The King of Glory

Psalm 24:1-10

Something we are all aware of is; you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So, anytime we are meeting someone important to our life we do our best to make a good first impression.

If we are going on a job interview we want to look good and act professional. So, we are careful how we dress and speak.

If you are married you probably remember how frightening it was to meet your in-laws for the first time. If you are like me, you spent time in the mirror rehearsing your lines and go over your mannerisms.

We do that because we want to be at our very best when we meet someone who is important.

Psalm 24 is about preparing to meet the most important person of all time; the King of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ

This Psalm encourages us to examine our hearts and to live in a manner worthy of the King. This Psalm answers the question; how do we enter into the presence of the Lord and worship Him? We do it with reverence and honor, because He is worthy.

Psalm 24:1–10 KJV 1900

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, That seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye 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 ye gates; Even lift them up, ye 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.

(pray)

Our Passage is a Psalm of worship, written by King David. It is a hymn of praise, the priests in ancient Israel would sing as a part of their regular routine in the temple.

While the setting of this Psalm is unknown to us, most scholars believe it was written when David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem. That is a story that comes to us from 1 Sam. 6.

The ark was a wooden box covered in pure gold. The mercy seat sat on top of it and the Ten Commandments were inside of it. The ark represented God’s power and His presence among the people.

But, It had been captured in battle by the Philistines, who tried to return it to no avail. God had given strict orders, in the law how the ark was to be carried and if anyone tried to move it the wrong way the results were tragic.

Finally, it came to rest in the house of Abinadab in Kiriath, Jearim where it sat for over 60 years. Apparently King Saul, David’s predecessor didn’t care about the ark. He didn’t think of it as important which explains His failure as a king and in his relationship with God.

But David was different. He had a heart for God and he knew how important the ark was, and he wanted to return it to it’s rightful place.

When the day finally arrived and David brought the ark home, there was a great celebration in Jerusalem. Scripture tells us the people shouted and sang, the trumpets blew, and David danced before the Lord with all his might.

But the arrival of the ark called for more than just a celebration, it called for sanctification. It called for the people to prepare their hearts and their minds for the presence of Lord among them, and the same thing is true in our life.

That is the point of David’s message in this Psalm. If we are going to enter into the presence of the Lord and worship Him, we need to do it with reverence and honor, because He is worthy.

The first thing I want to show you in this Psalm is The Reason for Worship Vs. 1-2

David begins by reflecting on the sovereignty of God and His supremacy over all of creation.

Psalm 24:1–2 KJV 1900

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.

Before we can enter into the presence of the Lord and truly worship Him, we have to first consider who He is. He owns everything. It all belongs to Him.

It does not matter how much property we have or how many things we possess, we are just stewards of God’s stuff. We cannot truly claim to own anything He does not allow us to have.

That is what David means by the phrase “The fullness thereof.” He means, even the air we breath, the strength we have, the love we share, it has all been given to us by God.

That is an incredibly sobering truth when you think about it. As hard as we work everyday to earn a living and buy the things we have, we have to realize, it all comes through the abilities and power He gives us.

In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool who believed he owned everything he had. He wanted to build bigger barns to house all of his stuff.

But in a twist of fate, his life was required of him that night. That story teaches us that all we have is temporary and belongs to the Lord. All of our possessions are just tools we use to glorify God with while we have them.

Picture a child playing with a toy, believing that it is theirs, but in reality, it belongs to the parent who bought it. In the same way, we play with the possessions and opportunities God gives us, forgetting that He is the true owner. (teenager)

But when we recognize that it should inspire gratitude in our heart and affect how we use the gifts He gives us.

Notice Vs, 1 is not only talking about the things we own, but even the people of the earth belong to God. Vs. 1, “The world and those who dwell in it.”

We have the freedom to make choices everyday that affect our life, our finances, our health, and our happiness. But at the end of the day, we have to give an account to God for our lives. An account for every thought, every word, and every action.

So, regardless of how self-sufficient we think we are, one day, we will all stand before God in judgment.

But what right does God have to claim ownership of us? David says, “He has every right because He is the creator of it all.” Vs. 2 says, “For he hath founded it upon the seas. And established it upon the floods.”

At the beginning of time God spoke the world into existence and then used the material he created to make man and woman. And the simple truth is everything that we make comes from what God has already created.

We might invent things but we do not create things. The resources we have, including any ability or knowledge, have already been created by God. So, it all belongs to Him.

Colossians 1:16–17 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Think of what that means. That means we were created for His pleasure, and for His purpose.

It means when we come into His presence we have nothing to offer Him except ourselves.

For example, in most cultures when you come into the presence of the king you bring gifts, to try and earn their favor, but there is nothing we can give to God that isn’t already His.

We are completely bankrupt before Him. That means just to have a relationship with Him is an incredible privilege for us, yet that is what He wants to have. He wants to have a relationship with us, and that is amazing.

Think about it; in the beginning when God created Adam and Eve, He walked with them in the Garden of Eden because he wanted to have fellowship with them and He wants to have fellowship with us today.

But to have fellowship with the King of Glory we have to acknowledge His authority over us. It calls for humility. It calls for surrender. It calls for us to recognize that our life and everything we have, is in His hands.

Revelation 4:11 ““Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.””

We enter into the presence of the Lord and worship Him with reverence and honor, because He is worthy.

The Preparation of Worship Vs. 3-6

Here David begins to reflect on the holiness of God and examine his heart for any imperfections.

Look at Vs. 3-4, they teach us the way to seek the Lord.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.”

These verses are clear, and teach us that Holiness is not an option. It is a requirement of being in the presence of God. And what David is asking here is, how can anyone stand in His presence?

God is holy and He is not going to tolerate anything less than holiness from us.

When God gave Moses the instructions for building the ark of the covenant, He commanded him to make two Cherubim and place them on each end of the ark. They were angels facing each other with their wings spread out over the mercy seat. These angels represented God’s justice and His judgment on sin.

The ark of the covenant was a picture for us of God’s actual throne in heaven. Isaiah, Ezekiel and John all had heavenly visions of the throne of God and they describe angels surrounding the throne and protecting His holiness.

all of that is meant to teach us; before we can enter into the presence of the Lord, we must be holy, sanctified and set apart to God.

First, we are told in Vs. 4 It requires clean hands and a pure heart. This is referring to our deeds and our thoughts. Our attitudes and our actions must be clean and righteous.

It is not enough to be clean on the outside we have to be clean on the inside. For example, Jesus told the Pharisee’s, the religious leaders of Israel, they had clean hands but corrupt hearts.

Matthew 23:25–26 NASB95

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

It is important we understand, God is just as concerned about what is going on in our heart as He is with what we look like on the outside.

Second, we are not to be idol worshippers. Vs. 4 says “Do not lift up your soul to vanity.”

This is talking about having idols in our life. Things that become a priority over God. While we may not worship rocks and wooden figures today, we absolutely worship houses, cars, celebrities and even politicians.

The word “vanity” here means empty, false, and worthless. In other words, don’t dedicate your life to meaningless things. God is the only one worthy of our worship.

Third, Vs. 4 says, “we are not to swear deceitfully or lie.” That means we need to practice integrity in everything we say and do.

Holiness requires truth and honesty. That is a principle you find throughout the bible.

When you put these verses together what you find is that true holiness is about the complete person. Our words, our deeds, our attitudes, and our actions need to be pure. This is talking about our relationship with God and with one another.

This Psalm should challenge all of us to examine our hearts and determine if we are truly worshipping God. Do we give God what He requires or just what we are willing to give?

Notice the results of a holy life Vs. 5 says, “He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of His salvation.”

At this point in Psalm 24 all of us have to stop and recognize we fall short. If we are honest, none of us have clean hands and a pure heart. All of us have lied and sworn deceitfully. We have all lifted up our hearts and worshipped something other than God in this world. We have all failed to meet God’s holy standards.

So, none of us can enter into the presence of God on our own, based on what we have done and the way we have lived.

But we can hold our heads up high because we have a forgiving God who sits on the mercy seat. We have a God who wants to bless us and not condemn us for our unrighteousness.

And He offers us grace through His Son. Jesus Christ came and met all the requirements of God on our behalf. He came to live the life we could not live so that all who put their faith in Him can stand in the holy presence of God.

Notice the truth declared in Vs. 6. “This is the generation of them that seek him, That seek thy face, O Jacob.”

I don’t want you to miss the point of these verses, Those who truly seek the Lord will receive His salvation. We will be made righteous through the work of God’s Son, on the cross.

People try to approach God from many different directions and many different ways. Some try to come to Him based on their good works. Others believe that God allows all people to go to Heaven. Millions around the world are deceived by false religions and false teachers.

But the people who truly seek the Lord and want to know Him and worship Him recognize they need Jesus. They know the truth that salvation comes only through Christ. It is His righteousness that saves us and not our own.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

It is important we understand that God wants a relationship with us and He is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants to know you and for you to know Him and to live in His presence forever.

So, He sent His Son to become one of us, to live a perfect life and to die in our place. Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross and those who believe in Him are made righteous in the eyes of God.

This is the only way we can become holy. This is the only way we can enter into His presence. We need Jesus Christ to wash away our sin and justify us before God.

But listen, having Christ in your life is not only for eternity but for right now, in this life. We need His power, His wisdom, His comfort. We need His peace.

And God offers us all that and more through His Son. When we receive Jesus into our life we become His children, He becomes our Father, and we are apart of the family.

Now that doesn’t take away any of our responsibility to pursue holiness. We are to grow in His Word, in prayer, and in our relationship with Him, and any sin in our life is going to lead to a broken relationship. But as Christians we can confess our sin and be forgiven.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

That is the message of Psalm 24. The ark of the covenant represented all of the sacrifices made by ancient Israel and it is a symbol of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. So those who believe in Him are declared to be holy and can enter into the presence of God.

The Call of Worship

Psalm 24:7-10

Here we see the triumphant call to open the gates, and lift up your head for the King of Glory to come in. This is a metaphor for surrendering your life to Christ and allowing Him to reign over your heart.

As David was bringing the ark home to Jerusalem, He called on the people to welcome God back into their presence. Notice He repeats that phrase two times in Vs. 7 & 9.

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

He uses it like a chorus because he is speaking to two different audiences.

First, he is speaking to the people of his day who were excited about the ark and waiting for its return to the city.

And second, he is speaking to us today who have received Christ into our life and wait for His return. We are preparing for His presence.

First, notice the need in Vs. 7. They had to open the gates for the king of glory to come in. And we have that same need today. We have to recognize our need to allow Jesus in.

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus said, “‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

We have to answer the call of Christ in our life and that begins by recognizing we need Him. We cannot save ourselves and we can’t meet the requirements of God, only Jesus can do that.

Then notice the reason in Vs. 8. “The King of Glory is strong and mighty.”

David uses this metaphor as though he is the gatekeeper of Jerusalem and he is asking the question, who is this King of Glory, and why should I let Him in?

And those who were carrying the ark would respond and say, “He is the Lord.” In other words, This is Yahweh, this is the God of the covenant.

And when it says, “He is mighty in battle” it means He has fought the war and won the victory for us.

And that would have reminded the people of how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. And it should remind us today of Jesus, who died on a cross to deliver us from sin and death, so we could live in victory now and forever.

And when He returns He is going to establish the kingdom of God. He is the mighty warrior. He is the King of Glory, who will destroy all of God’s enemies and take His place on the throne of David.

And just to emphasize his message David repeats it again in Vs. 9-10. “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

Conclusion

Christ is the ultimate King of Glory who fulfills this psalm by bringing redemption and access to God for all who believe. We all need to answer the call that ends in the triumphal entry of the King.

We need to lift up our heads and open our hearts to Christ and allow Him to reign. He can give us the victory over all the enemies of sin in our life. We can live and dwell in peace and in the presence of the Lord now and forever.

We worship the King with reverence and honor because He is worthy.