The God Who Rules - Part 1
Pastor: Wade Trimmer Series: Knowing God Scripture: Daniel 4:1–32
Psalm 103:19, “The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom rules over all.”
Revelation 19:6, “Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”
Some of the most important questions of our times are: "Does God rule only in Heaven?" "Is history a runaway affair?" "Does God desire to do good but oftentimes cannot?"
Several years ago, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a best-selling book entitled, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.” In the book he writes, “God wants the righteous to live peaceful, happy lives, but sometimes He can't bring that about . . . there are some things God does not control." Rabbi Kushner's god is to be pitied instead of worshipped.
I want to go on record and proclaim from the outset of this lesson that I believe the Bible teaches that the True and Living God rules - now! He not only rules in Heaven, but on the earth, in hell, and over history! His will is being done on earth - not as it is being done in Heaven - but even that shall be brought to pass without fail.
In Daniel 4 the message is clear as to God’s dealings with the mighty king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar: "to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (4:17, 25, 32).
Repeating 3 times this assertion of God’s absolute sovereignty, left nothing to Nebuchadnezzar's imagination. He was going to learn the hard way that God reigns, that He sets up and pulls down kingdoms, that His actions in history focus on the work of humbling men in order that they may dispense with their foolish pride and acknowledge Him as their God. It is the same truth as that in which Mary rejoiced: "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly" (Luke 1:51-52).
Let’s examine Daniel 4 and discover how one great ruler in ancient Babylon learned this truth the hard way.
I. The Humiliation of Earth’s Most Powerful Ruler
A. The High Accomplishments – Daniel 2:31-39; 4:30 - The prophet Isaiah speaks of Babylon as the "glory of the kingdoms," "the beauty of the Chaldee's Excellency" (Isa. 13:19). It was Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king of ancient times, who rebuilt the city of Babylon, making it the most magnificent city the world has ever seen.
The city of Babylon was built in an exact square of 15 miles per side or 60 miles around. It was surrounded by a brick wall 87 feet thick which, according to Herodotus, was 350 feet high. On the walls were 250 towers, and the wall was thick enough to permit six chariots to drive abreast. The city was divided into two equal parts by the river Euphrates that flowed diagonally across it and its banks were walled and pierced with brazen gates at the main avenue. Outside these river walls and on each side of them and the river splendid wharves lines the river on each side of the city.
In order to please his wife, who was homesick for the mountainous country of Media, Nebuchadnezzar built her a mountain. This mountain was called "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon" and constituted one of the "Seven Wonders" of the ancient world. These gardens were 400 feet square and were raised in terraces one above the other to the height of 350 feet and were reached by stairways ten feet wide. From a distance it appeared that out of the desert a forest-covered mountain had arisen.
All these details have been provided so that when we declare God humbled Earth's mightiest ruler you will understand we were not exaggerating. Having been able to achieve so much, it is no wonder Nebuchadnezzar was puffed up with pride.
B. The Haughty Assertions - Daniel 4:30 - One day, upon surveying the city, Nebuchadnezzar felt especially proud of his handiwork and said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?" Earlier in this fourth chapter, he had seen a vision of a tree, whose height grew to the heavens. In ancient symbolism, this tree or pole represented the tree of life, the support of heaven and earth, as well as being the bond between the two. King Nebuchadnezzar saw himself as the ritual center of heaven and earth, the tree of life. He viewed himself as the sustainer, the supporter, the shelterer, the safe-guarder for his world. He was god walking the earth.
C. The Humiliating Affliction - Daniel 4:31-33 - Without a formal invitation, Almighty God intrudes into this moment of the king's back-patting with the announcement that his high opinion of himself was about to be deflated. He was about to be made realize that the Lord God Omnipotent rules over the affairs of men; that the difference between his being a genius and an insane idiot was only the good pleasure of God; that what had been given him could be taken from him without a moments notice. The king was afflicted with a disease that produced insanity. He was driven from his royal palace into the fields where he lived, ate, and acted like an animal.
D. The Headship Acknowledged – Daniel 4:34-37 - When God finished with the king, he gladly, and I believe savingly, affirmed the absolute sovereignty of God. He declared his intention to praise, honor, and extol Him, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
The Historical Application - What is your view of sovereignty? Who do you see ruling over history? There are only three possibilities: (1) Satan and His demons, (2) Man, (3) the God of the Bible.
My understanding of Scripture is that it is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, and ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory. A true recognition of God's sovereignty will declare God's perfect right to do with us as He wills.
What exists outside of God’s sovereignty? The answer is nothing. Professor Thad Williams eloquently declares, “From exploding stars to subatomic particles, from the death of sparrows to the death of his beloved Son, from sorrow to salvation, God is the enthroned King of his entire universe. He always does whatever he pleases however he pleases whenever he pleases to whomever or whatever he pleases in accordance with his holy nature. He is never surprised, and his sovereign will is never sabotaged. His will cannot be stopped any more than a pinwheel could stop a tornado, or a sandcastle could stop a tsunami. God prevails. He succeeds. He reigns. He rules. Nothing - from the pits of suffering to the peaks of salvation—lies beyond the scope of his sovereign rule. God is victorious.
That's part of what it means for God to be God. He "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11). He declared, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose" (Isa. 46:10). Job said, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). Isaiah acknowledged, "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27). The psalmist sang, "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases" (Ps. 115:3).
A.W. Pink said, "A god whose will is resisted, whose designs are frustrated, and whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity, and so far from being an object of worship, merits nothing but contempt.”
If you properly understand this, you see your task as subduing the earth and building godly nations through the evangelizing and discipling of its inhabitants. You view every area of life as sacred. Every activity of life is spiritual. Every aspect of life is to be brought under the Kingship of Christ. You see the self-governing Christian obeying the Word of God and participating in governing in the home, the church, civil government, and the school.
King Jesus is the Creator, the Controller, and the Consummator of history. No event preceded the exercise of His will, and none will succeed His determinate counsel. His rule is not subject to the voter's ballot, the assassin's bullet, nor the alluring bribe. The kingdoms of this world have already become, are becoming, and will become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign until every enemy has been made his footstool. Our God reigns now! Hallelujah!
II. The Demonstration of God’s All-Powerful Rule
The rule of God is present, powerful, perpetual, progressive, and pervasive. He demonstrates the present reality of His rule by:
A. The Delegation of His Power - Daniel 2:37-38, “You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all - you are the head of gold.
Our God gives authority to whom He will, when He pleases, irrespective of the personal character of that individual. He raises up what He calls a ravenous bird in the person of Cyrus, the Media-Persian king, to crush in chastening judgment His covenant people, the Jews. Then He in turn punishes the king for doing what He raised him up to do. (Read Isaiah 46:9-11)
Every action of the most lawless of His subject is entirely beneath His control. Men commit their own wicked deeds, only to discover that in reality they are carrying out the secret decrees of God. The classic illustration of this is in the nefarious deed of Judas in betraying the Lord of Glory. He thought he was only fulfilling his own covetous desires, yet we know, according to scripture, he was carrying out the plan that God had predetermined to occur before time ever was. (Acts 2:23, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” ;) Proverbs 21:1, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”
The devil doesn’t own nor is he running the affairs of this world. True, he holds sway over the hearts of wicked men in a world system, but he doesn't put into power whom he will, when he will. This includes the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Maos’ and all the other wicked men who have caused so much sorrow, suffering, and bloodshed. God raised up these types of individuals for a specific purpose.
B. The Display of His Power – 1 Samuel 2:6-8 - "The Lord kills and makes alive: he brings down to the grave, and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich: he brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has set the world upon them."
Our reigning God controls the laws of nature because He is the Lord of nature. He causes the Red Sea to open so that the children of Israel pass through dry-shod. Yet when the Egyptians tried to cross, He causes it to engulf and drown their whole army. He orders up a storm and then a great fish which not only swallowed Jonah, the backslidden preacher, but deposited him in the place where God intended him to go in the first place. And this, I might add, after a three-day cruise of the Mediterranean in the luggage compartment of the fish's belly.
When we come to the New Testament, time and space prevent us from reporting the numerous works of the Lord Jesus Christ - works such as healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, raising the dead, calming the troubled sea, and rising from the dead himself - all of which demonstrated the absolute sovereignty and kingship of His person.
C. The Display of His Good Pleasure - Romans 9:15 - "For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
Many people have problems with the above statement. They suggest that God isn't fair in His dealings with men. Of course, they mean by fair that God doesn't treat everyone alike, which is true. He gives some what they deserve, others receive mercy which, although it is non-justice, is not injustice. The problem is men forget that mercy is optional with God. It is not a right that we can demand. If that were the case, it would no longer be mercy but a debt that was owed us.
A remarkable example of this is found in the lives of Moses and Hezekiah. Both men received death sentences in the sense that both were told that they had only a definite period of time to live. Both sought the Lord for a reprieve of their sentences. Moses was told "no." Hezekiah was given an additional fifteen years of life.
Even today we see the display of God's sovereign good pleasure in that one person is healed and many others are passed by. One person is snatched from this life in a grinding automobile crash and another passes through a similar experience unscathed. One is given long life; another is taken after only a brief sojourn in this life.
D. The Determining of Our Persons, Places, and Positions in Life - When you get that "Nebuchadnezzar outlook" on life (proud of your accomplishments, your abilities, feeling that you are god walking the earth), pause and ask yourself a few humbling questions - questions such as: Did you have any control over your birth? Did your parents ask you if you wanted to be born? Did you have any control over where, when, and in what family, or what country, or in which century you would be born? Who decided if you would be born a genius or an imbecile? Who decides as to whether or not you will die on your bed at a ripe old age, or if you will be suddenly snatched from this earth in the prime of your life? Neither chance nor personal choice played any role in these matters. The God who rules decreed all the details of your existence!
E. The Directing of Inanimate Matter - The winds are His messenger, the flaming fire His servant; every natural occurrence is His act; prosperity is his gift; and if calamity falls upon man, it is the Lord that has done it (Amos 3:5, 6; Lam. 3:33-38; Is. 47:7; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 54:16). He speaks and the wind ceases, and the raging waves of the sea become calm. He can summon up a storm to serve as a posse, arresting a runaway prophet on an ocean cruise. The King of Glory can summon a fish to the hook of one of His disciple's fishing pole and have him open his mouth to disgorge the coin wherewith He would pay His taxes. Truly the ox knows his Owner and the donkey his Master's crib. This is my Father's world!
F. The Directing of Irrational Creatures - A raven, upon God's order, will feed Elijah, the prophet, for many days. A donkey will rebuke a heathen prophet named Balaam. A great fish will transport a runaway prophet to his appointed place. At Jesus’ word, a school of fish will rush into Peter's net and fill it to the breaking point, and this after he had fished all night without catching a single thing. God rules over His creatures!
G. The Directing of Insubordinate Men - Proverbs 16:9 – “A man's heart devises his way: but the Lord directs his steps”. Proverbs 19:21, “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it whithersoever he will.”
To those who suggest that man's free will has veto power over God's; that God cannot keep men from sinning without violating their wills, listen to Genesis 20:6: "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart; for I also withheld you from sinning against me: Therefore I did not let you touch her."
These are but a few illustrations of the fact that it is not blind fate, unbridled evil, proud men, or a powerful devil ruling the world - but the Lord God Almighty!
III. The Inspiration from Knowing that God is Large and in Charge
Someone well said, “sovereignty is not tyrannical when it is bounded by goodness. Holiness is not tortuous when it is tempered by grace. Omniscience is not taunting when it is coupled with mercy, and immutability is not suppressive when it is certain of good will. The inspiration of knowing that God rules will:
A. Produce a Spirit of Reverent Devotion to God - The "God" of most 21st Century Christians is not one who evokes reverence, but indifference. He is to be pitied rather than worshipped. He is viewed as trying to save men but cannot because they will not let Him; as wanting to prevent misfortune from occurring but isn't able to do anymore than observe from His throne in Heaven. The devil is exalted to a place of sovereignty over the world. Man is given veto power over the will of God.
It is only when one submits to the revelation of scripture, with its presentation of God as the absolute Sovereign of the universe, that a spirit of reverence and devotion is evoked. Only a God who does as He pleases and is always pleased with all that He does can produce such an attitude. The reason our worship is feeble and our witness is so fruitless is because of the miniature, mistaken concepts that we hold of God. In the words of J. B. Phillips, "Our God is too small!"
B. Produce a Spirit of Realistic Optimism - William Cowper decided to bring his frustrated, peace-less life to an end one bleak morning. His first attempt at suicide involved imbibing poison - it failed. The next morning he tried again. This time he fell on a sharp knife only to have the blade break. Failing in this method, he tried to hang himself but was found and taken down unconscious but still alive. After so many failures, he picked up the Bible and began to read the book of Romans. Here he met the God who rules and overrules in every event in His universe. Falling in glad submission to King Jesus, who had thwarted his every attempt at suicide, he penned the words of this great hymn: God moves in mysterious ways His Wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sovereign will.
C. Produce a Spirit of Rugged Determinism - Men who fear only God and who perceive that He rules over every detail of their lives do not quit because of the odds against them, nor the dangers around them, because they know the God above them has their times in His hands!
D. Produce a Spirit of Confidence and Fruitfulness in Evangelism - The God who rules has from the foundation of the world purposed to save a people for His glory from every color, class, and culture of people. He has not only ordained that a vast number be saved, but that they be brought to the feet of King Jesus as trophies of His grace through human instrumentality. As we recognize that it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God and the Word of God that people are converted, we can rest assured that our witnessing, our preaching, our tract distribution will not be in vain. God will have a mighty army of people who will be drawn by the cords of His love to bow savingly and gladly to the scepter of King Jesus' rule!
E. Produce a Spirit of Peaceful Rejoicing in the Midst of Trials and Troubles - When the believer comes to know the greatness and goodness of God, he will not be chafed by and critical of the Father's dealing with him. He will rest in the sweet peace and calm assurance that where he can't trace God's hand, he can trust his heart.
The realization that God is in control of every situation in life will provide a solid foundation for those times in which it seems as if the bottom has fallen out of everything. It will dry our tears and calm our fears. We can face today's problems, pressures, and possibilities, as well as tomorrow's uncertainties.
Are you overwhelmed by the problems and perplexities of the present? Do thoughts of the future will you with fear? Are you in a state of consternation as to the outcome of history? Is your concept of God too small? Is your God too human?
When Paul writes to Christians in the city of Corinth, he describes Jesus as the king with all of God's sovereignty mediated through him: "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Cor. 15:25-26). Good News - Death will die! King Jesus has already beaten death, and he continues as God's own king in David's line. Yet though he is a man in David's line, he is the one who is called "Mighty God, Everlasting Father" (Isa. 9:6). And he will reign until he has destroyed the last enemy - death itself. This is why the church stands up and sings, again and again, "All Hail, King Jesus." We need a king - one who is perfectly righteous, who cannot be corrupted, who is entirely good, in whom there is never any taint of evil. A King who powerfully saves and transforms his people, who come to him and gladly acknowledge his Lordship.
We have the King of Kings! All Hail, King Jesus.
other sermons in this series
Nov 3
2024
The God Who Is Omnibenevolent
Pastor: Wade Trimmer Scripture: Psalm 135:3–4 Series: Knowing God
Oct 20
2024
The God Who Rules - Part 2
Pastor: Wade Trimmer Series: Knowing God
Sep 22
2024
The God Who is Love
Pastor: Wade Trimmer Scripture: 1 John 4:7–16 Series: Knowing God