Acts chapter 4, it really is from verses 23 onwards, I think it's the first prayer recorded in Acts.
! It's the first major crisis certainly. Peter and John have been imprisoned, they've been threatened, they've been warned to stop preaching in the name of Christ.
And then verse 23, when they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them, and when they heard it, they lifted up their voices together to God.
And the substance of this prayer, as someone has described, really is the basic conviction of the whole Bible.
I think it is probably the central theme of the whole Bible, and that is the conviction that God is sovereign.
And that he reigns, and he rules as king and as lord over the whole universe that he's created.
And that he sits today on the throne.
And that God exercises absolute sovereign control over the whole created order, and over the whole historical process.
And that is the conviction that underlies this prayer, and I want to argue truly undergirds the whole teaching of the Bible.
It is indeed, in many ways, the central Christian conviction.
That God our Saviour reigns enthroned in glory.
And so the prayer begins, doesn't it, in verse 24, sovereign Lord.
That is the conviction that God is on the throne, and that he is overruling even the wrath of his enemies that we've seen at the start of chapter 4.
He's overruling even the wrath of his enemies to his own purpose.
And that was vital, wasn't it, for the apostles to understand at that particular stage.
But it's equally vital for you and I to understand it.
It is the answer, isn't it, to one of the basic questions of the human heart.
Francis Schaeffer says that this question grumbles under the skin of every thinking man.
The question of to whom does ultimate power belong.
Is there any controlling hand on the apparent madness of the world in which we live?
When you look at history with all the seeming chaos and confusion and foolishness.
Is it possible that there is a sovereign hand controlling everything?
In the history of this world.
Or personally, is this the answer to the question that burns in all our hearts, sometimes more acutely than at other times.
Is it really true that God is working all things together for good to those who love him?
Is God really sovereign over my personal circumstances today, right now?
And they are crucial questions.
And they are answered by two questions addressed to God in verse 24.
Sovereign Lord, they call him.
And the rest of this prayer in Acts 4 is really an extension of that conviction.
The apostles take everything that is contained in those two words, sovereign Lord, and they unpack it.
And they do so in four ways.
First of all, do you see the sovereign Lord of creation?
Look at verse 24.
Sovereign Lord who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything through them.
And then they address God as the sovereign Lord of history.
Verse 25.
Who through the mouth of our father David said by the Holy Spirit,
Why did the Gentiles rage and the people's plot in vain?
The kings of the earth have set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.
They are speaking of God's sovereign rule in history.
And thirdly, they address God as the sovereign Lord of redemption.
Look at verses 27 and 28.
For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus,
whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, among the Gentiles and the people of Israel,
to do whatever your hand and your plan would have predestined to take place.
And finally in verses 29 to 30, you see the sovereign Lord of the contemporary scene.
And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants and continue to speak your word with all boldness
while you stretch out your hand to heal.
And signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
God is the sovereign Lord above all things.
And that is the conviction that lies behind all true Christian prayer.
And when we come to God and we wait on him and we pray to him and cry to him as these men did in Acts 4,
the basic conviction we have is as we plead with God in such a situation or in any situation,
it's that God reigns sovereignly over all the affairs of men and of nations,
of heaven and earth and hell.
And we come to him on that basis.
As the sovereign Lord so that we might think aright and live aright and pray aright.
So first of all, the sovereign Lord of creation, verse 24.
Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them.
That's the first thing that persuades these apostles of God's unlimited power and sovereignty.
They are persuaded of his sovereignty when they look at God's acts in creation.
Here they are in the midst of a situation where fear is entered into their hearts.
Obviously by reason of the opposition that they've experienced.
The threats are still sounding in their ears.
And what they're saying now as they come to plead with God,
they are reminding themselves that God is sovereign in creation.
They say you are the Lord who's formed this universe in which we live.
You've given life and breath to these very men that are our enemies.
You are the Lord who keeps them alive.
You are the Lord who's made all that is and that enables them to plead with God.
And to press him concerning their particular need.
It's one of the great basis of our thinking about God.
That he is the sovereign Lord of creation.
And if he has the power to create the heavens and earth,
then he is able to act in your situation.
And you are able to go and say to him,
look upon us now Lord.
You see creation is presented in the Bible as a sovereign act of God.
He speaks as kingly creator.
And he brings into being out of nothing all that is made.
That's why the doctrine of creation is so vital for us in our understanding of God,
in our thinking about the world,
and in our thinking about prayer.
The whole doctrine of creation is fundamental in its importance for us.
Because again and again,
this is the argument that people in the Bible use when they come into God's presence.
To plead with him again and again.
So let's go to Jeremiah chapter 32.
We're going to go to a couple of passages tonight.
As I said, I haven't got page numbers.
So Jeremiah 32.
It's a big book right in the middle of the Bible.
Don't be embarrassed if you can't find it.
Jeremiah chapter 32.
Okay?
Jeremiah 32.
And they come to God and they plead with God.
As for God who is first sovereign in creation.
And so Jeremiah, this great prophet,
he cries to the Lord in 32 and verses 16 to 20.
He says,
Our pride given the deed of purchase to Barak the son of Neriah,
I prayed to the Lord saying,
Our Lord God,
it is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power
and by your outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you.
You should steadfast love to thousands,
but you repay the guilt of fathers,
their children after them.
O great and mighty God,
whose name is the Lord of hosts,
great in counsel,
and mighty in deed,
whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man,
rewarding each one according to his ways
and according to the fruit of his deeds.
You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt
to this day in Israel and among all mankind
and have made a name for yourself as this day.
Now do you see how this vision of God that he has
as the sovereign Lord who has called creation into being,
it makes such a difference, doesn't it,
to people thinking.
But it's not only used by people as an argument
as they plead with God,
it is used by God as an argument
to persuade his people to trust him.
So if you remember in Isaiah,
the prophecy of Isaiah,
God comes to his people who are,
they are wilting in the midst of all the difficulties
and tribulations
through which he passed
and he says to them,
lift up your eyes on high and see.
What is it that they're to see?
It's Isaiah chapter 40.
Isaiah chapter 40.
What vision is it that
Isaiah longs that they might have?
It's Isaiah 40 verses 25 to 28.
To whom will you compare me?
That I should be like him,
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who created these.
He who brings out their hosts by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might.
And because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
my way is hidden from the Lord
and my right is disregarded by my God?
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends of the earth.
Now do you see what God is doing?
He's using the doctrine of creation
and his sovereignty in creation
to persuade his people to trust him.
Now here's what the apostles are doing
when they come into God's presence
and you'll see how immensely relevant
all of this is
to the mood of so many of us today.
We're so easily, secretly despondent
and discouraged.
So many of us are bowed down
and weighed down.
And in a sense,
we're always on the defensive.
And so we greatly need in our generation
an opening of our eyes
to see the great glory
and the majesty of God as the creator.
There's an awesomeness, isn't there,
to creation that does us good.
And so go to the lake district
and stand on the hills
and look at them.
Go to South Wales.
See the valleys.
Stand on the beach
and look at the sea.
I don't know what it is that does it for you.
That's what does it for me.
You stand and you look at the power of the sea.
And there will be times
when you will feel your soul exalted.
And God means us to do that.
To find our hearts lifted up
with a sense of the sheer majesty of God
who by his word
has called all of this into being.
And I tell you what I think
that the kingly Lord
who created that infinite beauty
is the same God
who is setting about his purpose
of creating in me,
of creating Christ in me.
Well that is a great encouragement, isn't it?
Francis Schaeffer again said
our generation has a unique capacity
of thinking great thoughts of men
and petty thoughts of God.
And so we need to see him
as the sovereign Lord of creation.
Secondly in verses 25 and 26 of Acts 4
we need to see him
as the sovereign Lord of history.
And these two verses
they are a quotation
from Psalm 2.
It's one of the most quoted psalms
in the New Testament.
And one commentator writes this.
He says this psalm bears witness
to a God who is present
and active in world history.
And who knows how to make himself
respected
by those who don't want to give it.
And he accomplishes his purpose
even though men rebel against him.
The immediate picture of Psalm 2
is there's a king
and there's a king who is
in his accession
to the throne.
An anointing of a new king.
A king whom God has chosen
as much property
and David himself.
And there's the rebellion
of kings and the rulers
of the earth
against this earthly king.
And that rebellion
the psalmist sees
actually is a rebellion
against the Lord
and against his anointage.
And so the apostles
they recollect this psalm
and they interpret it correctly.
The idea of the rage
in nations
and the vaunting
of human beings
against God
is ludicrous.
Because he who sits
in the heavens
will laugh at them.
He will hold them
in derision.
The idea of man
rebelling against
the king of kings
and lord of glories
is ludicrous.
Because the Lord
is the one who reigns
and whose government
over the affairs
of men and nations
will be vindicated.
Whatever the scene
in the world
whatever the rage
of men against God
however men
choose to ignore him
he who sits
in the heavens
will have the last word.
And so to whom
does ultimate power belong?
I really hope
you're clear on this.
It does not reside
in Washington
or in London
or in Moscow
or in Beijing.
It resides on the throne
of the Lord God
omnipotent
on whose shoulders
the government
has been placed.
Let me quote again
from another commentator
on the psalm.
What the psalmist sees
is that the centre
of history
is no longer
the struggle
of the great powers
but God
whose relationship
with the earthly powers
will determine
their destiny.
His vision of history
is theocentric.
And that's
an unfamiliar word
so we don't use
that word very much
but all it means
is this
that God
is at the centre
of history.
How do you see that?
And when you read
at the BBC
online
when you watch
the news
and the chaos
of Brexit
do you see at all
that God
is at the centre
of history
God's
this conviction
of God's lordship
of history
in these two
similar ways
it is used
by the people
of God
as a source
of strength
and a bullhook
to their confidence
in God
so in 2 Chronicles 20
I won't make you
go there
but Jehoshaphat
the king
he had news
of the impending
disaster
that was about
to come upon
his people
and as he saw
the Moabites
and the Ammonites
coming upon them
he heard words
that there was
a great multitude
coming against you
from Edom
and Jehoshaphat
feared
and set himself
to seek the Lord
and Judah
assembles
to seek help
from the Lord
and Jehoshaphat
stood in the assembly
of Judah
and Jerusalem
and he cried out this
he said
O Lord
God of our fathers
are you not
God in heaven
you rule
of the kingdoms
of the nations
in your hand
are power
and might
so that none
is able
to withstand you
and that is
the conviction
of a man
who has come
to see that
ultimate power
belongs to God
not to men
but again
it's also used
by God
to persuade
men and women
to trust him
and so you
find again
and again
don't you
when you read
the Old Testament
that God
recalls history
it's a significant
thing
and you find
God doing that
again and again
and again
God will say
I am the God
of Abraham
and Isaac
and Jacob
I am the Lord
your God
who brought you
out of the land
of slavery
and into the land
of promise
and he goes on
to recount
doesn't he to them
how he has ordered
their circumstances
and how he has
knocked aside
their enemies
and how he has
cast down kings
and men
who rebel
against him
and opened a way
for his people
what's he doing
he's not merely
giving them
a history lesson
he's giving them
a lesson
in God's sovereignty
in history
and so therefore
he appeals to them
that now
in this situation
they will trust
and obey him
because he's
the sovereign
lord of history
that's true
in our personal
history isn't it
no one in the
bible speaks
as clearly
or powerfully
about this
than Joseph does
so his brothers
come to him
don't they
when he's in Egypt
right at the end
of Genesis
with their sorry
story of treachery
and cruelty
and that begins
to be poured out
and they find out
don't they
that their sin
well has been
found out
and Joseph
looks at them
and even as
he speaks
of that kind
of experience
in his life
he says in
Genesis 50
you meant it
for evil to me
but God meant it
for good
do you see the point
he had seen
that God was not
just the sovereign
lord of history
I can level up
the hair
in general
but he is the
sovereign lord
of history
personally
and that leads
us to the third
way they address
God
he's not only
sovereign lord
of creation
and of history
but he's also
the sovereign lord
of redemption
look at verses 27
and 28
because the apostle
looks at Psalm 2
and he sees that
it's a messianic
psalm
that it's about
Christ
they believed
that the psalmist
sang better than
he knew
and more than
he thought
but what was he
singing about
he was really
singing about
the exalted
king of kings
and lord of lords
the lord Jesus
Christ
against whom
the nations
of the earth
still rage
and they would
plot and
divide
his downfall
and so we
move from
history in
general
to the
history of
redemption
in particular
and here
above
everywhere else
they see
God
turning the
wrath of
men to
praise him
and to
bless us
verse 27
for truly
in this city
this place
where we are
they were
gathered
together
against
your holy
servant
Jesus
whom they
anointed
whom you
anointed
and both
Herod and
Pondis
Pilate along
with the
Gentiles and
the people
of Israel
to do
whatever your
hand and
your plan
are predestined
to take
place
he shuts
the scene
he says
this is the
stage of
where it
happened
where the
lord Jesus
was brought
to trial
and judgment
now what
was really
happening
there
this is
what the
apostles
are grasping
and they
are leading
us into
the sovereignty
of God
in our
redemption
what was
happening
in Jerusalem
when Jesus
died
is it to be
explained by
Herod and
Pontius Pilate
and the people
of Israel
and the Gentiles
and the raging
of men
and the gnashing
of teeth
and the anger
of the crowd
and the cruelty
of the Roman
soldiers
is that how
it's all to be
explained
just a tragic
miscarriage
justice
knowing Jesus
listen
he says
verse 27
he says
to do whatever
your hand and
your plan
predestined
to take place
doesn't mean
that God
was the author
of wickedness
and evil
what it means
is this
that God
rules in the
midst
of his
enemies
and when
they do
their wicked
will
they are
fulfilling
his purpose
when they do
their wicked
worst
they are
mere tools
for his
high and
blessed
purpose
and that's
what's happening
at Calvary
it's not that
men have done
this
it's that
God
gave him
up
and the
initiative
in all
that was
happening
there on
Calvary
was God's
they are
saying
aren't they
Lord it
was you
sovereign
Lord who
was presiding
at Golgotha
the real
king was
Jesus
and Jesus
brings this
home
doesn't he
to Pilate
do you
remember how
little
Pontius
find us
full of his
own self
importance
and full of
his own
authority
he trots
around in
front of
Jesus
and he
says
do you
not know
I have
power to
release you
and power
to crucify
you
I would
love
to have
seen his
face
wouldn't
you
when Jesus
says to him
you have
no power
over me
except it
was given
you by
God
and Pilate
and Herod
and the
people of
Israel
and the
Gentiles
and the
Roman
soldiers
they are
instruments
of God's
infinite
grace
in the
glorious
plan of
redemption
but it
encompassed
some of
the darkest
hours of
human history
and I guess
that's what
these
apostles are
saying
it is
out of
that
infinite
darkness
that God
could bring
our full
salvation
and what
might he
not bring
out of
this hour
and our
struggles
at this
time
and that
speaks to
us of
God's
sovereignty
in accomplishing
our
redemption
scripture
also tells
us that
God is
sovereign
in applying
redemption
as well
and that
is a
glorious
kind of
authority
and motivation
we have
in evangelism
that it
is God
who is
drawing
people
to
Christ
that it
is God
who is
the author
of salvation
that it
is God
who prepares
people's
hearts
and I'm
sure it
was a new
vision of
that that
gave these
men heart
to go out
and with
great power
we read
in verse
33
great power
the apostles
were giving
their testimony
to the
resurrection
of the Lord
Jesus
and great
grace was
upon them
all
sovereign
lord over
creation
over history
over redemption
and finally
let's see
sovereign lord
over the
contemporary
scene
it's not
merely true
of the past
is it
it's not
something they
look back on
as a kind of
curious freak
of history
it's the most
relevant reality
for the
contemporary
situation
in which
they find
themselves
and it
is for
us
this
evening
and so
they say
now lord
look upon
our
present
situation
and on
account of
your
sovereign
lordship
in creation
and history
and redemption
look upon
our present
situation
and grant
your servants
boldness
to speak
your word
and stretch
out your
hand
to heal
and signs
and wonders
because the
character of
God does
not change
they may
now appeal
to him
for their
present
situation
this is the
God who is
not the
great I
was
but the
great I
am
he is
the unchanging
God who is
in sovereign
control
who is able
to touch
the present
situation
of his
children's
lives
and to
bring them
into that
glorious
assurance
that here
is a
God who
does all
things
well
and so
what I
want to do
is I
want to
close and
I want to
give you
three words
this week
which I
think are
the application
of the
doctrine of
the sovereignty
of God
that help
us in our
own lives
three words
that we
need to
ask God
to write
on our
hearts
from this
passage
and from
this
doctrine
the first
is rest
do you
see the
significant
thing is
that because
God
reigns
we may
rest
in him
and we
may rest
in his
wisdom
and in
his
power
and in
his
sovereignty
Jeremiah
says in
his prayer
doesn't he
there is
nothing
too hard
for you
and so
we may
therefore
rest
in God
the
sovereignty
of God
is the
doctrine
above all
else
which brings
rest
into the
hearts
and minds
of believers
I was at a
minister's
conference once
and he said
to me
he was
berating
ministers
that don't
take a
day off
and he
says it's
an extraordinary
thing how
we have
the view
that the
almighty
is incapable
of looking
after his
cause
while we
take a
day off
and it's
an amazing
thing isn't
it how we
can find a
lack of
rest and
what is
behind that
is because
we have a
lack of
confidence in
God's
absolute
sovereign
control
it's like
when you
go on
holiday and
you say to
the person
who's driving
do you
mind if I
sleep
while you
watch the
road
while you
drive
it's like
we imagine
God needs
us to
kind of
help us
to keep
our eye
on things
for him
in all
kind of
circumstances
we need
to learn
what it
is to
rest in
the
Lord
because
he is
the
sovereign
one
second
word is
hope
and this
is what
transformed
the attitude
of the
apostles
in the
early
church
and they
were
overwhelmed
they were
outnumbered
certainly
and it
seemed
that there
was nothing
but despair
it's
precisely
the same
sense in
the modern
world
secular
society
and secular
men and
women and
boys and
girls are
obsessed with
despair
for all the
nonsense of
believing in
yourself
there's very
very little
hope in
our world
why is that
well it's
because they
do not know
God
and it's
because they're
blind to the
fact that
our God
reigns in
glory
and ultimate
power belongs
to him
and you and
I need to
live in the
light of that
solid glorious
hope
it's not the
kind of hope
that has
doubt attached
to it
I hope it's
a sunny day
next Saturday
for the
barbecue
but we know
full well it
might not be
but the
confidence of
the hope of
the gospel
is certain
and there's
this is true
of personal
life too
isn't it
because the
sovereign
control of
God upon
the lives
of his
people too
is such
that all
things work
together
for the
good of
those who
love him
so do you
believe
that this
evening
do you
believe that
there's not
an area of
your life
not an
atom of
your experience
which God
is not
controlling
altogether
for your
good and
his glory
there may
be very
difficult
things in
your life
and there
may be a
family situation
which you're
finding very
difficult
there may
be enormous
health concerns
you may be
very very
unhappy in
work at the
moment
but there's
not an area
of your life
not an atom
of your
experience
which God
is not
controlling
together for
your good
and his
glory
that's what
this doctrine
implies
rest
hope
and then the
last thing is
obedience
God's
kingly rule
is always
personal
and the
sovereignty
of God
is not a
doctrine
to be held
in isolation
from a
servant's
obedience
we may
not claim
in a kind
of critical
abstract
clinical
theoretical
sense
the primary
aim of this
doctrine
is upon
the glad
bowing
of every
area of
life
before him
as king
of lord
crown him
the lord
of life
and if
rest and
hope are
the comfort
of this
doctrine
obedience is
the challenge
of it
the lord is
king
is he
really
is he
king over
every area
of your life
this evening
or are you
among those
who rebel
against the
lord
you conspire
against him
thinking he
can't see you
thinking he
doesn't know
against his
anointed in
some area of
your life
god give us
obedience
god give us
hope
god give us
rest
let's pray
a