Introduction
You aren’t worldly enough. I realize I’m being a bit coy in saying that. But one of the besetting sins of modern Christians is that of embracing the doctrine of escapism. The attitude towards the things of this earth is that its enjoyments aren’t for us and its engagements are none of our concern. This has caused one witty skeptic of the faith to quip that Christians are “haunted by the fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Make no mistake, you are obligated to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.” That duty is in force, however, precisely because the Risen Christ is Lord of this earth, and all of it is His.
The Text
The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Psalm 24:1
Summary of the Text
This Psalm was likely composed by David for the bringing of the Ark of Covenant into Jerusalem (Cf. 2 Sam. 6). It is, in other words, an enthronement Psalm. This was easily incorporated by the early church as a Psalm for commemorating the Ascension of Christ to the Father’s right hand. Additionally, the language of verse two is reminiscent of the creation of the world. Hold those three moments together: the creation of the world, the bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem, and the Ascension of Christ.
First, the earth which was made by the Lord is His lawful possession, this includes all its inhabitants. Yet in David’s time, very few of earth’s inhabitants served the One True God, even the chosen people had their dodgy moments. In this Psalm, David insists that in the covenant worship of God, the Lord is not only acknowledged as the rightful King of His people, but He exercises His reign over us entirely. Right worship, then, cannot be confined to the public worship of God, for in our worship God makes a claim of Lordship over the fulness of the earth and its citizens.
This is where the Ascension of Christ comes in and ties together the creation imagery and the enthronement imagery. Christ ascended bodily to the Father’s right hand. In so doing, He asserts that His New Creation work has begun and He is the lawful King over every aspect of this New Creation. The right worship of the Living God cannot be separated from His works of creation and re-creation, nor can it be separated from His lawful governance over all things.
Paint Thinner Piety
The application of this verse is simultaneously plain as the day is long, and exhaustive. If the whole of the earth is the Lord’s (as its Maker and Only Redeemer), then its inhabitants owe Him obedience in all spheres of human existence. The application of this text runs in two directions, that I want to touch on. First, this reality changes how you as a redeemed saint ought to relate to “the things of earth.” You might call this “thick vs. thin piety.” Secondly, it ought to comfort you in regards to Christ’s relation to this earth. You might call this a “narrow or broad circumference” for Christ’s governance.
In the broad evangelical world there is a tendency to pour the paint thinner of piety into the enjoyment of this world. We are suspicious of the pleasures found in this world. And certainly, the modern world has many instances of unrestrained hedonism. But Christian’s have often responded to the carnal lusts of this world by attempting to float three inches above the ground. “No lips that touch liquor will touch mine,” and similar sentiments are downstream from a overwrought pietism overreacting to ungodliness. However, the solution to ungodliness is not to water down earthly blessings. As one playwright once quipped: “Mrs. Baker is a woman who has managed to find a little misery in the best of things. Sorrow and trouble are the only things that can make her happy.”
Rather, returning to our text, if the earth is the Lord’s, and if Christ is the redeemer of it, we should not confine our worship to a few tunes each Sunday. Your worship of the world’s redeemer is displayed in your lawful enjoyment of and subduing of this world. Christ is Lord of the world. You have trusted Him. He is making all things new. This means you are to receive it all with gladness. It is not more pious to pray long prayers than it is to build a useful app, plow a field, change a diaper, cook a glorious feast (Mk. 12:40, Col. 3:23-24). True piety is thick as those fluffy Sunday morning pancakes. Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, and therefore, in reverent service to Him worship Him gladly in true faith.
Have you trusted in Christ? All your sins are forgiven. Have you been baptized into Christ by faith? Then you have received the Holy Spirit as the earnest of your inheritance. Your inheritance is the redemption of your body and the remaking of this earth. The meek shall inherit…what? Euphoric feelings up in a disembodied fourth dimension? The meek shall inherit the new creation.
With all this in mind, what should be your posture to the gifts which God has given? Gifts like wealth, children, sunburns from long hikes in the Colorado Mountains, intimacy with your spouse, wine, double bacon cheeseburgers, Sunday afternoon naps, family movie nights, and above all the gift of Word & Sacraments each Lord’s Day. These gifts are to all be received with grateful faith. Without a twinge in your conscience. If you feel guilt about receiving these gifts it means you either are guilty of ungodly indulgence, which you should repent of, or you have fallen into the pietists trap of despising the good gifts of the Lord, which should also be repented of. The earth is the Lord’s, so subdue it (Mt. 28:20, Gen. 1:28) and enjoy it (1 Cor. 10:26).
The Circumference of Christ’s Lordship
While evangelicals have tended to thin out the blessings of God, they’ve also tended to narrow the scope of what we mean by saying, “Christ is Lord of all.” Often that statement is confined to some future event. For now, He is just Lord of the warm fuzzies you feel during a nice worship song, or a comforting passage of Scripture during your daily Bible reading. But when Scripture speaks of Christ’s Lordship, it speaks in universal terms.
You’ll often hear folks claim to be Christ-centered or Gospel-centered. Ironically, this is often used as a way to wriggle out of applying the Gospel in all directions. No creed but Christ is a common cliché, but that is, itself, a creed. Ask yourself, what is the right circumference for the extent of Christ’s dominion? Does it stop at the end of your morning coffee and Bible reading? Is it confined within the walls of the church? Is it not allowed in the halls of Congress? Do Swiss banks get to stand outside the jurisdiction of Christ’s Lordship? What about research labs in Wuhan, do they have to comply with the laws of justice which the Word of God lay down for us?
Christ’s ascension to the Father’s right hand assures us that all authority has been given to Him, and He has bequeathed to us the duty of discipling the nations to obey everything our King has commanded. Church, State, and Family government are all to arrange themselves and salute when the King draws near. In both our public and private worship, we celebrate the enthronement of Christ over all things. This being the case, we are not only compelled, but also empowered by His indwelling Spirit to order all things in submission to the covenant word of our Lord. No exceptions. No loopholes. No carve-outs. For this earth and its citizens are the Lord’s, every square inch of it.
