Tonight, our study is going to be on the topic of God's sovereignty and man's free will.

Not or, but and man's free will.

And this is one of those topics yet again that we continue to hear debated more than discussed,

and it has and continues to divide the church and divide many Christians and divides us as a body and I believe that that is so

unnecessary because what it ends up doing it is it keeps us from being more effective in

our witness for the true and living God. And that's sad.

And what I want to do is to start off by clearly defining sovereignty as well as free will.

And in fact, I will encourage everyone when you get into a conversation about whatever that issue may be,

ensure that whatever that is, that is clearly defined. Make sure whatever it is, it is clearly

defined. We have to have the clarity because once we defined it, we can either

defend it and or destroy it. But we need to know what we are talking about so we're all

on the same page. So keep that in mind in any discussion, no matter what it is, define it.

So let's define sovereignty. And when we look at what sovereignty means, it is defined as in its most simplest terms, supreme power or authority.

Supreme power or authority.

And when we're talking about the true and living God, that means supreme in every circumstance,

every situation, supreme.

Supreme power and authority.

Do we understand that is complete? Complete and it's important

that we know this. God has sovereign rule. The Bible teaches us that God possesses all power. All.

Not some, but all. And he is the ruler of all things. Captured in the book of Psalms chapter 135 in verse 6 the word of God reads

whatever the Lord pleases he does in heaven and in earth in earth in seas, and in all deep places.

To me, that covers everything.

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