Introduction
1. JOKE
2. As we continue to learn our ABCs...
We come to the letter M...
M is for Majesty or majestic...
According to the Dictionary...Majesty means...
impressive stateliness, dignity, or beauty :
experience the majesty of the Rockies.
2 royal power : the majesty of the royal household.
• ( His, Your, etc., Majesty) a title given to a sovereign or a sovereign’s wife or widow : Her Majesty the Queen.
ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense [greatness of God] ): from Old French majeste, from Latin majestas, from a variant of majus, major- (see major ).
3. The word majesty or majestic appears 51 times in the Bible...
It is found in both the Old and New Testaments...
I would like us look at a brief summary of the different uses of MAJESTY.
Read Text: Deuteronomy 5:24
1. Majestic: Mountains and stars (2)
A. Psalm 68:15 says, “The mountains of Bashan (BAY shun) are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan.”
If you have ever visited the mountains...
you begin to get a sense of the word “majestic”...
I’ve seen the Appalachian Mountains...
My wife and I camped on the highest point east of the Mississippi River...
Mount Mitchell...6,684 feet
I’ve stood on the highest mountain in Alabama...
Mount Cheaha...2,407 ft.
My family and I hiked to the highest point in the Smoky Mountains...Clingman’s Dome..6,642 ft
and it took our breath away...
literally AND figuratively...
I’ve climbed some of the beautiful mountains in Ecuador...
Perhaps some of you have visited the Rocky Mountains out west...Mount Elbert is the tallest at 14,433 ft
or perhaps some of you have hiked to the top of the Northern terminus of the Applachian Trail...
Mount Katahdin...5,268 ft
The tallest mountain in the World is Mount Everest...
at 29,028 feet.
B. Whenever we see the mountains...
we are deeply moved by their majesty and their grandeur.
often, as we view the beauty of the mountains...
we are drawn to the power of God...
Even in one of our county’s beautiful songs...
America the Beautiful...
Katharine Bates wrote:
“for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain”...
And then she points to the Creator behind the majestic mountains...
“America, America, God she His grace on thee”.
In Psalm 76:4, Asaph writes that God is “more majestic than mountains”
B. Song of Solomon 6:10 speaks about the stars being majestic...
There is something about the majesty of creation...
and naturally draws us to the creator...
In Romans 1:20, Paul writes, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Paul is explaining how people can look to God’s creation...
and they begin to get a glimpse of divinity...
even someone who has never heard the Gospel...
as they look around and view the beauty and the splendor of God’s creation...
they are drawn to believe in a Higher Power.
2. Majestic: Troops with banners (2)
A. In Song of Solomon 6:4, the writer is writing a love note to his beloved...
and he writes that she is “majestic as troops with banners.”
If you have seen troops marching in full dress uniforms...
complete with guns and flags and banners waving...
perhaps you get a feeling of the splendor of that sight...
Everyone marching in order...
perfectly matched...
in unison...
it is a thing of beauty.
3. Majestic: Earthly Kings/Priests (5)
A. We see King Xerxes in Esther being described as majestic...
Countries like England...
who have a long history of royalty...
kings and queens...
they have a better understanding of majesty that we do here in the states...
There is a respect there...
There is a giving of honor there...
if nothing else...simply because of the honor of their position...
Here in our country...
we don’t really have royalty or understand royalty...
our leaders are subject to harsh judgment and criticism...
there isn’t a sense of majesty or respect from our media as they tear down our leaders...
Comedians make our leaders the butt of late night television jokes...
and really, there is a general lack of respect.
because of this, I wonder if we here in America have a more difficult time honoring God?...
We don’t have the history of giving honor and respect to anyone but ourselves...
Even in the church, we often talk about that personal relationship with Jesus...
and how God is able to draw near...
But I wonder...since we talk so much about the closeness of God...
if we have lost sight of the majesty of God?...
B. On March 23, 1743, when "The Messiah" was first performed in London, King George II was present in the great audience. When the majesty of the Lord was proclaimed by the words of the Hallelujah Chorus, King George rose to his feet to give honor and respect to the Sovereign King of the Universe...
everyone was so deeply moved that they rose to their feet as well...
and that began the tradition of standing throughout the Hallelujah Chorus whenever the Messiah is performed.
C. and then, there is the other side of the coin...
some people, when they are given respect and honor...
they begin to think of themselves as being greater than they really are...
that was the big down fall of Nebuchadnezzar...
and one of the uses of the word “majesty” in Scripture...
is found in Daniel 4:30, where Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace...
and he proclaimes, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"
And even while he was still speaking...
God answered in a loud voice...
and took it all away from him...
and Nebuchadnezzar when from King to cow...
eating grass in the field...
growing long hair and claws...
and living out in the elements like an animal.
4. Majestic: goddess (1)
A. In Acts 19:27, Demetrius, a silversmith selling silver idols of the goddess Artemis...
was concerned that Paul’s preaching about the Only True and Living God would begin to cut into their business...
and so he calls the other tradesmen together and says,
There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Now, I’m fairly certain that Demetrius and the others were more concerned about their loss of income than they were about Artemis losing some majesty...
B. Certainly, from the earliest days...
people created gods and godesses made of stone or wood...
and gave credit to them the things that GOD had done....
the were attributing majesty to the wrong God...
5. And finally, we save the best for last...Majestic: God (41)
A. At least 41 times in Scripture, we see the word majesty or majestic directly related to God...
The first 2 appear in Exodus chapter 15...
after the Children of Israel miraculously escaped Pharaoh’s army when God parted the Red Sea.
"Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power.
Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty
you threw down those who opposed you.
And then, just a few verses later, in verse 11...
"Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?
Who is like you-- majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory, working wonders?
B. In our text in Deuteronomy...
After God descended upon the Mountain in fire and glory...
and Moses received the 10 Commandments...
this was the people’s response...
"The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty,
and we have heard his voice from the fire.
Today we have seen that a man can live
even if God speaks with him.
In Deuteronomy 33:26, it says,
“There is no one like God...
who rides on the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty.
And 1 Chronicles 29:11...
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory
and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
C. Now, I’m not going to take the time to read all 41 references to the majesty of God...
I just want you to begin to get a glimpse of it...
God’s majesty speaks to His POWER...
God’s majesty speaks to His HOLINESS...
God’s majesty speaks to His GLORY AND SPENDOR...
God’s majesty speaks about the glory of His creation...
More than the mountains...
more than the stars...
more than earthly kings and kingdoms...
more than a great marching army in all its splendor...
God’s MAJESTY is over all!!!
Scripture proclaims it...
God’s Creations proclaims it...
and God’s people most certainly should proclaim it...
Conclusion
1. Well, we are exactly 1/2 way through the alphabet...
We have been learning our Biblical ABCs since October 2006!!
M is for Majesty...
We certainly get a sense of majesty when we see the mountains...
We certainly get a sense of the respect and honor that earthly kings and queens receive...
We may get a sense of majesty from a mighty marching army...
But I trust that all of these would just point us to the overarching majesty of God.
