Lord of Lords: Psalm 93 (Sermon)

WELCOME 

Hello, church. Happy New Year! This is the second message in our series on the Psalms during our twenty-one days of prayer. As a reminder, following the message, we will take communion. Following communion, I invite you to go up front and put your prayer requests on sticky notes. You will find the sticky notes near your seat. Think of something or someone you want to be praying for over the next few weeks. We will have them on the walls for twenty-one days. The church will be open at 6 AM Monday through Saturday to be praying as a faith community. I would encourage you to join us and consider how you can develop your prayer life in 2022. 

BIG IDEA OF THE BOOK 

The Psalms are a 2,500-year-old hymnal. They contain prayers and songs for every occasion. There are 150 of them. King David wrote Seventy-three. Solomon, his son, wrote others. Moses wrote one. We know of a few other authors, and fifty were anonymous. The Psalms contain five books. 

Books: 

1–41 

42–72 

73–89 

90–106 

107–150 

Some say that chapters one and two kickstarts the entire book. If you missed last week’s message, you can check it out online and hear Pastor Jeff explain how those two chapters work together. We have summarized the book of Psalms with this sentence: God’s king leads God’s people through the valley to sing God’s praise. Let’s say that together: God’s king leads God’s people through the valley to sing God’s praise. 

PSALM 93. 

Jeff asked us, pastors, to pick a Psalm to preach. I chose Psalm 93. I read it, and I heard a song. I heard worship in its cadence and content and wanted to learn more to share it. This Psalm speaks of the Lord, his supremacy, and his strength. 

WHAT IS THE STRONGEST THING 

What is the strongest thing you can think of: titanium? A tornado? A hurricane? An earthquake? A nuclear explosion? How about love, or how about temptation? What about cancer, or what about death? What is the strongest thing you can think of? Today, the Psalm contrasts creation’s might with the Creator himself. The Creator is stronger and more worthy of praise than anything. Let me show you. 

TEXT 

I have asked J.H. to read for us.

 

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.

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. (Psalm 93)

PRAYER

Thank you, J.H. Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for your Word. Thank you for the Psalms. Thank you for Psalm 93. Open our eyes to see you. Open our ears to hear you. Open our minds to know you. Open our hearts to love you, in Jesus’s name, AMEN. 

OVERVIEW

This Psalm has three sections 

1. God the Creator v. 1–2
2. God compared to creation v. 3–4
3. God and his ways v. 5

I think the big idea of Psalm 93 is as strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time; his ways are true and perfect forever. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time; his ways are true and perfect forever. That being the case, let’s walk through each verse one by one, see this premise, and consider what it means. 

VERSE 1

Verse 1, 

1 The Lord reigns; 

What does it mean that the Lord reigns? What do you think? That means that he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. That means he is supreme. That means no Putin, Xi Jinping, Emmanuel Macron, Kim Ju Un, Trump, Joe Biden, Congress, our Supreme Court could hold a candle to the rule of God. He is sovereign. 

BIBLE SURVEY

We survey the Bible and see the extent of this reign. Here is a shortlist. He rules over: 

• ICE - Job 37:10 tells us that, “By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.” So our icy roads are by God’s decree this morning. 
• SUN & RAIN - Matthew 5:45 tells us that he sends the sun and rain on the earth. 
• FOOD - Luke 12:24 tells us he feeds ravens.
• DICE Proverbs 16:33 says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." That means when you are playing a board game with your family or friends, God has the dice roll planned out before you. 
• BABIES DEVELOPMENT Psalm 139:13 tells us that God knits babies together in the womb. 
• KINGS Proverbs 21:1 tells us that God controls the king's heart as he wills. Just like turning on and off your faucet. 
• NATIONS Psalm 22:28 tells us that God rules over the nations. 
• LIFE AND BREATH Acts 17:25 tells us that God gives life and breath to everything. Take a deep breath. That breath is a gift from God. 
• AND EVERYTHING Colossians 1:16–17 tells us, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” 

All things. All things hold together by God’s order. So, when we are talking about God ruling over creation, it includes everything. He is in control. He governs all. Remember this: As strong as creation is, God rules. 

MAJESTY

The verse continues: 

1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;

What majesty? God is kingly and grand. He wears glory in such a way that if we were to see him unfiltered, we would die (Exodus 33:20). The only way we can see God’s glory is through a veil dimly and through Jesus. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory.

STRENGTH

The verse goes on

    1 The Lord reigns; the Lord is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

What does that mean? That means God not only has jurisdiction overall, but he has the capacity and ability to exercise authority. His strength is not just in name. He asserts a power that is qualitatively his. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power. How do we know the extent of that power? 

CREATION DEMONSTRATES HIS MIGHT

We see his work:

    1 The Lord reigns; the Lord 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.

God’s creation is evidence of his superiority. He made Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Ontario, and Eerie. With a word, he separated the waters from the earth. 

He spoke the Rockies and the Smokies into existence. 

He willed some 10,000 species of birds and 900,000 types of bugs to exist. 

He holds the protons, neutrons, and electrons together that make up all the galaxies. 

He is more powerful than anything we could create, tame, or harness. No tidal wave or fad can stop him, thwart him, or shock him. No one can match our God. No one. 

FROM OF OLD

But that is not all. Look at verse 2, 

2 Your throne is established from of old;

    you are from everlasting.

This verse tells us that his rule was from ages ago, and he always existed. This mighty Creator was not created like you or I. God was and is the Creator. What came before him? Nothing. He was before all things. Period. 

MARVEL SUPERHEROES 

I enjoy the Marvel movies. In each, the bad guy vies for power. He or she wants to gain a special force to make them supreme, like the Tesseract or some magical stone. God never has to work like that. Never. He has always been sovereign without aid from the Avengers or alien force. Always. He doesn’t worry or get surprised or exhausted. He doesn’t need a Guardian of the Galaxy or a champion. That has always been the case. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time.

SECTION TWO

The following section contrasts God’s strength with creation. And it brings us to point two, 

1. God the Creator v. 1–2 
2. God compared to creation v. 3–4

Look at verse 3. 

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

    the floods have lifted up their voice;

    the floods lift up their roaring.

BRIDGMAN FLOOD

On August 10th, in Bridgman, a flood-ravaged the town. This is a picture of what happened. 

Some of our people had their houses flooded. Power was out for 15,000 customers. Probably you remember it. Some of you experienced it. The flood raged for a night, and people cleaned up for weeks. 

PERSONAL FLOODWATERS

In ancient times, people thought the seas contained a force like the god Poseidon, Neptune, or the Kraken. Water was spiritual, dark, and dangerous. We hear of that unbridled force unleashed in verse 3:

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

    the floods have lifted up their voice;

    the floods lift up their roaring. (Psalm 93:3)

STRUGGLES 

Have you experienced something like that? There are times when our world seems out of control, failure looms large, and demise feels imminent. Perhaps in those moments, you have wondered, “Where is God? Why is he allowing this? What’s the point?” Have you ever felt like that? Maybe you feel like that now. That would be something you could put on a sticky note or a connect card for us to pray about in these twenty-one days. 

MELODIC LINE GOD LEADS US

Remember our summary: God’s king leads God’s people through the valley to sing God’s praise. What is the valley you face? God brings us into the valley to teach us to depend on him. Times like those fuel our prayers. 

VERSE 4

God doesn’t leave us in the valley. He takes us through the valley. Let’s keep reading. 

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

    mightier than the waves of the sea,

    the Lord on high is mighty! (Psalm 93:4)

As mighty as the waters are, God is mightier still. Verses 1 and 2 continue to be true. 

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.

Your throne is established from of old;

    you are from everlasting.

As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time.

VERSE 5

The Psalmist teaches us more through one last stanza. This is the third movement of the song. 

1. God the Creator v. 1–2 
2. God is compared to creation v. 3–4
3. God and his ways v. 5

Look at verse 5. 

5 Your decrees are very trustworthy.

Hear this, friends: God is trustworthy. What does that mean? What does it mean to be trustworthy? 

LAWSUIT

I was reading this week about a lawsuit against Disneyland. A woman purchased a dream key for almost $1400 in September to go to the park any time she wanted. 

Then, she noticed limits on when she could use it. That is not what they sold her. So she lawyered up and filed suit to get the money she thought was due. How much money do you think her case is for? $5 million. Why? She contends Disney lied. They deceived her. They promised one thing and sold another. They broke her trust. She wants to hold them accountable. 

BROKEN TRUST

Now, regardless of the merits of her case, she is not alone. We can all think of politicians, companies, even friends, family, and neighbors that have let us down. People have broken promises and lied to us. At the same time, if we are honest, we have broken promises. Right? We have lied, haven’t we? God, on the other hand, will never break his promises. He doesn’t lie. You won’t get to heaven and find out the Bible was a sham. 

QUALIFICATION 

We must remember, As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time; his ways are true. He can be trusted to keep his promises. He is faithful. What he says he will do. That is what Psalm 93 is telling us. 

HOLINESS

Let’s keep reading. 

 5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;

    holiness befits your house,

Not only is God someone we can trust, but he is also holy. Holiness means transcendent, other, set apart, and perfect. He is not a buddy, pal, or giant human with flaws, failures, and faults. He is pure, spotless, and blameless. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of God, and the angels around God were saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). God is perfect. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time; his ways are true and perfect.

FOREVERMORE  

Verse 5 concludes. 

 5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;

    holiness befits your house,

    O Lord, forevermore.

God is not only without beginning, but he is without end as well. He will be trustworthy and holy forever. He will not change. His character won’t switch. He won’t surprise us or devolve into something diabolical. He has been, is, and ever will be God, and there is no other. 

Spurgeon wrote this poem to compare the power of the created waters and God’s power in Psalm 93. 

“Loud the stormy billows spoke,

Loud the billows raised their cry;

Fierce the stormy billows broke,

Sounding to the echoing sky.

Strong the breakers tossing high,

Stronger is Jehovah’s might,

True thy words; and sanctity

Well becomes thy temple bright

Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.”

Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 88-110 (Vol. 4, p. 135). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers. 

Brothers and sisters, God is in control regardless of the crashing waves and chaos in life. He reigns supreme. He is mighty, good, and great. As strong as creation is, God rules in glory and power from before time; his ways are true and perfect forever.

PEACE 

Let me tell you one last story illustrating God’s sovereignty: 

On that day, when evening had come, he [Jesus] said to them [his followers], “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35–41)

Friends, we have seen the glory, majesty, might, and goodness of the Almighty, the King of Creation in Jesus. He was and is the fullness of God dwelling among us by the power of the Spirit. He will one day return in person and bring us home soon. Will you join me in worshipping the Triune God: the Father, Son, and Spirit? He longs for worship as we pass through the waters. 

UNBELIEVER

Perhaps, you haven’t been worshipping him. Your circumstances seem overwhelming. You are looking for a life raft. When I was in college, I took a lifeguarding class. It was great. We practiced rescuing and resuscitating people. I never really used it but once. I was walking in the Harbert post office. A man was down on the ground. The postwoman had called 911. I gave him chest compressions till the medics arrived. He survived. Friends, the reality is that apart from Jesus, we all are like that dying man. Worse. We are dead apart from Jesus. That is why he came, lived, died, and rose two thousand years ago. He came to forgive us our sins and make way for us to have a relationship with God. He came to give us life. Communion is a great time to reflect on our sin that separates us from God and our Savior, who gives us his life for ours. 

PRAY

Let’s pray as we prepare our hearts. 

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