Purer… …in heart O God!

Reign Thou My Soul Within… Who reigns in your soul? “O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart, that so desiring, we may seek and find Thee; and so finding Thee we may love Thee; and loving Thee we may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us; for the sake of Jesus Christ.” –Anselm of Canterbury

Only One Can Reign Psalm 47:5-8 – “God has ascended with a shout, the Lord, with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.”

We Serve the Lord Christ Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Revolving Thrones? What competes with God in your life for place on the throne of your heart? Money? Family? Station? Vocation? Recreation? Self?

Luke 4:8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” What was Satan’s master plan? Only God can reign. He will not share His throne.

Serving The Lord Jesus used the words PROSKUNEO and LATREUO PROSKUNEO = Kiss Toward – to revere, adore, honor. LATREUO – to minister to, do service for, render religious homage. For God to reign in our soul, we must love, honor, serve and obey Him ONLY.

Nothing Else Deserves The Throne Philippians 3:3 – “…for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” Anything else, Paul said, is RUBBISH – filth No confidence in the flesh but all in the resurrection and reign of Christ.

Our Confidence Is In The Throne of Christ Hebrews 4:14, 16 – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession….Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Great Benefits To Bowing Before God Hebrews 12:28-29 – “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Service, reverence, awe Our God is a consuming fire!

A Mess When We Try To Reign Matthew 16:26 – “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Deny Self Take up cross Follow Jesus

Folly Of Filling Soul With Stuff Luke 12:19 – [The foolish farmer], “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’” Yet, God demanded his soul that very night.

How Does God Reign In Our Souls? Through the word in our inner man James 1:21 – “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

Through Purity And Abstinence 1 Peter 2:11-12 --Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

God Will Reign Regardless Psalm 2:6 – “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” Don’t be like the foolish kings and rulers of the earth. God’s fetters are for our own good. Don’t try to cast them off.

And Every Knee Will Bow Philippians 2:9-11 --For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.