Knowing God: Experience & Love Him

Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God | Power of God | Omnipresent God | Exalted God | Faithfuness of God | Wisdom of God | Mercy of God | Wrath of God | Love of God | Sovereignty of God | Providence of God

Study Assignment on the Sovereignty of God

– The Sovereignty of God –

Paul J. Bucknell

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Introduction: A number of study assignments are provided here in this section on the sovereignty of God, largely answered in the reading or video.

A Study Assignment on the Sovereignty of God

What is the sovereignty of God?

• Where and how does the Bible speak of God’s sovereign power?

• Memorize three of these verses or sections of verses related to the sovereignty of God.

• Read through the Psalms and Proverbs and note God’s sovereign ways!

Handling a life ‘hole’

• Identify a few unpleasant situations in your life. Since we cannot for the moment change things, we need to accept it and begin to trust God’s greater plan going on behind the scenes.

• God ordained your circumstances (though you can't blame God on your foolish decisions!)

• He works through weakness.

• God can instill a joyful song in my heart because of a vibrant faith in God’s deeper plan to bring about good through it.

Conclusion: Write out your own “Though...., I will....” statements including a praise stemming from confidence in His greater plan. Learn to rejoice in God’s awesome power to work through our defeat, discouraging times, difficult trials, sickness and problems.

What are five things that you cannot change about yourself?

While on the one hand we love to exercise our control, we have to admit, though perhaps reluctantly, there are many things that we simply cannot change. They are chosen for us–such as our height, sex, family, etc. Some believe that it is all by luck. That simply is not true.

God has stepped into our lives and set us where we are. Yes, through our decisions, we have made many other decisions, some we like and some we do not, but those unchangeables about our persons are with us, often for life.

True spiritual growth requires a full acceptance of who we are. God purposely made us that way. Any challenge to it can easily become a subtle fight with God. We perhaps can have a nose adjustment, etc., but many things we should not change or reject like our parents, race, intelligence factor, etc. List the few things that you personally struggle with regarding your life. Thank the Lord for who you are. He loves you!

Handling contradictions

• Think through the five areas discussed above in which not a few people have a hard time understanding how the sovereignty of God would relate to man’s will. Which area (prophecy, prayer, evil, salvation, missions, other), if any, do you have most difficulty with?

• Try to state the difficulty as clear as you can in your own words.

• Go back to the discussion and find verses to support God’s activity as well as man’s activity. Learn to accept the truth to both sides, even if it doesn’t seem obvious in the way they work together.

• Seek God in prayer for further understanding. Deepen your commitment to adopt the truths of God’s Word.

1 Timothy 6:15-16

• Memorize these verses.

• Pick the phrase describing God that most impresses you. Which one is it? Why? Explain what it means and in prayer praise Him for being who He is.

• Special project: What aspects of God’s sovereignty do you find in the chapter 2 Kings 7, the account where Elisha promised food the next day, despite the severe famine that had impacted Samaria during the siege?

1“Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'” The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”

3 “Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die? ... And they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arabians....”

18 “It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.” Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.” And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died” (2 Kings 7:1-2, 3-5, 18-20 NASB).

Questions on God’s Sovereignty

• Although the scriptures speak clearly of God’s rule over His creation, there are several areas that trouble people.

• If God is in complete control, why is there suffering? Does this mean God is not loving or not powerful?

• How would you explain the concept of ‘free will.’ (Start by looking it up in the Bible!)

• Is the prosperity gospel an accurate way to share God’s love? Doesn’t He want us all to be wealthy and healthy? How do you know?

• We don’t need to pray if God knows and will get what He want, right? Wrong. God has destined His means by which His will is completed.

=>next: Your Future Journey

Biblical Foundations for Freedom ( BFF )

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell