Our Sovereign King

Week 1 - All powerful creator

week 2- All knowing, yet knowable God.

Week 3- The righteous Judge and gracious lord.

Week 4 - The Warrior and Defender

Today we are going to be talking about this concept of God’s sovereignty. There is probably no concept more highly debated then this concept. So in order to turn your minds away from this distraction I want us to focus on the actual meaning of the word “Sovereign”

I. The Meaning of “Sovereign”

Interesting enough the word sovereign is only used once in the CSB in direct reference to God and three times in the ESV.

So then what’s the discrepancy?

There are two Greek words translated as “sovereign” in the N.T. that are used in reference to God.

“dynastes” means “ruler “

“despotes” means “master” or “Lord”.

The ESV inserts the word Sovereign before the word “Lord” in two instances. It is not wrong it highlights Him as the Lord of Lords, the only true ruler of all.

The CSB just leaves it as Lord which is still correct because the context shows Him to be the only true Lord. It just two ways to say the same thing.

The third instance is found in I Timothy and both translations use the word “Sovereign” in this context.

1 Timothy 6:15–16 CSB

15 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

In this instances the context of verse 16 shows us what these titles are highlighting. The word “sovereign” denotes kingship, worthiness, and the rightful ruler and authority.

None of these words are synonymous with control or determinism.

None of these instances insinuate absolute control.

Because of this long standing debate between Armenian and Reformed theology we have attached a lot of meaning to this word “sovereign” that just simply isn’t there.

In essence we have changed the meaning of this word and made it synonymous with absolute control.

We are guilty of taking this endless debate and overlaying into the text and then actually missing the point of it.

This word when associated with God is never used to denote anything other than rightful ruler and worthy of authority.

Now some of you may be asking why am I unpacking all of this today? Because I don’t want you distracted by endless debates.

I want you to see God as worthy of authority instead of circling the drain of confusion over man’s attempt to take an eternal God and place him into neat little finite box that our brains can understand.

If you want to know my opinion on this issue, I will tell you this. I see throughout the O.T. God both commanding as a king and pleading like a father for his people to return to Him. This seems indicative of choice. Would God command and warn a people whom he loves to return only to say “never mind”. I’m not going to actually grant you repentance.

I believe that God is powerful enough to navigate mankind's decisions while executing His eternal will.

In other words, I do not believe there is any need for God to predetermine all things in order to ensure His will is done. I think He is more than capable of ensuring the victory while allowing mankind to make a choice to follow Him.

I just see way to many instances of God calling out to His people to come to him and in their stubbornness refusing his grace to believe in determinism.

So my goal is to detach this way of thinking from the actual definition of the word “sovereign” I want you to instead think of it in terms of his authority and worthiness to rule.

Psalm 99 CSB

1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He is enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth quake. 2 The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name. He is holy. 4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his footstool. He is holy. 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also was among those calling on his name. They called to the Lord and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them. 8 Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their sinful actions. 9 Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

II. Yahweh God is the Sovereign King.

A. He Reigns

Psalm 99:1 (CSB)

1 The Lord reigns!...

This seems like such an elementary truth. Yet how soon we forget it. I want you to ponder this for just a second. God is still reigning. Nothing has changed. No plans of the wicked, no amount of evil changes the fact that there is only one true King in heaven. While satan the imposter prince may try hard to convince us that he is king. His day is coming.

Look at this Psalm.

Psalm 37:12–13 CSB

12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. 13 The Lord laughs at him because he sees that his day is coming.

No anxiety exist in our King concerning the plans of the wicked.

Therefore we should also not worry or fear concerning the state of the world. The world will do what the world will do. Their rebellion will get worse and worse, yet God is not worried. The enemies attempts to overthrow his plains are laughable.

Trans: He is on his throne.

B. The Lord is Enthroned

Psalm 99:1 (CSB)

1 ... He is enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth quake.

The term enthroned has this idea:

In Ancient near eastern culture, The culture during the time much of the OT was written, Cherubim were understood as guardians of sacred spaces. In other words, built into this idea of God’s throne is sacred space. Set apart from all others thrones is the throne of God. He is set apart.

Now I want you to turn your eyes to the screen behind me.

Pictured here is two cherubim on top of the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. As the psalmist was describing God’s throne, no doubt this image was on his mind. The ark of the covenant gave us a tangible illustration of God’s throne.

The sacred space was being guarded by the cherubim yet God’s throne was built upon mercy the mercy seat. Outside of His mercy there was no access to the father. And all those who would come to God through sacrifice had access to Him.

So even though God rules above all earthly and spiritual powers He has made away for those to who come to Him to have access.

God’s throne to the unbeliever represents judgement but to the redeemed mercy and justice.

For this reason approaching God’s throne was not something to be taken lightly for from it emanates holiness, justice, and power.

Revelation 4:1–11 CSB

1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it. 3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side. 7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come. 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say, 11 Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.

For this reason Psalm 99: says....

C. The Lord is great

Psalm 99:2 (CSB)

2 The Lord is great in Zion;...

D. The Lord is over the nations and all people

Psalm 99:2 (CSB)

2 ...he is exalted above all the peoples.

E. The Lord is Awesome

Psalm 99:3 (CSB)

3 Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name...

Miriam Webster definition - an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime

F. The Lord is Holy

Psalm 99:3 (CSB)

3 ...He is holy.

Trans: Than What then should be our response?

II. The Rightful Response

A. Of a rebellious people

Let the peoples(nations) tremble and the earth shake

Psalm 99:1 (CSB)

1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble...

Let the Earth Shake

Psalm 99:1 (CSB)

1 ... Let the earth quake.

I have never experienced and earthquake but I have heard there is nothing that strikes quite as much fear into a person then feeling what should be solid shake.

This is the idea here. Yahweh, God’s power shakes the very foundations of the earth. This type of unlimited, unrestricted power should inspire fear and awe.

As one commentator put it.

The Bible uses earthquakes as symbols of God’s power [i], displays of His presence [ii], to accompany revelation [iii], and to execute judgments [iv

Romans 3:18 CSB

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

B. Of God’s people

Psalm 99:9 CSB

9 Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

Bowing has the idea of full submission.

If I were to ask you today, do we believe that the world should submit to God’s rule in everything? I think we would all nod our heads in agreement.

Do you think the trouble our world is in is a result of ignoring God’s rule and commands? Again I think we would all agree.

Now, let me change the question?

Are you submitting your will to God in everything? Is there something in your life right now that your ignoring? Some sin you are hanging onto. Some area of your life you are just not letting God have control over.

Do you believe contributing to the trouble of this world maybe God’s people not submitting to his rule and reign?

When is the last, t ime you have recommitted your life to the Lord’s rule and reign as your sovereign king?

It’s so easy for us to wander. It is the natural direction of our hearts.

Prone to wander , Lord I feel it , Prone to leave the God I Love, Take my heart lord, take and seal it, seal it for they courts above.

You see at the very heart of this hymn is God’s throne and our obedience.

So today I am going to ask you to search your heart. Better yet ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal any area in which you are not submitted to his sovereignty and to help you submit to his rule.