Mickey McCall, from Luke 2:1-20. God works through the decree of the emperor to send his Son into the world! Christ’s birth is announced and celebrated, and he is worshiped and treasured. Christ the Savior has come!
Tag: the sovereignty of God
Victory and Sorrow
Cary Cox, from 2 Samuel 18:1-19:8. God gives David victory. God judges Absalom with death. The victory for the people of God comes through the sorrow of their king.
Who Has the Final Word
Cary Cox, from 2 Samuel 17. The mighty counselors advise Absalom, with the future and direction of the kingdom hanging in the balance! Yet, it is the Lord who has the final word! We look at the sovereign decrees of God – He reigns over all! Nothing is left to chance. We either fight the Lord for control, or fall at his feet in humble trust.
The Cursed King
Cary Cox, from 2 Samuel 16. As David leaves flees from Absalom, more and more layers of shame are heaped upon him as consequences of his sin. He is cursed and betrayed. Christ Jesus also walked in shame to the cross, where he bore the curse for our sin!
Job My Servant
Rick Bobbin, from Job 1-2. God is sovereign in our suffering. He has a purpose in our pain that is ultimately good for us, and for his own glory. We can trust God as we walk through suffering!
God Works in the Crazy
Cary Cox, from 2 Samuel 3-4. Everyone around David is acting like they’ve lost their minds, spinning crazy, unleashing sin and foolishness. But David is standing still. And God is at work – even in the crazy, sovereign over sin – to fulfill his good purpose. This points us to Christ! We can trust God, even when it’s crazy!
The King and the Word
Cary Cox, from 1 Samuel. To understand 2 Samuel, we need to remember what happened in 1 Samuel. In dark days, God is at work to bring in his kingdom – life and revival and a king after his own heart! His kingdom will come through his word! Saul rejects God’s word but David clings to it. To reject God’s word is to reject God!
Chosen, Known, and Loved
Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:1-2. We can stand firm in a hostile world as believers in Christ because we are the elect, God’s chosen people, according to the Father’s foreknowledge. What is God’s foreknowledge? We look at what it is not, and what it is, biblically. God sets his love and affection on us in Christ before the foundation of the world! Therefore, we have hope!
Healing and Hope
Cary Cox, from Genesis 50. Genesis ends with Joseph forgiving his brothers because of his faith in God! It ends with Joseph preaching a sermon to his family about the sovereignty of God! And it ends with God’s people, far from the promised land, waiting in faith for God to visit them and fulfill his word! Like them, we are also far from our home, waiting in faith and anchoring our hope in the word of the sovereign God!
The God-Sent Savior
Cary Cox, from Genesis 45. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and teaches them a theology lesson about the sovereignty of God! It is Joseph’s beliefs about God that shape his treatment of his brothers and enables him to forgive them!
God Humbles and Exalts
Cary Cox, from Genesis 41. After years of being humbled, in just one moment Joseph was raised to power over Egypt by God! See the sovereignty of God over individuals and nations! See the faithfulness of God to his promises! And see our responsibility to serve faithfully in whatever situation the Lord unfolds in our lives.
Sin and Sovereignty-The Blessing of Jacob
Cary Cox, from Genesis 26:34-28:9. Isaac’s family has disintegrated into sin and chaos! But God is at work in spite of them, and even through their sins, to unfold his sovereign plan of salvation for the world.
Through the Struggle
Cary Cox, from Genesis 25:1-26. As Abraham dies, God continues to work out his plan of blessing and salvation through Isaac and Rebekah. They must have faith in God through their struggles. God wants us to know that he will bring salvation, not us. He will do it his way, in his power, in his timing, for his glory!
The Lord Provides the Bride
Cary Cox, from Genesis 24. In Abraham’s old age, he secures a bride for Isaac, that the promised line of offspring may continue. We see people living their lives before God in faith – seeking his will and leading, obeying his guidance. And we see the God of providence – guiding, leading, providing, and orchestrating all things according to his will!
King Over the Flood
Cary Cox, from Genesis 7-8:19 (Genesis Study 20). The account of the Flood is written in a way to draw our attention to God himself. He is sovereign over all that is happening; he reigns as King over the Flood, Lord of the chaos, God over all! He is showcasing the glory of his wrath in judging sin, and he is displaying the glory of his mercy in saving his covenant people. We can trust him in the chaos and the storm.
The Hope of the Church – Jude Study 8
Cary Cox, from Jude 24-25. Jude closes his letter with a glorious doxology – an outburst of God-centered praise! Jude knew that the hope of the church is not in our ability to keep his instructions or get rid of false teachers. No, the hope of the church is in HIM, who is able to keep us from stumbling!
A Letter for the Church – Jude Study 1
Cary Cox, from Jude 1:1-2. Jude writes a letter to the church – those who are effectively called by God, beloved by the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ! What a privilege to be a part of the Lord’s church!
Trusting in Kings and Empty Things
Cary Cox, from 1 Samuel 12. Israel demands a king, rejecting God as their king. Samuel responds, calling them out. Anything or anyone we trust in besides the Lord is “empty” – it cannot save or satisfy! God is sovereign over world history, nations, kings, and choices. Our help and our trust is in the Lord!
God of Compassion – Jonah Study 9
Cary Cox, from Jonah 4. Jonah’s selfishness and anger is contrasted with the surprising, unstoppable compassion of God! His love is bigger than Israel, and he is glorious in his patience, kindness, and sovereignty.
God Over the Grave Part 2 – Jonah Study 5
Cary Cox, from Jonah 2:1-9. Jonah prays to God from the belly of the fish. He praises the greatness of God in his salvation, his sovereignty, and his steadfast love!
God of the Storm Part 1 – Jonah Study 2
Cary Cox, from Jonah 1:4-6. Jonah finds that he cannot run away from the word of God. And the Greater Jonah, Jesus Christ, answers the great question of God’s love for us.
Jonah and the Uncontrollable God – Jonah Study 1
Cary Cox, from Jonah 1:1-4. An introduction to the book of Jonah. Who was Jonah? Why did he run away from God? What do we learn about God? How are we like Jonah?
The Unchanging Goodness of God – James Study 5
Cary Cox, from James 1:16-18. God is good, and he consistently gives his people every good and perfect gift. By nature, God never changes, and therefore, neither does his generous goodness to us! The greatest example of his good and perfect gifts is his free choice to save us through the gospel of Jesus Christ!
The Sovereign Mercy of God – Romans Study 72
Cary Cox, from Romans 11:28-32. Paul sums up all his teaching from chapters 9-11 on Israel and the Gentiles. God’s people have hope only because of the sovereign choice of God, and his faithfulness to his promise! The glory of God’s mercy will be seen forever – both his mercy to Jews and also to Gentiles – in Christ!
The Purpose of the Potter – Romans Study 61
Cary Cox, from Romans 9:21-23. Paul explains the purpose of God, which is his pursuit of his own glory in all things. God will display his glory, both in his punishment of the wicked, and in his salvation of his chosen people in Christ. We look at the reason evil exists, and how all things will ultimately work for God’s glory and the good of his people.
Pray For Boldness – Steve Davis
Steve Davis, from Acts 4:23-31. The early church responded to persecution by praying together to the sovereign Lord for boldness!
The Unbreakable Chain – Romans Study 52
Cary Cox, from Romans 8:28-30. God has a special people, and he is working out his sovereign purpose for his people in everything that happens! We find encouragement and hope in the unbreakable chain of God’s saving purpose in Christ!
A Letter to the Exiles – Jeremiah 29
Steve Davis, from Jeremiah 29:1-14. God sent a word to his people who were in exile, through Jeremiah the prophet. God had not given up on them, even though he was disciplining them for their sins. He was unfolding a good plan for them, but it would include suffering. Consider the sovereignty of God and his great love for his people!
When God Intervenes – Joshua Study 11
Cary Cox, from Joshua chapter 9. Israel fails. They are tricked into making a peace treaty with the Gibeonites, instead of wiping them out! Yet God steps in with unexpected mercy! He is the God who intervenes and turns failures and messes into beautiful things for his glory and our good!
Kingdom66 – Parable of the Sower – Reactions to the Kingdom – Mat13 1-23
Cary Cox, from Matthew 13:1-23. Jesus begins his teaching in parables, both revealing and concealing truth according to God’s plan. Many look promising at first, but do not endure to the end or produce fruit. Which soil are you?
Kingdom61 – The Need for Revelation – Mat11 25-27
Pastor Cary Cox from Matthew 11:25-27. In these 3 short verses we see Jesus breaking out into praise, glorifying God for being the Sovereign Lord who both hides and reveals spiritual truth! We are born in a state of blindness and we desperately need God to reveal truth to us. This is done only in Christ.
Kingdom32 – Worship the Newborn King – Mat2
Pastor Cary Cox, from Matthew 2:1-12.
Matthew is telling us that with Jesus’ coming the kingdom of God has burst into this broken world. The wise men being miraculously led to the Child give us a glimpse of what God is doing: people from every tribe, tongue and nation – Gentiles! – are coming into God’s kingdom through the powerful and sovereign work of God.
The Church at Meadowlake 