Monday, May 13, 2013

Book Review: The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus

The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus: Bowing to the Gracious Despot. Mike Abendroth. 2011. Day One. 240 pages.

I have listened to Mike Abendroth's sermons for over five years now. I love, love, love listening to his sermons, so my expectations were high when I discovered he had a book! I love books that celebrate the sovereignty of God. I do. I LOVE this doctrine.  This book is about God's sovereignty; it touches on the "lordship" controversy, though he prefers to look at it as more of a kingship issue. Do you recognize the kingship of God? Do you recognize his right to rule? Do you recognize his authority and supremacy? God is King. The Bible reveals Him to be King, or King of Kings.

From the introduction: "In this book, I will introduce you to many of the essential facts about God as described by Himself in the Bible. This particular aspect of God--supreme Ruler and King--lends itself to our allegiance, submission, and repentance. There is only one God and King, and that means that all other gods are impostors, frauds, and charlatans."

Favorite quotes:
In our day, people are attempting to protect God from what the Bible says about Him. (27)
You cannot put one little star in motion,
You cannot shape one single forest leaf,
nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,
presumptuous pigmy, large with unbelief!
You cannot bring one dawn of regal splendor,
nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,
nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender;
and dare you doubt the One who has done it all?
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox (33)
God is God by name, but also by His mind and purpose. (49)
"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'" ~ Abraham Kuyper (61)
Calvin believed, "Ignorance of Sovereignty is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it." (65)
There is nothing about you that was not sovereignly decided upon by the triune God. Nothing. (75)
"Is it not God who gives the disposition to believe? Is it wrong for God to give grace? If it be right for Him to give it, is it wrong for Him to purpose to give it? Would you have Him give it by accident?" ~ Charles Spurgeon (82)
The King's message should not be delivered with a whimper. (124)
A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim's face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had "read" through the entire Bible four times. (140)
Election elicits praise. Like a tea kettle about to whistle when the water is at a boil, your heart and soul should be ready to cry out with admiration and thankfulness because of the Spirit's work in your heart. (172)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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