Psalm 118, and I'll read verses 15 through 24. Verses 15, can you guys hear me? Psalm 118, 15 through 24. I think we just switched mics, are we good? A little more, may, or not? Can we get some more volume? Is that better? All right. Psalm 118, 15 through 24.

Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous. The Lord's right hand has done mighty things. The Lord's right hand is lifted high. The Lord's right hand has done mighty things. I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness. I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks for you answered me. You have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. So this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

That is quite possibly one of the most familiar pieces of scripture in the world. You see it everywhere. including on places like coffee mugs, and quoted when the weather's nice outside, this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. It is used as a gentle reminder just to be positive in life. But that is not what this verse is about. Psalm 118, especially that specific verse, is not a greeting card. It is not a coffee mug. It is not meant to be sentimental. It is not meant to remind us to be grateful for the circumstances that surround us today in this world. It is not shallow optimism. Psalm 118 is a victory song. It is written after conflict, after rejection, after suffering and deliverance. It is the sound of someone standing on the far side of the battle saying, God has done exactly what he promised. And nothing can undo it. And when we flatten this verse to be happy today, we miss something far better, far stronger, and much more sustaining.

Let's read that verse, the verse around 118, starting in 22. It says, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. This day is not connected to the, is directly, excuse me, if you'll notice this, the day is connected directly to the lines right before that. It says, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. This is something the Lord has done and is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day. So when he's talking about this is the day, speaking directly about those two lines right before that, the stone which the builders had rejected has now become the capstone. now become, not will become. It has happened. It is finished. This is the day the Lord has made.

It is not, it is not about a calendar day. It is about an era, a time. This, we live in this day. The day when death was defeated. The day salvation was purchased and secured. The day the rejected Christ, the rejected stone, is now the capstone on the throne of eternity. And here's the key. That day doesn't end. We have entered the final day. Christ is reigning. This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Christ is on the throne. We're not waiting for Christ to reign. We're not hoping that he will eventually take the throne. He reigns now. and that's where everything changes. That's what matters. Christ did not merely accomplish salvation and say, well, I did a great job. Time for me to step aside. He finished the work and didn't leave us to figure things out after that. He finished the work and then Scripture says He is seated on the throne. He is ruling. He is currently interceding for us. He is reigning until all enemies are made to be a footstool under His feet. And it says this over and over and over in the Scriptures.

In Acts 2.32 it says, This Jesus that God raised up, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God. God has made him both Lord and Christ. It doesn't say will make him, it says has made him. Acts 5.30 it says, God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior. I forgot the way this is printed. I skipped a whole page, didn't even realize it. And it worked.

So stepping back a little bit, Jesus himself actually talks about this in Matthew 21. He says, after being rejected by the religious leaders, Jesus quotes the psalm and says, I am the stone. He said, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. He is saying plainly, this psalm is about me. Peter echoes this in Acts 4. The apostles build their entire theology on it. The early church reads Psalm 18 as resurrection language. Psalm 118 says, this is the day the Lord has made. It means the day that the sin was dealt with.

So moving back to where I was, where I was going through all these points in scripture where it talks about Christ and where he currently is. It says in Psalm 110, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. In Hebrews 1.3, it says, after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Once he finished his work, he sat on the throne and rules. Hebrews 8.1, it says, we have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven. Not will be seated, he's there now. Matthew 28, all authority, and this is from Christ himself, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me. Not partial, and not even future tense. He sat there and said, it's all mine. I have been given authority over everything. And then in Ephesians it says, he raised him from the dead, seated him in his right hand for above all rule and authority and put all things under his feet.

That means nothing. What does that mean personally for you? We talk a lot about what it means for God's people. What does it mean for you while you live here? It means that your life is not in a vacuum. Nothing unfolds outside of the authority of Christ. He rules. Over and over and over the scriptures tell us He is reigning over the world. Nothing threatens his plan. Your individual difficulties in life, your sufferings, they're real. But they're not some rogue event that's happening outside of God's control. Your fear that you feel is real. And sometimes it's really loud. But it does not have the final word. Because the throne is occupied. Because the throne is occupied, everything else we experience is secondary. Because Christ is on the throne.

And what I really enjoy and really, it kind of hit me about this scripture is it says, not only does it say, the Lord, this is the day the Lord has made. and then doesn't stop there and say, and feel good about that or rest in it. He says, and rejoice and be glad in it. He doesn't just stop at the information. He says, now that you know, you know, relax, everything's good. So he says, rejoice, celebrate. And why wouldn't we? We've been saved. It is not a coincidence that everything we ever read about the people that are in heaven as far as the angels and the people that are there, what are they doing? They're rejoicing. They are singing his praises over and over and over because they can't do it enough. Because they truly understand the gift they've been given. so much more than we do. They understand what they've been saved from. And they understand fully, not just through the veil like we see things, fully who they were, and where they were headed, and who saved them, fully and completely on his own, and what do they do for eternity. They rejoice. because they get it. And this is God telling us to do the same. You live in the day where the savior of your soul is on the eternal throne and will never step off of it. Rejoice, no matter what's happening in your day-to-day life. Be glad. Your savior rules. It doesn't say feel better when you can, smile if things improve, cheer up eventually, celebrate. You've been saved. And your savior is the ultimate authority. which means your salvation can never be changed, it can never be taken away, and God's rule will never end. Joy is not pretending life is easy. Joy is refusing to let the hardship pretend that it's final. God commands joy because joy declares that Christ reigns. It declares that the outcome is settled. The verdict is in. Your future is secure. So when I was talking about this to myself, because I do that, as I was thinking this through, one of the aspects of my life that I use, that I feel kind of mirrors this, is that I've learned over the last few years to be less intimidated by things, just because I've used the idea of if I go into a work meeting, or a difficult situation with someone that might be intimidating, or a situation where I feel like I'm not fully prepared, or that I might fall short. Instead of going into that situation with fear, I've learned to go into that situation with happiness, enjoying what I'm doing, at the opportunity to learn, at the opportunity to grow. And this mirrors this theological aspect of what I'm talking about. The most important thing, the most important thing that could happen for me has already happened. So what in this life is worth getting worked up about? It's also temporary and it all, I mean, it's just like a vapor. Gone. The minute you see it, it's over. It really makes day-to-day life a little easier, and some days a lot easier, when you remember what truly matters. My helpless estate has been taken care of by the blood of my Savior who now sits on the throne. It's such a gift. Obviously, day to day it's a gift for us to be able to keep that in our minds, but eternally, a gift we won't truly understand until we're there. And at that point we will have no problem convincing ourselves to rejoice and be glad in it. Christ's death on the cross has already happened. Christ's victorious resurrection has already taken place. The throne is filled. Christ is the ruler over all, and anyone for whom Christ paid their price is in no danger. Danger is not a factor for them anymore. It is not only safe from, that person is not only safe from God, they are adored by God. That's the power of what Christ has done for you. You didn't go from someone who was severely guilty and an enemy of God to someone who's been acquitted. You went from an enemy of God to a child of God. loved and adored and celebrated when you come home. That is the power of what Christ has done. Everything else, important as it may feel in your day-to-day lives, falls miserably short of this ultimate importance.

Now this doesn't make our day-to-day lives trivial, we still have to live them. But it does make them lighter. It gives courage, it gives steadiness, it gives a quiet understanding or confidence. Not in you and your ability, just in that what truly matters is taken care of. It is well with your soul.

God's people have the capstone that we talk about here as their foundation. That's our difference in this world. Our foundation is the capstone. What many others trip over or reject is our actual foundation. The word foundation is used all the time to describe Christ. Build your home on a rock, not the sand. Everything around you might seem erratic and ever-changing and no way to know what the future holds because everything is constant. But your foundation never changes. Your foundation is the capstone. Your foundation is the Son of God. who rules from the eternal throne. Your foundation is Christ himself.

And notice in the language of Psalm 18, it says, this is the Lord's doing. I love that too. It doesn't leave it to, even to interpretation. God is sovereign. I mean, it is so clear through the scriptures that God is sovereign in everything he does. And I love it when he just takes the time to tell us that in plain words. This is the Lord's doing. This is not our doing. This isn't even partially up to us. It is not earned. It can't be achieved. This is the Lord's doing. Both the rejection of the stone and the promotion of it to the capstone. It doesn't say that just the good part is the Lord's doing. It says the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. The Lord has done this. All of it. The rejection was part of the plan. Both the rejection and the taking of the throne. God did it.

Salvation is sovereign grace from rejection to the resurrection to his current reign. Sovereign. Which means your standing before God does not rise and fall with your emotion. It doesn't rise and fall with your performance. It is 100% dependent on what Christ has done. His coming here, His rejection, His death, His resurrection, and His current position on the throne of eternity. That is what your salvation depends on. There is no rise and fall in that. It is on the sturdiest foundation there has ever been and will never change and can never be undone. It depends on a perfect Savior who does not fail, does not waver, and will never not be on the throne.

And because He is perfect, your rejoicing, your gladness does not need to be timid or fragile. We can be confident in our joy. We can be confident in our gladness because it's in Him. This is the day the Lord has made. Be glad in it. Rejoice. Rejoice in Christ. Let it lift your heart.

So when scripture says this is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it, it is not saying try to enjoy today. It is saying live in the light. of the day that God has made for you. Live every day with the fact in your heart that Christ reigns. You can rejoice when life is heavy. You can rejoice when the answers you're looking for are hard to find or coming slower than you'd like. You can rejoice when your road is hard, which it will be. Some days your road will be really, really hard. But you can rejoice, because you are living in the day that the Lord has made, where he has placed his perfect Son and your Savior on the throne. Not because things are easy, but because the King is seated. And nothing outranks that. So rejoice, be glad, Christ has won. Your Savior reigns over everything. This is the day the Lord has made. And it will never be undone.

Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for these words. We thank you for what you've done for us. For creating a day where our Savior rules. Where we have nothing to truly fear. We have no real danger for our souls. None. You have made it this way. We ask, Lord, that you'll be able to keep us in a place where we can remember this throughout each day. Help us to rejoice and be glad in it.

But we are so grateful in the fact that even the days that we lose that ability to rejoice and be glad in it, because we are so much flesh, it changes nothing. It changes nothing about what has been accomplished. That this is still the day you have made and your son, our Savior, is still on the throne. We thank you for all of it. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can take out your course or your hymnal and turn to number 707.