A Truth You Dare Not Dismiss, Part 3

Today, a powerful reminder that God is in control. His judgments are unsearchable. You see, He's infinite and we're finite. He's eternal and we're temporal.

So we're not on His level. We can't grasp the plan, and His sovereignty is bathed in wisdom and knowledge. A wisdom that's beyond us and our wisdom. A knowledge that is ahead of our knowledge. Last week, and again today, we're addressing a relevant subject, the power of God's sovereignty. You might wonder, what does sovereignty really mean? How does it impact us and what difference does it make? Well, today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along as he continues to look at a passage in the book of Daniel where this relevant issue comes to life. A proper respect for God's sovereignty will revolutionize the way you see the new year ahead. Let's pick up our study in Daniel chapter 4 about A Truth You Dare Not Dismiss. Seven years takes place in the space between the end of verse 33 and the beginning of verse 34. The king is no longer on his throne. If they did see him, they saw him roaming in the fields like an animal.

Totally insane. Seven years. And then he finally acknowledged what he had been resisting all this time in his life. After this time had passed, look at verse 34, note the pronoun change. After this time had passed, Nebuchadnezzar, you know what happens at that moment, says to Daniel, give me the stylus. I'm going to write this part. Daniel is writing the book. At this point, Nebuchadnezzar takes the stylus and now he writes in first person the balance of this chapter. I remember reading this in 1961 as if it happened yesterday morning.

It was a warm day in Northern California. The room was silent. I was all alone. And I began to shake. This really troubled me, especially when I began to read of a change in the man's life. After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, my sanity returned and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His kingdom is everlasting. His sovereignty is eternal. See the word sovereignty in your Bible? Maybe it reads that.

Look at the word closely. Right in the middle of the word is a smaller word, reign, or e-i-g-n. Hidden right in the word sovereignty is the reign, our God reigns. And Nebuchadnezzar is acknowledging that. And then verse 35, all the people of the earth or is nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And no one can stay his hand or say unto him, what are you doing? So it reads in the New American Standard Bible that had become my favorite Old Testament verse. By now I'm on my knees in my study.

Tears are pouring out of my eyes. I realize that Nebuchadnezzar's testimony is speaking volumes to me about the man I had become, self-made. You would not have known me back then. You wouldn't have recognized the person that you think is me.

Or you now know is me. I poured out my heart to the Lord. I said to him, please forgive me. That was a life-changing experience that drew me ultimately to this doxology in Romans chapter 11.

I haven't forgotten that we're going there, so please turn. Romans 11, 33 to 36. Paul has been dealing with the great doctrines of salvation. The salvation of the Jews and the salvation of the Gentiles. The election of those who are to be born again. The predestination of God's hand in the lives of others. I know some of you hear those words and you cringe because you don't understand.

You don't cringe when you understand that God's election is something to embrace, that his sovereignty is something that holds you close and gives you rest and peace and takes away your worries. You don't lie awake at night restless and turning and struggling and twisting over the details of life that you can't put together. He's putting life together and your need is to fit into what he is doing and how he is putting it together.

Look at this doxology. He comes to the end of that great doctoral section and he writes this, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways. When God makes decisions, they're called judgments.

When God has a plan, they're called his ways. His judgments are unsearchable and his ways are unfathomable. Meaning you can never get to the bottom of them.

When you try to explain them, you can't explain them fully. You can't grasp fully what he's up to and how he led the way he's led because his judgments are unsearchable. You see, he's infinite and we're finite. He's eternal and we're temporal.

So we're not on his level. We can't grasp the plan and his sovereignty is bathed in wisdom and knowledge, a wisdom that's beyond us and our wisdom, a knowledge that is ahead of our knowledge. You can't get enough degrees to learn that much that God knows. This is a truth that's very hard for the very well educated to grasp because in your process of getting a great education, you have probably become proud.

Not for sure, but quite likely. You're proud of your achievements. Humanly speaking, you certainly have a reason to be grateful for having learned this much, but spiritually speaking, you have no reason for pride. You can't begin to plumb the depths of his knowledge. You can't explain to this family who's lost a child why their child died and their child lives. Why her husband passed and her husband lives. Why this individual got well and this one became increasingly more sick.

Why that lady, when she swam, hit her head, broke her neck and is now paralyzed and this person's been swimming all his life and never once hurt himself. How does that all work together? You don't know. You can't explain it. And you're wise if you pause and say much of this, we live with God. And I'm not trying to cop out. I'm trying to be honest with you. Finally, finally, I got to the place where I could say I don't know. Now I've really begun to master that phrase. I'll tell you, I don't hesitate at all.

Not infrequently do I say, I just got a phone call just two weeks ago from a man struggling with a very difficult situation. I won't get into any of the details, but when we were halfway through it, he said, why has all this happened? I said, I don't know. He poured out his life and told me the details as best he could. And he said, but then he named so-and-so is a really good friend. He said, their life has been like a downhill slide.

But look at mine. I say, I know, I understand. You see, when you embrace this, it doesn't mean that a fairy tale kicks in.

Everything, you don't live happily ever after. The tests we went through in the latter part of our two years at Dallas Seminary, you wouldn't believe. And it led right on into more in the years to come.

Is he sovereign? Absolutely. If I'd not believed that, I'd have tossed it in. I wouldn't have pursued ministry. But you see, I realized that I'm not in charge. Let me see if I can get to, yeah, a definition. Here is my, and bear with me, I wish I could do it in a few words.

I can't. So rather than my wandering all over, let me just read you the result of hours of my study. Let me just read you what I've written.

Sovereignty means our all-wise, all-knowing God reigns over us in realms beyond our comprehension to bring about his plans that are beyond our ability to start, to alter, to hinder, to fully understand, or to stop. Let me amplify that. God's plan includes all gains and losses.

Adversity, tragedy and calamity, as well as prosperity, blessings and joy. Healings, and those who are not healed, remember that. Don't ever promise someone he or she will be healed. You don't know that.

And the Bible doesn't teach that. God's sovereign hand determines that. His plans include illness as much as health, perilous and threatening times, as well as great comfort, safety, and ease. His plans are at work when we cannot imagine why, because it is so convoluted and unpleasant, like last week.

As much as when life is filled with delight and pleasure, which we don't deserve. His sovereignty, being inscrutable, has dominion over all hardships, heartaches, helplessness, broken dreams, disappointments, disabilities, and lingering, painful difficulties. His sovereignty lifts up certain ones and promotes them to places of public prominence, while reducing others to obscurity and anonymity. I do not know why some are promoted and some are demoted.

I do not know why some are elected in and some are voted out. I do not know. I cannot explain it, except it is in his plan. When we cannot explain why, he knows. When we fail to grasp the reasons, he understands fully.

When we cannot see light at the long tunnel, the end of the long tunnel, he is there nevertheless, urging us on. All of these things, and that's just brief, there are volumes written on this, but that's a brief overview. All of these things I've read lead us to the three questions at the end of the chapter.

All three questions had the same answer. Look at them. Verse 34, who can know the Lord's thoughts? Nobody.

Second question, who knows enough to give him advice? Nobody. Now, we sometimes do, don't we? We feel like we need to remind God of certain things, and I think he's very patient to put up with us at those times, rather than turn us into a black little crisp, burning up at the point right there in front of him. He graciously puts up with us when we try to advise him.

No one can advise God. And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? Nobody. All three questions are answered with nobody.

Nobody. And then look at how it ends. For everything comes from him, so he is the original source of all things from him. And God alone is the sustainer.

Look at the next phrase. Everything exists by his power, comes from him, exists by his power. And third, God is the goal of it all. And for his glory, everything is intended. All glory to him forever. Amen. John O. W. Stott has a great statement he writes in his book on Romans. He is the Alpha and the Omega and every letter of the alphabet in between.

I like that. He's all of this. He's everything.

You sing it whether you remember what you've sung or not. You are my all in all. You are everything. You are my hope, my future. You are my reason for existence.

You are my source of joy and the one in whom I trust. Sovereignty of God was what I had failed to acknowledge until that day. And since then, and it's been now soon to be 60 years, I've finally come to accept it and I commend it to you without hesitation. Early on, I was a worrier.

I felt like I needed to explain everything that was happening. I was often proud of my achievements and I look for ways to get credit for my accomplishments. I say to my shame, having seen what I've now seen out of Daniel 4 and Romans 11, I will say these four statements. Number one, the sovereignty of God has relieved me from anxiety and many worries I would otherwise have had. I really do not twist and turn before I fall asleep at night. And I often have many things in my mind, but I'm able to say finally, they're yours. When I awaken, I hope you will help me with answers that I don't have right now.

Give me the sleep I need. Second, the sovereignty of God has released me from explaining why. I said that earlier and I want to underscore it because we who study the scriptures are often looked upon as kind of a Bible answer person. I'm not that.

You're not that either. God's the answering one. Sovereignty of God has released me from explaining all the profound issues. I can explain some of them, but many of them I leave with him and I do so with relief. I want to emphasize this third one and I've got to be careful how I say it.

It could come across the wrong way. The sovereignty of God has restrained me from arrogance. I have a number of sins that I wrestle with, a number of problems that still are mine and I have to fight through and work out with God. Still have an old sin nature, but arrogance is not one of them. Envy is not one of them. I don't know of another person I envy. I don't know of another pastor that I'm jealous of.

None. It's a major problem in the pastorate envy. Churches grow and other churches don't. When your church doesn't, you often envy the one who has a church that grows. Growth is up to God. Paul planted another water, but God gave the increase.

Size is up to him. I'm so grateful to be delivered from that constant battle that plagues the ministry and that's who's got the biggest church? Who's got the most disciples? Who's written the most books?

Who's on top of this or on top of that? Please. I'm very comfortable away from the bright lights. My role is to be in the lights often and as soon as I can step out of them, the more comfortable. I don't desire the lights. I don't long for attention. So the sovereignty of God has restrained me from that. And like I said, it's hard to say that sounds like it's kind of bragging. I don't mean it to be bragging. I'm just confessing to you. There was a time when I really was that and I was envious and I was jealous that they could tell you stories about ruined our engagement. I was so jealous.

I look back on that and it's just so stupid to be jealous, to be envious. And then fourth, the sovereignty of God has reminded me that he's always in charge. Key word, always. Okay?

Always. Otherwise, he's almost sovereign. There ain't no such thing. Like saying I'm almost a husband.

Believe me, I'm not almost a husband. Or like saying I'm almost a man or I'm almost the pastor here. He's either God or he's not. I love the words of Michael W. Smith who said in one of his concerts, God is God and I am not. Beautiful way to put it.

God and God alone. Bow with me, please. As you bow your head, I'm going to take advantage of the moment and say, wherever your heart is right now, force yourself to think back. Just as I remembered a date in my life, can you remember a time, maybe you can't name the date, can you remember the time when you gave Jesus your heart, your life? Remember when you did that? If you can't, you probably haven't, because you don't forget that time. Nebuchadnezzar will never forget that moment when you realize he's not in charge. You remember when you gave your life to Christ?

Great. If you can't, turn your life over to Christ right now. He's not willing that any should perish, but the truth is some will because he doesn't force you to believe. You've got a will in this and you've got to determine, am I going to give my life to Christ or am I going to reject him? If you reject him, you will suffer the consequences and they're dreadful throughout eternity.

So trust in him now. And you'll know the joy of sins forgiven, a secure home in heaven, and the pleasure of walking with him as he leads you from one day to the next. Now Lord, meet with us in a very special way as we come before you. Thank you for accepting his sacrifice and hearing our prayer as we acknowledge him as our Lord and Master. Thank you for the gift of eternal life.

Amen. As you've listened today, maybe you've come to realize that you've never taken the step Chuck Swindoll just described. Insight for Living prepared a webpage designed to help you learn more. Please, while God is prompting you to draw near to him, take a few minutes to stop by.

You'll find a variety of helpful and free resources at insight.org slash how to know God. Our topic today, a truth you dare not dismiss. It's the final message in a special series from Chuck Swindoll. And to learn more about this ministry, just visit insightworld.org. Well, right now, I'd like to give you a preview of what's ahead in the coming programs, because you'll be pleased to learn that Chuck's upcoming series, Walking with Integrity in Times of Adversity, will help us understand how to navigate the days in which we live.

And to build his case, Chuck will look at our biblical heroes, people like Daniel, Noah, and Joseph. So be sure to join us for this brand new study, Walking with Integrity in Times of Adversity. And then before we wrap up today's message, let me remind you that we're deeply grateful to those who have given generously to support this ministry. To give a donation today, just give us a phone call. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888. Or if you're online, just visit insight.org slash donate. Join us when Chuck Swindoll begins a brand new series, Walking with Integrity in Times of Adversity, Tuesday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, A Truth You Dare Not Dismiss, and the sound recording were copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.