Ever since the world began, hath thy seat been prepared, thou art from everlasting. (Psalm 93:2,Coverdale)

Our Epistle, Gospel, Psalm and Old Testament reading all deal with the nature of divine authority. St. Paul writes of the "unsearchable riches of Christ…which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God." St. Matthew describes the coming of the wise men to seek and worship the newborn Christ child. The Psalm and Proverb speak of the eternal authority and sovereign majesty of God.

Authority is not a very popular word or concept in our modern world. Yet being under authority is a part of our basic existence. There are different levels of authority in our lives. We can speak of the authority that parents have, or at times do not have, in their homes. Husbands and wives have particular authority in their duty to each other. Our teachers, professors, and employers all have authority over us. Serving in the military brings about a different kind of authority. The church has spiritual authority within the bounds of its mandate from Holy Scripture. With the installation of the new Congress and the funeral for former President Gerald Ford we were reminded of the authority of government. Elected officials, for good or ill have authority over us as fulfill the obligations of their offices. This authority ranges from city officials who see to it that pot holes are fixed and that trash is picked up all the way to the President of the United States, who is supposed to represent the entire nation as head of state.

We could even speak of the authority and reign of nature. This ranges from the destruction of a hurricane or earthquake to the inconvenience of cold weather or rain. In all of these areas, we see that authority is important in our lives. We exercise it and we submit to it, sometimes willingly and other times unwillingly.

Yet, as we gather together on Sunday morning to worship Almighty God, it is always proper good to be reminded of who has ultimate authority. It is good to meditate upon the reign of the Lord. At the end of the day, He is the final authority, for there is no reign higher or mightier than His. Psalm 93 is a psalm that glories in the reign of our God. As we meditate on this text together this morning, I would like us to ask and answer three questions:

• What does Psalm 93 teach us about the Lord?
• How are we as God's people to respond to the Lord's reign?
• Where does Christ fit into our duty to God?

First, what does Psalm 93 teach us about the Lord?
Psalm 93 teaches us that the Lord reigns over all. The real purpose of the psalm is to proclaim and celebrate the fact that God rules over all of creation. He is the King and nothing is higher than Him. So, what exactly does the psalmist say about God's reign?

First, the psalmist teaches us that God is robed in majesty and strength. Look at verse 1. In the Coverdale translation "and hath put on glorious apparel; the Lord hath put on his apparel, and girded himself with strength "Using imagery that reminds us of a great king in his splendid robes of office. This passage is translated in the King James as "The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself". The psalmist tells us that God is robed in majesty and strength. In other words, majesty and strength are His garments. He is a God who is great and majestic and strong. He has no weakness, there is no chink in His armor, for His very nature is to be robed in strength and majesty.

In his psalm, David teaches us that God has established the world and his rule of the world as certainties. "He hath made the round world so sure that it cannot be moved."

How do we know that the world is established and that it shall never be moved? We know it because we know that God's throne, or rule, is established from of old. God alone is infinite and eternal, just as His rule is infinite and eternal. Some commentators see this psalm and others like it as paralleling other poems and writings that were read when certain kings came to power in the Ancient Near East. They would hold celebrations of enthronement for these kings and read the poems to honor them. Of course, even though their may be similarities in style, the problem with the parallel is that God never 'came' to power, as if there was a time when He was not King, when He was not in power. No, His throne is established from of old; from everlasting. God did not come to power because He is power. He is the Uncreated Creator. All things owe their existence to Him and He owes His existence to none. He is the Ruler of the world and His rule is not contingent upon anything. He is not waiting and hoping that we will vote for Him and elect Him as our God. No, whatever we might think, God still rules over all.

The psalmist goes on to teach us that God is mightier than many waters. Look at verses 3-4. Yet, why does the psalmist use this comparison? In other words, what is so great about God being mightier than many waters? To understand, we must remember that in the Old Testament writings, rivers and seas were often used to represent evil, chaos, and all that rebels against God. For example, look at Psalm 46:1-7. The psalmist makes a comparison between the heart of the sea, whose waters roar and foam, with the nations who rage and the kingdoms that totter. Thus, the sea represents those who rise up against God. Also, at the end of the book of Job, in the Yahweh speeches, God speaks of the Leviathan that dwells in the sea as a great enemy of man that only God can rule. Thus, in Psalm 93, when the psalmist speaks of God being mightier than many waters, he is making the point that God reigns over all of those who would rise against Him. He rules over His enemies. They may be fierce and mighty, but He is mightier.

Think about the tragedy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We are a pound and powerful nation. We have sent people to the moon. We have harnessed the atom. We replace hearts. We defy nature and build cites below sea level and on coastal plains. But we cannot control the wind and tide. We are ultimately helpless in the face of the storm. When the storm comes, we flee to higher ground or risk being overwhelmed by forces beyond our control. But this applies to more than physical storms. Just as New Orleans could not fight off Katrina, so we cannot fight off sin and rebellion. It is in our nature; it is who we are as fallen sons and daughters of Adam. Who can save us from ourselves? Who can defeat the enemy of our sin?

Paul asked these very questions in Romans 7: 14-20 "We know that the law is holy. But I am not. I have been sold to be a slave of sin. I don't understand what I do. I don't do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate to do. I do what I don't want to do. So I agree that the law is good. As it is, I am no longer the one who does these things. It is sin living in me that does them. I know there is nothing good in my sinful nature. I want to do what is good, but I can't. I don't do the good things I want to do. I keep on doing the evil things I don't want to do. I do what I don't want to do. But I am not really the one who is doing it. It is sin living in me."

Paul declares the solution to man's dilemma in verses 24-25. "It is God who can deliver us through the work of Christ. He is mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea; the Lord on high is mighty! He, and He alone, can deliver us from our slavery to sin and our battle with evil. We are weak and helpless, but He is strong and mighty. He reigns over all His enemies."

The Founding Fathers of our nation avoided the traps of anarchy and the worship of man which so often comes from mob rule by establishing a republic which derived its rights and limitations from the sovereign rule of its Creator. When we speak of "one nation under God" or put the motto "in God we trust" on our money we acknowledge that God is our King. On Sundays we usually sing the fourth verse of "America" not as an exercise in patriotism, although being a good citizen is not only compatible, but required of us as Christians; rather we do so the acknowledge that God is King. No act of Congress, Presidential Executive Order or Supreme Court decision can actually dethrone God; such actions can only constitute an act of rebellion. God remains God, and we remain responsible to Him on the day of judgment.

We often take the Lord's authority all too lightly. We cannot ignore the Ten Commandments without a price being paid. God allows us to be the nation and the people we deserve to be. In Proverbs 9:10 we read: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Therefore, the lack of respect for the Lord is by default, the beginning of ignorance, sin and spiritual and material death.

Here, in Psalm 93, the psalmist communicates the weight of God's authority and reign. Thus, if we are to avoid taking God's reign lightly, then we must ask the question: how should we respond to God's reign, which is our second question this morning.

Second, how are we as God's people to respond to the Lord's reign?
If Psalm 93 teaches us that the Lord reigns over all, then how are we supposed to respond to such reign? The psalmist goes on in verse 5 to tell us more about God's character and how we should respond. Look at that verse with me. First, the psalmist teaches us that the Lord is trustworthy. The 'decrees' are generally thought to a reference the law and to all that God has revealed and promised to His people Israel. The psalmist calls these "trustworthy." Thus, it is not just that God reigns and is clothed in majesty and strength, but also true that His reign is trustworthy. He is faithful to all His covenants and all His promises. Just as Israel was called to trust in God's faithfulness to send a Redeemer, so we are called to trust in Christ's promise not only to return, but to rule in our hearts and lives. We are to trust in Christ's promise to sustain, to save and to deliver. The Word of God is trustworthy and we can entrust ourselves to such a faithful Creator even when we do not understand human suffering as part of God's plan. "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." 1 Peter 4:19).

Just as a coin has two sides, so there two sides to trusting God. First, we trust God our Father as a child trusts his human father to provide and look after him. God's sovereign reign calls for us to trust Him, to find comfort in the fact that our God is the King and that He delights in doing good to His children. In Matthew 7: 9-11 Christ asks: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

But it is not always easy to trust God. There is often a perception of risk on our part. Remember learning how to swim? For many of us the moment came when our father was in the water calling for us to go ahead and jump. Sometimes we have to trust that obedience to God's commands, even when it seems risky and hard, is the appropriate response to His reign.

Next, the psalmist goes on in verse 5 to teach us that the Lord is holy. He writes that "The waves of the sea are mighty, and rage horribly, but yet the Lord, who dwelleth on high, is mightier."

Have you ever read the instructions for the building of the Temple and wondered why there is so much attention to detail? Every cubit is meant to reflect the holiness of God. God's holiness is highlighted throughout the structure. The temple was meant to show God's otherness, his complete holiness. Yet, you may be wondering what that has to do with us. Well, consider 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 2 Corinthians 6:16-18. In both of these passages Paul calls Christians God's temple. Thus, if the psalmist tells us that holiness befits the Lord's temple, then, like Paul, he is telling us that as God's people we are to be holy. We, as temples of the living God, are called to holiness. Again the sinless, all powerful, holy character of God demands an appropriate response. God's trustworthiness and holiness demand that we trust Him and obey Him.

Finally, what about Christ? Where does He fit into our duty to God?
We have been speaking this morning about God's reign and how we are to respond to that reign. As we think about what all of this means for us as Christians, we should consider the reign of Christ. Jesus asked the Pharisees: "What think ye of Christ, whose son is he?" That is the ultimate question for every human being. What think ye of Christ, indeed?

In President Ford's state funeral it was very telling that the liberal Episcopal priest officiating was happy to quote the first half of John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life" but was not willing to acknowledge the second half of the verse: "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

We cannot accept Christ on our own terms or as one of several choices for authority, but only as THE authority in our lives. Christ comes to reign over us as our King.

This is the beginning of Epiphany. Christ, the Incarnate Son of God has come into the world. He was sought out by kings. One king, named Herod sought to destroy Him. Three others, called "wise men" came seeking to worship Him. In the end that choice confronts us all. We must either serve Christ or rebel against Him. We cannot walk a middle path. Christ alone is the King who will reign over all. He is robed in majesty and splendor and strength. He is mightier than all of His enemies. Even as He told the winds and the sea to be calm and they obeyed, so He will command the whole world.

Our Old Testament reading from Proverbs is clearly messianic, looking towards the day of Christ, the Word made flesh, the only begotten Son of the Father, begotten before all worlds, through Whom all things were made, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Listen again to Proverbs 8: 17-35:
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full. The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. Now then, my sons listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD.

Thus, as people are purchased with His blood, we are called to respond to the reign of Christ, who sits on the right hand of the Father with trust and obedience. We want to be certain that when He comes again in glory "to judge the quick and the dead", we are not found to be His enemy. Rather, as the Church, the Bride of Christ, we want to be sure that we are clothed in righteousness, the righteousness that comes only through faith in Christ. As God's people, we are not to take lightly the reign of Christ. We owe our allegiance to Christ and to Christ alone. We are to live lives of trust and obedience to Christ the King, our only Mediator and Advocate, our high priest and our sacrifice, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstance. Let us begin even now, as we come to the table to offer ourselves, our souls and bodies as a living sacrifice, and with praise and thanksgiving receive our Lord by faith again in our hearts.

Ever since the world began, hath thy seat been prepared, thou art from everlasting.