Psalm 103:19-22

Bless the LORD; We May Not Forget that God is the Supreme Sovereign Ruler

I. God’s Throne is Above All Thrones (v.19a)

Psalm 103:19 NASB95

19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

He established His throne in the heavens - it is above and beyond any earthly thrones.

All are under God’s dominion and authority

He that made all rules all

David declared this great truth - “God Rules over all” - not just Israel, not just those who are Christians, but ALL.

the world ALL means every inch of space in the universe, and every living and non-living things, every created being, seen or unseen, is subject and under the authority of YHWH.

There is no power struggle between God and Satan.

Satan is under God’s dominion

Satan can’t win against God.

II. God is Sovereign over all (v.19b)

What does the word Sovereignty means? What does it mean that God is sovereign?

The divine sovereignty of God is a central theme throughout the Bible. God delegates authority, establishes kings and kingdoms, and brings to ruin any king or kingdom that fail to submit to his authority.

God is not passive but dynamically involved in all that He has made.

In the past, this activity was seen in the history of Israel and in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In the present, God’s activity can be seen in the life of believers and of the church.

God is active in the nations of the world

His rule over the nations -

Job 12:23 NASB95

23 “He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

Deuteronomy 32:8 NASB95

8 “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel.

Implication: Whoever will be elected this coming election -

God’s plan will still be the same

God’s plan will still be done.

God is still in His Throne.

God is active in the sustaining of life on Earth

Psalm 104:14 NASB95

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

God is active in the lives of believers and the Church

Philippians 1:6 NASB95

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20–21 NASB95

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

III. David calls on the whole of creation to praise God. (vv. 20-22)

Bless the LORD - Angels

Psalm 103:20 NASB95

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Angels - Spiritual beings who praise God in a manner that is beyond human capacity.

Angels worship God in his presence

Revelation 7:11 NASB95

11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

Isaiah 6:2–4 NASB95

2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

Angels are not to be worshipped - Romans 1:25

Romans 1:25 NASB95

25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Bless the LORD - His Hosts

Psalm 103:21 NASB95

21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.

hosts. A reference to the divine army, which includes the angels, the cherubim, and other heavenly creatures.

Luke 2:13–14 NASB95

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Bless the LORD - All Creatures

Psalm 103:22 NASB95

22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Bless the LORD - My Soul

THE PROBLEM WITH MAN:

Man has established his own throne in his heart and he is willing to defend his throne

When sin came into the world, man now desires to usurp the name and authority of God.

The same temptation given by Satan to Adam and Eve, “you can be like God”. and because of their desire to be like God, they gave in!

Now, Pride and self is seated on the throne of the heart.

Reflection: Who is seated in the throne of your heart?

Kinsang gusto ang matuman sa imong kinabuhi?

Ang gusto sa Hari nga mao ang Ginoo?

o Ikaw na ba ang nagpahari-hari ug dili na ang Ginoo?

Man does not submit to the authority of God

Many rejects God and follow man-made gods

Romans 1:21–25 NASB95

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Man’s rejection of God has been going on for thousands of years.

We may ask why?

Here we find:

*Self over God

- My Joy over God - Not thankful to God, not acknowledging God. They follow their lust of things and objects rather than receiving joy from God.

- My Plans over God - the exchanged God with an image that they prefer.

- They make God according to their image! A god who is all love and no justice and holiness is not God!

Man is limited and weak (as compared to angels), yet he does not submit to God.

Praise God that He did not leave us to suffer in Hell because of our sinfulness and rejection of God.

By God’s sovereign power, He sent His Son Jesus, the 2nd person of the Trinity to save us from our sins!

Galatians 4:4–7 NASB95

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Fullness of Time

Redeem

Adoption as Sons

No longer a slave to sin.

Praise God for the Gospel Of Jesus Christ!

Jesus came and established a new throne in the heart of those who believed in Him. A throne where God, the Holy Spirit is ruling and seated.

Jesus destroyed the old throne of pride and lust and replaced it with a new one.

Jesus will lead His heavenly army to defeat the pretending ruler - Satan.

Revelation 19:11–16 NASB95

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Satan may temporarily win against believers, in a day to day war....but the battle has been won by Jesus on the cross, more than 2000 years ago.

God’s sovereignty serves as a source of great comfort to Christians, whose hope rests in a God who controls all things for the good of his people and creation.

Romans 8:28–30 NASB95

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Illustration:

William Carey, called the father of modern missions, went to India in 1793 and worked there for forty years, never once returning to his native England. He translated portions of Scripture into more than a dozen Indian languages. One afternoon, after twenty years of plodding translation work in India, a fire raged through Carey’s printing plant and warehouse. All of his printing equipment was destroyed, but most tragically, many of his precious manuscripts were completely consumed. Twenty years of nonstop labor were gone within a few hours. “The ground must be laboured over again, but we are not discouraged,” Carey wrote to his pastor-friend Andrew Murray in England. “We have all been supported under the affliction, and preserved from discouragement. To me the consideration of the divine sovereignty and wisdom has been very supporting. I preached on this affliction last Lord’s Day, from Psalm 46:10, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ I principally dwelt upon two ideas: (1) God has a sovereign right to dispose of us as he pleases. (2) We ought to accept without complaint all that God does with us and to us.”

Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 437–438.

Application:

1. Daily report to the King - through devotional and quiet time, and prayer.

2. Daily check who is seating in the throne of your heart.

If you are the one seated there, save yourself from trouble and get down.