Latest / Max Lucado Daily Sermons / Does God Know What He's Doing_- Minister Max Lucado

Transcript

Does God Know What He's Doing_- Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Hi friends, I'm Max Locato. Welcome to Fresh Hope. I'm
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: so glad you've joined me. We're continuing our series, Come Thirsty.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: And today I want to encourage you to immerse yourself
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: in God's lordship and quench your thirst at the well
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: of God's sovereignty. Now you may be saying, Well, that
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: sounds great, Max, but how would I do that?
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Well, let's jump in. A few days before our wedding.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: When Dina and I were living in Miami, Florida, we went.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Sailing with our good friend, Milt.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: We stretched out on cushions, hung feet over the side,
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: caught some sun and some Zs.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: It was nice.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: But then the sky darkened, the rain started, and that
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: flat ocean began to roll like a dragon's neck. Sudden
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: waves tilted us up and then down. I learned this
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: about sailing. There's nothing swell about a swell. We looked
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: to Milt, our captain. He was deliberate and decisive. He
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: told some people where to sit, others what to do,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and all of.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Us to Hang on. And we did what he said. Why?
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: We knew he knew best.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Now, before the winds, we might have boasted about Boy
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Scout merit badges or bass boat excursions. But once the
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: storm hit, we shut up. Except for my wife, Dinalyn,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: who threw up. We had no choice but to trust Milt. Oh,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: that the choice were equally easy in life. Need I
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: remind you about your westerly winds? The victims of sudden
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: storms populate unemployment lines and ICU wards and typhoons test
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: our trust in the captain. Does God know what he's doing?
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Can he get us out? Why did he allow us
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: in the storms? The conditions worsen and his instructions perplex,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: and he calls on you to endure disaster, tolerate criticism,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: forgive an enemy. How do you respond? Can you say
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: about God what I said about Milt? I know God
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: knows what's best. I know I don't. Now, such words
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: come easily when the water is calm. When you're looking
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: at a wrecked car, though, Or a suspicious looking mole?
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Do you trust him? If yes, then you're scoring high
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: marks in the classroom of sovereignty. This important biblical phrase
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: defines itself. Can you see the word within the word sovereignty?
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: To confess the sovereignty of God is to acknowledge the
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: reign of God, his regal authority and power over over
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: everything that happens. To embrace God's sovereignty is to drink
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: from the well of his lordship and make a sailboat-in-the-storm decision.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: You look toward the captain and resolve, he knows what's best.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Scripture from Old Testament to New sings one unanimous chorus.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: God directs the affairs of humanity. As the Apostle Paul
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: wrote in 1 Timothy 6 and verse 15, God is
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: and the master of all masters. No leaf falls without
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: God's knowledge. No wave crashes on the shore apart from
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: his calculation. God has never been surprised, not once, Hebrews
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: 1 and verse 3 says, The Son is sustaining all
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: things by His powerful word. And Acts 17 and verse
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: 25 says, He Himself gives life and breath to everything,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: and He satisfies every need there is. King David proclaimed
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: in Psalm 139, In your book were written all the
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: days that were ordained for me, when as yet there
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: was not one of them. That's in verse 16. Denying
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: the sovereignty of God requires taking scissors to the Bible.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: Amazingly, some people do.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Unable to reconcile human suffering with absolute sovereignty, they dilute
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: God's word. In his book, When Bad Things Happen to
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Good People, the late Rabbi Kushner reached a disturbing conclusion.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: God is strong, or God is good, but God is
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: not both. How else do you explain birth defects, hurricanes, AIDS,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: or genocide? If God cares, He isn't strong. If He
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: is strong, He doesn't care. He can't be both. But
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: according to the Bible, He is exactly that. And according
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: to the Bible, the problem is not the strength or
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: kindness of God. The problem is our agenda. Our priority
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: is good health, a good income, a good retirement. Our
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: priority is we. God's priority is God. Why do the
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: heavens exist? To flaunt God. As Psalm 19 says, the
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: heavens declare the glory of God. Why do people struggle?
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: To display his strength. Isaiah 48, 10 and 11 says,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: I have tested you in the furnace of affliction for
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: my own sake. For my own sake, I will act.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: The prophet also proclaimed, you lead your people to make
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: yourself a glorious name. Isaiah 63, 14. Heaven does not ask,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: how can I make Max happy? Heaven asks, how can
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: I use Max to reveal my excellencies? Now he may
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: use blessings. He may use suffering, but both belong to him.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Some time ago, I went to the Indianapolis airport to
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: catch a return flight to San Antonio. This was before
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: smartphones and airline apps. When I got to the terminal,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: I realized I had lost my itinerary. But that was
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: okay because I knew which airline would carry me home, United.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Having flown from San Antonio on United, I would return
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: on United, right? but the United counter was closed. With
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: the clock ticking toward my 7.40 p.m. departure, I started
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: calling for help. A nearby United employee emerged and told
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: me they didn't have a 7.40 flight. Convinced he was wrong,
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: I turned to the automated ticket machine, entered my information,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: and requested a boarding pass for the 7.40 flight.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: It informed me that there was no such thing.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: Huh.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: Wouldn't you know, even the machine was wrong. The employee,
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: much to his credit, bore with me. He told me
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: that Delta had a 740 flight and that maybe I
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: should check with them.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: Sure enough, they did.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: I had to admit the airline's schedule ranked higher than
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: my opinion. Now, I could have stood in front of
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: the United counter all night demanding my way, but what
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: good would it have done Eventually I had to submit
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: to the truth of the itinerary. Every so often in
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: life we find ourselves before God's counter, thinking we know
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: the itinerary, good health, job promotion, pregnancy. Many times God
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: checks the itinerary He created and says yes.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: But there are.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Times when He says no. We can stomp our feet,
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: we can shake our fists, or... We can make a
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: sailor in the storm decision. I know God knows what's best.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: Just ask Joseph. His brothers abused him, selling him into slavery.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Was God watching? Yes. And our sovereign God used their
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: rebellious hearts to save a nation from famine and the
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: family of the Messiah from extinction. As Joseph told them
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: in Genesis 50 and verse 20, God turned into good
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: what you meant for evil. Or ask Jesus himself. He
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: begged God for a different itinerary, a cross less death.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: From the garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded with God. Luke
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: 22 verses 42 through 43 reads, Father, if you are willing,
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: I want your will, not mine. Then an angel from
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: heaven appeared and strengthened him. Did God hear the prayer
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: of his son? Enough to send an angel. Did God
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: spare his son from death?
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: No.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: The glory of God outran the comfort even of Christ.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Christ suffered and God's grace was displayed. Are you called
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: to endure a Gethsemane season? As Philippians 1 29 says,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: have you been granted for Christ's sake not only to
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: believe in him but also to suffer for His sake?
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: If so, come thirsty and drink deeply from His Lordship.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: He authors all itineraries. He knows what is best. No
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: struggle will come your way apart from His purpose, presence,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: and permission. Isn't that encouraging? You're never the victim of fate.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: God will never abandon you in your sufferings. Isaiah 43 says,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: and through the rivers they will not overflow you. When
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: nor will the flame burn you, for I am the
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Lord your God. Friends, we live beneath the protective palm
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: of a sovereign king. So learn the song of sovereignty.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: I know God knows what's best. A word of caution.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: This doctrine of sovereignty challenges us. So don't share it
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: without empathy. When someone you love faces adversity, don't declare, oh,
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: God is in control. Well, the wrong tone can eclipse
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: the right truth. So just be careful and be encouraged.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: God's ways are always right. They may not make sense
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: to us, but they are right. I'll leave you with
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: some of the Apostle Paul's most comforting words found in
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: Romans 8, 28. And we know that God causes everything
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: to work together for the good of those who love
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: God and are called according to his purpose for them.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: I'm so thankful that we can drink deeply from the
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: well of God's good sovereignty and that no heart is
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: too dry for his touch.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: I'll be all right. You don't have to stay. If
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: you've already chosen, I won't stand in your way. I
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: can feel it in your distance In the way you
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: barely speak Like your heart is somewhere else now Somewhere
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: I can't reach.
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: I was trying just to hold us While you slowly
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: slipped away Now I'm left with all the silence You
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: didn't want to say Maybe I just held on To something.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: Already gone.
• 13:29
  Speaker 5: I'll be fine, you can leave You don't owe me
• 13:34
  Speaker 5: anything If your heart is found away Out of what
• 13:41
  Speaker 5: we used to be.
• 13:44
  Speaker 6: I'll be fine, don't look back I'll survive.
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: This empty space Not tonight, maybe not soon to be
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: okay we don't need to fake the feeling i can
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: see it in your eyes there's no reason left for
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: staying when.
• 14:13
  Speaker 6: The love already died.
• 14:18
  Speaker 4: Through the quiet in your.
• 14:26
  Speaker 6: I can hear your choice. I'll be fine.
• 14:33
  Speaker 7: You can leave.
• 14:35
  Speaker 5: You don't owe me anything.
• 14:39
  Speaker 6: If your heart has found a way.
• 14:43
  Speaker 5: Out of what we used to be I'll be fine, don't.
• 14:48
  Speaker 6: Look back I'll survive this empty space Not tonight.
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: Maybe not soon But I'll.
• 14:58
  Speaker 6: Learn to be okay I don't need a reason why
• 15:04
  Speaker 6: I can see it in goodbyes.
• 15:10
  Speaker 4: And it breaks me, it does.
• 15:12
  Speaker 6: But I won't ask you to stay.
• 15:19
  Speaker 7: I'll be fine.
• 15:21
  Speaker 6: You can't leave.
• 15:23
  Speaker 7: You don't owe me anything.
• 15:27
  Speaker 6: If your heart is found away, how do I'll be fine,
• 15:36
  Speaker 6: don't look back.
• 15:38
  Speaker 7: I'll survive this empty space Not tonight, maybe not soon
• 15:45
  Speaker 7: But I'll learn to be.
• 15:49
  Speaker 6: Okay I'll
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: Be alright