Our Sovereign Lord

[0:00] Psalm 9 verse 2.

[0:15] It says there, I will be glad and rejoice in thee. I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most high.

[0:25] ! I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most high. Now, where it says most high there is one of the names of God. And it says it elsewhere, El Elyon.

[0:38] In the Hebrew, the God most high. He is the most high God. The strongest of the strong, the superlative God. He's surpassing all others. He is preeminent.

[0:50] He is preeminent. He is sovereign. And that's what I want to talk about this morning is God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty. And sovereignty, it means the supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign.

[1:04] And we know that our God is the king of kings. He's the ultimate sovereign. He's the ultimate reigning one. And there's words used that is rule, such as dominion, rule, ruler, lord, king, and potentate.

[1:18] And there's an author, right in a book, what the Bible says about God, the ruler. He said this, The sovereignty of God may be concisely summed up as absolute lordship. Absolute lordship.

[1:30] So sovereignty then is lordship, ownership, or control. And he is the most high God. The most high God. He's in total control.

[1:42] He always has been in total control. And he always will be in total control. He's got the absolute dominion over all things. His greatness and power. He causes or he permits whatever goes on on planet Earth.

[1:56] He controls ultimately behind the scenes. And his church is meant to be a church that he is the sovereign of. He is the lord of. He's the master.

[2:07] He's the king of. That Christ is preeminent. Christ is exalted. Christ is the focus. Christ is exalted. That in all things Christ might have the preeminence.

[2:18] And his focus, our focus as his church should be his will. Our focus as his church should be his word. Our focus as his church should be his word.

[2:31] And that his church is founded on the word of God. To honour, to glorify Christ alone. His glory, his honour, and his praise. 1 Timothy 6. You might like to turn there in the New Testament.

[2:44] As it talks about our saviour and his kingly rule. 1 Timothy 6 verse 15. On which it talks about our saviour.

[2:57] From verse 15 of 1 Timothy 6. Which in his times he shall show. Who is the blessed and only potentate. Absolute ruler.

[3:07] Potentate. Is the king of kings and the lord of lords. Who only hath immortality. Dwelling in the light. Which no man can approach unto. Which no man hath seen.

[3:19] Nor can see. To whom be honour and power everlasting. He is the absolute potentate. The dominator. The dominion.

[3:30] The rule of the reign. Belongs unto our king. The king of kings. Our sovereign lord. Our king of kings. And our lord of lords. To whom be glory. And honour.

[3:41] And power. The sovereign ruler. He has eternal dominion. Psalm 47 verse 8. It says. That God reigneth. Over the heathen. Or over the nations.

[3:52] God reigneth. Over the heathen. God sitteth. Upon the throne. Of his holiness. God is enthroned. He's exalted. He is the king. He is the sovereign.

[4:03] You know. Sometimes I think. We go through life. And we don't think of that. We don't stop and think. That he is sovereign. That he is king. And we go about our merry way. And our day by day.

[4:14] Without a thought. Of who he is. Of our king. Of our saviour. Of our master. Of how we should have that. Relationship.

[4:25] That wonder. That adoration. Of who he is. And I'm thinking that really. Everything about our lives. Is under his ultimate control.

[4:36] Is ultimately under his domain. In his dominion. And there's a poem that says this. It says. God holds the future. God holds the future. In his hand. O hearts of mine.

[4:47] Be still. His love. Will plan the best for thee. The best. Or light. Or dark it be. Then rest thee. In. His will. God holds the future.

[4:58] In his hand. Why should I shrink or fear. Through every dark. And cloudy day. Yea. All along. My pilgrim way. His love. Will bless.

[5:09] And cheer. God holds the future. In his hand. And I can trust his love. His past declares. His faithfulness. His eye will guide. His heart will bless.

[5:20] Till I am safe above. God holds the future. In his hand. I leave it all with him. I know one day. He will explain. The wherefore.

[5:31] Of each grief and pain. Though reasons now. Are dim. God holds the future. In his hand. He holds the future. He holds you in his hand. He knows the future for you.

[5:42] He knows. The way. For you. And he. Is there for you. Already. In your future. And God reigns.

[5:53] His rule is. Characterised by. Majesty. And strength. And power. His rule is. Characterised by. Righteousness. And justice. By the foundation. Of his throne.

[6:04] And. Sometimes. We go about. Our lives. And. We don't. Think. Of. Our relationship. To him. In contrast. To him. We're so.

[6:16] Insignificant. Aren't we? And. Sometimes. Sometimes. We think. We can run. Our own lives. And. Do things. Our own way. Without really. Thinking. That really. We should be. Submitting to him. We should be.

[6:27] Surrendering to him. In every day. Every new day. Surrender it to him. Every new day. Submit yourself. To him. Isaiah. 14. 22. It talks about.

[6:37] This one. Of. The one who sits. Upon the circle. Of the earth. So. Isaiah. Prophesied. He. He saw. What. There were no telescopes.

[6:49] And. And. Satellites. And. Spaceships. Of that time. But he. Saw. That God. Was sitting. Upon the globe. Of the earth. And he says. In Isaiah. 40. 22.

[7:00] And the inhabitants. Thereof. Are as grasshoppers. That stretcheth out. The heavens. As a curtain. And spreadeth them out. As a tent. Of dwelling. That bringeth the princes.

[7:11] To nothing. He maketh the judges. Of the earth. As vanity. He sits upon the circle. And we're just like. Grasshoppers. You are just like. Grasshoppers. To God. We're just like.

[7:21] Little specks. Of dust. As Psalm 62. 11. It says. Power. Belongeth unto God. Even the most. Powerful human beings. You know. You could. Think of.

[7:32] Worldly kings. Or. Leaders of nations. Barack Obama. Or whoever it might be. They're just like. Grasshoppers. In his sight. He is the ultimate. The absolute.

[7:43] The one. To whom power belongeth. Power belongeth. Unto God. Psalm 62. 11. So he is sovereign. Over all. He's sovereign. Over creation.

[7:54] He's sovereign. Over you and me. Over our plans. Over our nature. Over rulers. Over history. He is the one. Who. Is behind the scenes.

[8:04] He's sovereign. He's king. He's sovereign. Over the grain. Sovereign. Over death. He has absolute power. And right dominion. Over his creatures. To do with us. As seems good to him.

[8:19] And even over the storms. That may face you. God. Is over it all. Here's a story. About. A storm.

[8:29] God washed the world. Last night. With sweet. Refreshing rain. And thirsty earth. Reached up to drink. Of that life-giving. Gain. God washed my heart.

[8:41] Last night. With tears. Both bitter. And sweet. He probed in hidden corners. Dark. And washed it. Clear. Complete. My child.

[8:51] His voice spoke. Sweet and low. This storm. Came as a grace. Lean hard upon my breast. Dear one. And look. Into my face. Completely spent.

[9:02] I looked and prayed. Dear father. Be it. Thine. To mould and make me. As thou wilt. Thy will. Forever mine. That should be our submission. Our surrender.

[9:13] That his will. Will be our will. That he'll have absolute dominion. And sway. Over all of our life. Whether it be through storm times. Whether it be through shadows.

[9:24] Whether it be through valleys. That we will surrender. That we will have that relation. Of submission to him. Who is the king. The absolute sovereign. And it says in Ephesians 1.

[9:35] That he worketh all things. After the counsel. Of his own will. God is sovereign. Over all aspects of our lives. For our daily needs. He provides.

[9:46] Do we stop and thank him? Do we stop and think. Of the joys. Of the blessings. That we take. So often for granted. Our daily needs. That he gives to us.

[9:56] He plans our days. Before we're born. As was read. Psalm 139. He knew us. When we were being knitted together. In the womb. Even before we were born.

[10:07] He knew us. In our mother's womb. And he directs our steps. It says that he directs our steps. And he fulfills. His way for us. He oversees.

[10:18] Our successes. And failures. He provides for us. Our talents. Our abilities. He works through us. As we work out his will. He is sovereign.

[10:29] He is king. And Psalm 97. It says. The Lord reigneth. Let the earth rejoice. The Lord reigneth. Let the earth rejoice. Goes on. Verse 2. Psalm 97.

[10:40] Righteousness and judgment. Are the habitation of his throne. God's reign. He reigns. He reigns. And his reign is everlasting. And one day he will reign as king forever.

[10:51] He will physically reign as the king on the planet. And it will be as Revelation 19. 6 says. And as I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude.

[11:04] And as the voice of many waters. And as the voice of mighty thundering saying. Hallelujah. For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. They're going to say. Hallelujah. For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

[11:17] Omnipotent. Omnipotent. All powerful. All powerful. That is your God. And he reigns. He's going to reign. He's going to reign forever. Does he reign in your heart?

[11:30] That's the question. For you. For me. Does he reign in your heart? Do you know him? Is he your king? Is he your ruler? Does he have absolute sway? Does he have that throne?

[11:41] Is he enthroned in your heart? In your life? And young people. Older people today. You can know that. You can know him. As your king. As your sovereign. As your absolute ruler.

[11:52] And saviour. And he's not a ruler. Of some nations as we know. There's despots. And dictators. And tyrants. That control nations. And hurt people.

[12:05] And create great misery for their subjects. This king. This ruler. This omnipotent ruler. This all powerful king.

[12:16] This absolute sovereign. Has your very best in mind. He has your very best interests in heart. And we can humble ourselves before his wisdom. Before his rulership.

[12:28] But we must do business with God. We must do business with God. We must acknowledge our great need of him. And see our great state of lack. Of need.

[12:39] To be convicted. To be drawn to him. God is king. He is king. He is sovereign. Over all things. And he is judge. In his judgment.

[12:51] He's going to be sovereign too. In his judgment. We have to be accountable. For our choices. So that God. Who is going to be the judge. And.

[13:03] Shouldn't it humble us. To think of his sovereignty. To think of his kingship. To be thankful for his provisions. To trust him. The one who sustains us. Our response to his sovereignty.

[13:16] Should be. Honour. Our response to. The one who is king of kings. Should be to honour him. To honour him. To esteem him. To regard him.

[13:26] And just to close. Let me quote. A story of. A wonderful. Woman of God. A wonderful missionary. Who. Was really just a.

[13:38] Lowly. Maid. Her name. Gladys Aylwood. Gladys Aylwood. She grew up. Amongst the poor. Of England. She was.

[13:49] Brought up in poverty. As just a maid. A servant. She dropped out of school. And became a domestic servant. For a well to do. British family.

[14:00] Her job. Demanded long hours. Hard work. And low pay. She was in her late 20s. One day. Riding a bus. Reading a newspaper. And there was an article there.

[14:11] About the need. For missionaries. In China. She saw this article. She saw the great need. Of missionaries. In China. And that moment. Gladys Aylwood. Her heart broke.

[14:22] For China. And she resolved. To go herself. And she applied. To the board. Of the China. Inland Mission. But they turned her down. Crashed with disappointment. She returned.

[14:32] To her small upstairs room. Opened her purse. And turned it upside down. Two pennies. Fell. Onto her Bible. And she said. Oh God. Here's my Bible.

[14:43] Here's my money. Here's me. Use me. Oh God. And she started. Scrimping and saving. Every penny she earned. And finally. She determined.

[14:54] That while she could never. Save enough. To travel to China. By ship. She could scrape together enough. For a train ticket. Across Europe and Asia. Because of a war blazing.

[15:06] On the Manchurian border. It was very dangerous. But she could afford the train ride. So the day finally came. When a few bewildered friends and family. Gathered at Liverpool station.

[15:18] And farewelled her. They waved her goodbye. She travelled from England. Across the Channel. To the Hague. Across Europe. To Moscow. Across Siberia. Towards China.

[15:29] She was bundled in. An overcoat. And an orange frock. Gladys carried her bedroll. Two suitcases. One stock with food. And a bag clanking with pots and pans.

[15:40] Day and night. The train pressed on. Into the frigid Siberian wasteland. And finally it stopped. In the dead of night. In the middle of a war zone.

[15:51] A wasteland. And the other passengers. Were all soldiers. They got off. And headed off. To the front line. And she disembarked. And headed. In the other direction.

[16:04] She started trudging. Suitcases in hand. Till she came to the nearest station. And by sheer determination. Gladys Aylward. Finally arrived in China.

[16:16] And moved in. With an older single missionary woman. Who as it turned out. Didn't quite know. What to do with her. And to make a long story short. Gladys Aylward. A parlour maid.

[16:27] From England. Became one of the most famous missionaries. Of the 20th century. A woman. That has been called. The most noted single. Woman missionary. In modern history.

[16:38] And a popular biography. Has been made into a film. And she's been featured in. This is your life. She's dined with Queen Elizabeth. And Prince Philip. She's travelled the world.

[16:50] Speaking in one of. In many places. And the most notable thing. About Gladys. Was her brokenness. The most notable thing. About Gladys. Was her humility.

[17:02] Her brokenness. Her willingness. To be available. To be available. To be available. She once said. I wasn't God's first choice.

[17:12] For what I've done for China. There was somebody else. I don't know who it was. God's first choice. I don't know what happened.

[17:24] Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing. And God looked down. And saw Gladys Aylward. I wasn't God's first choice.

[17:36] There was somebody else. I don't know who it was. God looked down and saw Gladys Aylward. You know.

[17:47] It says that there's not many. Noble or mighty. Not many. Of those. In his service. Maybe you're feeling like.

[17:58] You're just a humble. Servant. Just. An average person. Yet God. In his mercy. Can use you. If you're available. If you'll let him be sovereign.

[18:09] If you'll let him be honoured. Will you honour him. With your life. Will you honour him. As Gladys did. Against all the odds. Against all the circumstances. Against all the reasons.

[18:20] Why not. God was sovereign. God picked Gladys. She thought. That he was picking someone else. But she was the one. That he picked. Out of the. Many. Out of the multitudes.

[18:32] Of the unwilling. He picked the one. Who was willing. And God. Is sovereign. Response. To your response. God is sovereign. Is looking for your heart. God is looking for your willingness.

[18:43] God is looking for your response today. For you to esteem him. To honour him. To regard him. To serve him. As the sovereign one.

[18:54] As the king. Is he your king? Are you his subject? Be as Gladys. Be obedient. Be willing. Be available. Step in.

[19:06] Step out. Step up. Stand up. And be counted. And let God use you. Let God be your king. As you are his subject. Let us pray.

[19:17] Lord. We praise you today. You are the king. Of kings. And the lord. Of lords. And you are the god. The lord god. Omnipotent. And you reigneth.

[19:28] You reign lord. You reign over the nations. You reign. Over the world. Over creation. You reign lord. You rule. Above and beyond. And despite all the rule.

[19:40] And governments of this world. Yet lord. We know that ultimately. It's all in your hands. And yet lord. You'll work it all out. According to the good pleasure. Of your will. We pray lord.

[19:50] That everyone present. Here today. Would have that heart response. Of yes lord. I want. To be yours. I want you. To be my king. I want lord.

[20:01] To surrender my heart. To surrender that throne. To step off. To resign. As the master of my own life. And my own destiny. And for you to take that rightful place.

[20:12] Of ownership. Of rulership. Of leadership. Of authority. Over my life. Over my future. Over my family. Over my fears and worries.

[20:23] Over my concerns. Over my heart's sadness at times. Lord. Let you be the one. That leads and guides. That I can submit. To your authority over my life.

[20:35] Help me lord. To come to that place. Help each one lord. To come. To that place. Of surrender today. Help us lord. To find that. Peace. With God. Through Christ today.

[20:47] To find that peace. That passeth all understanding. And keeps our hearts. And minds. Through Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.