Resources: Lesson Manuscript, PowerPoint, and Devotional
Franklin Heights Church Connect Groups: https://franklinheights.org/connect/groups/
Review: Last week we saw from Psalm 19 how God communicates through general revelation, creation, and special revelation, His Word. God changes our thinking, our affections, and this changes our actions.
Title: God’s Reign
Text: Psalm 96:1-13
Key Verse: Psalm 96:10, “Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.’”
Theme: As Creator and King, God alone deserves worship and praise.
Introduction: Have you ever met someone famous? I sat at a table with Donnie Osmond once, and I didn’t know who he was. He was very patient with me, and I was embarrassed when I finally realized who he was. Even though we tend to think a lot of and even idolize celebrities, isn’t it amazing that creatures don’t give their Creator the worship and praise He is due? Doesn’t make sense. Why do humans crave praise and affirmation from others? Could it be they are trying to find the aching satisfaction of their souls in things other than God? Probably is.
- God’s Reign (vv. 1-6)
“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; [a right response to a fresh experience of God’s grace]
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day. [Mental assent isn’t enough. We have to verbally tell others of what god has done in our lives.]
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples! [Already, deep in the Old testament God is declaring that the gospel is not juts for the Jewish nation, but for all peoples.]
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods. [Idolatry is confronted in this verse. One cross reference, Psalm 95:3-5 says, “For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.” What are some people, things, experiences, or misplaced hopes we tend to idolize in our day and age?]
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens. [The Hebrew here highlights the worthless and feebleness of idols.]
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” [The emphasis on God’s reign here in this wording is used 6 other times in the New testament, highlighting the significance of the theme of God’s majestic reign here.]
Gospel: Even when our Lord Jesus was suffering and dying on the cross for our sins, He was sovereignly reigning and accomplishing the Father’s good plan. Because of the gospel even when we are at our feeblest and weakest, God’s strength is enough.
- God’s Majesty (vv. 7-9)
“7 Ascribe [The word “ascribe” is yahav and can mean to give or to bring, meaning Go is deserving of the glory and praise that we as His creatures can offer, can bring, can deliver to Him.] to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts! [Like coming into the courtroom of a King, we enter His turf, His presence, his place by access ultimately through His Son.]
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; [standing above His creation in complete otherness.]
tremble before him, all the earth!” [He is worthy of our fear.]
Have you ever worshiped with people from another culture in their country, on their turf? Wasn’t that a wonderful picture in miniature of what we will do in heaven someday with all tribes, tongues, and nations.
- God’s Judgement (vv. 10-13)
When you hear the word judgement, what do you think of, what comes to mind? Let’s see what this psalm says about judgement.
10“Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.” [or “righteously”]
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes, [This is eschatological, end times language here. He is coming as King—first as humble child, suffering Servant, but this time—as King to Judge. And he will judge the world.]
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
The coming of Jesus to judge to compel us to walk closely with Him, live every moment in light of His eminent return, and to share the gospel with others with a sense of urgency.
Romans 10:13-15 exhorts us toward evangelism and missions in light of His return when it says, “13 For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[a] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”
Comments: Please share in the comments how you personally and your church will be putting this call to urgent evangelism into practice this week, not just praying for the lost, but verbally reaching the lost.
Resources:
- www.drcalebwalker.com
- Lesson Teaching Manuscript
- Free Download of this PowerPoint
- Devotional
- Discipleship and church revitalization consulting: cwalker@franklinheights.org
Devotional: A Response to Psalm 96
If God rules over the nations and will come to judge someday, at any moment, the exhortation from this passage is clear. We need to be ready. We need to be ready through salvation. We need to be ready by embracing sanctification. We need to be ready by engaging others with evangelism.
We need to be ready in salvation. Are you saved? Have you given your life to Jesus Christ? If you haven’t, make today the day and be saved.
We need to be ready in sanctification. Sanctification is the lifelong process of gradually becoming more and more like Jesus Christ from the inside out, reflected in our thoughts and affections, our words, actions and deeds. God is worthy of having say over every cell and every aspect of our lives and beings that He may receive the glory in us that he is due.
We need to be ready in evangelism. It’s important that if we are saved that in our relationships we are praying for the lost and verbally reaching the lost. How terrible it would be for someone at the final Judgement when Jesus returns for them to say that “Caleb never told me how to be saved. He was my friend. He prayed for me, But he never took the opportunity to tell me how to be saved.” That would be a sobering and frightening thing to face. May that not be said of anyone reading this. Maybe this lesson is just the thing God is using to compel you and call you out of your safe, comfortable, cone of silence into verbal witness for him to your lost friends and loved ones. Be the light and be verbal in sharing the gospel as we hasten toward the final judgment. God’s majestic glory in this Psalm calls us to salvation, sanctification, and evangelism.
How to Pray:
- If you are not saved, ask God to save you. Admit You are a sinner. Place Your trust for salvation in God the Son and His finished work on the cross on your behalf to die for your sins, be buried, and rise defeating your sin, your eternal death and punishment for sin, and the grave. Call on Him and ask to be saved and thank Him that based on His promise in Hebrews 13:5, he will never ever leave you.
- Ask God to show you specific areas and spaces in your life that you need to surrender to Him to be more and more like Jesus today.
- Ask God for the obedience to share the gospel with your lost friends and jot down some names and plans to go share the gospel with them, and in the indwelling strength of the Holy Spirit, go do it.
Caleb Walker 
Leave a comment