Jesus Is Mighty God

December 8, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Have you ever heard the phrase “in name only”? For instance, someone might say, “He’s the boss around here in name only, but the one who really calls the shots is someone else.” We might give the title “boss” to someone just for convenience because “The guy who thinks he’s in charge” is probably too awkward to keep saying! We know the true boss by what he or she says or does, and how people respond to him or her. 

I think this is true when someone says, “God,” you might wonder just what they mean by that. Sennacherib’s field commander appeared to be confused by this, as he uses both “God” and “god” interchangeably in 2 Kings 18:19-22, 32-35. But the foretelling of the Advent of the Christ makes it perfectly clear to Whom the prophets were pointing (Isaiah 9:6-7). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

Let’s consider the title Mighty God. The word God is the Hebrew word el. It is translated many ways, but let’s find out which definition is correct in this foretelling of Jesus. 

  1. A god-like person  
  2. A mighty hero  
  3. An angel  
  4. A manmade god  
  5. The One True God 

We can eliminate “a god-like person” from Exodus 15:11.
We can eliminate “a mighty hero” from Psalm 82:1.
We can eliminate “an angel” from Psalm 29:1 and Isaiah 6:1-3.
We can eliminate “a manmade god” from Isaiah 14:12-15.

So it must mean He is The One True God! One of Isaiah’s favorite phrases is “the Lord Almighty” which he uses 61 times (e.g. Isaiah 47:4)! 

Isaiah 40 is one of the most descriptive chapters of the Lord Almighty. In here we see that…

  • He forgives sin (vv. 1-2) 
  • He is beyond description (v. 12)—holding the world’s 326 quintillion gallons of water in the hollow of His hand, fitting the 10 septillion stars of the cosmos across the breadth of His hand, and carrying the weight of the Earth (1.3 octillion pounds) easily in His basket! 
  • He is distinguished from manmade gods (vv. 18-20, 25) 
  • His strength is absolutely unrivaled (vv. 26, 28) 

How do we know these descriptive words in Isaiah point to Jesus? Look at these First Testament Scriptures compared to Christ’s First Advent: 

  • Isaiah 40:3-5 foretells the messenger who would herald Christ’s arrival. Zechariah is inspired by the Holy Spirit to make this connection to his son John (Luke 1:76-77), and then John lives this out (Mark 1:1-3).  
  • Remember that 40:1-2 says that The One True God forgives sins, which is what John the Baptizer sees in Jesus (John 1:29).  
  • In 41:10, 13-14 we read of God shining His light into darkness to set people free, which is another thing that Zechariah connects to Jesus (Luke 1:67-75). 

Jesus wasn’t God in name only, but His words and action—and the response of those who saw and heard Him—affirmed that He is the Mighty God that was foretold (John 8:48-59; Mark 14:60-64). 

Notice also how the early New Testament saints proclaimed Christ’s unique deity, stating clearly that He is the fulfillment of all of the prophetic words that point to Him as The One True God (Acts 4:8-10, 12, 18; 5:27-32). 

Peter and John said, “We are witnesses of this.” We too are witnesses of this if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We get to proclaim His Lordship by our verbal testimony and our lifestyle. As C.S. Lewis said, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great man or a moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool…or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.” 

In Philippians 2:9-11, Paul points out that Jesus has the name above every name and that every knee must bow to Him and every tongue confess that He is Mighty God! Today, let us bow our knee to Him and lift our voices proclaiming that He is Lord and God until our One True God takes us home or returns at His Second Advent. 

If you’ve missed any of the other message in our Advent series called Jesus Is…, you can find them all here. 

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Jesus Is Wonderful Counselor

December 1, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jesus made His first appearance as a fully human Man in a stable in Bethlehem. But His Advent—or appearing—had been anticipated for a long time before that. 

In fact, one of the darkest chapters in human history takes place shortly after human history began. Mankind sinned and was separated from God because of that sin. The initial separation foretold an eternal separation (Genesis 3:22), but God shines His light of hope in this darkest hour, foretelling the Advent of our rescue (3:15). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Seven hundred years before Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, the setting is still dark and getting darker. Sin is running rampant, God’s people are groping in darkness, and enemies are pressing in from every side. 

Out of the darkness, God speaks (Isaiah 8:5-10), giving us a glimpse of the Messiah’s glory. Notice the hope-filled words Immanuel (v. 8) and God with us (v. 10). This darkness is the inevitable result of not gazing on God’s glory (vv. 21-22), and yet there appears another glorious promise in a single word: Nevertheless (9:1-7). 

We get a glimpse of Immanuel’s glory in the titles that will describe our Messiah. Let’s look first at Wonderful Counselor. 

Wonder can have two definitions: 

  1. Something so extraordinary that it is hard for our finite human minds to comprehend—Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 25:1 NLT. 
  2. God’s awesome deeds: His works that leave us in absolute awe of His greatness—Jeremiah 32:17 AMPC. 

Counselor is someone who gives counsel; not just any counsel, but perfect counsel because He is omniscient (knows it all) and omnipotent (can do it all)—Isaiah 14:26-27; Psalm 139:1-6; Psalm 32:8. 

Job got a glimpse of this Awesome Counselor too in Job 42:1-6. 

Our First Testament friends only got a glimpse of the Messiah’s glory, but we have the glory revealed to us—Hebrews 1:1-3a; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:5, 14, 18. 

We have His wonderful counsel revealed to us too—Luke 5:20-26; John 7:37-46. 

And we look forward to seeing His glory undimmed at His Second Advent—John 1:47-51; Mark 14:61-62. 

As we live now between the Advents, we have the joyful privilege and responsibility to proclaim this glory to those still living in darkness—Matthew 28:18; Acts 4:30.  

See how the saints proclaimed Christ’s glory, relying on His wonderful counsel in Acts 4:13, 20, 31; 5:12; 6:8, 10; 8:6-8. This is how we are to live too (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). 

As you live between the Advents, I pray that the glory of our Wonderful Counselor will become more real to you and that it will shine out of every word you speak and everything you do! 

Check out the other posts in this series Jesus Is… here.

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Contend For People

November 10, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromise. As we wrap up this series, there is one final question that we should ask: What are we contending for? 

I believe the bottom line for Jude is that we are contending with saints for people. In other words, we have to be united in our efforts as we seek to expand the Kingdom of God. 

The first hurdle we need to overcome is eliminating the dividers. Paul told the Ephesian elders about these people (Acts 20:29-30). And Jude describes them in verses 12, 16-19 as…

  • blemishes 
  • self-serving and boasting about themselves 
  • unfruitful 
  • grumblers and faultfinders 
  • ungodly desires 
  • following natural instincts = governed by their appetites 
  • who divide you 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Jude then makes a stark distinction—saints are to be different! Saints are to be united in their love for Jesus and their love for each other. In fact, this is what Jesus said would distinguish His followers (John 13:35) and Paul elaborates on this in Philippians 2:1-4. 

In verses 20-25, Jude calls saints to live in contrast to “these men” who divide. He challenges saints to—

  • keep being built up in our faith (see also Ephesians 2:20; Colossians 2:7) 
  • praying in the Holy Spirit 
  • keeping ourselves in God’s love 
  • waiting in assurance for Christ’s imminent return 

And as we are building, praying, keeping, and waiting, we must also be rescuing people from their path toward Hell. Our battle is never against flesh and blood. Our battle is against those powers that divide and those powers that bind and blind (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:26). 

We must not get sidetracked or distracted, we must not contend in a contentious way, but we must remain united with Jesus and united with fellow saints as we seek to expand the Kingdom of God. 

If you’ve missed any of the previous messages from this series on the Book of Jude, you can find them all here. 

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The Change From “Why?” To Worship

November 5, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

On this episode of The Podcast, let’s talk about seeing something brighter in the darkest of times. 

Check out all of the Scriptures I reference in this video here. 

You may seem some glimmers of light in your dark place—like Paul did in the Roman prison—but even if you don’t see anything but darkness, make the choice to worship. I need to remind myself that God has a plan for my life and that He is working out all the details for my good and to bring glory to Himself. 

Let’s change our self-focused “Why me?” to God-focused worship as we say, “Thank You, Jesus, that You are using me to build Your kingdom!” 

You may also be interested in:

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Interceding For Others

September 22, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Sanctification (“saint-ification”) is an ongoing process that usually involves the help of other saints. We learn this by having a biblical worldview (that’s the “B”), being accountable with saints (“A”), and serving the Body of Christ (“S”). These are the things that bring out increased fruitfulness in our lives, make us more joy-full people, and enhance our testimony to others.   

What a blessing it is to be involved in all of these saint-ification things alongside other brothers and sisters. Isn’t nice to know that you’re not all alone on your journey? 

Two brothers walked up the hill to the park every afternoon to play baseball. One day a neighbor who lived near the bottom of the hill saw the younger brother pulling his older brother up the hill in a wagon. He observed this for a couple of days before he finally asked what was going on. 

The younger brother said, “My big brother broke his leg so I pull him in the wagon so he can watch us play baseball and can be our coach.” 

“He must be heavy,” the neighbor replied. 

“He’s not heavy,” the little boy said, “he’s my brother!” 

In the first brothers that the Bible shows us, we see the origin of the phrase “brother’s keeper.” Cain was jealous of the way God was blessing his younger brother, and so he murdered Able. God came to Cain and asked him, “Where is your brother Able?” 

Cain responded with another question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

The word brother is someone connected to me by blood or some other common bond. Cain used the same word for brother but then asked if He was supposed to be his brother’s keeper—his guard, helping to keep him in bounds, celebrating his victories. 

The clear teaching of Scripture is that the answer to Cain’s question is an emphatic “Yes!”  

That definition of brother’s keeper sounds a lot like the definition of an intercessor. In the Hebrew, that word mean to go to God on someone else’s behalf (Genesis 25:21; 2 Samuel 24:25). The Greek of the New Testament sounds more intense (hyperentygchano): to meet a person of the purpose of conversation in behalf of someone else. 

Remember that the Hebrew word for brother was pretty narrow? The Christians in the New Testament took the word for relative-by-blood (adelphos) and made it a synonym for fellow saint, regardless of where they are from (Acts 9:17; 2 Corinthians 13:11). 

John used Cain’s misunderstanding of brother’s keeper to show us the spiritual responsibility we have to our adelphos (1 John 3:12, 15-16). 

When we intercede for our adelphos—our fellow saints—we are participating in the same work as both the Spirit and Jesus (Romans 8:26-27, 34; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:16). 

A couple of weeks ago we looked at Philemon’s service to the Body of Christ. Look at how Paul’s intercession may have released Philemon to do this (Philemon 7, 16, 20). 

As Paul said to Philemon, I say to you—

I appeal to you on the basis of love: Be your brother’s keeper! 

Guard your adelphos, keep them in bounds, and celebrate both their righteousness and God’s blessing on their lives. 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series, you can find them all here. 

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Serving The Body

September 8, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Last week we were reminded that sanctification (or as I call it “saint-ification”) is an ongoing process that usually involves the help of other saints. There is something else we need to do with other saints: serve them. 

We are all a part of the same Body so it is beneficial for the whole Body if we care for every part of the Body (1 Corinthians 12:25 AMPC; Ephesians 5:30). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

In order to serve others, we are going to have to check our attitude. We have been called to have the attitude that Jesus had about the Church (Ephesians 5:29; Philippians 2:3-7; John 13:3-5, 14-17). 

We must all know: 

  • I have a gift—notice the phrase each of you in 1 Peter 4:10 
  • I must use my gift to serve the Body of Christ (Luke 17:10)

In the early Church, we see so much togetherness that they rewrote the definition of the Greek word koinonia (see Acts 2:42). Here’s what koinonia looks like in the Church:

(1) Testifying in church (Psalm 40:9-10 NLT) 

(2) Being present with saints outside of church. From Acts 20-28, the pronouns “we” and “us” are used over 80 times! Paul was blessed simply by Luke being with him, just as saints are blessed when you are truly with them. 

(3) Love notes when a saint is absent. The apostle John was brilliant at this. Look at his three epistles: 

  • dear children 9x in 1 John  
  • chosen / dear lady 2x in 2 John  
  • dear friend 4x in 3 John  

(4) Hospital-ity whenever it’s needed. Be a place of healing and refreshment for the saints God has placed in your life, just as Philemon did (Philemon 2-7, 22). 

What a testimony it is when we live this way (Romans 12:10, 13)! 

Remember the saint-ification process brings fruitfulness, joy-fullness, and an enhanced testimony. I love this quote from Richard Stearns, “The beautiful simplicity of our faith is that it distills down to the exact same bottom line for both the brilliant theologian and the five-year-old child: love God and love each other—period. Everything else derives from that.” 

If you’ve missed the “B” or “A” in our series B.A.S.I.C. Christianity, you can check those out here. 

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Biblical Worldview

August 25, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

The definition of salvation comes from Romans 10:9. When we believe in our heart that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and we confess that with our mouth, we are now justified. I can now stand before God just as if I had never sinned. But the Christian life is more than merely going to heaven at some point. It’s about glorifying God and pointing others to Jesus while we’re on our way to heaven. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

We are immediately justified but sanctification (or as I like to call it “saint-ification”) is an ongoing process. 

  • The sanctified life is fruitful 
  • The sanctified life is joy-filled
  • The sanctified life is a testimony to others  

Paul wrote to saints in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1) but he also called them “mere human beings” in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. Paul points out that there is a difference between viewing this life from a worldly viewpoint and a biblical viewpoint (2 Corinthians 5:16). 

A naturalistic world view is constantly shifting as new discoveries are made. A biblical worldview knows there is nothing new under the sun, that everything is addressed in Scripture. 

In order to not view this world through the lens of “mere human beings” we have to read, study, meditate on, and apply the whole counsel of God’s Word. We put it in and the Holy Spirit helps us live it out. Just like our prescription glasses won’t do a thing to correct our vision of they aren’t on our face, Scripture won’t help us navigate this world in a God-glorifying way if we haven’t put it in our heart. 

Each day before I ready my Bible I pray Psalm 119:18, which asks the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to the amazing things in Scripture. I read, I journal, and I pray over the passage that I have read. Then the Holy Spirit makes good application of that Scripture (John 14:26, 16:13; 1 John 4:6). I want to be sure to read the whole counsel of God’s Word, not just cherrypicking my favorite parts. And I always want to be going deeper (Hebrews 6:1). 

One place that we see contrasting world views—the natural worldview versus the biblical worldview—is in 2 Timothy 2:14-19. 

  • Natural worldview #1—quarreling about words 
  • Biblical worldview #1—correctly handling the Word of truth 
  • Natural worldview #2—engaging in godless chatter 
  • Biblical worldview #2—standing on the firm foundation of Scripture 

The results of a biblical worldview are amazing: 

  1. A sure foundation (Matthew 7:24-27) 
  2. The attention of others (Matthew 7:28-29) 
  3. Useful treasures to share with others (Matthew 13:52) 
  4. A strong defense against critics (Acts 6:9-10; Psalm 119:99) 

Let’s not get stuck in the “mere human being” level of a natural worldview, but let’s commit to studying our Bibles diligently so that the Holy Spirit can develop a robust biblical worldview in us. This worldview is fruitful, joyful, and enhances our testimony. 

Follow along with all the other messages in our series on B.A.S.I.C. Christianity by clicking here. 

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Eyes On The Eternal

August 18, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Most of our Royal Psalms have taken us from King David to King Jesus. Psalm 72 is a bit different because King David is speaking some of his last words as a blessing and a reminder to King Solomon. Jesus, Peter, and those in a church prayer meeting all affirmed that David’s words were inspired by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:43; Acts 1:16, 4:25), so these words in Psalm 72 are just as inspired. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

The introduction to this psalm in the NIV says “Of Solomon.” But because the Hebrew word for “of” can also be “for” and since v. 20 says these are the final words of David, I think we can say that this psalm is of David and for Solomon. 

David has received God’s promise of an heir always on the throne of his kingdom. Here is the first transfer of power, and David is foreseeing the blessing that Solomon will be to the Israelite nation because of the endowment of God’s righteousness. Those blessings for his subjects include: 

  • fair judgments (v. 2; 1 Kings 10:1-3) 
  • prosperity (v. 3; 1 Kings 10:7, 27) 
  • safety from enemies (v. 4; 1 Kings 10:26) 
  • longevity (v. 5; 1 Kings 10:8) 
  • favor (vv. 6-7; 1 Kings 10:9) 

Historically, we know of the fulfillment of these things. We can especially see it in the visit of Queen Sheba in 1 Kings 10. 

In this next paragraph, as we have seen with other royal psalms, there is a modulation back-and-forth between King Solomon and King of kings Jesus (vv. 8-11). Verse 8 is the ends of the earth rule of Jesus; vv. 9-10 are the local rule under Solomon; v. 11 then speaks of all kings…all nations bowing to Jesus as the King of kings. 

This modulation reminds us that no earthly king can ever stand-in for the Eternal King. After the static of switching back-and-forth, from our perspective at this point in history a flashback event becomes crystal clear. 

  • David gives instructions and a warning to Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-4) 
  • Solomon wields his power in Israel (2 Chronicles 1:1) 
  • Solomon falters under his power by becoming intoxicated by it (1 Kings 3:3; 11:1-4)
  • Solomon’s kingdom is diminished (1 Kings 11:10-13) 

This is not the case for our King of kings! His kingdom has no end because His rule has no end (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33). 

The devil tried to limit Jesus by offering Him a shortcut, but Jesus stood firm. So the remainder of this Royal Psalm can only be fulfilled by Jesus:

  • vv. 12-14 foreshadow the prophecy of Jesus Isaiah 61:1-2 and its fulfillment in Luke 4:21 
  • vv. 15-17 foretell all nations being blessed forever under the lordship of King Jesus 

Don’t get caught up in looking at what’s before your eyes right now. Don’t get discouraged by the voice that’s in your ears right now. Don’t get mesmerized by the glittery things of earth. Keep your focus on the Eternal King. David’s conclusion to this Royal Psalm is that we worship our King above all else (Psalm 72:18-19). 

And David’s final words should echo from our lips as well: Amen and Amen! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages on these Royal Psalms, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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God-ability

August 11, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

The last time we were together, Pastor Caleb mentioned that I was the only one he knew that put hot sauce on my eggs. But then several of you let him know that you do that too. After the service, someone told me that they like Tabasco sauce on their pizza, which isn’t something I enjoy. 

We all have different tastes. Our tastebuds are just one of the things that makes us unique creations. Unique means one-of-kind, no one else like me. We don’t need to add something like “very unique” because just by itself the word means that God made a once-in-eternity masterpiece when He made you and me. 

It’s a good thing that we are unique. I see what you don’t see, and you see what I don’t see. There are some things I know how to do well, but perhaps you struggle doing them. That’s okay because there are things you can do that I won’t have the opportunity to do. Combined together we saints make an amazing team! 

The apostle Paul understood the value of unique individuals. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

Titus was probably the one who carried Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and then had the responsibility to teach those saints how to carry out what was in the letter (2 Corinthians 2:12-13; 7:6-7, 13-15; 8:6, 16-17). Titus was the pastor that Paul sent to Crete. Paul quoted a poet who said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Titus was confident and bold to stand his ground for what he believed (Galatians 2:1-3). 

Timothy was more soft-spoken and tenderhearted, so Paul had to encourage him more (1 Timothy 4:7, 12), but he was the one who could soothe troubled spots. Timothy stepped in to help behind the scenes (Acts 18:1-5) and he was the one Paul reached out to with his last letter form prison, asking Timothy to come to him (2 Timothy 4:12). 

What a great thing it is to have unique saints in our lives! 

One person—not matter how gifted—cannot do it all. Look at Moses in Exodus 18:13-18. Even an anointed team like the 12 apostles cannot to it all. Look at Acts 6:1-2. 

These leaders recognized the need to other uniquely gifted people to come alongside them. Moses was advised to choose capable men. In other words, those with the ability to judge disputes wisely (Exodus 18:19-25). The apostles chose those who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3-6). The Greek word for wisdom (sophia) means someone with heaven-sent wisdom that also has the ability to apply that wisdom effectively. 

Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament would have been constricted if those other people hadn’t agreed to let their God-given abilities be used. 

God’s talent + My ability = God-ability

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul is specifically talking about the ability of people to give their offerings to help the growing church, but there is a phrase that I think is appropriate for any application of our gifts: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5). 

When what we do is a cheerful “get to” and not an obligatory “got to” it is noticed by everyone. Those two chapters in 2 Corinthians are filled with words like cheerful, eagerness, and enthusiasm. 

In our Hand2Hand food ministry, some people have…

  • Give-ability to give financially 
  • Shop-ability to find deals
  • Organize-ability to make all the parts work
  • Strength-ability to lift and move 
  • Deliver-ability to get the needed items to those who need them

But none of these work without availability. This is the attitude that makes our God-ability a blessing and not a chore. 

There is a place in ministry for every Christian. When you are available, God will allow the talent that He has given you to be a blessing to the Church. You benefit, the other saints benefit, and the watching world sees a living witness that will draw them to Jesus. 

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The Freedom In Fear

August 4, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Our Royal Psalms take us from King David to King Jesus. David went from the anointed king on the run from King Saul, to being king over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), to being king over “all the tribes” (2 Samuel 5:1-3; 8:15). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

David’s kingdom stretched far and wide (1 Chronicles 22:14-16; 29:10-13). This absolute control King David now wields over every nation surrounding Israel puts fear into the hearts of Israel’s enemies. Fear of David brings freedom for the people of his kingdom.

As the Sons of Korah think about this fear that brings them freedom, they look beyond their earthly king to the King of Heaven and compose this Royal Psalm recorded in Psalm 47. This psalm has majestic terminology for God in almost every verse; including, Lord Most High, great King over all the earth (vv. 2, 7, 9), God reigns over the nations; and God is seated on His holy throne. 

I’m especially intrigued by the word awesome in verse 2. The KJV says “the Lord Most High is terrible” because it does take two Hebrew words to give us the full definition of awesome. First, “Most High” is best thought of with the suffix -est: greatest, highest, noblest. In other words, there is nothing above Him. Then “terrible” is to be held in awe, to be honored, to be reverenced. 

Just as the Israelites had no fear of enemies because David was on the throne, God says the same thing to us: Because the Most High is on the throne, His people have no fear of their enemies. 

When we fear God we need not fear anything else. 

When we fear God: 

…we hate our own sin (Psalm 36:1-3) 

…we love His mercy that forgives our sin (Psalm 103:2-3, 10-12) 

…we hate sin in the world (2 Timothy 2:26) 

…we love sinners (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Acts 10:38; Jude 20-23) 

…we hate the darkness that traps people (2 Corinthians 4:4) 

…we love shining the light of King Jesus (Philippians 2:15-16) 

…we hate this life (John 12:25) 

…we love eternal life (Romans 3:23-24, 8:18)

When the people of Israel reverenced David as their king, they would be able to know his blessings. When we fear our awesome God, we will also receive His blessings. Take a look at the amazing blessings Jesus Himself—the King of kings—lists for those who reverence His awesome Kingship (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 11-12, 21)! 

God is awesome and asks us to reverence Him and then enjoy life in His freedom. 

If you have missed any of the other royal psalms we have covered, you can find the full list by clicking here. 

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