The Sovereignty of the King

if God’s people would take their
Bibles once again and turn back this time to John chapter 21. John chapter 21 is our passage
this morning. And I would suggest to you that
this passage is designed to remind us of one of God’s most endearing
attributes, and that is his graciousness. We know that God is gracious. And there is. So much in in and
throughout the scriptures that point to God’s graciousness. That God bestows his kindness. He pours out his favor. He gives
his good. to those who deserve absolutely
nothing good. In fact, we as people, because
of our inherent sin nature, are deserving not only of nothing
good, we deserve only judgment. God’s grace is always a result
of his sovereign choice. It is his Beneficence, it is something
that cannot be earned. It is not deserved because as
soon as it is, it ceases to be grace. The ultimate gift of God’s
grace is salvation. I love the way A.W. Pink described
God’s grace. He said of it that it is the
divine and sovereign saving favor of God exercised in the bestowment
of blessing upon those who have no merit in them. We don’t deserve
it. And for which no compensation
is demanded from them. There is no quid pro quo. There is no deal that is struck,
no bargain. Nay, more, it is the favor of
God shown to those who not only have no positive desserts of
their own, but are thoroughly ill-deserving and hell-deserving. It is completely unmerited and
unsought and altogether unattracted by anything in or from or by
the objects on which it is bestowed. Grace can neither be bought,
earned, nor won by the creature. If it would, if it could, it
would cease to be grace. I believe that that is the heart
of this passage as we’ll see in a moment. It was designed
to remind us, put there to remind us of the sovereignty of the
king. We have watched Peter in his
standing before the Savior. We have watched him leap out
of a boat to go and approach the Savior on the shore. And
we saw last Lord’s Day how graciously Jesus restored Peter to ministry. Today there is further Ministry
to peter but this ministry to peter is also a ministry to those
who are on the shore with peter And it’s also a ministry to us
It’s a timeless message It’s a message that wasn’t just limited
to peter It’s a message that is true for each one of us this
morning If you would pick up in john
chapter 21 We’ll pick up in verse 15 So when they had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you
know that I love you. He said to him, tend my lambs. He said to him again a second
time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him,
yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, shepherd
my sheep. He said to him the third time,
Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because
he had said to him the third time, do you love me? And he
said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love
you. Jesus said to him, tend my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when
you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever
you wished. But when you grow old, you will
stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring
you where you do not wish to go. Now this he said, signifying
by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had
spoken this, he said to him, follow me. Peter, turning around,
saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following them, the one who also
had leaned on his back, on his bosom at the supper, and said,
Lord, who is the one who betrays you? So Peter, seeing him, said
to Jesus, Lord, and what about this man? Jesus said to him,
if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?
follow me. Therefore this saying went out
among the brethren that the disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did
not say to him that he would not die but only that if I want
him to remain until I come what is that to you? There is a principle in Bible
interpretation and hermeneutics that One of the questions you
want to ask yourself is why did God, why would God have put this
passage in the final version of the Bible? Why would God have
included this passage in his written word? And in this particular
case, we have the explanation by the human author himself,
John, tells us exactly why this passage was included, and he
does so in verse 23. Every once in a while, I’ll jumble
the order in which we tackle the verses, and I want to do
that today. I want to look at verse 23 first, where John tells
us exactly why he included this. Verse 23 just says that this
saying went out among the brethren, that is, among the believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ in the earliest century of the church
that the disciple would not die. He’s talking about Peter. This
idea went forth that John would not suffer physical death. Yet Jesus did not say to him
that he would not die. If there was ever somebody who
in the writing of the scriptures would like to seize hold of that
idea that he would not die, it would be John. But even John
was directed by the Holy Spirit to set aside that idea, to set
it straight, to put forth this, to do away rather with this idea
that he was going to live physically forever. And so the idea began
to brew in the church and be disseminated that the Apostle
John was never going to see or taste death. Enoch like Elijah. In fact, the tradition became
so strong that it was said that John was merely sleeping in his
grave at Ephesus. About the Apostle John, we don’t
know as much as we know about some of the other apostles, about
some of the other authors of scripture. In the book of Acts,
as that book opens, we see John frequently appended to Peter.
They’re frequently seen as a company, associates. When Paul writes
later in his epistle to the Galatians, he refers to the apostle John
as a pillar of that community, a leader. We know that tradition
tells us that the historical testimony that is of the early
church, lets us know that John eventually left Jerusalem, where
he was a pillar, a leader, and settled, relocated in Ephesus. We have to apply much discrimination,
reasoned discrimination, when we take historical accounts. They are not scripture, but they
do inform us, they fill in the gaps from time to time, and the
gap that this points to is that John settled for a season in
Ephesus but we know that ultimately he was exiled to Patmos the island
of Patmos under Domitian’s reign 81 through 96 and it was there
that he saw the vision as he records in the book of Revelation
regarding his death we do have historical tradition but we don’t
have any biblical data The tradition about John’s death records that
he probably died around the age of 100 in AD 98, thereabouts. Jerome, the early church father,
said that he died weighed down by old age 68 years after the
Lord’s passion, that is to say, about the year 100. And so we
can begin to make some general conclusions, assumptions, that
he died, the last of the apostles to die, about a hundred years
old, in and or around Ephesus itself. All those things are reasonable
conclusions that we can begin to draw, but as for The means
of John’s death we know next to nothing. An idea developed in the early
church and it was a false idea that John would never die based
on the passage that we just read. It got so bad that believers,
Christians, the general word among the church was that John’s
life was so, as one person put it, charmed, that not even poison
could affect him. Augustine addressed this. He
said that John would be exempt from the necessity of paying
the common tribute to death. That was the prevailing idea.
According to some the apostle was still living peacefully sleeping
in his grave and the proof of that was that whenever the bushes
or trees rustled it was said that John was stirring. Well
the very purpose of this was to dispel that idea. John himself
says it that look Jesus didn’t bestow upon me a certain Privilege
bestowed to only a few in the entire history of humanity this
report is false and John could only say that while he was living
But the proof would come and the proof would come in time
John was not destined or designed or promised to live forever physically
speaking But with that being the explicit purpose, I have
suggested to you that the greater purpose of this passage, I believe
by the Holy Spirit, is to tell us about the sovereignty of the
King. The sovereignty of the King.
And you know that even as I say those two words in concert with
one another, it is a redundant statement. Because a king is
sovereign. And one who is sovereign surely
must be king. But there is a process to embracing
divine rule. There is a process to looking
at understanding divine sovereignty. I believe that is the God-given
purpose of this particular passage. There’s a process of embracing
divine rule And the first step that we see
is a clear declaration of the king’s sovereignty. Look at verse
18. Truly, truly, I say to you, when
you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever
you wished. Jesus is dealing with Peter.
He’s called him and even restored him back into ministry, but now
he wants to unfold the divine plan for this servant of God. And he tells Peter, when you
were younger, younger than you are now, when you were a young
man, you used to get dressed in the morning, you used to put
on your belt, if you will, you used to gird yourself and get
dressed and you would go wherever you wanted. It’s a simple contrast
that Jesus is setting up here between the freedom of his youth
even as he enjoyed it at this moment and his future Which would
include not only arrests, but I believe martyrdom Jesus just
looks at Peter and says when you were a young man you did
whatever you pleased now Peter Peter knew exactly what
he was talking about His life as a fisherman, he was self-employed,
he had great freedom and enjoyed it, no doubt. But Jesus says
to him, that’s not always going to be the case. And this, together
with the fact that Jesus Christ was not shaking out to be exactly
what the Jews, including Peter, had in mind as a savior. This
idea of a suffering servant as a savior. This idea of what they
really wanted was a conquering king. And Peter likewise would
have been eager to sign up for that kingdom, would have been
eager to take up arms for that kind of a king. But Jesus says
his kingdom is entirely different. And he wants Peter to know this.
You used to gird yourself and walk around wherever you wished,
but when you grow old, when you grow old, you will stretch out
your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where
you do not wish to go. This image that he gives of stretching
forth the hands would be similar to our yielding up our own hands
for handcuffs in our day. Jesus says in your old age, there
will be a time, there will be a moment. He’s not talking about
someone dressing you for your day. Far from enjoying whatever freedom
you have enjoyed, there will come a day, Peter, when you will
be restrained. You will be put in cuffs, as
it were. And even though there’s no specific
reference to Peter’s death in these words, when he was young, there was
a contrast. He could do as he pleased, and
yet there is coming a day when he will have to yield up his
hands. He will be taken into custody. And there will be a
particular purpose for that. The common interpretation of
these words through the centuries has been that Peter yielded up
his hands to be placed on a cross. That’s possible, but the whole
wording of the passage is different than that, because he’s literally
tied before he’s even at the place where crucifixion would
have taken place. Still, many people believe that
this refers to the binding, the tying of a prisoner to the cross
prior to the nails being driven. Jesus just tells Peter that he’s
going to be taken into custody and brought where he does not
wish to go. Peter had said that he was willing
eager, uniquely qualified to die for
his Savior. And now his Savior tells him,
Peter, it just so happens that you’re right. It just so happens
that you are going to be granted that privilege of suffering for
the sake of the kingdom. And Jesus wanted Peter to know
right off the bat that God is absolutely sovereign. There is a process, and Peter’s
in the midst of this process of embracing divine rule. No longer is he in charge. No
longer is he going to be calling the shots in his life. We know,
if we have walked with Christ, that God is in absolute control
of His creation. Right? God does whatever God
pleases. God does what He pleases, when
He pleases, and he does it for his own purpose and pleasure.
Isaiah 40, who has directed the spirit of the Lord or as his
counselor informed him? With whom did he consult and
who gave him understanding? and who taught him in the path
of justice and taught him knowledge and informed him of the way of
understanding. In other words, the king is sovereign. Sovereign is the king. We speak in theology of the divine
decree. This is from eternity past, God
making up his mind and determining everything that will ever come
to be. And he can do that. We have to make decisions one
at a time, incrementally, piecemeal, little by little. God saw all
of eternity, throughout all eternity, and he set forth his decree,
and he wants Peter to know he is in absolute charge as God. One pastor said of his sovereignty,
he is the most high Lord heaven and earth. He is subject to none,
influenced by none, absolutely independent. God does as He pleases,
only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him. None can hinder Him. And the
first thing that Peter needed to know is that Jesus Christ
is absolutely sovereign. Jesus Christ is now in charge
of Peter’s mission. Jesus Christ is calling the shots. And Peter won’t always enjoy
the freedom that he currently does. Peter won’t always be in charge as he thinks he
is now. Jesus Christ wanted Peter to
know and taste and come to grips with the king’s sovereignty. But he also wanted him to know,
secondly, in this process of embracing the divine rule not
only a declaration of the king’s sovereignty that Peter will always
call the shots that now God is calling the shots but he also
wanted him to know the extent of the king’s sovereignty look
at verse 19 now this he said signifying by what kind of death
he would glorify God Jesus Christ looks Peter in the eye and tells
him I know exactly how you’re going to die now there has been a question that
has come up over the centuries was this by way of crucifixion
as I already indicated tying to the cross prior to the nails
being driven or is this just a general reference to martyrdom
that he would be killed this says that it refers to the
kind of death he would glorify God in other words You could
keep it just as simply as possible and say that Jesus Christ refers
to Peter and says, look, Peter, you’re not going to die of old
age. You’re not going to die of a disease. You’re not going
to die in a boating accident. You’re going to die as a martyr.
You’re going to be taken against your will. You’re going to be
handcuffed, as it were. You’re going to be taken and
pointing all the while to martyrdom. It doesn’t have to point to crucifixion. And really, by the time John
wrote this, it’s almost a certainty that Peter had already suffered
this martyrdom. And in that death, God was glorified,
even as it’s described here. Peter learned this lesson well.
As he sat there at the feet of the Savior, as he heard Jesus
talk not only about his sovereignty, but as his sovereignty related
to Peter himself. Peter imbibed, Peter took it
in, Peter took it to heart, and he learned his lesson. This is
what Peter said. 1 Peter 2, verse 12, keep your
behavior excellent among the Gentiles. so that in the thing
in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because
of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day
of your visitation. He says that it’s possible, friends,
to whom he was writing, that you might have the opportunity
to glorify God, as he would do, as Jesus promised him. Glorify
God even in the face of difficulty, even in the face of persecution.
He goes on in that same passage, verse 19, to say, this finds
favor if, for the sake of conscience toward God, a person bears up
under sorrows when suffering unjustly. What credit is there
if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
But when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently
endure it. This finds favor with God. Peter is preaching the same message
that Jesus preached to him on the lake shore. You can glorify
God. You, Peter, will glorify God
in your manner of death. J.C. Ryle said, a Christian may
bring glory to God by his death as well as his life. He does
so when he bears it patiently, does not murmur, exhibits a sensible
peace, enjoys evident hope of a better world, heaven, testifies
to others about the truth and the consolation of the gospel,
and leaves broad evidence of the reality of his spiritual
legacy behind him. We can glorify God in the midst
of our circumstances no matter what they are. If Peter could
glorify God in an undignified martyrdom such as what Jesus
experienced, then you can glorify God in your circumstances. This idea that Peter was crucified
at Rome rests on good evidence, good historical evidence. It
isn’t biblical, mind you, as I’ve already pointed out, Tertullian,
the early church father. He refers back to John 21 18
this very passage pointing to the death by which Peter would
die and he said at Rome Nero was the first who stained with
his blood this rising faith. He’s talking about Christianity.
Peter is girt by another when he is made fast to the cross.
He says that Peter was crucified. Eusebius who was quoted by Origen,
early church fathers, said Peter seems to have preached in Pontus,
Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia to the Jews of the dispersion,
and at last, having come to Rome, he was crucified head downward. For so he himself had asked to
suffer. I looked it up this past week. Fox’s Book of Martyrs has
this Narrative at the opening of the gospel of all the Apostles
and how all the Apostles suffered martyrdom and ultimately died
Regarding Peter Fox says that having been nine months in prison
Peter was brought out for execution after being scourged beaten He
was crucified with his head downwards. It is related that he himself
chose this painful posture Because he did not think he was worthy
to suffer in the same manner as the Lord And so it’s entirely
possible that Peter was not only martyred, but Peter was crucified,
and not only crucified, but crucified upside down. Peter was ready
for it. Peter was ready for it because
God made him ready for it. Jesus Christ here issued forth
this call to understand His sovereignty, to embrace the divine rule of
God and His life. Peter ultimately lived to be
beaten and imprisoned and ultimately executed. He did so and he was
ready for it. 1 Peter 4 says it this way. Make sure that none of you suffers
as a murderer or a thief or evildoer or troublesome meddler. Don’t
let that be named. Don’t let that be your legacy.
But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed. but
to glorify God in his name. Jesus Christ wanted Peter to
know that not only was he, as the king, absolutely in control
of everything, he was even in control of the moment and the
means of Peter’s death. And Peter sat up and took notice. God has sovereignly determined
the very day and the manner of everyone’s death. Psalm 93 verse
3. Listen to just a few snippets
from one of my favorite Psalms, certainly the favorite of any
funeral. You turn man back into dust and
say return, O children of men. Verse 6. In the morning life
flourishes and sprouts anew. Toward evening it fades and withers
away. For all our days have declined
in your fury, we have finished our years like a sigh. So teach
us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of
wisdom. We don’t know when we’re going to die. Teach us, when
he says to number our days, to make them count, to use them
for your glory. He tells Peter that he is absolutely
sovereign One pastor said the sovereignty
of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, and infinite. When
we say that God is sovereign, we affirm His right to govern
the universe, which He has made for His own glory. We affirm
that it is His right as the potter over the clay. We affirm that
he is under no rule or law outside of his own will and nature, that
God is a law unto himself. He is sovereign in the exercise
of his power. He exercises his power over the
lives of men. There’s a third episode in Peter
coming in this process to embrace the sovereignty of the king.
not only a declaration of the king’s sovereignty, and not only
do we see the extent of the king’s sovereignty, no discussion of
sovereignty would be complete without number three, brawling
with the king’s sovereignty. It doesn’t come easy, does it? Look at verse 19, the second portion. And when
he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. And I would imagine that there,
just like it was in my life, just like it likely was in yours,
there was a pause there, wasn’t there? That God is absolutely sovereign.
I have no idea what’s coming, but God is in ultimate control.
I don’t even control my own destiny. Follow me. It is not surprising to me that
Peter not only paused, but turned around. He had heard the call. He knew exactly what Jesus wanted
to do. We’ll talk more about that in
a moment, but he turned around. Turning around, he saw the disciple
whom Jesus loved following him, the one who had also leaned back
on his supper and said, Who is the one who betrays you? So Peter,
seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? And isn’t
that just like us? We can embrace sovereignty all
day long on behalf of others. We can preach that sermon. We
all have that one. We just press that button and
we can preach how God is sovereign when we see other people suffer. When Jesus finished declaring
His sovereignty to Peter, He told him to follow Him, and Peter
balked. Peter questioned. I would suggest
to you that Peter brawled with the Lord here on this occasion.
Subtly, almost imperceptibly, the way do you see the Lord’s
reply, did Jesus tell him literally follow Me, walk in My steps beginning
right now? It’s possible. He had already
told Peter to follow Him, Matthew 4, in his earliest days with
Christ. Jesus could have meant it literally.
He could have meant it just figuratively that Peter, you need to watch
and follow and do as I do. Jesus Christ showed Peter that
he was absolutely sovereign as the king. He was in charge and
he wanted Peter to follow him. And he issued that call to follow
him. Early in his ministry when Jesus
called Peter and the other disciples and he urged them to follow him,
he had something entirely different in mind. It was general. Leave off this occupation as
a fisherman. Follow me. Leave off what you
thought you were going to pursue the rest of your life and follow
me in this new ministry to souls. But now this call to follow meant
something far more significant. Not just a general call to follow
the Lord, not just a general call to follow the Lord in ministry,
but specifically to Peter, to follow Christ even if it meant
dying on a cross. Now it meant a willingness to
do all for Christ, not just verbally, but with his whole life. Peter
addressed this as well. I believe Peter is responding
to this very call. 2 Peter 1, I consider it right,
as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, what does that point
to? It’s Peter’s acknowledgement that he’s not always going to
be in this earthly dwelling. It’s a matter of time. He’s already
set his foot on course to follow the Lord even in martyrdom. I
consider it right as long as I am in this earthly dwelling
to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside
of my earthly dwelling is imminent. As also our Lord Jesus Christ
has made clear to me. He points exactly back to the
shore. where he had this conversation with Christ. But before he followed, he’s
going to fight. He’s going to brawl. And it’s
subtle. It’s incredibly subtle. Look
at this. Peter turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved
following him. The one who had leaned back on
his bosom at supper and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays
you? So Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, what about this
man? He saw John, who was such an
intimate friend of Christ, so much so that even at the Lord’s
table that night at the Last Supper, John was seen leaning
back on Christ. Peter turns and sees him, and
like all of us would, and that’s what we love about Peter. What
about him? Was it an innocent question?
More and more, the more modern commentators all seem to say
that Peter was just concerned for John. What’s going to happen
to John? I sure care for John. a real expression of concern
for his dear friend? Historically, there have been
three views. One, that it was entirely out of brotherly love,
care, concern for John, interest, affection for him. What about
John? The other one was this kind of
unseemly curiosity. Hey, I know what’s going to happen
to me. Thank you very much for letting
me in on that. What about John here? What’s going to happen
to him? I take it the third way historically
that it’s been understood that Peter bristled. Peter bristled
at the thought of this difficulty coming his way when what about
John? What’s going to happen to him?
Are you going to let him off easy? We don’t have enough to
go on based on the question itself. But Jesus knew his innermost
thoughts. and he will respond accordingly.
The question may not have been unnatural, but it was out of
line, and it was rebuked as such. This incredible, glorious opportunity
had been promised to Peter, as difficult as it was, but what
about John? And see, this is part of the
sovereignty of God that all of us are intimately familiar with.
that we have to wrestle with God’s sovereignty in our own
lives. It’s enough to know this general testimony and to read
a book about theology or to read a passage of Scripture that talks
about God being absolutely sovereign. It’s another to know that our
days are numbered in God’s sovereign hand. But we fight. We fight the idea of God’s sovereignty
Spurgeon nailed it when he said, there’s no attribute more comforting
to his children than that of God’s sovereignty. On the other
hand, there’s no doctrine more hated by worldlings. No truth of which they’ve made
such a football. Men will allow God to be everywhere
except on his throne. He goes on to say, God can make
stars. And we applaud him for it. He
can give us mountains and mountains of grace and blessings, and we
thank Him for it. He can sustain the earth and
bear up the pillars, and sometimes we even notice. But when God,
He says, ascends to His throne, His creatures then gnash their
teeth. I don’t like a sovereign God. We
don’t like a God that has already decreed everything that will
ever come to be. God is absolutely sovereign.
And Jesus Christ wanted Peter to know this. Peter’s in process of embracing
the divine rule. not only this declaration of
the king’s sovereignty, not only the extent, the very day and
manner of his death, and this brawling that inevitably takes
place with the sovereignty, but there is a fourth. The fourth
is crucial. There is a submission to the
king’s sovereignty. Look at verse 22, where Jesus
said to him, and I take this clearly as a rebuke, Jesus said
to him, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to
you? You follow me. Jesus Christ died,
became the Lord and master of the entire universe. And here
is Peter going to second guess the Lord Jesus himself. This
is how Paul described the Lord and his situation. the working
of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power
and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age
but also in the one to come and he put all things in subjection
under his feet And he gave him his head over all things to the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all
in all. If I want him to remain until
I come, what is that to you? And people, I take this, just
like you just did, with dead silence. Peter didn’t have a
reply. The only reply is absolute submission. Peter doesn’t, or Jesus rather,
doesn’t give in to Peter’s curiosity. Oh, by the way, let me… Good
question, Pete. Let me tell you what’s going
to happen to your friend John. After the Pentecost, he’s going
to hang out with you for a period. He’ll set up shop here in Jerusalem
and carry out his ministry. Eventually he’ll migrate as a
missionary out to Ephesus, in which case he will be the last
one to endure natural physical death. What good would that have done
to Peter? What good would it have done
to know all of those things? It wasn’t his business. And Jesus
turns to Peter and says, if I want him to remain until I come, until
even the second coming, what is that to you? You follow me. Your calling is to follow me,
not to walk in some kind of tandem, demanding equality with your
friend. Jesus Christ wanted Peter to
really begin to come to grips with the sovereignty of the king.
What sovereignty means, what it means to be king. And it was
a process. The declaration, understanding
the extent, brawling with even the king himself over this idea
of sovereignty, but finally there was submission. There was submission
to the king’s sovereignty. And we hear it from Peter’s own
lips. First Peter one, verse six, in
this you greatly rejoice, even though now, after a little while,
if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the
proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is
perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result
in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This is Peter writing about the sovereignty of God trickling
down to every person who would ever read his words. See, God
has sifted through his loving fingers every trial, every difficulty,
your relative measure of health, your relative measure of wealth,
your friends, your difficulties, your challenges, every last thing
has been sifted through God’s sovereign hand. And He did it for your good.
And He wants you to love Him and serve Him and follow Him
for His glory. Would you humble yourself in
His presence? Our merciful King, we thank you
and praise you for the privilege that we have as your children
to submit ourselves and to walk under your sovereign blessing.
We know that as your Word says, what a blessing that is to your
children. Father God, We humble ourselves
in your presence and we pray Your sovereignty is already Established you are the king
you are absolutely in control But we submit ourselves peaceably
to that and we pray that you would grant us the grace To walk
in a humble and loving embrace of your sovereign goodness in
our lives Lord, may that begin. With our calling in Christ. With
our salvation. Which we enjoy now as we celebrate
the Lord’s table. Lord. Prepare every heart. It’s in Jesus name that we pray.
Amen.