Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

As the stars of heaven

5/21/2012

22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude (Deuteronomy 10:22).

When God decides something it ends up big. The previous statement is not meant to be either cliché or trite but rather to bring to light a profound truth. That truth is that God, in His sovereignty, impacts the world in massive ways. God made Israel into a nation with many people, just as He had promised. What should not be lost here is that the nation of Israel came about against all odds. They were originally small in number and almost starved to death, then they were slaves in Egypt, and then they wondered in the desert for 40 years. It would seem unlikely that they would have survived as a people and a nation. It should be noted that Israel still exists, a fact that should not be lost on us. They have been scattered throughout the world, had multiple acts of genocide occur to them, and yet they remain. God will always maintain His people, sometimes as a remnant, but a people nonetheless. We, as the church, are now a people set apart by God as well, and numbered as the stars of heaven.

A heart towards God

5/20/2012

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth (Deuteronomy 8:15-17).

How soon we forget that it is by God’s sovereign provision and grace that we are sustained. The people of Israel had already forgotten that God fed and cared for them in the desert. The only real requirement that God places on us when He provides is that we in turn be grateful and gracious ourselves. A grateful and gracious heart will serve God in return. We cannot serve God if we fail to acknowledge His care for us. The God that saved Israel is willing and able to save us; we only need to turn toward Him with a contrite, grateful and gracious heart. Out of the abundance of the heart proceeds the picture of the soul.

There is no other...

5/19/2012

35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him (Deuteronomy 4:35).

Any being that is sovereign over all of Creation must be God. This is so because sovereignty implies both ownership and control. There is but one God. God revealed Himself to Moses so Israel would know the one true God. In order to have knowledge about God, God must reveal Himself. We have knowledge of God both through the Creation itself, and through the Word of God. The knowledge of God through the Creation is evident to all. The world has undeniable marks of design and beauty that could only have occurred through the actions of a powerful all-knowing God. God is also revealed to us through the pages of scriptures. In addition to being all-powerful and all-knowing; He is holy, just, righteous, ever-present, gracious, loving and merciful. He is the sovereign God of all Creation, and there is no other…

According to God's works and might

5/18/2012

24 O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might (Deuteronomy 3:24)?

In these words from Moses, God is praised concerning His works and His might. The sovereignty of God is absolute and complete. When God decrees out of eternity into time, whatever is decreed, will occur. God had promised to bring Israel out of Egypt into the Promised land and Moses was confident that God would fulfill His promise. The promise would be fulfilled under the leadership of Joshua however, and Moses would not be able to enter the land. So, God’s works and might are according to God’s terms, not Man’s. This is often hard for us to understand, but it is God’s decisions and decrees that occur, not our own. As the Sovereign over the whole of Creation, God uses His works and might to bring about and fulfill His promises. There is total assurance that in the end, God will accomplish all He decrees. This is good news, since God has decreed that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Angels of God

5/17/2012

20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared (Exodus 23:20).

Part of the nature of God’s sovereignty is provision and protection for His people. In the case of the Exodus, God provided an Angel to go before Israel in order to deliver Israel from their enemies. Enemies of God’s people are enemies of God. Angels often fulfill the roles of protectors and messengers for God’s people and against God’s enemies. Angels are spiritual beings and they exist regardless of whether we actually see them. They do at times, at God’s command, interact in human history. However, they always serve God and are present for His glory and the good of God’s people. We can be assured that God will provide for us and guide us to the place we belong. How blessed we are when the Angels of God go before us.

On eagles' wings

5/16/2012

3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself (Exodus 19:3-4).

The pattern of God’s covenants with His people is unchanging. The unchanging pattern involves an action of God with a desired response of His people. So the people are to respond to God’s sovereign actions. One of God’s sovereign actions, in the form of a covenant, is the salvation of His people. God is therefore the author of salvation. God bares us on eagles’ wings; He literally carries us to His salvation. Salvation then is unmerited grace from God. He is gracious as our God, and we are fortunate as His people. Our response, as God's people, is obedience to His commands. The message of Gospel is timeless, unchanging, and is truly good news.

God saves

5/15/2012

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left (Exodus 14:21-22).

Sometimes God’s sovereign actions cause miraculous results. This example from the book of Exodus is certainly miraculous. God through His sovereignty can control even the forces of nature. The God that called the Universe into existence surely can control all aspects of the creation. I think, at times, we forget that God is so powerful and mighty. When it comes to saving His people, God does not hold back. God is mighty to save. God has provided a way for each of us to walk on the path toward His salvation. We need only to call upon the Name of the Lord, and be saved.

God equips us

5/14/2012

11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say (Exodus 4:11-12).

Moses did not want to do what God was commanding. One important aspect of God’s sovereignty however is that it will not be thwarted. So, when God commands, whatever is commanded will occur. God is absolutely sovereign over the Universe. Any attempt on our part to ignore, defy or otherwise deny the sovereignty of God, is in the end, futile. It is futile because it is God that created us, and His power over His creation is without bounds. We, like Moses, can choose to obey willingly or face the reality of God acting without us to accomplish His will. We are the ones that lose when we don’t do things God’s way. However, and perhaps more importantly, when we follow God, we are blessed. He will equip us to do whatever is required.

For our good and His glory

5/13/2012

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive (Genesis 50:20).

Although, it is at times, difficult to understand how exactly God’s sovereignty works, it ultimately works out for good. Joseph was left for dead by his brothers, and then sold into slavery in Egypt. However, God used the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers to achieve God’s purposes. Those purposes included providing food for Israel during a time of famine and blessing the life of Joseph. God accomplishes His will and purpose regardless of and in spite of evil. God is not the author of evil, nor does He rejoice in it, but He does use all circumstances to bring about His will. This should be comforting to us since God’s sovereignty will benefit us in the end. In the midst of often-horrible circumstances, God’s sovereign actions are for our good and His glory.

Abundance of God's blessings

5/12/2012

2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured (Genesis 39:2-6).

We spoke a few days ago about the connection of God’s sovereignty to the blessing of people. The story of Joseph makes it further clear that when God blesses He does so completely. When God completely blesses, there is an abundance of blessing that surpasses all expectations. God can bless more than our finite minds can possibly conceive. It is not uncommon that blessing results from circumstances that are not initially very fortunate. In the case of Joseph, his own brothers sold him into slavery. But Joseph ended up being blessed beyond all measure. Verse 6 gives us clue into why God continued to bless Joseph; Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored. Joseph loved God. When we love God, even when our circumstances may be not what we had envisioned, God in His eternal sovereignty and mercy, will in the end; bless us abundantly.

Created Through Him