LifeSongs
Studies in the Psalms
Divine Pyrotechnics
Psalm 97:1-12
December 9, 2012
…Revelation 19:6–7 — 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many
waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns. 7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His
bride has made herself ready
…Revelation 19:11–16 — 11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is
called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and
upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself.13
And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.14 And the armies
which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.15 And from
His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of
iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.16 And on His robe and on His thigh
He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Psalm 97:1–12 — 1 THE LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. 2 Clouds and thick
darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. 3 Fire goes before Him,
And burns up His adversaries round about. 4 His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. 5 The
mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The
heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory. 7 Let all those be ashamed who
serve graven images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods. 8 Zion heard this and was
glad, And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Thy judgments, O LORD. 9 For Thou art the LORD
Most High over all the earth; Thou art exalted far above all gods. 10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who
preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown like seed
for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones; And give
thanks to His holy name.
Rejoice in the LORD’s COMING REIGN & Live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE NOW!
1 THE LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad.
3 Exhortations About the LORD’s Reign…
1. PAINT A PICTURE of the LORD’s Reign. Psalm 97:2-5
a. I don’t always see His HAND, but I can always trust His HEART (v.2) 2 Clouds and thick
darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
b. I don’t want to be His ADVERSARY (v.3) 3 Fire goes before Him, And burns up His adversaries
round about.
c. I will FEAR Him (v.4) 4 His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. When God
appeared at Sinai, all the people trembled (Exod. 19:16). Even Moses said, “I am trembling
with fear” (Heb. 12:21). Isaiah cried, “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips,
and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty”
(Isa. 6:5). Ezekiel “fell facedown” (Ezek. 1:28). Daniel “turned pale” (Dan. 7:28). Habakkuk
wrote, I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my
bones, and my legs trembled (Hab. 3:16). When you look at that picture of the LORD’s reign,
decide…
d. I will wait for Him to REMOVE OBSTACLES (v.5) 5 The mountains melted like wax at the
presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
2. LOOK FOR THE IMPACT of the LORD’s Reign. Psalm 97:6-9
---Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together (Isaiah 40:5).
a. I will acknowledge His righteousness in CREATION (v.6) 6 The heavens declare His
righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory. Matthew 24:29–30 — 29 “But
immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT
GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be
shaken,30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power
and great glory.
b. I will turn from IDOLS to worship Him (v.7) 7 Let all those be ashamed who serve graven
images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods. Romans 1:25 — 25 For they
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen …Matthew 4:8–10 — 8 Again, the devil took Him to a
very high mountain, and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;9 and he
said to Him, “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.”10 Then Jesus
said to him, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM
ONLY.’
c. I will participate in SPREADING His reign (v.8-9) 8 Zion heard this and was glad, And the
daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Thy judgments, O LORD. 9 For Thou art the LORD
Most High over all the earth; Thou art exalted far above all gods. 1 John 2:28 — 28 And now,
little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink
away from Him in shame at His coming. The way you participate in spreading His reign is by
living a righteous life now.
Paint a Picture…Look for/at the Impact…the third exhortation is…
3. CHOOSE TO RESPOND to the LORD’s Reign. Psalm 97:10-12
a. I will choose to HATE EVIL & LOVE THE LORD (v.10-11) 10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11
Light is sown like seed for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. Proverbs 6:16–
19 — 16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to
Him:17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,18 A heart that
devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,19 A false witness who utters lies, And one
who spreads strife among brothers. 1 John 3:2–3 — 2 Beloved, now we are children of God,
and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be
like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on
Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
b. I will choose to find my JOY in the LORD (v.12) 12 Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones; And
give thanks to His holy name.
Fix Your Eyes on His DIVINE FIREWORKS!
Rejoice in the LORD’s coming reign and live a righteous life now!!!
2 Peter 3:8–14 — 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be
destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.11 Since all these things are to be
destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,12 looking for and
hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and
the elements will melt with intense heat!13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a
new earth, in which righteousness dwells.14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to
be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
My dear friends, wait on the LORD to remove the obstacles in your life and while you are doing that, make
sure that you do what you already know you are supposed to be doing (and by the way, you will find that
in God’s Word); turn from that idol you have set up in your life as the source of your joy and satisfaction
and worship and serve the LORD alone; look for the light you need in the dark night of your soul that will
only be found in Jesus. Listen to Him…Walk with Him…Serve Him!
Let’s talk about the LORD’s Divine Fireworks…
1. What is the earth’s response currently to the coming rule of the LORD on the earth?
2. What will the earth’s response to the coming rule of the LORD eventually be?
3. What is it about the LORD’s work in our lives that make it look like we are surrounded by clouds and
thick darkness?
4. Why is it that we can trust God even when we don’t understand what He is up to in our lives?
5. What do idols look like in our lives today?
6. How is it that we can rejoice in the coming judgment of God?
7. What would it look like to hate evil in our lives?
8. What has God done for you that would motivate you to love Him and be loyal to Him?
9. When you think about the better days that are coming, what does that look like in your life and how
does that make you feel?
10. What would it look like in your life to be glad in the LORD?