Our next presidential election is almost here and
the candidates seem to be running neck and neck. I though I would relieve some tension this
morning by going ahead and letting you know who the next president of the
United States is going to be. The next
president of the United States is going to be whoever God wants it to be. This is one of the implications of the truth
that God is sovereign and is explicitly stated in Daniel 4:17,25,32: that God rules over the kingdom of men and gives
it to whomever He will. This does not
mean that we should not be responsible citizens and vote. We should, and we’ll say more about our
responsibility in light of God’s sovereignty a little later. But this does mean that ultimately only God’s
“will” will be done.
In Daniel
4:34-35, king Nebuchadnezzar learned the reality of God’s sovereignty. Nebuchadnezzar was king of the most powerful
empire in history at that time. And
during his reign, God would have him go crazy for seven years to teach him a
lesson: that God, not Nebuchadnezzar, rules
over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will (4:17,25,32). This is mainly
what is meant by the truth that God is
sovereign: that He rules (and that He exercises that rule) over all of His
creation forever. Here is how
Nebuchadnezzar described the lesson that He learned:
[34] At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar,
lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most
High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; [35] all
the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to
his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and
none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel
4:34-35)
The truth of God’s sovereignty is something that
all people need to be persuaded of. It
is one of the ultimate realities of this universe that God created. And we must not only understand and be
persuaded of this attribute because it is true, but also because it is one of the
most comforting and assuring attributes of God that there is. Today we will see five ways from Daniel 4:34-35 that God is sovereign
over all.
I.
God’s Rule is Unending (34)
The first thing that we learn about God’s rule, or
sovereignty, is that it is unending. Not
only is God eternal, His sovereignty is as well because as long as God is, He
is sovereign. “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from
generation to generation” (34b). God always has and always will rule over everything. This is why God bears the title “King of king and Lord of lords” in the
Bible, because no matter who rules the earthly kingdoms of men throughout
history, only God alone is ultimately reigning at any point in history.
The scope of God’s rule (the extent of His
dominion) covers all of history and all of creation. It is unending. Let’s see this truth established in the
Bible. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:28) [7] For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a
psalm! [8] God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. (Psalm 47:7-8) The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his
kingdom rules over all. (Psalm
103:19) [11] Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and
the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the
heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are
exalted as head above all. [12] Both riches and honor come from you, and
you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to
make great and to give strength to all. [13] And now we thank you, our
God, and praise your glorious name. (1
Chronicles 29:11-13)
God also rules in the individual lives of
people. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the
face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of
their dwelling place, (Acts 17:26). The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD
establishes his steps. (Proverbs
16:9)
God is not only sovereign over nations, kings, and
individual people; He is also sovereign over the minutest details of His
creation. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them
will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] But even the hairs of
your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows. (Matthew
10:29-31) So in short, there is no
end to God’s rule.
II.
God’s Rule is Unparalleled (35a)
The second thing that we learn about God’s rule,
or sovereignty, is that it is unparalleled.
Nebuchadnezzar states that before God, “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,” (35a).
Now this does not mean that
mankind is worthless. It means that, in
comparison to God, any human being accounted as nothing. We are nothing compared to God. And don’t miss that fact that the most
powerful man on planet earth at the time is saying this! The reason God had Nebuchadnezzar go crazy
for seven years and restored him was to teach Him that it was God who was
actually ruling things all along and that He can take or give his kingdom
whenever and to whomever He will. God is
“the Most High,” not
Nebuchadnezzar.
God’s rule is unparalleled even by earth’s
mightiest kings. Proverbs 21:1 says that “The
king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever
he will.” God’s rule is unparalleled
by even the most powerful created being, Satan himself. In Job
1-2, we see Satan under the rule of God, having to have permission to attack
Job in any way.
In Monday night’s presidential debate over foreign
policy, both presidential candidates made some outrageous statements about our
nation. President Obama stated that
America was the “only indispensable nation” in the world. And Governor Mitt Romney stated twice that
the United States of America was “the hope of the earth.” I am afraid both men are sorely
confused. America is not indispensable! Nations have rose and fell through out all of
history and given enough time, America will fall. And if it does, the earth will not stop
spinning. Only God’s kingdom is
indispensable and only God’s reign has and will last forever. Also, the United States of America is not the
hope of the earth, Jesus Christ is. The
world doesn’t need America more than anything; it needs Jesus.
III.
God’s Rule is According to His Will (35b)
The third thing that we see about God’s rule is
that it is “according to His will.” 4:35 says
that God “does according to His will
among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.” This is why Ephesians 1:11 calls God “him
who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” This is what Psalm 115:3 means when it says that God, who is in the heavens, “does all that he pleases.” This is what Psalm 134:5-6, which we looked at when considering God’s
independence, means when it says that “Whatever
the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”
I want to be clear here: only what God ultimately
“wills” will happen in history. Now we
must make a distinction between what many theologians call God’s revealed will
and God’s secret will. This distinction
simply takes into account that God certain things that He does not “will” in
one sense because they move history towards accomplishing His ultimate “will”
for eternity. An illustration of this
truth is that of the narrow and wide lens that we considered when we looked at
God’s independence. But at the end of
history, only what God has willed will ultimately have taken place. This is precisely why James cautions us to
pray and plan with such a perspective in life.
James 4:13-15: [13] Come now, you who say, “Today or
tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade
and make a profit”—[14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What
is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then
vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live
and do this or that.” Proverbs 16:33 also says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every
decision is from the LORD.”
IV.
God’s Rule is Unstoppable (35c)
The fourth thing that we learn about God’s rule,
or sovereignty, is that it is unstoppable.
“No one can stay His hand” (35c).
This is the same lesson that Job learned: “[42:1] Then Job answered the LORD and said: [2] “I know that
you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:1-2) This is the same truth that Isaiah would
declare: [8] “Remember this and
stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, [9] remember the former
things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none
like me, [10] declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times
things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all
my purpose,’ [11] calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my
counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have
purposed, and I will do it. (Isaiah
46:8-11)
The reality that God’s rule is unstoppable should cause
the hearts of God’s people to be filled with hope, confidence, and boldness in
the face of all the obstacles that we face.
It is because God’s rule is unstoppable that we are to have hope and
confidence as the people of God in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Jesus declared in Matthew 16:18 that “I WILL
BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.”
V.
God’s Rule is Unquestionable (35d)
The final thing that we learn about God’s rule, or
sovereignty in this passage is that it is unquestionable. Nebuchadnezzar declares, “none…can say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (35d). This does not mean
that no one can question God or that it is wrong to question God in humility,
brokenness and faith, but this does mean that as finite, created beings, we
have no right to question God in distrust
as to what He has done. No one can ask
God, “Just what the heck do you think that you are doing?”
For starters, we can’t question God in this way
because He simply is God. He gets to do
what He wants! Secondly, He only does
what it ultimately good, wise, and therefore best. Only God always knows what He is doing.
To close, let’s address a few questions that
naturally arise in a sermon like this.
If God truly rules in this way, many are moved to ask about the presence
of evil in the world and if any of our choices are real. First, to say that God is sovereign means
that though God is not the source of any evil nor is He directly responsible for
it, He does rule over it. The source of
evil that we see in the scriptures is not God but creatures that have rebelled
against their good Creator. He did not
create a world in which evil existed.
However, He did create a world in which the potential for evil existed
(a world where creatures could exercise free choice). This helps us understand the difference
between how God relates to good and evil.
God relates to goodness directly
as its source (James 1:17) and to evil indirectly
as its sovereign guide.
Second, because we are creatures who exercise free
choice, we are also creatures who are responsible for those choices. We must always remember that God holds us
responsible for every thought, word, and deed that ever takes place in our
lives. Sin will be reckoned with either
on the cross or the Judgment seat of Christ.
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