Tuesday, September 9, 2014

GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING

GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING

May 7, 2010 at 10:20am
CONCURRENCE: GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING by Dustin Shamrek

A. GOD’S PURPOSES ARE UNSTOPPABLE. THEY CANNOT FAIL.
Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
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. WILL ANY OF GOD’S PURPOSES FAIL?
Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
. Is there anything that God cannot do?

. CAN ANY OF GOD’S PLANS FAIL?
Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

. CAN ANYTHING BEAT GOD?
Psalm 33:10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
Psalm 33:11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

. IS GOD CONCERNED ABOUT PRESERVING FREE-WILL? (IN THIS CONTEXT, GOD GIVING US FREE WILL MEANS GOD LETTING MAN ULTIMATELY CHOOSE WHAT WILL HAPPEN).

. WHAT DOES GOD OFTEN DO TO HUMAN PLANS?
. WHAT HAPPENS TO GOD’S PLANS?

B. GOD CONTROLS HUMAN BEINGS—EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO US.
Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

1.
DO HUMANS HAVE FREE-WILL?
WHAT IS THIS VERSE SAYING?
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

2.
WHO DETERMINES WHAT WE WILL DO?
Proverbs 20:24 A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?

3.
WHO CONTROLS OUR STEPS?
Job 14:5 Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

4.
HAS GOD DETERMINED HOW LONG WE WILL LIVE?
HOW DOES THIS GIVE MEANING TO OUR LIVES?
Daniel 1:9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,

5.
DID GOD DETERMINE HOW THIS MAN WOULD FEEL ABOUT DANIEL?
Exodus 14:7 He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

6.
WHAT DID GOD DO IN THIS VERSE?
Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
I HATE TO LABOR THE POINT, BUT IS GOD CONCERNED WITH FREE-WILL?
WHY ARE SO MANY AMERICANS BIG ON FREE-WILL WHEN GOD ISN’T?
1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

7.
WHO MAKES PEOPLE RICH AND POOR?
HAVE YOU GIVEN GOD THANKS FOR THE LOT HE HAS GIVEN YOU IN LIFE?

8. Psalm 127:3 and 1 Samuel 1:5
WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD WE HAVE ABOUT CHILD-BEARING AND PREGNANCY?

C. GOD CONTROLS THE AFFAIRS OF NATIONS
Job 12:23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
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Psalm 22:28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
Revelation 1:5 Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
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. WHO RULES OVER PRESIDENT OBAMA?
Acts 17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
. WAS IT MERE CHANCE THAT AMERICA CAME INTO EXISTENCE WHEN IT DID?
. ARE THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR COUNTRIES MERELY RANDOM?
. WHO CONTROLS ALL THESE THINGS?

D. GOD DETERMINES WHO WILL BE THE LEADER IN EACH COUNTRY
Daniel 2:21 He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
Daniel 4:17 “ ‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’
Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
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E. GOD CONTROLS THE NATURAL WORLD
.1.WIND AND LIGHTNING
. Psalm 135:7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

.2. SNOW AND RAIN
. Job 37:6-13 "For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.' 7"He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8"Then the beast goes into its lair And remains in its den. 9"Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 10"From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11"Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12"It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. 13"Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

.3. FOREST FIRES, HAIL, AND STORMS
Psalm 148:8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

.4. HE MAKES THE SUN RISE
Matthew 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

.5. HE CAUSES THE GRASS TO GROW
. Psalm 104:14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

.6. GOD FEEDS THE ANIMALS
Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
Psalm 104:27-29 They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. 28You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. 29You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire And return to their dust.


F. THERE ARE NO CHANCE EVENTS
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.

G. THUS, GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING. GOD ORDAINS WHATSOEVER COMES TO PASS. THIS MEANS:
. FROM ALL ETERNITY, GOD HAS PREDETERMINED EVERYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN.
. IN HISTORY, GOD ACTS TO BRING ABOUT HIS ETERNAL DECREES.
. GOD’S DECREE WAS “FREE”—WHICH MEANS IT WAS NOT DETERMINED BY ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF GOD’S OWN WILL. GOD CONSULTED NOBODY (Romans 11:34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?).

GOD’S DECREE IS UNCHANGEABLE. IT NEVER CHANGES: Psalm 33:10, 11. Psalm 33:10-11 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
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H.EXPLICIT SCRIPTURES WHICH DECLARE THAT GOD PREDETERMINES AND CONTROLS ALL THINGS:
Ephesians 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
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. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE “WORKS” (NAS) OR “ACCOMPLISHES” ?
. HOW EXTENSIVE IS GOD’S SOVEREIGN CONTROL?
. IS HIS CONTROL BASED UPON A PLAN?
. Daniel 4:35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'
. ARE THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH A THREAT TO GOD?
. WHERE DOES GOD DO HIS WILL?
. CAN HIS WILL BE RESISTED?
. READ VERSE 37
.Daniel 4:37"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.".

. WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S PROVIDENCE?
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
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. WHAT THREE THINGS DO WE SEE IN THIS VERSE ABOUT GOD’S PROVIDENCE?
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
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. In biblical times, the king had the most absolute of all wills. Yet this Scripture teaches that God controls him. The argument is from the greater to the lesser—if God controls the king’s heart surely He controls everybody else’s (Jerry Bridges).

Psalm 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
. DAVID IS AFFIRMING THAT HIS ENTIRE LIFE WAS DETERMINED BY GOD AHEAD OF TIME.

Lamentations 3:37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it?
. CAN ANYTHING HAPPEN THAT GOD HAS NOT DECREED?
. ISN’T THIS THE SAME AS SAYING THAT THE ONLY THINGS THAT HAPPEN ARE THE THINGS THAT GOD HAS DECREED?

Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
. DOES GOD DO WHATEVER HE WANTS?
. THEREFORE, IS GOD LIMITED BY HIS CREATURES?

Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"
. HAS GOD’S WILL EVER BEEN RESISTED?
. ISN’T THAT THE SAME AS SAYING THAT HIS WILL IS ALWAYS DONE? AND ISN’T THAT THE SAME AS SAYING THAT HE CONTROLS ALL THINGS?
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  • Tomsan Kattackal likes this.
  • Siervo InĂștil Amen Brotner!!! I want to add a link to this note in one of my notes! could I?
  • Tuese Ahkiong go for it. Spread the word of God's Glorious Sovereignty and Grace!
  • Mike Boswell In His grace, He gives us free will. Yes He is sovereign, but in His sovereignty He has given us choice. If we are mere puppets, then love isn't real, neither is this life. It's all a figment of God's imagination. The above is a poor hermeneutic in order to justify a doctrine with many holes in it. It's rhetoric to the extreme. Yes, God does control certain aspects of humanity. Yes, He has the final say. Yes, He can direct steps, and He does. But, to take those Scriptures out of their unique contexts and blanket them across humanity and time is taking leaps aren't even logical. Many of these statements don't even follow a sound pattern of logic. It's a different gospel. God is ominpotent and nobody can cross His, though they do try. And every breath comes from Him. So do choices.
  • Siervo InĂștil Mike, let's review each one of the point in the note:
    GOD’S PURPOSES ARE UNSTOPPABLE. THEY CANNOT FAIL. 
    Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. 


    Won't God's purpose stand according to this scripture?
  • Siervo InĂștil I will read your answer tommorrow.
  • Darren Ooyman No matter where you stand on this issue of sovereignty and freewill, there has to be freewill, even limited freewill. 

    Luis Javier Rico, Mike likely disagrees with what it means and how it is being applied here. No way can we assume that Mike does not believe what it says. This is a character assassination trail.
  • Mike Boswell Of course God's purpose will stand. But, let's look at the context of Is. 46:10. It's not talking about predestination at all. God is being contrasted with powerless idols that can do nothing. Read to the end of the chapter. God's unstoppable purpose/plan was to rescue Israel and to reveal His glory to them. Again, yes, God's purposes are unstoppable. But, what does that have to do with predestination and free will? Especially as you look at this verse in its context. To use this verse as a prooftext for predestination (or that man has no free will) is reading one's own doctrine into the Scripture. It's plugging Calvin (or in this case Dustin Shamrek) into Isaiah's mouth rather than Isaiah's words into our modern times. It's a totally unsubstantiated leap. This leap wouldn't even stand in a basic logic class or court of law. Yes, God's purposes will stand. But, what if His purposes involve giving man a free will? You see, this verse just doesn't speak to whether or not man has free will. It speaks to His uncontested power - especially when contrasted with lifeless idols that had the hearts and minds of the people of the day. God is worthy of all worship because He is unstoppable and because chooses to love us in spite of the fact that we CHOOSE to rebel against Him and sin.
  • Mike Boswell I have four children. In my home, my will and my purposes stand (okay, and my wife's!). My kids have free wills. There are times when they will to do (and therefore do) something that violates my will for the home. So, what happens? I discipline them and teach them. Ultimately, my will in my house (in comparison with my kids) is unstoppable. I say, "we're going on vacation next week." Guess what? We go on vacation. My kids still have free will. They can still choose to obey on vacation or disobey me. Ultimately, my will is accomplished (within my realm of ability of course) - and the have free wills. Is there conflict? Sure, at times. Do I control their every action? Not at all. Can they choose to submit or rebel? Absolutely. Add to that the fact that there are decisions (based on their age and maturity) that I allow them to make. I give them the choice. Am I no longer in charge when I do that? Of course not. In my authority, I give them freedom to choose. In my authority I can also override any of their decisions. God is soveriegn AND He has given us freedom to choose.
  • Mike Boswell Good stuff Phil. Especially the Jeremiah 26 passage. In verse 3 God says, "Perhaps THEY WILL listen and EACH WILL turn. Nothing is implied at all about God making them listen or God controlling them to turn. The whole context is about a choice the people will make in response to Jeremiah's words. Based on THEIR choice, God would then either judge or refrain from judgment. God's heart and desire is very evident in that He wants them to choose right. To say they have no choice in this event completely violates the text itself. It's imposing an outside view onto the Scripture, rather than taking what the Scripture is communicating and letting that shape our views and understanding.
  • Mike Boswell I think what's futile is trying to put God into a predictable box. It's not futile to try to figure out His ways because that's seeking to know Him more. I want to know His ways and I want to know Him. The Bible reveals many of His ways to us. Jesus reveals that. But, the Bible also leaves many things that can't be neatly packaged into an all-encompassing doctrine or theology. I agree that God can impede with man - and that He gives freedom. But, it's true as the Scripture you brought about says - there are things about God that are beyond us. He can't be put into a neat little box - or a neat big box.
  • Tuese Ahkiong Phil, 
    Responding to your May 8 at 6:55am ·May 8 at 7:03am


    [David was no fatalist so like Hezekiah did generations later, David sought for the Lord to change His mind through prayer and fasting, this is what any man faith who knows the ways of God would react. In this case, his prayers were not granted. He was not wrong to think "Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live." The future is not set and unchangeable. Sometimes God does change a future outcome, He sees things as they really are, subject to change, a great reason for us to be persevering in prayer and petition. Something a determinist could not in all good faith, because his suppositions will not allow the possiblilty of God ever changing His mind.]
    [David, a man after God's own heart, was no fatalist as so many "advanced" Bible Students seem to be. He knew the future could be changed and yet God is not a liar. David simply left Keliah, and the possible future changed, so Saul did not come down (as had said he would) and the people of the city didn't give David up (even though it was prophesied that they would). God allowed the future of Saul and David to have contingency.]
    [God actually uses words of contingency for the future. He says "Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way." ]
    **The passages you sited are not inconsistent with God being Sovereign over everything. He gives conditions and if the creature fulfills those conditions, Scripture says God relents of bringing disaster. This is and was part of His Sovereign plan. 

    [And even says that He will relent and not bring the disaster He was planning, i.e. He can change His plans! Something the God of Fatalistic philosophy could not do. He never lies about what He will do.]
    **You say God never lies about what He will do but then you quote passages where God changes His mind, do you find any contradiction in what you said?
    HOW DO YOU RECONCILE YOUR WORLDVIEW WITH THE NUM 23.19?
    Numbers 23:19 “GOD IS NOT A MAN, THAT HE SHOULD LIE, NOR A SON OF MAN, THAT HE SHOULD CHANGE HIS MIND. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
  • Ben Rosado If a person can say no to God, then that proves there is free will.
  • Siervo InĂștil If God hates sinners then God is a hypocrite demanding us to love our enemies while he hates his enemies. Besides, if God does not love his enemies, then God is not perfect and whoever preacher God hates his enemies and not perfect contradicts the words of Jesus. 
    This idea of God hating is the worst contribution to humanity but calvinist.
    This is debate I had with calvinist in the Spanish forums and none of them were able to respond and proof me wrong, not even their ministries and pastors. The only solution they found was blocking me from their groups and removing me from the friend liste. Let's see what would happen with my dear English speaker brothers.

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