Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
READING: PSALM 24:1-10 TEXT: v7-10 LIFT UP ETC.,
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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.
This is a triumphalist Psalm
Written in the throes of victory and conquest
It has 3 different applications, of which we will consider the last
[i] Immediate context: Thought to be the return of the Ark/Covenant
from the house of Obed Edom to remain within the curtains of Zion
The removal of the ark had occasioned the death of two Israelites who had sinfully touched the Ark during its transportation
Afraid of further consequences, the ark was delivered to Obed Edom (who
presumably did not share the fear and that for right reasons)
When Obed Edom took the Ark to his house for the period of 3 months and God blessed the house of Ebed Edom during that time
The reason why Ebed Edom did not share the fear was because he had the clean hands and the pure heart (v4)
Not many even of God's people who can say (as Paul did)
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. (Acts 24:16)
After 6 months, when it was evident that there would be no more wrath, the Ark/Covenant was returned to the tabernacle again
This Psalm was written to show it to be a happy occasion
[ii] Another context:
Return of the Lord Jesus to Heaven having conquered sin/hell etc.,
We know that the Lord Jesus came from heaven
Even then, there was a great trumpeting of the event: Luke 2:9-14
All during His ministry on earth (even in His humiliation) there were
several occasions when Heaven gave forth her voice and glorified Him
But especially at His resurrection and again, especially His ascension
Back into glory to be at God's right hand of power:
It is then that these words kick in as Heaven heralds her returning King
Below the men/Galiliee stand gazing as he is taken up out of their sight
Above, the voice is sounded forth: v7-10
[iii] It is in this third context that we want to give study i.e.
Christ coming into the sinner's heart in order to save him from his sins
Kindred Scriptures include: Revelation 3:20/Acts 16:14
There are 4 main thoughts:
1) HOW THE LORD JESUS IS DESCRIBED:
There are no less than 3 different titles afforded Him here
There are dozens if not hundreds of names in Bible for Christ
But here are 4 which should immediately engage our hearts
A/ He is called Jehovah ("LORD" in our AV) in verse 8
A reference to the fact of His Deity i.e. Second/Trinity
Christ was God before his Incarnation/Bethlehem
No less God than the Father and no more God than the Holy Spirit
He did divest Himself of His Deity (Impossible!) when He became man
He veiled His glory so that men wondered if He were indeed the Christ
But He never ceased to be God and accepted the worship of angels/men
He did not cease to be God as He hung upon the Cross and died, although it was His humanity that suffered and died
He remained what He ever was i.e. God when He rose from the tomb, doing so in His own power and ascended back into Heaven
He did not reassume Godhood after His sufferings…He never lost it
He is the Eternal God, the same yesterday, today and forever
Therefore it was most natural that His arrival into Heaven would by the
name that He bears first/foremost: "The LORD" or "Jehovah"
B/ This name of Jehovah carries an appendage with it:
"LORD of hosts" i.e. the "God of armies"
This highlights His omnipotent power
(Something of which we will speak in our second point)
But it is vital to see that this power that He exercised was not from
an outside source i.e. He Himself had power to lay down His life etc.,
Please remember that we are looking at these names with a view of
engaging the sinner so that Christ will enter into His heart and save
him
C/ Notice Christ is also called by the name of the King of Glory (x4)
It is the most emphasised name in the Psalm for Christ
Cp similar title: the Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8)
Such a title cannot be given to a mere creature
Such a title gives its bearer equality with God
You cannot have two King's of Glory : His deity is affirmed
So we are talking to the sinner here about his God (in Christ) seeking admission to His heart
2) WHAT THE LORD JESUS DONE TO ENABLE HIS ENTRANCE:
A/ I was almost for saying what Christ has done to deserve entrance
Such, however, would be morally and theologically wrong
We must be careful not to imply in our language here that Christ is a
beggar, seeking something undeserved from the guilty sinner
In an amazing sea change, the sinner is now seen to be the powerful one
The demise of Reformed theology has empowered and elevated the sinner
and left the Saviour needing the help - We REJECT such a thing
B/ Christ did not come to do something so that He earn the sinner's
respect or eke out some kind of charitable recognition from the sinner
Business had to be done in order for the guilty sinner to be reconciled
to a Holy God who will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7)
The Saviour came in sovereign grace to do something to save the sinner
Christ came to do something that would satisfy divine/exacting justice
Expressed/words: He is the Lord, mighty and strong in battle (v8)
C/ The Lord Jesus has been into battle
He is not an unproven warrior wearing medals he never earned
These words come to us written in His own precious blood
He observes that most wise maxim articulated by Ahab:
Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. (1 Kings 21:11)
He is the Lord , mighty in battle because He fought a battle for 33
years against the vile hosts of darkness and has won the victory
See Him fight in the wilderness during the temptations
See Him wrestle with the Pharisees etc., in the temple and elsewhere
See Him as the battle climax's at the Cross/Calvary
There was never a battlefield like that of Calvary
May speak with a certain fear/reverence of the Somme/Gettysburg etc
But no battle field boasts fighting and wounding like that of Calvary
Is it nothing to you, all ye that
pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow,
which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day
of his fierce anger. (Lamentations 1:12)
The depth of the passion/fighting is captured by the hymn writer:
See from His head, His hands, His feet,/Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ere such love and sorrow meet/Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
D/ Who did Christ take on in this great battle?
He took on the powers of sin/hell and darkness
He conquered death itself in this mighty tussle
So terrible is the occasion that the sun refuses to shine and
darkness covers the face of the earth as it did on the early
days/creation
Out of the midst of that great/terrible darkness, we hear the cry:
My God…my God…why hast thou forsake me?
Then there is another cry that assures every candidate for hell
(each one of the human race) that salvation has been accomplished:
It is finished (John 19:30)
It is the cry of complete and absolute victory
It is proof that He is indeed strong and mighty in battle
Yes…He is severely wounded in the life/death struggle
He bears the wounds in his hands and feet and side
Years after the event, John in Revelation 5:6
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst
of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain…
He carries the title because He bears the wounds
This was no sham fight that secured our redemption
The glory of His return to Heaven is proof of that
3) THE DEPTH OF THE WELCOME WHICH HE DESERVES:
We have already outlined the two places where anything less than a full
welcome to the Son of God i.e. Who He is and what He has done
He is the Lord of Glory - He is the Lord mighty in battle
A/ In highly figurative/poetic language (but expressive of
reality) we see that this entrance is to be conducted with much
glory
Originally: The return of the Ark/Covenant to its rightful place
Prophetically: The return of our victorious Saviour to God's right hand
In our thought: The entrance of the Saviour into the heart/sinners
B/ Try and remember the newsreels of the entry of the Allies into the formerly occupied parts of Europe
The flags and bunting and cheering that accompanied the Allies as they liberated Paris: cheering girls throwing flowers etc.,
It wasn't done secretly and with any apology
When it comes to the salvation/sinner where the Christ occupies the
place where its former master once reigned: There ought to be a most
cheerful and decisive welcoming in of the Lord/glory
It is not for us to dictate the outward circumstances and especially the emotions that accompany the great decision
Some tremble - others weep - some look amazingly stony faced and full
of fear - almost misgiving - others positively show their
rejoicing and relief - others go through a whole range of emotions
Want to avoid the superficial and the put on and so we let the events
take their own course, rather than insist on what we see to be right
All we ask for is this: Let it be definite and determined
A weak faith is better than no faith (strength lies in the target/faith)
But as best you know how, weak faith or not, open those everlasting
doors wide and cause the gates of your soul to lift up their heads
Be decisive and bid the Lord of glory enter in
Remember poor Bartimaeus and emulate him (Mark 10:47-48)
By and by, you will learn to confess Him in a most public manner
They that know their God shall be strong and do exploits (Daniel 11:32)
But let your conversion to Jesus Christ be of a most decisive kind
Hymnwriter: Step out on the promise: Get under the blood
4) A FRESH APPEAL TO THE UNSAVED TO GIVE HIM ADMITTANCE:
A/ Notice the Psalmist asks the question: "Who is the Lord of Glory?"
Not that David doesn't know (He knows only too well) but He wants the
people to whom He addresses himself to know and know well also
A good question for sinners then is this:
Who calls me to receive Him as Lord/my life and Saviour/my soul?
Who is it that I have been rejecting all these years?
This question treats you as a responsible person - Receive Christ etc.,
THE END