(The Royal Psalms) Part 2 — Ed Miller

The trouble. He told me that he loves me and that he cares for me. Why should i fear when the lord is on my side. What am i wrong to worry about tomorrow. For it's all in the master of the future. It will be asked whether the day be.

Whether the day be no need to worry no need to hurry god will be. Heavily out like a mother watches or before. Don't let doubt us whether the day be no need to hurry god will be. Need to worry no need to hurry god will be.

Good afternoon. It's good to be with you.

And uh let's pray that the lord will write the message of that song in our heart. I'll ask you to open please to psalm 94 if you would. Psalm 94. And as we come to the study of god's word i remind you of a principle of bible study that's absolutely indispensable and that is total reliance upon god's holy spirit.

Relying on the Holy Spirit in Bible Study

Every time we come to this precious book we need to remember that it's god's book and there's no amount of academics in the world that's going to open this book to us. We come as little children we come as babes and then god speaks to us.

God ministers unto us. So let's bow together and commit our time to the lord and trust him to show himself our father. We do thank you this afternoon for the truth of our lord jesus christ. We thank you for the holy spirit who points us to him.

And we pray that as we look in your word as we look unto the lord jesus that you would set us free and transform us from one degree of glory to another. You know our hungers and you know where we are.

You know what we need. And so we wait upon you. Now take us forward in the truth of the reign of christ. We claim it in the all prevailing name of our lord jesus. We're looking together at this wonderful set of psalms called the royal psalms.

The Reign of Christ in the Royal Psalms

If you'd glance just at these verses by way of review. And then we'll pick up our new material. Psalm 93 verse 1 the lord reigns. Psalm 96 verse 10 the lord reigns. Psalm 97 verse 1 the lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice.

Psalm 99 one the lord reigns. Let the earth tremble. Let the world tremble. We're looking at the truth that the lord jesus is king the lord reign. And i've suggested perhaps a verse that would summarize these eight psalms is psalm 103 19.

Psalm 103 19 says the lord has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all my. That's just a wonderful verse. By way of review i remind you that there are eight royal psalms.

We call them royal psalms because all eight psalms deal with the kingship of christ. Eight psalms psalm 93 through 100 every psalm about the lord jesus and his reign. Now i've suggested for the purpose of our discussion now everybody's going to analyze differently.

You'll look at the bible one way and i'll look another way. There's no right way. Uh it's just one man's idea or another man's idea. One's not more inspired than the other but one simple way to uh get to the heart of these psalms uh is to look at the psalms as message song.

The Message-and-Song Pattern of the Royal Psalms

Message song. Message song. In the first two royal psalms psalm 93 and 94 god gives us a wonderful truth about the reign of christ. We started looking at that last evening and then it's followed by a song over and over again.

You'll see in the royal psalms the expression new song. The lord has put a new song in my heart. And then in psalm 97 he gives another message. And then in psalm 98 another song. And then in psalm 99 another message.

In psalm 100 another song. And for our purposes this weekend we can really only do little more than touch the surface. What is the great truth. And what is the song it produces. I'm suggesting. And i think it's true that as we go forward in the truth of the reign of christ in this very order god will teach us this and that will produce a song.

And then god will show us a higher plane in the truth of his kingship. And that will produce a new song. And then finally as high as we can go and that will produce another song. It's god's will that every christian sing these glorious songs that flow from the knowledge of the reign of our lord jesus christ.

For the sake of analysis we've just titled the songs. The first song is the song of rest and worship. The second song is the song of victory. And the third song is the song of service. And as we get into it we'll see the paradox of the whole thing.

Psalm 93: Christ Reigns Above Every Opposition

In a simple word psalm 93. This is just a summary of what we looked at last evening. Psalm 93. If you read that it's it's pure royalty. The old psalm shows that the lord jesus christ reigns. He's established his throne high above all the floods.

Anything that could oppose the noise of the water the pounding of the waves the breaking of the surf far above all the lord jesus sits on a solitary throne with an irresistible ring. If any passage in the bible teaches jesus reigns psalm 93 teaches that.

But then you come to psalm 94 and it almost looks like the opposite. In psalm 94 we see that the wicked get away with their wickedness. We see that the orphans are oppressed and the widows are killed.

And we wonder how that ties in. We see the strangers are left to wander. There's no justice. The righteous are put down. Psalm 93 says the lord reigns. Psalm 94 says it surely doesn't look like the lord is reigning.

Taking Christ's Reign by Faith

What's the message then of psalm 93 and 94. And the answer is take his reign by faith. Doesn't matter what it looks like doesn't matter how it appears. It doesn't matter how much it appears that facts are militating against the reign of christ.

It's true. Trust him he reigns. Let the earth rejoice now. That's only the first step. Certainly it's not everything. That's not where we're going to end. And the song we're going to look at is not the highest song.

But this is the beginning. We've got to start some playing. And the reality is taking his reign by faith is not only your song. It's your sanity. If you don't take his reign by faith. A glance. If you would for example at psalm 94 verse 17.

If the lord had not been my help my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If you don't begin here. And somehow when everything seems to cave in like it does in psalm 94 if you don't know in your deepest heart well god's still on the throne.

I know i don't understand all the mystery but i know he's reigning. If you don't come that far you go nuts. Your soul will abide in in the in darkness in silence. Now obviously we're going to move into the song the reign of christ.

From Mere Survival to Singing the Song of Rest

The truth of the reign of christ is not a message of survival. We're not talking survival. We're talking song. It's going to save you from a nervous breakdown. There's no question about that. It's going to keep you from going nuts to know that he reigned.

But it's more than jesus reigns i'll manage. Somehow jesus reigns you know i'll get by. Don't worry about me. I know the lord's in control. I'm going to hang in there. I'm going to keep a stiff lip and so on.

That's not the message of the royal psalms. God wants to accomplish more than that you say i got through. I didn't have a nervous breakdown. I'm still saying that's not what god wants to do. There's an unbridgeable gulf between keeping your sanity and singing the song of rest that comes from the knowledge he reigns.

Whether i see that or not whether it appears to be that or not it's never god's plan for a christian merely to squeak through and survive. It's god's will that you reign with christ that you conquer that you live.

That you share his abundance and so on. Before we look at the second message let me say a word on these wonderful songs. The lord reigns. It doesn't look like he reigns. I take his reign by faith to the degree i really do that.

And it's not just talk. It's not just platitude. It's not just catechism. To the degree i really believe he reigns. He's in charge to that degree. This song will be born in my heart. Glance if you would at psalm uh 95 which begins the song.

Psalm 95: Drawing Near to the Rock of Salvation

Psalm 95. It's short. We'll just read the whole song. Come. Let us sing for joy to the lord. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us short jump.

He's not just on a throne someplace controlling everything with a scepter. Now he's come near. And now we begin to know him and experience him. And then we look back over our shoulder. And you can't believe how your life has been impacting the world around you even generations yet to come are going to be touched by your life.

That's not the highest step the highest step. We'll look at tonight our father. We are so small and so narrow and we don't see these big things that you're doing. We know you have a worldwide heart. And we would ask you lord for everyone in this room and those who will listen someday in the future by these tapes that you would sow light like seed for them.

Becoming Like Christ Through Knowing and Enjoying God

And then gladness for the upright in heart that we might understand what's your business. And what's our business. That we might keep our hands out of the godhead out of the trinity. Leave your business to you and get on with our business of knowing you enjoying you trusting you being made like you.

We know someday the whole creation will clap for joy because we're like christ. And now lord make those in darkness around us clap for joy. Because we're becoming like christ we work these things in our heart.

We pray and prepare us for the concert. And as we fellowship together and as we look again into your word take us forward in the reign of christ. We ask in jesus precious name.