God Reigns

Well, Psalm 93 is the passage that we've been assigned today.

I'm not sure who decided on that series, but that's where we're at.

Most churches, I think, have their favorite songs. Would you agree with that?

I think you go to a church and you'll hear them sing the same repertoire of songs often.

We came back from Canada, we sort of dropped in and out of a church,

and it seemed for a period of time, and it seemed that every Sunday that we went,

they sang the same song, so much so that my kids named that song, that church's theme song.

And even to this day, they'll say, oh, we're singing so-and-so's theme song today,

even if we're not even in that church.

It couldn't have been and wasn't any different in Old Testament temple worship.

There must have been psalms that were sung more frequently than others.

And during the second temple period, and we've heard this morning a little bit about the building of the first temple,

and then, of course, the Jews were carried off into exile, first by the Syrians and then later by the Babylonians.

And when they returned from exile, they rebuilt the temple.

And it was rededicated, and some of them wept because it wasn't as glorious as the first temple and so on.

But really, from that point onwards to the point of the Herod's temple,

that period is known as the second temple period.

And during the second temple period, there were set songs that were sung every morning.

For instance, on Sunday, the first day of the week, they sung Psalm 24.

Monday, it was Psalm 48 every Monday morning.

Tuesday, Psalm 82.

Wednesday, Psalm 94.

And Thursday, Psalm 81.

And on Friday, the day before the Sabbath, they sang Psalm 93, the psalm that we're looking at this morning.

So it would appear that Psalm 93 was a familiar psalm to anyone who spent any kind of time around the temple.

Not only was it a familiar psalm, but it's interesting that it's also part of a little series of psalms.

So it begins here in Psalm 93, and it runs through to Psalm 100.

It's a little block of psalms, a little question about Psalm 94.

Does it fit in?

Doesn't it fit in?

But that aside, a little block of psalms from Psalm 93 to Psalm 100.

And what this group of psalms does, really, is it celebrates, it affirms, if you like,

the fact that the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, reigns.

If you like, it celebrates the fact that God is king, and that he rules over all.

And as God is king, he not only rules over all, but he watches over his people.

The structure of this little series of psalms is very interesting.

I should have brought a PowerPoint so that you could see it, but very quickly, Psalm 93, the Lord reigns.

And then you've got two psalms which begin with the word sing, sing.

And then Psalm 97 again, the Lord reigns.

So the Lord reigns, sing, praise him, sing, praise him.

And then the Lord reigns again in Psalm 97.

From Psalm 98 to Psalm 100, it's alternated a little bit.

And you've got sing, and then you've got the Lord reigns,

and then it finishes up with that great psalm, Psalm 100, sing to the Lord.

So a little bit about the structure and a little bit about what's happening in terms of these psalms.

But as I said, they are as a group.

And when you read them as a group, it gives you a little indication of what the psalmist's point is.

If you just read Psalm 93, you might miss it a bit.

But when you read the package, you get a sense of what the psalmist is trying to communicate

and what he is trying to express as he writes these songs and as they are recorded for us.

So this psalmist is really trying to affirm, celebrate the fact that God is king

and that he reigns over everything.

Now, that conviction is based on a long-term view rather than a short-term view.

Because if you just look at things from a short-term view,

sometimes it will be difficult to see how God could possibly be reigning

or how God could ultimately be in control.

But from time to time, we get glimpses of how God is at work.

But not all of the time.

Sometimes it's very difficult to see what God is doing

and how God is working things together for our good and for his own glory.

But in this group of psalms, the psalmist has come to the fresh conviction

that God is not only on the throne,

but he has come to the fresh conviction after the experiences that he has worked through

that God has always been on the throne,

even when he thought that God was absent,

even when he thought God was distant,

even when he thought that God had lost control.

He discovers afresh with renewed conviction that God has always been on the throne.

Now, it's hard to know what the exact context of this little group of psalms is.

If you read through it, you'll see that there are references to the exile

or to the exodus, rather, of the Hebrews out of Egypt.

But it's more than likely to be tied to the exile

and the return of the exiles from their Babylonian captivity.

Whatever the exact context and whatever the circumstances,

the truth is we can't be sure.

But we must camp on the thought of the psalmist,

that God, the God of Israel, that he is king.

Sometimes it's hard to see that God reigns, isn't it?

Have you found that in your life?

Sometimes it's hard to see that God reigns.

But he does reign.

We don't always perceive it, but we walk by faith and not by sight.

We cling to the fact that even when we can't see that God is in control,

that somehow he will yet work it out.

It's not easy when you stand with a couple who have just laid to rest their little two-year-old girl

and you hug them and feel them shake to the very core of their being.

It's not easy to believe that ultimately God is in control

if you only take a short-term view.

But the long-term view is that God is in control.

And the psalmist has come out of some huge and significant upheaval.

I don't know what they are.

Maybe it is the exile.

But he has seen God miraculously at work.

He has seen God intervene on behalf of his people.

He has seen God work for the salvation of his people.

And he responds now in praise.

And he announces and celebrates the fact that God, the God of Israel, is king.

That's what's going on here.

It always strikes me in the Bible that worship is never static.

It is almost always dynamic.

God draws near.

People respond in praise.

So God destroys the pursuing Egyptian army who are pursuing the Hebrews

as they make their way out of Egypt.

And God destroys them in the Red Sea.

And what happens?

Miriam gets out her tambourine and leads the congregation in praise.

So God draws near and tells Mary,

You are going to be the vehicle through whom God will enter the world.

And what does Mary do?

She responds, erupts with her great magnificat in praise and adoration.

Adoration.

When I was a pastor of a church,

I was aware that there were folks in our congregation

who came really just for the sermon.

And they couldn't be bothered with the first part of the service.

They thought that was the fluff that they had to put up with

until they got to the real part of the service,

which was the sermon.

Now, I agree with that in theory.

What we say to God is important,

but what God ultimately says to us through His Word is much more important.

And in many senses, the climax of a Sunday morning service

is the reading of the Bible as God speaks to us.

How awesome is that?

But I want to argue and want to just say as we begin to open up this psalm

that the praise of God is not fluff.

It is no less and no more than He deserves.

He is a great God.

And He is greatly to be praised.

And He is worthy of all of the adoration that we can give to Him.

And we will sing His praise for eternity.

So we best get used to it

whilst we're knocking around and rumbling around on earth.

I have just five points that I want to lift out of this psalm.

I'll be as quick as I can.

I want you to think, first of all,

that God reigns majestically.

That's what the psalmist wants to tell us.

Secondly, He wants to tell us that God reigns powerfully.

Thirdly, He wants to tell us that God reigns eternally.

Fourthly, He wants to tell us that God reigns emphatically.

He is mightier than the oceans or the floods.

And fifthly, He wants to tell us that God reigns over His people.

He reigns righteously.

So those are five things about the fact that the Lord reigns

that this psalmist wants to tell us about.

First of all, God reigns majestically.

God reigns majestically.

Verse 1,

The Lord reigns and He is robed in majesty.

The Lord is robed in majesty.

Again, He repeats.

The Lord reigns.

What does that mean?

If a king rules over a kingdom,

if he reigns over a kingdom,

it means that he is the final authority.

Doesn't it?

It means that that king is the one who is ultimately in control.

And that's what the psalmist is telling us about God.

God reigns.

Yahweh reigns.

The Lord of Israel, the God of Israel reigns.

He is the one who has ultimate control.

The one who is the ultimate authority.

It's not the king of Israel.

It's not the king of Syria or of the Persians or the Babylonians.

This writer is convinced that the ultimate authority

is none other than Yahweh himself.

That's comforting, I think, in this generation,

at this point in history.

We really don't know what the future will look like.

The one who is ultimately in control

the one who has ultimate authority in this world

is not Vladimir Putin

with all of his threats against the West.

And it's not Donald Trump.

And it's not even Theresa May.

The one who is ultimately in control of this world

is God.

I was talking to my wife yesterday

as we drove along somewhere

about the world that we now live in

and how different it is

from the world that she and I grew up in.

And I was just lamenting to her

about our children.

What kind of a world

will they have to navigate their way through?

And as I listen to them

talk about their experiences at school,

you wonder,

what will this world look like?

What will this country look like

in 20 or 30 years from now?

What will it be like to be a Christian

20 or 30 years from now?

And my wife just reminded me,

well, ultimately our children are in God's hands

and so is this country.

And indeed, so is this world.

And we'll just have to leave them there

and leave it there.

The Lord reigns, he says.

And then he says twice,

not once, but twice, he says,

the Lord is robed in majesty.

He really wants us to get that.

God is robed in majesty.

Now majesty,

it's not an easy thing to define.

When we think about majesty

from a human perspective,

we think about things like dignity.

We think about authority.

We think about power, grandeur,

glory, greatness.

We have visions of our own queen's coronation.

We have a picture in our minds

that golden carriage that she travels in.

That's the kind of her robes,

her crown,

the pomp and ceremony

that goes with the official events

surrounding our own monarch.

That's usually what we think of

when we think of majesty.

Even yesterday,

I don't know if you saw the news

of that cavalcade making its way

through the little tiny town of Mabel.

I drive through their lots

on the way to the ferry.

And it's interesting to watch

all those flashing lights

and black cars

and motorcycles

and outriders

and, you know,

sirens going,

policemen everywhere.

And you think,

well,

there's someone significant

passing through here.

Here the psalmist is telling us

that God is robed in majesty.

In the many visions

that are recorded,

in the many visions of God

that are recorded in scripture,

one of the things

that characterizes them

is this overwhelming sense

of the majesty of God.

So when Isaiah

receives his vision of God

in the temple

in Isaiah chapter 6,

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

the year that the king died,

the thing that strikes you

as you read through that story

is the sense of awe,

the sense of majesty

that is associated with God.

His train fills the temple.

There are creatures around him

crying,

Holy,

Holy,

Holy is the Lord of hosts.

The sound of the creatures' voices

is like the sound

of many waters

making their way down a stream.

And you get this sense

that in all of the visions,

I mean,

think of the visions

in John chapter,

in the book of Revelation,

that John receives of Jesus.

His feet is like burnished,

his face is like brighter

than the sun

and I fell at his feet

as though I were dead.

Revelation 4,

that picture of God

on the throne

and before him

there's a crystal sea

and there's colors

and there's thunder

and lightning.

In all of the visions

and pictures we get of God

in the Bible,

it's consistently majestic.

It's consistently majestic.

And this is what the psalmist

wants us to see,

that our God is greater.

Our God is stronger.

Our God is higher

than any other.

He reigns majestically.

We sometimes see leaders

of countries

and the pomp and ceremony

that accompanies them,

but all of that pales

in comparison

to the majesty of God.

I think it might be fair to say,

I don't know if you'll agree with me,

but I think it might be fair to say

that people in a bygone generation

had a greater sense

of the majesty of God

than we have

now in the 21st century.

I don't know if that's a product

of the time

or what it is.

Now, I want you

not to misunderstand me.

I believe passionately

that God is our Father.

And Jesus told us

when we come to talk to God,

we are to come to Him

as children to our Father.

Our Father in Heaven.

That's the invitation.

That's the instruction

of our Savior.

We don't come to a tyrant

in the sky.

We come as children

to a Father.

But I just want to say

we also need to remember

this is no ordinary Father.

This is no ordinary Father.

This is the majestic God

of eternity.

This is the God

before whom

creatures veil their faces

and before whom

doorposts tremble.

This is the majestic God

that we come and call as Father.

How privileged are we?

The second thing is

God not only reigns majestically

but He reigns powerfully.

It says in the NIV

God is armed with strength.

He is armed with strength.

I can't just remember

how the ESV put it.

But whatever.

He is armed with strength.

The Hebrew word

that's behind the word armed

carries this sense

of being guarded for battle.

So the Lord is majestic

and He is guarded

with strength.

That's the belt

that He puts on.

It's a belt of strength.

Strength is like

garments that God wears.

Strength and power

are just really synonymous

with this God

that this psalmist

is telling us about.

And if you read

the whole series of psalms

you'll get a sense

that this psalmist

with his own eyes

or at least

with his own mind

has perceived

God's strength

at work in the world

working on behalf

of His people.

This is a God

whose power is infinite.

Can you even begin

to understand that?

I can't.

God's power

is infinite.

There is no limit

to God's power.

Don't ever think

that the church

the Christian church

is a lost cause

and don't ever imagine

for one minute

that prayer

to this all powerful God

is a useless

pointless exercise.

You talk to a God

who is girded

with strength.

In fact

God's power

is such that

He can do

whatever He wills

to do.

Whatever He wills

to do

He can do.

That is the nature

of the God

that we talk to

and have come

to worship.

This morning

many years ago

a friend of mine

was telling me

that he went

to a little prayer

meeting

for one of these

I think it was

European Christian Mission

one of those

prayer meetings

for one of these

European missionary

organizations

and they got a report

from Albania

that life was

very difficult

for Christians

under Enva Hoxha's reign.

So a little group

of women

not many

beginning of the summer

they weren't going

to be meeting

until the end

of the summer

I can't remember

the exact details

but what I do remember

is that they decided

well we better pray

for the removal

of Enva Hoxha.

I mean that's a bit

of a silly prayer

isn't it?

A few little women

praying in a place

called Dunmurray

in Northern Ireland

praying for the removal

of the leader

of a country

but do you know

that by the time

they came back

to meet

to pray again

for their missionary

friends

Enva Hoxha

had been removed?

See this is a God

who is girded

with strength

and can accomplish

his will

whatever his will

might be.

I don't know

what this means

for you

but for me

it means that

God can provide

for a college

as it builds itself

into a center

training people

for gospel work

across these islands

and across this world.

Like it's not easy

trying to sustain

a college faculty

on the income

from a handful

of students

but this psalm

has reminded me

that this God

that I come

and talk to

this God

that we've worshipped

together this morning

is well able

to provide

well able

to take care

of that college

because he is

girded with strength.

I don't know

what it means

for you

but I wonder

if it means

God could break

into the life

of your son

or daughter

who've kicked

over the traces

and now have

no time

for God.

Have you given

up all hope?

The God

that you pray

to is girded

with strength

can humble them

and bring them

to an end

of themselves.

Maybe it means

that God

can sustain you

through a difficult

illness.

Are you going

through difficulties

with your health?

The God

who overarches

your life

with his

providential care

is a God

who is girded

with strength.

Well

here's the third thing

God reigns eternally

that's what he says

at the end

of verse 2

isn't it?

The world

is established

it shall never

be moved

your throne

is established

from of old

you are

from everlasting

God reigns

eternally.

The world

is established

that's obviously

a reference

back to creation

God established

the world

it didn't come

into being

by accident

or by chance

it came about

by the divine

purposes of God

he spoke

we are told

in the book

of Genesis

and it was

and it is

established

that carries

the sense

that the world

is stable

it's firm

it's fixed

and that the earth

we're told

in the passage

the earth

will not be moved

which is really

interesting

because

maybe there

were pagans

who believed

that there

were sort

of

hostile

forces

arrayed

against

the world

and one

day they

would be

successful

in overcoming

the world

and maybe

the psalmist

is meeting

these kinds

of comments

and saying

no no no

the world

will not

be moved

the world

is established

now everything

in the world

changes

doesn't it?

I mean

the sun

is cooling

and will

eventually

burn itself

out

the resources

of the earth

that we use

to fuel

our motor

vehicles

that too

is finite

and will be

exhausted

species

that once

roamed the earth

no longer

roamed the earth

people even

change

I mean

none of us

were here

a hundred years

ago

probably

or let's

be on the

side of caution

and say

a hundred and

twenty years

ago

none of us

not one of us

were here

a completely

different generation

lived on this

planet

than us

a hundred years

from now

we'll be gone

and a new

generation

a completely

new generation

will live

everything

changes

in the world

but what we're

told here

is that

the planet

itself

the world

itself

will not

be moved

until God

deems that

it should

be moved

and even

then

it will be

swallowed up

in the new

heaven

and the new

earth

and there'll

be some

continuity

between

this earth

and the new

heaven

and the new

earth

but the

psalmist's

point here

is that

God has

established

the world

and that's

why it won't

be moved

it won't

be moved

because

the God

who established

it won't

be moved

he is

the one

who has

been from

all eternity

he's always

been around

there has

never been

a time

when God

was not

that's

what the

psalmist

wants us

to know

somehow

you get

a sense

that

he's

discovered

this

afresh

as he's

watched

God at

work

as he's

entertained

the thought

on occasions

maybe God

is absent

maybe God

isn't in

control

maybe God

isn't watching

over us

maybe things

are out of

control

you just get

this sense

that he's

rediscovered

actually God

is eternal

and if

God is

eternal

it means

he's always

been

and he's

always

been God

it's not

that he

always existed

in some

kind of

lesser

way

in the

past

he's

always

been

God

and he's

always

in

control

and this

has given

this writer

the psalmist

so much

encouragement

I think

this is one

of the great

bedrocks of

the Christian

faith

God never

changes

I mean

it's a

miracle

to me

that early

Christians

worshiped

the same

God

and rallied

around

the same

book

that I

worship

and that I

rally around

here in the

21st century

this book

has been able

to sustain

them

this God

has never

changed

not an

iota

he's been

the same

he's the

same now

as he

was then

you'll never

waken up

one day

and find

that God

has been

dislodged

from his

throne

or that

his reign

has come

to an

end

or that

he has

changed

in any

way

he will

always be

the God

that he

is

this God

that we

serve

is eternal

it's

interesting to

read just

recently a

little story

from Spurgeon

he went to

visit a

farmer

and the

farmer's

weather vane

had God

his love

on it

and Spurgeon

said that's a

strange phrase

to put on a

weather vane

what are you

trying to say

to people

that God's

love is

as

changeable

as the

weather

is that

what you're

trying to

say

oh no

says the

farmer

I'm trying

to tell

people

that no

matter what

way the

wind blows

God is

love

and that's

the point

of this

writer

God is

eternal

he's always

been

he always

will be

fourthly

God rules

emphatically

talks about

the surging

floods

I think it

says in

the ESV

in the

NIV

it talks

about the

seas

actually

literally

the Hebrew

word could

be translated

rivers

the roaring

surging

rivers

as they

lift up

their voices

and we've

all heard

the noise

of the sea

haven't we

I remember

being in

Cairnbulg

a few years

ago

way up

on the

northeast

coast

and just

got out

of my

car

one street

from the

shoreline

to visit

little lady

in one

of those

little

houses

in Cairnbulg

and the

roar of

the ocean

was just

deafening

I'd never

heard anything

like it

before

and I'm

an east

coast

boy

I love

the sea

but the

roar

that day

of the

sea

and he

says the

sea is

lifted up

his voice

as it's

roaring

and it's

surging

and it's

pounding

waves

haven't we

seen the

pounding

of the

waves

against the

harbor

wall

as it

hammers

and pounds

the coast

line

and then the

psalmist

says to us

well let me

just tell you

something

God is

greater

mightier

than the

surging

rivers

God is

mightier

than the

surging

rivers

no matter

what forces

are arrayed

against him

he is

mightier

than them

all

and there

is an

argument

that maybe

the surging

rivers

refer to

hostile

nations

whatever it

refers to

the point

remains the

same

God is

mightier

than

everything

that's

arrayed

against

him

finally

we could

say more

about that

but I

better

shift

on

God

reigns

righteously

that's the

last thing

he reigns

righteously

and that's

important

that this

little

conclusion

is in

this psalm

because

might

is not

always

right

Hitler

you could

say he

was mighty

powerful

and the

army behind

him

but he

exterminated

six million

innocent

people

you could

say that

Stalin

was powerful

and mighty

but it's

estimated

that he

was responsible

for the

deaths of

twenty million

people

might

is not

always

right

but this

God

who is

mighty

who is

majestic

who is

eternal

is also

righteous

his statutes

we are told

are trustworthy

they are firm

you can depend

on them

his statutes

are dependable

God's

guidelines

are always

right

and that

is challenging

in the

21st century

because

society

has arrayed

itself

against

the clear

teachings

of the

Bible

hasn't it

like I'm

not trying

to be

way out

there

I'm just

trying to

face facts

as I

listen to

my kids

talk about

what they

face at

school

I live

in a bit

of a

Christian

bubble

but as I

talk to

people

around me

I sense

that

as I

listen to

the news

society

has

you know

if you

believe

things like

marriages

between one

man and

one woman

you're

weird

in the

21st century

you belong

to the

age of

the dinosaurs

but what the

psalmist is

saying to us

is listen

God's

statutes

are true

they are

trustworthy

and we

will ignore

them

we will

sideline

them

at our

peril

God's

way is

the right

way

it's the

good way

and God

rules his

people through

his good

word

his

trustworthy

statutes

I mean

the Bible

when it

says the

Bible is

trustworthy

I think

the Bible

is the

most amazing

book in

the world

when you

sit down

with 66

books

written over

1500 years

39 books

in the Old

Testament

27 in

the New

written over

a period of

1500 years

written by

kings

scholars

historians

poets

statesmen

doctors

authors

all remotely

removed from

each other

they didn't

have the

chance to

sit in a

room like

this and

say what

will be

our

storyline

what will

be the

main plot

of this

book

and yet

each book

fits together

like a

hand in

a glove

and all

points towards

one climactic

conclusion

the Lord

Jesus

Voltaire said

of the Bible

and of

Christians

he said

that they

would be

swept from

the face

of the

earth

and would

fade into

history

what struck

me about

that was

when he

died

the Geneva

Bible study

bought his

house

turned it

into a

printing press

and from

his home

Bibles

poured across

Europe

anyway

the Bible

is trust

your statutes

are trustworthy

and holiness

adorns your

house for

endless days

holiness

adorns your

house for

endless days

God is a

God of

holiness

the presence

above the

ark of

the

covenant

in the

holy of

holies

that was

God's

presence

and it

was so

holy that

people couldn't

go in

there

only one

man could

go in

once a

year

and that

was something

around his

ankle so

that they

could pull

him out

if he was

consumed in

the presence

of God

God is a

God of

holiness

absolute

purity

and how

glad we

are that

God is

pure

how awful

it would

be

if God

was a

monster

how awful

it would

be if

God loved

sin

and delighted

in sin

and thought

things like

abuse and

rape were

fine

how awful

it would

be

God is

not like

that

this God

is not

only majestic

he's not

only powerful

he is not

only triumphant

he is not

only eternal

he is not

only the

one who

rules

emphatically

his statutes

are trustworthy

and he is

a God of

absolute

holiness

and goodness

we have a

great God

you know

to praise

I think

sometimes we

don't really

appreciate how

much

how good

he is

how powerful

he is

and how we

have every

reason to

praise him

thank you for

listening

sorry I

rambled on

so long

tell them not

to invite me

back and that

will be the

solution to

that

Alistair

you