1 00:00:09,133 --> 00:00:12,199 All right, if you open your Bibles with me, 2 00:00:12,199 --> 00:00:15,199 The poetic book of 3 00:00:15,199 --> 00:00:19,100 Psalms, The 4 00:00:19,100 --> 00:00:20,600 chapter number 24. 5 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:27,866 Psalm number 24. 6 00:00:29,766 --> 00:00:33,533 God's word says, a psalm of David. 7 00:00:33,799 --> 00:00:36,966 The earth is the Lord's, and 8 00:00:36,966 --> 00:00:40,266 all it contains, the world and those who dwell 9 00:00:40,266 --> 00:00:43,399 in it, for he has founded it upon the seas 10 00:00:43,399 --> 00:00:46,799 and established it upon the rivers, who 11 00:00:46,799 --> 00:00:50,100 may ascend into the hill of the Lord, and who may 12 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:51,533 stand in his holy place? 13 00:00:51,666 --> 00:00:54,666 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 14 00:00:54,666 --> 00:00:57,733 who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, 15 00:00:57,733 --> 00:00:59,666 and has not sworn deceitfully. 16 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:03,166 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:04,466 from the God of his salvation. 18 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:07,733 This is the generation of those who seek him, 19 00:01:07,766 --> 00:01:10,700 who seek your face, even Jacob, Selah. 20 00:01:10,766 --> 00:01:13,933 Lift up your heads, O gates, and 21 00:01:13,933 --> 00:01:17,099 be lifted up, O ancient doors, though the king of 22 00:01:17,099 --> 00:01:18,366 glory may come in. 23 00:01:18,433 --> 00:01:21,433 Who is the king of glory, the Lord, 24 00:01:21,433 --> 00:01:25,200 strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle, lift 25 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,266 up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient 26 00:01:28,266 --> 00:01:31,033 doors, that the king of glory may come in. 27 00:01:31,099 --> 00:01:33,033 Who is this king of glory? 28 00:01:33,066 --> 00:01:34,500 The lord of hosts? 29 00:01:34,566 --> 00:01:37,566 He is the king of glory, Selah. 30 00:01:37,633 --> 00:01:39,000 Let's pray. 31 00:01:39,366 --> 00:01:43,266 Heavenly Father, we're thankful for your mercy on us today. 32 00:01:43,333 --> 00:01:46,466 You brought us all here together, but we pray that we would worship 33 00:01:46,466 --> 00:01:49,633 you with all our mind, our soul, and our strength, that you bless 34 00:01:49,633 --> 00:01:52,633 your word, our minds, and to our hearts, and you 35 00:01:52,633 --> 00:01:54,900 bless your message in spite of the messenger in Christ's name. 36 00:01:54,966 --> 00:01:55,633 Amen. 37 00:01:55,700 --> 00:01:58,700 All right, so we're moving now as 38 00:01:58,700 --> 00:02:00,266 we go through the Old Testament. 39 00:02:00,299 --> 00:02:03,599 We were in historical books before, and in 40 00:02:03,599 --> 00:02:06,599 our little short series on Ruth, and now we're moving into 41 00:02:06,599 --> 00:02:09,900 the poetic books, and we're 42 00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:13,133 in the psalm this morning by one of the great 43 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:16,533 poets of the Old Testament, the great grandson 44 00:02:16,533 --> 00:02:20,033 of Ruth and Boaz, as we learned last time. 45 00:02:20,099 --> 00:02:22,933 David, the King David. 46 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,366 And traditionally, David is said to be the author 47 00:02:26,366 --> 00:02:29,666 of about 73 of the 150 psalms. 48 00:02:29,699 --> 00:02:33,066 He almost wrote half of the psalms, some say more, 49 00:02:33,066 --> 00:02:36,500 and some say less, but regardless of how 50 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:39,566 many, we can see by what he's written and from 51 00:02:39,566 --> 00:02:42,699 other books in the Bible that David is a very talented 52 00:02:42,699 --> 00:02:45,800 author of poetry of songs and 53 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,333 also a talented musician. 54 00:02:48,366 --> 00:02:51,800 He played the liar and apparently so beautifully that it calmed 55 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,066 Saul, the king's spirit. 56 00:02:54,133 --> 00:02:57,133 And so God, and his wisdom and his 57 00:02:57,133 --> 00:03:00,133 grace to us, has placed songs and music 58 00:03:00,133 --> 00:03:02,300 prominently in the word. 59 00:03:02,366 --> 00:03:03,566 All throughout scripture. 60 00:03:03,599 --> 00:03:06,766 We hear Miriam singing after the Exodus 61 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,166 from Egypt, and so often we see Hannah 62 00:03:10,166 --> 00:03:14,233 saying, and the whole book of 150 psalms 63 00:03:14,233 --> 00:03:16,266 for us to sing ourselves. 64 00:03:16,333 --> 00:03:20,300 So we know from this that God himself loves music. 65 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:21,599 He loves singing. 66 00:03:21,666 --> 00:03:25,266 He is the one who created it and put that in to us. 67 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,566 And he himself sings over his 68 00:03:28,566 --> 00:03:31,699 people, Sephaniah 317, the Lord, 69 00:03:31,699 --> 00:03:35,366 your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. 70 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,400 He will rejoice over you with gladness. 71 00:03:38,466 --> 00:03:40,266 He will quiet you by his love. 72 00:03:40,333 --> 00:03:43,333 He will exult over you with loud 73 00:03:43,333 --> 00:03:44,366 singing. 74 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,233 If that's not an encouragement to sing loudly as in worship. 75 00:03:48,366 --> 00:03:49,633 I don't know what is. 76 00:03:49,699 --> 00:03:52,766 God sings loudly over you, the 77 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:55,800 ones that he loves, and he is the one who gave us the 78 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,366 gift of singing and the gift of music. 79 00:03:58,466 --> 00:04:01,500 And it's not given, that everyone will 80 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:04,500 be good at singing, or everyone that will be 81 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:07,633 good at making music, but it is 82 00:04:07,633 --> 00:04:10,699 almost universal, that all of us have in our 83 00:04:10,699 --> 00:04:13,766 hearts and our minds, an appreciation for music, and 84 00:04:13,766 --> 00:04:17,233 appreciation for singing, because we are designed by 85 00:04:17,233 --> 00:04:20,466 a creator who created it himself, and who appreciates 86 00:04:20,466 --> 00:04:22,033 and loves it himself. 87 00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:25,199 And he allows us to image 88 00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:27,666 him by singing and by music. 89 00:04:27,733 --> 00:04:30,800 And so David wrote this psalm, 90 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,866 the reason that I wanted to bring all that out 91 00:04:33,866 --> 00:04:36,866 and is to bring us to our passage today to 92 00:04:36,866 --> 00:04:39,899 kind of see how this poetic verse, this song 93 00:04:39,899 --> 00:04:42,899 is put to music in the worship of the 94 00:04:42,899 --> 00:04:46,500 creator of the universe by the Hebrew people. 95 00:04:46,566 --> 00:04:50,000 And this was part of the Hebrew hymnal, 96 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,600 the congregation of Israelites hymnal, 97 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,733 the book of Psalms, has, just like our hymnal, has 98 00:04:56,733 --> 00:04:59,933 songs for many different occasions, and 99 00:04:59,966 --> 00:05:02,000 their songs for special days. 100 00:05:02,066 --> 00:05:05,066 There are songs that are serious and sad. 101 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:08,233 There's happy songs, joyful songs, and then 102 00:05:08,233 --> 00:05:11,666 there's specific songs that they use in their liturgy. 103 00:05:11,699 --> 00:05:13,966 As they worshiped in certain ways. 104 00:05:14,066 --> 00:05:17,300 They would sing these psalms. 105 00:05:17,366 --> 00:05:19,833 They were used for all kinds of different situations. 106 00:05:19,866 --> 00:05:23,600 There's several songs, these liturgical psalms 107 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,666 that were used for certain festivals, like 108 00:05:26,666 --> 00:05:29,666 Passover, and the festival of booths, 109 00:05:29,666 --> 00:05:32,833 psalms that they use at different times in the 110 00:05:32,833 --> 00:05:34,266 worship of the temple. 111 00:05:34,333 --> 00:05:37,399 And then there's a whole section of Psalms, uh, uh, in 112 00:05:37,399 --> 00:05:40,866 Psalms 120 and a couple after that called the Psalms of a sense. 113 00:05:40,933 --> 00:05:43,933 We talked about that before, that they would sing as 114 00:05:43,933 --> 00:05:47,000 they would go up to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage 115 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,333 for the Passover. 116 00:05:48,366 --> 00:05:51,899 And so here when we come to Psalm 24, we 117 00:05:51,899 --> 00:05:55,133 come to a kind of liturgy, a liturgical 118 00:05:55,166 --> 00:05:58,699 psalm that they would use to worship God for 119 00:05:58,699 --> 00:06:01,866 the specific time that they were returning from battle 120 00:06:01,866 --> 00:06:03,300 victorious. 121 00:06:03,366 --> 00:06:06,366 It's a song of triumphal 122 00:06:06,366 --> 00:06:09,433 entry for the Jewish, the 123 00:06:09,433 --> 00:06:12,500 Hebrew warriors. 124 00:06:12,733 --> 00:06:15,966 So God's law had prescribed many aspects 125 00:06:15,966 --> 00:06:18,300 of life for the Hebrew people. 126 00:06:18,366 --> 00:06:21,533 They were a nation, a true nation under God, 127 00:06:21,566 --> 00:06:23,199 under his rule. 128 00:06:23,233 --> 00:06:26,233 He even prescribed how a king should act, 129 00:06:26,233 --> 00:06:29,600 and all the way from the top, 130 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,666 down to how men and women in their general 131 00:06:32,666 --> 00:06:34,233 lives should act. 132 00:06:34,266 --> 00:06:38,033 And the Hebrew people were a nation ruled by God himself. 133 00:06:38,100 --> 00:06:41,100 He ruled through his word, his law, and then 134 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:44,100 and through prophets, and then through kings. 135 00:06:44,166 --> 00:06:47,333 And so the law of God, included 136 00:06:47,366 --> 00:06:51,100 many things that had to do with the running of the nation itself, 137 00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:54,899 because they were a nation run directly by God. 138 00:06:54,966 --> 00:06:56,633 So in Deuteronomy. 139 00:06:56,699 --> 00:07:00,066 We have Deuteronomy chapter 19, where 140 00:07:00,066 --> 00:07:03,066 God gives property law for the 141 00:07:03,066 --> 00:07:04,399 Jews, the Hebrews. 142 00:07:04,466 --> 00:07:07,533 And then in chapter 21, he 143 00:07:07,533 --> 00:07:12,166 gives law about criminal justice and how that should be proceeded with. 144 00:07:12,266 --> 00:07:15,566 But then in the middle of those two, in chapter 145 00:07:15,566 --> 00:07:18,566 20, he gives laws about going to war 146 00:07:18,566 --> 00:07:21,800 for the Hebrew nation, in 147 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,633 Deuteronomy 20, verse one, he says, when you go out to battle against 148 00:07:25,633 --> 00:07:29,533 your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people, 149 00:07:29,533 --> 00:07:31,566 more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them. 150 00:07:31,699 --> 00:07:34,699 For the Lord, your God, who brought you up from 151 00:07:34,699 --> 00:07:36,199 the land of Egypt is with you. 152 00:07:36,266 --> 00:07:39,333 When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall 153 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:42,433 come near and speak to the people, he shall say to them, 154 00:07:42,433 --> 00:07:45,666 hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against 155 00:07:45,666 --> 00:07:46,699 your enemies today. 156 00:07:46,766 --> 00:07:48,699 Do not be fainthearted. 157 00:07:48,733 --> 00:07:51,733 Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for 158 00:07:51,733 --> 00:07:54,966 the Lord, your God, is the one who goes with you, to 159 00:07:54,966 --> 00:07:58,100 fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 160 00:07:58,166 --> 00:08:01,766 So they would remember, he told them to remember, 161 00:08:01,766 --> 00:08:04,466 the God who goes before you, the God who's going to save you. 162 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:07,866 He's the same God who brought you out of Egypt. 163 00:08:07,933 --> 00:08:11,166 And remember how he brought them out of Egypt with a strong hand, 164 00:08:11,166 --> 00:08:12,500 and many miracles. 165 00:08:12,566 --> 00:08:15,566 They were to remember the victories in the past. 166 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:18,600 And as they go into the current battle into the current fight, 167 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,966 they were going to remember those victories and apply those to 168 00:08:21,966 --> 00:08:25,199 how God is going to bring victory over their current battle. 169 00:08:25,266 --> 00:08:28,800 God was the all supreme monarch of the nation. 170 00:08:28,866 --> 00:08:32,000 Even when it came to the time of the monarchy with 171 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,733 Saul and David and Solomon and the kings to follow him, follow them. 172 00:08:35,833 --> 00:08:38,966 God led them directly through his word, 173 00:08:38,966 --> 00:08:40,899 through prophets, and through the kings. 174 00:08:40,933 --> 00:08:44,100 And so, because of this, when they were victorious, 175 00:08:44,100 --> 00:08:47,166 they were to give glory to God 176 00:08:47,166 --> 00:08:50,533 for their victory because he is the one who was 177 00:08:50,533 --> 00:08:53,533 directly responsible for their victory in battle. 178 00:08:53,533 --> 00:08:56,533 And this psalm recognizes that and was 179 00:08:56,533 --> 00:09:00,266 probably sung as the Ark of the Covenant that represented 180 00:09:00,266 --> 00:09:04,000 the presence of God, not the mother of Christ, by 181 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,733 the way, will return to its place after victory. 182 00:09:07,799 --> 00:09:10,133 It would approach Jerusalem and go through the gates. 183 00:09:10,266 --> 00:09:13,733 And then in Jerusalem, they would go up to Mount Zion, 184 00:09:13,766 --> 00:09:16,833 where the temple was, and approach the temple for the ark, be 185 00:09:16,833 --> 00:09:20,100 put placed back into the temple where it was supposed 186 00:09:20,100 --> 00:09:22,733 to be, after a triumphal victory. 187 00:09:22,799 --> 00:09:25,799 This was the triumph for parade 188 00:09:25,799 --> 00:09:28,799 for the conquering general for the supreme 189 00:09:28,799 --> 00:09:31,200 warrior for Israel. 190 00:09:31,466 --> 00:09:34,466 David said exactly this when 191 00:09:34,466 --> 00:09:36,200 he faced Goliath. 192 00:09:36,266 --> 00:09:38,066 Goliath was mocking God's army. 193 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:41,866 And then when he called for a champion to 194 00:09:41,899 --> 00:09:45,066 come forth to fight for the armies, David 195 00:09:45,066 --> 00:09:48,066 came forth, and Goliath mocked Israel. 196 00:09:48,133 --> 00:09:52,100 I said, you're sending a boy with sticks out here to fight like a dog. 197 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:56,466 Well, David said, in 1st Sam, Samuel 1745, 198 00:09:56,466 --> 00:09:59,600 and David said to the Philistine, you come to me with 199 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,899 a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but 200 00:10:02,899 --> 00:10:06,133 I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of 201 00:10:06,133 --> 00:10:09,500 the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 202 00:10:09,566 --> 00:10:12,633 This day, the Lord will deliver you up into my 203 00:10:12,633 --> 00:10:15,733 hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from 204 00:10:15,733 --> 00:10:18,733 you, and I will give the dead bodies of the army 205 00:10:18,733 --> 00:10:21,799 of the Philistines, this day to the birds of the sky, and the 206 00:10:21,799 --> 00:10:24,899 wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that 207 00:10:24,899 --> 00:10:27,966 there is a God in Israel, and that all this 208 00:10:27,966 --> 00:10:31,133 assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver 209 00:10:31,166 --> 00:10:34,266 by sword, or by spear, for the battle is 210 00:10:34,266 --> 00:10:37,200 the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 211 00:10:37,266 --> 00:10:40,333 David knew exactly who was to win the 212 00:10:40,333 --> 00:10:42,200 battles for Israel. 213 00:10:42,266 --> 00:10:45,366 And then later, King Jehoshaphat prayed to God to save 214 00:10:45,366 --> 00:10:48,133 Judah from the Ammonites and the Moabites. 215 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:49,933 And God answered his prayer. 216 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,000 He encouraged Jehoshaphat, encouraged his soldiers 217 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,533 to not be afraid because God is the one who wins all the battle. 218 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,566 2 Chronicles 20, verse 17. 219 00:10:58,799 --> 00:11:00,899 You need not fight in this battle. 220 00:11:00,966 --> 00:11:04,033 Station yourselves, stand and see the salvation 221 00:11:04,033 --> 00:11:05,466 of the Lord on your behalf. 222 00:11:05,533 --> 00:11:07,166 O Judah and Jerusalem. 223 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:08,933 Do not fear or be dismayed. 224 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,466 Tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you. 225 00:11:12,566 --> 00:11:16,266 And when they would return from those victorious 226 00:11:16,266 --> 00:11:18,133 battles where they obeyed God. 227 00:11:18,299 --> 00:11:21,299 They brought the Ark of the Covenant and God 228 00:11:21,299 --> 00:11:23,700 won the battle for them. 229 00:11:23,766 --> 00:11:26,766 They would come back to great celebration 230 00:11:26,766 --> 00:11:28,333 in Jerusalem. 231 00:11:28,399 --> 00:11:31,399 And this is exactly where this psalm would 232 00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:35,233 be sung as they approach Jerusalem into the gates. 233 00:11:35,299 --> 00:11:38,366 There was a back and forth between those that carried the ark 234 00:11:38,366 --> 00:11:41,399 of the covenant, and those that were the gatekeepers of the 235 00:11:41,399 --> 00:11:43,500 city and the gatekeepers of the temple. 236 00:11:43,566 --> 00:11:46,566 And every time they would return as a reminder to those 237 00:11:46,566 --> 00:11:49,633 who fought for Israel, and those who stayed 238 00:11:49,633 --> 00:11:52,866 behind, that it was God himself, 239 00:11:52,866 --> 00:11:54,600 who fought for Israel. 240 00:11:54,733 --> 00:11:58,266 God won the battles for them, not their strength, 241 00:11:58,266 --> 00:12:01,433 not their military prowess, not their great kings or 242 00:12:01,466 --> 00:12:03,799 their great weaponry, or whatever. 243 00:12:03,866 --> 00:12:05,433 It was God who won. 244 00:12:05,466 --> 00:12:08,033 God is the king of glory. 245 00:12:08,100 --> 00:12:11,466 God is the ultimate sovereign of Israel, 246 00:12:11,466 --> 00:12:14,533 and not only Israel, the whole world, as they praise 247 00:12:14,533 --> 00:12:15,733 him in this song. 248 00:12:15,866 --> 00:12:18,899 And that is the truth that we need to be 249 00:12:18,899 --> 00:12:21,899 reminded of ourselves, that God is 250 00:12:21,899 --> 00:12:24,899 the one who wins battles, and the Holy Spirit 251 00:12:24,899 --> 00:12:27,899 himself placed these words in the heart of King 252 00:12:27,899 --> 00:12:30,966 David, as he wrote this song, so that we could 253 00:12:30,966 --> 00:12:34,133 all be reminded that we must look 254 00:12:34,166 --> 00:12:36,799 to God who wins every battle. 255 00:12:36,866 --> 00:12:40,100 And so there's 3 parts of this that I 256 00:12:40,100 --> 00:12:43,466 want to bring out, in the 1st one, in verses one and two, 257 00:12:43,466 --> 00:12:46,533 is we look to God who wins every battle, because 258 00:12:46,533 --> 00:12:49,799 he alone is sovereign over everything. 259 00:12:49,866 --> 00:12:52,266 Read verses one and 2 with me again. 260 00:12:52,333 --> 00:12:55,633 The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the 261 00:12:55,633 --> 00:12:58,700 world and those who dwell in it, for he, has founded 262 00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:02,533 it upon the seas, and established it upon the river. 263 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,733 This concept, as we've talked about many, 264 00:13:05,733 --> 00:13:09,000 many times of the sovereignty of God over 265 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,000 all things, is a hard one for 266 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,066 us to grasp as men. 267 00:13:15,133 --> 00:13:18,299 We have been men and women, people, as 268 00:13:18,299 --> 00:13:19,566 creatures. 269 00:13:19,633 --> 00:13:22,766 We've been reading through the book 270 00:13:22,766 --> 00:13:25,766 Trusting God by Jerry Bridges on Wednesday 271 00:13:25,766 --> 00:13:29,100 night prayer meetings, I commend that to you, the 272 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,433 book and coming and hearing Philip read it. 273 00:13:31,500 --> 00:13:34,633 It teaches that understanding God's 274 00:13:34,633 --> 00:13:38,299 sovereignty over all things is a 275 00:13:38,299 --> 00:13:41,366 key to trusting him, even 276 00:13:41,366 --> 00:13:44,466 when life hurts, as the subtitle of the book is. 277 00:13:44,466 --> 00:13:47,466 That the sovereignty of God, this understanding 278 00:13:47,466 --> 00:13:50,933 that God is over everything is the foundation for 279 00:13:50,966 --> 00:13:54,433 trusting him in all things, including the difficult battles, 280 00:13:54,433 --> 00:13:57,500 just like the Jews, the Hebrews, had to do. 281 00:13:57,566 --> 00:14:00,633 Bridges wrote in that book, he says in the arena of 282 00:14:00,633 --> 00:14:03,733 adversity, the scriptures teaches 3 essential truths 283 00:14:03,733 --> 00:14:05,000 about God. 284 00:14:05,066 --> 00:14:08,899 Truths we must believe if we are to trust him in adversity. 285 00:14:08,966 --> 00:14:11,500 They are a goddess completely sovereign. 286 00:14:11,533 --> 00:14:15,433 God is infinite in wisdom, and God is perfect in love. 287 00:14:15,566 --> 00:14:18,733 And someone has expressed these 3 truths, 288 00:14:18,733 --> 00:14:21,799 as they relate to us in this way, God and his love 289 00:14:21,799 --> 00:14:24,333 always wills what is best for us. 290 00:14:24,366 --> 00:14:25,866 In his wisdom. 291 00:14:25,933 --> 00:14:29,399 He always knows what is best, and in his sovereignty, 292 00:14:29,399 --> 00:14:31,966 he has the power to bring it about. 293 00:14:32,233 --> 00:14:35,700 Imagine yourself being a soldier 294 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:38,833 in Israel and you're coming back from 295 00:14:38,833 --> 00:14:40,333 the battle victorious. 296 00:14:40,399 --> 00:14:43,399 And as you approach the gate of the city, 297 00:14:43,466 --> 00:14:46,700 There's these certain priests who are given the task of carrying the ark 298 00:14:46,700 --> 00:14:49,466 of the covenant back to the temple. 299 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:53,100 And those priests would stop and 300 00:14:53,100 --> 00:14:56,166 they would sing with the gatekeepers of 301 00:14:56,166 --> 00:14:57,966 the city, this psalm. 302 00:14:58,799 --> 00:15:01,933 And the very 1st thing that they sing, these 1st 2 verses that we've 303 00:15:01,933 --> 00:15:04,933 read, is a reminder to everyone that 304 00:15:04,933 --> 00:15:08,833 could hear, that God is the creator of everything. 305 00:15:08,899 --> 00:15:12,666 And because of that, God has ownership of everything. 306 00:15:12,733 --> 00:15:16,033 And because of that, he is sovereign, 307 00:15:16,033 --> 00:15:19,399 over everything and all that dwell 308 00:15:19,399 --> 00:15:22,533 on the earth, every single time that this 309 00:15:22,533 --> 00:15:26,033 psalm would be sung, you be reminded to 310 00:15:26,066 --> 00:15:29,500 trust God the next time, you would be reminded 311 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:33,366 of his place as the sovereign Lord over all 312 00:15:33,366 --> 00:15:36,600 things, and you would remember that everything that 313 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,899 you know, everything you can touch, everything you can see and 314 00:15:39,899 --> 00:15:43,366 sense, that you can think about, is the Lord, 315 00:15:43,466 --> 00:15:46,700 and the Lord's alone, the whole earth, everything 316 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:49,533 it contains, and every single person. 317 00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:52,700 Now, those of us who have been here 318 00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:57,500 for a while, this is something that brings joy and praise to us. 319 00:15:57,566 --> 00:16:00,600 We have understood this truth from scripture and 320 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:01,733 applied it in our lives. 321 00:16:01,799 --> 00:16:04,933 But I just want you to know that remember before 322 00:16:04,933 --> 00:16:07,866 you understood these things the way that you thought. 323 00:16:07,933 --> 00:16:11,066 Before you learn what the scripture teaches about 324 00:16:11,066 --> 00:16:14,366 sovereignty and how it grates against the natural 325 00:16:14,366 --> 00:16:18,200 sensibility that we're born with as fallen man. 326 00:16:18,266 --> 00:16:21,366 And this isn't just a new thing in our modern 327 00:16:21,366 --> 00:16:24,066 age, this is always been the case. 328 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,666 Verse 2 gives the 329 00:16:27,666 --> 00:16:30,966 basis, the foundation for why God 330 00:16:30,966 --> 00:16:33,966 has that sovereignty over all things, when 331 00:16:33,966 --> 00:16:37,200 it says he has four, he has founded 332 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,433 it upon the seas, this is the whole earth and 333 00:16:40,466 --> 00:16:42,733 established it upon the rivers. 334 00:16:42,799 --> 00:16:45,799 God is the creator of 335 00:16:45,799 --> 00:16:47,733 the earth and everything in it. 336 00:16:47,766 --> 00:16:50,833 Therefore, the earth, and everything in 337 00:16:50,833 --> 00:16:54,733 it, is his to rule over as he sees fit. 338 00:16:54,799 --> 00:16:56,433 It's that simple. 339 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,133 Now, this is why there's been such a push throughout 340 00:17:00,133 --> 00:17:03,500 all of history, to replace God as 341 00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:06,500 creator, with either other, lesser gods 342 00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:09,500 that look more like us, or 343 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:12,599 in modern times, with some scientific 344 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:14,166 sounding excuse. 345 00:17:14,299 --> 00:17:17,366 If we can make something else, the creator 346 00:17:17,366 --> 00:17:21,333 of all things, then we don't have to admit that we are not our own. 347 00:17:21,366 --> 00:17:24,966 And we don't have to admit that we can't 348 00:17:24,966 --> 00:17:28,500 do whatever we just want to do with our lives. 349 00:17:28,566 --> 00:17:31,866 And this isn't exactly what Paul taught in Romans chapter 350 00:17:31,866 --> 00:17:35,099 one, that it's obvious to everyone who 351 00:17:35,099 --> 00:17:38,266 looks, who sees this world, that 352 00:17:38,299 --> 00:17:41,900 God is the creator, but man in his rebellion, 353 00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:45,299 looks at that with eyes covered by their hands, eyes 354 00:17:45,299 --> 00:17:48,466 closed, and ears plugged with their fingers. 355 00:17:48,566 --> 00:17:51,333 They say, God did not create this. 356 00:17:51,566 --> 00:17:55,633 It was the act of an impossible, unobserved 357 00:17:55,633 --> 00:17:57,066 natural process. 358 00:17:57,366 --> 00:18:00,433 And this is so important for 359 00:18:00,433 --> 00:18:03,733 us to understand this, that God created all things, 360 00:18:03,733 --> 00:18:06,799 that this is in the end, when 361 00:18:06,799 --> 00:18:10,633 we're all in heaven, praising God, in glory, 362 00:18:10,633 --> 00:18:13,766 this fact that he is the creator and sovereign 363 00:18:13,766 --> 00:18:16,466 over everything, will be what we're praising him for. 364 00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:20,400 And Revelation 6, or excuse me, 411, we 365 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,466 will sing to him, worthy are you, our Lord and our 366 00:18:23,466 --> 00:18:26,933 God, to receive glory and honor and power, 367 00:18:26,966 --> 00:18:29,966 for you created all things. 368 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,966 And because of your will, they existed and were created. 369 00:18:34,099 --> 00:18:37,633 If you can ignore the blaring reality of 370 00:18:37,633 --> 00:18:40,766 God's creating power, you 371 00:18:40,766 --> 00:18:43,466 can ignore his sovereignty as well. 372 00:18:43,633 --> 00:18:45,966 But we do not do this. 373 00:18:46,033 --> 00:18:49,166 We bow the knee to his sovereignty here and 374 00:18:49,166 --> 00:18:52,166 now, and recognize that in the future, just 375 00:18:52,166 --> 00:18:55,466 like the Hebrew soldiers coming back praising 376 00:18:55,466 --> 00:18:58,866 him for his power in victory in battle, we 377 00:18:58,866 --> 00:19:01,933 will praise him forever for his eternal 378 00:19:01,933 --> 00:19:05,233 power, for his divine nature, for his creation, 379 00:19:05,233 --> 00:19:07,633 and his sovereignty over all things. 380 00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:10,766 And when we do that, I just want you 381 00:19:10,766 --> 00:19:13,799 to understand that we understand, we praise 382 00:19:13,799 --> 00:19:15,166 him for that, we bow the need of that. 383 00:19:15,266 --> 00:19:18,266 We also recognize that he 384 00:19:18,266 --> 00:19:20,833 is the one in control of our battles. 385 00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:23,900 He is the one who is in control of 386 00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:27,266 the adversity in our lives, and that gives us the power as 387 00:19:27,266 --> 00:19:30,500 he sees fit to go through those things to handle those things, 388 00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:34,166 and he rescues us from those adversities in 389 00:19:34,166 --> 00:19:35,366 our lives. 390 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,066 And that's how we recognize his sovereignty over those things. 391 00:19:39,133 --> 00:19:42,266 And that's how we look to him as the sovereign 392 00:19:42,266 --> 00:19:46,033 king and worthy of praise for rescuing us. 393 00:19:46,099 --> 00:19:49,333 So that's the 1st thing because he is sovereign. 394 00:19:49,466 --> 00:19:52,633 But also, we look to God because he 395 00:19:52,633 --> 00:19:56,366 alone is the one who grants access to 396 00:19:56,366 --> 00:19:59,533 his blessed presence, verses 3 through 6. 397 00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:02,666 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord, 398 00:20:02,666 --> 00:20:06,099 and who may stand in his holy place, he 399 00:20:06,099 --> 00:20:09,500 who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who 400 00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:12,599 has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has 401 00:20:12,599 --> 00:20:13,966 not sworn deceitfully. 402 00:20:14,066 --> 00:20:17,099 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and 403 00:20:17,099 --> 00:20:19,566 righteousness from the God of his salvation. 404 00:20:19,633 --> 00:20:22,700 This is the generation of those who seek him, who 405 00:20:22,700 --> 00:20:26,066 seek your face, even Jacob, Selah. 406 00:20:26,166 --> 00:20:29,299 Again, we are placing ourselves in 407 00:20:29,299 --> 00:20:32,466 the sandals of these soldiers coming back from victorious 408 00:20:32,466 --> 00:20:33,799 battle. 409 00:20:33,866 --> 00:20:36,900 We're approaching the gates of Jerusalem, being led by 410 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,900 the priests who carry this ark, and they've led 411 00:20:39,900 --> 00:20:42,466 us into the gates, and now we're approaching the gates of the temple. 412 00:20:42,799 --> 00:20:46,500 The priests have entered the city and 413 00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:49,633 come to these gates, and there's other priests in 414 00:20:49,633 --> 00:20:52,766 the temple that have the duty of protecting 415 00:20:52,766 --> 00:20:57,566 the temple from violation, from blemish, from dirtiness. 416 00:20:57,599 --> 00:20:59,700 The priest carrying the ark. 417 00:20:59,766 --> 00:21:02,933 They call out to these priests in the temple and say, 418 00:21:02,966 --> 00:21:06,200 in verse 3, who may ascend into the hill of the Lord, 419 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,133 who may stand in his holy place? 420 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,566 And then in response, those responsible for the temple, 421 00:21:12,566 --> 00:21:15,666 for protecting it from violation, say, he who has 422 00:21:15,666 --> 00:21:17,833 clean hands, and a pure heart. 423 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:21,933 They say clean hands and a pure heart. 424 00:21:21,966 --> 00:21:24,966 I want you to recognize why it's those two things. 425 00:21:25,033 --> 00:21:28,466 There's outside of man, the clean hands, 426 00:21:28,466 --> 00:21:31,933 and there's the inside of man, the pure heart. 427 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,133 And we've talked about this several times. 428 00:21:35,166 --> 00:21:38,099 Philip has said it a bunch, that the difference. 429 00:21:38,166 --> 00:21:41,166 The real difference between biblical Christianity, 430 00:21:41,166 --> 00:21:44,166 the biblical gospel, and every other religion, 431 00:21:44,166 --> 00:21:47,400 is that there's so many other religions that 432 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:51,166 just have to, you do things, they rely on your works. 433 00:21:51,266 --> 00:21:54,733 Now, the lists change, there's seven pillars 434 00:21:54,733 --> 00:21:58,099 in Islam, and there's seven pillars in Buddhism, 435 00:21:58,099 --> 00:22:01,333 and all the lists change, but the reality 436 00:22:01,333 --> 00:22:05,099 is they all have some, for you, something that you have to do. 437 00:22:05,166 --> 00:22:08,233 They're all concerned with your clean hands and whatever 438 00:22:08,233 --> 00:22:09,666 they say makes them clean. 439 00:22:09,733 --> 00:22:12,799 If I do this, if I pray this way, 440 00:22:12,799 --> 00:22:15,799 if I pray this many times a day, and if I 441 00:22:15,799 --> 00:22:19,166 worship in this way, I'm going to be okay in 442 00:22:19,166 --> 00:22:20,666 whatever that means to me. 443 00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:24,900 But God is not looking for this in his worshipers. 444 00:22:24,966 --> 00:22:28,133 He's looking for clean hands and a 445 00:22:28,166 --> 00:22:31,933 pure heart, the outside and the inside, 446 00:22:31,933 --> 00:22:35,700 the combination of purity inside and out. 447 00:22:35,766 --> 00:22:38,633 Now, this is mentioned several times in scriptures. 448 00:22:38,766 --> 00:22:42,233 You remember as we went through James, 449 00:22:42,266 --> 00:22:44,233 we got through this in chapter 4. 450 00:22:44,533 --> 00:22:47,900 And James is teaching us how to draw near to God. 451 00:22:47,966 --> 00:22:49,166 I want you to... 452 00:22:49,166 --> 00:22:51,099 So James has this passage in mind. 453 00:22:51,133 --> 00:22:54,900 We've got the ark, and we want to go ascend the hill of the Lord. 454 00:22:54,966 --> 00:22:56,599 Why, to draw near to his presence. 455 00:22:56,666 --> 00:22:59,666 And James says in chapter 4, verse 8, draw 456 00:22:59,666 --> 00:23:03,133 near to God, and he will draw near to you, cleanse 457 00:23:03,133 --> 00:23:07,466 your hands, you sinners, and purify your heart, you double minded. 458 00:23:09,066 --> 00:23:12,133 Same principles, the inside and 459 00:23:12,133 --> 00:23:13,400 the outside, clean. 460 00:23:13,466 --> 00:23:16,633 And then there's another criteria for ascending 461 00:23:16,633 --> 00:23:20,400 the hill of the Lord and gaining entrance, that we're not liars. 462 00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:23,733 The last part of Psalm 244, who 463 00:23:23,733 --> 00:23:27,433 has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and 464 00:23:27,433 --> 00:23:29,599 has not sworn deceitfully. 465 00:23:29,666 --> 00:23:32,833 Now, here, with these two things, 466 00:23:32,833 --> 00:23:36,133 clean hearts, or clean hands, pure hearts, and 467 00:23:36,133 --> 00:23:37,200 not liars. 468 00:23:37,266 --> 00:23:40,333 We run into a little bit of trouble, as 469 00:23:40,333 --> 00:23:41,599 we talked about in Sunday school. 470 00:23:41,666 --> 00:23:43,466 This describes all of us. 471 00:23:44,099 --> 00:23:48,066 Now, let's say that you were these priests carrying this ark. 472 00:23:48,133 --> 00:23:51,433 And these were the given, the requirements 473 00:23:51,433 --> 00:23:55,099 for you to be able to enter, to ascend to the temple, clean 474 00:23:55,099 --> 00:23:58,266 hands, righteous actions, a pure heart, innocent 475 00:23:58,266 --> 00:24:02,466 inner person, an honest soul who has never broken his word. 476 00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:05,966 The ark would never make it home. 477 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,166 There would be no entrance into 478 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,266 the temple allowed, no violation, because 479 00:24:12,266 --> 00:24:15,566 all of us fail at all of these points. 480 00:24:15,599 --> 00:24:19,433 We all fall short of these requirements. 481 00:24:19,566 --> 00:24:22,733 The ability to stand before 482 00:24:22,766 --> 00:24:25,833 God and holiness is an 483 00:24:25,833 --> 00:24:29,566 impossibility for us, every single man, except 484 00:24:29,599 --> 00:24:31,033 for one man. 485 00:24:31,099 --> 00:24:34,333 And that is what this psalm is pointing to, that 486 00:24:34,333 --> 00:24:37,566 one man whose work, it was on Earth, was 487 00:24:37,566 --> 00:24:40,633 to have clean hands, because we don't. 488 00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:43,933 He had a pure heart where ours 489 00:24:43,933 --> 00:24:47,366 is dirty and contaminated, and he always, 490 00:24:47,366 --> 00:24:50,366 every single thing he said, he kept until the 491 00:24:50,366 --> 00:24:52,700 end, and we'll keep forever. 492 00:24:52,799 --> 00:24:55,266 And to illustrate his coming. 493 00:24:55,333 --> 00:24:58,266 The whole reason the temple was set up. 494 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,700 All these priests had performed all these ceremonies with 495 00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:05,833 sacrifices of these unblemished animals to 496 00:25:05,833 --> 00:25:09,299 picture what the unblemished lamb of God, 497 00:25:09,299 --> 00:25:12,366 the Son of God, would do in the future, for them, 498 00:25:12,366 --> 00:25:13,733 and in the past, for us. 499 00:25:13,799 --> 00:25:16,966 So these priests, when they said 500 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,599 that you need a clean hands, pure heart, and not be a liar. 501 00:25:20,599 --> 00:25:23,900 Those other priests would come in, not declaring 502 00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:27,599 that they were self righteous in themselves, but 503 00:25:27,599 --> 00:25:30,833 that a mission that they made, that the righteousness 504 00:25:30,866 --> 00:25:33,900 that they needed to enter into the presence of God, came 505 00:25:33,900 --> 00:25:36,366 from somewhere else, outside of them. 506 00:25:36,433 --> 00:25:39,566 And we know that that is the righteousness of 507 00:25:39,566 --> 00:25:42,666 Christ that he gives us in 508 00:25:42,666 --> 00:25:45,433 our place of our filthy sin. 509 00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:48,500 All of his righteousness was given to 510 00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:51,733 us on the cross so that we can ascend the 511 00:25:51,733 --> 00:25:54,066 hill of the Lord into his presence. 512 00:25:54,299 --> 00:25:57,733 The next part of this passage in verses 513 00:25:57,733 --> 00:26:00,733 5 and 6 says, he shall receive a blessing from the Lord, 514 00:26:00,733 --> 00:26:03,666 and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 515 00:26:03,733 --> 00:26:06,900 This is the generation of those who seek him, who seek 516 00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:09,900 your face, even Jacob, Selah, though the one who 517 00:26:09,900 --> 00:26:12,966 qualifies to ascend the hill of the Lord, by the 518 00:26:12,966 --> 00:26:16,333 grace of God, given to us through Jesus Christ, 519 00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:20,299 receives his blessing and his righteousness. 520 00:26:20,299 --> 00:26:24,500 And verse 6, in my opinion, is clearer in the ESV, 521 00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:27,733 it says such is the generation of those who seek him, who 522 00:26:27,733 --> 00:26:30,799 seek the face of the God of Jacob, Selah. 523 00:26:30,866 --> 00:26:33,433 Seeking the face of God. 524 00:26:33,799 --> 00:26:37,200 And in the benediction, we hear, may the God's face shine 525 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,266 upon you, is a way of saying of seeking the 526 00:26:40,266 --> 00:26:43,433 pleasurable, the joyful presence of 527 00:26:43,466 --> 00:26:46,599 God, which is the reason you would be 528 00:26:46,599 --> 00:26:51,433 going to the temple anyway, because that's where God represented, 529 00:26:51,433 --> 00:26:53,099 manifested his presence. 530 00:26:53,233 --> 00:26:56,366 This is the result of the clean hands, a result 531 00:26:56,366 --> 00:26:59,666 of the pure heart is the ability to enter the 532 00:26:59,666 --> 00:27:01,166 presence of a holy God. 533 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,266 Now, I want you to remember that there's several 534 00:27:04,266 --> 00:27:07,500 things mentioned in the Bible about the presence of God, 535 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:10,933 and it's not always something that people sought after. 536 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,133 If you remember back in Genesis, after Ab and 537 00:27:14,133 --> 00:27:17,266 Eve sinned in the garden, in verse number eight, 538 00:27:17,299 --> 00:27:20,433 he said, the Bible says they hid themselves from the presence of 539 00:27:20,433 --> 00:27:23,700 the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 540 00:27:23,766 --> 00:27:27,200 And remember Jonah, Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh and 541 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,366 tell them that they were going to be destroyed, but Jonah 542 00:27:30,366 --> 00:27:31,400 didn't want to. 543 00:27:31,466 --> 00:27:32,299 So what did he do? 544 00:27:32,366 --> 00:27:33,433 Jonah won three. 545 00:27:33,500 --> 00:27:36,599 He rose up to flee to Tarshish from the 546 00:27:36,599 --> 00:27:37,633 presence of the Lord. 547 00:27:37,700 --> 00:27:40,700 And then it says, he found a ship which was going to 548 00:27:40,700 --> 00:27:43,700 Tarshish, paid the fair, and went down into it, to 549 00:27:43,700 --> 00:27:46,866 go with them to Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord. 550 00:27:46,933 --> 00:27:49,566 He was trying to escape the presence of the Lord. 551 00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:53,166 But also in the end as well. 552 00:27:53,233 --> 00:27:56,299 Those the sinners with the dirty hands and the 553 00:27:56,299 --> 00:28:00,133 impure heart will try to escape the presence of the Lord in his judgment. 554 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,666 Revelation 615, and the kings of the earth, and 555 00:28:03,666 --> 00:28:06,833 the great men, and the commanders, and the rich, and 556 00:28:06,866 --> 00:28:09,966 the strong, and every slave, and free men, 557 00:28:09,966 --> 00:28:12,966 hid themselves in the caves, and among the rocks of the mountains, 558 00:28:12,966 --> 00:28:16,033 and they said to the mountains, and to the rocks, fall on 559 00:28:16,033 --> 00:28:19,633 us, and hide us from the presence of him who 560 00:28:19,633 --> 00:28:22,633 sits on the throne, and from the wrath of 561 00:28:22,633 --> 00:28:25,700 the lamb, and all of these cases, and all 562 00:28:25,700 --> 00:28:30,133 of the other cases, when you don't have the righteousness of Christ, 563 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:34,133 There is no escape from the wrathful presence 564 00:28:34,166 --> 00:28:35,500 of God. 565 00:28:35,533 --> 00:28:37,166 He will always be there. 566 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:40,500 You cannot escape from his presence. 567 00:28:40,566 --> 00:28:42,799 Whether you deny him, it will make no difference. 568 00:28:42,866 --> 00:28:45,933 If you ignore the reality that he is put in 569 00:28:45,933 --> 00:28:48,966 front of you that hits you like a freight train, it won't 570 00:28:48,966 --> 00:28:52,400 change a thing, but turning to Christ is 571 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:55,866 what changes what the presence of the Lord means from 572 00:28:55,866 --> 00:28:59,033 a presence of wrath and judgment to a presence 573 00:28:59,066 --> 00:29:02,799 of joy in him in God's glory. 574 00:29:02,833 --> 00:29:05,833 Bending the knee and saving faith and 575 00:29:05,833 --> 00:29:09,133 biblical repentance will mean his presence becomes 576 00:29:09,133 --> 00:29:13,400 sweet reward to us instead of terrifying judgment. 577 00:29:13,466 --> 00:29:15,099 Psalm 16 9. 578 00:29:15,133 --> 00:29:18,900 Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. 579 00:29:18,966 --> 00:29:21,966 My flesh also will dwell securely, for you will 580 00:29:21,966 --> 00:29:25,099 not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will 581 00:29:25,099 --> 00:29:27,500 you allow your holy one to undergo decay. 582 00:29:27,566 --> 00:29:30,566 You will make known to me the path of life, 583 00:29:30,566 --> 00:29:33,900 and your presence is fullness of joy, and 584 00:29:33,900 --> 00:29:36,000 your right hand there are pleasures forever. 585 00:29:36,066 --> 00:29:38,933 So look to God through Christ. 586 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,366 And he will give you access to his sweet presence. 587 00:29:42,433 --> 00:29:45,799 He will allow you to ascend the hill of 588 00:29:45,799 --> 00:29:49,866 the Lord, even though none of us are worthy in ourselves to do this. 589 00:29:49,933 --> 00:29:53,066 We need Christ's righteousness to be able to do 590 00:29:53,066 --> 00:29:56,299 this by God's blessing and his grace. 591 00:29:56,366 --> 00:30:00,099 And then thirdly, we look to God. 592 00:30:00,133 --> 00:30:03,266 We remember to look to God because he alone 593 00:30:03,266 --> 00:30:06,566 is the king of glory, verses 7 through 10. 594 00:30:06,799 --> 00:30:09,966 Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted 595 00:30:09,966 --> 00:30:13,099 up, O ancient doors that the king of glory may come in. 596 00:30:13,166 --> 00:30:16,266 Who is the king of glory, the Lord, strong and 597 00:30:16,266 --> 00:30:18,433 mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. 598 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:21,566 Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O 599 00:30:21,566 --> 00:30:24,400 ancient doors, that the king of glory may come in. 600 00:30:24,433 --> 00:30:26,166 Who is this, king of glory? 601 00:30:26,233 --> 00:30:30,133 The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory, Selah. 602 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,333 So now as we approach the temple, there's more back 603 00:30:33,333 --> 00:30:36,533 and forth between the gatekeepers and those carrying the 604 00:30:36,566 --> 00:30:39,733 ark, the ones who are coming back victorious 605 00:30:39,733 --> 00:30:41,366 because God has won the battle. 606 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,533 He's won the day, in this very poetic 607 00:30:44,533 --> 00:30:47,533 way that David writes, they tell the doors 608 00:30:47,533 --> 00:30:51,299 to open up, because the king of glory is coming in. 609 00:30:51,433 --> 00:30:54,966 But what's interesting is that ancient 610 00:30:54,966 --> 00:30:59,000 doors and most modern doors don't lift up to open. 611 00:30:59,066 --> 00:31:02,599 They hinge on the sides and open this way. 612 00:31:02,666 --> 00:31:05,799 But in this poem, in this song, these 613 00:31:05,799 --> 00:31:09,200 gates are made to be like persons or like men. 614 00:31:09,266 --> 00:31:11,066 It's called personification. 615 00:31:11,099 --> 00:31:14,166 And the gates are having 616 00:31:14,166 --> 00:31:17,466 the emotions that men would have on seeing the victorious 617 00:31:17,466 --> 00:31:18,966 Lord come back from battle. 618 00:31:19,033 --> 00:31:22,099 And so the gates should be excited to perform 619 00:31:22,099 --> 00:31:24,033 their duty, to open up. 620 00:31:24,066 --> 00:31:27,433 So the king of glory can come in and take his place on 621 00:31:27,433 --> 00:31:28,799 his throne. 622 00:31:28,933 --> 00:31:32,099 The gates are to lift up their heads and sing. 623 00:31:32,166 --> 00:31:35,533 They're to be lifted up in exaltation for 624 00:31:35,533 --> 00:31:38,599 the king of glory, who is he's returned as a victor 625 00:31:38,599 --> 00:31:41,066 over all of his enemies. 626 00:31:41,099 --> 00:31:43,266 The gatekeepers call out, who goes there? 627 00:31:43,333 --> 00:31:45,599 Who is this king of glory? 628 00:31:45,666 --> 00:31:49,266 And then in praise, the answer comes back, Yahweh, 629 00:31:49,266 --> 00:31:50,599 strong and mighty. 630 00:31:50,666 --> 00:31:53,366 Yahweh, mighty in battle. 631 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:56,933 No one else has the authority, to 632 00:31:56,966 --> 00:32:00,200 open these gates, to command the gates to open to 633 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:01,266 the throne of God. 634 00:32:01,333 --> 00:32:04,500 The gate will only open for the one who is worthy, 635 00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:08,166 and there is none worthy, but the king of glory. 636 00:32:08,233 --> 00:32:11,833 Once the battle is all over, the 637 00:32:11,833 --> 00:32:14,400 victor who comes back in this triumphal parade. 638 00:32:14,466 --> 00:32:17,466 He is the one who is strong and mighty, and 639 00:32:17,466 --> 00:32:20,633 the gate, listen to his command, and open up 640 00:32:20,666 --> 00:32:23,833 gladly with praise and glory for 641 00:32:23,833 --> 00:32:24,866 him. 642 00:32:24,900 --> 00:32:26,466 And then this is repeated. 643 00:32:26,533 --> 00:32:29,599 He commands again, lift up your heads, O gates, and 644 00:32:29,599 --> 00:32:33,333 lift them up, O ancient doors, that the king of glory may come in. 645 00:32:33,433 --> 00:32:34,033 In verse 10. 646 00:32:34,799 --> 00:32:36,900 He says, who is this, king of glory? 647 00:32:36,966 --> 00:32:40,733 He says, the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory. 648 00:32:40,799 --> 00:32:44,266 The Lord of hosts here is Yahweh 649 00:32:44,299 --> 00:32:47,400 Sabbath, if you may remember that from a 650 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:49,033 mighty fortress is our God. 651 00:32:49,099 --> 00:32:52,833 That means that the Lord of hosts, or the Lord of armies. 652 00:32:52,933 --> 00:32:56,599 He is the ruler, the general, the great ruler 653 00:32:56,599 --> 00:32:58,400 of all of the armies. 654 00:32:58,466 --> 00:33:01,766 He's the king of kings, and he is the king of glory. 655 00:33:01,799 --> 00:33:04,799 The king demands by right to 656 00:33:04,799 --> 00:33:06,133 enter in to the temple. 657 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,299 He is the victor and the leader of the armies into 658 00:33:09,299 --> 00:33:11,400 battle, and he is the winner of wars. 659 00:33:11,466 --> 00:33:14,466 It is by his strength that all of his 660 00:33:14,466 --> 00:33:17,466 enemies are conquered, and all the enemies of his 661 00:33:17,466 --> 00:33:18,733 people are conquered. 662 00:33:18,799 --> 00:33:21,666 And we all know who this king is. 663 00:33:21,733 --> 00:33:24,666 We all know who the king of glory is. 664 00:33:24,733 --> 00:33:26,299 It's Jesus Christ himself. 665 00:33:26,366 --> 00:33:29,666 David prophesied about Jesus Christ coming 666 00:33:29,666 --> 00:33:31,766 in the future in Psalm 110. 667 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,466 He says, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right 668 00:33:35,466 --> 00:33:38,333 hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. 669 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:41,400 The Lord will stretch forth your strong scepter 670 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,233 from Zion, saying, rule in the midst of your enemies. 671 00:33:44,366 --> 00:33:47,700 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of your power, 672 00:33:47,700 --> 00:33:50,766 in holy array from the womb of the dawn, for your youth 673 00:33:50,766 --> 00:33:51,833 are to you as the dew. 674 00:33:51,900 --> 00:33:54,666 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. 675 00:33:54,733 --> 00:33:58,700 You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 676 00:33:58,766 --> 00:34:00,433 The Lord is at your right hand. 677 00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:03,933 He will shatter kings in the day of his wrath. 678 00:34:03,966 --> 00:34:07,033 And this is quoted several times in 679 00:34:07,033 --> 00:34:10,266 the New Testament, and several times in the book of Hebrews, 680 00:34:10,266 --> 00:34:13,400 but in Hebrews 10, verse 12, he quotes this, 681 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,800 and he says, but he, this is Jesus, having offered 682 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,099 one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat 683 00:34:20,099 --> 00:34:23,400 down at the right hand of God, waiting from 684 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,533 the time onward until his enemies be made 685 00:34:26,533 --> 00:34:28,199 a footstool for his feet. 686 00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:31,500 Don't you see that the king of glory isn't 687 00:34:31,500 --> 00:34:34,633 just a victor over the physical national enemies 688 00:34:34,633 --> 00:34:35,766 of Israel? 689 00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:39,566 He is the victor over all of enemies of God. 690 00:34:39,599 --> 00:34:40,866 Every single one. 691 00:34:40,933 --> 00:34:44,366 1st Peter 322, who is at the right hand of God, 692 00:34:44,366 --> 00:34:47,500 having gone into heaven, after angels and 693 00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:51,133 authorities and powers had been subjected to him. 694 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:54,900 So even though we are not members of 695 00:34:54,900 --> 00:34:58,133 the nation of Israel, the ancient 696 00:34:58,166 --> 00:35:01,300 nation of Israel, we can lift up our voices just 697 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,566 like they did as they sang Psalm 24, 698 00:35:04,566 --> 00:35:08,633 to praise our king, who is the king of glory. 699 00:35:08,699 --> 00:35:11,400 He wins all of our battles for us. 700 00:35:11,466 --> 00:35:14,833 And in fact, he's already won all of our battles 701 00:35:14,833 --> 00:35:17,900 on the cross, in his resurrection, 702 00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:21,000 in his ascension, as he's seated in victory at 703 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,400 the right hand of the Father. 704 00:35:23,699 --> 00:35:26,533 He is the king of glory, look to him. 705 00:35:26,599 --> 00:35:29,666 Now this short psalm is 706 00:35:29,666 --> 00:35:31,000 packed with praise. 707 00:35:31,033 --> 00:35:33,266 And it's amazing to me. 708 00:35:33,300 --> 00:35:35,233 How clear. 709 00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:38,300 This is a picture of Christ that David is talking 710 00:35:38,300 --> 00:35:39,800 about Jesus Christ. 711 00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:42,966 And there's so many passages in the New 712 00:35:42,966 --> 00:35:46,866 Testament that point directly to this psalm in reference to Christ. 713 00:35:46,933 --> 00:35:50,066 And this is a psalm that is sung about 714 00:35:50,066 --> 00:35:51,733 victory in warfare. 715 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,633 And now, we don't fight that type of war anymore 716 00:35:55,633 --> 00:35:56,966 like they did. 717 00:35:57,133 --> 00:35:59,699 The church is not a nation. 718 00:35:59,766 --> 00:36:02,766 We don't go out with M16s and 719 00:36:02,766 --> 00:36:06,066 our Bible, on the other hand, to conquer the world. 720 00:36:06,133 --> 00:36:09,300 But every single one of us, are 721 00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:11,033 constantly at battle. 722 00:36:11,099 --> 00:36:13,866 As Philip preached not too long ago. 723 00:36:13,933 --> 00:36:15,133 Ephesians 6.12. 724 00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:18,366 Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 725 00:36:18,366 --> 00:36:21,500 against the rulers, against the powers, against the world 726 00:36:21,500 --> 00:36:24,800 forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces 727 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,033 of wickedness in the heavenly places. 728 00:36:27,066 --> 00:36:30,433 And the reality is that God provided 729 00:36:30,433 --> 00:36:33,666 for the victory of Israel, and God has 730 00:36:33,666 --> 00:36:36,666 provided for our victory as well 731 00:36:36,666 --> 00:36:39,666 as we've been going through in Ephesians, as we see here 732 00:36:39,666 --> 00:36:41,766 in this psalm. 733 00:36:41,900 --> 00:36:44,666 So we need to get out there and fight. 734 00:36:44,699 --> 00:36:46,866 God provided for them. 735 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,099 God fought their battles for them, but the soldiers 736 00:36:50,099 --> 00:36:52,133 still got out there on the field. 737 00:36:52,199 --> 00:36:55,366 They still put on their sword or their spear or 738 00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:58,633 their bow and arrow, God in the chariot, God on the horse, whatever was 739 00:36:58,633 --> 00:36:59,699 necessary to do. 740 00:36:59,766 --> 00:37:02,833 But the reminder is that we 741 00:37:02,833 --> 00:37:06,000 all need to look to God through Christ, 742 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,933 because he is the king of glory. 743 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,466 He is strong and mighty, he is mighty in battle. 744 00:37:11,666 --> 00:37:15,266 And there's one more thing before we finish. 745 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:18,533 Those gates lifted up their heads and opened 746 00:37:18,566 --> 00:37:20,800 gladly for their king to enter in. 747 00:37:20,900 --> 00:37:25,466 And all those who were with them entered in as well. 748 00:37:25,500 --> 00:37:28,633 Every soldier went in through those gates, 749 00:37:28,633 --> 00:37:32,000 in that triumphal procession, to worship as well. 750 00:37:32,166 --> 00:37:35,699 The question is, are you with him? 751 00:37:36,866 --> 00:37:38,900 Have you bent the knee? 752 00:37:38,966 --> 00:37:43,000 Have you been given his clean hands and his pure heart? 753 00:37:43,033 --> 00:37:46,033 That is the only way to ascend 754 00:37:46,033 --> 00:37:50,466 the hill of the Lord, and come into his joyful, sweet presence. 755 00:37:50,533 --> 00:37:54,266 And if you're not sure that you have done that? 756 00:37:54,300 --> 00:37:57,300 Please come see me or Philip after 757 00:37:57,300 --> 00:38:01,199 the service, and we'll be glad to point you in the direction of 758 00:38:01,199 --> 00:38:04,666 God's holy hill and his promised victory 759 00:38:04,699 --> 00:38:07,466 over every battle in our lives. 760 00:38:07,500 --> 00:38:08,099 Let's pray. 761 00:38:08,233 --> 00:38:11,400 Heavy Father, we worship you this morning for 762 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:12,766 your grace and your glory. 763 00:38:12,866 --> 00:38:15,866 We thank you for your son who came as a substitute. 764 00:38:15,900 --> 00:38:17,099 Lord, we don't have clean hands. 765 00:38:17,166 --> 00:38:18,833 We don't have a pure heart. 766 00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:22,333 We are all liars and fall short outside 767 00:38:22,333 --> 00:38:25,800 of Jesus Christ, who lived that life that we couldn't 768 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,933 live and died in our place, took the wrath that we so much deserved. 769 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:31,066 And we praise you for that. 770 00:38:31,166 --> 00:38:34,566 I pray, but as we go, fight the battles of our lives in 771 00:38:34,566 --> 00:38:37,566 our lives this week, that you would be with us and that you 772 00:38:37,566 --> 00:38:41,166 would give us the victory, and that in turn, we would bring you glory for that. 773 00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:42,366 In Christ's name, amen.