Loving God’s Sovereignty | Matthew 2:13-26 | Pastor Neil McClendon

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Matthew 2:13-26
Loving God’s Sovereignty
What it is- God’s sovereignty is the belief that God is the ultimate King, controlling
history, nature and individual lives with perfect wisdom, justice and mercy.
What it means- God’s sovereignty means He has supreme, absolute power and authority
over all creation and every event, working all things according to His ultimate will for his
glory, with nothing outside His control or knowledge, though this concept intersects with
human free will and the problem of evil, implying He allows, but doesn’t directly cause, all
negative events.

1. God’s sovereignty is relational, v. 13-15
2. God’s sovereignty is sustaining, v. 16-18

"We must simply listen to God when it comes to the sovereignty of God. We must
have God tell us what it means for him to be sovereign, lest we import limitations
or possibilities into God that he doesn’t find in himself.”

- John Piper

3. God’s sovereignty is hopeful, v. 19-23

Three reasons God’s sovereignty is hopeful...
a) It is hopeful because it reminds us that God is actively involved in all the affairs
of our lives.
- Romans 8:28-32
b) It is hopeful because sovereignty doesn’t allow moments to become bigger than
they were intended to be.
c) It is hopeful because time fills up but never runs out.
v. 15- “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I
called my son.”
v. 17- “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah...”
v. 23- And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by
the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

Mental worship...
1. Do you really believe God is for you?
2. Have you ever gone through something that you were only sustained by your
understanding of God’s sovereignty?
3. If God came to you in the context of your fears, what is the first fear He would
speak to?
4. Are you more prone to put limitations or possibilities onto God that do not exist
in God?
5. Have you allowed anything to become bigger than it was intended to be?