Robert Morris
Sove-reign = supreme reign
It doesn’t mean God does whatever he wants, rather he is in complete charge or authority, but he gave stewardship to us.
Dutch Sheets
Sovereignty doesn’t mean to be in control of everything.
It means all reign or authority.
My take: it’s not about control - it’s about authority.
It doesn’t mean we have to simply accept what happens as God’s sovereignty. He gives us stewardship to reign over things and has offered his partnership with us to effect change. He waits for us to invite him into a situation.
Tony Evans
Sovereignty means God is the absolute ruler, controller, and sustainer of all his creation. (1 Tim 6:15)
Nothing sits outside of God’s sovereignty.
His purposes can never be thwarted. (Eph 1:11)
Providence is a subset of sovereignty. It is the way God arranges things to achieve his sovereign purposes.
Providence is the arrangement that facilitates sovereignty.
You cannot have sovereignty and luck. The two can’t coexist.
Luck is random events that occur that shape things.
The way God works out what we would call “luck” is through providence.
God arranges things so that they come together - or disconnect - as He so chooses.
Once you understand providence and get away from luck, you’ll begin to view life differently.
Sovereignty must be the foundation - and His providential working - by which you now begin to live and look at the events that shape your life, so that you can arrive at you divinely shaped destiny.
If you start with the foundation that God is sovereign - and that He providentially arranges things to accomplish His goal - you have laid a foundation through which to look at the complexities of life that come your way.
What we may look at as random events are actually the orchestrated events in the purpose and plan of God.
Sovereignty is so complete, and providence is so intricate that God includes the details and is involved in them.
Nothing catches God by surprise - he controls the big and the little!
What shocks you was long known by him.
His ways are beyond us (Rom 11:33) so don’t be surprised when God doesn’t make sense - He’s not supposed to.
The only thing you can know is what he tells you - and he doesn’t tell you everything. (Deut 29:29)
Within God’s sovereignty he created freedom - which means you get to choose.
There’s no freedom without choice.
But God limits how far he lets freedom go - God keeps his sovereignty while allowing freedom.
Because God is sovereign - in his providential connecting of things - he either causes all things to happen, or allows things to happen if he didn’t cause it.
God cannot sin or endure sin - but he can use it.
God cannot do evil, but he will use evil to accomplish his purposes.
Even Satan has to get God’s permission!!
The circumstances in your life don’t have the last word.
God can run over anything that gets in his way.
God takes good and bad to bring about his result.
