a skeptic. 00:19:45.490 --> 00:19:47.369 I didn't believe the Bible growing up. I wasn't 00:19:47.369 --> 00:19:49.750 a Christian growing up. I struggled to believe 00:19:49.750 --> 00:19:51.650 whether I could trust the scriptures. All the 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:54.150 things that you hear about, you know, is it like 00:19:54.150 --> 00:19:56.170 playing telephone? And they were written so long 00:19:56.170 --> 00:19:58.390 ago. I didn't know about the Dead Sea Scrolls. 00:19:58.390 --> 00:20:00.490 I didn't understand about archaeology. I've since 00:20:00.490 --> 00:20:03.230 done lots and lots of study. But for me, the 00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.809 tipping point on the authority of scripture is 00:20:06.809 --> 00:20:11.839 prophecy. Let me give you, I would... We've got 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:14.000 a whole series called Why I Believe that develops 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:16.059 this. And I'm really, because I was a skeptic, 00:20:16.059 --> 00:20:19.319 it was so helpful. But to me, the greatest picture 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:23.680 of that is Daniel's chapter 7 through 12. And 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:25.200 we won't get the whole, let me just give you 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:29.839 the gist of it. Daniel is taken, you know, Israel 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:32.299 disobeys God, if you know sort of your history 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:34.900 of Israel. And God promised that when you disobey 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:36.900 me, I'm going to scatter you. And they go into 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:40.200 captivity. They go into Babylon. So Daniel is 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:42.900 bright, and so they would take the young and 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:45.740 the best, and they would put him in the king, 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:47.599 and they would want to try to brainwash him. 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:51.519 And so Daniel ends up in three different dynasties, 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:54.920 and each time he ends up as an official with 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:59.079 authority. And so Daniel is a very, very godly 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:01.319 teenager all the way through. In fact, you might 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:04.759 be interested to know that when he's in the lion's 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:10.910 den, he's 80 years old. And so he's in the Babylonians, 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:12.789 the Medo -Persians, and then when they get taken 00:21:12.789 --> 00:21:17.789 out, each time God gives him favor. So as the 00:21:17.789 --> 00:21:21.930 70 years that God said there would be, Daniel's 00:21:21.930 --> 00:21:25.269 praying. And Daniel's asking God, this is a very 00:21:25.269 --> 00:21:28.390 tremendous passage, and God reveals to a human 00:21:28.390 --> 00:21:32.450 being. And in Daniel 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, 00:21:32.549 --> 00:21:36.190 in those chapters, God reveals to Daniel the 00:21:36.190 --> 00:21:39.950 next four major kingdoms that would come. Identifies 00:21:39.950 --> 00:21:43.539 them very, very specifically. Babylonian will 00:21:43.539 --> 00:21:46.119 be followed by the Medo -Persian. The Medo -Persians, 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.079 there'll be a great ruler and the Greeks will 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:50.039 take over. They will have a great ruler that 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:51.720 will take over the world and then it'll break 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.700 into four parts. The great ruler was Alexander 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:55.940 the Great. It broke into four parts with four 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.000 different generals. Then the Romans will take 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:01.599 over. And so I mean hundreds of years of specific 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.819 prophecy in advance, so much so. That liberal 00:22:04.819 --> 00:22:07.299 scholars, when they read the book of Daniel, 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:09.740 they try and date it hundreds of years later 00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:11.740 than it was actually written because there's 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:14.059 no answer for how could anyone know those things 00:22:14.059 --> 00:22:17.259 and know them with such specificity. And so what 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:20.400 God is saying is you can know I'm sovereign because 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:22.740 I don't just tell you that like Cyrus, a hundred 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:25.519 years before Cyrus was born, God said he would 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:28.099 be the king that would allow captivity and deliverance 00:22:28.099 --> 00:22:29.960 when they went back to rebuild Jerusalem in the 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:34.519 wall. But all through scripture, God says, I 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:37.200 know the end from the beginning because I'm in 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:40.200 control. My purposes can't be thwarted. The fourth 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:43.500 way, not only through titles, promises, and prophecy, 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:47.960 but through Christ. I mean, his life is a picture 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:50.700 of the sovereignty of God, his supernatural birth. 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:55.509 And I don't mean just by a virgin. I mean, just 00:22:55.509 --> 00:22:57.630 think of this. Just try and be a skeptic with 00:22:57.630 --> 00:22:59.750 me just for a minute and think about, okay, there's 00:22:59.750 --> 00:23:01.910 been lots of people, lots of leaders, lots of 00:23:01.910 --> 00:23:05.309 truth claims. Here's a rabbi, a young rabbi, 00:23:05.309 --> 00:23:07.990 who starts his ministry at 30 and has about a 00:23:07.990 --> 00:23:12.490 three -year run. He travels maybe 30 to 50 miles 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:15.809 from his home. He doesn't have an established 00:23:15.809 --> 00:23:18.589 religious environment. He's actually a revolutionary. 00:23:19.549 --> 00:23:22.970 There's no technology. 80 % of the known world 00:23:22.970 --> 00:23:26.750 is illiterate. There's nothing in writing. How 00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:30.569 in the world does one rabbi, without technology, 00:23:30.869 --> 00:23:33.289 without satellites, without putting things in 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:36.309 print, how in the world does that one person 00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:40.089 turn the whole world upside down? In the first 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:42.309 century, he turns the world upside down. By the 00:23:42.309 --> 00:23:44.349 way, a great book, a guy named Rodney Stark has 00:23:44.349 --> 00:23:46.470 written two books. He's a sociologist. I think 00:23:46.470 --> 00:23:49.670 he teaches at Baylor now. It's called The Triumph 00:23:49.670 --> 00:23:51.369 of Christianity and the Rise of Christianity. 00:23:51.930 --> 00:23:54.470 And in it, what he documents is the growth of 00:23:54.470 --> 00:23:56.329 Christianity. And I don't know where he's coming 00:23:56.329 --> 00:23:58.329 from spiritually because he's viewing it as a 00:23:58.329 --> 00:24:01.029 sociologist. What were the events that happened? 00:24:01.109 --> 00:24:03.390 Not the Holy Spirit, not God, not supernatural, 00:24:03.569 --> 00:24:06.109 but what are the world events happen? So that 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:10.690 by 313, when Constantine declares that Christianity 00:24:10.690 --> 00:24:13.210 will be the state religion, there's 60 million 00:24:13.210 --> 00:24:17.200 people. in the Roman Empire and 33 million are 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:21.400 followers of Christ. How could that happen? Let 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.559 me tell you how it happens. Galatians 4 .4 says, 00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:28.380 in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son. 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:30.200 The word fullness, literally, we get our word. 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:33.039 It's when the world, when the earth was pregnant, 00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:37.259 in God's game plan, in his sovereign plan to 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:39.819 fulfill his purposes, there was a point in time 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:43.880 when the earth when the dynamics of life on the 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:48.259 earth were this narrow little window that allowed 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:51.680 a rabbi for three years to do something that 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.640 would transform the world. Number one, corruption 00:24:54.640 --> 00:24:58.740 in Rome was at an all -time high. Number two, 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:01.599 the philosophies and the religion of the Greeks 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:05.279 was at an all -time low. On top of that, for 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:07.940 the first time ever in world history, there was 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:09.980 one language, it was a trade language called 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:12.460 Koine Greek, of which the New Testament is written 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:14.660 in. So no matter where you were and where you 00:25:14.660 --> 00:25:17.259 came from, because Rome took control, is we're 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:18.960 going to have a language, it would be like the 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:21.859 internet of today. So now there's a language 00:25:21.859 --> 00:25:24.220 to communicate a message everywhere in the world. 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:27.200 On top of that is that in the ancient world, 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:29.799 travel was very dangerous. You'd get killed or 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:32.420 beat up or whatever. Well, they had a Roman outpost. 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:34.640 It was called the Romano Pax. There was peace 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:37.759 everywhere. And there's all these soldiers everywhere 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:40.099 so that it was safe to travel. And you maybe 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:43.440 have heard that line that every road led to Rome. 00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:46.980 Guess what? It did. There was a transportation 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:50.299 system to all the corners of the world. So think 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:52.400 of this little window of time. For the first 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.819 time ever, Jesus is born when the Roman government 00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:59.960 and people are, that's not the answer. The religions 00:25:59.960 --> 00:26:02.740 and the philosophies are drained. Communication 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:05.819 at a new level like never before. Transportation 00:26:05.819 --> 00:26:09.460 is happening. You can travel. And then before 00:26:09.460 --> 00:26:13.099 this happened, the Jews were persecuted. So synagogues. 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:16.779 have been placed all over the Roman world. So 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:20.400 now the New Testament rolls out, the gospel goes 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:22.599 forth, and they have preaching points to say. 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:25.680 The promises of Messiah, he's come. So when you 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:27.200 read the book of Acts, where does Paul always 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:30.039 go? He always starts in the synagogue. They have 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:33.039 a God consciousness, and this revolution occurs. 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:38.220 Only a sovereign God can pull that one off. Jesus' 00:26:38.279 --> 00:26:42.019 life fulfilled hundreds of prophecies. His messianic 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:45.369 teaching. I mean, the whole book of Matthew is 00:26:45.369 --> 00:26:48.230 not, I'm a good teacher. This is a good example. 00:26:48.390 --> 00:26:50.490 There's a lot of world religions. I want to get 00:26:50.490 --> 00:26:52.369 on the salad bar of the world religions. And 00:26:52.369 --> 00:26:54.970 this is a good way to live. That's not what Jesus 00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:57.329 said. The whole book of Matthew is filled with 00:26:57.329 --> 00:26:59.609 prophecy after prophecy after prophecy after 00:26:59.609 --> 00:27:02.809 prophecy. He claimed to be God. He said, I'm 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:05.490 the king. I'm the king of the Jews. I'm the Lord 00:27:05.490 --> 00:27:08.970 of Lords. I'm coming to usher in a kingdom. And 00:27:08.970 --> 00:27:11.819 he was never killed. Don't get mad at the Romans 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:13.640 and never get mad at a Jew. Jesus said, no one 00:27:13.640 --> 00:27:16.720 killed me. I lay down my life, right, and I take 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:20.119 it up again. He's a sovereign God. His claim 00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:24.359 was before Abraham existed, I am. I am that I 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:28.819 am. Jesus' whole life demonstrates the sovereignty 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:35.880 of God himself. This is Living on the Edge with 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:38.130 Chip Ingram. and you've been listening to Part 00:27:38.130 --> 00:27:40.589 1 of Chip's message, The Sovereignty of God, 00:27:40.789 --> 00:27:43.970 from our series, The Real God. Chip will be back 00:27:43.970 --> 00:27:46.329 shortly to share some helpful application for 00:27:46.329 --> 00:27:49.670 us to think about. You know, we've all unintentionally 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:52.029 projected some of humanity's worst qualities 00:27:52.029 --> 00:27:55.789 into our Creator. Many view God as moody, weak, 00:27:56.009 --> 00:27:59.609 unfair, impatient, and merciless. But those ideas 00:27:59.609 --> 00:28:02.480 couldn't be further from the truth. Through this 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:05.440 series, Chip explores key Bible passages to reveal 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:08.160 seven fundamental characteristics of our Heavenly 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:11.240 Father, attributes that reflect the very essence 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:14.299 of His divine nature. Join Chip on this journey 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:17.160 to reshape your perspective toward God, which 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:19.420 will deepen your relationship with Him like never 00:28:19.420 --> 00:28:22.119 before. You won't want to miss a single part 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:24.960 of this study. Well, Chip's joined me in studio 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:27.839 now. And Chip, before you go any further, I thought 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:29.960 it might be helpful for you to talk about what 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.700 happens when people support us financially. I 00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:34.880 mean, when you ask people to partner with us, 00:28:34.940 --> 00:28:37.990 how are their gifts being used? You know, Dave, 00:28:38.150 --> 00:28:40.250 what I want you to know is that when you support 00:28:40.250 --> 00:28:42.710 Living on the Edge, you bring biblical teaching 00:28:42.710 --> 00:28:45.930 on core issues that at times is not politically 00:28:45.930 --> 00:28:48.650 correct, but is at the core of what brings about 00:28:48.650 --> 00:28:51.230 real life change and families that are stable 00:28:51.230 --> 00:28:54.009 and honor God. And what I'd ask you to do is, 00:28:54.029 --> 00:28:56.569 would you be willing to partner with us as we 00:28:56.569 --> 00:28:58.910 create these small group resources, as we put 00:28:58.910 --> 00:29:02.130 them on the app, as we pay for radio time, as 00:29:02.130 --> 00:29:04.609 we try to help families be all God wants them 00:29:04.609 --> 00:29:08.250 to be? It requires an enormous amount of time 00:29:08.250 --> 00:29:11.509 and energy and financial support. And so if you 00:29:11.509 --> 00:29:13.769 have never given to Living on the Edge, now would 00:29:13.769 --> 00:29:16.170 be a great time to say, you know, I want to help 00:29:16.170 --> 00:29:19.170 them reach families. Or if you're a regular giver 00:29:19.170 --> 00:29:21.630 to Living on the Edge, first let me say thank 00:29:21.630 --> 00:29:24.349 you. And then let me ask you this. Would you 00:29:24.349 --> 00:29:27.299 be willing to become a monthly partner? You know, 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:30.039 there's nothing quite like having people that 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:32.380 you know that you can count on each and every 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:35.400 month. The amount is immaterial. Whether it's 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:40.480 $10, $50, $100, God uses every single gift. If 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:43.000 you would pray and just give whatever he shows 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.660 you, we will be grateful and we'll invest 100 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:48.460 % of it right back into the ministry. Thanks 00:29:48.460 --> 00:29:50.660 so much for whatever he leads you to do. Well, 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:52.940 as Chip said, if you already support us financially, 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:56.079 we appreciate you. With your help, Living on 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.599 the Edge is ministering to more people than ever. 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:01.069 But if you're benefiting from this ministry in 00:30:01.069 --> 00:30:03.829 some way and haven't yet taken that step, now's 00:30:03.829 --> 00:30:06.730 a great time to give back. To send a gift or 00:30:06.730 --> 00:30:09.109 to learn how to become a monthly partner, go 00:30:09.109 --> 00:30:13.630 to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 -333 00:30:13.630 --> 00:30:21.109 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:30:21.109 --> 00:30:25.809 .org. App listeners tap donate. Well, with that, 00:30:25.809 --> 00:30:29.759 here again is Chip. Today we learned. that far 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:33.200 from simply making claims to be the supreme and 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:36.680 sovereign God of the universe, that God has demonstrated 00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:40.079 it. This isn't an iffy doctrine. This one isn't 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:43.920 up for grabs. His titles reveal that he is sovereign. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:47.940 His promises reveal that he is sovereign. His 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:51.220 story, history in itself, reveals that he is 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:54.559 sovereign. The prophecy in scripture reveals 00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:58.660 that he is sovereign. He has made specific, multiple, 00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:02.819 literally hundreds of predictions that only a 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:05.920 sovereign God in control of all of life could 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:09.859 fulfill. And finally, First and foremost, His 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:13.720 Son, the Lord Jesus, His life, His work, His 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:16.740 death, His resurrection, and His ascension all 00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:20.460 demonstrate that God is sovereign. He's in control. 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:23.779 Isn't it a comfort to know that life isn't spinning 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:27.059 out of control? That events and people and circumstances 00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:31.019 and the stock market and world rulers, they aren't 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:34.579 randomly throwing wrenches into your life. God 00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:38.920 is purposely orchestrating all of life, to fulfill 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:44.079 His ultimate will, and get this, He's doing it 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:48.440 for His glory and for your good. There is a place, 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:51.519 regardless of your circumstances, to find unbelievable 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:55.160 peace. Jesus promised in the world we'll have 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:58.799 tribulation, but be of good cheer. He has overcome 00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:01.640 the world, and the reason He can overcome the 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:04.650 world is He is sovereign. But the sovereignty 00:32:04.650 --> 00:32:09.190 of God raises two critical questions. If God 00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:12.490 is sovereign, what about our free will or our 00:32:12.490 --> 00:32:14.809 choices? And if he's in control of everything, 00:32:15.109 --> 00:32:18.829 what's our part? We are going to address those 00:32:18.829 --> 00:32:22.109 two issues head on in our next broadcast. Don't 00:32:22.109 --> 00:32:24.799 miss it. Looking forward to that, Chip. Well, 00:32:24.819 --> 00:32:26.980 just before we close, would you stop for a minute 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:29.619 and pray for Living on the Edge today? We've 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.160 never seen a greater need for God's truth to 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:34.759 go out than right now. And by God's grace, Living 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:37.140 on the Edge has provided encouragement, teaching, 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:40.039 and personal discipleship resources to more people 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:42.839 than ever. So thank you to those who support 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:46.740 us in prayer. God is doing amazing things. Well, 00:32:46.759 --> 00:32:48.759 be sure to join us next time as Chip continues 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:51.980 his series, The Real God. Until then, I'm Dave 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:54.279 Drewy saying thanks for listening to this edition 00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:55.920 of Living on the Edge.