How Does God Rule Heaven and Earth?

Introduction

Micah 7:18–20 NIV

18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. 19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. 20 You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.

Last week we answered (or at least attempted to answer) the question, Who is God?

We discussed that God is

The only one true God

Eternal

Spirit

Holy

Father, Son & Holy Spirit

Love

Today, as we continue in our sermon series on What We Believe, we are going to see how God relates to his creation.

Today’s question is, “how does God rule heaven and earth?”

As Christians, we know that God is STILL in charge of heaven and earth.

He did not just create life and then abandon it.

This is not so in every culture’s belief system:

In the ancient world, the Greeks imagined their gods up on Mount Olympus—powerful, quick to anger, and mostly unconcerned with ordinary people.

If your crops failed or a storm sank your ship, it wasn’t because the gods cared; it was because they were offended or in a bad mood.

People offered sacrifices just hoping to keep them satisfied.

But our God is different. He isn’t distant or temperamental.

Scripture says He is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Psalm 145:8).

Where the gods of Olympus demanded sacrifices to appease their wrath, the God of heaven gave Himself as the sacrifice so that we could live.

This is the God that we are getting to know.

Today, let’s look at three different ways that God rules heaven and earth:

With Care & Compassion

God rules with a compassionate hand.

Exodus 34:6 “6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,”

God loves the things he has created. He is not indifferent to us.

In fact, God knows when one sparrow falls to the ground:

Matthew 10:29–30 “29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

If God cares about the minute things like the hairs on our head (maybe not so minute to some!), then how much more will he care about the big things we go through?!

When God created man, he intended us to be stewards of his creation.

We have done a pretty poor job at that.

We are careless with our limited resources and we exploit the earth for our own gain.

Thankfully, God does not act the same.

He does not exploit any of his creation for his own gain.

So let us treat our earth with care and compassion, just like our God treats us!

He is also slow to get angry. He is a patient God.

Think of all the times that the Israelites tested his patience in the wilderness, and he gave them chance after chance.

Think of all the times that we test God’s patience, yet he still draws near to us when we ask.

As humans, we are quick to get angry. Just look at how we behave in our cars in traffic.

We can be horrible to one another at the slightest offense.

Thankfully, God does not act the same way with us.

God Rules Heaven and Earth by Providing Salvation

In the garden, when sin and death entered God’s good creation, God did not just wash his hands and say,”Oh well. I tried!”

He did not leave us to our own devices. He intervened. He brought the flood on the earth and spared Noah.

He began again, but no flood could save us from our sin.

Thankfully, God did not stop there.

God himself provided a way to save his beloved creation.

He sent Jesus, his only son, to take on flesh, and to die on a cross.

For us. For those whom he created in his love.

Ephesians 2:4–7 “4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

God’s grace gave us salvation.

Not only was Jesus the perfect sacrifice required for the forgiveness of sins, but God raised him from the dead that we may also be raised.

What a good, good God.

And when we get impatient, waiting for the Son to return and fulfill all that he has promised, God shows his goodness once again:

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Not only did God provide a way for those who believe in him to be saved, he doesn’t want anyone to be left out.

God wants heaven to be as full as possible.

Let us have the same mindset - that no one should be left out.

God Rules Heaven and Earth for the Glory of His Name

What does that even mean?

What is the glory of God, the glory of his name?

Glory is God’s majestic beauty and his splendor.

The glory of God is the radiant display of His character, presence, and worth. It’s the visible, overwhelming expression of who He is—His holiness, power, love, justice, mercy, and beauty made known.

Creation declares the glory of God!

Psalm 19:1 “1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Paul tells us that we should be able to look at God’s creation and see the glory of God in it!

Romans 1:20 “20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Every time we see a sunrise, the mountains, stars in the heavens, we should be reminded that God is glorious!

So why should we care about the glory of God? What does it have to do with us?

Well, by acknowledging the glory, beauty, splendor, and majesty of God, we are saying, “God, you are greater than we are!”

We are your creation, but you are the creator.

You are perfect, we are not.

You are almighty, we are not.

The simple answer to why should we care? Because God is worthy.

He is worthy of all honor, glory, and power, amen!

He is worthy. We are not.

God will not share his glory with another!

Isaiah 42:8 “8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”

God knows of his own worth, and he knows no one else is worthy of his glory!

Therefore, we who love God, and have received eternal life from him, should work to ensure he receives his due.

Our mission should be to point to the almighty God, not to ourselves.

Psalm 57:5 “5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

This is why we come together for worship. To declare praise to the only one who is worthy of it.

Two years ago, our family visited the Grand Canyon. I had been before as a child, but no one else in the family had.

I knew it was big, but the word “big” falls hopelessly short of what you experience when you stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

I experienced the awe and wonder again as we pulled in and walked to our first overlook.

The canyon is so deep, your eyes cannot see the bottom. The canyon is so long, you cannot hope to view it all at once.

The canyon is so wide, it takes two hours to get from the south rim to the north rim by car.

John Piper is a Reformed pastor, theologian, and author known for his teaching on the supremacy of God in all things and for founding the ministry Desiring God.

He said this about the Grand Canyon:

“We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self.” — John Piper

Now as awe-inspiring as the Grand Canyon is, it takes up just a small fraction of the entire earth.

If we are able to behold splendor at the Grand Canyon, how much more should we be able to behold the splendor of God?

THAT is why we should be concerned about giving God the glory he deserves. We get smaller, God gets bigger.

Conclusion

Today, we have seen how God rules heaven and earth.

First, he rules with care & compassion. God is not unaware or unconcerned about the welfare of his creation.

Second, God rules heaven and earth by providing a way for salvation. Not only did he create us, but he purchased us back from sin and the grave, using his own son to pay the price.

Third, God rules heaven and earth for the glory of his name. He is the creator, there is none like him. He alone is worthy of glory, honor and power forever.

What a mighty God we serve!