by Ron Rudd
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders, of His love.
This joy we sing of is for the world! Joy is come for all mankind. “Joy to the World” has been translated into many different languages and is sung all over the world.
Over the last four weeks, we have reflected on the words of this beloved hymn. We learned that it was written as a poem based on Psalm 98—a glorious Psalm that tells us of the righteous victory of the coming Messiah. We proclaimed the joy found in worshiping the one true King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has always been and will forever reign! We were reminded how Jesus came to break the bondage of sin that we all need broken in our lives.
The final verse of this great hymn sings of the King of the nations. “Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you” (Jeremiah 10:7). One of my favorite tools from Truth78 is the God’s Glorious Names verse pack. The “King of the Nations” card reads, “God is greater than any earthly king. He is the ruler of all nations and the God of all peoples. He is the sovereign, with absolute authority over all. Though Pilate thought he had the power to release Jesus or crucify Him, Jesus answered him with the reality that Pilate had no authority except what was given to him by God (John 19:10-11). Any power any person has is given by God and limited by God. Earthly kings are subject to the King of the Nations.”
Watts reminds us that this King of Kings rules with truth and grace. What an unbelievable blessing to experience God’s grace.
He also makes the nations “prove.” John Piper says, “to prove something is to test it and see if it is reliable - as in “proving ground.” The king will not be ignored. He will compel attention. All men will prove him. They will judge him to be reliable or not. Sooner or later all the nations will face his grace and righteousness, either with faith and joy, or with rejection and misery.” (Read his full article here.)
As we reflect on the glories of the Savior’s righteousness and wonders of His love, I would like to encourage you that this joy is for the whole world. Our team at Truth78 has a great desire to tell the next generations the truth that their joy will be found in knowing, trusting in, and living lives as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. This mission is to the nations. May churches and homes around the world together sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”
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Ron is a member of the Truth78 Board of Directors. He is retired from serving as Children's Pastor, Family Ministries Pastor and Men's Pastor (not all at the same time) at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa, Ontario for 22 years. Ron and his wife Ann have been married since 1978 and God has blessed them with 10 children (six biological and four adopted) as well as 13 grandchildren.
He loves to see parents understanding their high and holy calling to raise a godly generation. Ron's desire is to see the next generation be stronger spiritually than the present generation.
