| Introduction In two weeks, we will start a series on the Ephesian Church. We will begin in Acts 19 with the planting of the church. Then, we will work our way through the Epistle to the Ephesians. Because Timothy was likely the pastor of the church in Ephesus when the Apostle Paul wrote to him, we will consider 1 and 2 Timothy as well. We will finish the series by looking what the Apostle John says about the Ephesian Church in Revelation. This series should take us through 2019. But as I said, this is not for today. I was thinking about what would be a good topic for the first Sunday of the year. What would be a topic that would help us center our thoughts as we enter a new year? How about the sovereignty of God? The Lord reigns! How does this statement strike you? We have allowed a faulty Christian culture that surrounds us to define this statement negatively. We have been told again and again by well-meaning Christians that God could not and would not be a loving God if he indeed were in control of all things. Perhaps we have bought into the idea that God is more loving if he has no control over our actions, our free will. We have also allowed the atheist to frame the discussion of God's absolute sovereignty. We crumble under the argument that an all-powerful God must necessarily be an evil God because evil exists in the world as if we had no answer to it. For the Christian ear, brothers and sisters, there can be no sweeter statement than THE LORD REIGNS! We must recover our passion, our desire, our joy in the absolute sovereignty of our God. The fact, and it is a fact, that the Lord reigns is the most reassuring reality for the Christian. The other side of the coin is that this same fact is the cause of great fear to the unbeliever. I think that is the reason why they fight so hard against this idea. The truth is that the Lord reigns! "God rules this world with such specificity that he is always near to you. At any moment, you can reach out and touch him (Acts 17:26-27)." Paul Tripp We will have more on the practicality of the fact that the Lord reigns in a little while. I. An Overview of the Whole Psalm. A. Verse one provides the thesis, or the theme, for the whole psalm. 1. God's rule over all things is exactly what the Holy Spirit through the psalmist is celebrating. 2. This psalm is part of a larger section in the Psalter that celebrates the reign of the Lord, or more appropriately, the reign of Christ. 3. This section starts with Psalm 93 and culminates with Psalm 100 and worship, which gives us the pattern of where God's sovereignty should lead us àWORSHIP! B. Verses 2-6, 9 declare the greatness of the one who reigns and the proof of his sovereignty. C. Verse 7 gives us the appropriate response that should come from all the heathen once they understand that the Lord reigns. D.Verses 1b and 8 tell us of the response of the church to the truth of God's sovereignty over all things. E. Verses 10 and 12 teach us the effect that the truth that the Lord reigns should have in the way the Christian lives his/her life. F. Verse 11 proclaims what the reigning Lord does for his people. G.This psalm is not about one moment in history. 1. It doesn't just describe the time when the psalmist wrote it down. 2. It doesn't just describe just our time. 3. It describes all of history from the perspective of eternity. a. So, this psalm has a lot of the already and not yet dynamics in it. b. God is already absolutely and sovereingly reigning over all things – he has always done that. c. But that reign is not yet completely displayed in history. 1) We are witnessing the display of his reign. 2) And we are part of establishing the presence of that reign in history. II. What Does It Mean That the Lord Reigns? A. First, it means exactly that. 3. He is the one who controls all things. 4. A little more on this later. B. Second, the NT equates God's reign with Christ's reign. 1. We see that in passages that specifically speaks of Christ's sovereign rule. 1 Tim. 6:13-16– I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and beforeChrist Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep thiscommandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who isthe blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom behonor and everlasting power. Amen. Rev. 5:5-7– But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throneand of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lambas though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Rev. 19:6, 16– And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia!For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!... And He has on Hisrobe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 2. But we also see this by the use of God's covenantal name in this psalm and how the NT treats that name. a. The word LORDin the clause The LORD reignsis the representation of the Hebrew word YAHWEH. b. The NT often attributes these passages about YAHWEH in the OT to Christ – one example will suffice. Jn. 12:37-41– But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 1) That last portion is very significant. 2) After quoting from Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 6, John under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says that the One Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 was Jesus Christ. 3) When we read Isaiah 6, we see that the angels call the one sitting the LORD – YAHWEH. Is. 6:1-3– In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robefilled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy isthe LORD of hosts; the whole earth isfull of His glory!" 3. The Lord who reigns in Psalm 97 is the Lord Jesus Christ and we could replace the word LORDwith the word Christand very truthfully say, "CHRIST REIGNS! Let the earth rejoice!" 4. Isn't that the earliest and most essential Christian confession of faith? Jesus is Lord? Rom. 10:9-10–…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesusand believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 5. When you came to faith in Jesus Christ, you were declaring that the LORD REIGNS! C. Now that we have established that the reign of YAHWEH is the reign of Christ, let's describe this reign. a. Over the whole earth even to the farthest reaches (isles = coastlands). b. Over all creation – visible and invisible. Col. 1:15-18– He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. a. This is a description of a powerful being who is in control of all things. b. There is nothing that God wants to do that he doesn't do. Ps. 115:3– Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. c. Not only is God sovereign in general, but he is sovereign in all the various areas of existence in particular. 1) Sovereign over nature. Gen. 6-9(the universal flood and all its accompanying events). Ex. 7-11(the plagues of Egypt) Job 36:5-13(the entire passage shows God's control over the various activities of nature) Ps. 104:10-30(God's control of the weather, the plants, the animals, and the physical activity of man) Ps. 135:5-7– For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 2) Sovereign over trivial events, or so-called chance events. 1 Kg. 22:23, 34– "Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you."… But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded." Pr. 16:33– The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Mt. 10:29– Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 3) Sovereign over circumstances and affairs of individuals of nations. Dan. 2:21– He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding…. 4) Sovereign over free actions of people. Pr. 19:21– Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Pr. 21:1– The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. Rom. 9:17-18– For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 5) Sovereign over moral actions of his creatures – good or bad. Gen. 50:20– As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Acts 4:27-28– …for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Eph. 2:10– For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Phil. 2:13– for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 6) Lastly, he is sovereign over our salvation – Christ reigns over our salvation. Jn. 6:35-40– And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Jn. 10:16, 27-28– And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd…. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 3. It is for our good, 11. Rom. 8:28-30– And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to beconformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. a. The Christian understands that suffering in this world only makes sense if there is a purpose. b. And suffering only has a purpose if it comes from the hand of a reigning God who loves his people. c. Once you remove a reigning God who is all-powerful and all-loving at the same time, you remove any sense to this life. d. You are left with meaninglessness and emptiness, which was the conclusion the preacher arrived at in the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecc. 1:2-11– "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all isvanity." What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? Onegeneration passes away, and anothergeneration comes; but the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea isnot full; to the place from which the rivers come, there they return again. All things arefull of labor; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been iswhat will be, that which isdone is what will be done, and there isnothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this isnew"? It has already been in ancient times before us. There isno remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of thingsthat are to come by thosewho will come after. e. But the Lord reigns and your suffering has meaning and purpose – praise the Lord for his sovereignty. III. The LORD Reigns: Impact in Our Lives. Rom. 8:38-39– For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. C. Peace, 1, 11 – which is corollary of joy. "Why do you get anxious when you lose control over people and situations? Because you've forgotten that God is already ruling for you good and his glory." Paul Tripp Is. 26:3-4– You will keep himin perfect peace, whosemind isstayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, iseverlasting strength. 1. The other side of the coin of loving God is hating evil. 2. Because God is holy, he will make us holy. 3. And in that process sin becomes more and more sinful for us. 4. Holiness must be the necessarily result of God's reign in the life of the Christian. 1. Where the Lord's reign is acknowledged, his people will abandon their idols and will worship the true God. 2. And they will worship the true God truthfully. F. Reverence, 9 – God is exalted above everything else G.Confidence, 10b – God preservers his saints even if that preservation happens through death. Heb. 5:7-8– … who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yetHe learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 1. The whole earth is not yet rejoicing that the Lord reigns. 2. Remember that this psalm has that already-and-not-yet dynamic. 3. All nations are not yet rejoicing because of Christ's reign. 4. Christ appointed his Church to declare to the nation that the LORD reigns! Ps. 96:3– Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. Mt. 28:18-20– And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, evento the end of the age." Amen. 5. The Lord reigns, will we be willing to send our sons and daughters to declare this glorious truth to the nations even if they might be delivered from the enemy through death? 6. The Lord reigns, will we present our own lives as blank checks before the Lord, letting him write on it where it will be cashed? 7. The Lord reigns, will we declare these glorious truths to the nations as we love our wives as Christ loves his church? 8. The Lord reigns, will we proclaim his saving, sovereign grace to the nations as we submit to our husbands? 9. The Lord reigns, will we preach this truth powerfully as we put way wrath, anger, and malice, and raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? 10. The Lord reigns, will we make this doctrine attractive to the nations as we honor and obey our parents? 11. The Lord reigns, will we speak loudly to the nations as we live holy lives, dying to self and living through Christ? 12. Our Lord reigns and the nations will come to him – will we declare that?
THE LORD REIGNS! To the Christian, this is a beautiful idea. Jesus Christ, our Lord reigns! The one who died for us reigns. The one who is lovely and loves you reigns! Christian, rejoice for your Savior reigns!
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-lord-reigns-psalm-97.html
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