Attributes of God - The Sovereignty of God in Salvation (Romans 8:18-9:33) (Sermon 9)

Last time we saw how God revealed his Name The Most High God when Abraham rescued his nephew Lot after he was captured in a battle between None Pagan Kings

"Melchizedek king of Salem … priest of God Most High … blessed Abram, saying,

'Blessed be Abram by God Most High (El-Elyon), Creator of Heaven & Earth. And

blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands'" (Gen14:17-20).

• We noted that this Name speaks to us about the Sovereign Power of God.
• It teaches us that All Creation is under the Dominion of the Most High God.
• When Kings went to war, God revealed himself as the Creator of Heaven & Earth.
• God declared his Sovereign Power to Reign over

Everything & Everyone in All Creation.

We also saw how God revealed through Nebuchadnezzar, the Mighty King of Babylon, that he is the Most High God who possesses Sovereign Power over All Nations

• Remember how this Mighty King of The Greatest Empire in the world had a

Dream about a Huge Tree that was cut down (Daniel 4:10-15).

• Daniel explained to Nebukadnezzar that this dream was about the king himself.

• But, this Mighty King had oppressed the Poor & Needy and refused to repent
• Therefore, he was humbled for a period of Seven Years.
• He became a mad man, and lived in the fields like an animal and ate grass.

After Seven Years of Depression & Humiliation, the King Learned his Lesson:

• He praised the Most High God, the One whose dominion is an eternal dominion - his kingdom endures from generation to generation … He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold his hand back or say to him: 'What have you done?' (Daniel 4:34-35).
• This is Arguably the Greatest & Clearest Statement concerning the Sovereign Power of the Most High God in the whole of Scripture - and it comes from the mouth of a Pagan King who had learned that God is Sovereign over All Nations,

even the Mightiest Pagan Nation in all history.

This morning we will look at a further implication of this Name, the Most High God.

Our God reveals himself as the Most High God who

Sovereignly Provides Salvation for his Chosen People.

Firstly, take note of the Names revealed to Mary & Simeon:

The Angel Gabriel revealed a significant Name to Mary before Jesus was born:

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you will give him the Name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give

him the throne of his father David, and he will Reign over the house of Jacob

forever; his Kingdom will never end'" (Luke 1:30-33).

The angel Gabriel revealed a very profound truth to Mary:

"He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High."

Why is Jesus called Son of the Most High?

Remember what we learned last time concerning the meaning of the Name,

the Most High God:

• It means the Highest One; the One who has Power to Rule over All Creation!
• Jesus is to be called "Son of the Highest One" - who has Power to Rule all his creatures.
• He is the Son of the Sovereign Lord who is the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Norval Geldenhuys, in his commentary on Luke, says:

"He shall be called Son of the Most High. His greatness will therefore excel

everything. In Greek the words are merely 'Son of Highest', without the articles,

in order to indicate the Absolute Uniqueness & Highness of his Divine Sonship."

The meaning of the Name the Most High as it applies to Jesus is spelled out by the angel:

"The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and

he will Reign over the House of Jacob forever; his Kingdom will never end."

• To the One who is Exalted Above All, God will give the Throne of his father David.
• The word Throne here is a symbol of Supreme Power.
• Jesus shall be given the Sovereign Power promised in the Old Testament to the Messiah
• He is the Son of the One who possesses Sovereign Dominion over All Nations.
• He possesses the same Sovereign Power as God the Father.

However, this Sovereignty will not be the Sovereignty of an Earthly King.

• His Kingdom is a Spiritual & Everlasting Kingdom!
• His Sovereignty is not over an Earthly People, but over the Spiritual Israel.

Our Lord himself made it clear that his Kingdom is not an Earthly or Political Kingdom.

• my Kingdom is from another place" (John 18:36).
• His Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom; It is a Kingdom that will Never End.
• He will Rule over his Spiritual Kingdom Forever.

Remember how the Angel of the Lord appeared to Mary's husband, Joseph, and explained to him the meaning of the Name Jesus:

"She will give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus,

because he will Save his People from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Placed together, these two Names Son of the Most High and Jesus the Saviour,

declare that God exercises his Sovereign Power in the Work of Salvation through his Eternal Son.

• The Son of God Reigns over a Spiritual & Eternal Kingdom.
• He possesses the Sovereign Power to Save his People from their Sins.

This same truth was revealed to Simeon when he saw the Infant Jesus in the temple:

"Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 'Sovereign Lord, as you have

promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your

salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to

the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).

• Simeon praises the Sovereign Lord who possesses the Sovereign Power to provide a Saviour, who will Save both Gentiles & Jews alike.
• He describes Jesus as "a Light to the Gentiles & the Glory of Israel."

Note how Simeon says that the Sovereign Lord has Prepared Salvation for his People:

"For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all people."

• God's Plan of Salvation which was Prepared from Eternity has now been Revealed.
• The Plan of Salvation which was Prepared in the Eternal Counsels of God,

has now been seen by the people in the coming of the Eternal Saviour.

The Apostle Paul reminds us of this same truth when writing to the Ephesians (1:4-9):

"God the Father … chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and

blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through

Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will … and he made known to us the

mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ."

• The Salvation which was Purposed in Christ from Eternity has now been made Manifest.
• The Mystery of God's will with regard to Salvation has now been revealed.

This is why John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, and said:

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

• In his Revelation, the Apostle John describes the Lamb of God as:

"The Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

He is the Lamb who was Prepared from Eternity, to be slain for our Salvation.

• The One who is called Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin,

is also called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Both John the Baptist and John the Apostle were aware of the Prophesy of Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah:

"He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the

punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed …

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:5-7).

• The slaying of the Lamb was in the Plan of Salvation before the foundation of the world.
• When both John the Baptist and John the Apostle speak of "The Lamb",

they are referring to a particular Lamb; "The Lamb of God."

• They are referring to the Lamb whose sacrificial death was foretold from eternity.
• Throughout the centuries of Israel's history a lamb had been slain before the Lord every morning and every evening.
• All of these lambs prefigured this Lamb of who was called "The Lamb of God".

Remember what Peter said on the Day of Pentecost:

*** Jesus revealed this same truth to Nicodemus - John 3

*** Include teaching of Paul from Romans and Ephesians