Psalm 24: Victory Belongs to the King of Glory

Psalms • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

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The Big Idea of this sermon is that 'Victory Belongs to the King of Glory.' We trace the Psalm verse by verse and discover the meaning of this Psalm in its original context as a victory Psalm to be sung after a battle as the Arc of the Covenant is being brought back into the city. But then we push into the text in light of all of Scripture and discover the full meaning of the words, "Lift up your heads oh Gates, that the King of Glory might come in."

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Introduction

Personal: Coming Back From Sabbatical

Thank the congregation for the gift from Sara and me

Big Takeaways: Starting new DMin program (heart behind this), the need for more regular heavy intakes of days with God (once a month intentional day with God), staying the course.

Pray

Sermon Series Broad View on Psalms

Today we continue our sermon series on Psalms by digging into Psalm 24. What a remarkable Psalm we have before us. By way of reminder the book of Psalms was composed hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ and was essentially the song book of the people of God in the Old Testament. These psalms explore the full range of human emotion and experience, all from a Godward perspective. In other words, as these Psalms are digested, and reflected on, and sung personally, we learn how to see and think Biblically, godwardly.

Context: Psalm 24

Psalm 24, Like many of the Psalms, has a Call and Response component to it, as we will see later on this sermon. This means there were parts that a leader would shout out, and then other parts that the congregation would sing together. And still other parts where a single voice would respond. There is quite a sense of drama around Call and Response Psalms. The description of this Psalm is that it was written by King David. It reads much like a March of Victory, and so traditionally associated with the moment when King David and all of his army marched back into jerusalem after a great battle, carrying the Ark of Covenant with them. This particular song became so important in Jerusalem that it eventually became part of the weekly rhythm of songs sung by the priests in the temple. Every Sunday morning, Jewish rabbinic tradition tells us that the priests would sing this Psalm. Verses 7-10 utilize the phrase the King of Glory five times. And so, if I could summarize this Psalm in one main idea, it would be ‘Victory Belongs to the King of Glory.’

Textual

We are going to read this Psalm together as it would have been sung by the congregation in the Old Testament. I have composed the words on slides behind. Some parts of the Psalm are meant to be read congregationally. You, the congregation will read those words.

Psalm 24 “A Psalm of David. 1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O 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 gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah”

Move 1: The King’s Authority Spreads Over the Entire Earth

Verses 1-2 comprise the first part of this Psalm and in these verses we learn what is and ought to be a simple truth, God rules over the entire Earth.

Psalm 24:1-2 “1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

Monotheism

Let’s dig into the details of these two verses in order to glean what we can. The idea is quite simple, and to many in the modern West the concept of one global deity, one God who is over all things and who created all things, is a bit of second nature. Even if you don’t believe that Jesus is who we as a Church claim He is, if you’ve been raised in the West you are likely familiar with the idea of monotheism, one God. But this would not have been the case when this Psalm was originally written. It is also not the case in many places around the world.

The Four Laws in Thailand

I served as a missionary in Thailand for a little over a year. I recall early in that time learning an important lesson. I was familiar with sharing the gospel the way I had been taught to share the gospel through Campus Crusade, and that was to begin by speaking about God’s plan for your life. That works in the West because when you speak of God in the West, most people are at the very least conjuring to mind a monotheistic God, a God who rules the universe. But in Thailand there was no such thing. There were many so called “gods” to be worshiped, and demons to be appeased. Therefore in order tos share the gospel in Thailand I needed to begin with a new first step. There is only one God, and He reigns supreme over all of creation. Only after establishing that fact, could I begin to speak of God’s plan for someone’s life.

Back to Early Jewish Culture

This Psalm was written into a culture that had many gods. The surrounding nations had many gods. And into that religious pluralism was this unique people that refused to believe in many gods. God’s people of the Old Testament worshipped one God. They believed as these verses say that He created the entire Earth and everything that fills the Earth, including us. When the text says, “He founded it upon the seas (v. 2), it brings to mind the precision and detail with which God created and sustains. Every lip of every river bank was defined by God. He established it all.

Whether We Believe it or Not

Permit me for a moment to speak into our modern cultural context. Though the West has been founded on the monotheism of Christianity, in recent decades we have returned to the pagan religious pluralism of the Old Testament days. There are countless number of religious gods to be worshiped, and countless numbers of secular gods to be worshiped. The great crime of modern society is to make the claim that only our God reigns. The great crime against society is to make the exclusive claim that all other gods are false and that only the God of the Bible truly reigns. And into the controversey of such a statement comes the clarity of Psalm 24:1-2. The Earth is Yhwh’s and Yhwh’s alone. The reality is that it does not matter whether a person believes that Jesus is their King. Today in this room there may be a dozen atheists who reject God, and that makes no difference about reality. God reigns whether we believe it or not. The question is will he recognize His rulership over the world.

Move 2: Only Those Who Have Cleansed Themselves May Come Before the King

The second part of this Psalm is contained in verses 3-6. These verses communicate that ‘only those who have cleansed themselves may come before the Lord.’

Psalm 24:3-6 “3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah”

The Definition of Salvation

Verse 3 begins, ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” Quite literally, the visual is of the Lord ruling and reigning from on top of hill, and asking the question, “Who is able to be in His presence?” What does it take for a person to rest in the fullness of the presence of God? This question is the ultimate question that every person under the sun is asking whether they it or not. Deep down in the soul of every human is a longing for the answer to this question, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord.” Various cultures and worldviews may ask this question very differently. Our modern secular culture might ask the question this way, “How might I find fulfillment?” Or perhaps, “How can I have peace?” Now while those questions dont’ mention the Lord directly, they tap into the inner longing inside every human’s soul for joy, for peace, for God. The atheist doesn’t know it, but what they are searching in their search for joy and peace and contentment and fulfillment, is something that God can provide. This is the ultimate question, and verse 3 captures the proper way to ask it, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?”

Inward & Outward Purity

The person who receives salvation, the person who may ascend the “hill of the Lord,” is the one who has both inward and outward purity. Verse 4 lays out four separate requirements that meet these categories. You want to see God, you must first have clean hands. That means you have kept yourself from committing sin with your hands: Murder, Adultery, Theft, Harm to Others. To ascend the hill of the Lord and to stand before God, one must not be a traitor who has broken His laws. He must have clean hands.

Secondly, he must a have a pure heart. Purity of heart is an inward condition of the soul. It speaks of our posture towards God and towards our fellow man. A pure heart is one that is unstained by the ways of the world, and wholly devoted to God in all things. Third, he does not lift up his soul to what is false. Fourth does not swear deceitfully. Taken together this is a call to inward and outward purity and piety. It is the person who fulfills these requirements who may ascend the hill of the Lord.

David Did Not Fulfill These Condition

If these verses are taken out of their context, it can almost read as if the Scriptures are telling us that we must earn our salvation. It almost sounds like a work-based righteousness. But consider the author of the Psalm, King David. Consider what it must have been like for him to write these words, “He who has clean hands.” David did not have clean hands. David had a lustful affair with one of his closest friend’s wives, that resulted in a miscarriage. He tried to cover it up by having the husband of the woman placed on the front lines of a battle in order that he might die. Quite literally, David had blood on his hands. “A pure heart.” No, David didn’t meet that requirement for he sinfully took a census of the land of Israel that he was punished for, because it seems that the reason for taking the census was a lack of trust in God and over-realized sense of his own importance. He didn’t have a pure heart. “He who does not life up his soul to what is false.” No, David didn’t fulfill that either. In all three scenarios that I just walked through: the affair, the murder, and the census, David’s heart was off. David must have known this as he was writing the words. But the tone of this Psalm is one of victory and a joy filled battle cry.

The Reality of Our Condition

There is nobody who naturally fulfills the conditions to ascend the hill of the Lord, except for Jesus. Nobody has clean hands, not you nor I. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us has had an impure heart. Every one of us has lifted our souls to what is false. Every one of us has had bouts of impatience and unjustified selfish anger towards others. Every one of us has sought at some way in some form to take matters into our own hands rather than trust God as we were designed to do. Our condition is one of unclean hands and impure hearts. One of the challenges of the modern Seeker Sensitive Church movement that so populates Western Christianity is that it fails to preach the depravity of man. Many churches around this city and our country are afraid to preach on the depth of sin in our own life for fear that we will offend those in the pews. But Church—the Gospel cannot save you unless it first offends you. The hearts of many have been plauged by pride, and ego, and the pursuit of money, and comfort, and porn, and sensuality, and prayerlessness.

The Gospel

We have broken God’s law. We have unclean hands. And no one is permitted to ascend the hill of the Lord. But one! Our champion. Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:22-25 reads:

1 Peter 2:22-23 “22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully man. He accomplished what no other human in all history has ever accomplished. He alone perfectly obeyed and fulfilled God’s law. He alone has clean hands. He alone had a pure heart. He alone has earned the right to ascend the hill of the Lord. In face he did ascend the a hill of the Lord, a hill named Calvalry. The hill of crucifixion… But the power of the Christian Gospel is that He is willing and eager to share what He has earned with all those who desire it. Peter goes on in the very next verses to say:

1 Peter 2:24-25 “24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Peter’s message is the message of the entirety of Scripture. Jesus died on our behalf. And if you will repent of your sin, turn from your foolish ways that have not produced real lasting fruit in your life. And if you will instead trust in your champion, in your messiah, in your Savior Jesus Christ. The promise is that “through his wounds you will be healed.” Through his death and resurrection the payment and debt of your sin will be paid in full. And you too can ascend the hill of the Lord. You too can live in that sweet communion of fellowship with God where He begins a new life in you from the inside out. Christ who has clean hands, will wash your hands, and change your heart and make you desire the things of God like you have never desired them before. That is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Move 3: The King Has Entered the Gates

But this Psalm does not end there. This Psalm reaches its pinnacle in verses 7-10 which can be summarized under the heading, “The King Has Entered the Gates.” What I want to do right now is I want to show you text in its original context. Then, I want to push through the original context to its fuller meaning and purpose. Then I want to push through its fuller meaning into its ultimate meaning. First, the text in its original context.

It’s Original Context

Recall I said this Psalm was a call and response Psalm. The image is of God’s people approaching the temple celebrating after a great victory at war. As they come back holding the Arc of the Covenant, the very symbol of God’s presence with them, they approach the doors of the temple. (Need someone with a Loud strong voice)

Crowd: Psalm 24:7 “7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

Priest Inside: Psalm 24:8 “8 Who is this King of glory?

Leader of the Crowd: Psalm 24:8 “8b The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”

Crowd: Psalm 24:9 “9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

Priest Inside: Psalm 24:10 “10 Who is this King of glory?

Leader of the Crowd: Psalm 24:10 “10b The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah”

Imagining standing in that crowd gives you chills. Do you feel that! Can you imagine walking with your brothers who you were just in battle with, man of them still with blood on their hands and faces from the fallen men they left behind. Then seeing those doors open and marching victoriously into the city with the Arc of the Covenant. You want to be there don’t you. Let me tell you, that is the heartbeat of Sunday morning. Every Sunday morning ought to have that sense of I need to be here. Why? Because every Sunday morning we gather to praise God for his mighty victory He won at the cross, where Jesus subsituted himself for our sins. Every Sunday we gather to tell the story, and celebrate the victory that was won by our champion who gave His blood back on that battlefield so that we could have life. Every Sunday. That is why you cannot miss even one Sunday. That is why you cannot show up late to the Sunday gathering. Your soul needs this. There should never be a Sunday where you sleep in and just don’t show up to the congregation. Sunday morning is where we put this Psalm into use, powerfully.

The Fuller Meaning

Which leads to the fuller context. According to Jewish Rabbinic tradition, it became tradition to recite this Psalm on the first day of every week, which is our Sunday. And so on that very first Palm Sunday, as Jesus the King rode on a humble donkey into the city of Jerusalem and headed towards the temple. The crowds, we are told, were chanting

Matthew 21:9 “9b “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!””

It is likely that while that was taking place outside the temple, inside the temple the priests were crying out

Psalm 24:9-10 “9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah”

Jesus, the King of Glory. Jesus, the Lord of Hosts. That phrase means that he commands angelic armies and leads his people victoriously through battle. This Psalm points us to the King, Jesus, who had clean hands, who entered the gates.

The Ultimate Meaning

But, throughout Church history and tradition, even Palm Sunday is not the ultimate meaning of this passage. We know that the Earthly Temple of the Old Testament was a shadow of the substance which is in heaven. On Christ’s ascension into heaven, Jesus in His glorified human body approached the gates of Heaven. The gates of Heaven that had been locked since the fall of Adam. The gates of Heaven that no human being had ever dared or possibly could even dare to approach, for all have sinned, all had unclean hands, no one was righteous. And upon Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, our champion, walked up to the gates that had been locked, and he cried out with a loud voice,

Psalm 24:7 “7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

You can imagine the angelic crowd on the other side of those gates pondering the moment. As Pastor Paul Washer years ago said, “The angels must have been saying, “Who dares demand these doors be opened?” After some time, one brave angel musters the confidence to yell from inside, “Who is this King of glory?” And with one resounding authoritative heavenly voice, Jesus cried out

Psalm 24:8 “8 The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”

Jesus then repeats the command

Psalm 24:9 “9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”

And with an almost childlike wonder and awe more angels join in the chorus:

Psalm 24:10 “10 Who is this King of glory?

Once again, Jesus with the authority of He who rules the earth. With the authority of the one who founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers, commanded.

Psalm 24:10 “10b The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah”

And the gates were opened. And the King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, took his seat upon His throne. He received His inheritance promised to Him in Psalm 2. And He rules victoriously from that same throne today. Heaven is open to all who desire to follow after that King of Glory. He sits on his throne not…

Closing

Let me close by offering a two application, appeals really. Honestly its actually one application, but first I want to apply it to the Believer, and then I want to apply to the nonbeliever. The application is to Live as if Victory Belongs to the Lord.

Believer: Live in Light of Christ’s Victory

What do I mean by this? This passage and its fulfillment is a declaration of victory. Satan lost miserably. The reality is that what Christ is doing right now, is he is spreading His victory, His Kingdom, His rulership, His authority, from one side of the planet to the other. For 2,000 years of Church history, the fragrant aroma of Christ has been spreading to the nations. And every follower of Christ has been invited into the glorious expansion of the Kingdom of God. Fight like He’s on the throne. Fight like He really is the Lord of Hosts, who commands armies of angels. Step into darkness as if you really are an agent of light, carrying with you the torch of salvation that others need. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught us that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Lamps are lit to shine light into the darkness.

Matthew 5:16 “16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Your Christian faith ought to be lived out publicly and boldly, in such a way that others who are not Christians think you are peculiar. Because, you are peculiar. You serve the Crucified King. Be bold as you live in the King’s victory. And be humble as you recognize, you didn’t earn the place you have, it was given to you as a free gift.

Nonbeliever: Believe in Christ

Now, to the unbeliever in the room. Or perhaps to the backslider in the room. I made the claim earlier in this message that whether or not one chooses to believe that Jesus is Lord makes no difference whether or not He really is Lord. Every person in this room must make a decision around what to do with Jesus. The reality, whether we admit it or not, is that you either bow towards Christ, or you are an enemy of Christ. There is no neutral. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” Only those with clean hands a pure heart. If you have never received the free gift of salvation in Christ, then you have neither clean hands nor a pure heart. Yet, Christ in his mercy and grace offers it to you today. Full cleansing. Full forgiveness. Full grace. Open arms of a Savior. Kingdom joy! Might I suggest to you that the lingering feeling that you were made for more, and the steady drip drip drip in your heart that is not satisfied, is no accident. You were made for more. You were made to ascend the hill. Do not delay. Trust in Jesus today.

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