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The Sovereignty of God: Part Four
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod 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. RitenbaughGod'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. RitenbaughGod's involvement with inanimate elements of His creation reveals His profound sovereignty and active oversight. In Psalm 147:15-20, He commands the earth with His word, sending snow like wool, scattering hoarfrost like ashes, casting ice like morsels, and melting them with His wind to make waters flow. This demonstrates His intimate control over weather, showing that He is deeply engaged, particularly with Israel, in a way not extended to other nations. The psalm portrays His daily exercise of authority, not limited to major disasters but encompassing routine elements like weather, governed by both uniform law and His direct intervention. In Amos 4:6-13, God declares His role in bringing famine, withholding rain from some cities while granting it to others, and causing blight, mildew, and pestilence. These actions are purposeful, aimed at drawing His people's attention to Him, urging them to recognize His sovereignty and reflect on their own conduct when blessings are absent. His selective control over natural elements, such as rain and plagues, underscores His active involvement in shaping outcomes for specific regions or groups. Genesis 27:28 illustrates God's choice to bless Jacob with dew from heaven and the earth's richness, ensuring abundance through His deliberate intervention rather than mere natural processes. Similarly, in Deuteronomy 28:1-13, God promises blessings contingent on obedience, commanding prosperity in storehouses, land, and rain in due season. These blessings are not automatic results of natural law but are direct responses from Him, showing His watchful presence and active role in providing benefits beyond what uniform laws can achieve. In Zechariah 14:16-18, God's selectivity is evident as He withholds rain from nations refusing to worship Him during the Feast of Tabernacles, even targeting specific groups like Egypt with plagues for disobedience. This precise control over natural elements highlights His authority to bless or curse based on compliance with His will. Likewise, Ezekiel 34:26 shows Him causing showers of blessing in due season for those who submit, reinforcing that blessings are a combination of uniform law and the state of relationship with Him, often overridden by His spiritual purpose. Finally, in Malachi 3:10-11, God challenges His people to test Him by tithing, promising to open the windows of heaven and pour out overwhelming blessings while rebuking the devourer to protect their fruits. This personal intervention, whether in an agricultural or modern context, affirms His commitment to individually prosper those who trust Him, demonstrating His selective authority over creation's inanimate aspects to fulfill His purpose.
The Sovereignty of God: Part Five
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIs 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. RitenbaughThe 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. RitenbaughThe 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. GrabbeThe 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.