Clint Pressley, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. – Photo by Molly Vogt
JACKSON — Clint Pressley, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, told Union University students Aug. 27 that the start of a new semester is the right time to reconsider one central truth: God’s sovereignty is trustworthy.
Preaching from Exodus 11 in a chapel message, Pressley warned against viewing the chapter merely as ancient history. Instead, he said its lessons apply directly to the lives of students. The main point he wanted students to remember was, “Learn to trust an all-controlling God.”
Pressley reminded first-year students that Union has historically been a place of spiritual transformation. He mentioned a conversation with a friend and Union graduate who told Pressley that Union is where the Lord did a remarkable work in his life.
“That’s my prayer for you,” Pressley told students.
In his exposition of Exodus 11, Pressley emphasized God’s power displayed in the plagues against Egypt, culminating in the death of the firstborn. While judgment fell on Pharaoh’s household, Israel was protected by God’s covenant love.
He told students that when times are hard, God is in control and is orchestrating events to suit his purposes. He then applied the passage to everyday concerns students face.
“You can trust God with your future,” Pressley said. “You can trust God with your enemies. You can trust God with your needs. You can trust God with your reputation.”
He added that believers are freed from the need to take revenge. “You can trust God to get justice,” he said. “You leave that to God.”
Pressley reminded students that even strong emotions can be surrendered to God. “Learn to trust,” he said. “You can trust his grace.”
That grace, he emphasized, comes not from human effort but from Christ alone.
“If you are in Christ, he loves you,” Pressley said. “You can trust that he loves you. He loves you not because of anything you have done. It is all because of what Christ has done.”
Pressley’s full sermon is available at https://vimeo.com/showcase/11339743?video=1113586674.
