SPEAKER_00 0:03

Reverend Peter Chun is a retired ordained minister who remains very active in preaching and teaching, and he is our guest speaker this morning. Prepare your heart for this message on this, the first Sunday of Advent.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

We are entering the season of Advent. And today is the first Sunday of Advent. And Advent is a time for us to prepare ourselves to celebrate and honor, honor the birth of Jesus. It is also a time for us to remember the coming of Christ. Reflecting on the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus brings into the world. One everlasting truth about the coming of Christ in both the first and second coming is that Jesus comes to reign over all creation as well as over our lives and individually and as a church. Hence my sermon today, The Lord reigns. The Lord reigns. Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable and pleasing to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. The Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice. Our God reigns. He is almighty. Hallelujah. This is what we often sing and uh in church and proclaim Allah who our God is and how mighty He is, right? Yes. But do you tell your friends our God reigns? How great our God is, that He is all powerful. Do you? If you do, your friends will probably think that you are crazy, right? But then if we truly believe that our God reigns, why not tell people? Even as we shout aloud in church. No, I hope it is not because you are not sure of how great and powerful our God is, that He reigns over all the earth. Unfortunately for some of us, the noise and the false glitters of the world, especially during Christmas time, have deafened our ears and uh blinded our eyes from seeing God's reign, God's rule, God's power, and God's glory over all the earth. And for others, sin, pride, and life's anxiety harden our hearts and shut out His Majesty. The title of my sermon. It's not working. The title of my sermon, The Lord Reigns, is taken from Psalm 93, which was so wonderfully read out for us by Cassir. Now, this is a profound declaration of God's sovereignty, supreme authority, and dominion over all creation. Now, this phrase, the Lord reigns, appears multiple times in scriptures, especially in Psalms 93 to Psalm 100. Now the theme of Psalm 93 to 100 focuses on the sovereignty of God, emphasizing God's rule and control in both the physical and spiritual realm. Now, interestingly, the Lord reigns are the opening words of Psalm 93, 97, and 99. Let me read this out for you. Psalm 93 verse 1. The Lord reigns in NIV ESV version. The Lord is roped. He has put on strength on his belt. Yes, the world is established, it shall never be moved. And then in Psalm 97, verse 1, the Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice, let the many coastlands be glad. And again in Psalm 99, verse 1, the Lord reigns. Let the peoples tremble. He sits and throne upon the cherubim. Let the earth quake. And also, Psalm 96 verse 10 emphasizes that it is Yahweh who reigns, not any spiritual or earthly power and authority. It says, Say among the nation, tell the world, the Lord reigns. Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. God will judge the peoples with equity. Now today I will focus our thoughts on Psalm 93. Now the key theme, the key theme in Psalm 93 is that our God is eternally sovereign. He is king of all creation. And his reign is everlasting. Psalm 93 emphasizes God's majesty, mighty power, and unshakable authorities over everything. His reign is characterized by his holiness and righteousness. Now in verse 1, this is how the Psalmists praise God with great excitement and conviction. He said, The Lord's reign, he is roped in majesty. The Lord is roped in majesty and armed with strength. Indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. The Psalmist continues his praise in verse 2. Your throne was established long ago. You are from all eternity. Now in the New Living Translation, it says, Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past. In other words, God's words, God's reigns over the world started from the very beginning of creation. And it continues now in the present. And God will continue to reign forever in eternity. Now God's reign is not only eternal, it is established. In Hebrew, the word established means unchanging and steadfast. So God's reign is certain, firm, and unshakable. Because God's mighty power is unchanging. Now our God is not only the Lord over those who belong to Him, He is Lord over all creation, over all people. He is the King of all nations. Whether the people acknowledge His Lordship or not, even though the people do not acknowledge His reign, God rules over everyone, over the entire world. And His reign is eternal. You know, as we look at the history of the world, all the great civilizations from Egypt, Rome, Greece, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, the United States, China, they were strong and victorious only for a short time, only for a season. Only the King of God, Christ's spiritual kingdom, will last forever. Now in the book of Revelation, we are told that in the last days all earthly nations will be subdued before God. And the kingdom of this world has come, has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. That he shall reign forever and ever. You find this in Revelation chapter 11, verse 15. Now this is the end promise, end time promise of the victorious reign of God and Christ over all earthly powers, putting an end to human rebellion and bringing the present world to a close. Now this promise is also a trumpet call for each one of us to worship God, to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ in our everyday lives. Now the question is how should we approach this great and majestic God who reigns? What does it mean for us to worship Him as king? Well, three things we should do. First, we should put our absolute trust in Him. Second, we should come to Him in absolute submission and obedience. And third, we should approach Him with reverence, respect, and honor. Now let me expound these three efforts one by one. First, we can and should put our absolute trust in God. Now if God is King who is all powerful and absolute and in absolute control over our lives, then we should put our total trust in Him. No matter how helpless or hopeless our situation may be, should we not? Now throughout the Bible, God is portrayed as the only the one and only God. Nothing or no one can be compared to Him. He is the awesome God who is awesome God who is enthroned in the heavens and rules over all things. He established the world and guarantees its stability and permanence. Our Lord is king over all creation. And he is mightier than any spiritual, natural, and human forces. In verse 3 and 4, the Psalmist declares that nothing is mightier than God. Nothing is mightier than God. And in these verses, the flood, the mighty waters, the waves of the sea, he mentioned, represent chaos, troubles, and powerful forces that are beyond human control. They destroy everything and everyone that stands in their path. I'm sure you watch on TV the devastating calamities of rains and floods that hit so many countries recently. It was so heartbreaking to watch, right? And yet the Psalmist declares with confidence that these forces that threaten our lives may be powerful, but they are no match for the majestic kings. Hence he said in verse 4, the Lord on high is mightier, mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea. The Lord on high is mighty. Now if you look at the world, look at what is happening in the world today, we are living in times of global tension. Not just local social unrest, but global tensions. There are ongoing wars and conflicts between nations that can escalate to a third world war or worse, a nuclear war. Indeed, the world today is in chaos, in deep trouble, full of uncertainty. There is no peace inside. No country is seriously pursuing peace, nor capable of bringing peace among nations. And as a matter of fact, chaos and destructive forces continue to rob us, rob us of our well-being in life. Now in such a time, who can we turn to for help? Who can we turn to for help? Truly, besides God, no one, no world leader is able to bring peace and joy to the world. And I don't know how people can celebrate the joy of Christmas without looking to Jesus. Only God can and is able to provide for our well-being. For the Lord reigns. Hallelujah. So, church, take heart. Our great and mighty God rules over all that he has created. Before him, nations are but a drop in the bucket or dust on the scale. The prophet Isaiah aptly proclaimed in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 15: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales. Behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. My dear friends, is there a storm, a typhoon, or tsunami in your life right now that is about to crush you? Is there coming, is there one coming to you like the tsunami of retrenchment, the typhoon of a failed investment or business project, or the storm of a broken relationship? Is there a war of anxiety and depression raging inside your heart and mind, robbing you of peace and joy? If there is, what do you do? What is your solution? Now a recent report by IMH states that one in three young people, young people in Singapore, those aged 15 to 35, admitted that they experienced very poor mental health condition. They suffered from severe symptoms of stress, like irritability, depression, and anxieties, with anxiety being most common. So, my dear friends, mental health issues are becoming a common problem among Singaporeans. So, what do we do? What is the solution? Well, the Lord reigns. Our mighty God reigns. So let God be God. Let our God reign in your lives, my life. Let God have control of our lives. Give our problems to Him. He is mightier than any human, spiritual, financial forces, or any other diseases. Indeed, Jesus can come the storm in your life. In the gospel story of Jesus calming the storm, while the disciples were panicking amid a storm that could cause them to drown in open seas, Jesus rebuilt the wind and said to the sea, peace be still. And the wind ceased. And there was a great calm. Church. Nothing is impossible to him. So, my dear friends, what is required of us is first put your complete trust in God and then submit your life to him and live in obedience to his word. And this brings me to my next point. So, second point. Our God deserves absolute submission and obedience from us. The psalmist proclaims in verse 5. He said, Your decrees are very trustworthy. Holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore. Now, what this means is that God reigns over his people by his word, by what he says to us. His decrees and laws are trustworthy, truthful, and reliable. They reflect who he is. They tell us about his holy and righteous character. Now for God to read and rules in our lives, we must obey and live by his word, by his law, commands, and mandate. There is no other way. It is by his word that we know God, who he is, what is on his heart, his will and his purpose. It is through his words that we know what God wants us to do and to be. Now, as God's people, we are called to be holy, like him, to be set apart to serve his purpose. Through our lives, our conduct and values, we are to reflect his holiness and righteousness, as well as his reign and authority in our lives. Now, sadly, the Church today suffers from three crippling and even fatal diseases. Number one, Bible illiteracy. Number two, false teaching. And number three, not taking God's mandate seriously. You see, disregard for God's word has led to shallowness of faith that cannot stand the test of trials and temptation as well as the test of time. Now we also hardly hear of sermons on obedience these days. There are preachers who promise their members that they can remain as they are. No need to repent, no need for life's transformation. Just believe in Jesus and they will be saved and God will bless them abundantly. Now, church, to be obedient, we not only need to have ears that hear, we also need to have hearts that are ready to submit to God by obeying his will and his word. I like what Sadhu Sanda Singh, an Indian Christian missionary, said. He said the capital of heaven is the heart in which Jesus Christ is enthroned as king. The capital of heaven is our heart, in which Jesus Christ is enthroned as king. So well said. So my dear friends, everything boils down to our heart. Whether God reigns in our heart depends on whether his word takes priority. A heart that trusts God and has a reverent fear of him will comply his command and avoid doing anything that grieves him. Sin, unbelief, and disobedience harden our hearts towards him. So if we if we truly love God, we want to glorify and honor him with our life, don't we? If we truly trust him, we will do what he commands, don't we? Philip Keller, a pastor and writer, best known for his book, A Shepherd, looks at Psalm 23, said that many of us fail to realize that every commandment, law, precept, or principle established by God is for our well-being. His wishes and will are not repressive regulations intended to demean or diminish our enjoyment of life. He said quite the opposite. They are the definitive, definitive guidelines which, if we obey them, guarantee our ultimate welfare. Truly, our obedience or lack of it reflects how we see God. And reflects whether we acknowledge and submit to his reign and authority in our lives. And this leads me to the final point. If God is king, we should approach him with reverence. Respect and honor. Yes? So the third point is approach the heavenly king with reverence, respect, and honor. Now to be able to come into the presence of God most high and to call the majestic God Abba Father is a great privilege. A great privilege indeed. And we should not take this privilege lightly. Now we should not also, we should also not come to into his presence demanding that he gives us what we want. We should also not tell God what to do and how he should do it. Instead, we should approach him in humility, to bow down, to receive his instruction. And remember also, God, as the sovereign king, does not have to answer to us. Rather, we must answer to him. H.H. Rowley, an Old Testament scholar, in his book Worship in Ancient Israel, wrote this. The final element in worship, the first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews express this by their posture and not by their words alone, for they prostrate themselves before God. And they say, Oh, come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. They did not come with an easy familiarity into the presence of God, but were aware of his greatness and majesty, and come with a sense of privilege to his house. Church, true faith and worship is to give God the honor, respect, reverence only he deserves. Unfortunately, many of us have taken him for granted and treat him as nothing more than a vending machine to give us what we want, to bless us, nothing more than that. Now in Malachi, God confronted his people for their complacency and indifference. Let me read Malachi chapter 1 verse 8 for you. A son honors his father, a slave his master. Now, if I am a father, where is the honor due to me? If I am a master, where is the respect due to me? says the Lord Almighty. Now this is what God said to those who despise his name, to those who fail to give him the honor and respect he deserves. Indeed, he is calling out all peoples from every nation, every race, and every walks of life to himself. And for him to reign in us for our spiritual well-being and for our salvation. So, my dear friends, I want to leave with you a few questions for your personal reflections. Are you in his kingdom where he reigns? Is God's reign visible in your life? And in what way the Lord is reigning in your life? Is the Lord your king? Is the Lord my King? We need to be clear of that. So I want to encourage you to give it some thoughts during this advent season. Even as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, to honor the birth of Jesus, in whom we have hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen. May God bless you. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

Amen. We pray that you've administered to by the Word of God today. If you'd like to know more about Ishman Christian Church, please visit our website at yccanglican.com. Have a blessed day.