"The Divine Ruler" - Sermon at FFMC 17/12/23.

 Songs For Advent - The Divine Ruler 

 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!  (Ps 97:1-12)

 

Introduction

The psalm tells us about the appearance of a great King – the Divine Ruler. The last time Singapore had an official visit from a king or queen of a country was from March 16 to 18, 2006, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited Singapore.

She was not surrounded by clouds and thick darkness. Bukit Timah hill did not melt like wax..!

In this Psalm, the psalmist tells us what God’s kingship is like in dramatic, exuberant terms. Nothing matches the impact of God visiting us. These are descriptions far beyond what a human ruler is like. And we would ask if God has even ever appeared like this before in the world.

 But let’s set that question aside for the moment and ask ourselves what the psalm teaches us about God as the ruler. There are 4 related truths we can learn about God here:

1. The power of the Divine Ruler
2. The character of the Divine Ruler
3. The supremacy of the Divine Ruler
4. The people of the Divine Ruler

 

1.       The power of the Divine Ruler (v.2-5)

This is a God whose appearance changes the surrounding geography. He is surrounded by clouds and thick darkness (v.2). Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around (v.3) His lightnings light up the world, the earth sees and trembles (v.4). The mountains melt like wax before Him (v.5). In a word, God is awesome. “Awesome” is a word that is currently used to describe anything from a musical performance to a hamburger. But it used to mean “arousing awe and wonder”. By the way, the word ‘awful’ used to mean the same thing and many old hymns still use the word in this way, but now the word is used ‘awfully’.

 There was one time in history where God did appear in this awesome, dramatic fashion, and that was at Mount Sinai. His appearance there was truly frightening (Heb 12:20 “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”). The Israelites did not dare to approach and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (Ex 20:19). This psalm teaches us that God’s power is fearsome. He is mighty in power and great in anger against His enemies. We are encouraged to fall on our faces in awe. We must not lose sight of the awesomeness of the God of Sinai. We need to have this view of God – One who is more – much more- than a kind father-figure who always loves and forgives ‘unconditionally’ - who doesn’t really mind if we sin, who is always gentle and gracious. ‘Nice’. He is powerful. He is awesome. He is fearsome. He is holy.

 One thing that we have to remember about the power of God is that it is exerted in ways we cannot always understand. There are lightnings and melting mountains that we can see, but there are clouds and thick darkness. We can see a storm cloud, but we cannot see inside it. The power of God has mystery as well as clarity. We cannot predict God or understand Him fully.

 

 2.       The character of the Divine Ruler (v.2b, 6)

It would be a frightening thing if God were just powerful, but not good. He destroys his enemies in anger. How can you tell if His power is exerted on the side of good?

The psalmist tells us that all his power is directed towards good ends. All of His activity and His mystery is not based on arbitrary motives, but on His unalterable nature. He is righteous and just.

 God’s ways are sometimes unfair (because He does not treat everyone alike), often hard, and often painful. But  He is never unjust, never unkind, never unloving. Do not doubt God’s goodness and righteousness even if things happen that we do not understand.

 

3.       The supremacy of the Divine Ruler (v.1, 4, 5b, 6, 7, 9)

There are people who are powerful in this world. They may even be good – but they do not rule supreme over the whole universe. The psalm affirms that God is the ruler over the whole earth (v.1a), the world (v.4a), the heavens, over all peoples (v.6). He is far above all other gods (v.7, 9)

 He is an absolute ruler. In these days of constitutional monarchy the monarch acts according to the advice of the Prime Minister. Not God. The kingdom of God is not a democracy. He rules supreme. He has many imitators and many substitutes. But no equals, no rivals, no competitors.

 There is an old problem set before Christians: that God is either all good or all powerful, but that He cannot be both because suffering exists. The Bible affirms that God is both, and that the answer to the problem is not that God shakes His head sadly at evil and says He cannot do anything about it because He lacks power, of because His hands are tied because of human freedom. Rather, the Bible teaches that God is both absolutely good and absolutely powerful, but that suffering and evil exist within His control, for His good and holy purposes. When we suffer, and when evil befalls us and our loved ones, we are not helped by the idea that God is helpless. We are helped if we have faith in a sovereign God who knows what He is doing and intends everything for our good (Rom 8.28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”)

 Are you in trouble? Take heart – God is still in charge. He is still in control. He is still good. He is supreme.

 

4.       The people of the Divine Ruler (v.1, 8, 10-12)

They are a blessed people. God is not Ruler of all people the way He is of His special possession (“You only have I known of all the families of the earth” Am 3:2). His great goodness and power are not exerted for all the way they are exerted for His own subjects. He is not only their King, but their Heavenly Father. So we are called to do 3 things:

 ·         Rejoice (v.1, 8, 12): Joy is the hallmark of the people who have this kind of God. Powerful, good, supreme. We know who we are, and that awareness lifts our hearts. The world is a difficult place. Marriages can be strained. Children can be troubled and wayward, Ambitions and hopes can be unfulfilled. health can fail. Businesses can fail too. But God is still there – powerful and good and supreme.

·         Give thanks: we see what our Ruler has graciously done (“because of your judgments”, v.8b). He is always working for our good. So we show gratitude. Are you questioning God’s goodness? Turn your eyes to Him and His work for you. Thank Him for His care and provision. Learn to overlook the times when our small expectations have not been met. God has better things in store.

·         Hate evil: our lives need to be different. We hate evil because we are children of a good God. Furthermore, we dare to hate evil - to be different -even if there is a cost, because God preserves the lives of His saints and delivers them from the power of wicked people (v.11). This means that we are confident that He will protect us to the end when we do the right thing. Are you wavering in doing good? Be encouraged.

 

 

 Closing

What does this have to do with Advent?

2 ways:

Firstly, God condescends. The ruler of the universe is also a tiny human baby in the manger.

In the incarnation he shows yet another aspect of His nature. God is humble. That first Christmas He does not come with melting mountains and lightning. God became someone to be cuddled, breastfed, held, hungry, thirsty, tired, suffering, dying. Psalm 87 tells us that God is bigger and greater than we can imagine in power, goodness and glory. But He is also bigger and greater than we can imagine in humility and grace.

 Secondly, one more time in history there will be an Advent – a second Advent. This time, all that we see in the Psalm will take place. There will be clouds and fire, blinding glory and painful judgment. Every man, woman and child will see the reality of the God of Psalm 97. In this troubled, suffering world, the Baby in the manger will one day come again and make things right.

 In a little while we will sing a familiar Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnwriter Isaac Watts. Watts also wrote “When I survey the wondrous cross” and “O God our help from ages past”.  The when we were in London last year my wife and I went on a drizzly day to visit his grave. This carol was not written originally as a carol. It says nothing about Christ’s birth - His first coming. Instead, it rejoices in the Second Coming of the Lord. It speaks of the greatness of God’s transforming appearance. It is an appropriate way to capture the spirit of Psalm 97. As He came to the world, as He will come to the world, may He come in our hearts.

                                                                               

Link to video here