Sermon snippet – No Sermon November – Part II – God Is Sovereign
INTRODUCTION – II Corinthians 4:8-10 certainly sounds contemporary. The great message here is that God is sovereign; He is in control.
- WE ARE IN GOD’S HANDS
Regardless of which side of “yet” or “but” we are on, God has us in His hands. Does He enfold us from the cradle to the grave? No, He holds us even before we are born. Jeremiah 1:15 employs hand imagery (“formed”) to describe God’s care for us in “the womb”; similar symbolism is found in Psalm 139:13 (“covered” or weaved). Even death itself is under God’s control (Psalm 116:15). A powerful example of this truth is provided in Numbers 34:5-6; God actually dug the grave of Moses and buried him. Even before birth, even death itself (and, as we will see in a moment, even beyond death), and everywhere in between, God is sovereign. On either side of “yet” or “but,” God is in control.
- GOD HANDS US HOPE
The word “hope” is not used in II Corinthians 4:16, yet it undergirds this verse and this entire passage. Romans 5:5 tells us that “hope does not disappoint us.” This hope must be based on “God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, [Who] is our hope” (I Timothy 1:1). The progression in I Peter 1:3, 13, and 21 reminds us that our hope is not like the world’s, which is at best a possibility that something good might happen sometime. The President-elect has promised us a “dark winter.” That doesn’t inspire confidence, does it? I am still planning to have a good winter. Moreover, there are worse things than a dark winter, including a dark life and, especially, a dark eternity.
- GOD’S GREATEST HOPE FOR US IS HEAVEN
II Corinthians 4:17-18 shows us where God’s hope leads us. II Corinthians 5:1-8 adds further hopeful encouragement. Remember, Biblical hope is a certainty. Heaven awaits.
CONCLUSION – Are we troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast down? Let us follow the kind command of Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Yes, let us set our affection on God, Who is in control. Specifically, may we be certain that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and thus sovereign over our eternal salvation. Let each one of us say with David, “In thee, O Lord, do I hope” (Psalm 38:15).