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The Sovereignty of God: Part Four

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God is deeply and actively involved in the operations of His creation, including inanimate elements, demonstrating His sovereignty over all aspects of the world. He does not create and then step aside to let impersonal laws govern; instead, He rules and manages everything according to His purpose, as seen in Psalm 22:28, where He actively directs the nations. His involvement is evident in Genesis 1:3, where He speaks and light appears, and in Genesis 1:9, where He commands the waters to gather, shaping the earth as He desires. In Genesis 6:17, He personally brings the flood waters to destroy life on earth, showing that such events are not mere natural occurrences but acts of His will. Similarly, in Exodus 10:21-23, His control over darkness and light during the plagues on Egypt reveals His direct supervision over inanimate creation to fulfill His plans. God's active governance extends to daily phenomena and major events alike, as illustrated in Psalm 147:15-20, where He commands snow, frost, hail, and wind, melting them at His word. In Amos 4:6-9, 13, He uses natural disasters to intervene in human affairs, not as automatic results of uniform law, but as deliberate acts of His authority. His involvement continues into the future, as Zechariah 14:16-19 shows Him blessing or cursing nations in the Millennium through control over rain, and Matthew 24:7 indicates He will purposely intensify famines, pestilences, and earthquakes as part of His prophetic plan. Hebrews 1:3 further emphasizes His continuous sustenance of all things by the word of His power, maintaining and guiding creation moment by moment with immense, ongoing involvement. Through these actions, God demonstrates that He is Sovereign, actively controlling every element of His creation to achieve His purpose.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's involvement with inanimate aspects of creation reveals His sovereign control over all things. He does not merely create and step aside, allowing impersonal laws to govern, but actively manages and directs His creation. From the beginning, He speaks, and light appears; He governs the movement of water and land, commanding them to take their places. Water seeks its own level by His design, showing His hand in every detail of creation's order. In the account of the Flood, God overrules natural processes in response to human sin, bringing about a cataclysmic event that was not a mere result of uniform laws. The earth itself, under His direction, reacts as if personified, violently rejecting the sin upon it. Similarly, during the plagues of Egypt, He manipulates the elements—hail falls only where His enemies are, while His people are spared; darkness covers Egypt, yet light remains in Goshen. These acts demonstrate His authority to tweak the laws of creation according to His purpose. God's control extends to the wind, over which humanity has no power. The wind blows where He pleases, as seen when Jesus Christ, in His earthly ministry, calms a storm with a word, and the sea and waves obey Him instantly. His sovereignty is further evident when He speaks, and a fig tree perishes, showing His command over even the smallest elements of creation. Additionally, His foreknowledge and power are displayed in His ability to increase earthquakes and other natural phenomena as signs of His timing, ensuring everything unfolds precisely as He has determined. The stability of creation itself speaks of His continuous involvement. He sustains, maintains, guides, and propels the universe moment by moment with an immense, ongoing flow of power. If He were to cease this active governance, creation would stop operating. No force, whether human or otherwise, can hinder His purposes or deadlines, for He is the sovereign Creator who governs all things, animate and inanimate, to accomplish His will exactly when He intends.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

A converted person, accepting God's specific care with His children, realizes that both prosperity and deprivation are tools in the Creator's workshop.

The Sovereignty of God: Part Five

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Is God sovereign over angels? What about mankind's choices? God's sovereignty is absolute as He directs events toward the culmination of His plan.

Psalms: Book Four (Part Four): God as Creator

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The creation offers compelling testimony to the intricacies which preclude even the possibility of evolution. Evolution is a futile attempt to get rid of God.

Prepare to Meet Your God! (The Book of Amos) (Part One)

Booklet by John W. Ritenbaugh

The book of Amos is an astounding prophecy, closely paralleling the conditions in the Western world today. Amos reveals how unrighteousness undermines society.

Creator, Sustainer, Head (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The book of Hebrews resonates for the church of God at this time due to the strong parallels between our circumstances and those of the first century church.