WEBVTT 00:00:04.490 --> 00:00:07.290 We who know Christ as Savior have so much to 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:12.929 look forward to, don't we? Would you please turn 00:00:12.929 --> 00:00:16.949 in your Bible to Psalm 24 for our study today? 00:00:18.730 --> 00:00:23.489 Psalms 22, 23, and 24 form a trilogy of sorts. 00:00:24.829 --> 00:00:28.210 Each, of course, is distinctive in its messianic 00:00:28.210 --> 00:00:31.969 tone, and yet together they form something of 00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:36.270 an outline of Messiah's work. In Psalm 22, we 00:00:36.270 --> 00:00:41.649 have his past work, dying and rising again. In 00:00:41.649 --> 00:00:46.109 Psalm 23, his present work, that of leading his 00:00:46.109 --> 00:00:50.770 people. In Psalm 24, his future work, that of 00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:55.810 reigning as sovereign. In Psalm 22, we have his 00:00:55.810 --> 00:00:58.909 work as prophet. Psalm 23, his work as priest. 00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:03.929 Psalm 24, his work as the king. In Psalm 22, 00:01:04.049 --> 00:01:08.969 we see the Savior's cross. In Psalm 23, we see 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:13.870 the shepherd's crook. And in Psalm 24, the sovereign's 00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:18.530 crown. And it is Psalm 24 that we look at today. 00:01:19.849 --> 00:01:21.969 The earth is the Lord's and all it contains, 00:01:22.129 --> 00:01:25.549 the world and those who dwell in it. For He has 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:28.930 founded it upon the seas and established it upon 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:32.250 the rivers. who may ascend into the hill of the 00:01:32.250 --> 00:01:36.750 Lord, and who may stand in his holy place, he 00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:40.090 who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:43.010 not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not 00:01:43.010 --> 00:01:46.629 sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing 00:01:46.629 --> 00:01:48.870 from the Lord and righteousness from the God 00:01:48.870 --> 00:01:52.450 of his salvation. This is the generation of those 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:56.689 who seek him, who seek thy face, even Jacob, 00:01:57.010 --> 00:02:01.519 or perhaps even like Jacob. Lift up your heads, 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:04.819 O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:08.060 the King of glory may come in. Who is the King 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:11.840 of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:15.080 mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:17.500 and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:21.099 of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:30.370 The Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory. and 00:02:30.370 --> 00:02:33.090 historical background which centers most probably 00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:37.129 upon the Ark of the Covenant. You may remember 00:02:37.129 --> 00:02:40.669 from Exodus chapter 25 that the Ark of the Covenant 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:44.250 was the focal point of the whole tabernacle that 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:48.389 God ordered the Israelites to build. The Ark 00:02:48.389 --> 00:02:51.210 of the Covenant was a box made of acacia wood 00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:55.330 that was overlaid with pure gold. It was a box 00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:58.740 three feet nine inches by two feet three inches 00:02:58.740 --> 00:03:03.500 by two feet three inches. The top or the lid 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:07.580 of the box was made of pure gold. On the ends 00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:11.080 beaten out of that gold lid were two seraphim, 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:14.199 with their wings spread out and with their faces 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:18.699 looking down upon the top of the box, which was 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:22.800 called the mercy seat. Within the box were to 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:26.349 be placed certain contents. The two tablets of 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:30.110 the Law of Moses were there, the rod that Aaron 00:03:30.110 --> 00:03:35.750 used, which budded, and a pot of manna, that 00:03:35.750 --> 00:03:38.250 miracle food that God provided for His people 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:42.669 in their wilderness journey. But as too often 00:03:42.669 --> 00:03:47.169 happens, that which God gave to represent Him 00:03:47.169 --> 00:03:50.330 to the people became the object of worship itself. 00:03:51.799 --> 00:03:55.439 Their faith began to be placed in this relic 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:59.479 rather than in the Lord We see this for example 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:04.000 in first Samuel chapters 3 & 4 when the Israelites 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:07.520 after they had gotten into the land Got into 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:09.919 a war with Philistines and were beaten badly 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.680 And they said we need to get the ark of the Lord 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:14.759 and bring it down thinking that that ark had 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:18.339 some kind of power They were rather superstitious 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:21.420 about it And so they brought the ark down to 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:26.980 Shiloh, or from Shiloh, to the battle. But the 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:30.379 ark was taken from them by the Philistines. The 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:32.720 Israelites were beaten back and they got their 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:37.480 hands on this religious object. And yet God honored 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:39.839 that object and you may recall the story, some 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.220 of it rather humorous in fact, about how God 00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:45.660 plagued the Philistines because they had in their 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.100 possession this ark of the covenant. Finally, 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:51.040 the Philistines decided the best thing they could 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.180 do with it was to get it back to the Israelites 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:56.439 because it caused nothing but problems for them. 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:00.959 And so they arranged that. And the ark ended 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:04.540 up in the house of Abinadad, according to 1 Samuel 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:08.259 chapter 7 and verse 1. And there it was kept 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:12.060 for many years, until the days of David, when 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:15.550 he reigned as king. And it was in his heart that 00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:18.470 he might return or take the ark of the covenant 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:21.569 from where it had rested for those years in the 00:05:21.569 --> 00:05:25.029 house of Abinadab up to the city of Jerusalem, 00:05:25.149 --> 00:05:27.889 which was now to be the capital city of his united 00:05:27.889 --> 00:05:31.670 kingdom. We read about that in 2 Samuel chapter 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:33.310 6, and I'd like for you to look at that with 00:05:33.310 --> 00:05:36.910 me. Because I think this was probably the occasion 00:05:36.910 --> 00:05:44.120 that caused the writing of Psalm 24. 2 Samuel 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:50.540 chapter 6, and we look in verse 12. Now it was 00:05:50.540 --> 00:05:53.300 told King David, saying, The Lord has blessed 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:57.240 the house of Obed -Edom, that's the same one 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:01.079 as a benedab, and all that belongs to him on 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.620 account of the ark of God. And David went and 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.600 brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:11.100 -Edom into the city of David with gladness. And 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:13.540 so it was that when the bearers of the ark of 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:17.259 the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:20.740 ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:23.319 the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:26.740 a linen ephod." And you can go on and read about 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:29.899 how the celebration occurred as the ark arrived 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:33.959 at the city, the city walls. Now if you think 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:36.519 about the language of Psalm 24, you can almost 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.620 see the procession arriving there. and the people 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:42.180 on the walls perhaps shouting out, who is the 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:45.139 king of glory? And those bringing the ark saying, 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:50.019 the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory. Quite 00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:53.819 a dynamic and dramatic moment as the ark of God 00:06:53.819 --> 00:06:58.879 arrived in the city of Jerusalem. But Psalm 24 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:03.399 has also a prophetic significance beyond David's 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:06.939 day. We want to talk about that at least in part 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:10.029 this morning. As we think about the King of Glory, 00:07:10.129 --> 00:07:13.470 who is the King of Glory? The answer to that 00:07:13.470 --> 00:07:19.310 question is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the 00:07:19.310 --> 00:07:24.550 victorious King of Glory. And in Psalm 24 we 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:29.730 have three works of the King of Glory. First 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:33.069 we see the King of Glory is the Creator, verses 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:39.540 1 and 2. His is the work of creation. His title 00:07:39.540 --> 00:07:42.839 deed of ownership embraces what is called here 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:49.980 the world and the earth. The earth refers to 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:53.540 the vastness of the created planet and all that 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:57.600 it contains, taking into account its resources 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:02.019 of water and fuels, minerals and all of the essential 00:08:02.019 --> 00:08:06.839 elements, the riches of its precious gems and 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:10.480 metals. The varieties of its plant and animal 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:13.779 life, its sea creatures, its insects, everything 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:18.439 that could be a part of the earth is embraced 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.639 here in the first part of verse 1 as belonging 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:26.839 to Him. But also included is the world and those 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:31.000 who dwell in it. The word world refers to the 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.240 civilized inhabited parts of the planet with 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:39.360 all of the peoples. that dwell anywhere on the 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.919 globe that make up a part of its population. 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:45.840 This verse says that the king of glory is the 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:49.899 owner of all. All of the earth and all of its 00:08:49.899 --> 00:08:54.700 peoples belong to him. Before I go any further, 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:56.759 there are two observations that I would make 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.820 regarding this. Number one, man is a steward 00:09:00.820 --> 00:09:07.159 of what belongs to God. We have deeds that say 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:10.220 a certain piece of ground might belong to us. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:15.179 Or we may have registration titles to certain 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:19.460 pieces of the planet or certain gems or a certain 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:23.519 amount of gold or silver. But the fact is that 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.639 when we die that belongs to somebody else. And 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:28.740 when they die it belongs to somebody else. The 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:33.620 ultimate owner of all things is the Lord. However 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:37.179 you look at it, A person, a man or a woman, is 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:42.100 but a steward, and that's all that we are. We 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:47.399 have it for a period of time to use it, and then 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:52.659 we pass it on to others. We are stewards, but 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:56.200 we are stewards. I don't know that I've ever 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:01.529 preached a message On our responsibility as God's 00:10:01.529 --> 00:10:04.450 creation for this to be good stewards of the 00:10:04.450 --> 00:10:07.730 resources of this planet I'm not sure that's 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:09.649 worth a whole message. Maybe it would be in the 00:10:09.649 --> 00:10:13.049 right context But the fact is that we are to 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:15.649 be good stewards of the resources that God has 00:10:15.649 --> 00:10:19.750 put into this planet We are to remember that 00:10:19.750 --> 00:10:23.110 the environment as it is is given to us and that 00:10:23.110 --> 00:10:27.799 we ought not to pollute it And yet we are very 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:30.879 well known for that, especially in our society 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:34.299 where we have so much throw away and we have 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:38.360 so much excess. We are stewards of that which 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:42.980 belongs to God. But then there is a second observation 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:46.659 I would make and that is that every person, every 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:51.159 person has the brand of the eternal, infinite 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:57.340 God upon him. That gives value to all of life. 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:02.019 However early that life be in the womb, however 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:07.059 old that life be in some home or hospital, however 00:11:07.059 --> 00:11:11.059 far off that life may be from what we call civilization, 00:11:11.940 --> 00:11:15.399 every life has value because it has the brand 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:21.759 of God upon it. The world is the Lord's and all 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:28.320 of those who dwell in it. That has a lot of practical 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.139 application to some of the issues that we're 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:34.399 facing today. We have to go on. I want you to 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:38.899 notice that His ownership of all is based upon 00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:42.299 His rights as the Creator. For He has founded 00:11:42.299 --> 00:11:44.740 it upon the seas and established it upon the 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:48.519 rivers. It is God who caused the dry land and 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.159 the water to be separated and who set the boundaries 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:53.899 for them in the laws of nature that He established. 00:11:55.810 --> 00:12:00.950 Because he is the creator of all that is, he 00:12:00.950 --> 00:12:04.529 is the owner of it. It is his by right of creation. 00:12:05.850 --> 00:12:08.809 And so we see that the King of Glory is the creator 00:12:08.809 --> 00:12:12.470 and he is to be worshiped as the creator. He 00:12:12.470 --> 00:12:17.570 has not created himself, nor is he in creation 00:12:17.570 --> 00:12:22.909 in the sense of pantheism or the New Age theology, 00:12:23.629 --> 00:12:26.419 if I can use that term. Philosophy is a better 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:30.840 word. He is separate from the creation, but he 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:34.399 brought it into existence. And because he is 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:38.139 its creator, it all belongs to him ultimately. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:42.379 And we are stewards of the material world in 00:12:42.379 --> 00:12:45.759 which we live. And we ourselves have the brand 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:52.139 of the eternal God upon us in our spirit. A second 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:55.019 work that I see in Psalm 2 of the King of Glory 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:59.700 is that of salvation. The King of Glory is the 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:03.580 Savior. This great Creator that is described 00:13:03.580 --> 00:13:08.580 in verses 1 and 2 is also holy. He dwells in 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:11.179 His holy place according to verse 3. And the 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:15.039 question is asked, who is qualified to come into 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:19.200 His presence? Now, as David penned these words, 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:24.559 he may have had in mind Uzziah, or rather, Uzzah. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:29.799 Uzzah. For you'll recall that just previous to 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:32.679 the bring of the ark that we read about in 2 00:13:32.679 --> 00:13:35.860 Samuel 6, there was another attempt on David's 00:13:35.860 --> 00:13:38.500 part to bring the ark, which resulted in disaster. 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:42.460 The first time, there was not care taken as to 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:46.700 how the ark was to be transported. And one Uzzah 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:51.960 was involved in bringing the ark on a cart. And 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:54.159 at one point he thought the ark was going to 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.559 fall off the cart and he reached up and touched 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:00.139 that holy object and God struck him dead on the 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:05.100 spot. Now it may be that that incident was in 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:08.179 David's mind as he asked the question, who is 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:11.100 qualified to ascend to the hill of the Lord? 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:14.179 Who can stand? in this holy place. That means 00:14:14.179 --> 00:14:18.679 who can stand there without being ashamed? Who 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.500 can stand there without being embarrassed? Without 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.559 being afraid? Who is acceptable to God? That's 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:30.440 the question. Well, the response is very clear. 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:37.740 He who has clean hands and a pure heart. In other 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:42.289 words, the only one who is acceptable To come 00:14:42.289 --> 00:14:46.429 into the presence of this Holy Creator is one 00:14:46.429 --> 00:14:52.509 who is morally free of sin. I do not take these 00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:56.730 phrases in verse 4 to be a complete catalog of 00:14:56.730 --> 00:15:00.450 the qualities, but these are suggestions of the 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:04.250 virtues that represent sinfulness, or sinlessness 00:15:04.250 --> 00:15:09.529 rather. Sinlessness. Who is able to stand before 00:15:09.529 --> 00:15:15.429 the Great Creator unashamed? The answer is only 00:15:15.429 --> 00:15:20.190 one who has clean hands and a pure heart. In 00:15:20.190 --> 00:15:24.490 other words, one who externally is without fault. 00:15:24.750 --> 00:15:29.129 He has clean hands. Outwardly, there's the virtue 00:15:29.129 --> 00:15:34.909 of deeds that are good and not sinful. His hands 00:15:34.909 --> 00:15:40.139 have not been fouled. By some sinful enterprise, 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:44.820 he has clean hands. But more than that, he has 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:48.720 a pure heart. Here we go inside, internally. 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:52.440 Not the virtue of the deeds, but the virtue of 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:56.399 the Spirit. Not only must the hands be unpolluted, 00:15:56.440 --> 00:16:00.399 but the heart must not be fouled by sin if one 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:05.139 would stand before the Holy Creator God and be 00:16:05.139 --> 00:16:09.240 accepted of Him. He explains further what he 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.700 means by a pure heart in verse 4, as someone 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:17.039 who takes no delight in what is false, someone 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:21.039 who has complete sincerity about him, nor does 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:25.759 he depreciate what is holy. He is not sworn deceitfully. 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:30.120 He has complete reverence for the name of God 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:34.460 and the things of God, something that Uzzah failed 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:37.649 to demonstrate when he touched. the ark of the 00:16:37.649 --> 00:16:41.789 covenant. And so who may stand before this God? 00:16:41.929 --> 00:16:48.129 Only one who is without sin. And I submit to 00:16:48.129 --> 00:16:50.570 you that there is only one who is so qualified 00:16:50.570 --> 00:16:55.029 to stand before God and be accepted of Him. And 00:16:55.029 --> 00:16:59.470 that is this King of glory, Jesus Christ. He 00:16:59.470 --> 00:17:02.330 is the only one who may stand before God and 00:17:02.330 --> 00:17:06.019 be accepted, and He has been. For he was raised 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:10.180 from the dead, he ascended back to heaven, and 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.099 is seated at the right hand of God the Father 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:17.980 there, proving that he has been fully accepted 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:22.980 by the great Creator God, the one who is holy 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:28.279 in his dwelling place. Jesus Christ, the God 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:35.089 -man, has been accepted by God. That's wonderful, 00:17:35.109 --> 00:17:37.329 but it leaves us in a rather bleak position, 00:17:38.109 --> 00:17:40.349 except for the wonderful truth of the Gospel. 00:17:42.430 --> 00:17:47.130 The good news of God is that Jesus Christ lives 00:17:47.130 --> 00:17:52.410 and is in heaven today, that He might save completely 00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:59.390 and cleanse every sinner who comes to Him in 00:17:59.390 --> 00:18:05.230 faith. All of the disqualifying impurities about 00:18:05.230 --> 00:18:12.650 us in deed and in heart can be removed by Jesus 00:18:12.650 --> 00:18:15.230 Christ, the King of glory who is the Savior. 00:18:17.849 --> 00:18:24.269 God who is holy demanded in his holiness that 00:18:24.269 --> 00:18:30.980 a price for our sin be exacted. And that price 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:34.539 was exacted upon Jesus at the cross, wasn't it? 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:38.019 When he died there, he died as a substitute in 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:43.920 the place of sinners. Christ died for sinners. 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:48.700 Christ died for you and for me. So that God's 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:53.880 holiness is satisfied. And when we trust in the 00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:57.660 Savior, then we are found acceptable to God. 00:18:59.430 --> 00:19:02.430 because we are identified with the one who is 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:05.109 pure and holy and righteous and able to stand 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:07.829 in the presence of the Lord. Turn over to the 00:19:07.829 --> 00:19:10.630 New Testament with me to the book of Romans, 00:19:12.130 --> 00:19:13.970 the third chapter. Let's read some scripture 00:19:13.970 --> 00:19:19.809 that undergirds what I've just said. The main 00:19:19.809 --> 00:19:21.990 part of the first three chapters of Romans is 00:19:21.990 --> 00:19:25.839 devoted to proving that all have sinned. and 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.740 that there is no one who is righteous in the 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:36.579 eyes of God. But in verse 21, it says, Now apart 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:40.619 from the law, the righteousness of God has been 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:44.460 manifested, being witnessed by the law and the 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:47.799 prophets, even the righteousness of God through 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:52.680 faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Now 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.599 stop to think about that for a moment. Paul is 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.640 not just saying that God Himself is righteous 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:00.960 as an attribute, but he is saying that God gives 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:04.440 the kind of righteousness that He demands of 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:08.420 people who would stand before Him. He makes it 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:14.339 available to sinners. Who can stand before God? 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:17.500 Only one who is sinless. Only one who is righteous. 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:22.700 God then gives that righteousness to the sinner. 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:29.420 who believes, going down to verse 24, being justified 00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:34.140 as a gift by His grace through the redemption 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:36.900 which is in Christ Jesus. This righteousness 00:20:36.900 --> 00:20:41.579 is not a righteousness that we earn by even our 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:44.980 religious works, the meritorious deeds that we 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:48.519 think we do. No. This righteousness comes as 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:54.029 a gift from God. He comes to us because of what 00:20:54.029 --> 00:20:58.609 Jesus did, verse 25, whom God displayed publicly 00:20:58.609 --> 00:21:03.450 as a propitiation in his blood through faith. 00:21:04.369 --> 00:21:06.809 In other words, the blood of Jesus satisfies 00:21:06.809 --> 00:21:10.410 the holiness of God. He goes on to say, this 00:21:10.410 --> 00:21:13.829 was to demonstrate his righteousness because 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:17.109 in the forbearance of God, he passed over the 00:21:17.109 --> 00:21:20.279 sins previously committed. For the demonstration, 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:23.000 I say, of His righteousness at the present time, 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:28.160 that He might be just and the justifier of the 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:32.839 one who has faith in Jesus. On the one hand, 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:37.759 God is just and God is holy and He demands retribution 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:42.240 for sin. On the other hand, God loves the sinner. 00:21:43.859 --> 00:21:47.480 How can God save the sinner from His just retribution? 00:21:49.450 --> 00:21:53.150 by what he's done through Jesus Christ, and paying 00:21:53.150 --> 00:21:56.650 the price on the behalf of the sinner. So that 00:21:56.650 --> 00:22:00.970 when the sinner believes on the Savior, all of 00:22:00.970 --> 00:22:04.049 his sin, all of his impurity is washed away and 00:22:04.049 --> 00:22:07.250 wiped away from the record, and God gives to 00:22:07.250 --> 00:22:11.589 the sinner perfect righteousness and unites him 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:15.849 to Jesus Christ. So that when God sees that individual 00:22:15.849 --> 00:22:21.549 from that point on, He sees Him in Christ. He 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:25.410 sees Him as perfect as Jesus Himself is perfect. 00:22:26.630 --> 00:22:31.410 What a wonderful standing God gives by justification. 00:22:31.509 --> 00:22:34.190 And that's what Paul talks about in the next 00:22:34.190 --> 00:22:36.829 chapter 2 of Romans. In chapter 5 verse 1 he 00:22:36.829 --> 00:22:40.890 says, Therefore having been justified or declared 00:22:40.890 --> 00:22:45.359 righteous by faith, we have peace with God through 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:49.720 our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:54.220 obtained an introduction by faith into this grace 00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:58.640 in which we stand. Who is it that can stand in 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:02.740 the presence of the Holy God, the Creator, the 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:07.140 one who has been saved by the blood of the Lord 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:10.890 Jesus Christ? The one who has believed on the 00:23:10.890 --> 00:23:14.630 Savior who died and rose again 2 ,000 years ago. 00:23:15.049 --> 00:23:17.750 The one whose sins have therefore been washed 00:23:17.750 --> 00:23:20.910 away and who has received the righteousness that 00:23:20.910 --> 00:23:25.430 comes from God as a gift. The one who has identified 00:23:25.430 --> 00:23:31.930 with Jesus Christ. That one can stand before 00:23:31.930 --> 00:23:36.670 the God of the universe and be unashamed. because 00:23:36.670 --> 00:23:39.710 He stands there in the righteousness of Christ, 00:23:40.710 --> 00:23:47.170 not His own righteousness. The King of glory 00:23:47.170 --> 00:23:51.190 is the Savior. And the second work that I believe 00:23:51.190 --> 00:23:54.650 is brought to our attention in this Psalm 24 00:23:54.650 --> 00:23:58.569 is that of salvation. The wonderful salvation 00:23:58.569 --> 00:24:02.170 that the King of glory has provided for all of 00:24:02.170 --> 00:24:06.710 those who seek Him in faith. But let's go on 00:24:06.710 --> 00:24:10.470 to the third part of the psalm, where we see 00:24:10.470 --> 00:24:14.250 a third work of the King of Glory. The King of 00:24:14.250 --> 00:24:17.349 Glory is the Creator, the King of Glory is the 00:24:17.349 --> 00:24:20.089 Savior, and now we see that the King of Glory 00:24:20.089 --> 00:24:24.750 is also the Ruler. Again, I invite you to think 00:24:24.750 --> 00:24:28.529 back to that procession in David's day, when 00:24:28.529 --> 00:24:32.970 the ark arrived to the gates of Jerusalem. David 00:24:32.970 --> 00:24:37.839 himself, the King, in the common clothing of 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:43.579 a servant, coming to the gates of the city, bringing 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:49.000 that ark, and saying, Lift up your heads, O gates. 00:24:49.180 --> 00:24:51.759 Be lifted up, you ancient doors." What does he 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:54.339 mean by that? Well, remember now, he's a poet. 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:59.599 He's speaking in a poet's language. In the first 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:02.480 place, these doors of the fortress city of Jerusalem 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:08.599 are ancient doors. These doors have seen King 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:13.839 Melchizedek enter through them, who was the king 00:25:13.839 --> 00:25:17.660 of Salem, this very city, in the days of Abraham, 00:25:18.039 --> 00:25:22.619 a thousand years before this. So these are old 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:28.279 doors, ancient gates. They have seen many royal 00:25:28.279 --> 00:25:33.099 kings come through them. But now there is one 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:36.440 who is coming in such majesty that they have 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:40.240 to be lifted up. Jack up those gates. Broaden 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:45.400 them. Open them up because the King of Glory 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:53.039 is entering in. That's His point. God Himself 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:58.140 is entering the city in this ark that represents 00:25:58.140 --> 00:26:03.460 His presence. Gates have to be enlarged to accommodate 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:08.579 such majesty as his. This one who is the Lord 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:13.240 of hosts, that is the Lord of the armies, one 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:15.980 of the most glorious of all of the Old Testament 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:21.980 names for the Lord. He comes to rule over his 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:25.000 people. He comes to dwell in the city of Jerusalem. 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:29.029 that place that he has chosen out of all of the 00:26:29.029 --> 00:26:39.329 earth. But think ahead with me as well. Think 00:26:39.329 --> 00:26:42.009 ahead prophetically with me to that day when 00:26:42.009 --> 00:26:46.369 our Lord, the King of Glory, will yet again return 00:26:46.369 --> 00:26:50.990 to the city of Jerusalem. To do that, I would 00:26:50.990 --> 00:26:52.890 like you to turn to the book of the Revelation. 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:58.500 at the end of the New Testament. And to the fifth 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.839 chapter, where we have a scene in heaven, not 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.980 upon the earth, but in heaven. This is where 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:10.539 the action starts. Chapter 5 of Revelation, verse 00:27:10.539 --> 00:27:14.000 1, And I saw in the right hand of him who sat 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:19.440 on the throne a book, or a scroll, written inside 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:22.359 and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 00:27:22.750 --> 00:27:25.670 Now the one who is seen upon the throne here 00:27:25.670 --> 00:27:31.470 is God, God the Father. He has in His hand a 00:27:31.470 --> 00:27:35.410 book or a scroll with seven seals on it. And 00:27:35.410 --> 00:27:38.589 John says, I saw a strong angel proclaiming with 00:27:38.589 --> 00:27:41.950 a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book 00:27:41.950 --> 00:27:44.869 and to break its seals? You can almost hear the 00:27:44.869 --> 00:27:48.950 echo of Psalm 24. Who may stand in the presence 00:27:48.950 --> 00:27:52.980 of the Holy One? No one in heaven or on the earth 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:55.859 or under the earth was able to open the book 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:58.240 or to look into it. And I began to weep, says 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:01.519 John, weep greatly, because no one was found 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:03.720 worthy to open the book and to look into it. 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:07.160 And one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping. 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:10.539 Behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, 00:28:10.940 --> 00:28:14.839 the root of David, has overcome, so as to open 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:18.349 the book and its seven seals. And I saw between 00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:21.150 the throne with the four living creatures and 00:28:21.150 --> 00:28:30.049 the elders a lamb standing, as if slain, having 00:28:30.049 --> 00:28:33.029 seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven 00:28:33.029 --> 00:28:36.730 spirits of God sent out into all of the earth." 00:28:36.730 --> 00:28:42.470 There is some symbolic use of language, obviously, 00:28:42.609 --> 00:28:48.359 in verse 6. But John, as he sees this scene, 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:55.319 sees a lamb that has been slain. Not just one 00:28:55.319 --> 00:28:57.279 that has died, but one that has actually been 00:28:57.279 --> 00:29:01.059 sacrificed is the point. And that lamb is identified 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:06.019 as also the one who is the lion of the tribe 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:09.299 of Judah, who is the root of David, or the king 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:13.819 of glory, Jesus Christ. And we see that he came 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:17.049 and he took it, the scroll, out of the right 00:29:17.049 --> 00:29:20.650 hand of him who sat on the throne. And after 00:29:20.650 --> 00:29:24.809 taking that scroll, he begins to open it. And 00:29:24.809 --> 00:29:26.829 the book goes on to record what happens when 00:29:26.829 --> 00:29:29.730 the first seal is opened, and the second seal, 00:29:29.769 --> 00:29:33.269 and the third, and so on. And it leads to the 00:29:33.269 --> 00:29:35.750 whole book of the Revelation, which is a record, 00:29:36.089 --> 00:29:40.089 a prophetic record, events that are yet to come, 00:29:41.009 --> 00:29:45.140 of the pouring out of God's judgment upon the 00:29:45.140 --> 00:29:53.140 Christ -rejecting earth. The movement begins 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:56.660 with the Lamb taking this scroll, which represents, 00:29:56.660 --> 00:30:03.000 by the way, His title deed that He is the Creator 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:06.359 and He owns the earth. And He has also, because 00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:11.180 of that, the right to rule it. And so he begins 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:14.099 to pour out judgment upon those who reject his 00:30:14.099 --> 00:30:19.359 rule. Let's skip ahead in the book to Revelation 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:25.759 chapter 16 where we come to one glimpse of the 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:31.000 culmination of this judgment. Judgment leads 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:34.000 ultimately to a gathering of the armies of the 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:37.569 nations for battle against the Lord. They are 00:30:37.569 --> 00:30:40.470 led by Antichrist, chapter 16 of Revelation, 00:30:40.650 --> 00:30:43.809 beginning in verse 13, and I saw coming out of 00:30:43.809 --> 00:30:45.849 the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth 00:30:45.849 --> 00:30:48.109 of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false 00:30:48.109 --> 00:30:53.309 prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs, for 00:30:53.309 --> 00:30:57.950 they are spirits of demons, performing signs, 00:30:58.930 --> 00:31:01.289 which go out to the kings of the whole world 00:31:01.289 --> 00:31:04.880 to gather them together for the war of the great 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:10.000 day of God the Almighty, verse 16, and they gathered 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:12.799 them together in the place which in Hebrew is 00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:17.539 called Har -Mageddon. Armageddon, the place of 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:22.660 Megiddo, the great valley of Ezdralon in the 00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:27.099 land of Israel. What is described here and is 00:31:27.099 --> 00:31:30.059 described in other places as well is the gathering 00:31:30.059 --> 00:31:37.329 of the armies of the world. for battle. As they 00:31:37.329 --> 00:31:39.910 gather for battle, their attention is focused 00:31:39.910 --> 00:31:45.230 suddenly and dramatically to the skies. For there 00:31:45.230 --> 00:31:49.450 appears in the skies a sign of the Son of Man, 00:31:50.410 --> 00:31:55.130 and suddenly they see Him coming down out of 00:31:55.130 --> 00:32:01.769 heaven upon a white stallion. and his name emblazoned 00:32:01.769 --> 00:32:05.950 across his chest on a ribbon, and with him this 00:32:05.950 --> 00:32:08.950 Lord of hosts, Lord of the armies, the armies 00:32:08.950 --> 00:32:13.670 of the heavens behind him. And there is a clashing 00:32:13.670 --> 00:32:18.009 of these two armies and the defeat of the forces 00:32:18.009 --> 00:32:21.730 of the world, of Antichrist. I'm summarizing 00:32:21.730 --> 00:32:26.269 what happens in chapter 19. And then, following 00:32:26.269 --> 00:32:30.220 that, Our Lord will return to the city of Jerusalem. 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:33.180 And I'd like to go to the Old Testament for a 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:40.599 picture of this, to the book of Zechariah. If 00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:42.920 you have trouble finding it, just go to Matthew 00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:44.759 and start backing up and you'll get there fairly 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:52.460 quickly. Book of Zechariah, chapter 14. Behold, 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:57.380 the day is coming. For the Lord when the spoil 00:32:57.380 --> 00:33:00.960 taken from you will be divided among you says 00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:05.539 the writer a day is coming for I will gather 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:09.680 all the nations against Jerusalem to battle and 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:12.160 The city will be captured in the houses plundered 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:14.960 and the women ravished and half of the city exiled 00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:17.420 But the rest of the people will not be cut off 00:33:17.420 --> 00:33:20.660 from the city then the Lord Will go forth and 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:23.400 fight against those nations as when he fights 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.220 on a day of battle, a day that I've briefly described 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:30.900 to you a moment ago. And it says, in that day, 00:33:31.700 --> 00:33:34.400 his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:36.720 is in the east, or the front of Jerusalem, on 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:40.319 the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:43.579 in its middle from east to west by a very large 00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:46.839 valley, so that half of the mountain will move 00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:49.039 toward the north and the other half toward the 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:52.900 south. He describes the change of the topography 00:33:52.900 --> 00:33:56.200 in Jerusalem when Jesus' feet touch that mountain. 00:33:56.420 --> 00:33:59.420 Verse 9 goes on to say, And the LORD will be 00:33:59.420 --> 00:34:03.119 king over all the earth. In that day the LORD 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:06.940 will be the only one, in His name the only one. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:10.019 Verse 16, Then it will come about that any who 00:34:10.019 --> 00:34:12.599 are left of all the nations that went against 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:16.219 Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship 00:34:16.219 --> 00:34:19.590 the King, the Lord of hosts. to celebrate the 00:34:19.590 --> 00:34:22.909 feast of booze. In other words, some of the Old 00:34:22.909 --> 00:34:25.489 Testament feasts are going to be reestablished 00:34:25.489 --> 00:34:28.250 during His reign upon the earth as a memorial 00:34:28.250 --> 00:34:32.889 to His victory. Now just briefly, we have surveyed 00:34:32.889 --> 00:34:34.789 some of the Scriptures that cause us to think 00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:39.130 ahead. Psalm 24 causes us to think back to that 00:34:39.130 --> 00:34:41.349 time when the ark was brought to the city of 00:34:41.349 --> 00:34:44.230 Jerusalem. But that is not the end of that psalm. 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:48.400 It looks ahead when the king of glory will rule 00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:52.800 on the earth when he will return and subdue his 00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:56.659 enemies and Will come victoriously to that city 00:34:56.659 --> 00:35:00.239 and once more the question will be asked Who 00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:04.940 is this king of glory the Lord of hosts? Strong 00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:08.940 and mighty in battle. He is the king of glory 00:35:08.940 --> 00:35:14.030 open up you gates Broaden yourselves everlasting 00:35:14.030 --> 00:35:18.190 doors that the King of Glory may come in. And 00:35:18.190 --> 00:35:21.250 on that day, yet to come, He will enter Jerusalem 00:35:21.250 --> 00:35:25.550 and reign over the earth. And all of the earth 00:35:25.550 --> 00:35:30.210 will come to worship the King. The one who will 00:35:30.210 --> 00:35:35.989 rule is the same as the one who created and who 00:35:35.989 --> 00:35:39.730 saves. He is Jesus Christ, the King of Glory. 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:46.519 As He will one day enter Jerusalem, He this day 00:35:46.519 --> 00:35:51.900 would enter your life. The alternative is to 00:35:51.900 --> 00:35:55.400 remain at war with Him and to someday receive 00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:57.880 the punishment that is meted out to all of those 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:02.619 who refuse Him. He would enter your life. But 00:36:02.619 --> 00:36:05.719 if He would enter your life, He must enter not 00:36:05.719 --> 00:36:09.659 only as your acknowledged Creator and your Savior. 00:36:10.159 --> 00:36:12.760 But he must enter your life as your sovereign 00:36:12.760 --> 00:36:17.219 too. For when you invite him into your life, 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:21.119 no area of life can be knowingly withheld from 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:26.219 his rule. You must receive him as the victorious 00:36:26.219 --> 00:36:32.380 one who has conquered you and to whom you now 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:38.989 submit yourself. But please. Understand that 00:36:38.989 --> 00:36:44.750 He does this not to subjugate you. He conquers 00:36:44.750 --> 00:36:50.909 you not to enslave you. He conquers you that 00:36:50.909 --> 00:36:56.389 He might lift you to reign with Him on His throne 00:36:56.389 --> 00:37:03.030 of glory. No one ever opens his heart to receive 00:37:03.030 --> 00:37:11.280 this Savior sovereign. to become the loser. But 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:15.519 there is only gain, an eternal gain, to receive 00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:20.420 Him. What a privilege to give yourself to the 00:37:20.420 --> 00:37:24.239 King, the King of glory, and to be able to look 00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:28.340 into His face and know that He is your Creator 00:37:28.340 --> 00:37:34.519 and your Savior and the Sovereign, the Lord of 00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:46.369 your life. Let's pray together. Wherever you 00:37:46.369 --> 00:37:52.329 be today in your spiritual need, how would you 00:37:52.329 --> 00:37:57.010 respond to the message this morning? At least 00:37:57.010 --> 00:37:59.449 in the closing part, I've aimed it directly toward 00:37:59.449 --> 00:38:06.610 those who need to receive Christ. Understand 00:38:06.610 --> 00:38:14.840 that rejecting him is not a game. It's very serious 00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:24.019 business. Today, he comes to the gate, as it 00:38:24.019 --> 00:38:30.559 were, of your heart, desiring to enter in. Will 00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:35.940 you receive him as your conqueror? Submit yourself 00:38:35.940 --> 00:38:42.760 to Him in trust and in faith. You say, I would 00:38:42.760 --> 00:38:44.900 like to do that. I would like to talk to somebody 00:38:44.900 --> 00:38:49.260 about it. I'm not sure what it all entails. As 00:38:49.260 --> 00:38:51.300 you fill out your registration form a little 00:38:51.300 --> 00:38:54.679 later, I invite you to check that part of it 00:38:54.679 --> 00:38:56.820 that says, I would like to talk with someone. 00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:00.280 And we'll have someone be in touch with you, 00:39:00.300 --> 00:39:03.300 to talk with you personally, to answer any questions 00:39:03.300 --> 00:39:06.719 you may have. But the fact is you need not wait 00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:11.000 till then, for even where you're seated, if you 00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:16.699 understand the message, you can receive it. Lord 00:39:16.699 --> 00:39:21.639 Jesus, King of Glory, we worship you. We acknowledge 00:39:21.639 --> 00:39:25.400 you. You are the Creator, you are the Savior, 00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:31.340 you are the Sovereign. We rejoice in your victory. 00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:35.500 A victory that you invite us to share when we 00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:36.260 trust you.