Trusting the Sovereignty of God
Trusting the sovereignty of God means recognizing His organization in our circumstances and being loyal to Him, not just doing work for Him.
Oswald Chambers preaches about the importance of loyalty to God in all circumstances, emphasizing the need to recognize that God engineers the events in our lives even when we may not see it. He challenges believers to be faithful to the Lord above all else, acknowledging that true loyalty means worshiping God in trying circumstances. Chambers highlights the tendency for Christian workers to prioritize tasks over their relationship with Jesus, stressing that God desires to work through us when we are fully devoted to Him.
Text
"It is only the loyal soul who believes that God engineers circumstances. We take such liberties with our circumstances, we do not believe God engineers them, although we say we do; we treat the things that happen as if they were engineered by men.
"To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, and that is to our Lord. Suddenly God breaks up a particular set of circumstances, and the realization comes that we have been disloyal to Him by not recognizing that He had organized them. We never saw what He was after, and that particular thing will never be repeated all the days of our life. The test of loyalty always comes just there. If we learn to worship God in the trying circumstances, He will alter them in two seconds when He chooses.....
"We will be loyal to work, to service, to anything, but do not ask us to be loyal to Jesus Christ.... Our Lord is dethroned more emphatically by Christian workers than by the world. God is made a machine for blessing men, and Jesus Christ is made a Worker among workers.
"The idea is not that we do work for God, but that we are so loyal to Him that He can do His work through us--'I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine.' God wants to use us as He used His own Son.
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest , December 18
Sermon Outline
- I. The Sovereignty of God in Circumstances
- A. God engineers our circumstances
- B. We often treat circumstances as if they were engineered by men
- II. The Test of Loyalty
- A. Being faithful in every circumstance requires loyalty to the Lord
- B. Recognizing God's organization in our circumstances
- III. The Dethronement of Jesus Christ
- A. Christian workers often dethrone Jesus Christ
- B. Making God a machine for blessing men
- IV. The True Idea of Work for God
- A. Being loyal to God, not doing work for Him
- B. God using us as He used His own Son
Key Quotes
“To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, and that is to our Lord.” — Oswald Chambers
“We never saw what He was after, and that particular thing will never be repeated all the days of our life.” — Oswald Chambers
“I reckon on you for extreme service, with no complaining on your part and no explanation on Mine.” — Oswald Chambers
Application Points
- Recognize God's organization in your circumstances and worship Him in the trying times.
- Be loyal to God, not just doing work for Him.
- Let God use you as He used His own Son, with no complaining and no explanation.