Pastoral Reflection:
We will continue our study of God’s decree this Sunday in the adult Sunday School class. Considering that, I want to drive home some of the practical aspects of this doctrine that I hinted at this past week. The sovereignty of God over all things is both mysterious and magnificent. On the one hand, we are moved to humility as we are reminded that we are creatures and God’s ways are incomprehensible to us. Who can know the mind of the Lord? If we could fully grasp God’s purposes, then he would not be God. But the mystery of God’s sovereignty should drive us to a greater trust in his Word where he has clearly revealed to us all that we need for life, godliness, and sweet communion with him. We do not need to know the end from the beginning or the “why” of every purpose, but we can trust in him because he is our highest good.
On the other hand, this doctrine moves us to worship, to magnify our God because our salvation is His work from beginning to end. The eternal God set his eternal love upon us in his predetermined plan to send Christ to secure our salvation and the Spirit to seal that salvation to our souls (Eph. 1:3-14). The surety of our salvation is rooted in the surety of God’s sovereign grace. Even now, as we wait for our glorification, we are confident that because our God is sovereign that he is truly working all things together for our good and his glory (Rom. 8:28).
Our time in Sunday School together is an opportunity to grow as disciples of Christ and as students of Scripture. It gives us a context to dig deeper into the rich truths of Scripture and see how those truths sweetly connect. Sunday School often prepares the soil of the soul for corporate worship. I hope to see you there!
In Love,
Pastor John