Yesterday I talked about God exposing the church for what it has become; void of power, naked and ashamed except the church doesn’t think it is powerless nor does it realize their nakedness and should be ashamed. I talked about how through this virus God has turned the world upside down almost simultaneously. I see questions like why would God allow such a thing to happen, where is God but what you don’t see is a respect for God and acknowledgement of His sovereignty, even in the church. We have seen this throughout scripture. Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.”
Unfortunately in our country (Canada and the United States) there is zero respect for leadership and is it any wonder with how our democracy is set up. One party tires to lead and the other tries to tear it down so they can lead but even still Paul tells us Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Psalm 75:1 “We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds. 2 You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity. 7 It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.” 1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. 6 The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. 10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.” Psalm 33:8 “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
Yes it can be hard to see God’s purposes in some of our leaders. News outlets, comedians and talk shows rule the airways with their ignorance and lack of respect, feeding millions to think the same way. The office of authority in the secular world as well as in the church has been rejected by most. Yes I can understand when our leaders words become fodder for conversations but unfortunately this lack of respect is also directed at God, and He is mocked. As we talked about during our Lenten journey, our enemies have infiltrated the church. In the church this lack of respect for God himself can be seen in Daniel 11:36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.” This arrogance and lack of humility has then spread though the church and the world but God is not a man and is sovereign above all, even the enemy that (has already) 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” There is no god, even satan who is greater than our God. Psalm 97:9 “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 1 Chronicles 16:25 “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” Nehemiah 9:5 “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”
The God we serve is a great king. Malachi 1:14 “I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.” Malachi also states Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ Not only does the church show contempt for God’s name, the world also does this. Even so, God is our great King and there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39 “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” Isaiah 45:18 “For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Today instead of rejecting God or mocking God or ignoring God or blaming God or questioning God, bow to our King and submit to him. He is still the King whether you bow or not. You are not in charge. Ecclesiastes 8:2 “Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. 6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery. 7 Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come? 8 As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death.” So bring honor and respect that is due our great King. Now is the time to bow. Psalm 95:1 “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.” Revelation 19:6 “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” Revelation 17:14 “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
God’s timing is perfect so put your trust in the one who created time. 1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”