In this Sabbath lesson from Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis, Brother Joshua teaches on the sovereignty of God from Isaiah 45:7: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. The lesson shows that the God who makes peace also creates evil, that nothing comes into a believer's life without passing through Him, and that knowing who is in control is what brings the servant of God peace through every trouble. It moves from Isaiah to Job, David, and Abraham. Every passage is read in the King James Version.
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1.I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things
The lesson takes its title from Isaiah the forty-fifth chapter, where the Lord declares that He alone forms the light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil. Brother Joshua opens by saying it is good to talk about the goodness of God, but that there is another side people leave out.
Isaiah 45:5-7 KJV5I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
"It's okay to talk about the goodness of God, because he's a marvelous God, a merciful God. But a lot of people leave out something else about this God too. He got another side to him. The Lord really don't play around. He operate on a whole another level that man will really not understand."
"The Lord created evil. When you doing wrong, he the one that send the evil angel in your life. Or when you doing righteous, he's sending the righteous angel in your life. Everything operates off of the Lord. That's why us that serve God, that's where our peace come in, because we know who behind the desk pulling the strings."
Because His ways are higher than ours, the servant of God does not need to understand everything that happens. He only needs to trust the One whose thoughts are higher than his own.
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
2.He is in control of it all
To show that nothing is outside the Lord's hand, the lesson reads through the Psalms and Isaiah: He numbers the stars and calls them by name, He covers the heavens with clouds, He gives the beasts their food, He is the God who declares the end from the beginning and none is like Him.
Psalms 147:4-5 KJV4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV9Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
"He's the big player. He's the coach in the game. He's the one setting the players on the bench and telling them to get in and run the game. He's running it all."
Everything is worked after the counsel of His own will, which is exactly why the believer can give thanks in every circumstance, even when things are not going right.
Ephesians 1:11 KJV11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV16Rejoice evermore.
17Pray without ceasing.
18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
"Everything is according to his will. And when you think like that, that's where your peace come in. You know what, I don't know why it happened like that, I'm mad it happened like that, but I know who's in control. And I'm going to go pray to him, because I know who running the show."
3.He'll bring you down, and He'll bring you back up
The lesson goes to Job to show that even the man who is perfect in the eyes of the Lord is not exempt from trouble. Satan himself has to check in with the Lord, and can do nothing beyond the limit God sets. When calamity came, Job did not sin; he tore his robe, fell down, and worshipped.
Job 1:21 KJV21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
Job 2:10 KJV10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
"Satan got to check in with the Lord too. He can't just do what he want. The Lord said, all that he have is in thy power, but I got one commandment for you: upon himself put not forth thine hand. I'm putting a limit on what you can do. Because who controlling the strings? The Lord is controlling the strings."
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He blamed it on the Lord, because he knew who it was. It don't matter if you're doing right or not. When trouble come your way, it's your time to deal with it. You got to take it straight to him."
And the same God who brought Job all the way down restored him everything he had, because He brings the trouble and He relieves the trouble.
4.Trouble will come; you have to prove your worth
From Jeremiah, the lesson warns against leaning on man instead of the Lord, and from Matthew that the word of God brings a sword, not ease. The disciples were sent out as sheep among wolves, and told that only he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 KJV5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
St. Matthew 10:34-36 KJV34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
"The Lord ain't going to have you do nothing he didn't do. Jesus went through persecution, affliction. He completed the mission, and all he had to do in the end was be accepted, because he's found worthy. And that's what we got to do."
The clearest example is Abraham, the father of the faithful, who was tried in the hardest way a man can be tried and did not withhold his son. Brother Joshua is careful to distinguish God trying a man from God tempting him to sin.
Genesis 22:11-12 KJV11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
"The Lord don't really tempt man with evil, but he will try you. He'll try your faith. He'll try to see how much you love him. Abraham trusted in the Lord even when it was rough, so he came out on top. This is why he's called the father of the faithful."
5.Learn to be at peace, and be patient
Knowing God is in control, the lesson teaches the believer to turn the other cheek, to love his enemies, and to bless those who curse him, because peace comes from trusting who is behind it all.
St. Matthew 5:38-39 KJV38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
St. Matthew 5:43-44 KJV43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Everything, he teaches, is on God's time, not ours. There is a season for every purpose, and the trying of your faith is what works patience.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
James 1:2-4 KJV2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
David is held up as the example of patience: a man of war surrounded by soldiers ready to kill for him, who let Shimei curse him and throw stones, because he believed the Lord had bidden it.
2 Samuel 16:10-11 KJV10And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?
11And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.
"David was a man of war, he had real assassins with him. But he exercised his patience. He said, let him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. The Lord probably told him to do it. We all need to ask for patience. Patience is a big one we need."
6.All things work together for good
The lesson closes its teaching in Romans: for the one who loves God, it is all going to come together for His purpose. Tribulation is not wasted, it works patience, patience works experience, and experience works hope.
Romans 8:28 KJV28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 5:3-5 KJV3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
"All things work together for the good of them that love God. If you love and believe God, it's all going to come together for his purpose. You've been through a few things, so now you got some experience, now your skin is tough, now you got hope."
Closing Word
"Let's end it the same way we started. That's how we keep our peace, we know the Lord is in control of all things. I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the Lord do all these things. And I pray y'all got some understanding."
Brother Joshua ended by reminding the class that the peace of the servant of God rests on being on the Lord's side, and knowing that the God who controls all things is for them.
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This lesson was taught at our Sabbath service at Israel Church of the Firstborn in Indianapolis, IN. Join us every Saturday at 12PM, or watch the Sabbath live online.