In our day we know very little about living under sovereign rule. If we look back to Israel’s first king Saul, the people were warned what it would be like. “They said, “Give us a king to lead us,” and this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” Tomorrow we will look at robbing the sovereign Lord of these things.
Yes we are aware of the monarchy in Canada but in our day “Canada's ties to the British throne are evident everywhere we look, from the Queen's image on our money and stamps to the pomp and ceremony of our parliamentary system. Canada is a constitutional monarchy and our head of state is Queen Elizabeth. But the Constitution limits her powers in government and she is generally considered a figurehead leader only.” That is not a definition of sovereignty. As with all political leaders they are constantly mocked and scrutinized and there is very little respect for their authority. This is about the same in the church. 2 Chronicles 36:16 “But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.” Psalm 89:51 “the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.” Matthew 27:29 “and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.” Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” What we see today is not new. But it goes further than just mocking, people are simply not listening and going their own way. We are very similar to Ruth 1:1 “In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.” Judges 21:25 “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” We also have a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 29:19 “When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way, they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” We are seeing the results of not worshipping our Lord as Soverign.
If we look back at what it meant to serve the king, as a Christian we are required to do the same. Luke makes it very clear as to what Jesus tells us to do. Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27 “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” If you examine the church today this is not happening. All you have to do is look at tithing. I just grabbed a couple of stats. Barna said in, “In 2007, the research revealed that just 5% of adults tithed.” Relevant magazine said, “Only 5 percent of the U.S. tithes, with 80 percent of Americans only giving 2 percent of their income. Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita, while during the Great Depression they gave at a 3.3 percent rate.” I don’t think that needs much of an explanation. Even in the 5% most are not giving 10% or more. Tithing is not giving to charities or para church ministries. Those are extras. Most people do not tithe because they have replaced God with themselves and give to their own needs. They don’t believe God will provide nor do they believe He is capable. So we go back to “In the beginning God created the universe”. Hello!!! God can’t provide for your needs. Then ask yourself how much time do you give God in daily devotion to him though prayer, bible reading, study, worship, belief, faith and trust. You can fill in the blank.
Sadly, like Israel, we also have rejected God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our King. We are not kneeling before him. We are not acknowledging God as our King. The same could be said about us that we have, “rejected God as our king. 8 As we have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods.” This is why we are desperate for God to hear our cry. There is good news because God said if you seek me you would find me. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Remember the Sabbath is every day not just Sunday morning for an hour. If we would return and honour God as holy then this will happen. Isaiah 58:11 “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Will we once again honour God as Holy or will God say to us Numbers 20:12 “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Our entrance into the Promised Land depends on whether we honour God as our sovereign Lord.
