CHRIST-DRIVEN

The Courage to Be Godly, Part 4 

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 

by Steve Dumas

Speaking of God's providence, Andrew Fuller, the fearless Baptist minister of the eighteenth century, and a dear friend of William Carey (whom many call "the Father of Modern Missions"), said, "In the early ages of the world there appears to have been a much stronger persuasion of Divine interposition in human affairs than generally prevails in our times" (The Works of Andrew Fuller, page 744). In other words, God's sovereignty is not as popular today as it used to be.  Fuller goes on to say that even followers of false gods believe that their gods oversee and intervene in the affairs of men.  If in the eighteenth century the idea of God's control and power seemed outmoded, then how must the doctrine of God's providence sound to postmodern ears?  Every age has had an aversion to the supremacy of God, because every age is polluted by fallen human nature.  It takes courage to believe and proclaim the Lordship of God in any age.

At the very least, God's sovereignty means that He alone rules and reigns everywhere, everyday, all the time. He is on His throne and will accomplish everything He sets out to do.  Absolutely nothing can dethrone Him. So we must trust Him.

The Christian home should be the place of all places, outside of the gathered church, where God's sovereignty over history and salvation finds its clearest expression. When we suffer, we proclaim and embody the gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. When we are blessed, we thank God and ascribe all glory and honor to Him. Instead, we find little substantive difference between unbelievers and their evangelical neighbors who get their theology from Netflix rentals and Google search results.

In the churches where I have served, I have been surprised to discover the number of Christians who come up to me after a sermon and say things like, "I have never heard this before, and I have been in the church for twenty years." We sing, "Have faith in God; He's on his throne. Have faith in God; He watches o'er His own." Then, after a life-changing event we struggle to accept that God had anything to do with it.

One passage that has invoked surprised-by-sovereignty responses is the familiar and beloved Psalm 127. This Psalm makes God's Lordship clear by pointing out His supremacy over four areas: 1. Building a house (127:1a); 2. Protecting a city (127:1b); 3. Providing for a family-God is the ultimate provider, not you! While you sleep, God is working (127:2); and, 4. Planning and Raising a family (127:3, 4, 5). 

To be continued...