The King of Glory - Psalm 24
The King of Glory - Psalm 24
October 28, 2007 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Looking up a family’s history has become quite an obsession for many today. Whole web sites are devoted to it and there is even a myriad of software you can purchase for you to investigate your own family’s history. Why? I believe sometimes it is because we are so dissatisfied with our own lives that we look in other places to discover some meaning. Perhaps lost royalty, a past President, bandit, or Indian chieftain that we can cling to that would bring some kind of a sense of importance to our existence. Sadly what we find is just a whole lot of reality. Now before you get your historical buns in a snit, I am not saying it is necessarily a bad thing researching your ancestors, because knowing where you come from can help in knowing who you are.
The Christian has a rich heritage indeed. We do not have to look very far afield to discover our royal roots. In fact, we soon find that we are all adopted and the lost children of the King of Glory. Who is this King of Glory? Well I am glad you asked! When we look at the Shepherd’s Psalm, Psalm 23, we often forget to go any further and read the next one in line. Here in these 10 verses of David we find our heritage and discover some wonderful truths concerning the King of Glory as we ask a few specific questions. Let find out what the answers are as we look at the King of Glory.
READ: Psalm 24
Our world today hardly recognizes anything past its own wants and desires. Life is encouraged to be lived for the moment rather than thinking about the future consequences of our present actions. When we focus on ourselves to the point where we forget whose universe this is in the first place, we will remain stunted in our worldview. David dared to ask the question…
I. Who is the King of Glory? (vv. 1-2)
1. The One in which everything belongs! The one who owns everything has exclusive rights to do with it as He wishes. David makes it plain that “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it!” Far too often we, as His creation, forget the fact that God alone “founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” David reminds us of the basis for all that exists, whether it is created physical things like planets or plants, animals or stars, mankind or moons! Herein is the intrinsic truth that in all things that exist, God’s ownership is indelibly stamped! “The King of Glory” is the not just the owner, He is the Creator of all things! The very last words Jesus left us with was His pronouncement that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus taught His ownership is complete in that “All that belongs to the Father is mine.” (John 16:15) and we learn Jesus was “appointed heir of all things, and through whom [God] made the universe!” (Hebrews 1:2) All things then are Christ's, in respect of creation: “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made;” (John 1:3) and in respect of sustaining all things: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3a) Who is the King of Glory? The King of Glory is Jesus Christ and everything belongs to Him!
EXAMPLE: It is said that Chrysostom, suffering under the Empress Eudoxia, tells his friend Cyriacus how he armed himself beforehand: “I thought, will she banish me? 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' Take away my goods? 'Naked came I into the world, and naked must I return.' Will she stone me? I remembered Stephen. Behead me? John Baptist came into my mind,” and thus it should be with everyone who claims Christ as their Savior and Lord. If He indeed is Lord of your life, then He has the rights to it. He owns it like everything else He has created. It is His alone to do with as He desires. The believer finds rest in Jesus when they realize that they are “not their own,” they are “bought with price!” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Christians therefore must honor God with all that they are (v. 20)! Who is the King of Glory? The one who paid the price, created you, and owns all that there is – Jesus Christ!
How can one whose life is so full of filth even dare enter where a Holy God abides? The stark reality is even more arresting than that. What we might dare ask, if we were to consider the truth of our lives and the purity of God, is like David did so long ago when he asked…
II. Who can worship the King of Glory? (vv. 3-4)
1. Only those who have a right to be in the throne room! David asked two perplexing questions that the “common man,” who dares not enter into the presence of true royalty, often asks. Here it refers to the Temple: “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?” Who indeed? The Jews would sing this as they slowly walked up the hill to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, knowing that deep down inside they were not really worthy to even walk on the road that lead up the hill where they would worship God! The answer, perhaps echoed back in response by the priests, is that only one whose conduct is “pure” and whose worship is faithful. “Clean hands” refers to right actions, and a “pure heart” refers to a right attitude and will. Only the one “who does not lift up his soul to an idol” by corrupting their worship or those who would dare “swear by what is false!” Praise God that Jesus reminds us that “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:13) He has gone before us! Hebrews relates that “After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3b) Paul would write that “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12) Who can worship the King of Glory? Only those who have a right to be in the throne room! Guess what? You have that right if you know Jesus as the King of Glory!
EXAMPLE: We often hear of the salvation Jesus provided when He died for our sins, yet little is said of His continuing ministry of prayer for us! Just as Jesus prayed for Peter in a time of severe temptation (Luke 22:31-32), so also He intercedes before the Father's throne on our behalf! Robert McCheyne, a beloved Scottish minister of the 19th century, wrote, ‘If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference. He is praying for me!’ I must confess that during a deep personal crisis, I realized the truth that “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:26-27) It was profound. When Satan seemed to be attacking me on every side, I asked Jesus to intercede for me. The very next moment the problem was resolved, and I knew it was the Lord's intervention. Never before had I been so conscious of the Savior's high-priestly ministry! Who can worship the King of Glory? Only those who have a right to be in the throne room!
The wonderful truth of salvation is not just found in the future of an eternal home. It is discovered most graciously in the here and now by our need of Him. And David most wonderfully gives us a glimpse of this beautiful truth as he asks…
III. What can we receive from the King of Glory? (vv. 5-6)
1. Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! David promises us that “the generation of those who seek” the King of Glory, who truly “seek” His “face… will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior!” Jesus told His disciples to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well…. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 6:33; 7:7-8) This is not some “name-it-and-claim-it” sloganeering, but the eternal truth that the King of Glory desires to give His children the blessings He has promised! Jesus told us to “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) and that “my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) Paul would say, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) James tells us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) What can we receive from the King of Glory? Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! We receive the “blessing” of eternal life and the “vindication” of our sins from Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: What is the best gift you could give a child? That is a different question than, “What would you leave your children?” or “What is the best gift you have ever received?” It speaks to us of future generations. Some think that by being good stewards of the earth, we will leave an unpolluted environmentally friendly future for our offspring. Others think that by investing wisely with the fortune we have acquired will insure our inheritance will be used by those who come after us. Still there are those who think that by passing down bits of wisdom or education, that this will insure a wise and knowledgeable foundation for instructing future students. While all these are worthy of consideration, only one choice remains the definitive answer and hope for the world and its human inhabitants. Only that gift which the King of Glory has given us will have eternal significance for all time. It is truly a matter of life and death for millions of our unborn progeny. It is the gift of eternal life. What can we receive from the King of Glory? Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Conclusion:
When we answer the questions: Who is the King of Glory? Who can worship the King of Glory? What can we receive from the King of Glory? With David we can truly sing:
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is He, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
He is the King of glory.
October 28, 2007 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
Looking up a family’s history has become quite an obsession for many today. Whole web sites are devoted to it and there is even a myriad of software you can purchase for you to investigate your own family’s history. Why? I believe sometimes it is because we are so dissatisfied with our own lives that we look in other places to discover some meaning. Perhaps lost royalty, a past President, bandit, or Indian chieftain that we can cling to that would bring some kind of a sense of importance to our existence. Sadly what we find is just a whole lot of reality. Now before you get your historical buns in a snit, I am not saying it is necessarily a bad thing researching your ancestors, because knowing where you come from can help in knowing who you are.
The Christian has a rich heritage indeed. We do not have to look very far afield to discover our royal roots. In fact, we soon find that we are all adopted and the lost children of the King of Glory. Who is this King of Glory? Well I am glad you asked! When we look at the Shepherd’s Psalm, Psalm 23, we often forget to go any further and read the next one in line. Here in these 10 verses of David we find our heritage and discover some wonderful truths concerning the King of Glory as we ask a few specific questions. Let find out what the answers are as we look at the King of Glory.
READ: Psalm 24
Our world today hardly recognizes anything past its own wants and desires. Life is encouraged to be lived for the moment rather than thinking about the future consequences of our present actions. When we focus on ourselves to the point where we forget whose universe this is in the first place, we will remain stunted in our worldview. David dared to ask the question…
I. Who is the King of Glory? (vv. 1-2)
1. The One in which everything belongs! The one who owns everything has exclusive rights to do with it as He wishes. David makes it plain that “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it!” Far too often we, as His creation, forget the fact that God alone “founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” David reminds us of the basis for all that exists, whether it is created physical things like planets or plants, animals or stars, mankind or moons! Herein is the intrinsic truth that in all things that exist, God’s ownership is indelibly stamped! “The King of Glory” is the not just the owner, He is the Creator of all things! The very last words Jesus left us with was His pronouncement that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus taught His ownership is complete in that “All that belongs to the Father is mine.” (John 16:15) and we learn Jesus was “appointed heir of all things, and through whom [God] made the universe!” (Hebrews 1:2) All things then are Christ's, in respect of creation: “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made;” (John 1:3) and in respect of sustaining all things: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3a) Who is the King of Glory? The King of Glory is Jesus Christ and everything belongs to Him!
EXAMPLE: It is said that Chrysostom, suffering under the Empress Eudoxia, tells his friend Cyriacus how he armed himself beforehand: “I thought, will she banish me? 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' Take away my goods? 'Naked came I into the world, and naked must I return.' Will she stone me? I remembered Stephen. Behead me? John Baptist came into my mind,” and thus it should be with everyone who claims Christ as their Savior and Lord. If He indeed is Lord of your life, then He has the rights to it. He owns it like everything else He has created. It is His alone to do with as He desires. The believer finds rest in Jesus when they realize that they are “not their own,” they are “bought with price!” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Christians therefore must honor God with all that they are (v. 20)! Who is the King of Glory? The one who paid the price, created you, and owns all that there is – Jesus Christ!
How can one whose life is so full of filth even dare enter where a Holy God abides? The stark reality is even more arresting than that. What we might dare ask, if we were to consider the truth of our lives and the purity of God, is like David did so long ago when he asked…
II. Who can worship the King of Glory? (vv. 3-4)
1. Only those who have a right to be in the throne room! David asked two perplexing questions that the “common man,” who dares not enter into the presence of true royalty, often asks. Here it refers to the Temple: “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?” Who indeed? The Jews would sing this as they slowly walked up the hill to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, knowing that deep down inside they were not really worthy to even walk on the road that lead up the hill where they would worship God! The answer, perhaps echoed back in response by the priests, is that only one whose conduct is “pure” and whose worship is faithful. “Clean hands” refers to right actions, and a “pure heart” refers to a right attitude and will. Only the one “who does not lift up his soul to an idol” by corrupting their worship or those who would dare “swear by what is false!” Praise God that Jesus reminds us that “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:13) He has gone before us! Hebrews relates that “After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3b) Paul would write that “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12) Who can worship the King of Glory? Only those who have a right to be in the throne room! Guess what? You have that right if you know Jesus as the King of Glory!
EXAMPLE: We often hear of the salvation Jesus provided when He died for our sins, yet little is said of His continuing ministry of prayer for us! Just as Jesus prayed for Peter in a time of severe temptation (Luke 22:31-32), so also He intercedes before the Father's throne on our behalf! Robert McCheyne, a beloved Scottish minister of the 19th century, wrote, ‘If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference. He is praying for me!’ I must confess that during a deep personal crisis, I realized the truth that “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Hebrews 7:26-27) It was profound. When Satan seemed to be attacking me on every side, I asked Jesus to intercede for me. The very next moment the problem was resolved, and I knew it was the Lord's intervention. Never before had I been so conscious of the Savior's high-priestly ministry! Who can worship the King of Glory? Only those who have a right to be in the throne room!
The wonderful truth of salvation is not just found in the future of an eternal home. It is discovered most graciously in the here and now by our need of Him. And David most wonderfully gives us a glimpse of this beautiful truth as he asks…
III. What can we receive from the King of Glory? (vv. 5-6)
1. Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! David promises us that “the generation of those who seek” the King of Glory, who truly “seek” His “face… will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior!” Jesus told His disciples to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well…. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 6:33; 7:7-8) This is not some “name-it-and-claim-it” sloganeering, but the eternal truth that the King of Glory desires to give His children the blessings He has promised! Jesus told us to “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) and that “my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) Paul would say, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) James tells us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) What can we receive from the King of Glory? Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! We receive the “blessing” of eternal life and the “vindication” of our sins from Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: What is the best gift you could give a child? That is a different question than, “What would you leave your children?” or “What is the best gift you have ever received?” It speaks to us of future generations. Some think that by being good stewards of the earth, we will leave an unpolluted environmentally friendly future for our offspring. Others think that by investing wisely with the fortune we have acquired will insure our inheritance will be used by those who come after us. Still there are those who think that by passing down bits of wisdom or education, that this will insure a wise and knowledgeable foundation for instructing future students. While all these are worthy of consideration, only one choice remains the definitive answer and hope for the world and its human inhabitants. Only that gift which the King of Glory has given us will have eternal significance for all time. It is truly a matter of life and death for millions of our unborn progeny. It is the gift of eternal life. What can we receive from the King of Glory? Only those gifts the King wants to freely give us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Conclusion:
When we answer the questions: Who is the King of Glory? Who can worship the King of Glory? What can we receive from the King of Glory? With David we can truly sing:
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is He, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
He is the King of glory.
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