Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleSovereignty in Purpose, Sin & Salvation
Bible TextExodus 1:1-14; 2:23-25
Date02-Oct-2016
Series Exodus 2016
Article Type Sermon Notes
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Audio HI-FI Listen: Sovereignty in Purpose, Sin & Salvation (32 kbps)
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Length 34 min.
 

Title: Sovereign in Purpose, Sin and Salvation

Text: Exodus 1: 1-14; 2: 23-25

Date: October 2, 2016

Place: SGBC, New Jersey

 

Arthur Pink said, “There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them all.”                        

 

Proposition: God is in full sovereign control working all to glorify his Son in the salvation of his people.

God’s chief purpose is to glorify his name—his righteousness—by glorifying his name sake, Christ his Son.

 

The way God purposed to glorify his righteousness in Christ is by allowing sin to enter the world. In order to be saved from sin, sin had to enter in. God is sovereign over sin. The way God purposed to bring glory to his Son is by salvation—saving a people who will forever glorify God for redemption in Christ.  God is in full sovereign control working all to glorify his Son in the salvation of his people.

 

Title: Sovereignty in Purpose, Sin and Salvation

 

Divisions: God’s sovereignty 1) in purpose 2) over sin 3) in salvation

 

SOVEREIGNTY IN PURPOSE

 

Exodus 1: 1: Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. 2: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3: Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4: Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5: And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. 6: And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

 

Those names are the names of the children of Israel—the children of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 patriarchs. Joseph was already there then eleven sons came with Jacob into Egypt.  Joseph’s son, Ephraim, will be name of the 12th tribe.

 

Not all those in Israel were God’s true elect, only the sons of promise, the elect, are counted by God. (Rom 9: 6-8) But Israel typifies the elect of God. God knows his elect, spiritual Israel expressly by name. They are precious to God, his delight. God works everything in the world only for his elect.  We see it in how God worked everything only for these 12 tribes.

 

At the tower of Babel, God confounded their languages, divided and scattered the nations.  God set the bounds of the people—the nations.  God divided the land of Canaan, setting how far each could inhabit east, west, north and south.

 

Deuteronomy 32:8: When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

 

Way back before these twelve patriarchs were born, before the tribes formed, God set the bounds of the nations in Canaan “according to the number of the children of Israel.”  God measured out land to those nations, according to what would be sufficient to hold the twelve tribes of Israel. God put that land into the hands of the heathen, Canaan, and his eleven heathen sons to possess. Twelve heathen, cursed tribes maintained the land for the twelve tribes of Israel until the time appointed when God would give the promised land to the 12 tribes of Israel.

 

The spiritual lesson is this. Way back in eternity, before the world was made, before Adam was created, before we were ever born, God determined the eternal inheritance of his spiritual, elect Israel, when he entered covenant with Christ his Son. This was typified by God entering covenant with Abraham.  God secured heavenly Canaan for the spiritual Israel of God by trusting the work to Christ to save his elect people so that he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This was typified in the sacrifice Abraham made when God made this covenant with him. (Gen 15: 7-15)  God appointed a portion in heavenly Canaan, according to the exact number of his elect children for whom Christ died. This is why Christ said,

 

John 14:2: In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 

Brethren, never fear due to what is going on in this world. Since time began, God has been working everything that comes to pass only for his elect people.

 

1 Corinthians 3: 21: Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22: Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23: And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

 

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

SOVEREIGNTY OVER SIN

 

Exodus 1: 8: Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9: And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11: Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12: But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13: And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

 

This evil Pharaoh bringing the children of Israel into slavery is a picture of the devil bringing all God’s elect into captivity in sin through Adam’s sin in the garden. Yet, this fall into slavery was determined before by God and declared long before it came to pass.

 

Genesis 15: 13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

 

Then God brought it all to pass.

 

Psalm 105: 5: Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 6: O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 7: He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 8: He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9: Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10: And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: 11: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: 12: When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. 13: When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; 14: He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; 15: Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. 16: Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. 17: He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: 18: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: 19: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. 20: The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. 21: He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: 22: To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom. 23: Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24: And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. 25: He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

 

Just as God turned the heart of Pharaoh against Israel, when sin entered the world in the garden, it was according to what God determined in eternity.  God was in full control over the devil in the garden. Remember, how God dealt with Satan concerning Job.

 

Job 1: 8: And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job?...12: And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

 

God was in absolute sovereign control when Satan entered the garden and tempted Eve.  He allowed Adam to do what was in his heart to do.  Satan’s lies and deception was all of Satan.  Adam’s sin and disobedience was all of Adam.  Our sin is all our own and we are accountable

 

But God was and is in absolute sovereign control so that sin entered because God had determined before that it would.  God has increased his people in the earth.  He has protected us while we were dead in sins like as our falling into sin and being taken captive of the devil was under the rule of God’s sovereign hand.

 

God used the devil the same way God used this evil Pharaoh.

 

Romans 9: 17: For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18: Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

 

Someone will argue that God is unjust to find fault with sinners since God is in full control.

 

Rom 9: 19: Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21: Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

 

But why did holy and righteous God allow sin to enter? Get this if you get nothing else. If there had been no sin, there would have been no need of the Saviour. God allowed sin to abound, that God’s grace might much more abound.

 

Romans 5: 21: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Romans 9: 22: What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

 

We would have no peace if things happen out of God’s control.  But it gives his people great peace knowing “our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Ps 115: 3)

 

SOVEREIGN IN SALVATION

 

Exodus 2: 23: And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24: And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25: And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

 

Time does not merely pass—time is a process.  Time is a process in which God is working all things together for the good of his people according to his eternal purpose.  That is the process God works in time.

 

Psalm 105: 26: He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen….36: He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength. 37: He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

 

Exodus 12:41: And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

 

This is a picture of God making the salvation of his elect come to pass in the process of time by Christ.

 

Daniel 9:24: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

 

Galatians 4: 4: when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

 

John 12:23: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

 

Likewise, in God’s exact predestinated time he brings his child to hear the gospel and gives us life and faith in Christ.

 

Romans 8: 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

 

Galatians 1:15: But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,

 

Ezekiel 34:26: And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

 

Hosea 2: 9: Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof,…10: And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

 

Ezekiel 16: 8: Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

 

Therefore, God will continue this work until he has delivered all his people out of this Egypt into God’s promised heavenly Canaan and none shall be lost.

 

John 18:9: That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

 

Ephesians 1:10: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

 

Whatever comes to pass is God’s will by God’s sovereign rule.  God is doing it to glorify Christ. God is doing it only for you who are his elect.  God is sovereign in his purpose, over sin and in the salvation of his elect.  He shall not fail!

 

Amen!