Psalm 118:19-26: The Glorious Good News.

Intro

Good Morning!

It is such a pleasure to be able to bring the Word of God to you again this morning. It is one of my favourite parts of ministry, and blessing every time I get to do it.

I wanted to start by giving you something to ponder for a moment as we begin. I encountered this saying at Minister’s gathering a couple weeks ago. During one of the sessions one of our speakers was talking about how we as pastors (and Christians) can, in our weariness, forget our calling, the wonder of the gospel and serving the Lord, and the blessing it is to be called to serve Christ. Then he said this: “Don’t let the good news become old news.” Let me say that again, “don’t let the good news become old news.” As I let that sink in it hit me, does the good news still light me up? Does it cause me - if not outwardly - then to inwardly burst forward with thanksgiving for what God has done? Christ’s salvation work was the singular greatest event in history! And that event was centred around Christ taking our punishment, that we might be reconciled children of God. That alone, not even beginning to count everything else God has done, is worth all the glory and honour and praise. Yet I think as Christians - certainly as an aspiring pastor - I can lose the wonder. I can forget.

It’s Palm Sunday today. Today we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Five days from now, we will be remembering Jesus’ painful, agonizing death. We will remember how He died for us, taking our punishment for sin. But that is not the end, and we will also celebrate His resurrection this time next week! He died, as one children’s song say, to give us life, and He rose to give us hope. This is the good news!

So in light of this, and so that we may not let the Gospel become old news, we will be looking at Psalm 118:19-26. Psalm 118:19-26 connects directly to the John 12 account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and helps pull us into joyful thanksgiving for what Christ has accomplished. What I hope we gain from this message is a renewed understanding of why Christ is worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving.

I believe what the author is presenting here is

three pictures that make Christ worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving.

These three pictures all present Christ in a way that helps posture our hearts for praise and adoration. My prayer is that by the time we are finished today, all of our hearts will again experience the wonder of the Good News, praising and thanking God with renewed zeal for what He has done.

So, if you will turn in your Bibles with me to Psalm 118:19-26, we’ll read the passage together. I’ll be reading from the ESV.

Psalm 118:19–26 ESV

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

What we need to understand about Psalm 118 is that it is a thanksgiving psalm. It was written by an unknown psalmist with the intent to thank God for His steadfast love and faithfulness. Because the author is not identified, ALL the emphasis is placed on the Lord (CPOP). Coming down to the verses in our focus, we read about the Psalmist entering the gates of righteousness, and giving thanks to God. Then there is this somewhat veiled phrase: “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” This is followed by more praise and thanksgiving for what God has done. What we must realize about this text is that it is all foreshadowing about Christ. So, starting with vv 19-20, we see the first of our three pictures:

Jesus Christ: Our Triumphal Gate-Opener (vv. 19-20)

We read in vv. 19-20 about the “gates of righteousness” being opened for the speaker. Moreover, the speaker also leads in those who are righteous with him. Why can these gates open for him? Because his actions have paved the way (EVTC Psalms). Here the Psalmist is approaching the same gates we find referenced in Psalm 24:7. In the psalmist’s view, these gates may be either the gates of Jerusalem, or the gates of the temple. Both Psalm 24, and our psalm present the question of “who is worthy to open these gates? The even, of the Lord’s city? Who is allowed to stand in them? While V. 19 of our psalm is more implicite, Psalm 24:8 is very explicite: It is the Lord Himself who is able to open the gates of Yahweh’s city. This is our first picture of Christ. He is the One who can open the gates of Yahweh’s city.

If we go to the New Testament and take a quick look at all four gospels, it won’t take us long to find the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, just one week before His death. John 12:12-19 is one of these gospel recordings, and yet - as one commentator shares - here Jesus does not make a triumphal appearance at all. The commentator notes:

John 12–21 (3. The Entry into Jerusalem for Passover and the Various Reactions (12:12–22))

John’s story is different. It is strategically framed beforehand by the anointing of Jesus for burial (12:7) and afterwards both by the recognition that the hour of his glorification had arrived and by the likening of his time to the death of seeds

Jesus rode in on a donkey - a sign of humility. Though the crowds of people praise Him as the King (and so He is) they are so attached to the idea of a conquering king that they haven’t a clue what He is doing. They don’t want a meek humble king - they want someone to overthrow the Romans! What they did not understand is that Jesus didn’t come to overthrow the Romans - He came to overthrow Satan! What Jesus already knew they didn’t understand: He was come to die, so that sin and death might be conquered. John is demonstrating what only Jesus knew: that this entry into Jerusalem was also an entry into His death (NAC John).

At this point - perhaps with some frustration - we are looking up going “how is He the triumphal gate-opener!?!” Another question we might ask as well, “If the only one who is righteous enough to open the gates of Yahweh is Christ, and yet here He is portrayed as going to die, how then can He lead in the righteous after Him?”

The key is to understand these questions lies in the verses directly before vv.19-20 of Psalm 118. Verses vv. 17-18 show that God has disciplined the speaker severely, but doesn’t let him die. In fact, the speaker is saying that he shall instead live and praise the Lord!

We find a prophecy similar to vv. 17-18 in Isaiah 53:10 Isaiah says

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Isaiah here is talking of the One to come. The coming King, God’s promised Messiah. We know that this would be Jesus, God the Son. This is, in fact, a picture of Christ. God did discipline Christ severely. Upon Christ was laid the guilt of the sins of the whole world. Jesus was perfect, sinless. But for our sake He took on our punishment, and paid the eternal debt we owed to God. Now, if we go back to the New Testament, we see Paul writes in Romans 8:1 that,

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The word condemnation for here in Greek could also be translated penalty. The entire reason there is now no eternal penalty for sin for those who believe in Christ is because Christ came and took that severe punishment for us!! Yet, as we know, Christ rose again! He defeated death, and died so that our guilt may be paid for! Therefore He is the conquerer, and can stand righteous on his own merit, having borne the guilt of sin for the entire world. Praise God! This is how Christ becomes the triumphant gate-opener. Because of His Sacrifice - a sacrifice no one else could stand in for - He has opened up the way to God.

Here’s the beauty of how this links to us: Because of what Christ did, we too can enter through the gates of righteousness. It is on His merit, not our own, that we can once again come to God. Christ gives us His righteousness, because of His finished work on the cross. So we are given our first reason to praise and thank God for Christ. It is because Jesus Christ is the triumphal Gate-opener. He opens the way of righteousness for us! Through His death and resurrection, we can once again be made right with God. How amazing, isn’t it?

This is our first picture of Christ. Now, as we progress into vv. 21-23, we encounter our second picture of why Christ is worth of our praise and thanksgiving.

Jesus Christ: Our Cornerstone (vv. 21-23)

The second qualification our psalm writer presents is that Jesus is the Cornerstone. If we look at Psalm 118:21-23, we read

Psalm 118:21–23 ESV

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

As we examine this next part of our text, we must once again turn to the greater context of our entire Psalm. Looking back to vv. 10-13, we see that the speaker talks about his enemies surrounding him. The speaker’s response to these enemies is to cut them off in the name of the Lord. So, as we move down to v. 21, we gain a better understand of why God is the speaker’s salvation. He is saving the speaker from his enemies.

This is again another reference to Christ. If we consider that He did indeed have many enemies, we also see that God made Him the Cornerstone, even after the “builders” rejected Him. One commentary notes that this is a connection to the Book of Isaiah. It says that

Psalms, Volumes 1 & 2 (118:22–23, Yahweh’s Marvelous Cornerstone)

Isaiah denounced the wicked leadership of Israel, priest and prophet, who had failed to trust Yahweh (Isa 28:7, 14–15) and presented Yahweh saying that he has laid in “Zion” a “stone” (Isa 28:16). The reference to Zion awakens associations with the Davidic kingship, and the contrast with the bad leaders points to a future king from David’s line who will be faithful to Yahweh (cf. Isa 8:13–15).

Jesus Himself in the Book of Matthew 21:42, speaking about Himself, said:

Matthew 21:42 (ESV)

“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“ ‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

So we see that Jesus, the stone the builders rejected, has now become the cornerstone. He is God’s cornerstone.

Ok, so now the question comes: what is this “cornerstone thing?”

In Hebrew, the words רֹאשׁ (r-oe-sh) and פִּנָּֽה (pan-a) literally means the combine together to mean “the head of the corner” (CPOP). A Cornerstone was a stone laid at the foundation of two walls, binding them together (Holman). I was able to find a picture of a cornerstone from the ancient world - hopefully we can get that up on the screens here. Ok! So this is the cornerstone to a temple of Artimeas. I found this picture in my Bible software, so I’ve absolutely no clue who the lady is. But, look at the difference between her height, and the height of this stone. It is massive! This stone would have bound two walls together, supporting the cornerstones of both. It would have been a firm foundation on which to build those walls.

As the Holman Bible Dictionary notes, this symbol shows us that Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation of faith.

Jesus is the most important of our faith (EBTC). He is the foundation of which our faith rests. We definitely have so much to thank and praise God for with this, because God gave us a firm foundation for faith. While some religions tell you that if you do enough good things, you’ll reach heaven. We don’t have to bow at a shrine everyday, or hope that if we do really well in this life we won’t get reincarnated into some other creature, forever journeying upward to the eternal state. Instead, we place our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, with full confidence that He is all we need. Everything we do after that is an expression of love back to Him, not a desperate attempt to get back to God on our own. The entirety of our faith rests on the fact that Jesus Christ came and died for us, and then rose again. This is what we will celebrate in a week, and this is why we can thank God.

So we have our first two pictures to show that Christ is worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving. First Christ is the triumphant gate-opener. He is the righteous One who opens the way to God, and allows us to once again stand before God. Second, Christ is our Cornerstone - the sure rock on which we place our trust. We can trust Christ, with the full assurance that as God, He came, died for us, was raised again, and will never fail. His sacrifice was enough. Therefore, our entire faith is based on Him. Now, as we move to the last few verses of our passage today, we encounter the third and final picture of Christ.

Jesus Christ - Our Fulfillment (vv. 24-25)

The third and final picture we have for expressing our praise and thanks is that Jesus Christ is our fulfilment. Starting in v. 24, we read:

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Jesus, as the cornerstone of God’s plan of salvation and therefore our trust; the triumphant One who conquered sin and death, now ushers in the day of salvation. The psalmist switches from “I” here to “us.” It is now a “we” thing - we are to praise God for the day of salvation that has finally come! Jesus has fulfilled the promised blessed hope of redeemer, the righteous one, who opens the gates of Yahweh’s city of righteousness (EBTC). We are called to rejoice in that. So, Jesus does come and fulfill the plan of God - He brings the day of salvation!

What inspired me to title this last picture “Jesus Christ: Our Fulfillment” was two little words in v. 25: “Save us.” We find the echoes of both vv. 25-26 in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem. We read in Matthew 21:9 that the people shout

Matthew 21:9 (ESV)

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

“Hosanna,” this means “save us” (EBTC). There are two ways of looking at this prayer found in v. 25. It could be that the author is reverting back to his present day, awaiting the hope of what God will do in the future. Or, this could still be in the future perspective. If this is the case, this prayer would be along the lines of asking God to cause salvation to come in the fullest sense. As I look at this passage, I see this future perspective in the same cry echoing in our very hearts. This is why I chose to title this last picture with the word fulfillment.

We cry “hosanna, God save us!” too, as we see a world around us crumbling and getting worse. We longingly look to the day when Christ will come back in person, and restore His creation. We, as His people, will experience the Kingdom of God in its fullness. Micah 5:4 paints a picture of our King’s wonderful Kingdom:

Micah 5:4 ESV

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Christ is our fulfillment because He has already come and set us free from slavery to sin. He makes us righteous. He fulfills our desperate need to be right with God. He fulfills thousands of years of long awaited hope. Yet there’s still more to come! Christ left the guarantee of His return - the fulfillment of His promise to come back again - with us in the Holy Spirit. We can praise and thank God because Christ not only fulfilled our need for salvation, but He will also come back and bring all the benefits of salvation. He will bring salvation in its fullest sense.

As we look at these verses and realize how they not only encompass everything we’ve just discussed, but also point us forward to His return, we recognize Christ as the fulfillment of God’s entire plan. He is our fulfillment also - fulfillment of the hopes of the people of Israel for thousands of years (whether they knew it or not), and fulfillment of our hope to one day be with God for eternity in His kingdom. Here we can praise and thank God for Christ Jesus: the fulfillment of our faith.

Conclusion

These are our three pictures that show us why Christ is worthy of all our praise and thanks. Obviously we could continue on and find so many more. We’ve explored how Christ is the triumphant One, the righteous One who opens the gates of Yahwehs city. Through Him we may enter into the presence of God! We’ve also seen how Jesus is cornerstone. The sure rock upon which we place our faith. The entirety of our trust is based on Christ, and as the sure rock we can every confidence that our faith has found its resting place. Finally, we have seen how Christ is our fulfillment. He is the fulfillment of the long awaited hope of God’s salvation. He will also come again once day and fulfill our hope of being with God forever. He will bring salvation in its fullness.

I’d like to draw us back for a moment to the story I told at the beginning, the one about our speaker at Minister’s Gather. Remember what he said? “Don’t let the good news become old news.” The reason I chose this psalm to dive into together today is because in just one week we will remember the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. We will also remember the glorious news: He is risen! This news, that echos throughout time, is not old by any means! The question becomes: has the good news become old news to you? We take one or two days a year and remember the day of Christ. We sit here in the pew and sing songs and take communion, but if it doesn’t really change your life, what good is it? The gospel is transformational! We serve a risen King! Are you excited? I’m excited! How amazing is that!!

My challenge for you this week - as we look forward to easter - is to join with me in every day, opening up your Bible to the very last verse in our passage: Psalm 118:26. It says:

Psalm 118:26 ESV

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

You can find this verse echoed in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. An entry He knew was leading to His death. Everyday, open your Bible and intentionally say these words. Then reflect upon how Christ is your triumphant King, the One who opened the gates for you. Remember how He is the cornerstone of your faith. Understand and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of how Christ is your fulfillment. Not only of your need for God, but also the cry we all share: Hosanna, save us! Bring salvation in all its fullness.

Finally, Ask God for the zeal to praise Him no matter what is happening. Ask Him for the drive to tell others about the good news. If the good news truly is not old, but rather constantly new and wonderful to us, we will WANT to pass that along. We will NEED to pass it along. Christians - I believe - not only have a duty, but rather an intrinsic need to go tell others about Christ’s saving work. It is part of the DNA of being a Christ follower. Go and make disciples. We can do that as we praise Him! We can find renewed zeal and ability to tell others. I implore you - do not let the good news become old news. Rather, see focusing on praising and thanking Christ for all that He is and has done. Understand the enormity of what He has done for you, and let your heart sing for joy, so that you cannot contain it.