The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family

Divine Sovereignty Applied

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2004-02-08

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Luke 4:16–30, showing that while people admire gracious words about God's sovereignty, they become angry when that sovereignty is applied. He draws five implications: God owes nothing to anyone; God is free in His distinguishing grace; God owes no explanations; human unbelief hinders reception of grace; and God's sovereignty extends universally. The sermon warns that truth embitters those it does not convert and that familiarity can breed contempt for spiritual privileges.

[John Weaver] And we're going to be reading verses 16 through 30, Luke four, beginning there, verse 16. And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

[John Weaver] He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book and he sat down and he closed the book and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

[John Weaver] Luke four, verse twenty one. And he began to say to them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. For they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said of them, You will surely say to me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

[John Weaver] But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months. when great famine was throughout all the land. But none of them was Elias sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Zidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was clean, saving Naaman the Syrian.

[John Weaver] And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and let him under the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them, went his way. The message I want to bring today is entitled Divine Sovereignty Applied. Divine Sovereignty Applied. One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is the concept of God's sovereignty. It's difficult to grasp it, not only because we do not understand the nature and the person of God, but moreover, it is difficult because man by nature does not want God to be sovereign. Yet the truth remains there can only be one sovereign. There can only be one ultimate, there can only be one absolute, and that one ultimate sovereign and absolute is God and not man. Now when I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases.

[John Weaver] God is subject to none, influenced by none, and is absolutely independent. The sovereignty of God means that God is God in fact, and not just in name only. When we talk about the sovereignty of God, it just simply means this, that God is on the throne of His universe directing, controlling, and working everything out according to the counsel of His own will. The sovereignty of God is the supremacy of God in exercise.

[John Weaver] Now, there are numerous scriptures that teach us this truth. For instance, Psalm 115 and verse 3. You don't have to turn there, but here's what the Word of God says. But our God is in the heavens. He had done whatsoever He had pleased. You know what God does? Whatever He's pleased to do. The Bible in Daniel 4 and verse 35 says this, But He doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? Now, the truth of God's sovereignty is distasteful to fallen man because fallen man wishes to be God Himself. Men will always admire gracious words, especially concerning God's sovereignty, until that sovereignty is applied. And then all of a sudden, they're going to be extremely irritated and extremely angry with the messenger who is giving the truth of God's sovereignty. So long as the gospel is preached with sweet words, the godless will always put up with it.

[John Weaver] But as soon as the application is made, The best appearing of them was usually verse 4 with anger. Look in verse 22. Luke 4 verse 22, And all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? Now note, all had to bear witness of the gracious words that proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus Christ. Let's skip down to verse 28.

[John Weaver] After he tells them two simple stories, And all day in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. So on the one hand, they had to admit there was gracious words, but all of a sudden, when they began to see the application of those gracious words, there was anger. Regardless of the anger and the cruelty of men, this one fact still stands. God is still sovereign.

[John Weaver] Now, let me today give you, first of all, the background of this message. Look in verse 16. Luke four, verse 16, and he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. Now, our Lord returns to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Matthew chapter 2, verses 22 through 23, tells us that after Joseph and Mary came out of Egypt, they dwelt in Nazareth. Now, it's important to understand that the people of Nazareth considered Jesus Christ to be their hometown boy. They knew him. They knew his family.

[John Weaver] And if one listens to them, why? In all practicality, they raised Him. I mean, He was their hometown boy.

[John Weaver] Now, Christ already had a reputation for being an excellent preacher. Look in Luke 4, verse 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about, and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. So, once again, he already has this tremendous testimony of being an excellent speaker and a tremendous preacher. While Matthew 7 verse 29 tells us, they taught the people with authority and not as the scribes and the Pharisees.

[John Weaver] So, his hometown friends, by the way, listen carefully to this now, his hometown, his friends, his relatives, and sentimentality did not stop him from doing his duty or fulfilling his responsibility. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue to read and to preach as he always did. Now, in the sovereign providence of God, when he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, there was delivered unto him the scroll of Isaiah. He read from the passage in Isaiah of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. Now Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2 is quoted for us in Luke 4 verses 18 and 19. Look what he read. Verse 18. Here's what he read when he read from the book of Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

[John Weaver] He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of the sight to the blind. to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Now, our Lord goes a little further. Look in verse 20. And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, This day is the Scripture fulfilled in your ears. Now, at first, all eyes were upon Christ. All ears were open unto his words. And they had to concede that out of his mouth proceeded gracious words. They were spellbound temporarily. Even when Christ stated that he was the personification of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. But as they sat there with their eyes fastened upon Christ, their ears opened, spellbound, all of a sudden something clicked in their minds and they asked in verse 22, and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

[John Weaver] Now, what in the world is the implication of that question? They were sitting there, spellbound, confessing and admitting that gracious words were proceeding forth from his lips. And all of a sudden, this question comes into their mind. Is not this Joseph's son? Well, let me show you what that question implies. Whole Luke chapter four. But look in your Bibles to Matthew 13 and then to Mark six. We're going to Matthew 13 first and then we're going to Mark six. Matthew 13, and let's begin reading there with verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. And when he was coming to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue insomuch that they were astonished and said, let's have this man this wisdom and these mighty works. Now watch. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, and his sisters?

[John Weaver] Are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

[John Weaver] Now note, they asked, Is not this the carpenter's son? That's the same thing. Is not this Joseph's son? Notice, is not his family here, all of his brothers, his sisters, while they're with us? Where did this man get all these things? Where did he get this knowledge from? Where did he get this authority from? And they were offended in him. Look in Mark chapter 6, beginning there with verse 1. You'll see the same truth. Let me read it for emphasis because I want you to see the explanation. Mark chapter 6 verse 1, and he went out from fence and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, For whence hath this man these things?

[John Weaver] And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph of Judah, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick, and healed them.

[John Weaver] And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around about the villages teaching."

[John Weaver] Now, to be offended in the sense of Matthew 13 and Mark chapter 6 means this. that you see in one that which you disapprove of and that you cannot submit to or acknowledge his authority.

[John Weaver] Now notice what they were doing. We know this boy. This is the son of Joseph. His father was a carpenter. We know Mary. We know his brothers. We know his sisters. We know the whole thing. Where did this boy get all this knowledge? Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get this power? Who does he think he is? I could never submit to someone that I practically helped raise. You see their mentality? Bluntly stated, they could not acknowledge nor could they imagine that their hometown boy could have the power and the authority that Christ was wielding. It just could not be. It was their unbelief that exposed their ignorance of Christ. And it was their unbelief which refused to allow them to acknowledge his authority. So here's the background. Christ has come to his own hometown. And folks say, look, he's our hometown boy. I just can't believe the authority and the power that he's claiming.

[John Weaver] Note, secondly, there's another attitude that develops in the hometown people. Note verse 23. Look at the demand. Luke chapter 4, you have to go back there, verse 23. And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also hear in thy country. Now, look at that closely. He said to them, you will surely say to me, this proverb, physician, heal thyself. Now, if you really don't understand what that proverb means, he really explains it by the statement, whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also hear in my country.

[John Weaver] Now our Lord understands exactly where the people of Nazareth were coming from. Not only did they not wish to acknowledge his authority, but moreover, since he was their hometown boy, they also expected more from him on their behalf. Whatever he did anywhere else, they thought, certainly ought to be done for them and even more. Why? Why? After all, He owed it to them. They helped to raise him.

[John Weaver] He was one of them. He was one of their own. And so the people of Nazareth then believed that they had an irrefutable claim upon Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord says, what you're going to tell me is this. You're going to tell me, physician, heal thyself or heal thy lameness.

[John Weaver] Now, what that means is this. If your physician then you at least ought to look after yourself, and your family, and your friends. Doesn't that make sense? I mean, if I'm a doctor, I at least ought to look after my own family, if I have that ability. I ought to at least look after my intimate friends, if I have that ability. So this is what they're saying. He said, you're going to say to me, physician healed by self. In other words, You look after yourself and you look after your home because we belong to you. So the point of this proverb seems to be that the people of Nazareth were expecting Jesus Christ to make good on his claims of his Messiahship by doing in Nazareth what he had done in Capernaum and other places. I don't know if you understand what Christ did in Capernaum. He did a great deal in Capernaum.

[John Weaver] It was a place where He frequently had it. It was there he cured the centurion servant of the palsy. It was there he cured Peter's wife's mother of a fever. It was there he cured another man of the palsy. It was there he healed a woman with a bloody issue. It was there he healed a man with a withered hand. It was there where he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead.

[John Weaver] So our Lord did a great deal in Capernaum. And so they're saying, alright Christ, whatsoever you've done in Capernaum, you do here in your own country. We expect more of you because you're our hometown boy and we are your hometown people.

[John Weaver] Now look in verse 24, because our Lord answers that proverb with another proverb. And He said, verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. Now, evidently, this proverb was in reality a comment on their question in verse 22 when they ask, is not this Joseph's son? Or is not this the son of Joseph? Here's their attitude. What? God acting in a son of Joseph? God speaking in such a familiar voice and disguising himself in such as a common man? Why, this seems impossible. This seems self-contradictory, startling by bringing God so near.

[John Weaver] So, the thought was so irrational, so unwelcome, and so disturbing to them. Our Lord is saying, a prophet never has honor in his own country, among his own family, among his own kin.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you I want to quote to you what John Calvin said on this proverb. I could not say it any better, so I'm going to give you the quote. Here's how he explains the proverb in verse 24 when our Lord says no prophet is accepted in his own country. He says, and I quote, he that is Christ reproaches them with the blame of preventing him from exerting his power among them as he did in other places by working miracles. Now listen carefully. For the unbelief of men presents an obstruction to God and hinders him from working as might be desired for their salvation. Christ could not perform any miracle among them because they did not believe on him. Now, here's the explanation. Not that it is in the power of men to abide in the hands of God, but that he withholds the advantage of his works from those who are rendered unworthy of them by their own infidelity or unbelief. The answer given by Christ amounts to this. If you wish to have a share in miracles, why do you not give place to God?

[John Weaver] Or rather, why do you proudly reject the minister of his power? You receive therefore a just reward for your contempt when I pass you by and give a preference to other places for proving by miracles that I am the Messiah of God. In other words, It's not that you bind the hands of God, he says, but what I will do because of your unbelief and because of your unsubmissiveness, I'll bypass you.

[John Weaver] I don't owe you anything. Now, let's see how he backs up this proverb. Look, if you would, at verses 25 through 27. Let's just read them. Verse 25. But I tell you the truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath the city of Zion, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Nahum and the Syrian. Now, Let's go back to verse 25. He says, But I tell you of a truth.

[John Weaver] This is a phrase that was often used of Hebrew writers, and it signifies basically a tradition of Moses from Mount Sinai, so that which is spoken is most true, it is sure, it is absolute, it is firm, it is to be depended upon. And when our Lord uses this phrase, It's really in the form of an oath. So whatever follows is a strong observation and amounted to a solemn oath based upon what our Lord gives them.

[John Weaver] Now he says, but I tell you of a truth. In other words, I'm going to tell you how it actually is. I'm going to tell you how the cow eats the cabbage.

[John Weaver] Now what Christ did was this. Jesus Christ gives the people two historical incidents that they had heard and known all of their lives. They knew of these stories from their childhood. It was not the story that upset the people. Are you listening? It was not the truth that upset the people. It was the application of the truth. A lot of people will listen to truth as long as it's not applied. But once you start applying truth, then that's a horse of a different color.

[John Weaver] So what does he tell? He tells them, first of all, that many widows were in the land of Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up for three and a half years. That is when no moisture fell. And he said many widows were in the land of Israel, but of none of them was Elijah sent, but to a widow of Sarepta, a city of Zion.

[John Weaver] Now you'll find this story in 1 Kings chapter 17. The whole point of this illustration is this. That Elijah, the man of God, Elijah, the minister of God, was sent to a widow woman outside the bounds of Israel. He was sent to a foreigner, to a Zidonian, of the widow woman of Sarepta or Zarephath as it is in the Old Testament. So, what is our Lord saying? The children of Israel did without. While God sovereignly sent Elijah to a stranger and a foreigner to be helped and blessed. The second illustration is that of Elisha healing Naaman. You will find this in 2 Kings chapter 5. Out of all the lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha, none were healed. The only leper that was healed by Elisha was Naaman, a Syrian. Not an Israelite, but a Syrian. What did God do then? God then sovereignly sent His mercy to a foreigner and not to an Israelite.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to listen carefully. Because once again, I'm going to quote what Calvin said on these two verses, and I'm going to start preaching. Listen carefully. Here's what Calvin said concerning our Lord two stories. He said, though his reproofs strike through the inhabitants of Nazareth with peculiar severity, yet he charges the whole nation with ingratitude because for a long period almost all of them had proceeded to more shameful contempt of the Lord in proportion as he approached near to them.

[John Weaver] For how did it come about that a woman who was a foreigner was preferred by God to all the Israelites but because the prophet had been rejected by them and compelled to seek refuge in a heathen land. And why did God choose that Naaman, a Syrian, should be healed by Elisha but to put a disgrace upon the nation of Israel? The meaning, therefore, is that the same thing happens now as in former times when God sends His power to a great distance among foreigners because He is rejected by the inhabitants of the country.

[John Weaver] Christ intimates Though he is despised by his countrymen, his glory is in no degree diminished, because God will still be able, to their shame and confusion, to dignify and exalt his son as he formerly gave honor to his prophets in the midst of the Gentiles." What in the world did he say? He said God was bringing disgrace and contempt upon the Israelites because of their refusal and rejection of the man of God.

[John Weaver] It was true in the day of Elijah. It was true in the days of Elisha. It's true. It was true in the days of Christ. And by the way, it's still true today. I'll show you another verse a little bit later. But now here is what upset these people so. It was not just the fact that God was sovereign. You know, most people are going to admit that. They may not understand it, they may not like it, but they pretty well know that God is sovereign, God is God. But it is the implication and the application of that truth that upsets so many people.

[John Weaver] Now, let me set the stage before I give you the first point. Are you ready? Christ returns to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And everybody takes the attitude, well, that's our hometown boy. We helped raise him. And they were kind of upset and offended by the fact that he had wisdom, he had power, he had authority. They didn't like that. You know, it is very difficult. It was difficult in my life. For my father.

[John Weaver] To bow to my teaching and preaching. Why? Because He was my Father. He had authority over me all of my life. And now when I preach and teach, I have authority over Him. That's difficult. Well, you see, that was the same thing here. This was their hometown boy. They knew Him. They'd help raise Him. And now He comes back. with all this power and authority and this great reputation as a preacher and teacher and a miracle worker?

[John Weaver] And how in the world can we submit to Him when we've known Him since He was a child? But then they say this, ah, but since He's our hometown boy, He'll do more for us than just for anybody else. Why? He owes us. And then our Lord tells them these two little stories. There are many widows in the days of Elijah. But none of them were blessed or helped save a widow of Sarepta in Zidon. Many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha. None of them were healed but Naaman, a Syrian. Are you listening? Here's the first point. Here's the implication that really bent them out of shape.

[John Weaver] God does not owe anyone anything. They believe that Christ owed them. Listen folks, anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God. And we cannot bring God into debt to ourselves. Go to Luke chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 11. Go to Romans 11. And I want you to see verses 34 and 35. Romans 11. Notice verse 34. Romans 11, verse 34.

[John Weaver] The question is asked for who have known the mind of the Lord. The answer is no one or who have been his counselor. The answer is no one.

[John Weaver] Now watch verse 35 or who have first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. Who has first given to God? What's the answer? No one. Everything we have is from God. You say, well, I tithe. Yes, but God gave you the money to begin with. God gave you the strength to work. God gave you the mind that you might be able to work. God gave you the body. God gave you the air to breathe. God gave you everything. You cannot bring God into your debt. You cannot obligate God in any way whatsoever.

[John Weaver] Anything we receive outside of God's judgment is pure, undiluted, and unmerited grace. Are you listening now? God does not owe anyone anything. Let me go further. God, as a sovereign God of the universe. Has the sovereign right to do with his own as he wills.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Don't you think about this? Let's suppose that you worked hard. And with the blessing of God, you were multimillionaire. And I came to you one day, and I said, now, let me tell you what you must do with your money. You must do this. You must do that. You must do this. You'd look at me and say, Preacher, have you lost your mind? What are you standing there telling me what I must do with my money? I earned that. I work for that.

[John Weaver] I'll do with it as I please. Well, if you lawfully earned and work for that money, Do you not have the inherent right to do with it as you please? Well, of course you do. You're a steward unto God. You're responsible. And you'd be upset if I came to you and told you how you must spend your money. Look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading there with verse one. Matthew 20, verse one. Here's an interesting story. Matthew 20, verse one. For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Verse two. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

[John Weaver] Now, here are some people who made an agreement with the husbandman. They agreed a penny a day. That was the standard wage back then. So he sent them to work in the vineyard. Watch verse three. He went out about the third hour. and saw others standing in the marketplace, and he said to them, Go ye in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give to you. And they went their way. Again he went out the sixth hour, talking about noon, and the ninth hour, three o'clock, and he did likewise, and about the eleventh hour, five o'clock, he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?

[John Weaver] They said to him, Because no man hath hired us. He said to them, Go ye also in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, call the laborers and give them their hire beginning from the last and the first. And when they came, they were hired about the eleventh hour. That's five o'clock. They received every man a penny, and when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more and they likewise receive every man a penny. And when they received it, they murmured against the good man of the house saying, These lasts have brought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.

[John Weaver] But he answered and said unto them, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Dost not thou agree with me for a penny? Yeah, they did. Take that it thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even to thee. Watch, is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? What does our Lord say? Is it not lawful for me to do with what I will with mine own?

[John Weaver] We claim that for ourselves. Would we withhold that right from God Himself? Let me tell you something, folks. The fact that God has mercy on anyone is nothing less than a miracle. Let me ask you, how many of you, and please remember now, some of you have been sitting under my ministry for years. But how many of you can say, I deserve God's blessings? None. Let me ask you, how many blessings does God owe you? None.

[John Weaver] You know what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 9 in verse 29? Let me just quote it. He is quoting from Isaiah and he said, as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of the Sabbath had left us a seed, we had been a Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah. What did he say? He said if God had mercy on some of us, all of us would have been destroyed. So the very fact is, God doesn't owe us anything. And the mere fact that He has mercy on us is His grace.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you how particular this is. Look in your Bibles to John chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse one. And there are a number of questions that you need to be asked to stimulate your thinking in this. John five, verse one. After this, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, there's a Jerusalem by the sheep market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

[John Weaver] In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, haught, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down in a certain season in the pool, and troubled the water. Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said of him, Will thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me in the pool.

[John Weaver] But while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. And on the same day was the Sabbath.

[John Weaver] Now let me stop there just for a moment. Let me ask you a question. How many people were lying around this pool? Well, the Bible says a great multitude of lame, blind, haughty, withered people. How many of these people needed healing? All of them. Did not Jesus Christ have the power to heal every last one of them? Yes. How many did He heal? One. One. One. Now you've got to ask yourself this question. Why did our Lord single out one man and heal him? When all the people needed healing, and Jesus certainly had the power to heal everyone, why did he just single out one man and heal him and bypass all the others?

[John Weaver] I will give you the answer. Because our Lord tells us the answer Himself, beginning in verse 21 of chapter 5. Look at it. After the Pharisees reproach Him for healing on the Sabbath, He says this, For as the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man, but that he committeth all judgment unto the Son. that all men should honor the Son even as or equally as they honor the Father. He that honored not the Son honored not the Father who had sent him. Now go back to verse 21. Here's the answer. For as the Father raises up the dead and quickens them, even so the Son quickens whom He will.

[John Weaver] What is the one thing that marks God out as God? He is absolutely sovereign. Our Lord said, As the Father raises up the dead and quickens them even so equally, the Son is also sovereign. Therefore, He quickens whom He wills." He got the one man to demonstrate that he was sovereign. He did not owe anything to anybody. And what he did was pure grace. The miracle in John chapter 5. reveals that whatever Christ gives us is in grace. Because we do not marry it, or earn it, or deserve it, and He certainly does not owe it to us.

[John Weaver] So the very first implication of God's sovereignty is this. God does not owe us anything. Here's the second implication. We must understand the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. And I'll explain that statement, the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. God is not obligated to give all the same aid or the same blessings or the same means of grace that he gives to others. This is a doctrine the world was never, ever patient to hear.

[John Weaver] You know what most people do? They take a phrase and take it out of context. They say, well, God is no respecter of persons. I mean, what He does for Ed, He'll do for me. God may do for me what He does for Ed, but if He does, it's because of His grace and not because He's done something for Ed, therefore He's required to do something for me. I mean, all you've got to do is stop and think. God gave this country the gospel. He never gave it to China. He never gave it to Egypt.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? God is not obligated to give the same people the same blessings. I could say, well, I know several Christians that are multi-millionaires now, God. You have to give me several million dollars. No. When the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons, all that means is this. No goodness can commend us to God, and no evilness that is in us can detract or stop God's blessings. It's not anything in us that affects God. God can do to whomever He pleases, whenever He pleases, however He pleases. If you look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 9, I will show you what God says in black and white, and I hope you understand this. Romans chapter 9, God states His position very clearly. Look in Romans chapter 9. This is an explanation of the freeness of God's grace. Romans 9 verse 15. For he saith to Moses, what did God tell Moses?

[John Weaver] I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, so that it is not him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my powers in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, have ye mercy on whom ye will have mercy, and whom ye will. Be hard. You know what God does? Exactly as he pleases. His mercy is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. His grace is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. We would try to make God our debtor and the people of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth thought they had as good if not a better right to Christ's miracles than the people of Capernaum.

[John Weaver] Our Lord said, let me tell you something. I'm free to bless whom I will bless. To curse whom I will curse. For my grace is free. I'm under no obligations. I'm under no constraints. I'm under no influences. So the very first thing we've got to learn is God does not owe us anything. Secondly, God's freeness in his distinguishing grace, he's free to bless one and not another. He's free to heal one and not another. He's free to save one and not another. He's free to do whatever he pleases, for he is God. Here's the third thing, and listen, what we're doing this morning is this plowing some difficult ground. Because here's the third one. God. does not owe us any explanation for what he does. You know what our Lord did?

[John Weaver] He just said, there are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but in none of them was he sent except to the widow where Sarepta, the city of Zion. He didn't explain why God sent Elijah over there. He just stated the fact. He said there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. But none of them were healed but Nahum and Sirion. He didn't explain why that was. He just said that's the way it is. God does not owe us an explanation for what He does. And it does you no good to wonder, to guess, or postulate, or try to conclude why God does what He does. That's God's business.

[John Weaver] I can quote this verse, but I do want you to see it. Turn in your Bibles to Job 33. Job 33. Right before the book of Psalms, you'll find the book of Job. Look in Job 33 and verse 13. Job 33, verse 13. I like this passage. It'll answer a whole lot of questions if you'll let it. Job 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 13.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, Why dost thou strive against him? That is, why are you fighting against God? For he giveth not account of any of his matters. Did you hear that? God does not owe us an explanation. Lord, why did you allow my child to die? It's sufficient for us to know that God was in control. Lord, why did you allow me to be such a poor man? Well, it's satisfactory just to know that that's the way God allowed it. God does not owe us an explanation. Lord, why did you save me and not someone else? God does not owe you an explanation. He giveth not account of any of his matters. That is his business.

[John Weaver] Now, turn in your Bible, since you're in the Old Testament, go to Deuteronomy 29, the fifth book, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 29, look in verse 29. Here's another verse that will teach you exactly the same truth. Deuteronomy 29, 29. Look what the Bible says. Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. Did you hear that? The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed, that is in his word, belong to us and our children forever that we may do all the words of this law.

[John Weaver] Now, here is my question, folks. How many of God's secret things has God shared with us? None. They belong to Him. What belongs to us? The Word of God. That which He has revealed. And He's revealed it why? That we should obey Him. Now, you say, well, can I ever know the secret things of God? Sure. You may know the secret things of God when they come to pass in time and history.

[John Weaver] But until then, they're His business. They're not ours. And you see, folks, we think somehow that God owes us an explanation. But He doesn't. Without me going into the background of Matthew 11, that's another sermon in itself. But in verse 26, after our Lord gets through saying some things that God had done, He says this, So Father, for it seemed good in thy sight. Why did God do what he did? It was good in God's sight. Other than that, he owes us no explanation. Sometimes God graciously and kindly allows us to understand some things. And sometimes he explains some things to us, but listen to me, folks, God does not owe us any explanations, and his private business is his private business, and you believe the same way, and certainly you claim that for yourself. Here's what our Lord is telling these people. Number one, I don't owe you anything. Number two, I'm free to bless one and not to bless another. Number three, I don't owe you anything. explanation for what I do. Number four, he shows us something else out of Luke four very quickly.

[John Weaver] Go back to Luke four. Listen carefully. God's sovereignty is indeed a fact. What a parallel truth is this, that it is the fault the sin and the unbelief of men that hinder them from receiving the benefits of divine grace.

[John Weaver] Now, let's just stop and think about this. Had the Israelites submitted to and bowed to the teaching of Elijah and received him as the man of God, some of their widows may have been blessed as well. If the people of Israel had submitted to the authority of Elisha and the teaching of the word of God, some of their lepers may have been healed as well. But you see, the fact is.

[John Weaver] They did not, but it is still our responsibility It is our duty, it is our obligation as creatures to seek after the Lord. Do you know what the Bible says in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7? Let me just quote it. He says, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous manage thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord.

[John Weaver] For he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for our God will abundantly pardon. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. None of these folks sought after Elijah. None of them sought after Elijah. None of them sought after the truth that they preached or the God that they represented. It is true that God is sovereign, but it is equally true that man is responsible.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 7 because Here is a wonderful illustration, 2 Kings 7. Let me just try to tell you the background. The Syrians had surrounded the city. That is, a pagan army was outside besieging the city walls. Inside the city, starvation was stalking the people.

[John Weaver] Now listen, without me going into all of this, the city was so without food that they were eating dung.

[John Weaver] Also, women were killing and cooking and eating their own children. That is how bad starvation was in the city. So if you stayed inside the city, you starved. If you went outside the city, the Syrians would kill you. Well, there happened to be four men who were lepers who were sitting at the city wall. Remember, lepers could not go into the city. How did lepers live? Well, they couldn't work most of the time and no one could get near them because it was basically they had to cry unclean, unclean to make sure everyone stayed away from them. So people would throw garbage over the wall. And that's how they would live, they would get the garbage. So here are these four lepers, they're seated at the wall of the city. If they go inside the city, they're going to starve. If they sit outside the wall, they're going to starve. If they go to the Syrians, they're going to get killed. Now, look what happens. 2 Kings 7, verse 3, And there were four leperous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here till we die?

[John Weaver] If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also.

[John Weaver] Now, therefore, come and let us fall in the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live. If they kill us, we shall be but die. We shall but die.

[John Weaver] Now, look at their reasoning. Now, watch this. They said if we go into the city, we're dead meat. If we sit out here, we're dead meat. If we fall to the Syrians, we may be dead meat. But they may let us live. So I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to go and fall to the Syrians. If they kill us, we can't be any more dead than sitting here or dying in the city. I mean, dead's dead, isn't it?

[John Weaver] Doesn't matter whether you starve to death or get your head cut off by a sword. You're still dead. Now, listen to me. Are you listening? Here's an unsaved man. And he says, I understand. Christ is sovereign. He's not obligated to give me repentance. He's not obligated to give me faith. He's not obligated to do anything for me. But I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to Christ.

[John Weaver] And beg him for mercy. And beg him for repentance and beg him for faith. Let's just suppose. Christ turned that unsaved man down. Just suppose that for a moment. If He did, the man wouldn't be any more dead or any more damned than he already was. You follow me? But our Lord has never turned anyone away who sought Him in repentance and faith. You know, there's a verse, and you ought to remember this verse, John 6.37.

[John Weaver] I'll quote it for you. It puts together God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. John 6, verse 37. Our Lord said, All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. That's divine sovereignty. That's divine election. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. And the latter part of the verse says this, And he that cometh unto me I'll in no wise cast out. That's responsibility. Although God is sovereign and although divine election is clear and taught very plainly in the Bible, it does not cancel out, it does not nullify, it does not abrogate, it does not do away with our responsibility to come to Christ. In fact, the truth of the matter is divine election ensures that some will come to Christ.

[John Weaver] And so what our Lord does in Luke chapter four, listen carefully, he therefore rightly and righteously cast the blame for the lack of miracles back upon His own people. He says it's your unbelief. It's your unwillingness to submit to Me. It's your unwillingness to bow to My authority. That's why our Lord says, hey, you're cutting your own throat. Here's the first truth. God doesn't owe us anything. The second truth, just because God does something for one person does not mean he's obligated to do it for another person. God does not owe us an explanation. That's the third thing. And number four, when people are not blessed by God, it's basically their fault because of their unbelief, their unsubmissiveness to the Word of God. And here's the fifth truth that we understand.

[John Weaver] that God's sovereignty extends far beyond the bounds of Palestine. You see, those people back then thought that God was exclusively theirs. No, the Bible teaches us that he is sovereign in any and every country and in any and every nation. The one who fears God is accepted of him. God has no respect for this country. or for that country, he sent Elijah to a Sidonian, he sent Elisha to a Syrian, and while he neglected the ungrateful and disobedient Israelites. Peter stated this very plainly in Acts chapter 10, when he witnessed the conversion of Cornelius, he said that God is no respecter of persons in the fact that he that doeth righteousness and fears God is excepted of him.

[John Weaver] Paul said the same thing in Romans 10 verses 19 through 21 and Romans 11 and verse 11. God's sovereignty is universal. God does as He wills, whenever He wills, and to whomever He wills.

[John Weaver] Now, very quickly, let me give you one last point and then tie it together for you. I want you to see the response to this message. Go back to Luke chapter 4. Go back to Luke chapter 4 and look at verses 28 and 29. when our Lord got through giving them these two simple little stories. Stories they had heard since they were children. Oh, remember it began with the gracious words that proceeded out of their mouths? Ah, but now look in verse 28, And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill, where on their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

[John Weaver] Now listen carefully to what I'm about to say. The response Humanly speaking, was anger so vicious that the outcome would have been murder had not the Lord withdrawn Himself.

[John Weaver] Now, I know that Christ could not have died until the time appointed. I understand that. But if these people, humanly speaking, could have gotten their hands upon Christ and done with Him what they wanted to do, they would have killed Him. Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control. You want me to tell you what is wrong in this country? You want me to tell you what is happening in this country? Listen carefully. All is well when you preach a sweet, effeminate, emasculated God who does not engage in sin himself, but leniently weeps at the indiscretions and the sins of people. All is well when they believe a God is too loving to bring them to judgment and to hold them account for their sins. All is well when God is viewed as their little servant boy who exists for their service, their benefit and their blessings.

[John Weaver] All is well as long as man is presented as the center of the universe and everything revolves around him. But you begin to preach an enthroned, sovereign, holy, righteous, and just God, who does as he pleases, always as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and he demands that men bow to him, then you've got trouble. Because people do not want that kind of God. The God that they want is the God that they can control. They can put their little finger on and press a button and God is there at their demand. Man by nature does not want the God of the Bible. Are you listening? The only God that exists is the God of the Bible.

[John Weaver] All others are nothing more than figments of a depraved imagination. God is absolutely sovereign. God is on the throne. God is in control. God is the ruler over everything, everyone, at all times, at all places. Everyone will bow to God's sovereignty until you start making the applications of that sovereignty. And then men don't like it when they understand that God Does it owe them anything? And that God is not obligated to do for one what He does for another. And that God doesn't owe them an explanation. No. They don't like that. They don't like the fact that God is free to go to one country or to another country. God can do whatever He pleases.

[John Weaver] And here's the bad thing. We can't stop Him. We can't manipulate Him. We can't control Him. He is God.

[John Weaver] Now let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. I want you to see this from the text. Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert. These people were so amazed at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. But when He got to making the applications, They became so angry and so vicious. They would have killed him. Let me tell you something, folks, those who have only tasted of the word of God. Who have not really eaten the word of God, who have not assimilated the word of God, those who have only tasted and rejected can be the most bitter, the most angry and the most hateful people you will ever meet.

[John Weaver] You'll hear them say things, I've tried Christianity, it doesn't work. Don't talk to me about the Bible. Don't talk to me about being a Christian. And I've got news, folks. When you are embittered at the truth, you've got problems. The second application of this, how apt we are to despise the highest privileges and the highest blessings because we're too familiar with them. Let me ask you a question.

[John Weaver] This boggles our mind, but here it is. Are men so depraved and so wicked and so rebellious and so hateful that they would refuse to listen to and submit to the preaching of Jesus Christ himself? The answer is yes.

[John Weaver] Now is it any wonder that people despise God's other true preachers? Is it any wonder that we count the open Bible, the freedom to assemble, And the preaching of the Word of God is something very likely. And most of the people in this country would count it as a waste of time. We do not value what God has given us. How many in here would love to have sat at the feet of Jesus Christ? I would love to have sat at the feet of the Apostle Paul.

[John Weaver] You say, me, me, me, pastor, I would like to have done that. Well, let me tell you something, folks. We do that when the Word of God is preached and taught. Because this is His Word. And so many times we take it for granted and treat it lightly and flippantly because we get it all the time. God is God. We need to thank Him and bow to Him for His sovereignty, for His blessings, and for His grace.

[John Weaver] And just ask yourself this one question. Who am I to know the truth? Who am I to have had the long of life that I now possess? Who am I to have the health that I now have. Who am I? You see, it's only the grace of God. And we need to bow to Him and worship. Let's pray. Father, we do ask, we do pray that You would help us to bow before Thy divine sovereignty. Thou art God.

[John Weaver] And besides Thee, there is none else. We thank You We worship Thee. We adore Thee for Your greatness and Your mercy. Thou art the one true and the living God. Besides Thee there is none other. Give us hearts to worship and praise and to be thankful unto Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Divine Sovereignty Applied

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	2160415208
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	103

Formatted Transcript

Opening

And we're going to be reading verses 16 through 30, Luke 4, beginning there, verse 16.

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." "He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

And he closed the book and he sat down—and he closed the book and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. Luke 4, verse 21.

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And he began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. For they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said of them, You will surely say to me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." "But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But none of them was Elias sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was clean, saving Naaman the Syrian."

Introduction: The Difficulty of Grasping Divine Sovereignty

God's sovereignty means He sits on His throne, does as He pleases, and is subject to none. Man by nature resists this truth.

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them, went his way."

The message I want to bring today is entitled "Divine Sovereignty Applied." Divine Sovereignty Applied. One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is the concept of God's sovereignty. It's difficult to grasp it, not only because we do not understand the nature and the person of God, but moreover, it is difficult because man by nature does not want God to be sovereign. Yet the truth remains there can only be one sovereign. There can only be one ultimate, there can only be one absolute, and that one ultimate sovereign and absolute is God and not man. Now when I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases.

God is subject to none, influenced by none, and is absolutely independent. The sovereignty of God means that God is God in fact, and not just in name only. When we talk about the sovereignty of God, it just simply means this, that God is on the throne of His universe directing, controlling, and working everything out according to the counsel of His own will. The sovereignty of God is the supremacy of God in exercise.

Background: Jesus Returns to Nazareth

Jesus, known as the hometown boy, reads Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. The people are initially amazed but then question His authority because of familiarity.

Now, let me today give you, first of all, the background of this message. Look in verse 16. Luke 4, verse 16, "And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read." Now, our Lord returns to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Matthew chapter 2, verses 22 through 23, tells us that after Joseph and Mary came out of Egypt, they dwelt in Nazareth. Now, it's important to understand that the people of Nazareth considered Jesus Christ to be their hometown boy. They knew him. They knew his family.

And if one listens to them, why? In all practicality, they raised Him. I mean, He was their hometown boy. Now, Christ already had a reputation for being an excellent preacher. Look in Luke 4, verse 14. "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about, and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all." So, once again, he already has this tremendous testimony of being an excellent speaker and a tremendous preacher. While Matthew 7 verse 29 tells us, they taught the people with authority and not as the scribes and the Pharisees.

So, his hometown friends, by the way, listen carefully to this now, his hometown, his friends, his relatives, and sentimentality did not stop him from doing his duty or fulfilling his responsibility. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue to read and to preach as he always did. Now, in the sovereign providence of God, when he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, there was delivered unto him the scroll of Isaiah. He read from the passage in Isaiah of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. Now Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2 is quoted for us in Luke 4 verses 18 and 19. Look what he read. Verse 18. Here's what he read when he read from the book of Isaiah. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 61:1–2

"He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

Now, our Lord goes a little further. Look in verse 20. "And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, This day is the Scripture fulfilled in your ears." Now, at first, all eyes were upon Christ. All ears were open unto his words. And they had to concede that out of his mouth proceeded gracious words. They were spellbound temporarily. Even when Christ stated that he was the personification of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. But as they sat there with their eyes fastened upon Christ, their ears opened, spellbound, all of a sudden something clicked in their minds and they asked in verse 22, "And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?"

Now, what in the world is the implication of that question? They were sitting there, spellbound, confessing and admitting that gracious words were proceeding forth from his lips. And all of a sudden, this question comes into their mind. "Is not this Joseph's son?" Well, let me show you what that question implies. Hold Luke chapter 4. But look in your Bibles to Matthew 13 and then to Mark 6. We're going to Matthew 13 first and then we're going to Mark 6. Matthew 13, and let's begin reading there with verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54–58

"And when he was coming to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Now watch. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, and his sisters?"

"Are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

Now note, they asked,

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:1–6

"Is not this the carpenter's son?"

That's the same thing. "Is not this Joseph's son?" Notice, is not his family here, all of his brothers, his sisters, while they're with us? Where did this man get all these things? Where did he get this knowledge from? Where did he get this authority from? And they were offended in him. Look in Mark chapter 6, beginning there with verse 1. You'll see the same truth. Let me read it for emphasis because I want you to see the explanation. Mark chapter 6 verse 1,

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:1–6

"And he went out from thence and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, For whence hath this man these things?"

"And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph of Judah, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick, and healed them." "And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around about the villages teaching."

Now, to be offended in the sense of Matthew 13 and Mark chapter 6 means this: that you see in one that which you disapprove of and that you cannot submit to or acknowledge his authority.

The Demand: 'Physician, Heal Thyself'

The Nazarenes expect Jesus to perform miracles for them as He did in Capernaum, believing He owes them because He is one of their own.

Note, secondly, there's another attitude that develops in the hometown people. Note verse 23. Look at the demand. Luke chapter 4, you have to go back there, verse 23. "And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country." Now, look at that closely. He said to them, "You will surely say to me, this proverb, Physician, heal thyself." Now, if you really don't understand what that proverb means, he really explains it by the statement, "Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country."

Now our Lord understands exactly where the people of Nazareth were coming from. Not only did they not wish to acknowledge his authority, but moreover, since he was their hometown boy, they also expected more from him on their behalf. Whatever he did anywhere else, they thought, certainly ought to be done for them and even more. Why? Why? After all, He owed it to them. They helped to raise him.

He was one of them. He was one of their own. And so the people of Nazareth then believed that they had an irrefutable claim upon Christ. Now, our Lord says, "What you're going to tell me is this. You're going to tell me, Physician, heal thyself or heal thy lameness."

Now, what that means is this. If you're a physician then you at least ought to look after yourself, and your family, and your friends. Doesn't that make sense? I mean, if I'm a doctor, I at least ought to look after my own family, if I have that ability. I ought to at least look after my intimate friends, if I have that ability. So this is what they're saying. He said, "You're going to say to me, Physician, heal thyself." In other words, you look after yourself and you look after your home because we belong to you. So the point of this proverb seems to be that the people of Nazareth were expecting Jesus Christ to make good on his claims of his Messiahship by doing in Nazareth what he had done in Capernaum and other places. I don't know if you understand what Christ did in Capernaum. He did a great deal in Capernaum.

It was a place where He frequently had it. It was there he cured the centurion servant of the palsy. It was there he cured Peter's wife's mother of a fever. It was there he cured another man of the palsy. It was there he healed a woman with a bloody issue. It was there he healed a man with a withered hand. It was there where he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead.

So our Lord did a great deal in Capernaum. And so they're saying, "Alright Christ, whatsoever you've done in Capernaum, you do here in your own country. We expect more of you because you're our hometown boy and we are your hometown people."

Jesus' Response: Two Old Testament Illustrations

Jesus cites Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, and Elisha and Naaman the Syrian, showing God sovereignly blessed foreigners while bypassing Israel.

This is a phrase that was often used of Hebrew writers, and it signifies basically a tradition of Moses from Mount Sinai, so that which is spoken is most true, it is sure, it is absolute, it is firm, it is to be depended upon. And when our Lord uses this phrase, it's really in the form of an oath. So whatever follows is a strong observation and amounted to a solemn oath based upon what our Lord gives them. Now he says, "But I tell you of a truth." In other words, I'm going to tell you how it actually is. I'm going to tell you how the cow eats the cabbage.

Now what Christ did was this. Jesus Christ gives the people two historical incidents that they had heard and known all of their lives. They knew of these stories from their childhood. It was not the story that upset the people. Are you listening? It was not the truth that upset the people. It was the application of the truth. A lot of people will listen to truth as long as it's not applied. But once you start applying truth, then that's a horse of a different color.

So what does he tell? He tells them, first of all, that many widows were in the land of Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up for three and a half years. That is when no moisture fell. And he said many widows were in the land of Israel, but of none of them was Elijah sent, but to a widow of Zarephath, a city of Sidon.

Now you'll find this story in 1 Kings chapter 17. The whole point of this illustration is this. That Elijah, the man of God, Elijah, the minister of God, was sent to a widow woman outside the bounds of Israel. He was sent to a foreigner, to a Sidonian, of the widow woman of Zarephath or Zarephath as it is in the Old Testament. So, what is our Lord saying? The children of Israel did without. While God sovereignly sent Elijah to a stranger and a foreigner to be helped and blessed. The second illustration is that of Elisha healing Naaman. You will find this in 2 Kings chapter 5. Out of all the lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha, none were healed. The only leper that was healed by Elisha was Naaman, a Syrian. Not an Israelite, but a Syrian. What did God do then? God then sovereignly sent His mercy to a foreigner and not to an Israelite.

Implication 1: God Owes No One Anything

Everything we receive is pure grace; we cannot bring God into our debt. Romans 11:35 and Matthew 20:1–16 illustrate this.

God does not owe anyone anything. They believe that Christ owed them. Listen folks, anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God. And we cannot bring God into debt to ourselves. Go to Luke chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 11. Go to Romans 11. And I want you to see verses 34 and 35. Romans 11. Notice verse 34. Romans 11, verse 34.

The question is asked, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord?" The answer is no one. "Or who hath been his counselor?" The answer is no one. Now watch verse 35. "Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" Who has first given to God? What's the answer? No one. Everything we have is from God. You say, "Well, I tithe." Yes, but God gave you the money to begin with. God gave you the strength to work. God gave you the mind that you might be able to work. God gave you the body. God gave you the air to breathe. God gave you everything. You cannot bring God into your debt. You cannot obligate God in any way whatsoever.

Anything we receive outside of God's judgment is pure, undiluted, and unmerited grace. Are you listening now? God does not owe anyone anything. Let me go further. God, as a sovereign God of the universe, has the sovereign right to do with his own as he wills.

Now, let me ask you a question. Don't you think about this? Let's suppose that you worked hard. And with the blessing of God, you were multimillionaire. And I came to you one day, and I said, "Now, let me tell you what you must do with your money. You must do this. You must do that. You must do this." You'd look at me and say, "Preacher, have you lost your mind? What are you standing there telling me what I must do with my money? I earned that. I work for that."

"I'll do with it as I please." Well, if you lawfully earned and work for that money, do you not have the inherent right to do with it as you please? Well, of course you do. You're a steward unto God. You're responsible. And you'd be upset if I came to you and told you how you must spend your money. Look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20.

And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Matthew 20, verse 1. Here's an interesting story. Matthew 20, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 20:1–16

"For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Verse 2. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard."

Now, here are some people who made an agreement with the husbandman. They agreed a penny a day. That was the standard wage back then. So he sent them to work in the vineyard. Watch verse 3. "He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace, and he said to them, Go ye in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give to you. And they went their way. Again he went out the sixth hour, talking about noon, and the ninth hour, three o'clock, and he did likewise, and about the eleventh hour, five o'clock, he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?"

"They said to him, Because no man hath hired us. He said to them, Go ye also in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, call the laborers and give them their hire beginning from the last and the first. And when they came, they were hired about the eleventh hour. That's five o'clock. They received every man a penny, and when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more and they likewise receive every man a penny. And when they received it, they murmured against the good man of the house saying, These lasts have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day."

"But he answered and said unto them, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Dost not thou agree with me for a penny?" Yeah, they did. "Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even to thee. Watch, is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?" What does our Lord say? "Is it not lawful for me to do with what I will with mine own?"

We claim that for ourselves. Would we withhold that right from God Himself? Let me tell you something, folks. The fact that God has mercy on anyone is nothing less than a miracle. Let me ask you, how many of you, and please remember now, some of you have been sitting under my ministry for years. But how many of you can say, "I deserve God's blessings"? None. Let me ask you, how many blessings does God owe you? None.

Implication 2: The Freeness of God's Distinguishing Grace

God is not obligated to give all the same blessings. Romans 9:15–18 shows He has mercy on whom He wills.

So the very first implication of God's sovereignty is this. God does not owe us anything. Here's the second implication. We must understand the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. And I'll explain that statement, the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. God is not obligated to give all the same aid or the same blessings or the same means of grace that he gives to others. This is a doctrine the world was never, ever patient to hear.

You know what most people do? They take a phrase and take it out of context. They say, "Well, God is no respecter of persons. I mean, what He does for Ed, He'll do for me." God may do for me what He does for Ed, but if He does, it's because of His grace and not because He's done something for Ed, therefore He's required to do something for me. I mean, all you've got to do is stop and think. God gave this country the gospel. He never gave it to China. He never gave it to Egypt.

You see what I'm saying? God is not obligated to give the same people the same blessings. I could say, "Well, I know several Christians that are multi-millionaires now, God. You have to give me several million dollars." No. When the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons, all that means is this. No goodness can commend us to God, and no evilness that is in us can detract or stop God's blessings. It's not anything in us that affects God. God can do to whomever He pleases, whenever He pleases, however He pleases. If you look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 9, I will show you what God says in black and white, and I hope you understand this. Romans chapter 9, God states His position very clearly. Look in Romans chapter 9. This is an explanation of the freeness of God's grace. Romans 9 verse 15. "For he saith to Moses," what did God tell Moses?

"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, so that it is not him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my powers in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, have ye mercy on whom ye will have mercy, and whom ye will. Be hard." You know what God does? Exactly as he pleases. His mercy is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. His grace is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. We would try to make God our debtor and the people of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth thought they had as good if not a better right to Christ's miracles than the people of Capernaum.

Our Lord said, "Let me tell you something. I'm free to bless whom I will bless. To curse whom I will curse. For my grace is free. I'm under no obligations. I'm under no constraints. I'm under no influences." So the very first thing we've got to learn is God does not owe us anything. Secondly, God's freeness in his distinguishing grace, he's free to bless one and not another. He's free to heal one and not another. He's free to save one and not another. He's free to do whatever he pleases, for he is God. Here's the third thing, and listen, what we're doing this morning is this plowing some difficult ground. Because here's the third one. God does not owe us any explanation for what he does. You know what our Lord did?

Implication 3: God Owes No Explanations

God does not give account of His matters (Job 33:13). Secret things belong to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29).

He just said, "There are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but in none of them was he sent except to the widow where Zarephath, the city of Sidon." He didn't explain why God sent Elijah over there. He just stated the fact. He said there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. But none of them were healed but Naaman the Syrian. He didn't explain why that was. He just said that's the way it is. God does not owe us an explanation for what He does. And it does you no good to wonder, to guess, or postulate, or try to conclude why God does what He does. That's God's business.

I can quote this verse, but I do want you to see it. Turn in your Bibles to Job 33. Job 33. Right before the book of Psalms, you'll find the book of Job. Look in Job 33 and verse 13. Job 33, verse 13. I like this passage. It'll answer a whole lot of questions if you'll let it. Job 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 13.

The Bible says, "Why dost thou strive against him?" That is, why are you fighting against God? "For he giveth not account of any of his matters." Did you hear that? God does not owe us an explanation. "Lord, why did you allow my child to die?" It's sufficient for us to know that God was in control. "Lord, why did you allow me to be such a poor man?" Well, it's satisfactory just to know that that's the way God allowed it. God does not owe us an explanation. "Lord, why did you save me and not someone else?" God does not owe you an explanation. He giveth not account of any of his matters. That is his business.

Now, turn in your Bible, since you're in the Old Testament, go to Deuteronomy 29, the fifth book, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 29, look in verse 29. Here's another verse that will teach you exactly the same truth. Deuteronomy 29, 29. Look what the Bible says. Deuteronomy 29, 29. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God." Did you hear that? "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed," that is in his word, "belong to us and our children forever that we may do all the words of this law."

Now, here is my question, folks. How many of God's secret things has God shared with us? None. They belong to Him. What belongs to us? The Word of God. That which He has revealed. And He's revealed it why? That we should obey Him. Now, you say, "Well, can I ever know the secret things of God?" Sure. You may know the secret things of God when they come to pass in time and history.

But until then, they're His business. They're not ours. And you see, folks, we think somehow that God owes us an explanation. But He doesn't. Without me going into the background of Matthew 11, that's another sermon in itself. But in verse 26, after our Lord gets through saying some things that God had done, He says this, "So Father, for it seemed good in thy sight." Why did God do what he did? It was good in God's sight. Other than that, he owes us no explanation. Sometimes God graciously and kindly allows us to understand some things. And sometimes he explains some things to us, but listen to me, folks, God does not owe us any explanations, and his private business is his private business, and you believe the same way, and certainly you claim that for yourself. Here's what our Lord is telling these people. Number one, I don't owe you anything. Number two, I'm free to bless one and not to bless another. Number three, I don't owe you any explanation for what I do. Number four, he shows us something else out of Luke 4 very quickly.

Implication 4: Human Unbelief Hinders Reception of Grace

The fault lies with man's unbelief and unwillingness to submit. Yet man is still responsible to seek the Lord (Isaiah 55:6–7).

Go back to Luke 4. Listen carefully. God's sovereignty is indeed a fact. What a parallel truth is this, that it is the fault, the sin, and the unbelief of men that hinder them from receiving the benefits of divine grace.

Now, let's just stop and think about this. Had the Israelites submitted to and bowed to the teaching of Elijah and received him as the man of God, some of their widows may have been blessed as well. If the people of Israel had submitted to the authority of Elisha and the teaching of the word of God, some of their lepers may have been healed as well. But you see, the fact is. They did not, but it is still our responsibility. It is our duty, it is our obligation as creatures to seek after the Lord. Do you know what the Bible says in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7? Let me just quote it. He says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord."

"For he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for our God will abundantly pardon." Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. None of these folks sought after Elijah. None of them sought after Elisha. None of them sought after the truth that they preached or the God that they represented. It is true that God is sovereign, but it is equally true that man is responsible. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 7 because here is a wonderful illustration, 2 Kings 7. Let me just try to tell you the background. The Syrians had surrounded the city. That is, a pagan army was outside besieging the city walls. Inside the city, starvation was stalking the people.

Now listen, without me going into all of this, the city was so without food that they were eating dung.

Also, women were killing and cooking and eating their own children. That is how bad starvation was in the city. So if you stayed inside the city, you starved. If you went outside the city, the Syrians would kill you. Well, there happened to be four men who were lepers who were sitting at the city wall. Remember, lepers could not go into the city. How did lepers live? Well, they couldn't work most of the time and no one could get near them because it was basically they had to cry "unclean, unclean" to make sure everyone stayed away from them. So people would throw garbage over the wall. And that's how they would live, they would get the garbage. So here are these four lepers, they're seated at the wall of the city. If they go inside the city, they're going to starve. If they sit outside the wall, they're going to starve. If they go to the Syrians, they're going to get killed. Now, look what happens. 2 Kings 7, verse 3,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 7:3–8

"And there were four leprous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here

till we die?"

"If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also." "Now, therefore, come and let us fall in the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live. If they kill us, we shall but die."

Now, look at their reasoning. Now, watch this. They said if we go into the city, we're dead meat. If we sit out here, we're dead meat. If we fall to the Syrians, we may be dead meat. But they may let us live. So I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to go and fall to the Syrians. If they kill us, we can't be any more dead than sitting here or dying in the city. I mean, dead's dead, isn't it?

Doesn't matter whether you starve to death or get your head cut off by a sword. You're still dead. Now, listen to me. Are you listening? Here's an unsaved man. And he says, "I understand. Christ is sovereign. He's not obligated to give me repentance. He's not obligated to give me faith. He's not obligated to do anything for me. But I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to Christ."

"And beg him for mercy. And beg him for repentance and beg him for faith." Let's just suppose. Christ turned that unsaved man down. Just suppose that for a moment. If He did, the man wouldn't be any more dead or any more damned than he already was. You follow me? But our Lord has never turned anyone away who sought Him in repentance and faith. You know, there's a verse, and you ought to remember this verse, John 6:37.

I'll quote it for you. It puts together God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. John 6, verse 37. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me."

That's divine sovereignty. That's divine election.

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me."

And the latter part of the verse says this,

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"And he that cometh unto me I'll in no wise cast out."

That's responsibility. Although God is sovereign and although divine election is clear and taught very plainly in the Bible, it does not cancel out, it does not nullify, it does not abrogate, it does not do away with our responsibility to come to Christ. In fact, the truth of the matter is divine election ensures that some will come to Christ.

And so what our Lord does in Luke chapter 4, listen carefully, he therefore rightly and righteously cast the blame for the lack of miracles back upon His own people. He says it's your unbelief. It's your unwillingness to submit to Me. It's your unwillingness to bow to My authority. That's why our Lord says, "Hey, you're cutting your own throat." Here's the first truth. God doesn't owe us anything. The second truth, just because God does something for one person does not mean he's obligated to do it for another person. God does not owe us an explanation. That's the third thing. And number four, when people are not blessed by God, it's basically their fault because of their unbelief, their unsubmissiveness to the Word of God. And here's the fifth truth that we understand.

Implication 5: God's Sovereignty Is Universal

God's sovereignty extends beyond Israel to all nations. He accepts those who fear Him, regardless of nationality.

That God's sovereignty extends far beyond the bounds of Palestine. You see, those people back then thought that God was exclusively theirs. No, the Bible teaches us that he is sovereign in any and every country and in any and every nation. The one who fears God is accepted of him. God has no respect for this country or for that country, he sent Elijah to a Sidonian, he sent Elisha to a Syrian, and while he neglected the ungrateful and disobedient Israelites. Peter stated this very plainly in Acts chapter 10, when he witnessed the conversion of Cornelius, he said that God is no respecter of persons in the fact that he that doeth righteousness and fears God is accepted of him. Paul said the same thing in Romans 10 verses 19 through 21 and Romans 11 and verse 11. God's sovereignty is universal. God does as He wills, whenever He wills, and to whomever He wills.

Now, very quickly, let me give you one last point and then tie it together for you. I want you to see the response to this message. Go back to Luke chapter 4. Go back to Luke chapter 4 and look at verses 28 and 29. When our Lord got through giving them these two simple little stories. Stories they had heard since they were children. Oh, remember it began with the gracious words that proceeded out of their mouths? Ah, but now look in verse 28, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong."

The Response: Anger and Rejection

The Nazarenes are filled with wrath and try to kill Jesus. Men hate a God they cannot control.

Now listen carefully to what I'm about to say. The response, humanly speaking, was anger so vicious that the outcome would have been murder had not the Lord withdrawn Himself. Now, I know that Christ could not have died until the time appointed. I understand that. But if these people, humanly speaking, could have gotten their hands upon Christ and done with Him what they wanted to do, they would have killed Him. Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control. You want me to tell you what is wrong in this country? You want me to tell you what is happening in this country? Listen carefully. All is well when you preach a sweet, effeminate, emasculated God who does not engage in sin himself, but leniently weeps at the indiscretions and the sins of people. All is well when they believe a God is too loving to bring them to judgment and to hold them account for their sins. All is well when God is viewed as their little servant boy who exists for their service, their benefit and their blessings.

All is well as long as man is presented as the center of the universe and everything revolves around him. But you begin to preach an enthroned, sovereign, holy, righteous, and just God, who does as he pleases, always as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and he demands that men bow to him, then you've got trouble. Because people do not want that kind of God. The God that they want is the God that they can control. They can put their little finger on and press a button and God is there at their demand. Man by nature does not want the God of the Bible. Are you listening? The only God that exists is the God of the Bible.

Applications: Truth Embitters or Converts; Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Those who only taste the Word can become bitter. We often despise privileges because we are too familiar with them.

Now let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. I want you to see this from the text. Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert. These people were so amazed at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. But when He got to making the applications, they became so angry and so vicious. They would have killed him. Let me tell you something, folks, those who have only tasted of the word of God, who have not really eaten the word of God, who have not assimilated the word of God, those who have only tasted and rejected can be the most bitter, the most angry and the most hateful people you will ever meet.

You'll hear them say things, "I've tried Christianity, it doesn't work. Don't talk to me about the Bible. Don't talk to me about being a Christian." And I've got news, folks. When you are embittered at the truth, you've got problems. The second application of this, how apt we are to despise the highest privileges and the highest blessings because we're too familiar with them. Let me ask you a question. This boggles our mind, but here it is. Are men so depraved and so wicked and so rebellious and so hateful that they would refuse to listen to and submit to the preaching of Jesus Christ himself? The answer is yes.

Now is it any wonder that people despise God's other true preachers? Is it any wonder that we count the open Bible, the freedom to assemble, and the preaching of the Word of God as something very lightly? And most of the people in this country would count it as a waste of time. We do not value what God has given us. How many in here would love to have sat at the feet of Jesus Christ? I would love to have sat at the feet of the Apostle Paul. You say, "Me, me, me, pastor, I would like to have done that." Well, let me tell you something, folks. We do that when the Word of God is preached and taught. Because this is His Word. And so many times we take it for granted and treat it lightly and flippantly because we get it all the time. God is God. We need to thank Him and bow to Him for His sovereignty, for His blessings, and for His grace.

And just ask yourself this one question. Who am I to know the truth? Who am I to have had the length of life that I now possess? Who am I to have the health that I now have. Who am I? You see, it's only the grace of God. And we need to bow to Him and worship. Let's pray. Father, we do ask, we do pray that You would help us to bow before Thy divine sovereignty. Thou art God.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Nature of Divine Sovereignty

Summary: God sits on His throne, does as He pleases, and is subject to none. He is absolutely independent and supreme.

Evidence: When I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases. (185.8–219.3s)

Human Resistance to God's Sovereignty

Summary: Fallen man does not want God to be sovereign because he wishes to be God himself. Men admire gracious words until sovereignty is applied.

Evidence: The truth of God's sovereignty is distasteful to fallen man because fallen man wishes to be God Himself. (290.7–318.6s)

God Owes Nothing to Man

Summary: Everything we receive is pure, unmerited grace. We cannot obligate God or bring Him into our debt.

Evidence: Anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God. (1806.9–1863.4s)

The Freeness of God's Distinguishing Grace

Summary: God is free to bless one and not another. He is not obligated to give all the same blessings or means of grace.

Evidence: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (2658.7–2732.4s)

God Owes No Explanations

Summary: God does not give account of His matters. Secret things belong to Him; we are to obey what He has revealed.

Evidence: Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters. (2891.8–2946.2s)

Human Responsibility and Unbelief

Summary: While God is sovereign, man's unbelief and unsubmissiveness hinder him from receiving grace. Man is still responsible to seek the Lord.

Evidence: It is the fault, the sin, and the unbelief of men that hinder them from receiving the benefits of divine grace. (3132.6–3160.9s)

The Universal Scope of God's Sovereignty

Summary: God's sovereignty extends beyond Israel to all nations. He accepts those who fear Him, regardless of nationality.

Evidence: God's sovereignty extends far beyond the bounds of Palestine. (3652.7–3708.6s)

The Danger of Familiarity with Spiritual Privileges

Summary: We often despise the highest blessings because we are too familiar with them, just as the Nazarenes rejected Jesus.

Evidence: How apt we are to despise the highest privileges and the highest blessings because we're too familiar with them. (4026.8–4066.7s)

Key Arguments

God's sovereignty means He does whatever He pleases

Summary: God is on the throne, directing all things according to His will, and none can stay His hand.

Evidence: But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. (220.0–290.0s)

Men admire gracious words about sovereignty until it is applied

Summary: The Nazarenes marveled at Jesus' words but became murderously angry when He applied God's sovereignty to them.

Evidence: All bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words... And all they in the synagogue... were filled with wrath. (318.6–357.9s)

Familiarity breeds contempt for Christ's authority

Summary: The people of Nazareth could not submit to Jesus because they knew Him as a hometown boy.

Evidence: Is not this the carpenter's son? ... And they were offended in him. (667.0–683.3s)

God is not obligated to bless anyone

Summary: The Nazarenes believed Christ owed them miracles, but God owes nothing to any creature.

Evidence: God does not owe anyone anything. (1806.9–1863.4s)

God is free to show mercy to whomever He wills

Summary: The stories of Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God's sovereign choice to bless foreigners over Israelites.

Evidence: Many widows were in Israel... but unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath... a woman that was a widow. (1427.7–1521.9s)

God does not owe explanations for His actions

Summary: Jesus gave no reason why God chose the widow and Naaman; He simply stated the facts.

Evidence: He didn't explain why God sent Elijah over there. He just stated the fact. (2813.2–2856.0s)

Unbelief is the human cause of missing God's blessings

Summary: Jesus cast the blame for the lack of miracles on the people's unbelief and unwillingness to submit.

Evidence: He therefore rightly and righteously cast the blame for the lack of miracles back upon His own people. (3583.5–3652.3s)

Men hate a God they cannot control

Summary: The world accepts a weak, lenient God but rejects a sovereign, holy God who demands submission.

Evidence: Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control. (3777.0–3839.0s)

Scripture References

Luke 4:16–30

Context: The main text: Jesus reads Isaiah 61 in Nazareth, is initially admired, then rejected when He applies God's sovereignty.

Psalm 115:3

Context: Cited to show God does whatever He pleases.

Daniel 4:35

Context: Cited to show God does according to His will and none can stay His hand.

Isaiah 61:1–2

Context: The passage Jesus read in the synagogue, quoted in Luke 4:18–19.

Matthew 13:54–58

Context: Parallel account showing the Nazarenes' offense at Jesus' wisdom and mighty works because they knew His family.

Mark 6:1–6

Context: Parallel account emphasizing their unbelief and Jesus' inability to do many miracles there.

1 Kings 17

Context: The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, illustrating God's sovereign mercy to a foreigner.

2 Kings 5

Context: The story of Elisha healing Naaman the Syrian, illustrating God's sovereign mercy to a foreigner.

Romans 11:34–35

Context: Cited to show no one has given to God that he should be repaid; God owes nothing.

Matthew 20:1–16

Context: The parable of the laborers in the vineyard, illustrating God's right to do as He wills with His own.

Romans 9:29

Context: Quoted to show that except God left a seed, all would be like Sodom; mercy is grace.

John 5:1–9

Context: The healing at Bethesda: Jesus healed one man among many, demonstrating sovereign grace.

John 5:21

Context: Jesus states the Son quickens whom He will, showing His sovereignty.

Romans 9:15–18

Context: God's declaration that He has mercy on whom He wills, and hardens whom He wills.

Job 33:13

Context: God does not give account of any of His matters.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Context: Secret things belong to the Lord; revealed things belong to us for obedience.

Isaiah 55:6–7

Context: Quoted to show man's responsibility to seek the Lord while He may be found.

2 Kings 7:3–8

Context: The story of the four lepers who reasoned they had nothing to lose by going to the Syrians, illustrating seeking mercy.

John 6:37

Context: Quoted to show the harmony of divine sovereignty and human responsibility: all the Father gives will come, and Christ will not cast out.

Acts 10:34–35

Context: Peter's statement that God is no respecter of persons; he who fears God is accepted.

Historical References

John Calvin's commentary on Luke 4:24

Context: Calvin explains that unbelief hinders God from working miracles, and Christ reproaches the Nazarenes for preventing His power among them.

John Calvin's commentary on Luke 4:25–27

Context: Calvin states that God sent His power to foreigners to disgrace Israel because they rejected His prophets.

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17)

Context: Historical incident used by Jesus to illustrate God's sovereign mercy to a Sidonian widow during a famine in Israel.

Elisha and Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5)

Context: Historical incident used by Jesus to illustrate God's sovereign healing of a Syrian leper while many in Israel remained unhealed.

Miracles in Capernaum

Context: Jesus healed the centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, a paralytic, a woman with a hemorrhage, a man with a withered hand, and raised Jairus' daughter.

The pool of Bethesda (John 5)

Context: A place in Jerusalem where a multitude of disabled people waited for healing; Jesus healed one man who had been infirm 38 years.

The siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6–7)

Context: The Syrians besieged Samaria, causing extreme famine; four lepers decided to surrender to the Syrians and found the camp abandoned.

Important Quotes

When I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases.

Significance: Defines the core concept of divine sovereignty that the entire sermon expounds.

The truth of God's sovereignty is distasteful to fallen man because fallen man wishes to be God Himself.

Significance: Explains the root reason humans resist the doctrine of God's sovereignty.

Anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God.

Significance: Summarizes the first implication: God owes nothing to anyone.

I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Significance: Key biblical statement of God's freedom in dispensing grace, quoted from Romans 9:15.

Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control.

Significance: Captures the natural human animosity toward a sovereign God.

Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert.

Significance: A key application: the same truth that saves also hardens those who reject it.

Discussion Questions

Why is the doctrine of God's sovereignty so difficult for people to accept, according to the sermon?

Context: The sermon states that fallen man wishes to be God himself and resists any authority over him.

How did the Nazarenes' familiarity with Jesus affect their response to His teaching?

Context: They knew Him as Joseph's son and could not submit to His authority, leading to unbelief.

What does the proverb 'Physician, heal thyself' reveal about the Nazarenes' expectations of Jesus?

Context: They believed Jesus owed them miracles because He was their hometown boy.

Why did Jesus use the stories of Elijah and Elisha to respond to the Nazarenes?

Context: To show that God sovereignly blessed foreigners while bypassing Israel, demonstrating He owes no one.

How does the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20 illustrate God's right to do as He pleases?

Context: The landowner asserts his right to be generous with his own money, paralleling God's sovereign grace.

In what way does human unbelief hinder the reception of God's grace, yet not bind God's hands?

Context: Calvin's quote explains that unbelief renders people unworthy, but God is not ultimately limited by man.

How does John 6:37 hold together divine sovereignty and human responsibility?

Context: The first part speaks of the Father giving people to the Son; the second promises Christ will not cast out those who come.

What are some ways we might be guilty of despising spiritual privileges because of familiarity?

Context: The sermon warns that we can treat the open Bible and preaching lightly because we have them regularly.

Applications

Humble acknowledgment that we deserve nothing from God

Summary: Recognize that every blessing is pure grace; we cannot obligate God or bring Him into our debt.

Evidence: Anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. (1806.9–1863.4s)

Trust God's freedom in dispensing grace without envy

Summary: Do not demand that God treat you the same as others; His grace is free and distinguishing.

Evidence: God is not obligated to give all the same aid or the same blessings or the same means of grace that he gives to others. (2544.3–2584.6s)

Accept that God does not owe us explanations

Summary: Rest in the fact that God's secret will is His business; we are to obey what He has revealed.

Evidence: The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever. (2992.3–3026.6s)

Take personal responsibility to seek the Lord

Summary: Though God is sovereign, we are commanded to seek Him while He may be found; our unbelief is our fault.

Evidence: Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. (3232.5–3261.8s)

Come to Christ regardless of perceived lack of 'worthiness'

Summary: Like the lepers, we have nothing to lose by casting ourselves on Christ's mercy; He will not cast out those who come.

Evidence: He that cometh unto me I'll in no wise cast out. (3538.1–3582.8s)

Value spiritual privileges and avoid familiarity breeding contempt

Summary: Do not take for granted the preaching of God's Word and the freedom to assemble; treat them as precious.

Evidence: How apt we are to despise the highest privileges and the highest blessings because we're too familiar with them. (4026.8–4066.7s)

Examine your heart for bitterness toward truth

Summary: If you find yourself angry at biblical teaching, recognize that truth embitters those it does not convert.

Evidence: Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert. (3974.7–4025.7s)

Bow in worship to the sovereign God

Summary: Thank God for His sovereignty, blessings, and grace; acknowledge that He is God and we are not.

Evidence: We need to thank Him and bow to Him for His sovereignty, for His blessings, and for His grace. (4187.3–4225.7s)

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:27:32Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:18:49Z

Clean Transcript

Divine Sovereignty Applied

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

And we're going to be reading verses 16 through 30, Luke 4, beginning there, verse 16. "And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor."
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"He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." And he closed the book and he sat down—and he closed the book and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
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Luke 4, verse 21. "And he began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. For they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said of them, You will surely say to me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country."
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"But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But none of them was Elias sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was clean, saving Naaman the Syrian."
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"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them, went his way." The message I want to bring today is entitled "Divine Sovereignty Applied." Divine Sovereignty Applied. One of the most difficult concepts to grasp is the concept of God's sovereignty. It's difficult to grasp it, not only because we do not understand the nature and the person of God, but moreover, it is difficult because man by nature does not want God to be sovereign. Yet the truth remains there can only be one sovereign. There can only be one ultimate, there can only be one absolute, and that one ultimate sovereign and absolute is God and not man. Now when I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases.
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God is subject to none, influenced by none, and is absolutely independent. The sovereignty of God means that God is God in fact, and not just in name only. When we talk about the sovereignty of God, it just simply means this, that God is on the throne of His universe directing, controlling, and working everything out according to the counsel of His own will. The sovereignty of God is the supremacy of God in exercise.
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Now, there are numerous scriptures that teach us this truth. For instance, Psalm 115 and verse 3. You don't have to turn there, but here's what the Word of God says: "But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased." You know what God does? Whatever He's pleased to do. The Bible in Daniel 4 and verse 35 says this: "But He doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?" Now, the truth of God's sovereignty is distasteful to fallen man because fallen man wishes to be God Himself. Men will always admire gracious words, especially concerning God's sovereignty, until that sovereignty is applied. And then all of a sudden, they're going to be extremely irritated and extremely angry with the messenger who is giving the truth of God's sovereignty. So long as the gospel is preached with sweet words, the godless will always put up with it.
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But as soon as the application is made, the best appearing of them was usually verse 4 with anger. Look in verse 22. Luke 4 verse 22, "And all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" Now note, all had to bear witness of the gracious words that proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus Christ. Let's skip down to verse 28.
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After he tells them two simple stories, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong." So on the one hand, they had to admit there were gracious words, but all of a sudden, when they began to see the application of those gracious words, there was anger. Regardless of the anger and the cruelty of men, this one fact still stands. God is still sovereign.
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Now, let me today give you, first of all, the background of this message. Look in verse 16. Luke 4, verse 16, "And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read." Now, our Lord returns to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Matthew chapter 2, verses 22 through 23, tells us that after Joseph and Mary came out of Egypt, they dwelt in Nazareth. Now, it's important to understand that the people of Nazareth considered Jesus Christ to be their hometown boy. They knew him. They knew his family.
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And if one listens to them, why? In all practicality, they raised Him. I mean, He was their hometown boy.
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Now, Christ already had a reputation for being an excellent preacher. Look in Luke 4, verse 14. "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about, and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all." So, once again, he already has this tremendous testimony of being an excellent speaker and a tremendous preacher. While Matthew 7 verse 29 tells us, they taught the people with authority and not as the scribes and the Pharisees.
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So, his hometown friends, by the way, listen carefully to this now, his hometown, his friends, his relatives, and sentimentality did not stop him from doing his duty or fulfilling his responsibility. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue to read and to preach as he always did. Now, in the sovereign providence of God, when he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, there was delivered unto him the scroll of Isaiah. He read from the passage in Isaiah of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. Now Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2 is quoted for us in Luke 4 verses 18 and 19. Look what he read. Verse 18. Here's what he read when he read from the book of Isaiah. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor."
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"He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Now, our Lord goes a little further. Look in verse 20. "And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, This day is the Scripture fulfilled in your ears." Now, at first, all eyes were upon Christ. All ears were open unto his words. And they had to concede that out of his mouth proceeded gracious words. They were spellbound temporarily. Even when Christ stated that he was the personification of Isaiah 61 verses 1 and 2. But as they sat there with their eyes fastened upon Christ, their ears opened, spellbound, all of a sudden something clicked in their minds and they asked in verse 22, "And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?"
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Now, what in the world is the implication of that question? They were sitting there, spellbound, confessing and admitting that gracious words were proceeding forth from his lips. And all of a sudden, this question comes into their mind. "Is not this Joseph's son?" Well, let me show you what that question implies. Hold Luke chapter 4. But look in your Bibles to Matthew 13 and then to Mark 6. We're going to Matthew 13 first and then we're going to Mark 6. Matthew 13, and let's begin reading there with verse 54. Matthew 13, verse 54. "And when he was coming to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Now watch. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, and his sisters?"
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"Are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."
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Now note, they asked, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" That's the same thing. "Is not this Joseph's son?" Notice, is not his family here, all of his brothers, his sisters, while they're with us? Where did this man get all these things? Where did he get this knowledge from? Where did he get this authority from? And they were offended in him. Look in Mark chapter 6, beginning there with verse 1. You'll see the same truth. Let me read it for emphasis because I want you to see the explanation. Mark chapter 6 verse 1, "And he went out from thence and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, For whence hath this man these things?"
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"And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph of Judah, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick, and healed them."
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"And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around about the villages teaching."
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Now, to be offended in the sense of Matthew 13 and Mark chapter 6 means this: that you see in one that which you disapprove of and that you cannot submit to or acknowledge his authority.
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Now notice what they were doing. "We know this boy. This is the son of Joseph. His father was a carpenter. We know Mary. We know his brothers. We know his sisters. We know the whole thing. Where did this boy get all this knowledge? Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get this power? Who does he think he is? I could never submit to someone that I practically helped raise." You see their mentality? Bluntly stated, they could not acknowledge nor could they imagine that their hometown boy could have the power and the authority that Christ was wielding. It just could not be. It was their unbelief that exposed their ignorance of Christ. And it was their unbelief which refused to allow them to acknowledge his authority. So here's the background. Christ has come to his own hometown. And folks say, "Look, he's our hometown boy. I just can't believe the authority and the power that he's claiming."
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Note, secondly, there's another attitude that develops in the hometown people. Note verse 23. Look at the demand. Luke chapter 4, you have to go back there, verse 23. "And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country." Now, look at that closely. He said to them, "You will surely say to me, this proverb, Physician, heal thyself." Now, if you really don't understand what that proverb means, he really explains it by the statement, "Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country."
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Now our Lord understands exactly where the people of Nazareth were coming from. Not only did they not wish to acknowledge his authority, but moreover, since he was their hometown boy, they also expected more from him on their behalf. Whatever he did anywhere else, they thought, certainly ought to be done for them and even more. Why? Why? After all, He owed it to them. They helped to raise him.
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He was one of them. He was one of their own. And so the people of Nazareth then believed that they had an irrefutable claim upon Christ.
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Now, our Lord says, "What you're going to tell me is this. You're going to tell me, Physician, heal thyself or heal thy lameness."
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Now, what that means is this. If you're a physician then you at least ought to look after yourself, and your family, and your friends. Doesn't that make sense? I mean, if I'm a doctor, I at least ought to look after my own family, if I have that ability. I ought to at least look after my intimate friends, if I have that ability. So this is what they're saying. He said, "You're going to say to me, Physician, heal thyself." In other words, you look after yourself and you look after your home because we belong to you. So the point of this proverb seems to be that the people of Nazareth were expecting Jesus Christ to make good on his claims of his Messiahship by doing in Nazareth what he had done in Capernaum and other places. I don't know if you understand what Christ did in Capernaum. He did a great deal in Capernaum.
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It was a place where He frequently had it. It was there he cured the centurion servant of the palsy. It was there he cured Peter's wife's mother of a fever. It was there he cured another man of the palsy. It was there he healed a woman with a bloody issue. It was there he healed a man with a withered hand. It was there where he raised Jairus' daughter from the dead.
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So our Lord did a great deal in Capernaum. And so they're saying, "Alright Christ, whatsoever you've done in Capernaum, you do here in your own country. We expect more of you because you're our hometown boy and we are your hometown people."
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Now look in verse 24, because our Lord answers that proverb with another proverb. "And He said, Verily I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country." Now, evidently, this proverb was in reality a comment on their question in verse 22 when they ask, "Is not this Joseph's son?" or "Is not this the son of Joseph?" Here's their attitude. "What? God acting in a son of Joseph? God speaking in such a familiar voice and disguising himself in such as a common man? Why, this seems impossible. This seems self-contradictory, startling by bringing God so near."
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So, the thought was so irrational, so unwelcome, and so disturbing to them. Our Lord is saying, "A prophet never has honor in his own country, among his own family, among his own kin."
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Now, I want to give you—I want to quote to you what John Calvin said on this proverb. I could not say it any better, so I'm going to give you the quote. Here's how he explains the proverb in verse 24 when our Lord says no prophet is accepted in his own country. He says, and I quote, "He that is Christ reproaches them with the blame of preventing him from exerting his power among them as he did in other places by working miracles. Now listen carefully. For the unbelief of men presents an obstruction to God and hinders him from working as might be desired for their salvation. Christ could not perform any miracle among them because they did not believe on him. Now, here's the explanation. Not that it is in the power of men to abide in the hands of God, but that he withholds the advantage of his works from those who are rendered unworthy of them by their own infidelity or unbelief. The answer given by Christ amounts to this. If you wish to have a share in miracles, why do you not give place to God?"
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"Or rather, why do you proudly reject the minister of his power? You receive therefore a just reward for your contempt when I pass you by and give a preference to other places for proving by miracles that I am the Messiah of God." In other words, it's not that you bind the hands of God, he says, but what I will do because of your unbelief and because of your unsubmissiveness, I'll bypass you.
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I don't owe you anything. Now, let's see how he backs up this proverb. Look, if you would, at verses 25 through 27. Let's just read them. Verse 25. "But I tell you the truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath the city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them were cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." Now, let's go back to verse 25. He says, "But I tell you of a truth."
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This is a phrase that was often used of Hebrew writers, and it signifies basically a tradition of Moses from Mount Sinai, so that which is spoken is most true, it is sure, it is absolute, it is firm, it is to be depended upon. And when our Lord uses this phrase, it's really in the form of an oath. So whatever follows is a strong observation and amounted to a solemn oath based upon what our Lord gives them.
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Now he says, "But I tell you of a truth." In other words, I'm going to tell you how it actually is. I'm going to tell you how the cow eats the cabbage.
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Now what Christ did was this. Jesus Christ gives the people two historical incidents that they had heard and known all of their lives. They knew of these stories from their childhood. It was not the story that upset the people. Are you listening? It was not the truth that upset the people. It was the application of the truth. A lot of people will listen to truth as long as it's not applied. But once you start applying truth, then that's a horse of a different color.
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So what does he tell? He tells them, first of all, that many widows were in the land of Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up for three and a half years. That is when no moisture fell. And he said many widows were in the land of Israel, but of none of them was Elijah sent, but to a widow of Zarephath, a city of Sidon.
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Now you'll find this story in 1 Kings chapter 17. The whole point of this illustration is this. That Elijah, the man of God, Elijah, the minister of God, was sent to a widow woman outside the bounds of Israel. He was sent to a foreigner, to a Sidonian, of the widow woman of Zarephath or Zarephath as it is in the Old Testament. So, what is our Lord saying? The children of Israel did without. While God sovereignly sent Elijah to a stranger and a foreigner to be helped and blessed. The second illustration is that of Elisha healing Naaman. You will find this in 2 Kings chapter 5. Out of all the lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha, none were healed. The only leper that was healed by Elisha was Naaman, a Syrian. Not an Israelite, but a Syrian. What did God do then? God then sovereignly sent His mercy to a foreigner and not to an Israelite.
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Now, I want you to listen carefully. Because once again, I'm going to quote what Calvin said on these two verses, and I'm going to start preaching. Listen carefully. Here's what Calvin said concerning our Lord's two stories. He said, "Though his reproofs strike through the inhabitants of Nazareth with peculiar severity, yet he charges the whole nation with ingratitude because for a long period almost all of them had proceeded to more shameful contempt of the Lord in proportion as he approached near to them."
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"For how did it come about that a woman who was a foreigner was preferred by God to all the Israelites but because the prophet had been rejected by them and compelled to seek refuge in a heathen land. And why did God choose that Naaman, a Syrian, should be healed by Elisha but to put a disgrace upon the nation of Israel? The meaning, therefore, is that the same thing happens now as in former times when God sends His power to a great distance among foreigners because He is rejected by the inhabitants of the country."
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"Christ intimates Though he is despised by his countrymen, his glory is in no degree diminished, because God will still be able, to their shame and confusion, to dignify and exalt his son as he formerly gave honor to his prophets in the midst of the Gentiles." What in the world did he say? He said God was bringing disgrace and contempt upon the Israelites because of their refusal and rejection of the man of God.
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It was true in the day of Elijah. It was true in the days of Elisha. It's true. It was true in the days of Christ. And by the way, it's still true today. I'll show you another verse a little bit later. But now here is what upset these people so. It was not just the fact that God was sovereign. You know, most people are going to admit that. They may not understand it, they may not like it, but they pretty well know that God is sovereign, God is God. But it is the implication and the application of that truth that upsets so many people.
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Now, let me set the stage before I give you the first point. Are you ready? Christ returns to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And everybody takes the attitude, "Well, that's our hometown boy. We helped raise him." And they were kind of upset and offended by the fact that he had wisdom, he had power, he had authority. They didn't like that. You know, it is very difficult. It was difficult in my life. For my father.
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To bow to my teaching and preaching. Why? Because He was my Father. He had authority over me all of my life. And now when I preach and teach, I have authority over Him. That's difficult. Well, you see, that was the same thing here. This was their hometown boy. They knew Him. They'd help raise Him. And now He comes back with all this power and authority and this great reputation as a preacher and teacher and a miracle worker?
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And how in the world can we submit to Him when we've known Him since He was a child? But then they say this, "Ah, but since He's our hometown boy, He'll do more for us than just for anybody else. Why? He owes us." And then our Lord tells them these two little stories. There are many widows in the days of Elijah. But none of them were blessed or helped save a widow of Zarephath in Sidon. Many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha. None of them were healed but Naaman, a Syrian. Are you listening? Here's the first point. Here's the implication that really bent them out of shape.
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God does not owe anyone anything. They believe that Christ owed them. Listen folks, anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God. And we cannot bring God into debt to ourselves. Go to Luke chapter 4, but look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 11. Go to Romans 11. And I want you to see verses 34 and 35. Romans 11. Notice verse 34. Romans 11, verse 34.
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The question is asked, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord?" The answer is no one. "Or who hath been his counselor?" The answer is no one.
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Now watch verse 35. "Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" Who has first given to God? What's the answer? No one. Everything we have is from God. You say, "Well, I tithe." Yes, but God gave you the money to begin with. God gave you the strength to work. God gave you the mind that you might be able to work. God gave you the body. God gave you the air to breathe. God gave you everything. You cannot bring God into your debt. You cannot obligate God in any way whatsoever.
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Anything we receive outside of God's judgment is pure, undiluted, and unmerited grace. Are you listening now? God does not owe anyone anything. Let me go further. God, as a sovereign God of the universe, has the sovereign right to do with his own as he wills.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Don't you think about this? Let's suppose that you worked hard. And with the blessing of God, you were multimillionaire. And I came to you one day, and I said, "Now, let me tell you what you must do with your money. You must do this. You must do that. You must do this." You'd look at me and say, "Preacher, have you lost your mind? What are you standing there telling me what I must do with my money? I earned that. I work for that."
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"I'll do with it as I please." Well, if you lawfully earned and work for that money, do you not have the inherent right to do with it as you please? Well, of course you do. You're a steward unto God. You're responsible. And you'd be upset if I came to you and told you how you must spend your money. Look in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20.
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And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Matthew 20, verse 1. Here's an interesting story. Matthew 20, verse 1. "For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Verse 2. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard."
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Now, here are some people who made an agreement with the husbandman. They agreed a penny a day. That was the standard wage back then. So he sent them to work in the vineyard. Watch verse 3. "He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace, and he said to them, Go ye in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give to you. And they went their way. Again he went out the sixth hour, talking about noon, and the ninth hour, three o'clock, and he did likewise, and about the eleventh hour, five o'clock, he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand ye here idle all the day?"
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"They said to him, Because no man hath hired us. He said to them, Go ye also in the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, call the laborers and give them their hire beginning from the last and the first. And when they came, they were hired about the eleventh hour. That's five o'clock. They received every man a penny, and when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more and they likewise receive every man a penny. And when they received it, they murmured against the good man of the house saying, These lasts have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day."
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"But he answered and said unto them, Friend, I do thee no wrong. Dost not thou agree with me for a penny?" Yeah, they did. "Take that thine is, and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even to thee. Watch, is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?" What does our Lord say? "Is it not lawful for me to do with what I will with mine own?"
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We claim that for ourselves. Would we withhold that right from God Himself? Let me tell you something, folks. The fact that God has mercy on anyone is nothing less than a miracle. Let me ask you, how many of you, and please remember now, some of you have been sitting under my ministry for years. But how many of you can say, "I deserve God's blessings"? None. Let me ask you, how many blessings does God owe you? None.
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You know what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 9 in verse 29? Let me just quote it. He is quoting from Isaiah and he said, "As Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been a Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah." What did he say? He said if God had mercy on some of us, all of us would have been destroyed. So the very fact is, God doesn't owe us anything. And the mere fact that He has mercy on us is His grace.
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Now let me show you how particular this is. Look in your Bibles to John chapter 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. And there are a number of questions that you need to be asked to stimulate your thinking in this. John 5, verse 1. "After this, there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, there's a Jerusalem by the sheep market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches."
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"In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down in a certain season in the pool, and troubled the water. Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said of him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me in the pool."
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"But while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. And on the same day was the Sabbath."
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Now let me stop there just for a moment. Let me ask you a question. How many people were lying around this pool? Well, the Bible says a great multitude of lame, blind, halt, withered people. How many of these people needed healing? All of them. Did not Jesus Christ have the power to heal every last one of them? Yes. How many did He heal? One. One. One. Now you've got to ask yourself this question. Why did our Lord single out one man and heal him? When all the people needed healing, and Jesus certainly had the power to heal everyone, why did he just single out one man and heal him and bypass all the others?
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I will give you the answer. Because our Lord tells us the answer Himself, beginning in verse 21 of chapter 5. Look at it. After the Pharisees reproach Him for healing on the Sabbath, He says this, "For as the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man, but that he committeth all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son even as or equally as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father who had sent him." Now go back to verse 21. Here's the answer. "For as the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will."
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What is the one thing that marks God out as God? He is absolutely sovereign. Our Lord said, "As the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth them even so equally, the Son is also sovereign. Therefore, He quickeneth whom He wills." He got the one man to demonstrate that he was sovereign. He did not owe anything to anybody. And what he did was pure grace. The miracle in John chapter 5 reveals that whatever Christ gives us is in grace. Because we do not merit it, or earn it, or deserve it, and He certainly does not owe it to us.
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So the very first implication of God's sovereignty is this. God does not owe us anything. Here's the second implication. We must understand the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. And I'll explain that statement, the freeness of God's distinguishing grace. God is not obligated to give all the same aid or the same blessings or the same means of grace that he gives to others. This is a doctrine the world was never, ever patient to hear.
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You know what most people do? They take a phrase and take it out of context. They say, "Well, God is no respecter of persons. I mean, what He does for Ed, He'll do for me." God may do for me what He does for Ed, but if He does, it's because of His grace and not because He's done something for Ed, therefore He's required to do something for me. I mean, all you've got to do is stop and think. God gave this country the gospel. He never gave it to China. He never gave it to Egypt.
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You see what I'm saying? God is not obligated to give the same people the same blessings. I could say, "Well, I know several Christians that are multi-millionaires now, God. You have to give me several million dollars." No. When the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons, all that means is this. No goodness can commend us to God, and no evilness that is in us can detract or stop God's blessings. It's not anything in us that affects God. God can do to whomever He pleases, whenever He pleases, however He pleases. If you look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 9, I will show you what God says in black and white, and I hope you understand this. Romans chapter 9, God states His position very clearly. Look in Romans chapter 9. This is an explanation of the freeness of God's grace. Romans 9 verse 15. "For he saith to Moses," what did God tell Moses?
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"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, so that it is not him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my powers in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore, have ye mercy on whom ye will have mercy, and whom ye will. Be hard." You know what God does? Exactly as he pleases. His mercy is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. His grace is his and he's free to give it or withhold it. We would try to make God our debtor and the people of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth thought they had as good if not a better right to Christ's miracles than the people of Capernaum.
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Our Lord said, "Let me tell you something. I'm free to bless whom I will bless. To curse whom I will curse. For my grace is free. I'm under no obligations. I'm under no constraints. I'm under no influences." So the very first thing we've got to learn is God does not owe us anything. Secondly, God's freeness in his distinguishing grace, he's free to bless one and not another. He's free to heal one and not another. He's free to save one and not another. He's free to do whatever he pleases, for he is God. Here's the third thing, and listen, what we're doing this morning is this plowing some difficult ground. Because here's the third one. God does not owe us any explanation for what he does. You know what our Lord did?
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He just said, "There are many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but in none of them was he sent except to the widow where Zarephath, the city of Sidon." He didn't explain why God sent Elijah over there. He just stated the fact. He said there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha. But none of them were healed but Naaman the Syrian. He didn't explain why that was. He just said that's the way it is. God does not owe us an explanation for what He does. And it does you no good to wonder, to guess, or postulate, or try to conclude why God does what He does. That's God's business.
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I can quote this verse, but I do want you to see it. Turn in your Bibles to Job 33. Job 33. Right before the book of Psalms, you'll find the book of Job. Look in Job 33 and verse 13. Job 33, verse 13. I like this passage. It'll answer a whole lot of questions if you'll let it. Job 33. And look, if you would please, at verse 13.
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The Bible says, "Why dost thou strive against him?" That is, why are you fighting against God? "For he giveth not account of any of his matters." Did you hear that? God does not owe us an explanation. "Lord, why did you allow my child to die?" It's sufficient for us to know that God was in control. "Lord, why did you allow me to be such a poor man?" Well, it's satisfactory just to know that that's the way God allowed it. God does not owe us an explanation. "Lord, why did you save me and not someone else?" God does not owe you an explanation. He giveth not account of any of his matters. That is his business.
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Now, turn in your Bible, since you're in the Old Testament, go to Deuteronomy 29, the fifth book, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 29, look in verse 29. Here's another verse that will teach you exactly the same truth. Deuteronomy 29, 29. Look what the Bible says. Deuteronomy 29, 29. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God." Did you hear that? "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed," that is in his word, "belong to us and our children forever that we may do all the words of this law."
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Now, here is my question, folks. How many of God's secret things has God shared with us? None. They belong to Him. What belongs to us? The Word of God. That which He has revealed. And He's revealed it why? That we should obey Him. Now, you say, "Well, can I ever know the secret things of God?" Sure. You may know the secret things of God when they come to pass in time and history.
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But until then, they're His business. They're not ours. And you see, folks, we think somehow that God owes us an explanation. But He doesn't. Without me going into the background of Matthew 11, that's another sermon in itself. But in verse 26, after our Lord gets through saying some things that God had done, He says this, "So Father, for it seemed good in thy sight." Why did God do what he did? It was good in God's sight. Other than that, he owes us no explanation. Sometimes God graciously and kindly allows us to understand some things. And sometimes he explains some things to us, but listen to me, folks, God does not owe us any explanations, and his private business is his private business, and you believe the same way, and certainly you claim that for yourself. Here's what our Lord is telling these people. Number one, I don't owe you anything. Number two, I'm free to bless one and not to bless another. Number three, I don't owe you any explanation for what I do. Number four, he shows us something else out of Luke 4 very quickly.
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Go back to Luke 4. Listen carefully. God's sovereignty is indeed a fact. What a parallel truth is this, that it is the fault, the sin, and the unbelief of men that hinder them from receiving the benefits of divine grace.
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Now, let's just stop and think about this. Had the Israelites submitted to and bowed to the teaching of Elijah and received him as the man of God, some of their widows may have been blessed as well. If the people of Israel had submitted to the authority of Elisha and the teaching of the word of God, some of their lepers may have been healed as well. But you see, the fact is.
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They did not, but it is still our responsibility. It is our duty, it is our obligation as creatures to seek after the Lord. Do you know what the Bible says in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7? Let me just quote it. He says, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord."
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"For he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for our God will abundantly pardon." Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. None of these folks sought after Elijah. None of them sought after Elisha. None of them sought after the truth that they preached or the God that they represented. It is true that God is sovereign, but it is equally true that man is responsible.
#78 | 53:52 to 54:21 | cleaned
I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 7 because here is a wonderful illustration, 2 Kings 7. Let me just try to tell you the background. The Syrians had surrounded the city. That is, a pagan army was outside besieging the city walls. Inside the city, starvation was stalking the people.
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Now listen, without me going into all of this, the city was so without food that they were eating dung.
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Also, women were killing and cooking and eating their own children. That is how bad starvation was in the city. So if you stayed inside the city, you starved. If you went outside the city, the Syrians would kill you. Well, there happened to be four men who were lepers who were sitting at the city wall. Remember, lepers could not go into the city. How did lepers live? Well, they couldn't work most of the time and no one could get near them because it was basically they had to cry "unclean, unclean" to make sure everyone stayed away from them. So people would throw garbage over the wall. And that's how they would live, they would get the garbage. So here are these four lepers, they're seated at the wall of the city. If they go inside the city, they're going to starve. If they sit outside the wall, they're going to starve. If they go to the Syrians, they're going to get killed. Now, look what happens. 2 Kings 7, verse 3, "And there were four leprous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here till we die?"
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"If we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also."
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"Now, therefore, come and let us fall in the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live. If they kill us, we shall but die."
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Now, look at their reasoning. Now, watch this. They said if we go into the city, we're dead meat. If we sit out here, we're dead meat. If we fall to the Syrians, we may be dead meat. But they may let us live. So I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to go and fall to the Syrians. If they kill us, we can't be any more dead than sitting here or dying in the city. I mean, dead's dead, isn't it?
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Doesn't matter whether you starve to death or get your head cut off by a sword. You're still dead. Now, listen to me. Are you listening? Here's an unsaved man. And he says, "I understand. Christ is sovereign. He's not obligated to give me repentance. He's not obligated to give me faith. He's not obligated to do anything for me. But I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to Christ."
#85 | 57:45 to 58:17 | cleaned
"And beg him for mercy. And beg him for repentance and beg him for faith." Let's just suppose. Christ turned that unsaved man down. Just suppose that for a moment. If He did, the man wouldn't be any more dead or any more damned than he already was. You follow me? But our Lord has never turned anyone away who sought Him in repentance and faith. You know, there's a verse, and you ought to remember this verse, John 6:37.
#86 | 58:19 to 58:58 | cleaned
I'll quote it for you. It puts together God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. John 6, verse 37. Our Lord said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me." That's divine sovereignty. That's divine election. "All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me." And the latter part of the verse says this, "And he that cometh unto me I'll in no wise cast out." That's responsibility. Although God is sovereign and although divine election is clear and taught very plainly in the Bible, it does not cancel out, it does not nullify, it does not abrogate, it does not do away with our responsibility to come to Christ. In fact, the truth of the matter is divine election ensures that some will come to Christ.
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And so what our Lord does in Luke chapter 4, listen carefully, he therefore rightly and righteously cast the blame for the lack of miracles back upon His own people. He says it's your unbelief. It's your unwillingness to submit to Me. It's your unwillingness to bow to My authority. That's why our Lord says, "Hey, you're cutting your own throat." Here's the first truth. God doesn't owe us anything. The second truth, just because God does something for one person does not mean he's obligated to do it for another person. God does not owe us an explanation. That's the third thing. And number four, when people are not blessed by God, it's basically their fault because of their unbelief, their unsubmissiveness to the Word of God. And here's the fifth truth that we understand.
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That God's sovereignty extends far beyond the bounds of Palestine. You see, those people back then thought that God was exclusively theirs. No, the Bible teaches us that he is sovereign in any and every country and in any and every nation. The one who fears God is accepted of him. God has no respect for this country or for that country, he sent Elijah to a Sidonian, he sent Elisha to a Syrian, and while he neglected the ungrateful and disobedient Israelites. Peter stated this very plainly in Acts chapter 10, when he witnessed the conversion of Cornelius, he said that God is no respecter of persons in the fact that he that doeth righteousness and fears God is accepted of him.
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Paul said the same thing in Romans 10 verses 19 through 21 and Romans 11 and verse 11. God's sovereignty is universal. God does as He wills, whenever He wills, and to whomever He wills.
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Now, very quickly, let me give you one last point and then tie it together for you. I want you to see the response to this message. Go back to Luke chapter 4. Go back to Luke chapter 4 and look at verses 28 and 29. When our Lord got through giving them these two simple little stories. Stories they had heard since they were children. Oh, remember it began with the gracious words that proceeded out of their mouths? Ah, but now look in verse 28, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong."
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Now listen carefully to what I'm about to say. The response, humanly speaking, was anger so vicious that the outcome would have been murder had not the Lord withdrawn Himself.
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Now, I know that Christ could not have died until the time appointed. I understand that. But if these people, humanly speaking, could have gotten their hands upon Christ and done with Him what they wanted to do, they would have killed Him. Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control. You want me to tell you what is wrong in this country? You want me to tell you what is happening in this country? Listen carefully. All is well when you preach a sweet, effeminate, emasculated God who does not engage in sin himself, but leniently weeps at the indiscretions and the sins of people. All is well when they believe a God is too loving to bring them to judgment and to hold them account for their sins. All is well when God is viewed as their little servant boy who exists for their service, their benefit and their blessings.
#93 | 1:02:57 to 1:03:59 | cleaned
All is well as long as man is presented as the center of the universe and everything revolves around him. But you begin to preach an enthroned, sovereign, holy, righteous, and just God, who does as he pleases, always as he pleases, and only as he pleases, and he demands that men bow to him, then you've got trouble. Because people do not want that kind of God. The God that they want is the God that they can control. They can put their little finger on and press a button and God is there at their demand. Man by nature does not want the God of the Bible. Are you listening? The only God that exists is the God of the Bible.
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All others are nothing more than figments of a depraved imagination. God is absolutely sovereign. God is on the throne. God is in control. God is the ruler over everything, everyone, at all times, at all places. Everyone will bow to God's sovereignty until you start making the applications of that sovereignty. And then men don't like it when they understand that God does not owe them anything. And that God is not obligated to do for one what He does for another. And that God doesn't owe them an explanation. No. They don't like that. They don't like the fact that God is free to go to one country or to another country. God can do whatever He pleases.
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And here's the bad thing. We can't stop Him. We can't manipulate Him. We can't control Him. He is God.
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Now let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. I want you to see this from the text. Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert. These people were so amazed at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. But when He got to making the applications, they became so angry and so vicious. They would have killed him. Let me tell you something, folks, those who have only tasted of the word of God, who have not really eaten the word of God, who have not assimilated the word of God, those who have only tasted and rejected can be the most bitter, the most angry and the most hateful people you will ever meet.
#97 | 1:06:14 to 1:07:05 | cleaned
You'll hear them say things, "I've tried Christianity, it doesn't work. Don't talk to me about the Bible. Don't talk to me about being a Christian." And I've got news, folks. When you are embittered at the truth, you've got problems. The second application of this, how apt we are to despise the highest privileges and the highest blessings because we're too familiar with them. Let me ask you a question.
#98 | 1:07:06 to 1:07:46 | cleaned
This boggles our mind, but here it is. Are men so depraved and so wicked and so rebellious and so hateful that they would refuse to listen to and submit to the preaching of Jesus Christ himself? The answer is yes.
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Now is it any wonder that people despise God's other true preachers? Is it any wonder that we count the open Bible, the freedom to assemble, and the preaching of the Word of God as something very lightly? And most of the people in this country would count it as a waste of time. We do not value what God has given us. How many in here would love to have sat at the feet of Jesus Christ? I would love to have sat at the feet of the Apostle Paul.
#100 | 1:08:16 to 1:09:05 | cleaned
You say, "Me, me, me, pastor, I would like to have done that." Well, let me tell you something, folks. We do that when the Word of God is preached and taught. Because this is His Word. And so many times we take it for granted and treat it lightly and flippantly because we get it all the time. God is God. We need to thank Him and bow to Him for His sovereignty, for His blessings, and for His grace.
#101 | 1:09:05 to 1:09:47 | cleaned
And just ask yourself this one question. Who am I to know the truth? Who am I to have had the length of life that I now possess? Who am I to have the health that I now have. Who am I? You see, it's only the grace of God. And we need to bow to Him and worship. Let's pray. Father, we do ask, we do pray that You would help us to bow before Thy divine sovereignty. Thou art God.
#102 | 1:09:47 to 1:10:25 | cleaned
And besides Thee, there is none else. We thank You. We worship Thee. We adore Thee for Your greatness and Your mercy. Thou art the one true and the living God. Besides Thee there is none other. Give us hearts to worship and praise and to be thankful unto Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:27:32Z

Divine Sovereignty Applied

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Luke 4:16–30, showing that while people admire gracious words about God's sovereignty, they become angry when that sovereignty is applied. He draws five implications: God owes nothing to anyone; God is free in His distinguishing grace; God owes no explanations; human unbelief hinders reception of grace; and God's sovereignty extends universally. The sermon warns that truth embitters those it does not convert and that familiarity can breed contempt for spiritual privileges.

Opening

And we're going to be reading verses 16 through 30, Luke 4, beginning there, verse 16.

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." "He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And he began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. For they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said of them, You will surely say to me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself. Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." "But I tell you of a truth. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But none of them was Elias sent, save unto Zarephath, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was clean, saving Naaman the Syrian."

Introduction: The Difficulty of Grasping Divine Sovereignty

God's sovereignty means He sits on His throne, does as He pleases, and is subject to none. Man by nature resists this truth.

Scripture Reading — Luke 4:16–30

"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them, went his way."

Background: Jesus Returns to Nazareth

Jesus, known as the hometown boy, reads Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. The people are initially amazed but then question His authority because of familiarity.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 61:1–2

"He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:54–58

"And when he was coming to his own country, he taught them in their synagogue insomuch that they were astonished and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty works? Now watch. Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, and his sisters?"

Now note, they asked,

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:1–6

"Is not this the carpenter's son?"

Scripture Reading — Mark 6:1–6

"And he went out from thence and came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, For whence hath this man these things?"

Now, to be offended in the sense of Matthew 13 and Mark chapter 6 means this: that you see in one that which you disapprove of and that you cannot submit to or acknowledge his authority.

The Demand: 'Physician, Heal Thyself'

The Nazarenes expect Jesus to perform miracles for them as He did in Capernaum, believing He owes them because He is one of their own.

Jesus' Response: Two Old Testament Illustrations

Jesus cites Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, and Elisha and Naaman the Syrian, showing God sovereignly blessed foreigners while bypassing Israel.

Implication 1: God Owes No One Anything

Everything we receive is pure grace; we cannot bring God into our debt. Romans 11:35 and Matthew 20:1–16 illustrate this.

And let's begin reading there with verse 1. Matthew 20, verse 1. Here's an interesting story. Matthew 20, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 20:1–16

"For the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that is a householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Verse 2. And when he agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard."

Implication 2: The Freeness of God's Distinguishing Grace

God is not obligated to give all the same blessings. Romans 9:15–18 shows He has mercy on whom He wills.

Implication 3: God Owes No Explanations

God does not give account of His matters (Job 33:13). Secret things belong to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Implication 4: Human Unbelief Hinders Reception of Grace

The fault lies with man's unbelief and unwillingness to submit. Yet man is still responsible to seek the Lord (Isaiah 55:6–7).

Now listen, without me going into all of this, the city was so without food that they were eating dung.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 7:3–8

"And there were four leprous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here

till we die?"

I'll quote it for you. It puts together God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. John 6, verse 37. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me."

That's divine sovereignty. That's divine election.

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me."

And the latter part of the verse says this,

Scripture Reading — John 6:37

"And he that cometh unto me I'll in no wise cast out."

Implication 5: God's Sovereignty Is Universal

God's sovereignty extends beyond Israel to all nations. He accepts those who fear Him, regardless of nationality.

The Response: Anger and Rejection

The Nazarenes are filled with wrath and try to kill Jesus. Men hate a God they cannot control.

Applications: Truth Embitters or Converts; Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Those who only taste the Word can become bitter. We often despise privileges because we are too familiar with them.

Divine Sovereignty Applied

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	2160415208
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	103

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Difficulty of Grasping Divine Sovereignty: God's sovereignty means He sits on His throne, does as He pleases, and is subject to none. Man by nature resists this truth.
Background: Jesus Returns to Nazareth: Jesus, known as the hometown boy, reads Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. The people are initially amazed but then question His authority because of familiarity.
The Demand: 'Physician, Heal Thyself': The Nazarenes expect Jesus to perform miracles for them as He did in Capernaum, believing He owes them because He is one of their own.
Jesus' Response: Two Old Testament Illustrations: Jesus cites Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, and Elisha and Naaman the Syrian, showing God sovereignly blessed foreigners while bypassing Israel.
Implication 1: God Owes No One Anything: Everything we receive is pure grace; we cannot bring God into our debt. Romans 11:35 and Matthew 20:1–16 illustrate this.
Implication 2: The Freeness of God's Distinguishing Grace: God is not obligated to give all the same blessings. Romans 9:15–18 shows He has mercy on whom He wills.
Implication 3: God Owes No Explanations: God does not give account of His matters (Job 33:13). Secret things belong to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Implication 4: Human Unbelief Hinders Reception of Grace: The fault lies with man's unbelief and unwillingness to submit. Yet man is still responsible to seek the Lord (Isaiah 55:6–7).
Implication 5: God's Sovereignty Is Universal: God's sovereignty extends beyond Israel to all nations. He accepts those who fear Him, regardless of nationality.
The Response: Anger and Rejection: The Nazarenes are filled with wrath and try to kill Jesus. Men hate a God they cannot control.
Applications: Truth Embitters or Converts; Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Those who only taste the Word can become bitter. We often despise privileges because we are too familiar with them.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's sovereignty means He does whatever He pleases

God is on the throne, directing all things according to His will, and none can stay His hand.

But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. (220.0–290.0s)

Men admire gracious words about sovereignty until it is applied

The Nazarenes marveled at Jesus' words but became murderously angry when He applied God's sovereignty to them.

All bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words... And all they in the synagogue... were filled with wrath. (318.6–357.9s)

Familiarity breeds contempt for Christ's authority

The people of Nazareth could not submit to Jesus because they knew Him as a hometown boy.

Is not this the carpenter's son? ... And they were offended in him. (667.0–683.3s)

God is not obligated to bless anyone

The Nazarenes believed Christ owed them miracles, but God owes nothing to any creature.

God does not owe anyone anything. (1806.9–1863.4s)

God is free to show mercy to whomever He wills

The stories of Elijah and Elisha demonstrate God's sovereign choice to bless foreigners over Israelites.

Many widows were in Israel... but unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath... a woman that was a widow. (1427.7–1521.9s)

God does not owe explanations for His actions

Jesus gave no reason why God chose the widow and Naaman; He simply stated the facts.

He didn't explain why God sent Elijah over there. He just stated the fact. (2813.2–2856.0s)

Unbelief is the human cause of missing God's blessings

Jesus cast the blame for the lack of miracles on the people's unbelief and unwillingness to submit.

He therefore rightly and righteously cast the blame for the lack of miracles back upon His own people. (3583.5–3652.3s)

Men hate a God they cannot control

The world accepts a weak, lenient God but rejects a sovereign, holy God who demands submission.

Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control. (3777.0–3839.0s)

Scripture References

Luke 4:16–30: The main text: Jesus reads Isaiah 61 in Nazareth, is initially admired, then rejected when He applies God's sovereignty.
Psalm 115:3: Cited to show God does whatever He pleases.
Daniel 4:35: Cited to show God does according to His will and none can stay His hand.
Isaiah 61:1–2: The passage Jesus read in the synagogue, quoted in Luke 4:18–19.
Matthew 13:54–58: Parallel account showing the Nazarenes' offense at Jesus' wisdom and mighty works because they knew His family.
Mark 6:1–6: Parallel account emphasizing their unbelief and Jesus' inability to do many miracles there.
1 Kings 17: The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, illustrating God's sovereign mercy to a foreigner.
2 Kings 5: The story of Elisha healing Naaman the Syrian, illustrating God's sovereign mercy to a foreigner.
Romans 11:34–35: Cited to show no one has given to God that he should be repaid; God owes nothing.
Matthew 20:1–16: The parable of the laborers in the vineyard, illustrating God's right to do as He wills with His own.
Romans 9:29: Quoted to show that except God left a seed, all would be like Sodom; mercy is grace.
John 5:1–9: The healing at Bethesda: Jesus healed one man among many, demonstrating sovereign grace.
John 5:21: Jesus states the Son quickens whom He will, showing His sovereignty.
Romans 9:15–18: God's declaration that He has mercy on whom He wills, and hardens whom He wills.
Job 33:13: God does not give account of any of His matters.
Deuteronomy 29:29: Secret things belong to the Lord; revealed things belong to us for obedience.
Isaiah 55:6–7: Quoted to show man's responsibility to seek the Lord while He may be found.
2 Kings 7:3–8: The story of the four lepers who reasoned they had nothing to lose by going to the Syrians, illustrating seeking mercy.
John 6:37: Quoted to show the harmony of divine sovereignty and human responsibility: all the Father gives will come, and Christ will not cast out.
Acts 10:34–35: Peter's statement that God is no respecter of persons; he who fears God is accepted.

Historical References

John Calvin's commentary on Luke 4:24: Calvin explains that unbelief hinders God from working miracles, and Christ reproaches the Nazarenes for preventing His power among them.
John Calvin's commentary on Luke 4:25–27: Calvin states that God sent His power to foreigners to disgrace Israel because they rejected His prophets.
Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17): Historical incident used by Jesus to illustrate God's sovereign mercy to a Sidonian widow during a famine in Israel.
Elisha and Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5): Historical incident used by Jesus to illustrate God's sovereign healing of a Syrian leper while many in Israel remained unhealed.
Miracles in Capernaum: Jesus healed the centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, a paralytic, a woman with a hemorrhage, a man with a withered hand, and raised Jairus' daughter.
The pool of Bethesda (John 5): A place in Jerusalem where a multitude of disabled people waited for healing; Jesus healed one man who had been infirm 38 years.
The siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6–7): The Syrians besieged Samaria, causing extreme famine; four lepers decided to surrender to the Syrians and found the camp abandoned.

Important Quotes

When I talk about God's sovereignty, I mean simply this, that God sits upon his throne. He does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and always as he pleases.

Defines the core concept of divine sovereignty that the entire sermon expounds.

The truth of God's sovereignty is distasteful to fallen man because fallen man wishes to be God Himself.

Explains the root reason humans resist the doctrine of God's sovereignty.

Anything we get from God is pure grace. We do not earn it. We do not merit it. We do not deserve anything but judgment from God.

Summarizes the first implication: God owes nothing to anyone.

I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Key biblical statement of God's freedom in dispensing grace, quoted from Romans 9:15.

Men hate the simple truth that God is not under their control, that they are under God's control.

Captures the natural human animosity toward a sovereign God.

Truth embitters those that it does not enlighten and convert.

A key application: the same truth that saves also hardens those who reject it.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why is the doctrine of God's sovereignty so difficult for people to accept, according to the sermon?

[Context]

The sermon states that fallen man wishes to be God himself and resists any authority over him.

[Question]

How did the Nazarenes' familiarity with Jesus affect their response to His teaching?

[Context]

They knew Him as Joseph's son and could not submit to His authority, leading to unbelief.

[Question]

What does the proverb 'Physician, heal thyself' reveal about the Nazarenes' expectations of Jesus?

[Context]

They believed Jesus owed them miracles because He was their hometown boy.

[Question]

Why did Jesus use the stories of Elijah and Elisha to respond to the Nazarenes?

[Context]

To show that God sovereignly blessed foreigners while bypassing Israel, demonstrating He owes no one.

[Question]

How does the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20 illustrate God's right to do as He pleases?

[Context]

The landowner asserts his right to be generous with his own money, paralleling God's sovereign grace.

[Question]

In what way does human unbelief hinder the reception of God's grace, yet not bind God's hands?

[Context]

Calvin's quote explains that unbelief renders people unworthy, but God is not ultimately limited by man.

[Question]

How does John 6:37 hold together divine sovereignty and human responsibility?

[Context]

The first part speaks of the Father giving people to the Son; the second promises Christ will not cast out those who come.

[Question]

What are some ways we might be guilty of despising spiritual privileges because of familiarity?

[Context]

The sermon warns that we can treat the open Bible and preaching lightly because we have them regularly.

Applications

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