The LORD reigneth

I appreciate the way that her brother closed his message because I'd like to read with you in Psalm 93 and take up from where he closed a very helpful, challenging message he has given to us. Psalm 93 in verse 1, the Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty, the Lord is clothed with strength, for with he hath girded himself. The world also is established that it cannot be moved.

Thy throne is established of old, thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their waves.

The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure, holiness becometh, for holiness is the beauty of thine house, O Lord, forever. Look over in Psalm 96, verse 9, O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, fear before him all the earth.

Say among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth, the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved. He shall judge the people righteously, let the heavens rejoice. It goes on to Psalm 97, the Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

Clouds and darkness surround about him, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Last of all in Psalm 99, verse 1, the Lord reigneth, let the people tremble, he sitteth between the chair of him, let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion and he is high above all the people.

Let them praise thy great and terrible name for it is holy. I'm going to refer to a verse in Romans chapter 14 that we won't turn to. I'm thinking of Romans chapter 14, verse 9 and 10.

This is a tremendous statement that you read four times over in these Psalms. I think it's thrilling. It should challenge our hearts, it should encourage our steps.

The psalmist says the Lord reigneth. That's most remarkable when you think of the fact that these are near the first Psalms of the section of the Psalms that corresponds to the book of Numbers. You know there are five books of Psalms, the Genesis section, the Leviticus section, Numbers and so on.

This section begins in Psalm 90 with a song of Moses. A song that speaks of the sovereign care of God in the wilderness journey. A recognition of God's kindness and mercy throughout the entirety of his life.

And yet when you think about the correspondence between this section declaring at the outset that the Lord reigneth, we need to think about what took place in the book of Numbers and the journeys of the children of Israel in the wilderness. Because most certainly those journeys of Israel in the wilderness correspond as a major to your life and mine as we move through this wilderness scene. Numbers is a book in which there was some progress made, but there was a lot of failure.

A book in which there was the authority and the sovereignty of God expressed, but there was also rebellion and complaining and turning back. It's in the book of Numbers that you find the children of Israel complaining about the provision God had given to them in the manna, our soul loathes this light bread. It was a rebellion against God's provision that they had come to detest with all of their heart.

It's a book of course that explains to us and sadly depicts the rebellious action of Aaron and Miriam against their brother and his leadership. Those two that were so responsible along with Moses to lead the people of God and to give a good example for the people and yet they failed so miserably in that at that point in their experience. And we find God sovereignly showing that the Lord reigneth, establishing the character of Moses as the only one that God had selected to lead his people in his delivering power.

It's also the time during which Korah, Nathan, and Abihu rebelled against the high priest and the priestly line of Aaron and you find there that again God asserts the fact that he was reigning. He declares by a marvelous miracle overnight when the almond rod budded and brought forth blossoms and fruit that God had selected the tribe of the family of Aaron to be the high priest. The Lord was reigning.

It's a time as well when we know that there was a rebellion of the children of Israel at the border when God had brought them so marvelously through the desert circumstances providing for all their needs and caring for them in every day of their experience. Two years they had seen the display of God's power and guidance and now they're at the border and God says to go in and you remember the experience of sending the spies because of their unbelief. They didn't believe God's description and the result was he said they said we will not go in.

God again expresses his sovereignty because as you won't go in you'll die in the wilderness because of your refusal. So we find that again and again the sovereignty and the the reality of God reigning in the midst of his people was displayed and even when we find Balaam upon the scene uttering those prophecies God prevented him from declaring a curse upon God's people. He reigned and he preserved the people from any expression of the cursing desire that Balaam would have had.

We find that the Lord was reigning in the book of Numbers and he's still reigning today. I take it that these Psalms really are Psalms that anticipate the millennial conditions. Conditions in which he will actually following up with what my brother has just been finished with he is going to return and he's going to establish his throne in righteousness.

He'll rule and reign from the river to the ends of the earth and he will rule with a rod of iron we read in Psalm 2. He'll dash the nations in pieces like a potter's vessel. There'll be no rising up against him because he is going to reign and oftentimes when I think about the world that we live in kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall and governments seem to be so incapable of oftentimes even making right decisions much less anticipating the future and even even less controlling all the elements of evil that continually expressing themselves. It's nice to remember that apart from all the governments of this world the Lord reigneth.

That should be a great encouragement to our hearts. I don't know about you but I get discouraged at times. Maybe that's wrong, that's all right.

I still get discouraged. You look at the world in which we live, we look at the country in which we live. Thank God for our government but there are many things that cause a soul to be distressed and there seems to be an increase so far as disorder, confusion, division and all the other elements that I don't want to speak about this afternoon.

That's a negative kind of thing that we don't need to finish with. I want to finish with this the Lord reigneth and there are a number of things I want to bring to your attention and that is in along with the fact that even in the present day while we do not see it physically yet we can experience it spiritually in our hearts and a great anticipation to put our hearts the Lord reigneth and we're reminded this morning that he is the one who is seated upon the throne and that throne is going to be expressing its will and it still is even now. God is controlling.

He's over all. He's sovereign even in these days when man would reject his authority. Thank God he is still on the throne.

I have eight things I'd like to notice with you about this one expression that I see in these psalms. The psalms are a precious source of teaching for the correction and for the encouragement of each one of us as God's people. The first thing I want you to notice is that the Lord reigns majestically.

There's no throne on earth that can be compared with the majesty of the throne of God. I find it well shall I say amusing. Maybe it's just because I'm not of that bed of my mind.

I found it amusing how many including Christians are so enthralled with the royal family of England, with all of its foibles, with all of its failures, with all the things that are so quickly pointed out in the media and really sadly that throne has already declined from what it used to be. It used to be an absolute monarchy. It used to be a place that was marked for unparalleled majesty and glory.

It's only a fraction of what it used to be. So why should we be occupied with that anyway because the Lord reigns majestically. We saw a glimpse of that this morning in the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation.

We saw there that he is one who sits upon a throne that is indescribable. He sits in a position with an appearance and a radiance that is far beyond the capacity of man to ever comprehend and the glory of it and the outshining radiance of the throne of God is far greater than you and I can even possibly describe. And even the seer in the book of Revelation finds it impossible to describe his majesty and the glory that surrounds the throne of God.

You know dear brother maybe instead of being occupied with the passing feeble frail diminishing governments of this world we should be occupied with a throne that far is far greater than anything that has ever ever existed on the face of this earth. The Lord reigneth majestically and you and I are linked with a throne that is established in heaven. A throne that is far greater than man has ever seen.

We find that Isaiah chapter 6 and verse 1 Isaiah the prophet could say that on the year that king Uzziah died a great king passed off the scene. A great king died as a leper separated. He says in the year the king Uzziah died I saw the Lord.

The majesty of Uzziah's throne had passed but the majesty of the throne of God was still being displayed. He says I saw the Lord high and lifted up and his throne filled the temple his train filled the temple. The seraphim were surrounding the throne crying holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty.

Brethren you and I should be occupied with the majesty of the throne as it happened. The second thing I'd like to say about this returnal reign is that I should say this reign of the Lord Jesus is that it's eternal. The Lord reigneth eternally.

You notice what he says thy throne is established of old and a number of times in these psalms we find reference made to the fact that it's been established. Forever O Lord thy throne is settled and it's not beginning with any exigency of man. It's not beginning because of any emergency.

It's not changed because of any transient problem that exists on earth. It's an eternal throne. The Lord reigneth forever.

There never was a beginning to it. He's always reigned and he always will. We read concerning the reign of the Lord Jesus when he comes to take up his place upon the earth at the throne he says thou shall reign forever and forever.

The government shall be upon his shoulder and his name should be wonderful counselor the mighty God the prince of peace the father of eternity. He says of the kingdom in his reign there shall be no end. What a tremendous thing brethren to look upon this world and its transient character changeableness altering continually.

One government rises another falls for the one that we're linked with is the same forever and forever. You and I are citizens of that kingdom. He reigns over the kingdom of God.

Everything is under his control and even those elements that are contrary to his will he allows for the present time but one day he'll exert his righteous reign and all that will be put under his feet. Our God reigns eternally. You know it's a wonderful thing to remember that that's so established that can never be moved.

It can never be altered. There's no reason for a change. Governments of this world continually make mistakes.

They make wrong decisions and they have wrong results that come from it but there's no mistakes, no errors, no changes need to be made. We have a one who reigns eternally. And regardless of the fact that in Psalm 14 the fool has said there is no God there certainly is and while he may be behind the scenes and he may not be known to the minds of men he still is reigning.

A man deny his reign and his authority to their own detriment. The Lord reigneth eternally and I love that expression. The third thing I'll say is that in chapter Psalm 93 in verse 4 we learn that the Lord reigneth sovereignly.

Notice what he says, the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters yea than the mighty waves of the sea. You find again in other places of these psalms where we have read that there's an ascertation of the sovereignty of the reign of the Lord Jesus. The history of man has been replete with constant attempts of one kingdom against another.

There's always a fear of another king coming more powerful than I as one king might say. There's a need to continually replenish the armed forces and build them up and to make sure they're fortified and properly supplied. During the second world war the kingdom of the nation of France thought they were almost invincible until the Germans so quickly ran across the border and overwhelmed them in a few moments.

So that we have kingdoms that are always in fear of another king coming and destroying them and taking away their power. No this king he reigns sovereignly. There's no rising up against him.

We read in Psalm and rather in Proverbs 30 verse 31 there are four that go well and it speaks about four things and the last one he says is a king against whom there is no rising up. What a descriptive term concerning the Lord Jesus and the sovereign reign that will one day be his and even now he exercises it according to his own purpose. So we find that he is the one who has been given the absolute authority.

Again referring to Psalm 2 there we read yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree thou art my son this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me I'll give thee the nations the kingdoms of the world for possession and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

I shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel and so we find there the expression of his sovereign power that one day be exercised and seen universally in the world. Thank God we have a sovereign king upon the universe today upon the throne today. One that is invincible and one that is certainly totally successful.

He shall reign and he's reigning now. The fourth thing I'll say about this one who reigns is that he reigns righteously. You notice in Psalm 96 in verse 10 it says say among the heathen the nations that the lord reigneth the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved he shall judge the people righteously.

And as we've heard from our brother there was an unrighteous judge that sat upon the throne to condemn him to death in Rome. But the one who we anticipate and the one that we're linked with today is the one who always judges righteously. There's no wrong judgments when it comes to him.

There will be no deviation from a holy and righteous standard that is absolutely perfect. There'll be nothing that would be of any nature that would fall short of expressing his own character because he is not only the one who will judge righteously but he is the one who loves righteousness and hates lawlessness. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 10.

We have one who is perfectly righteous and if I apply that to you and me as believers today we would acknowledge that oftentimes we don't act righteously. Now we may be judged unrighteously by the world but thank God the only one whose judgment really matters is the one who is a righteous judge. And that's what the Paul could express as we've heard in the last words he penned to the his son Timothy.

The lord the righteous judge will give me at that day. And brethren and sisters what we need to remember day by day in our life is not to try to please men according to their own judgment. Our efforts and our exercise must be to please the one who always judges righteously.

And you know that when you and I stand before him at the bima he's going to give a righteous judgment. When unsaved stand before him at the great white throne he's going to express a righteous judgment. We read in Romans chapter 2 what you saw yesterday.

He says the judgment of God is according to truth against them that do such things. And so the lord reigneth righteously and we look forward to that day when righteousness will fill the earth as the waters cover the seas. And he will be the one who will establish righteous.

You know brethren and sisters a righteous judge has never sat upon the throne. Perfectly righteous, undeviating in his judgments, always doing what is right. And the result of that is going to be that there is going to be peace.

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other as oftentimes quoted in Psalm 85 and verse 10. That doesn't apply to Calvary. That's anticipating the millennium.

Those are the days when he will reign and righteousness will be joined with peace. And there will be a condition that will exist that the world has never seen before. But thank God in the hearts of his people today the lord reigneth.

Not only that but in verse in chapter in Psalm 97 and verse 1 we find there the lord reigneth universally. His reign is going to be so complete as it is even now in a hidden shall we say way, in a spiritual way. He's the one that is reigning even now universally.

All is under his control. There's nothing that is outside the capacity of the God to control and to direct and to permit. But he is the one who rules universally.

We find here in Psalm 97 verse 1 it says the lord reigneth let the earth rejoice let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. We find that it affects the entire world and the entire universe will be touched by it. So that every piece every part of God's creation will be controlled and directed brought under his his control and will be submissive to him.

And all evil and all that is contrary to him is going to be eradicated. God is really an enemy against all sin and he's going to destroy sin from out of his universe because it has ruined it. And we look forward to the day when he will exercise that reign.

But I want to close very quickly and I want to say that in Psalm 97 verse 1 the lord reigneth rejoicingly. Let the earth be glad. Let the hills rejoice.

Notice in Psalm 96 he says in verse 11 let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad. Let the sea roar in the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful and all that is within therein.

Then shall the trees of the wood rejoice before the lord. For he cometh or he cometh to judge the earth he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth. And there's a day coming brethren when the world will be full of absolute joy.

A joy that will be re-echoed from the hills to the mountains and all over the entire creation. Every source of sorrow, everything that would cause distress we put away. Dealt with completely when the right king is on the throne and peace prevails and there'll be joy that'll be experienced in all the world.

So he reigns rejoicingly. The blessing that sin has the curse that sin has brought in this world and the sorrow and the tumult and the turmoil will all give way to the tranquility and the peace and the assurance that will bring genuine joy and peace to the heart. In Psalm 99 in verse 1 I'll just say that the lord reigneth in holiness.

He emphasized the holiness of his reign. Let the people tremble. In this psalm there are a number of references to the holiness of God and the holiness of his throne.

One who is totally void of all evil all sin and all that is contrary to him. The lord reigneth he sitteth between the cherubim in the place of holiness. He says let the earth be moved and verse three let them praise thy great and terrible name for it is holy.

We've been dwelling this morning a little bit upon the holiness of the throne as described for us in revelation 3. Closing our remembrance meeting this morning with that song holy holy holy lord god almighty. But everything pertaining to the throne and the reign of our in heaven is absolutely holy. Not a contamination not a source of any defilement in connection with that throne.

Why it's a wonderful thing to think about the fact that the lord reigneth. But before I sit down I'll say the lord wants to reign practically. Romans chapter 14 and verse 9 for this purpose for this reason christ both died and rose and revived that he might be lord.

No it's really more literal than that that he might reign over both living and dead. One who we're identified with the one who came to save us from our sins and deliver us from satan's power is the one who wants to reign over your life and mine. Now we've been reminded by our brother already and I'll only echo his words.

He really wants to have that place of sovereign control from the very beginning. It's a blessed life of a child of god when they realize practically I'm not my own. I belong to the lord jesus.

He purchased me by his blood. He wants to have control of every facet of your life. He doesn't want your money.

He doesn't want your farm. He doesn't want other things of your life. He wants you and that's something we fail to realize oftentimes.

He wants to reign over your life and the only proper response of a child of god is to let him do it. Because if we allow him he will certainly do so and when he reigns in the life of a believer there's a total change that takes place. A change of ownership, a change of direction, a change of purpose and the result is usefulness for him and devotion that rises from the heart and the kind of worship that he desires to receive.

It's practical in its effect. It's intended to be perpetual in its duration. And if he reigns in our hearts and lives it will affect our affections and our desires.

What we live for, what we desire, what we want in our life will be affected because it will be brought under his control subject to his will. And it will affect also our thoughts because when he reigns he will be preeminent in our thoughts. He will be the object that we're really desiring to be occupied with.

He'll be the one that delights our hearts and we desire to know more of him. And practically in demonstration he'll make a change in our life. He'll make a change that it might be conformed to his will, to be yielded to his purpose, that it might be effective in its results.

Brethren and sisters, the Lord reigns. Tremendous thought, an encouraging thought and a challenging thought as well. I trust he reigns in the hearts and life of each one of us and that he'll have control of all that is connected with each one of us.

And God bless and direct our hearts in this direction.