Psalm 24, a psalm of David.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face.
Selah.
Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates.
Lift up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts.
He is the King of glory.
Selah.
This is the word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Please be seated.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
And no word from God shall be void of power.
He promises this in his word.
Let's pray.
O Lord, in your word, you have breathed out such majestic spiritual truth that our creaturely minds have no ability to comprehend unless your Holy Spirit, the same God who breathed out Scripture, illumines your word to us.
We ask that you will please do this, Lord.
Cause us with the eyes of faith to behold our King.
Amen.
Well, picture a friend of yours sitting at home, tired, disappointed in himself.
And you want to approach them and encourage them.
What can you do for them?
What can you say?
He doesn't want to hear any more of those inspirational messages he's been playing on his phone.
He's already heard it all.
You're a warrior.
You have everything you need.
You, you, you.
That's not going to cut it.
What do you say to that friend?
And it's not just that friend, is it?
If we're honest, it's, it's our own hearts too.
You and I can so quickly lose sight of Christ.
We can fuss about whether we have repented enough.
Or how much have we experienced of these blessings of the gospel?
As Sinclair Ferguson has been teaching us in our midweek Bible study,
he said, we often think too much about how much has been accomplished in us,
forgetting that nothing is accomplished in us that wasn't first accomplished for us in Christ.
What do you say to this brother?
Well, you do what Psalm 24 does.
You say, come on brother, let's go to the house of God and put our eyes on him.
We all need to get our eyes off of ourselves and back on to Christ.
We need to behold who Christ is.
We need to see his work one more time.
So beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
behold the King of glory.
It's been my prayer that God would help us to do that
as we walk through Psalm 24 together today.
Can you picture Charles Spurgeon sitting in London, 1800s,
and looking at his library and picking out a resource?
The best biblical encyclopedia in his lifetime
was put together by a pastor named John Kitto.
And in this encyclopedia, Kitto wrote these words.
At the time when God breathed out Psalm 24,
Jerusalem as the city of God was regarded by the hearers at the time,
so David's generation, as a type or a shadow of heaven.
That's what Jerusalem was regarded as.
The domain inside the walls of the city was seen as God's palace.
The tabernacle was seen as God's royal court.
And the ark of the covenant inside the Holy of Holies was seen as God's throne.
You see that movement of three spheres,
from the city walls to the tabernacle to the Holy of Holies.
I think in this psalm,
David walks us through those spheres,
outside the walls of Jerusalem,
so in the world,
and then approaching the gates,
and then finally in the holy place.
It's likely that God gave this psalm for a special occasion,
but then it continued to be sung for the centuries by God's people.
We don't know for certain what this occasion was.
Some have guessed that maybe it was 2 Samuel 6
when the ark is being brought,
and now all the people are going to go outside the city gates
and march with the ark as it ascends the hill
and comes into the gates of Jerusalem
and then goes into the tabernacle,
and then it was carried on by those priests
after the ceremonial law can carry it into the Holy of Holies.
Certainly would require a special psalm for such a great day
if that's the throne of God,
the portable chariot of God being brought in
to dwell in his palace.
Well, even if that wasn't the occasion,
we'll be moving with those three spheres
as I see them in this psalm.
And I would invite you, like me,
to imagine as if you're part of that great throng,
you know, that great gathered congregation,
all the tribes having traveled to the capital
to march up together now
and watch God take his throne among his people.
So the first movement is this.
All the earth is ruled by the king of glory.
Here comes the procession approaching the city of Jerusalem.
The people are marching.
They're singing.
God has set them apart for himself.
But yet they're at the crossroads.
People travel through Israel from all the other continents.
So as they're singing,
they're declaring who God is to all who have an ear to hear.
Picture these foreigners and all these nations gathering around.
They're the audience as well.
I even picture some of those Philistines and Ammonites,
the bad guys we've been studying about in 1 Samuel.
Some of them are working,
and they're in the area, and they're trading.
They're hearing this proclaimed to them as well.
Look at verse 1 of Psalm 24.
Here's what the congregation sings.
The earth is the Lord's in all its fullness,
the world and those who dwell therein.
Well, what gives this God of Israel such a claim?
Why is that?
Verse 2.
For he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
This is God's domain.
All the earth is ruled by the true God,
the King of glory.
He uses language of creation.
Do you pick up on that?
It reminds you of Genesis 1-2.
The earth was without form and void,
and darkness covered the face of the deep.
Verse 9 of Genesis 1 says,
Then God said,
Let the waters under the heavens
be gathered together into one place
and let the dry land appear.
And so it was.
The Lord established the earth.
He founded it.
He rose it up from the waters.
It was God who caused the dry land
to raise up from the watery abyss.
Throughout Scripture,
waters are a picture of chaos,
death, and judgment.
Think of the flood.
And so creation being described initially
void and dark,
chaos, death.
And it's the Lord who brings order and life
and causes his creatures to flourish.
So here David describes God's continued control
as creator and sustainer of life
on this blue planet over the waters.
And so there we have that first movement
that scene in verses 1 and 2,
declaring that God rules over all the earth
from heaven.
He is the king enthroned above,
and the earth is his footstool.
God's rule extends over all people,
even those who don't acknowledge God.
We need that encouragement, don't we?
This upcoming week,
God still rules.
He still sustains this earth.
He rules over people,
even those who don't acknowledge him as king.
Well, now as this procession approaches
those ancient gates,
the gates of Jerusalem were built by the Jebusites.
And then when the Lord gave that city over
to the Israelites,
David fortified them
and made that the capital.
What do gates do?
Think about gates to one of these ancient cities.
Gates protect the citizens from every harm.
They keep evil out,
and they keep the citizens safely inside.
Gates are used to keep out those
who do not belong to the kingdom.
The gates are closed to the enemies of God.
These gates of Jerusalem
had withstood many attacks.
You picture those scenes of an ancient battle
and the rams, you know,
trying to burst through these ancient gates
to break in so the enemies could spill over
and take over the city.
Their hinges were likely loosened
from the barrages they'd withstood.
He speaks of them as being,
needing to be lifted up.
We had this old fence, you know,
around the house,
and the gates are just scraping on the cement
and squeaky.
They're tired.
These are gates that have not withstood much.
They're just cheaply made.
But here we have, you know,
massive wall to the city,
well-built gates that are ancient,
but they're sagging.
They're battle-worn.
And look at verse 7.
This is the chorus
that the people would likely sing
in response
as they march toward the Holy of Holies.
Lift up your heads,
O you gates.
Be lifted up,
you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
Verse 8.
The Lord strong and mighty.
The Lord mighty in battle.
Isn't that a great chorus?
You can only imagine
what that will sound like
being sung in heaven.
So describing these gates
being lifted up,
you can picture a fortified citadel
up on the high ground
keeping the citizens safe inside.
And the word for the doors,
it's either ancient or everlasting.
It can be taken both ways.
Doors that will now open upward
so that the King of glory
can come in.
You see the promise,
even in the first two verses
with the chorus,
is that God the Creator,
the King of glory,
He is entering His creation
to dwell.
It's now the King of glory
passing through these gates
into the city,
carrying the ark
of God's covenant faithfulness
to His people,
His portable chariot.
So God's people are
His special kingdom on earth.
For you and I,
when we gather
in the name of Jesus,
it's the spiritual kingdom
of God,
of heaven,
joined to earth.
And the Lord
dwells with His people.
He brings us
into the Holy of Holies
spiritually in Christ
because Christ is with us
spiritually
by the ministry
of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says
He gives the keys
to the kingdom of heaven
to His church.
See, heaven has gates
and doors.
Jesus gives those
to the church,
the local church,
spiritual authority.
And He encourages
the church
every time we gather,
especially on the Lord's Day,
I believe.
Lift up your heads,
church.
Be lifted up.
You might be tired,
battle besieged.
Lift up your heads
for the King of glory
dwells with you.
He is approaching
His people.
He dwells in His holy temple.
Jesus Christ,
He is strong
and mighty.
He is the Lord
who is mighty
in battle.
All the earth
is ruled
by the King of glory
and He rules over
His special kingdom,
the church,
in a special way.
That's the first movement.
Here's the second one.
The presence
of the King of glory
is a holy place.
The presence
of the King of glory
is a holy place.
Look at verse 3.
This could have been
arranged in a number
of different ways.
We don't know
for certain,
but it's possible
that the congregation
as well as maybe
some professional singers,
which is now
the church as well,
they have this rhetorical
question and answer.
So I picture
the chief musician
perhaps asking the question,
who may ascend
into the hill
of the Lord
or who may stand
in His holy place?
Now we picture them
as the procession
moved inside
the gates of the city,
they're now approaching
the tabernacle
with the layers
of the tabernacle
getting closer
and closer
to the holy of holies.
Who can go in there?
At what point
do others have
to start falling off?
You can't be in,
you can't be in,
you can't be in.
Who can get all the way
in to the holy place
of God?
It's what verse 3 asks.
His holy place.
Verse 4 answers this.
He who has clean hands
and a pure heart.
Hands refer to
our outward actions
and the heart refers
to our inward attitudes.
See, it's not enough
to approach the holy of holies
with good actions
if your heart is impure.
It's also not enough
to have all the right intentions
and then make excuses
for all the ways
in which our actions
are sinful
and fall short
of the glory of God.
So who's left?
Who can do this?
Who can enter
into the holy place?
Verse 4 goes on
to add on more requirements
to this criteria.
One who has not lifted up
his soul to an idol
nor sworn deceitfully.
Who's left?
Conditional access
to the holy of holies
requires obedience,
unblemished good works,
and a perfectly pure heart.
Anyone left still?
Anyone want to raise your hand?
I certainly can.
You see,
this is setting up
a reminder
that to be near
the presence
of the holy God,
every worshiper
needs blood sacrifice.
And it's the priests
who now have to go
through extra rituals,
first for themselves,
then on behalf
of the people,
and then only certain priests
are allowed this access,
and then only the chief priests
at the very special day
once per year
is allowed access in.
See, it's setting up
the need for a better mediator
than anyone
in this ceremonial law
could produce.
And this also takes us
back in connection
to verses 1 and 2
at creation,
how quickly
man's fall is exposed.
Think of
the first federal head.
Adam sets up,
Adam,
or I'm sorry,
Paul sets up
Adam and Christ,
Romans 5.
So with the language
of verses 1 and 2
of creation,
we should think the same.
Adam dirtied his hands
with the forbidden fruit.
Adam made his heart impure
when he trusted Satan's lies
instead of God's word.
Adam lifted up his soul
to the idolatry
of self-worship.
He believed that taking
what God forbade
would make him God-like.
Do you remember
that temptation?
Adam spoke deceitfully
when he shifted the blame
off of himself
onto his wife,
who God gave him
as a helpmate.
She made me do it.
Can Adam dwell
in the holy place,
the holy presence of God?
Certainly not.
And he's the only man,
apart from Christ,
who didn't inherit sinfulness
and have bent towards sin.
And it's not just in Genesis
where this is made clear.
You're in the book of Psalms.
Please turn a few pages forward
to Psalm 53.
One of many places
we can look.
Psalm 53.
And notice at the top
of the superscription,
it's also a Psalm of David.
The theology even for himself
is going to be consistent here.
Now look at verses 2 and 3.
God looks down from heaven
upon the children of man.
There's the creator
looking upon his creation
to see if there is any
who understand,
who seek God.
Every one of them
has turned aside.
Every one of them.
They have together
become corrupt.
There is no one
who does good.
What are the next
three words in yours?
No, not one.
So who can ascend
and enter into
the hill of the Lord
and the holy place?
Not one here on earth.
We need this chorus
sung back to us
one more time,
don't we?
Verses 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Oh, here comes good news
for God's people.
Who is this King of glory
who is coming in
for whom the gates
and the doors open up?
Who is this King of glory?
Verse 10 says,
it's the Lord of hosts.
He is the King of glory.
It's God Himself.
The Lord mighty in battle
is the only one
who can dwell
on His own hill.
Amen?
Well, the third movement
promises blessing
to more than just one person.
The third movement
is a generation
that will receive righteousness
from the King of glory.
It's a promise
that there will be
a generation
who will receive
righteousness
from the King of glory.
So here the gospel
is promised.
We just saw how
no man is qualified
yet somehow
God will freely
give salvation.
Look at verse 5.
He shall receive
Now we'll clarify
in a moment
who is this referring to
that will receive?
And if you skip
to the end of that sentence
at least how I have it
in English.
He shall receive
from the God
of His salvation.
So the God of salvation
will give two things
and these are in verse 5.
What are the two things
that the God of salvation
will give?
This is what He promises.
A blessing
and righteousness
from the Lord.
So salvation has two parts.
It's a blessing
and righteousness.
That's what God
will provide.
This is a little kernel
a kernel seed
of a gospel promised.
Well now we need to unpack
who is this promise for?
Who will receive salvation
blessing
and righteousness?
In verse 6
He uses more poetic language
it's
we got to work this out now.
Verse 6 He says
this is Jacob.
This is Jacob.
He implies that
something else
is not Jacob.
But this
that He's about to say
is Jacob.
Who is Jacob?
Jacob was
Abraham's seed.
He's from the line
of Jacob
and his name
got turned
to be Israel.
And from Israel
from this one man
Jacob came
the twelve tribes
the nation
that God set apart.
So Jacob
reminds us
of God's promises
to Abraham
that are going to
turn into
blessings on an entire
nation.
All those that come
from Abraham's seed.
And we're told now
this is Jacob
the generation
of those
who seek Him
who seek
your face.
And then there's
a very well placed
pause
Selah
because we need help.
We need to meditate
deeply here.
We need the Holy Spirit
to illumine.
One thing I want to point out
that doesn't answer
the question of who
just yet
but I want to point out
in verse 6
do you see how it switches?
And every time
David has done this
it's been helpful
to pay attention
and notice.
He refers to God
in the third person
in verse 6
he says
who seek Him.
So he's telling
the people
here's the generation
that will seek God
but then he switches
to the first person
and he turns to God
and says
who seek your face
O Lord.
In a kernel form
we have the promise
that through the seed
of Abraham
there will be
a federal head
from him will come
a nation
true Jacob
and he's among
the people
turning
instead of bearing witness
and prophesying
turning and saying
seeking your face
God
you are here
among us
and he's saying
this is true
Jacob.
So as we're reading
our Bible
and we're studying
God's word
and we come across
difficult poetry
like this
we have the rest
of God's word
we have these tools
to help us understand
and rightly interpret
it with God's help.
So what we want to do
is pull this in.
What I want to pull in
for today
is helpful
and more familiar
it's Galatians 3.16
Paul is clarifying
to the church
in Galatia
that God's promise
of a seed
is in the singular.
The singular seed
Paul wrote
by the inspiration
of God
the singular seed
of Abraham
is Christ
and in Christ
God's promises
find their yes
and amen
they find their
fulfillment in him.
Galatians 3.26
says
you
speaking to this
mixed church
you church
are the children
of God
through Christ.
So this promised seed
gives us insight
into true Jacob.
Romans 9.8
says
those who are
the children
of the flesh
are not the children
of God
but the children
of the promise
are counted
as the seed.
The principle
is this
there is a covenant
head coming
a Messiah
and from this covenant
head
the Messiah
will come
a generation
that will seek
the face
of God.
God
we had a family
reunion
this past summer
and I'm going to
tell you the actual
names just because
they're fun to say
what are the chances
of two people
marrying each other
that both have
the letter X
in their first name
but Max
married Dixie
Max and Dixie
had four children
and to keep it
confusing
they named them
Jay, Jan, Jeff, and Joe
so when we do
the family reunion
it's you know
these little fun games
and so everybody
in generation one
clap and cheer
and stand
so JJ, and Jeff, and Joe
and all their spouses
clap and cheer
and they try to be louder
but no one can be louder
than like the third generation
that was the loud one
well
this was helpful for me
as I wrestled with this
verse 6
and I don't pretend
I have all the answers
but
there is a generation
that is begotten
by this promised seed
this covenant head
and everyone begotten
directly
by that covenant head
will seek the Lord
that's the generation
that receives
righteousness
and blessing
tell me
if I'm not right on this
please do tell me afterwards
here's how I've worked this out
all those
born
of Christ
are of the same generation
no matter what century
all those born of Christ
are of the same generation
generation one
and God has no
grandchildren
as Spurgeon put it
this is the regeneration
all those who are
regenerated are in this
generation
that he's talking about
as a small aside
that's not the point
of Psalm 24
but
in our practice
as a church
we apply the sign
of belonging
to this covenant
to those who are
of that generation
to those who are
born of God
they are baptized
that's it
a generation
will receive righteousness
from the king
of glory
that's promised
and now the rest of this
Psalm
verses 7 through 10
they make
the people of Israel
this time
look forward
to a future work
of the Messiah
that's the fourth
and final movement
for today
it's the chorus
maybe a double chorus
the coming
king of glory
here's the chorus
it's the coming
king of glory
verse 7 tells
the city
the gates
the doors
be ready
the king of glory
shall come in
who is this king
of glory
now look at verse 10
it's the lord
of hosts
we've heard that name
in 1st Samuel
it means
Jehovah
or Yahweh
Sabaoth
it means
Yahweh of armies
the lord
of heaven's
forces
he is the king
of glory
do you see
it's the same God
who fought
on behalf of Israel
with the prophet
Samuel
it's that same God
who will be
entering the city
gates
as the lord
of glory
that's why we read
from Matthew
the lord entering
and the gates opening
and the palm branches
welcoming him
but we know
spiritually
Jesus was rejected
on earth
the gates of the city
were closed to him
the priests
were the ones
hunting him down
to kill him
oh but when he
accomplished his work
God himself
tore the curtain open
the lord
of glory
will enter
his holy of holies
not just the shadow
on earth
but the reality
for all time
and so this chorus
prepares God's people
to receive
the Messiah
the repetition
is for effect
and emphasis
verse 8
is really
praise for a king
who is coming back
fresh from battle
that's the imagery
here
and picture this
great military
general
the king himself
on the front lines
maybe even with
the arm and a sling
you know
wounded from battle
he's done it
he's coming up
to the gates
of the city
and secured
the liberation
of all the citizens
inside
they're gonna
throw open
the gates
for their king
and welcome him
that's the anticipation
built for the people
for the Messiah
and the work
that he would do
it was so interesting
for me to learn this
and I actually
double checked it
by looking at
current
traditional Jewish
sources
that in Judaism
Psalm 24
is designated
as the psalm
of the day
of the first day
of the week
which for us
is Sunday
and it was sung
by the Levites
after the offering
of the regular
daily sacrifice
in the temple
and this tradition
continues
in the diaspora
the people
who are nationally
Israelites
but are spread
everywhere
so you can go
to synagogues
around the world
today
and if they're
following this
traditional order
of reading psalms
Psalm 24
would be one
of the psalms
read on the
first day
of the week
which is
the Lord's Day
Sunday
the day
of the resurrection
verse 9
says
lift up
your heads
oh you gates
lift up
you ancient
or everlasting
doors
and the king
of glory
shall come in
there is one
who is coming
who will be
worthy
to stand
in God's
holy place
this one
he will be
the one ascending
God's holy hill
the gates
and the doors
will be thrown
open for him
he will be
joyfully
welcomed
these gates
of heaven
are only
open
for him
these are
the everlasting
doors
it's for him
and because
these gates
will not
reject him
the victorious
one
the king
of glory
the lord
of armies
he's the one
in charge
of all the
host of
angels
armies
they'll
joyfully
sing
and welcome
him
and these
might be
some of
the words
the angels
sung
to our
lord
jesus
christ
when he
ascended
having
completed
his work
on earth
can you
imagine
the sound
now here's
the promise
for me
and you
the lord
of hosts
enters
these gates
of heaven
and he
will not
be denied
he will
be welcomed
and he
will not
be alone
he welcomes
with himself
his whole
army
his whole
army is
brought in
and secured
and the
gates
and doors
of heaven
open
for you
and me
who are
in christ
this king
of glory
will
enter into
and stand
before the
holy god
in the
holy place
he stands
as righteous
as blessed
his hands
are clean
his heart
is pure
and his soul
loves god
alone
and he
preaches
to his people
and his words
are truth
and he
guarantees
with his
true words
you
my people
you have
entrance
with me
into these
gates
and through
these doors
you're safe
secure with me
forever
these gates
and these doors
keep out
my enemies
and it's only
those purified
by god's grace
and covered
in christ's
righteousness
that can
enter into
god's
holy presence
no palace
court would
reject
the king
returning
triumphant
and we can
know for
certain
that if you
are in christ
you will
not be
rejected
either
look at
verse 8
one last
time
who is
this king
of glory
will you
pray and
proclaim
with me
and ask
the lord
to reveal
his majesty
it's jesus
christ
it's been
god the son
prepared to
accomplish the
mission that
god gave him
all along
he is the
lord strong
and mighty
jesus christ
is the lord
mighty in
battle
at the cost
of his own
blood our
lord jesus
christ
fought and
won
that bitter
war against
sin
satan
death
and hell
he proved
himself mighty
in battle
he went up
into heaven
as the
risen king
of glory
he lives
in heaven
to pray
to minister
for his
people
would you
look
at the
order of
these psalms
and this is a
fitting way to
end our little
series for the
summer we're in
psalm 24
turn back to
psalm
21
psalm 21
promises the
messiah a
great victory
joy and
salvation
psalm 22
describes the
suffering of
the messiah
it's the
psalm of the
cross
psalm 23
it's the
lamb of
god
trusting and
resting in the
faithfulness of
god and
now psalm 24
it's the
great psalm of
the ascension
of this
victorious king
this lion
lamb
entering the
gates
standing in
the holy
place
notice he
doesn't go in
there to be
passive he
goes in there
as the great
high priest he
goes in there
to minister
to proclaim
his blood
don't need the
sacrificial system
anymore it's his
own blood shed
for his people
and that's what
comforts you and
me our lord
stands in the
holy of holies
ministering himself
to you and me
you and i have
entrance into
heaven based on
our justified
standing in
christ by faith
in him
not by anything
else not by
how much you
and i repent
not by how much
you and i are
even sanctified
right now
not based on
how you and
i feel
our entrance
into heaven
is based on
our union
to christ
alone
hold on pastor
are you trying
to say that
growth and
holiness doesn't
matter
that sanctification
doesn't matter
we just live a
licentious life
however we
please
no
john
flavel
when i'm
as he's my
all the way
favorite puritan
he wrote
so in love
is christ
with holiness
that he bought
it with his
own blood
heaven is a
holy place
and it is
christ's promise
his work
to make you
and me fit
body and soul
to enjoy
heaven when we
do enter it
in christ
amen
so brothers and
sisters nothing
will be accomplished
in your life and
mine that wasn't
first accomplished
for us
by jesus christ
because jesus christ
became mediator
you and i have
faith in him
because jesus christ
lived a holy
life
you and i are his
we have righteousness
in him
because jesus christ
died a cursed
death
you and i
are his
and we can no
longer be punished
for sins
that he's already
paid for
because jesus christ
bore your sins
and then he died
and he was buried
bearing your sins
buried
the stone closed
you and i
can trust
that our sin
died
and was buried
with him
it has no more
power over us
because jesus christ
rose victorious
from the grave
you who are his
are made alive
as a new creation
in him
because jesus christ
lives to pray
for you
from heaven
you who are his
can be certain
that he will
prepare for you
for all eternity
he will make you
fit and ready
to dwell in his
holy place
with him
and to enjoy it
to be at home
in his presence
in his glorious
kingdom
so come
now again
by faith
and keep
coming to the
house of god
behold who christ
is
behold his work
not yours
behold
your king
of glory
let's pray
oh lord
how majestic
is your name
in all the earth
you rule as creator
and sovereign king
you are the king
of glory
we pray that you
continue to stretch
our mind
our faith
to behold more
and more and more
of you
though you're
incomprehensible
in your goodness
and majesty
and holiness
we can apprehend
truly
you
in christ
thank you for this
wonderful gift
please apply this
to your people
for your sake
we ask
amen
miracle
Thank you.