Tuesday, February 20, 2018

PSALM 103 VERSE 19: "SOVEREIGN GOD, RULER OF THE HEAVENS"

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19)
“God is in control” is the most popular catchphrase among us Christians, when we come to the realization that there is no way to explain why this, or that, happened.  This is just another way of saying – God is Sovereign, knows all and is in all. In the first 18 verses of Psalm 103, we are given powerful details of the unfathomable, powerful Mind of God. We are told so many things by the Holy Spirit about just a few blessings we should be more than thankful for, it should draw us to our knees…or faces, in sheer gratitude of what He has done for us.

For 18 verses, the amazing list builds on itself, each being a result of the Sovereignty of God. Because God is self-existent, Eternal and sees the end from the beginning, He does what He does. He sits on His Throne in Heaven, from whence He has dispensed both grace and justice from eternity past. That very fact that we are not punished and sent away from Him, to begin with,  is too due to His love, mercy, and compassion. Please reread verses 1-18 of Psalm 103.

Now, we transition from receiving and acknowledging His blessings to full-fledged praise and worship of the Almighty. But first, we must know not just what the Heavens are, but, the meaning of the Sovereignty of God.

We know there are three heavens, from Scripture. The Apostle Paul describes the time He was drawn up to the Throne (just like Isaiah was in Isaiah Chapter 6) and was in the Third Heaven. Paul says I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-- whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- such a man was caught up to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:2).

The Third Heaven is where God resides, with Jesus Christ on His Right Hand, all the Angels and all the saints who have left this earthly life from Adam until the present. Those who are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, as shed on the Cross – both the Old Testament and since Calvary, are in the Presence of the Father at this very time. This is the Third Heaven where the Timeless Temple of God resides. This is the Third Heaven where the ministering angels and Michael and Gabriel wait on the Lord and His commands. This is the Third Heaven where our Heavenly Father is always working to will and to purpose. He did not create Heaven, Earth and the Stars etc…and then walked away. God is on the move, hallelujah! 

The Second Heaven is the constellation of the Universe we can see with our own eyes and all kinds of telescopes. These are the created galaxies, stars, moons and other planets.  This is commonly called “outer space” and what the Psalms (and other scripture) speak about when the Word declares The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). All Creation worships Him. There are planets and moons yet unknown and created all the time. Who can count the stars in the Heavens? No one can. Yet, He knows them by name – all the billions of stars. How Great is Our God? We can only imagine!

The First Heaven is planet earth and our Atmosphere which goes up 20 miles and stops. Outside of this 20-mile radius is the stratosphere and the Second Heaven. The First Heaven is the only one of the three heavens which support life – AS WE KNOW IT. The birds of the air; the fish of the sea; every living animal on the physical ground of earth and all human beings are supported by the God of the Third Heaven and the Power of His Word. One tiny fraction of one degree off, on this hanging ball called Earth, and the earth will disintegrate. God is so sovereign, His mathematical calculations and technical skills are perfect. All life on this earth, human, and mammal have a relatively brief lifespan, as we well know.

All three heavenly places, as ordained by God, are in complete alignment and harmony with their Creator. The very fact of these Three Heavens illustrates His Sovereignty, His Control, His Management over the affairs of all the universe and His Reign as King of all.  In the dictionary, the word “Sovereign” includes the following words in its definition: Supreme Power; Supreme Authority; Ruler of All and independent of all others.  God is all that and more as we studied in some of His attributes, from Psalm 139.  In Psalm 103: 1-18, so far, we note everything He has done for, given or purposed for us. 

God is Sovereign and the Sole Authority because:
-  Only God can create life and all we see around us
-  Only God can control the life He creates, ordaining the time of birth to the time of death
-  Only God can grant His grace and favor to those who hate Him and even reject Him
-  Only God grants Free Will, yet has set the boundaries across which human will can never cross
-  Only God makes a way, where there is no way. He is the God of miracles in healing and rescues the perishing
-  Only God can create circumstances where are disconnected, only to flow seamlessly into one continuous stream, which can be accomplished according to His planned purposes, at the appointed time
-  Only God can  call the unlikely, equip the illiterate, confound the elitists and raise up the ordinary...to do extraordinary things in His Name
-  Only God gives good things which will not harm, but build up, will not destroy but give life and will not deviate from Truth, but confirm His Sovereignty. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17)
-  Only God could create human beings, who while enemies until conversion, still loved us enough to come up the plan for the Greatest Story Ever Told - the Story of God leaving the Throne of Heaven to give His life on a Cross, as payment for all sins, of all times.
-  Only God can come up with the best offer, which only the very foolish refuse - that if we believe in our heart, and confess with our mouths, that Jesus Christ is LORD, we will be saved. This offer is for all people, of all times, in all countries, of all races and all phases of life. From the young to the old and the rich to the very poor, the offer is the same, repent, believe the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is so simple, many cast it aside. But it is the Hallmark of the Sovereignty of God
-  Only God can forgive sins, any sins. No man, no priest, nobody but God, through Jesus Christ can forgive our sins if we call out to Him in humility and repentance
-  Only God, Who came up with the Plan of Salvation and Redemption, then gave us His Bible to instruct us for a lifetime, in His Ways can do this - because He is Supreme...because He is in charge....because He always existed and because He has a big heart and loves all His people.
-  Only God, the Sovereign King, and Ruler of Heaven would prepare an eternal home for former rebels against Him, who are now born-again, sanctified in the Holy Ghost sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. He has not just prepared a home for us, but a work for us to do, first in the Millennial Kingdom and then the Eternal Kingdom.
-  Only God can see the End from the Beginning, and that End of the current age is not too far away, as time, as we know it, is drawing rapidly to a close.

PRAYER:

Sovereign God, You alone are good. You are created man a little lower than the angels. What are we, that You, the King of the Universe, would be mindful of us, oh God. You sit in the Heavens, on the Eternal Throne, surrounded by worship, clothed in righteousness, defined by Holiness, covered in an unapproachable light where no man can approach. However, if we come to the end of ourselves, ask forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, as the fulfillment of the Gospel, we will live in the eternal kingdom in Your Presence for all Eternity. Sovereign God, we thank You that You alone are God, and there is NO other.  You rule the affairs of all mankind of all time. You have set a time for Judgment. You have set a Day of Reckoning and in Your Authority, You have set in motion, the coming day of the Eternal Kingdom. We look forward to that coming day, oh most Worthy Father. Thank You, for Jesus Christ, Your Son, and my Savior and Lord of all who have surrendered their lives to Him, Who gave His Life to make life here on earth more meaningful, thereby giving us the Hope for Eternal Life, that we too can one day be in the Eternal Kingdom with You. It is in Your most Holy and Precious Name we pray and look forward to that coming day, in Jesus Strong Name, Amen.

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