How To Finish Strong - Part 1

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:47

Well, we went through the summer series taking a look at the evidence that the Lord has made for, not only for himself, but for the Lord Jesus. Talked about both the fuse and the fallout. Love that concept. Right? And then we looked at last week, what's the fallout in our life after the time when the lord Jesus brought you to himself? He redeemed you from eternity past, but he brought you to himself in a moment, sometimes over moments, right, depending on our background. But the question is, what is the fallout after? What does that look like? And I gave you a series of questions. How many were challenged by the questions? Well, good. Because you don't wanna you really don't wanna wake up one day and say, I should have asked those questions sometime before or we I calls you home before you have an opportunity to ask those questions. Because we do have the opportunity as long as it's still called today.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:46

Right? 2 days that matter, this day, this day, today, and that day. That day, we're not sure of. It's either the day when he calls you home or a day when he calls all of us home at the same time. Who knows what that will be? But he says it will be like a thief in the night, which means it'll seemingly come out of nowhere, but he says be ready. Beware. Right? Beware. Be ready. Have your have your wick, right, your oil filled and your wick rolling.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:15

So those questions are really to give us some kinda sense of be thoughtful, be proactive about the life that he's given us. And I continue to think about this idea, of course, of how do we finish well? How do we finish strong? And so that's what we're gonna look at over the next, 4 weeks is how do you finish strong? How many like to finish strong? Right? You wanna finish strong. You wanna finish well. You wanna finish with your boots on if you will. Right? Whatever that means for each of us. Right? This idea that we are called for a purpose. We're here for a purpose, and our time has been determined predetermined by him. Right? The days were ordained when as yet there were none, and he has work for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:02

He's called us to be co laborers with him. So we're gonna really look at this, in terms of how do we finish strong. And it seems to me that if we want to finish well, that we have to be fully grounded. Fully grounded. Stand firm. He says stand firm. So it is, if you build an you know, any kind of structure, it is about the footers. No footers.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:35

Right? The wind comes along, and it blows the shack away. Right? Strong footers, level footers. So we're gonna go to the footers over the next couple of weeks, and then we're going to translate that into what does that look like daily and weekly in my life? What does that look like in my life? We're gonna begin in a footer, a footer that is challenging for sure. But to me, it is the most important footer when it comes to being a Christian. And in order to understand this, we have to start in the right place. And we often start in the wrong place. Right? It's that old Irish joke, which I've said million times. You know, the guy in the middle of Ireland says, how do I get to Dublin? And the farmer says, well, if I were going to Dublin, I wouldn't start here.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:24

So it is about where you start. You know, you're in the mall. They get that map. Where am I going? I have no idea. The most important thing is you are here. So the context is where do we begin? We always begin at the mall. When we think, when we operate, we operate from you are here. Wrong perspective, isn't it? Right? We're wrong perspective.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:49

So the Lord says you should begin where? With him. Right? And he says, oh, by the way, I've given you a physical ruler to help you measure the distance between how you think and how I think, how I act and how you act. He says my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so are my actions, my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts than your thoughts. So what is this now, Chris? What are they saying? 90,000,000,000 light years. 90,000,000,000 light years. The distance that light would travel, 90,000,000,000 years. Get into a car, drive 60 miles an hour, never stop for gas or go to the bathroom, drive for 4 and a half months, and you'll travel the distance that light will travel in one second.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:53

One second. Now imagine that, over 90 1000000000 years. It's a little fur. So he's saying, I designed the universe so that you would understand there's a difference here. And so when we need to comprehend the most important things, we have to say, where where do we start? God says, start here, which is my philosophy, and that is you go to the core. Always go to the core. Because the further you get out from the core, the more questions and uncertainty arise. We used to say the kids, right, I'd call up a b b.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:39

This is what you believe you know right now. And the outside of the b b touches everything you don't know. And then a couple of years ago by, and I'd say, here's a ping pong ball. Here's what you think you know. And the outside touches what you don't know. Here's a tennis ball. Here's a basketball. So what does that mean? The more I know, the more I realize I don't know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:07

Right. Really comprehending. So we have to go to the core, to the core, to the core, to the core. So we're gonna go to the core, to me, and the most important understanding about the lord god that will allow us to finish strong, and that is god's sovereignty and his providence. His sovereignty, sober reign t, is sovereign, reign t, and providence. Old time word doesn't get used much. Must maybe go to a Scottish Presbyterian Church or something. Right? Presbyterian.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:53

AW Pink said this many years ago. He says the trend of modern theology, if theology it can be called at all, is ever toward the deification of the creature rather than the glorification of the creator. The deification of the creature I mean, like, you can be like God. Gee, I've heard that before. Where did I hear that before? You can be like that. And today, you can be like God. You can choose either gonna be a man or a woman. You can choose to be a cat.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:35

They're now putting litter boxes in in schools. People choose to be dogs or cats. Of course, you can be like god. You don't even have to be human. You can choose the deification of the creature. And he said the leaven of the present day rationalism is rapidly permeating the whole of Christendom. The mal malevolent. Is that how you say that? The bad.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:04

The bad effects of Darwinianism are more far reaching than most are aware. Darwinianism. Deification of the individual. So I ask you up on top, which one is your god? Which one is your god? Cosmic watchmaker. He wound up the world and lets it run. He steps in here and there when he's called upon when he's called upon. What's that what do they call that god? You know, break glass in case of emergency. God is the emergency god.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:40

Right? You break glass in case. Loving and caring, he's like Wilford Brimley. He's the grandfather, but too bad. He's just not powerful enough. Cares a lot. He's loving. He's caring. He just can't step in.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:55

He's just way too much evil in the world. It's too strong. It's too powerful. But he does love and care for you. He just can't do anything about it. He's wise and kind. He'd love to help, but he's also bound by people's actions. Or he's the absolute king who actively ordains and brings to pass everything that takes place in heaven and on earth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:21

So this is a gray gray and furry lives in the tree question. Right? Hey, Johnny. What's gray and furry and lives in the tree? And he says in Sunday school, hey, it sounds like a squirrel but I know the answer is Jesus. So we know the answer. Right? So if you think about this question at there, you wanna put this, write this, no he is, and put a blank, and then live like he is blank. So what's the difference? The first one is the Jesus answer. I know he is. Right? So a, b, c, or d.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:58

What's the answer? We're good evangelical Christians. That's great. A, b, c, or d. Yeah. Okay. The mow the second one's the more important one. How do you live like he is? How do you live like he is? Now you can start by saying, how does my neighbor live like he is? How do people in church live like he is? How's my spouse or friend live like he is? Always better to answer that about others. So that's what we're going to discover today.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:36

How do I live like he is? How do I live like he is? Because it requires us, I believe, to finish strong if you're going to finish strong as the world unfolds. Because we tend to think the world is going down, down, down. Who would say that's true? And yet if you read the world in history, I mean, things are bad, but they ain't as bad as what they were in Rome. They ain't as bad as they were in ab in Babylon. We're they aren't as bad as they were for Daniel or a lot of other folks. Right? So that doesn't mean there aren't issues. So you need to be fully grounded in God's sovereignty and providence sovereignty and providence. I hate when the Lord does this too.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:20

You know? You you say, I know, Lord, but things aren't so bad for me. I don't wanna teach on this. I really don't. Because are you gonna show me something? Are you gonna make me apply this to my life? How many of you are like that? The biggest challenge in preaching line upon line, precept upon precept, is I have to preach the stuff I like, and I have to preach the stuff I don't like. I hate that. Don't you? I'd like to keep some of it over here and some of it here. Right? But the problem is scripture has it all because it's speaking about a god who is incomparable, a god who is indescribable, a god who is ineffable, a god who is beyond our comprehension. If you are not left with serious questions, then you're not looking at the God of the universe, or you're ignoring a lot of life.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:16

There are questions for sure. This is why we have to run to the core. Run to the core what we know to be sure. What we know to be sure is let's read this. The lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his sovereignty rules over all. That's what we know to be true. His sovereign, reign tea rules over all. John Calvin said by an erroneous opinion, these that all things happen fortuitously by chance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:54

It just seemed to happen. The true doctrine of providence has not only been obscured, but almost buried. All events whatsoever are governed by the secret council of God spoken in the, what, 1500? So the first thing for sure is God reigns. God reigns, and he reigns always in all places at all times. For sure as we go through here, you need to keep. We're gonna talk about these next week, the. Everybody know what the are? What about? What about that situation? What about that? What about her her. Right? There's gonna be a whole bunch of.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:51

You just keep your little list. We're gonna talk about the next week. Right? All the. What about? Right? So our god reigns. And he reigns how long In Exodus, forever and ever, as in ever before, ever in the midst, and ever after. Which means before he created the heavens and the earth, he was reigning upon a throne that was forever. What does she say? This makes my head hurt. It should make your head hurt.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:34

Finite cannot comprehend infinite because finite has a beginning. Infinite doesn't. What was god doing? Because we think, what was god doing for all that time? Well, there was no time because god is. I am that I am. I was that I was. I will be that I will be. See, it should just take our breath away. It it it should leave us breathless.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:07

The Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Let the many clouds be be glad. He says, met the many light and he says, here is what you know. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. It doesn't move. It's built on righteousness and justice. Many says loving kindness and truth go before him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:33

But he says clouds and thick darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries roundabout. Should we be scared? Yes. Missus Beaver, no, he's not safe. Is he safe? Right? No, he's not safe, but he's good, and he's good to his own. So it we should say, fire goes before him. What? Yes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:04

And then in Revelation, it says at the end of the days, there is going to be lots of praise. And it says, as the sound of many waters. How many have been to Niagara Falls? It's deafening, isn't it? It says praise is gonna be like that, as the sound of many waters, as the sound of mighty peals of thunder. Think about thousands upon thousands praising the Lord. It's gonna sound like Niagara Falls in thunder, and they're gonna be saying, hallelujah. What? Hallelujah to the lamb, and our god reigns. He reigns. He reigns.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:52

So he always reign. He will always reign, and he reigns in between. Hallelujah. For the lord, our god, the almighty, the only almighty, reigns. Isn't that good? Yes. It's good. It's upon his throne. It's never shaken.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:09

It's never moved, which also means God is free, and he's free to do as he pleases. He's free to do as he pleases. Well, I don't like that. Why? Because I wanna be free to do as I please. Right? How many wanna be free to do as you please? Come along. Raise your hand. It's true. We wanna be free to do what we please.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:39

And it bugs me that I can't coerce God, push him into a corner, twist his arm, get him to do what I want. What's the magic formula? If I pray these three things, he'll do it. If I do these three things he'll do it he's not controllable he's not controllable if he was think about how scary that would be. Like, we know. Right? Like, we know enough to know. We know enough to know. Right? Our god is free to do as he pleases. When? Always.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:17

Where? In all places. At all times. Let's read this. I'm god. There's no one like me declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, my purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure. Truly, I have spoken. Truly, I will bring it to pass. I have planned it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:43

Surely, I will do it. Surely, I will do it. God's not confused about his ability at all. He's he's absolutely clear that he can do anything he wants whenever he wants. Right? And so we start to ask, like, everybody asks, well, where is your god? You lost somebody. Where is your god? You're going through sickness. Where is your god? You're going through a trial. Where is your god? Come on.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:18

Where is your god? Don't we ask? We even ask. It goes in our heart, lord, where are you? King David asked. But the nation say, okay. Where is your god? And they say, not not to us, oh lord, not to us, but to your name be glory. When the nation say, hey. Where is your god? What do we say? Our god is in the heavens, and he does as he pleases. Our god is in the heavens, and he does as he pleases. We say with rejoicing, our god is in the heavens.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:53

He does whatever he pleases. So Nebuchadnezzar learned this. He thought, by the power of my hand, I've created this wealth. And scripture says while the word was still in his mouth, sovereignty was removed from him. 7 years, God says, and you'll learn. And then he says, reason returned to me. I looked up, and reason returned to me, and I and I praise, exalted, and honored the king of heaven. Right? And he he knew at that point why.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:21

His his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, his dominion from generation to generation. It's true. He got it. He looks up. He looks up, and his reason returned to him. Right? And he says, right, all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but he does according to his will. Where? In the host of heaven and among the heavens and the earth. He he says, I do according to my will.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:50

And Nebuchadnezzar says, oh, the Lord does according to his will. The host of heaven where? Among the inhabitants of the earth. And he says, I don't manipulate, maneuver, or control God. Our God is upon his throne. He reigns. He's free. He does as he pleases. No one can ward off his hand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:14

No one or say to him, what has thou done? What has thou done? In other words, what's up? Fortunately, with grace, we ask, don't we? Lord, what are you doing? What are you doing? How come you're doing that? How come you're not doing this? How come you're doing that? Right? Fortunately, he's merciful. Piper says, God is never helpless. He's never frustrated. He's not. He's not he's not beyond his means. He's not at the end of his rope. It's not the end that he's run out of things. Right? I love that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:51

Right? God has never backed into a corner. What are you gonna do now, god? That's a really hard situation. Holy smokes. He does whatever he pleases. So our god reigns always in all places at all times. He's free. He's free to do as he pleases. And with all praise, we would say he's holy, he's righteous, he's gracious, he's compassionate, he's wise, he's kind, and he's good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:30

And that's what missus Beaver said. Oh, no. He's not safe, but, hey. He's holy, gracious, compassionate, wise, kind, and good. She just said, no. He's good. In other words, that's who he is. That's who he is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:43

The controlling sense of his nature. And he's all of those things always in all places at all times, whether it looks like it or not. And how many been in situations where it doesn't look like it? For sure. That's why we walk by faith, not by sight. It doesn't look like this, Lord. Well, duh, he says, yeah. Didn't I say that? That's why you will walk by faith, faith in me, in my character, in my nature, which never changes. Lord's gracious and merciful.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:20

Slow to anger. He's abounding in steadfast covenant, unchangeable Hasid. His his lovingkindness never changes. It never ends. Never ends. It's an inexhaustible fountain. The lord is good to all and his mercies are over all his works. Ain't it good to know? Well, it doesn't look like that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:52

It's about it's about. But he says his mercies are all well, his work. I don't see your mercies. Well, that's because you don't see fully. But his mercies are over how many of his works? All his works. He's righteous in all his ways, and he's kind in all his deeds. I have to remind myself of that because I generally wake up saying, how come not this? How come not that? How come not this? Nobody wakes up and says, lord, what's up? Why you continue to be gracious? Right? This is really frustrating. We get together and go like, can we explain why does the Lord continue to be gracious? Why is this loving kindness everlasting? Lord, why is your loving kindness everlasting? What the heck? But his mercies, they're new and fresh every morning.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:50

Manna mercies from heaven are waiting for you. You wake up. The manna mercies are there. They're right there. Enough for that day. Enough for that day. Yeah, but I want something for tomorrow. He says, you know, manna's for today, not for tomorrow.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:06

There'll be more tomorrow. More for tomorrow. And he says he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will, to the praise of the glory of what? His grace. His grace. To the praise of the glory of his grace. To the praise of the glory. The glory means weight. It means, worthiness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:35

It means value without, right, without inestimable value. What's inestimable in value? His grace. It means I don't fully get it. Right? I don't fully understand his grace to the praise of the glory of his grace. Where did it come from? He freely bestowed it upon us in the beloved. In the beloved? We're in the beloved? We're we're in his son? What does that mean? I don't know, but it's good. We're in his son. What's that mean? Whatever is his son is is in we're in his son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:19

We're in the beloved. This he says, this is my son in whom I'm well pleased. I'm in his son. I don't wake up and go, oh, what's alright? What would you put me in your son for? I mean, that doesn't make any sense. You know me. You know my past. You know my present. You know my future.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:39

You know the stuff I think and say and do every day. Yeah. You put me in your son? Yeah. Yeah. And by the way, there's an inheritance, and that inheritance is predestined for you according to the counsel of him who works all things after the counsel of his will, According underline to his purpose according to his purpose, you have we have obtained an inheritance, which means his purposes are sovereign. He says he nullifies the council of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The council of the Lord stands forever.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:22

The plans of his heart from generation to generation. Look around. It seems like things are out of control, and in a sense, they are. The world is doing this, but our god reigns. His purposes are everlasting. They can't be thwarted. Our god reigns. And lastly, god is worthy.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:46

He's worthy. What's he worthy of? Everything? Everything? All honor and glory and praise. Let's read this. Now to the king, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only god, the honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Next, to the only god, our savior, through Jesus Christ our lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Is that really cool? Yes. Before all time.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:24

Yes. And now and forever. Forever. Glory, majesty, dominion, authority. Glory, majesty, dominion, authority. When? Before all time, now, and forever. Is that a long time? No. That is beyond time.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:47

That is timeless. That is without time. There is no time. You won't wake up and say, what are we doing today? You won't wake up and say, how long we've been here? Because that will be completely gone. You just will be in the place. In his presence is fullness of joy. At his right hand, where you'll be, are pleasures forever. We'll be in total, complete joy.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:16

You won't be saying, how long we've been here? What's happening tomorrow? That's gone. That will be gone. Yeah. What does that mean? I don't know, but it's good. Alright. Flip over. By the providence of god, Taylor said, I mean that preserving and controlling superintendents, which he exercises over all the operations of the physical universe and all the actions of moral agents. Who are those? Peoples.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:49

Peoples. Crazy, nut nutty peoples. Right? As the, as the old country star used to say, god is great, beer is good, people are crazy. Right? There's there's the theology right there. Are we supposed to laugh? Beer is good. Are we supposed to laugh? It's okay. Oh, come on. Here we go.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:09

Alright. And then he says, as in the shorter his most holy, wise, and powerful, preserving, and governing of all creatures and all their actions. So let's take a look at what is he sovereign over. First thing I put is he's sovereign over all his creation. He's sovereign over all his creation. All created matter. Revelation, they say, worthy are you for you created all things. By faith, we understand that the worlds were created by the word of God so that what has seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:49

Out of nothing spoken, everything. What? What power he has to speak when it comes to pass. What? But he is sovereign over that. Who makes lightnings for the rain? Who brings forth the wind from his treasuries? Jeremiah says, you think the you think the heavens send forth rain? Our god sends forth rain. He sends forth. He is in control of the weather over the natural elements over all of creation. He's also sovereign over circumstances. The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:34

Next, get ready for it to bounce. Who is there who speaks and comes to pass unless the lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the most high that both good and ill go forth? Okay. What do we do with that? Is there any more of those? Yes. He says that men may know from the rising lord, and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness. Okay? I can kinda get that forming light and creating darkness. Alright. I'm alright with that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:12

Can we move on past adverse? No. Causing well-being and creating calamity. The same word where he says in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Right? Creating calamity. What is that? Well, there's consequence for sin. There's judicial. There's so God is sovereign over both. If you won't say, well, how does that work? Don't go to how does that work.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:44

You just have to start with it is, and then we'll talk about how does it work. We gotta start with it is. It is the case. Right? It is the case. So god is sovereign over circumstances. Both chance and calamity. God is sovereign over presidents? Yeah. Leaders and nations.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:07

Says he is sovereign over leaders and nations. What? He said to Nebuchadnezzar, you better understand that the most high is the ruler over the realm of mankind, and he bestows it on whomever he wishes. Alexander the great, when his time came, it just ended. It just ended. I mean, they didn't it's like, what's up? Like, he was on a roll, and then God just said, nope. Time's up. Time's up. That's why he says he nullifies the council of the nations.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:45

They laugh. Right? They laugh. God says he laughs. Right? Because he's in charge. God is sovereign over evil intentions and actions. Oh, here we go. Here we go. Evil plans and purposes, including Satan.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:08

In Genesis 5020, we know the Joseph story. Right? End of his days, what's he say? It's okay. It's okay to his brothers. You meant it for for evil, and God caused it to work for good. Right? You meant it for evil. You purposed it. You brothers planned it out. You sketched it out.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:28

You talked among yourself. You carried out your intention to throw me into, right, to to get me, to to lure me out by lies, to throw me in, hoping I would die in there, not knowing that a caravan would come by, bring me out, and that one day you'd be bowing before me. Even though I told you in a dream, you would bow before me. You purposed it. You planned it. You executed with evil intention in your heart. And God caused it to work together for good. Right? No.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:00

God purposed it, planned it, and executed. It's the same verb. Look in there. It's the same verb. They had evil intention. God meant it. He purposed it. He planned it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:13

He executed it for good. It's the same verb. He said don't be confused. They carried out their evil schemes. I carried out good. How does he do that? He's god. You mean, they purposed, planned, executed with evil intention. Yes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:36

Which hurt Joseph. God meant it for good. The ultimate, of course, is the lord Jesus himself. Let's read both of the acts. This man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death. So he says, delivered over. Well, how was he delivered over? By the, underline that, predetermined plan foreknowledge of god. Well, who nailed him to the cross? Godless men.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:13

Godless men. You put him to death. But it was god's predetermined plan and foreknowledge. Well, he gets even clearer. Let's read the next acts. For truly, in this city, there were gathered together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod, Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles, and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur. Wait a minute. Who did it? Herod, Pontius Pilate, the gentiles, and the Jews? But they were carrying out God's plan and purpose.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:51

Does that mean their intent was good? They were thinking good thoughts against Jesus. Jesus said, no one takes my life. No one takes my life. I lay it down on my own initiative. I have power to lay it down and I have power to raise it up. That's our God. That's our God. Which means, our god is sovereign over evil, yet god himself is never ever evil.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:26

God is sovereign over evil, yet god himself is never ever evil. Okay. How many are having, like, a meltdown here? Well, you should. It should be a bit of, wait a minute. How can you be sovereign over evil and yet not be evil? Must be god. Martin Luther said god cannot act evilly himself for he's good. He cannot do evil, but he uses evil instruments with good intent, with holy, righteous, gracious, merciful, kind, and wise intent. How awesome is our God? I mean, let let's I would have control alt delete it, wouldn't you? The world, like, control alt delete.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:13

Why are you messing with this? It says he endures. God endures vessels of wrath. He endures every day. The mocking, the the the laughing, the scorn, the I mean, you think we endured. He endures it. He sees it all across. He sees the mistreatment of his people, and he's carrying out his purposes. He cannot be tempted by evil.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:40

Why? He himself does not tempt anyone. Now I love this. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. He is upright. He's steadfast, never wavering. So evil in him at all. He's a pure eyes than to behold evil, behold sin. How does he do it? I don't know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:07

I really don't know. And yet, God's sovereignty does not absolve guilt. God's sovereignty overall does not absolve guilt. Every person is morally responsible, and he remains sovereign over belief and unbelief. He has mercy on whom he yep, and he hardens whom he desires. When Moses said, show me your glory, he said, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. That's his freedom to be God, to to to pour out his mercy upon whom he'll have mercy, to set his love upon whom he'll set his love. Well and lastly, god is sovereign over most things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:47

Let's see if you're awake still. All things. He works let's say this. He works all things after the counsel of his will. And when you think about it, you stop. How many things? All things. Always in all places at all times. All things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:12

Yeah. But I don't get it. Yeah. That's right. That doesn't change the fact that I work all things according to the counsel of my will. And my will is good and perfect, and I'm good. I can't figure out how you do that. Well, yeah, that's because you're not God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:28

I know, but I wanna be. And so we think that the point of this is that God is showing us himself so that we can understand. It's like most things. That's not the point. He hasn't called us to understand. He's called us to trust. He's called us to trust. Trust my sovereignty, trust my character, trust my name, trust my work, trust my motives.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:56

Trust me. I know, but I'd like to understand. Can you just show me? Some of you said, when we talk about God's will and, I'm leaving the New York City Grand Central Station. Yeah. We assume that when God says, right, under know my will, that he's gonna take us up into the big train, right, into the big controllers, and he's gonna show us all the how it all works. No. Knowing his will, he'll show up on on, you know, on on track 32 at 5 o'clock. Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:29

But I thought we were going up there. We're gonna show me how it all works and how it all fits together. No. He said just show up. Just show up. And we know that god causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. He works all things. All things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:52

But all things? Yes. All things. Good things, hard things, evil things. He works all things together for good. How does it work? I don't really know. I don't. It's because it's beyond comprehension, isn't it? How can you be sovereign over evil but never be evil? Martin Luther used to say that Satan is God's ape. In other words, God's using Satan.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:17

He did we'd say Satan is God's puppet. Right? In the end, he's using him. So here's my phrase. So either some things are out of God's sovereign control, which is horrifying. So one answer could be, well, there are some things that are out of his control. If there are if there's anything out of his control, he can't bring it to an end. If there are if there's anything out of his control, he can't bring it to an end. Or all things are under God's sovereign control, which is mystifying.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:56

So I'm either mystified or horrified. I choose to be mystified and odd that our god can do all of this. And John Piper said, in Christ, in Christ, God's awesome sovereign providence is our safe place. It is our place where we are most secure and most free. And I want you to think about it. You run to the core. The core is like the eye of a storm. When you go to the eye of the storm, this is like the eye of the storm, the core of truth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:30

This is the core of the reality. I stand in the in Christ, in the sovereignty of God, while the storm rages all around me. I don't understand the storm. I don't you don't have to. Just stand in my sovereignty. Know that my loving kindness is upon you, and it will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever change. I will never, ever, ever, ever leave you or forsake you, ever. Well, how do I know that's true? Because I am a never ever.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:04

That's who I am because I'm a never ever. And what I plan and purpose, I do. When I say I will never leave you, I will never leave you. You stand in the eye of the storm. If you wander, it gets it gets hazy out there. Further you you wander. Right? So we're gonna keep going on this because it's a deep it's a deep subject for sure, but that's our safety, that's our security in the eye of the storm. Make sense? Write down an insight or or and or an application, and then we'll share a couple.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:39

So we use lit different words. He ordains. Those are too strong. He allows. He creates. He right? So I think it's it us moving around within this. Yeah. We're trying to use a and for each of us, we're trying to use a a word, a verb that allows us to be okay with it, frankly.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:58

This is what this is what we are dealing with because we all have situations. We go, how can god allow that to happen? Well, he must have allowed it. He didn't ordain it. Right? But they're, right. So we're coming to grips with verbs that our our verbs that allow us to kind of wrap our head around. Does that make sense? So understand this is an this is a beyond understanding concept, and so it will be challenging for you. It's challenging when you talk to other people. If somebody's going through a a a difficult situation, this is not the time to have a sovereignty of God conversation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:34

Right? That's the time to about God's mercy and grace. I'll pray for you and help. Right? This is this is a subject for here for you to ground your faith in, right, for you to ground your life in. So next week, we're gonna talk about how to apply this to life both for you and others. Would that be helpful? And then the week after that, we're gonna talk about what are the daily and weekly routines that allow this to be, allow us to finish well. Make sense? And may our God, God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ, may he bless you. May he keep you. May he cause his good and glorious face to shine upon you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:11

May he lift up his countenance and grant you his shalom deep in your soul. May the grace of the lord Jesus, May the love of God the father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always. And we said, amen. Amen. Amen. Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:42

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.