Transcript:

Hello this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

The Bible tells us that God is a king. But not just any king. A king who is totally sovereign!

Now, what do we mean by “sovereign”? All rulers have varying degrees of sovereignty. The greater the sovereignty the more freely that ruler can do as they please. Well, God is a sovereign ruler like no other. Why? The opening line of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, tells us that God created the heavens and the earth…out of nothing. He spoke everything into existence! From bats to butterflies, stars to galaxies, even time and space itself is all an act of unimaginable sovereignty. There have been a lot of powerful kings in the history of the world, but none that had the power to call entire universes into existence. But this is exactly what God, the Creator, has done! He is a ruler like no other.

Now, this fact has some incredible implications. For example, this means that whatever God decrees or wills—whatever He chooses to accomplish—will happen. He doesn’t need to get permission from some higher authority. He doesn’t even need to work around the laws of nature. He made the laws of the nature!!! And He certainly doesn’t need to get your permission. He made you!

This means that every act of creation (calling into existence that which does not exist) and every act of God guiding and providing for His creation (what the theologians call “providence”) will work to accomplish exactly what He wills. It is for this reason that we can be assured that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Psalm 33 (ESV)

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

*Below, we are appending some basic catechism questions that go along with this Kingdom Perspective. A catechism is a classical Christian teaching device, helping both children and adults better understand the unique claims of the Bible. Below, you will find questions taken from both a children’s catechism and a more advanced catechism. For the full catechisms, you may go to our website by clicking here.

An Advanced Catechism

3. What are the decrees of God?

The decrees of God are His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His own will, in which for His own glory He has foreordained whatever comes to pass. (Eph 1:11,12)

4. How does God execute His decrees?

God executes His decrees in the works of creation, (Re 4:11) and providence (Da 4:35) to teach His creatures the good news of Jesus Christ.