Worship the King (Through the Psalms) Psalm 47

Welcome to through the song a week of ministry of the truthful overtime will study all 150 songs with pastor Don Greene from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms that as we join our teacher in the truthful two years ago, we studied the promises that God made to Abraham in the midst of a little bit of a survey on the book of Genesis and if you look at Genesis chapter 12 we need to set the context for the song that were going to see from Psalm 47 here this evening. Remember the promises that God made to Abraham, the famous Abraham make covenant he called Abram out of paganism and set him apart to be the beginning of a new line in Genesis chapter 12 verse one the Lord said to Abram, go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great and so you shall be a blessing. I watch this in verse three and I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. The ultimate purpose of God's promises to Abraham went far beyond Abram himself went far beyond the people of Israel and their descendents. God gave Abraham promises to buy, which he intended to bless the entire world and you and I as Gentile believers are part of the beneficiaries of that promise that God made to Abraham. The blessing ultimately came through Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a descendent of Abraham.

Now you and I tend to think, I suppose, of the blessing of God that was mediated through a Abraham and his line as being salvation for those who believe in Christ and that's certainly true and we treasure that and there's nothing to diminish that whatsoever. But what were going to see this evening is is that the blessing of God on the nation through Abraham are far more expansive therefore more comprehensive in scope than that. And that's what were going to look at. Turn now to Psalm 46 which we studied on Sunday. Psalm 46. Again were going to see how the songs were evidently arranged with thematic topics that built on one another as you move from section to section and we ended Psalm 46 last time on Sunday. Looking at verses 10 and 11 say where God says see, striving, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The psalmist concludes that that it's that God, the Lord of hosts, who is with us that God, the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Psalm 46 ending on the note of the universal exultation of God among the nations that there is a time coming where the nations will bow before Christ and ascribed to him. The supremacy that he deserves, and that he holds as you turn to Psalm 47 now Psalm 47 expands on that universal rule of God and proclaims to all of the world, a universal call to worship in response to the exultation of Christ.

Psalm 47 will read it here together in its entirety and then will go through it verse by verse. As we like to do. Psalm 47 verse 10, clap your hands all peoples shout to God with the voice of joy for the Lord most high is to be feared.

A great King over all the earth.

He subdues peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chooses our inheritance for us the glory of Jacob, whom he loves Salah God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet, sing praises to God, sing praises sing praises to our king sing praises for God is the King of all the earth, sing praises with a skillful Psalm, God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is highly exalted. This song proclaims the kingship of God and what is a king. The king is a sovereign monarch in his realm.

He has full authority and he accomplishes his will with his power is in the king is the uncontested leader or ruler monarch sovereign of his realm, while earthly kings might have their own subdivided portions of our terrestrial ball over which they rain in times gone by. Psalm 47 is proclaiming that the entire earth is under the sovereign kingship of God.

It proclaims God is not merely the king of Israel. He is king over all, and therefore all nations should worship him and you see this from the very beginning look back at verse one with me now.

In Psalm 47 verse one as you see this call to worship. Oh, clap your hands all peoples shout to God with the voice of joy and as you go through the song you see this emphasis on all the people all the earth. Look at verse two is a great King over all the earth. Verse three he subdues nations under our feet. Verse eight he reigns over the nations. Verse nine.

The princes of the people. The shields of the earth belong to God will talk about all that more before were finished here this evening. What I want you to see just in this little overview fashion is the astonishing breadth of the call that is being made in Psalm 47. This isn't simply a call to the people of God to worship him is not simply an Old Testament call to Israel to worship him. In recognition of the statement in Psalm 46 verse 10. I will be exalted among the nations. Psalm 47 calls for all of the nations to respond and give worship honor and homage to the one and only true God.

It's astonishing in its breath.

It is a it is a welcome cleansing tonic to the postmodern spirit in which we live here today, which asserts that always lead to God and your God is your God my God is mine and let's not get too worked up over it, your truth is, can belong to you in mind to meet Psalm 47 rejects all of that and calls all men of every area of every religion to abandon their false religion and come to the one true God and honor and worship him. This verse the song calls all people everywhere to recognize God as King and give him the ringing, a claim that he deserves great him with thunderous applause shout with your voices to him. You know how people respond in athletic events and great victory is one of people cheering and applauding and screaming and all of that. That's a small microcosm of what the psalmist is calling all the world to do in response to the one true God. Now question might be asked, why shouldn't God the God of the Bible be given this kind of praise. Why should they respond to him like this. The rest of the Psalm kind of unfolds that look at Psalm 47 verse two you been called to praise him, and the question is why should you praise in verse two.

For the Lord most high Yahweh Elling on the God most high God Almighty is to be feared. He is a great King over all the earth.

You see, Yahweh, the God of Israel is not merely a local deity over the nation of the Jews.

He is the most high.

Over all, he reigns supreme over everything. He is a great King over all the earth and were going to expand on that and explain that in detail some of it at the end of the message here tonight but think about what's Genesis 11 say in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth itself finds its origin from the creative activity of God. The people of the earth find their origin in the creative activity of God he created Adam and everybody flows from Adam within the past 6000 years or so, we might add, not the revolutionary process and so all of the people of the earth trace their origin trace their lineage. Ultimately back to Adam, and Adam was a created man by God and therefore as the creator by right of creation by by prerogative of being maker of of all everything in the earth should respond in worship to him because everything in the earth all the people of the earth all the nations of the earth ultimately derive their origin in their life. From him is the creator of all things. He is the sustainer of all things. Scripture says that it is in him that we live and move and have our being. Well if you if you drive your origin from this God. If you live and move and have your being in this God and the only acceptable response for anyone to make is to give him uncontested undivided loyalty worship and that's the only right thing to do, that's who God is. That's who he actually is. That is reality, no matter how much men cloud and deny and suppress the knowledge of him that he is imprinted in nature as well as their own conscience. Let's review that for just a moment.

Why do we believe in God. Wellies revealed himself in nature is made himself known. He is imprinted his law on the human mind and on the human conscience is revealed himself in the 66 books of Scripture. Some 1200 pages in my Bible.

He's revealed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed himself in the conversion of sinners who have been born again and now bear the imprint of his image in their new nature is revealed himself again and again and again.

He has created us, he has made us he sustains us. We live because he gives us breath is made himself of no and this is true of all men, and therefore the only proper response is for men to respond with unrestrained worship in gratitude and praise to him and that's what Psalm 47 is recognizing this is the right response of the world to God. The fact that they suppress the knowledge of God does nothing to diminish the rightness of this call got a lot more to say at the end of the message about the universal reign of God.

Let's not stray too far from Psalm 47 just yet. Look back at verse two. Just so we stay in the text here the Lord most high is to be feared is to be worshiped is to be reverenced is to be adored in verse three. The psalmist supports his assertion that Yahweh is the most high. Verse three he says he subdues peoples under us, and nations under our feet. What he's doing here is he's referring to the fact that in the days of Joshua. God drove out the nations in order to give Israel the land that he had promised to them the land that he originally promised Abraham and eventually delivered to them's.

A few centuries later and he says he says that act of deliverance by delivering us from Egypt, the most powerful nation in the earth, in whom we were in slavery for 400 years, God powerfully delivered us by his own mighty hand and delivered us through the Red Sea into the land that he promised us and and dispossess the existing nations in that land shows and proves that he is God overall. Egypt couldn't stop him. The people with home-field advantage when God brought us into what had been there land couldn't stop the way that God defeated nations with ease with power, with clarity, with miraculous works shows that he's got overall, the history of Israel testified to the supremacy of God.

Overall of the false idols and deities of those nations worship he manifested his power, when he gave the land to his people in verse four, the psalmist tells how that shows God's favor to his people. He chooses our inheritance for us the glory of Jacob, whom he loves saying that God by his sovereign prerogative.

God according to his sovereign pleasure said this is the land that my people will have this as their inheritance and to the people of Israel. That land was there, was there glory.

It was what they is what established them as a nation, geographically speaking, it was a gift from God to them and they rejoiced in what God had done in their in their good days God had chosen that for then God had given that to them.

It reflected well on his people. It showed their privileged honored status as the people of God and all of that testifies to the fact that God did that because they were weak people not capable of doing that on their own. God went before them in a pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire and led them into that conquest by defeating nation after nation and peoples after people he established his power and rule over all of and so they were not a mighty people on their own. God chose them. God bless them and gave them a fine land for them to dwell in a land flowing with milk and honey now with the universe for their selloff as we said many times, kind of a notation says ponder this think over this. God defeated all of those nations, even though his people were just coming out of slavery, there was nothing about the prior 400 years that that would have suggested that this people was rising up to become a national power. Nothing. They were chasing after straw to make bricks in God's asserted himself asserted himself over the nations and establish the people that he chosen the land that he chose and thus established his supremacy over all the great God and what the psalmist is saying here in the flow of things is is this go back to verse two.

Now that you see this and you see how you kind of see how his argument is flowing here. He says the Lord most high is to be feared. The people who do not belong to God.

Those who were not the Jews, those who were not his chosen people should look at the history of Israel at the time that the song was written and and and scrambling shrink back and say if God did that to Egypt he could do it to us as well. The only intelligent thing for us to do would be to bow down voluntarily before him cast aside our idols and worship him for the glory that is obviously his due. Because if we don't come after us to. That makes me afraid. Therefore, rather than clinging to my false idols with fear THEM aside and will come gladly to this God and and acknowledge him for the sovereign one that he obviously sets the point of this first section of the soul because nothing can explain the existence of the people of Israel and that land except the sovereign power of God, so fear him.

Psalmist says worship him, give him the adoration that he deserves one of the great majesty should be honored by those derived their existence from him. His victories for his people call forth praise. Look at verse five. Now God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet there's a couple of different ways to to understand this Psalm see in this a picture of the ascension of Christ being discussed or that perhaps that God had come down given a great victory as when Assyria was defeated in 185,000 of their soldiers died in a single night. God came down as it were, exercised his power and then ascended back up once you delivered his people and ascended and and and in that place of victory praise ascribed to him. Others have also seen it from the picture of the ark and second Samuel turned back the second Samuel chapter 6, second Samuel chapter 6 just before Chronicles and Kings. There was a time when the presence of God being represented in the ark was brought into the city of David, and you can see the response that David and the people made to the symbolized presence of God in their midst.

Second Samuel chapter 6 verse 12 now was told King David, saying, the Lord has blessed the house of Obed Edom and all that belongs to him on account of the ark of God. David Winton brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed Edom into the city of David with gladness and so it was that when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces. He sacrificed an ox and a fatling. I watch the response here in verses 14 and 15 and David was dancing before the Lord with all his might.

And David was wearing a linen e-file.

So David and all the house of Israel were bringing out the ark of the Lord was shouting and the sound of the trumpet. The point being, why we went here to show you that is that in response to the presence of God. There were joyful shouts.

There was exuberant rejoicing. There was the sound of the trumpet. Now, as you go back to Psalm 47 with me. You see a similar motif being laid out in the song David serves as an illustration of the proper response of the psalmist is calling people to. In response to the presence of God.

God has ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet than he goes on in verse six and he says sing praises to God, sing praises sing praises to our King, sing praises noticed four times he repeats himself saying praises sing praises sing praises sing praises.

The repetition emphasizing the urgency of the call that this God is worthy of your praise and I command you.

I call you I urge you I exhort you to respond to him and the only way that is appropriate. One of the things among many that I love about this all is how utterly devoid it is of the presence of man.

What I mean by that is that this is a God centered. Saul, this is not about the needs of men. This is not about reflecting on ice and self-esteem in any of that other earthly junk that we been polluted with for so many decades in our generation. This washes all of that away instead of telling men to love themselves. It tells them to love the one true God, and to give him honor, praise and worship, of which he is so richly deserve and calls them even in their deadness to respondent and to worship him and to honor him as he deserves. I love that you, isn't it nice to not be the center of attention. What you see repeated as you go into verse seven is that this is not a call simply to the people of Israel.

It is to all men embedded in the Psalter here in Psalm 47 is a call to all of the nations to honor God. Verse seven for God is King of all the earth is the sovereign monarch over everything that you see everything about your existence is over it. He is sovereign.

He rules you must worship him because he is King of all the earth, sing praises with the skillful Saul. The idea being that don't simply babble something out.

Don't sing a 7-Eleven chorus to him that is just mindless repetition.

Have 150 song showing you that the skillful didactic way that the psalmist honored God with an expression of intelligent worship with skillful poetry, deep theology and urgent appeals to respond. One of the reasons why we we teach like we do truth community church. One of the reasons we structure our wife, our church life around the exposition of Scripture is because worship is meant to be intelligent with emotions following after that, rather than simply being a direct appeal to the emotions it is to be a mindful skillful and intelligent appeal to the mind that response with intelligence and thought to the intelligent, thoughtful God who made us skillful Saul. He calls for. Because God is King of all the earth is not limited simply to Israel in his rule. Therefore, he rightly deserves praise from all men everywhere. Look at verse eight. The end and that the scope the scope of these final two verses is just so astonishing. I realize it's easy to read through them quickly, but what this says about the universal reign of God cannot be exhausted in the simplicity of spirit inspired genius, the writer says in verses eight and nine God reigns over the nations.

God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God.

He is highly exalted. Let me unpack those two verses for you for just a moment and then were going to illustrate the sovereign rule of God over all in about seven different ways with what is to come. You know we talk a lot about the sovereignty of God, and we should talk about the providence of God and how God is always working out his purposes, and everything that happens that is a that is a central theme of biblical biblical truth when you start to when you start to unpack it.

Well it's let me put it this way often because were just living our lives and that's what we do we. We tend to we tend to think about God's sovereignty in terms of the way that it plays out in our own lives. You know I someone prospers in their life we say praise God for his providence. Someone goes through dark valleys. God's providentially work even if we don't understand it. He sovereign over all we tend to relate his sovereignty to our personal circumstances in our personal lives, and I don't mind that I think that's a good aspect of Christian biblical living in a biblical worldview. That's what we should do.

We should see God in the details, and trust him as he unfolds are for his purposes in our lives. We should do that you should be that way, you should not use words like luck and fate and chance is a Christian because it's a personal God, working out his personal will not abstract forces that are blind that direct the course of our lives. So it's good for us to talk about the sovereignty of God. That way, but not you knew there was a contrast coming right by the way I'd set it up.when you look at the fullness of what Scripture says, you realize that the sovereignty of God is is is exponentially geometrically massively more infinite than that. And if were only talking about the sovereignty of God as it relates to our personal lives or the lives of those around us. We are badly in danger of missing the point and badly in danger of reducing the glory that is his due. What he deserves. And when you see what were about to see you see that that that think the greatness of God has no limits the greatness of God is absolutely great is also it is. It is so fast it's almost disturbing. In fact, as I was working through this passage and an income trying to come to grips with what to say about it.

I just started to get a headache because how do you get your mind around what Scripture says about this. Look at verse eight. Again, in the simplicity of this God reigns over the nations kind reigns over the nations how many nations are that I should've looked this up.

What are there now presently in the world nations.

250 or so give or take.

Scripture sayings God over all of them whether they acknowledge him or not.

How many nations have come and gone, and kingdoms of risen and fallen over the course of human history. God was over it all, as Egypt rose up and fell and Israel rose and fell in the Syria rose and fell in Babylon rose and fell in Persian rose and fell in Greece rose and fell in Rome rose and fell in on it goes to today's date to the United States horizon. Well, fill in the blanks throughout millennia God has been raining all over the rise and fall of nations in these verses. Verses eight and nine are proclaiming God's great sovereignty. They point to the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that we read earlier in you all the peoples of the earth will be blessed.

Even those who never come to to a saving faith in Christ have been blessed by the universal reign of God. They have been blessed by the fact that he is ordered the universe and given them stability in life. They been blessed by the fact that he is sent sign in rain and seasons upon them even when they wickedly suppress the knowledge of him.

He still poured out his goodness and grace upon them, and in in Christ there blessed in this in the common grace of God. But this verse is saying more than that, even here it is picturing the nations gathering for the ultimate blessing that God promised to Abraham long ago. Look at verse nine verse nine is speaking of something that is still future to us as we'll see in a moment the princes of the people. In other words, the leaders of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. Shields of the earth being a reference to the fact that being kind of a poetic description of the leaders of people. They protect people like shields do and it's in parallel to the princes of the people. So what saying is, is that the leaders of the nation are assembling together as the people of the God of Abraham, their coming together around to give worship to God. At the time. Still future to us. When Christ reigns from Jerusalem and his kingdom, and the nations come together to give honor to him in the fulfillment of God's long ago promised Abraham that he knew all the peoples of the earth will be blessed going to find its fulfillment in the nations, and bow down before him and honor Christ as the Messiah and he righteously reigns over all the earth and kings no longer congratulate themselves and elevate themselves in rule for themselves. They all come and give glory to Christ in that future day now beloved the scope of these verses is breathtaking and in keeping with the language of the song. It is not too much to say that it is fearful. It is frightening, frightening in the sense in that you just see the majesty of God unfolded in such a way in such grandeur and you just shrinking comparison and you realize how vastly this God of the Bible is God reigns over the nations. Verse eight asserts the absolute sovereignty of God over the affairs of men.

Both great and small. What were going to do here over the next 10 minutes or so is were going to let Scripture help us understand the breadth of what's being said here. I I like to do this is a teaching methodology is one thing for the Bible to say God reigns over the nations. That's one thing God reigns over the nations but okay know where should we go eat after were done, it is another thing to let Scripture interpret Scripture and unfold for you. What that means and the detail that it brings to see principal after principal after principal after principal stated so plainly and clearly in different realms.

God's sovereignty over the nations asserting itself. Then all of a sudden it's not all in all, will God reigns over the nations in some kind of indifferent way your knees start to buckle and you say God reigns over the nation's and that there is nothing accepted. From that rule. What does this passage do what is this passage saying well.

Nothing less than this. It establishes heaven and over earth. It binds the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. It includes those who willingly comply and worship God and includes those who will comply by force when God asserts himself.

In the end days. It applies to the inner man of Kings as well as to the outer man of Kings. This is this is this spread spreads as far as the east is from the west as high as the mountains from the depths of the oceans.

That's how broad and how deep this is how exactly does God reign over the nations. I'm going to give you seven principles here. I'm not even going to. I'm not even going to expound on this.

I'm just going to state a principal and read a Bible verse, maybe I won't go 80 minutes after all. But this is just stunning. Exit okay so here's the question here's the question exactly how does God reign over the nations then and now and in the future.

That's another aspect of it.

This is past, present and future.

This is always been true, he did just suddenly start doing this God is.

I am who I am. He is eternally existence. He is eternally sovereign from eternity past to eternity future. He's always been sovereign like what were going to describe here. How does God reign over the nations point number one will starting the micro cents number one key reigns over the hearts of Kings God reigns over the nations in part by raining over the hearts of their leaders. Proverbs 21 verse one says the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wishes Israel was the beneficiary of that kind of sovereignty in their days when Cyrus ascended to power as the king of Persia granted a decree that the Jews would be able to go back and rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. What prompted a pagan king to do that except the fact that God turned his heart to do it.

God reigns over the hearts of Kings. Secondly, he reigns over the rise of Kings, the rise and falls rise and fall of Kings and I'm just giving you single verse on all of these things just for the sake of simplicity, in time, Daniel to verse 21 Daniel to verse 21 says, speaking of God says it is he who changes the times and the epics. He removes kings and he establishes Kings believe it's Romans 13 that says there is no authority except by that which is been established by God.

And so men rise to earthly power by the hand of God. For reasons and purposes that are known only to God, he will raise a man not allow him to rule and reign and have authority for a period of time and then when God is finished with me. Set some aside and God does this beloved watch this. He does this effortlessly. This is not a problem for God. It's not a challenge for him to elevate a man it's not a challenge for him to bring him down. This is just the seamless exercise of one who reigns over all the earth to raise up those who would lead and then when he is done with them. He sets them aside. Nebuchadnezzar was a man who saw this play out in his own life. Great elevated position of authority, took the praise to himself, God cast him down so the a grass like a cow for seven years. Not a problem. You know how badly I would love to preach this to the U.S. Congress in a joint session of Congress. I would love to declare that happen. I can dream can't I don't puncture my dream don't pop my balloon. I would be amazing to let the word of God operate in humble the hearts of those who need to hear it in all of their pompous pride. So we said God reigns over the hearts of Kings. He reigns over the rise and fall of Kings number three now were going to move in a bit more into the into the New Testament and to getting into a little bit more what the church is like today.

Point number three God reigns over the instruction of nations. God reigns REI GN S he rules over the instruction of nations.

I love this. Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. The Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection told his disciples to go and make disciples of what of all the nation's baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I command you. This is the Lord Jesus Christ and resurrected in his resurrected body before his ascension speaks to his disciples and says I command you to go out and teach all the nations everything that I said to you, he is asserting a prerogative over what all men are to believe and do. Without exception, there's not a carveout for Muslim nations or for Hindu nations or for pegging otherwise pagan nations, Christ asserts his teaching as authoritative for all men everywhere in every nation.

Go make disciples of all of says is Lord over all the nations, and therefore his instruction in his teaching is authoritative and is binding on them. They cannot invade the force of the authority of Christ. So when you asked the question how does God reign over the nations, the Lord Jesus Christ establishes what they must believe in order to be saved. That's how great his authority is in Luke 24 verse 47 in similar manner. Jesus said that repentance for the forgiveness of sins shall be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, all the nations you see you see this is so much more than just then just an individual salvation message.

This is more than just what humor I believe if you and I cease to exist.

If you and I had never existed. These things would still be true and absolutely authoritative. Overall, men everywhere in every nation and every corner of the earth.

This gospel of Jesus Christ is the one true message that can bring people to salvation and there is salvation in no one else, there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be asked.

John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and so so the gospel comes in, asserts the sovereignty of God over all men and says you're all lost your all doomed to destruction in your sin, and only in Christ can you find forgiveness. We preach that in Mongolia we preach in South Africa. We preach it in New Zealand. We preach in Peru. We preach it in the streets of Los Angeles. We preach it in the cornfields of Iowa. We preach it here in Cincinnati, Ohio to Tuesdays at seven and Sundays at nine see the way to this is astonishing. This has been one since this has nothing to do with you or me. This is about what God and Christ have declared you go on to get sweeter in this point it's not just that we proclaim and and God commands the gospel to preach be preached to every nation forcefully.

He saves men from every nation, is the sweet is this precious, that this God who has sovereignty over all this God who has the power to dispossess nations of their lands who and who establishes the rise and fall of nations and leaders effortlessly according to his eternal purpose in Christ. He saves men save you saves me saves men from every nation, let me just remind you that the saving work of Jesus Christ was not just for Jews, even though he came from the Jewish line is the Savior of the world is a crisis for Gentiles also so many verses you could look at. I just plopped down on first John 22. Speaking of Christ and says that he himself is the propitiation for our sins. The Christ is the one who turns away the just wrath of God from us.

He's the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the whole world that in the Lord Jesus Christ. Any man, woman or child anywhere in any nation at any time can look to Christ and find a Savior, who is sufficient to turn the wrath of God a way to cleanse his conscience and to secure him in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life forever and ever. Amen. That is a profound assertion of divine sovereignty.

Christ is like that, that he is a sufficient Savior for everyone who would believe in him.

Revelation 5 verse nine says worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And so we asked the question would try to keep the question in front of us were dressing here. How does God reign over the nations well there is this political dimension to it that we talked about, but there is the spiritual dimension.

The Christ lovingly graciously came to earth in order to secure for himself a people from every tribe and nation in the world and God asserts his sovereignty. He asserts his rule by sovereignly saving sinners from every nation and bringing them into his family that they might become. Together, the people of God that's sovereign power. You know what you and I can't say the soul can you can't save anybody.

I can't save anybody you would you would love to be able to save your loved ones and to and to change their hearts so that they believe in Christ, we are helpless to do that, God's not Christ has the power to save so much so that, without distinction, the national borders. You can save whomever he wishes. That's sovereign power. The display of the way that he rules over nations number five we go from the sweetness to the to the fearfulness of it. Point number five. He will slay rebel nations.

At the end of human history. He will slay them. He's a divine warrior Revelation 19 verse 15, Revelation 19 verse 15 for those of you taking notes which should be about 100% of you been not checking at the door for that Revelation 19 verse 15 from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. At the end of human history. Christ will come to establish his kingdom.

Those that oppose him will be slain in Christ will not have any trouble doing it, why, how can he do that it's because he sovereign it's because he rules over the nations is because they are powerless against him. He rules and yet in go to a six point let me give you five points again with covered so far. Just so you can if you haven't been taking notes after what I just said you can hurriedly jot these down and show them to me at the end of the service. No, just kidding, said that he reigns over the hearts of kings number two that he reigns over the rise of kings, number three, he reigns over the instruction of nations number four. He saves men from every nation number five.

He will slay rebel nations at the end of human history. Now number six yet willing nations will seek him in the future kingdom willing nations will seek him in the future kingdom is a verse that you haven't looked at in a long time probably Zechariah Zechariah 822. Looking forward to the still future reign of Christ speaking prophetically says many people's and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord, what a beautiful picture of the reign of Christ, that the nations will come and seek his favor. They will bow before him, they will willingly give their worship. They will seek his blessing gladly willingly and in that way Christ will show this will watch this watch this Christ will prove himself to be a benevolent ruler to them, just like he has been to you. Hasn't Christ been a gracious and good Lord, to you in your individual life as it he blessed you and giving you peace and forgiven your sense and giving you comfort correction when you needed it, given you, hope give you confidence give you assurance of eternal life is only just been so good to you individually. Scripture says that's what is going to be to the nations in his kingdom. Why, how, how can he do this why because he rules over the nations see why this is fearful is fearful and this is because it's so majestic.

It's so wonderful it's so great it so far beyond the realm in which we usually think and you realize that Scripture has revealed this realm that is so far beyond us so far above us so wonderful and we tend to live in a petty round and not think the lofty thoughts of God which he deserves. Why doesn't God change this or that relationship or circumstance in my life. We think about it in those terms.

And and you know we even get so worked up that we start to turn accusations against God, why, why have you abandoned me what I done wrong.

You know why why why this trouble and sorrow in my life. Oh, oh, please, do you see by comparison to the vast greatness of the sovereignty of God over the nations in the future way that he will bless and slay the how meager and unworthy. Those thoughts are the God that is revealed to us in 66 books of the Bible while makes me ashamed to be knee. Finally, number seven nations and individuals will all bow before him nations and individuals will all bow before him, and for this closing passage turn to Philippians chapter 2 Philippians chapter 2 finally come to a little more familiar passage. Perhaps Philippians chapter 2 how great and how fast is the sovereignty of God. Well, it's so great that there will not be an individual in human history who doesn't bow before him and acknowledge it, who doesn't bow before Christ and acknowledge him as Lord.

Let's look at let's look at the broader context of the passage, even though time is short. This evening, verse five have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. This attitude of humility and self-denial that he talked about in the first four verses of Philippians 2 have that attitude in yourselves which was also in crisis is exactly how Christ was who. Verse six. Although existed in the form of God by very nature was God himself did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant of being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross stop right there. We can't we cannot pass by this without making the connection. What were talking about who is Jesus Christ is God incarnate, he's he's the eternal preexistence son of God, fully God, what did he do, he became a man. In other words, this this one who has absolute sovereignty over the nations humbled himself to become a man humbled himself to the point of death even further to death on the cross, the most degrading, humiliating death, known in human history. DC do you see how great Christ is that he would do that for your redemption. They would do that for the forgiveness of your sins. The eternal security of your soul that from this position of unimaginable sovereignty would condescended that that you might be saved. The God of the nation's as it were, bends down and wipes off your dirty sinful feet with his own cleansing blood is humbling and so going back to verse nine, leaving behind a thought that needs to be developed. Verse nine. For this reason also, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. How great is the sovereignty of God. How matchless is the reign of Christ health, how does he rule over the nations is seen in this but every knee that is ever lived will bow before him and acknowledge the very things of which we've been discussing here. The suit will acknowledge him as Lord and God and confess that those who have rejected him. Watch this. Those of you that are not a Christian, I would not want to be in this position that you're currently in right now wouldn't want that at all those who are his enemies will bow their knee and make this confession by force, they will comply, even if they don't want to because every knee will be brought unto conscious submission to the sovereign rule of Christ and they will acknowledge it and they will speak it with their own time in their own knee will bow before him. There will be nothing left that is outside the realm of the sovereignty of Christ every knees going about in every tons going to confession, so his enemies will bow by force for you and me whom he's washed with his precious blood, you and me who chose before the beginning of time saved us in time sanctified us through life and delivered us either through death or his return into his kingdom perfected, glorified with him forever and ever. Amen our blessed privilege will be to make that confession willingly in joyful worship is going to be our blessed privilege to to see him greater display than what this meager exposition is done tonight. We will see him face-to-face.

All what a glorious time. What a glorious moment that's going to be to see our Lord face-to-face to somehow have a greater perception and understanding of his matchless sovereignty and acknowledge it and bow. Yes, your Lord, this is what I've been waiting for.

This is what been the longing of my heart. The combination of this moment. You are Lord. Better yet, your my Lord I worship you, and in that moment of worship to realize that inextricably wound around his sovereignty is divine, redeeming love that this great king loved you by name. That's just exalted sovereign majesty thought of you on the cross of Calvary is one for whom he was willing to die. Thought of you by name and and gladly offered up his blood to cover all of your sins that they would never hinder your fellowship with God that they would never be brought to your account that they would never be charged against you to bring you in to the full holy presence of God secure, confident, welcomed and beloved. That's your sovereign King. This is the biblical picture Christ your Lord go back to Psalm 47 with Scripture helping us to expand and understand the assertions to know that that's our destiny appointed for us by God to realize that while it is still future. It is so certain that it is a present possession of ours in Christ all do you see how easy it is, then, to respond in obedience to Psalm 47 verse 10, clap your hands all peoples shout to God with the voice of joy this great God has redeemed my soul hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah for father from our hearts. We sing praises to you sing praises sing praises sing praises. You are the king over all the earth, and your father and your immeasurable grace, you're the king of our hearts. We are yours by right of creation. We are yours by right of redemption and Lord.

It is our great privilege to give you the fullest, highest, most unreserved affections of our heart. You are a God to be feared. You are a great King over all the earth and yet we know you as a loving Lord who gladly lay down his life for our sins. Yes father with joyful hearts.

We gladly responded worship to which we have been called by Psalm 47 the name of our Redeemer and our sovereign King, the Lord Jesus Christ will friend thank you for joining us on through the Psalms. If you would like to follow my weekly messages from truth community church go to truth Community Church.org and look for the link titled pulpit podcast again. That's truth Community Church.org God bless you. Thanks Don and Fred. Be sure to join us each weekend as we continue through the son with Pastor John Green could find church information Don's complete sermon, library and other helpful materials at the truth.

Pulpit.com this message is copyrighted by John Green. All rights reserved