Restoration after Great Shaking (6)
Know The Greatness & The Goodness Of God (Part 2):
“Yahweh Reigns!!!”
A. Introduction
In the midst of great shaking, God wants us to know that He reigns over all.
He reigns over all nations, all rulers, all situations, and all individuals.
Man can do nothing without His permission.
Nothing happens without His knowledge and permission
And God will work in every situation for the good of His people in all circumstances.
He will protect us, watch over us, deliver us, help us, remain with us and provide for us in all situations.
Our duty is to believe in His word and promises, cry out to Him for help, and stand firm on His word.
1. God wants us to proclaim that “Yahweh reigns” to one another and to others, before and whenever great shaking comes
God commands His people to declare that He reigns in very situation.
When we do that, we will believe in His word and will not fear or give up our faith.
Isaiah 40:9-10
9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
10 See, the Lord Yahweh [Sovereign LORD] comes with power,
and His arm rules for Him.
See, His reward is with Him,
and His recompense accompanies Him.
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
1 Chronicles 16:31
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "Yahweh [The LORD] reigns!"
2. God rules over the nations and He is shaking the nations in judgement
In the midst of the great shaking, God rules; He is in total control.
He uses the great shaking to judge the nations.
It is the nations that will tremble in fear when His shaking comes.
He has come to repay the nations for their great wickedness and evil, their injustice and unrighteousness, especially their attitude to “God’s Ancient People” (Isaiah 44:7).
Psalm 99:1
1 Yahweh [The LORD] reigns,
let the nations tremble;
He sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.
Psalm 9:5-8
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy,
You have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 Yahweh [The LORD] reigns forever;
He has established His throne for judgement.
8 He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will govern the peoples with justice.
3. In times of great shaking, God has come to bless and reward His servants
Those who serve God will be blessed and rewarded at the time of great shaking.
God will come to vindicate His people, all those who love Him and obey Him.
In fact, during these times, God promises great glory [His presence, love, power, grace, goodness and miracles] to His people, a glory never seen before on this earth.
Isaiah 40:10
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and His arm rules for Him.
See, His reward is with Him,
and His recompense accompanies Him.
Haggai 2:7-9
7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty.
4. God will be a refuge and stronghold for His people in times of distress
God will make a distinction between His people and the people of the world when His judgement comes upon the earth.
He will protect His people and watch over them during times of great shaking.
He will save them when they cry out to Him.
Psalm 9:9-10
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know Your name will trust in You,
for You, Yahweh [LORD], have never forsaken those who seek You.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
E.g. When God judged King Pharaoh and the Egyptians during the time of Moses, the people of God, living in Goshen, were spared by God.
Exodus 8:22; 9:26
But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, Yahweh [the LORD], am in this land.
The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
God will protect all His children in times of great shaking.
He will watch over all His people, if they believe in Him and remain close to Him.
5. God’s people must therefore not fear when the great shaking comes, for God is with us, to save and to deliver us
The people of the world will fear when great shaking comes.
However, the people of God need never fear, for God is with us, to help and to deliver us.
Psalm 46:1-11
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts His voice, the earth melts.
7 Yahweh of Hosts [The LORD Almighty] is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come and see the works of Yahweh [the LORD],
the desolations He has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
He burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD Almighty [Yahweh of Hosts, Chinese version] is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
6. God commands us to dwell close to Him, so that He becomes our fortress
God’s divine protection is not automatic.
God’s people must choose daily to call upon our Abba Father and seek His face and His help.
In this way, we remain under God’s shadow and receive divine protection from all diseases and disasters.
Psalm 91:1-5
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
God will speak to us by His spirit.
God’s Spirit will lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
If we obey the Spirit, we will remain in God and God will remain in us.
If we obey the Spirit, we will build God’s kingdom on this earth.
John 15:5-8
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Sin separates us from the glory, the presence and the blessings of God (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:2; Luke 15:11-15).
We must repent quickly of all sin as the Holy Spirit points them out to us, and always do what is right in God’s sight.
This will close the door to the devil to kill, steal and destroy in our lives (John 10:10).
This will also cause our fellowship with Abba Father to remain unbroken.
This will cause us to experience His love and goodness without ceasing, even in the midst of great shaking.
John 15:10-12
10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
1 John 1:6-7
6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.