Rule of Faith (2)

Psalm 93:2–5 ESV

Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.

FCF: For many, the rule of God fails to bolster faith.

Big Idea: The rule of God is what justifies our faith in God.

Analytical Question: What about God’s rule justifies our faith in Him?

1. The quality of God’s rule (1-2)

sub-point 1: Majestic (1)

Majesty is difficult to define, but it refers to dignity and the authority of a sovereign ruler.

To some degree, this idea can be applied to earthly rulers, but it is fully applied to God is the sovereign ruler of the universe.

Majesty, perhaps because of how challenging it is to define but also because of how consumed we can be with the here and now and how distracted we can be from God. We would do well to reflect on, meditate upon Isaiah’s vision more often in our daily experience.

Isaiah 6:1–4 ESV

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

This captures the idea of God’s majesty well. God is mighty, far above us. Completely pure and holy. This is really the central quality of God, and therefore characterizes His rule. And when we consider the majesty of God as Isaiah did, our own lack of holiness and sovereignty come to the forefront

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

But also notice quality of God’s rule in verse 1

sub-point 2: Strong (1)

The psalmist is so impressed with the majesty of God, that he repeats the idea twice in the same verse.

Psalm 93:1 ESV

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

As we noted, the majesty of God is beyond us. It’s above us, and is unique to God. Only He is majestic in this sense. But His majesty is more than that.

It is also a presence of supreme power. Actual power. Actual strength. Actual rule.

Many claim to possess authority they do not actually have, or at least, those whom they claim to have authority over do not acknowledge their claim. The power of God’s rule cannot be challenged or contested. Some doubt it, some try to reject it, but their denial does not diminish the supremacy of His majesty. I pray this is a certain comfort and reassurance to us as we live in these unsettling and troubled times.

Another quality of God’s rule in v. 2

sub-point 3:Unchanging (2)

Your throne, that is your rule is established.

Notice the end of v. 1 says that the world is established. The world cannot, in other words, be moved. despite appearances nothing in God’s creation can be altered, much less destroyed apart from God’s sovereign design.

And what’s the basis for our confidence in this? Why should we believe this about the world, that it’s established, that it cannot be moved? We won’t find our confidence in this by observing the world. We won’t find our confidence in this in the predictability of world events.

Our confidence in the fact that the world cannot be moved except by the sovereign design of God is found in the fact that God Himself is unchanging. The term we use for this is immutable. God is immutable, that is, He is unchanging. And because God is immutable, the world is immutable.

And that’s what verse 2 makes clear. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. There’s no doubt that the earth and all that is in it changes. The world really is decaying. People are decaying. But this is according to God’s sovereign design. But God’s throne, His rule is unchanging. It is from everlasting, it is eternal.

And see, the rule of Gd is what justifies our faith in God. That God is sovereign, that He is in control. That nothing challenges His rule is what justifies Him being the only legitimate object of our faith.

Something else about God that justifies our faith in God.

2. The extent of God’s rule (3-4)

sub-point 1: Over the cosmos (3)

Notice the waters of the earth are referenced to emphasize the fact that God ‘s sovereignty. The waters may be a reference to nature itself, and therefore makes clear that God is sovereign over nature, or it could reference the nations of the earth, and therefore makes clear that God is sovereign over all world powers throughout history. I happen to think it is the latter. Certainly, God is sovereign over nature. Not one thunderstorm has taken place outside of the control of God. Not one hurricane, tsunami, tornado, sunrise or sunset has ever taken place outside of the control of God. And this can trip is up sometimes, because weather can be devastating, and people ask, in one way or another, why did God allow this or cause this? Really those kind of questions relate more to the presence of evil in the world than it does to God’s sovereignty over nature.

But here’s why I think verses 3-4 refer to God’s sovereignty over the nations:

Isaiah 17:12 ESV

Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!

The thunder of many people are like the thundering sea. The roar of the nations are like the roaring of mighty waters. I suggest that floods and waters mentioned in verses 3 & 4 are referring to the surrounding Gentile nations of the Psalmist’s day. And the author is declaring that though they may have plans to assert their might against God’s people, but the Lord on high is mighty.

We need to remember this. Those of us who belong to God. Those of us who are in Christ, though we are never promised we will not suffer persecution or hardship, in fact we are promised the opposite of that, we are promised that God’s power is greater than any earthly power that may be at work against us. Dwell upon the power of God. Dwell upon His rule. Dwell upon His sovereignty. This is how we ready ourselves against the certain attacks of a world that hates God and all His followers.

The Gathering Storm quote: Where you find failing churches and denominations, you find a loss of faith in God.

Church, it appears entirely possible, if not likely, that in this country it will become more difficult, more problematic, more detrimental even more dangerous to be a Christ-follower. The key to remain strong is not in the political process. It is not in confidence in the person who is in the White House. It never was. It is in the God who is sovereign over all earthly rulers. All our enemies. Over everyone.

This is crucial

sub-point 2: Over people (4)

God is sovereign over every person everywhere. God is sovereign over every historical development. God is sovereign over the 2020 presidential election. Don’t cry out to your TVs at nigh while watching the news. Cry out to your God day and night. He’s the source of the strength we need and the peace we want. Turn to God, who rules this country, this world. He and He alone is on high.

It’s God’s rule that justifies our faith in Him. One more aspect of God of who God is that justifies our faith in Him

3. The character of God’s rule (5)

sub-point 1: Lawful

Now, while it’s important to see that God’s rule is sovereign, that He is the superpower at work in the world, and no other power challenges His rule, it is also important to see that His rule is one of law. This is clear in verse 5 when the Psalmist says, your decrees are very trustworthy. Decrees or statutes is where we can understand that God’s rule is lawful.

And what is God’s law? Where do we look to know it. His word. The Bible. It is with His word that God rules His world. And this is good. That God rules his world with His word is good. We are justified in being concerned about the legitimacy of laws that are passed. There are ties when laws are unjust. But when it comes to God’s law, His statutes, His decrees, His word, look what verse 5 says: they are very trustworthy. We can trust that God’s word is trustworthy. God’s word is true. It makes sense then to embrace what is said in Psalm 119

Psalm 119:2 ESV

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

sub-point 2: Holy

So the ways justice can be perverted are either through corrupt laws or through the abuse of power. Certainly these 2 things are related. But what we need to see is that God is never guilty of these transgressions. His law is perfect and He is always just in His exercise of His authority.

Notice v. 5 again: holiness befits your house, O Lord forever more.

You see, everything about God is holy. His word, His ways, His laws, His rule. This is why we place our faith in Him. We may not understand Him all the time, but we can trust Him because He is holy. Therefore His ways are perfect. He is our holy, righteous, good ruler.

Conclusion

The rule of God is what justifies our faith in God.

This is especially true in the church. In this church. Jesus Christ rules this church. And it’s important to understand that Christ rules His church through His Scriptures. The Bible tells what our ruler, King Jesus, would have us do and who we should be. This is what the Apostle John said:

Revelation 11:15 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Jesus, our Messiah, rules today and exercises His rule through the church… His people. And he instructs His people how to live out His Lordship in His word.

So church, be people of the Word. Meditate on it day and night.

Know that your “personal lives” have direct impact on this church. We claim we have faith in God, make sure (all of us) that our faith in God is based upon the sovereign rule of God and not something else.