The Bible affirms the sovereignty of God in all things, for all time, for his own glory. The knowledge of his sovereignty is the foundation for the Christian’s hope in a world that often seems chaotic and meaningless. Knowing that God graciously administers every aspect of life brings joy to the believer, a joy that is a witness to the world of God’s glory. Yet, to speak of joy in the context of the misery, disease, cruelty, treachery, violence and death of this world seems incongruous; to affirm that God presides over such a world is to invite protest; but to suggest that joy is an appropriate response to God’s governance can seem insensitive, if not offensive.

In this context, we are helped by the truth that God’s sovereignty is not arbitrary, but is rather joined with his redemptive purpose. The misery that is in the world through the sin of man, God has answered in the cross of Christ. As the apostle Peter writes (I Peter 1:3-9), God has sovereignly “re-fathered” his elect children through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead into a viable hope, a hope in our own future resurrection and inheritance in heaven.

Messages and Speakers

"Created by God's Sovereign Power" by Charles Drew
"Guarded by God's Sovereign Providence" by Joseph “Skip” Ryan -- Click the message to listen for free!
"Redeemed by God's Sovereign Mercy" by Philip Ryken
"Sanctified by God's Sovereign Grace" by Richard Phillips

Speaker Biographies

The Rev. Charles Drew serves as the pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, near Columbia University on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He previously served on the staff of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan, and for twelve years as pastor of Three Village Church at Stony Brook, Long Island. He also served as the pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charlottesville Virginia , and worked on the staff of FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools). Rev. Drew is the author of The Ancient love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament and A Public Faith: Bringing Personal Faith to Public Issues.

The Rev. Richard Phillips is an Alliance Council Member and senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Coral Springs/Margate, Florida (PCA).  He previously served as minister of preaching at the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.  He is also a board member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and is chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology.  His preaching is heard on the radio program God’s Living Word, broadcast in South Florida on FM 90.3 WAFG.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph "Skip" Ryan is the first Senior Minister of Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Ryan graduated from Harvard University and also studied at Union Seminary in Richmond and the L'Abri Fellowship in Huemoz, Switzerland. He earned his Master of Divinity at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Skip is the chaplain to the Board of LIFE Ministries, an innovative mission agency in Asia. He has taught at the Japanese Institute for Church Growth in Japan and has traveled to the Far East on several occasions. In 1986, he was consultant to the South African Working Group of the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. Skip and his wife, Barbara, have a son, Christopher, and two daughters, Carey and Rebekah.

4:00 p.m. -- Richard Phillips: "Perfected by God's Sovereign Grace"