Psalm 24:1-10
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF GOD? It means to bask in the glory of God through creation (eg: the trees, animals, solar system) all things that were made and created by the God of this universe. It means to stand in fear to the awesome power and judgement of God as He dealt with creation through the world wide flood.......through Pharaoh and his people.....and the nations that stood against His chosen children Israel to name a few. It means to be speechless, paralyzed as you reflect on how awesome He is in light of everything else from creation to natural disasters. It means to fall down in shame for my sin as I reflect on the holiness of God to the depravity of man (myself) found in the word of God. It means to stand in awe of His providential plan for sinful man and woman as He said He will send a Saviour...a Messiah to save His people from their sins. It means to stand in adoration of His unfailing love through Jesus Christ and the finishing work on the cross as Jesus bore my wrath and judgement on the cross of Calvary. It means to praise and adore Jesus, the one who saved my soul from Hell. It means to be gripped by His everlasting love and promise of eternal life with the King of Kings and Lord or lords. TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST! WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW AWESOME GOD IS!
- To be gripped by God is to be completely in love with Jesus Christ!
- To be gripped by God is to praise and shout His name to the nations for His beauty and love
- To be gripped by God is to be called one of His children as you cry out “Abba Father” as if you cry out to Daddy I need you!
- To be gripped by God is to worship the only true King! For all things are His.
We come to a passage of scripture that speaks of the glory of God! A passage that talks about who can enter such a place and live to tell about it! A passage that King David and his people sung as they brought the ark back into the tent of the tabernacle after 70 years of captivity by the Philistines. A powerful Psalm that displays the glory of God! A passage that should concern us and also comfort us as we see what can enter Heaven! WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTER SUCH A HOLY AND GLORIOUS PLACE?..........WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THESE GATES? No man has ever come to the gates and lives to tell about! Adam was banished from the garden because man was defiled and sinful! Guards where put at the garden so that they could never enter in again! THE BIBLE SAYS
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal 5:19-20. Paul also said
“For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Eph 5:5. John couldn't have said it any clearer
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Rev 21:27 These passages of Scripture should really burden our hearts or at least concern us for lost souls that are going to spend an eternity in Hell! WHO CAN ENTER THESE GATES AND DECLARE THIS COMMAND? There is only one man who is allowed to enter these gates! NOT Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David or the Prophets........not even the Apostles have a right to speak to these doors. No man can ever enter or approach such gates without being destroyed! We are a fallen race, a fallen generations that is unclean! For
“all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Which means: we all have missed the mark of God’s perfection found in His holy Law and character. Remember the account of poor Uzzah? When they escorted the Ark back to the tabernacle! Instead of carrying like they were supposed to found in the Letter of Numbers....they placed it on a cart. Seems innocent enough right? Wrong, what God commands is what God demands from His people.
“And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.” Num 4:15 (YOU HAD TO BE A LEVITE). So what happens? The ox stumbled and the Ark was tilted and looked like it was about to fall over into the mud. What does Uzzah do? He touches and holds up the Ark which was God’s holy and glorious presence to His chosen people. A natural reaction anyone would do right? But what happened?
“And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.” 1 Chron 13:9-10. God killed Uzzah on the spot! Why would He do such a thing to one of His people? Answer: An unlawful sinner touched the holies of holies.......which was the presence of God’s glory! it would have been better for the Ark to fall in the mud! Because the mud would have been cleaner than Uzzah's sinful depravity! WHO CAN ENTER THESE GATES AND DECLARE THIS COMMAND? There is only one person able to enter these gates and speak to them they way the Psalmist writes! HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST! The Saviour....the Messiah......The Son of God........The Lord....The King of glory! Look what He says to these ancient doors....the gates of Heaven!
(v7). The Heavens must have been speechless or amazed that a man would dare speak to these doors with such authority and boldness! Look at the response by one brave soul who speaks up and says “Who is this King of glory”
(v8a) “who dares speak to these doors that way?”
I love the answer by Jesus!
(v8b). Jesus Christ the God man...............Is our King who is strong and mighty! So strong and mighty He engages in War. Not just any war but the war against evil and the bondage of sin! Do you realize that Jesus singlehandedly defeated the enemy by Himself? He needed no one’s help.......He stood on the front lines when everyone retreated! This is why the young shepherd boy David, is a great picture of our Lord Jesus Christ when he defeated the giant Philistine! This man who spoke to these gates proclaimed that He was the King who has conquered all things by His sovereign power and might! He tells the gate keeper who spoke up that He is a mighty warrior who is the True King of glory. AMAZING PICTURE OF THIS IS PENNED BY JOHN! Rev 19:11:16
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” This is why He boldly proclaims once again these words
(look at v9). And once again the gate keeper proclaims “what man dares to speak to these doors”
(v10a) Again I love the answer the man Jesus Christ gives
(v10b) The Creator God is the King of glory and has come down to dwell in the midst of the city of men as a man........Jesus Christ! This man who stands at the gates commands them to open those doors is Jesus Christ the God man.....And for the first time a man enters in those gates......walks up to His Father with boldness and says
“it is finished” and sits down and the Father looks at His son and says
“it is finished in deed”. Jesus sits on the throne in all His glory! The King of king’s sits on the throne is all His glory!Not just any King but the One who created all things for His glory
(v1-v2)
- The One that said “let there be light”
- The One who said “lets create man in Our image”
- The One that said “it is was good”
- The One who establishes everything by His authority and power.
WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THESE GATES? WHAT MAN CAN ENTER THIS PLACE AND LIVE? You and me......Look at
(v3-v6) those who have clean hands and a pure heart! Those who are washed by the cleaning blood of Jesus Christ! Those who put their faith in trust in the finishing work on the Cross! Those who are have an outward expression of an inward change! Someone who has been transformed by the Gospel that saves.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor 5:17. It’s Hands that are lifted up with affections set on things that are pure...lovely...holy and just....a practical holiness which is a mark of His precious grace. A heart that has their affections set on the things of God and glorifying Him. Remember what David said when he was faced with his dreadful sin
“create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” This is the true King of glory and we are allowed to enter these gates through His Son........Jesus Christ and his shed blood for our sins. This is what the King of glory did for you and me! He made it possible for us to have clean hands and a pure heart! That’s what the Gospel delivers to sinners who put their trust in Jesus Christ alone. The mighty King who is our powerful and faithful warrior who has defeated the grave and Hell and all things for His GLORY!. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF GOD? To be declared his son or daughter! That’s what this King did for me and you! 2Cor 6:17-18 says
“Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." This man Jesus Christ walked up to those gates and said “
Let me in because the King is here”. This is a beautiful picture of our Lord’s great ascent into Heaven.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TOM BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF GOD? To realize that the King is seating on the throne in all His glory and He has made it possible for us (fallen sinful depraved people) to enter in through His precious Gospel! John Piper said “The ultimate good of the gospel is seeing and savouring the beauty and value of God. God’s wrath and our sin obstruct that vision and that pleasure. You can’t see and savour God as supremely satisfying while you are full of rebellion against Him and He is full of wrath against you. The removal of this wrath and this rebellion is what the gospel is for. The ultimate aim of the gospel is the display of God’s glory and the removal of every obstacle to our seeing it and savouring it as our highest treasure. “Behold Your God!” is the most gracious command and the best gift of the gospel. If we do not see Him and savour Him as our greatest fortune, we have not obeyed or believed the gospel." There is only one man who is capable and allowed to enter into the glory of Heaven and live to tell about it. His name is Jesus Christ the Son of man and we can enter in through His saving grace! Charles Spurgeon said in his commentary of this passage “Dear reader, it is possible that you are saying, “I shall never enter into Heaven of God, for I have neither clean hands nor a pure heart.” Look then to Christ, who has already climbed the holy hill. He has entered as the forerunner of those who trust Him. Follow His footsteps, and repose upon His merit. He rides triumphantly into Heaven, and you shall ride there too if you trust Him.”. The ascended Saviour is seated on the throne and He is calling out to the hillsides and streets.....for people to come and enter into His rest. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF GOD? A personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! Who is the glorious representation for creation to see and look upon with adoration and praise! As the Hebrew writer penned
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GRIPPED BY THE GLORY OF GOD?
Everything!.......Take hold of this wonderful truth and worship Him for who He is! The one and only King!
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