|
|
Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 10th January 2010 AMJESUS SHALL REIGN ! Pastor Colin Meadows Bible Readings: Psalm 72, Phil 2:5-11 ♦ Triumph and tragedy go hand in hand! We live in a world of paradox. Around the world, Christ is building his church, as He promised, and the gates of Hades are not overcoming it. I read recently that in 2008 approximately 66.7 million people came to faith in Christ and 70,200 new churches were planted. The Good News of Jesus continues to bear fruit, one heart at a time! Yet at the same time, we read and hear daily of believers going through difficult times. Around the world persecution against Christians is on the rise. Depending on which statistics you check, somewhere around 150,000 Christians are martyred each year for their faith and the numbers are rising. Others are heavily persecuted and harassed in different ways. These two realities of growth in God’s kingdom and persecution of believers will continue until Christ returns, so we should not be surprised. I wish to focus on these twin realities today as we explore Psalm 72. Much of what I will say comes out of reflection on the life of Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer, whose own life was testimony to these truths.
Watts was born in the UK July 27, 1674. The eldest of nine children, his father was a lay preacher and dissenter from the Anglican Church, twice imprisoned for his religious convictions. His son, Isaac, was very intelligent but unable to attend prestigious schools and universities because of the family’s religious beliefs. Thus Isaac studied much at home or with tutors, and learning Latin, Greek, Hebrew and French. He later attended an academy for Independent Christians and then over a two year period wrote the first edition of his famous Hymns and Spiritual Songs, published in 1707. During his lifetime, Watts published over fifty different works, including books on grammar, logic, pedagogy, ethics, psychology, astronomy, geography and theology, apart from his collection of hymns. After his death, a monument to Watts was erected in Westminster Abbey. His most popular work was his Psalms of David, first published in 1719. His desire was to accommodate the book of Psalms to Christian Worship, bringing to life the references found there to Christ. He felt that references to enemies in the Psalms are to be directed to Satan, for as Christians, he is our great enemy. He wrote over 600 hymns, many of which were based on psalms, songs for which he is most remembered. We will look at Psalm 72 this morning, for which Watts paraphrased his great hymn ‘Jesus Shall Reign Wher’er the Sun’. In the original, by the way, there are 14 verses! What can we learn from this psalm that will lift our hearts and encourage us on our journey of faith? ♦ The reign of the Royal Son: When David wrote this psalm it was most likely in reference to his son, the new King Solomon. Solomon was called to reign with justice and righteousness and so lead his people well. When the king as their leader led this way, then the people were blessed. Psalm 72:1 “Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. Unfortunately Solomon, after a good start, did not follow this pathway and chose instead to walk away from God. This did not mean that God’s Word had failed however, for these words were in the fullest sense a prophecy concerning a future royal king of the line of David, one who would truly rule with justice and righteousness. The angel Gabriel revealed this truth to Mary concerning her future son. Luke 1:31-33 “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” The key promises of Psalm 72 were thus about to come to pass. The righteous royal son would come and begin his reign, a reign that would know no end. What the Jewish people did not realize however was that this king would suffer and die for the sins of the world and then rise again. What they did not realize was that the royal son would leave the wonderful Spirit of God within each believer, guiding them in the way that they should live. What they did not realize was that his kingdom was not of this world, but was rather within each of them. As they submitted to Jesus as Lord, confessing their sins in repentance, so the kingdom of God came upon them. Luke 17:20-21 “Jesus replied, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is within you.”’ Jesus’ clear teaching was that his kingdom came when a person submitted to him as Lord. A kingdom is where a king reigns. Is Jesus reigning within your heart? Are you asking him for guidance about decisions in your life – your work, family, spending money, your life partner? Allow Jesus the Royal Son to rule in your heart, thus demonstrating his kingdom here on earth. There is another aspect of the coming of the kingdom that we must not forget….
♦ The reality of present suffering: We live in a fallen world, where injustice and exploitation of the weak takes place. Such is clearly spoken of in this Psalm. Notice the reference to suffering in these verses. Psalm 72:2 “He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. Psalm 72:4 “He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.” Psalm 72:12-14 “For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” People of faith are not immune from the pain and suffering found in our world. These verses remind us that people of faith will be afflicted, will be needy, and they will be ones who cry out for help, the weak. In our weakness we are to call out to God for his help and strength. Watts spoke much about the opposition that we face as believers, saying that all such opposition and suffering comes ultimately from Satan himself. Our struggle is thus not against flesh and blood. This echoes the words of Jesus in his prayer for us all. John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” How can we endure in the face of such opposition? How are we able to cling on to God, no matter what may come? We hold, through the strength provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit, remembering what lies ahead, our blessed and amazing hope in Christ. ♦ The reminder of Christ’s future triumph: While evil and suffering is present in our world, so too is the reality of our righteous king and his future removal of all evil. He is present with us right now, through his Holy Spirit, no matter what we may feel or see around us. Psalm 72:5,8 “He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations… He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Christ has defeated Satan, our enemy. It is now just a matter of the final overthrow of evil before Christ’s kingdom comes on earth, as it is in heaven. When he returns in glory he will reign supreme. Psalm 72:11 “All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.” This is how all will respond to Christ as his second coming, either with great joy or deep shame and fear. Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ♦ The only reasonable response we can make: In the light of what we have heard concerning this wonderful royal son, our only reasonable response is to submit to Jesus as king of our lives. Let me illustrate this in the life of Isaac Watts.
Watts lived out these truths in his own life. At an early age Isaac submitted to Jesus as Lord and sought to follow him. He faced numerous obstacles and difficulties on this journey. His father, as a dissenter, was thrown in jail at least twice. Isaac himself as a dissenter against the Anglican church of the day was excluded from many places of higher study yet persevered in other places and on his own to study and grow. At the age of 24, he was ordained as pastor of the Independent congregation in Mark Lane. His health failed however the next year and Samuel Price was appointed as his assistant in the ministry and took over. Because of his poor health, Watts had to leave his ministry and move to live as a guest with the Abney family. It was intended to be for only a week’s rest but there he stayed for the next 36 years until his death in 1748. His church continued to provide him with a small allowance, of which he gave away one third to the poor! He continued his study of God’s Word and of the world around him and grew to become one of greatest preachers of his day. Isaac was earthy however, just like us, and was prone to bouts of resentment and anger! The Lord used Watt’s suffering, it was said, to produce a gentle, modest and charitable spirit. One biographer noted that his illness was really a blessing in disguise. He was barely five feet high yet had a strong presence in the pulpit that commanded respect. When he died, on his tombstone was engraved:
ISAAC WATTS, D. D.
Let us live in like manner, offering ourselves to Jesus as the king of our lives, living in humble submission to him, through the triumphs and tragedies of life, obeying the one who will reign as king forever more!
|