Praise To The Great King | Psalms: An Exile's Prayer Book | Psalm 47 | Pastor J. M. Lee

Good morning! It’s time to dive into God’s Word together. Grab your Bible and turn with me to Psalm 47. Psalm 47 is a psalm of praise. In fact…the words we will be studying this morning are a celebration of the kingship of the greatest, the most formidable, and awesomely powerful Sovereign King of the universe. For this reason, I have entitled this sermon, “Praise to the Great King.”

Now, if you are able to, please stand for the reading of God’s inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word.

Psalm 47 (CSB)

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout to God with a jubilant cry.

2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,

a great King over the whole earth.

3 He subdues peoples under us

and nations under our feet.

4 He chooses for us our inheritance—

the pride of Jacob, whom he loves.

Selah

5 God ascends among shouts of joy,

the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praise to God, sing praise;

sing praise to our King, sing praise!

7 Sing a song of wisdom,

for God is King of the whole earth.

8 God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.

9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For the leaders of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.

This is the Word of The Lord

Let’s Pray

Friends, do you know why so many Christians are short on peace? Quiet in worship? Unengaged in the Great Commission? And overwhelmed by fear and anxiety?

It’s because they have a low view of God and have yet to fully hate their sin. They think, “God is too weak to protect me…He’s too distant to love me…and too stingy to provide for me.” They are blinded by their desires and characterized by their sin. They are so overwhelmed by the fracturing of the world around them, they have retreated into self-focused isolation. And as a result….pleasure, reputation, and safety drive their decisions. The truth is….we exist for God’s glory …and our problem is that we keep wanting to exist for ourselves…why? Well….we have failed to fully acknowledge God’s rule in our lives… and… we are living as though we are our own sovereign kings.

But Psalm 47 calls us to a different way of living. Since God rules over all creation and steadfastly loves His people, we are called to surrender our will …. worship Him with unwavering devotion ..and to live in anticipation of the glorious fulfillment of God’s Kingdom promises.

This psalm celebrates the sovereign rule of King Jesus over the whole earth and it invites us to recognize Christ’s authority and respond to Him with wholehearted worship, trusting in His steadfast love and anticipating the ultimate fulfillment of His Kingdom. Think about it… If it is true …that Jesus is the King over the whole earth…how should that change the way we live?

The psalmist begins his flow of thought with what seems to be an invitation but is actually much more of a command to Recognize God’s Supreme Authority

I. Recognize God’s Supreme Authority

Psalm 47:1 (CSB)

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.

Everyone…everywhere…clap your hands! Every nation…every tribe…in every language…join in the praise and shout to God with a joyful cry!

Why?

Psalm 47:2 (CSB)

2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth.

The LORD… Yahweh… He is the Most High… no one has ever or will ever match Him is His power. He is highly exalted…lofty in dominion….supreme in His authority…unparalleled in majesty….eminent in wisdom…and elevated in glory!

God's power is awe-inspiring…He is to be revered and feared…because no one can withstand His might or escape His judgment. However, because He uses this same power to defend and protect His people…. for those hidden in Christ….what was once a great cause for fear is now a reason for great joy….for the same omnipotence that will destroy the prideful sinner is also mighty to save the broken in spirit.

Friends…..The Lord is a great King over all the earth. He isn't just the King of the Jews…No!…His reign extends across the universe. Brothers and sisters….our God is no local deity…He is not some petty tribal ruler…No!….He is the Creator of all things… and He reigns with infinite majesty over the most powerful realms. And as the ultimate decider of destinies, the sole sovereign of all lands, the King of kings and Lord of lords every human being owes him faith and obedience.

In His book, Chosen by God, R.C. Sproul writes,

“As sovereign, God is the supreme authority of heaven and earth.… He created the universe. He owns the universe. His ownership gives him certain rights. He may do with his universe what is pleasing to his holy will.” - R.C. Sproul

Of course…it’s true…..we can look around and see that the world mocks God and rejects His rule…but their foolishness in no way alters the reality that God is sovereign….the world’s failure to acknowledge that God is in control does not change the truth that He is their ruler nonetheless.

Psalm 22:28 (CSB)

28 for kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations.

Every great nation….when they are on top….. they assume that they control their own destinies….but history tells us that every once “great” nation….they may rule the world’s stage for a season but they all eventually pass away. Think about it…..Egypt was once a world power, but is weak today. Babylon was mighty but is simply an oil filed today. Greece and Rome…once wonders of mankind have fallen. The Soviet Union fell apart…and even our own country….the United States of America was at one time the very pinnacle of world power but we are not only in decline but we are currently the laughing stock of the world. And all of this speaks to the truth that the nations will never escape the laws of history. Consider Proverbs 14:34

Proverbs 14:34 (CSB)

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

God is the King over all the earth…and He is a King that requires righteoussness. God rules the nations and when the nations depart from his ways…when the nations arrogantly exalt themselves…God will bring them down.

As the late and great Johnny Cash once said, “You can Run on for a long time but Sooner or later God'll cut you down.”

Friends….God rules the world with sovereign authority…..and this truth should fill the hearts of every unbeliever with dread and provide a radical sense of peace for every believer…you see….It does not matter what is on the news…we don’t need to be overwhelmed or stressed by the brokenness around us..…Why? Because….we know…that God is in charge…We know that God is not surprised…and we are confident that there is nothing that will ever hinder God’s plan or thwart His will.

God rules the nations! And the Bible..it extends God’s sovereign control over the nations to the individual affairs of each and every one of us. Jesus said,

Matthew 10:28–30 (CSB)

28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

Let’s be honest….this truth …that God is sovereign is not really all that popular. Why is that? Well…because we want to be masters of our own fate. We want to be the captains of our own ships. We might settle for Jesus as our co-pilot but we’re not going to leave the captains seat. But God…He sees thing differently. In fact God makes it clear that He is in charge of our destinies…He is the keeper of our souls.

Deuteronomy 32:39 (CSB)

39 See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from my power.

Isaiah 45:6–7 (CSB)

6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Friends…God is control and His will in the world and in your life is ultimately going to be accomplished….and just as the sky is blue and the grass is green…God is in control over you and me whether you believe it or not….and you can humble yourself and bow to Him as your king today and receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life that can only be obtained by grace alone ….through faith alone….in Christ alone… or you can continue in your sin… continue in with the facade of self sovereignty….but listen to me…You will eventuality be humbled…the Bible tells ….

Philippians 2:10–11 (CSB)

10 …… that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Friends….Psalm 47 is not only an invitation to praise God but it’s also a call to be saved!

Now…the psalmist continues to give us reasons to accept his invitation to praise God, while also urging us to respond to the Lord’s call to be saved by highlighting the fact that God is The Sovereign Judge and Savior.

II. The Sovereign Judge and Savior

After emphasizing God’s universal sovereignty, the psalmist zooms in to highlight God’s specific and powerful acts on behalf of His people. It’s as if he’s saying that, in addition to God being the "King over the earth," He also loves and cares for His people intimately. The psalmist illustrates this by mentioning two things:

A. God’s Protection and Deliverance

First, the psalmist points us back to God’s protection and His deliverance of Israel during their Conquest of Canaan. Look at verse 3

Psalm 47:3 (CSB)

3 He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet.

The details of these events are in the book of Joshua but we see their catalyst at the burning bush in Exodus 3:8.

Exodus 3:8 (CSB)

8 and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

God made a promise to Moses….. He heard the cries of His people and intended to save them from slavery in Egypt and to bring them to a land of promise. And God delivered on that promise in dramatic fashion! Not only did He subdue Egypt at the Red Sea, but during the conquest of Canaan…. He subdued a total of 31 kings and their nations.

Through these acts….God revealed His sovereign rule by subduing and judging His enemies. He was making His sovereignty known to the world….showing that He cannot be ignored or defeated…. and that He alone saves. The message is clear:….all people, everywhere, should submit to Him and be saved.

Friends….God cannot be ignored….He cannot be defeated…an…He alone can save.

And friends…this truth of God’s sovereign authority should compel us to be faithful in the Great Commission…it should compel us to be bold in the sharing of our faith.

In Matthew 28:18 before giving the Great Commission, Jesus established His authority

Matthew 28:18 (CSB)

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Why did He do this? Well… He did this to remind us that our mission’s reach should match the extent of His authority. If Jesus has authority over all nations…. then all nations need to hear the gospel and respond.

Psalm 47 echoes this call, reminding us that the heartbeat of God’s command to us to share our faith is for the purpose of spreading the joy of the Lord to the ends of the earth. Friends…..God saved His people and subdued the nations in the conquest of Canaan ….so that… His name might be known…..and He has saved you and me for the same reason……to make His name known to all everyone everywhere.

Mission Church….Jesus has established His authority over the entire earth…and now…..we must be passionate and proactive in telling everyone about Him…….urging them to submit to Him and be saved. And friends…this is not an optional task…..this is not just a mission for the super Christians—it’s a mandate driven by the authority of Christ Himself for everyone who receives Him as savior and submits to Him as Lord

So…I invite you this morning to embrace this call with urgency and joy….and to leave here this morning ready and willing to spread the true worship of God and the joy of the Lord to every space and place that you live, work, and play.

B. God’s Gracious Provision

Second, the Psalmist points us to God’s gracious provision…specifically in how God gifted the land of Canaan…the land of promise to the Israelites….look at verse 4

Psalm 47:4 (CSB)

4 He chooses for us our inheritance—the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah

In Canaan…..God gave each tribe, clan, and family a special piece of land. This inheritance was Israel’s pride and joy… it was a tangible symbol of God’s love.

Now….fast forward to today and we see that Israel’s inheritance….we see that the promised land…was a shadow of something greater…the promised land was a symbol pointing to the gift of grace that we have through faith in Jesus. You see…..just like Israel’s land in Canaan…our salvation is God’s sovereign gift of love to us.

Brothers and Sisters…… salvation begins with God’s sovereign grace. The Bible tells us that God chose a people for Himself before the world even began. It is God who calls us to faith through Christ… God justifies us….God sanctifies us….. and ultimately God will glorify us. In other words… God began the good work of salvation in you…and He is currently working in you to conform you into the image of Christ….and God has promised that He will complete that work and one day you will stand before Christ complete.

Consider with me Romans 8:30 which says,

Romans 8:30 (CSB)

30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Just as the Old Testament believers could celebrate God choosing their inheritance in the promised land……as New Testament believers….Paul tells us that our inheritance is in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:4–6 (CSB)

4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Friends…God is sovereign in salvation ….and this truth……that our salvation is secure in Christ ….. should gives us comfort .…it should provide us with an eternal hope….and it should drive us to live a life defined by our worship of God.

III. God Is Worthy of Our Praise

Friends…God is Worthy of Our Praise!

Psalm 47:5–7 (CSB)

5 God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise! 7 Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of the whole earth.

Brothers and sisters…worship should be the natural response to what we have experienced God do in our lives. You see…the psalmist is pointing to the past and the reality that Israel was on the verge of utter destruction!! They were in a situation the seemed completely hopeless. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been in a situation that seemed hopeless and yet God stepped into your mess and saved you? How should you respond?

Well…the natural and appropriate response is joyful worship! The truth is….if you are a Christian you have been rescued from the most dire and the most helpless of circumstances. The Apostle Paul describes this for us Ephesians 2:1-5.

Ephesians 2:1–5 (CSB)

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Brothers and sisters…you were dead in your sin! You were …essentially… the walking dead and you were under the control of Satan. And not only that…you were driven by your fleshly desires and as a result you were the object of God’s just wrath… But God …. He chose you…He loved you with a un-breaking …never giving up…steadfast love….and He made you alive…by grace through faith In Jesus’ perfect life….substitutionary death…and glorious ressurection. Friend…..you and I did nothing to earn or deserve God’s gift of salvation. Our salvation is a divine gift! Isn’t that amazing!!! How should we respond to what God has done to save us?

The Psalmist is calling us to reflect on the goodness of God’s and to respond in joyful worship. Friends……this is only proper response to our salvation! Which means that our worship services should be defined by joyful celebration….think about it…..If the Israelites responded to God in this way when God saved them from the Canaanites…then how much more should we respond considering that God has saved us from sin, satan, and eternal damnation! Brothers and sisters….. This type of worship is not only appropriate…but it pleases the Lord…and not only that but our worship is also a powerful testimony to a lost world! Mission Church…let us joyfully and faithfully worship our Sovereign King who reigns over the nations of the word!

Now Psalm 47 ends with the feel of hopeful expectation by pointing us to God’s Eternal Reign. Look at verse 8-9

IV. God's Eternal Reign

Psalm 47:8–9 (CSB)

8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

These verses are full of beauty and hope…..taking us back to the early chapters of Genesis and humanity’s desperate need for redemption and restoration… there we read about how sin infected all people….leaving us under the judgment of a holy God and in hostile relationships with each other. By Genesis chapter 11….we’re left to wonder, "Is there any hope for humanity? How can this broken world be mended?" Then we meet a man named Abraham, and in Genesis 12:2-3, God says to him:

Genesis 12:2–3 (CSB)

2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

From the very beginning…..God declared His intention to bless all nations and all people through Abraham and his descendants, specifically through his one great descendant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, humbled Himself and became a man. He was 100% God and 100% man, tempted to sin in every way that we are, yet He did not sin. Jesus lived in perfect obedience to God’s sovereign rule and willingly went to the cross to die the death we all deserve. But the good news is He did not stay dead. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, completely conquering sin, Satan, and death. Jesus took upon Himself all sin—past, present, and future—and paid for it. He fully satisfied the just wrath of God and offers the gift of His righteousness to everyone.. all people… who repents of their sin and submits to God as their King.

Now……..what makes this final verse unique is that…not only does it point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham…but it’s also a prophetic picture that reminds us that one day all nations and all kings and all peoples will see and submit to the sovereign rule of King Jesus. In fact….look back at verse 8

Psalm 47:8 (CSB)

8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

The Psalmist paints a present picture of King Jesus….who…..after completing His saving work on the cross, ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Consider Hebrews 1:3 which says,

Hebrews 1:3 (CSB)

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Brothers and Sisters…we may look around and see the nations raging….we see the brokenness that sin has caused in our world… we look around and we see people plotting and at times it sure does feel like that mountains are going to crumble into the sea…but rest assured….Jesus is not stressed out…Jesus is not on His throne wringing HIs hands and pacing! No! Jesus is seated because He is ruling and working all things according to the counsel of His will.Mission Church, Jesus is our great Savior. Jesus is our great King. Jesus is the sovereign ruler who is in absolute control over all things.

When I was a little kid, we used to sing a song that proclaimed the truth that Jesus has the whole world in His hands. That song used to bring me so much peace. But then I grew up, I got older, and the issues of life seemed to get bigger and bigger…and somewhere along this road of life, I lost sight of the truth that Jesus has the whole world in His hands.

And you know what… nothing has changed…..Jesus is in control. He is the sovereign King over the whole world. He has you… He has your family.. He has your diagnosis.. He has your future.. He has every detail of your every moment—in His hands. Right now, Jesus is ruling over everything. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that is beyond His grasp. Brothers, sisters, rest in this truth with hopeful confidence and erupt in praise because one day soon, our faith will become sight as we join in with the angels and with our brothers and sisters from every tribe and every tongue singing , “Worthy is the Lamb!”

Now, if you’re here this morning and the truth of Jesus’ sovereign reign is leaving you restless because up to this point you have been living as your own sovereign king, I invite you to repent of your sin and let go of the reins of your life and hand them over to Jesus. Listen to me: there is nothing in this life more important or more wonderful than belonging to the Kingdom of God. So this morning, the best thing you can do is to surrender and bow to the only true King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Lets pray