Wow. What a title for a chapter!
John Piper lays a charge against the church immediately in this chapter examining God’s Sovereignty over Satan in Suffering:
The church has not been spending its energy to go deep with the unfathomable God of the Bible. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, much of the church is choosing, at this very moment, to become more light and shallow and entertainment-oriented, and therefore successful in its irrelevance to massive suffering and evil.
Piper goes on to explain that the ten aspects he will explore are celebrations of God’s sovereignty over Satan. Today we will examine the first five he gives:
- Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s delegated world rule.
- “God is sovereign over the nations and over all their rulers and all the satanic power behind them. They do not move without his permission, and they do not move outside his sovereign plan.”
- How can the Christian not rejoice even in these dark political and harsh economic times?
- Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s angels (demons / evil spirits).
- “As for Satan: ‘We tremble not for him; his rage we can endure’. But as for Christ: even though they slay him, they always must obey him! God is sovereign over Satan’s angels.“
- Is there any doubt Who is in charge of all the spiritual skirmishes?
- Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s hand in persecution.
- 1 Peter 5:8-9; “So the sufferings of persecution are like the jaws of a satanic lion trying to consume and destroy the faith of believers in Christ.”
- 1 Peter 3:17; It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will…
- “The lion does not have the last say, God does…God is sovereign over Satan’s hand in persecution.”
- Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s life-taking power.
- Revelation 2:10; “…be faithful unto death…“
- “If the Lord wills, we will live. And if he doesn’t, we will die. God, not Satan, makes the final call. Our lives are ultimately in his hands, not Satan’s. God is sovereign over Satan’s life-taking power.”
- I recall learning this as my dad was slowly dying of cancer. He spoke to me a couple of times, stating, “This life is not worth clinging to when I have Heaven waiting for me.” That is the correct outlook for life and death.
- Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s hand in natural disasters.
- “Satan is real and terrible. All his designs are hateful. But he is not sovereign. God is.“
From authorities and rulers, to persecution, to natural disasters, Satan may seem to run wild and free causing death and destruction and misery, but he does so at the end of a short leash held in the mighty hand of God. Who is like our LORD!?!?!?
