ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF GOD
Psalms 24:3-6
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false. [a]
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
INTRODUCTION:
HILL – refers to the mountain of the LORD, MT ZION, which is literally speaking to the mountain area on and around which the city of Jerusalem was built.
Psalms 2:6 … I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
Jer 31:6… There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.
Joel 2:1 …Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Zec 8:3… This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."
***ZION symbolically refers to the city of Jerusalem…. but it was specifically indicated as well as the site where the Solomon’s temple was built.
*** ZION, THE HILL OF GOD, THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD….
-is refers to GOD’s dwelling place.
-it is the worship site of GOD’s people … as in
***Psalms 48:1… Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
***Psalms 99:9 …Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
*** ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF THE LORD IS COMING TO HIS DWELING PLACE…
****ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF THE LORD IS COMING TO HIS HOLY PLACE…
*** ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF THE LORD IS COMING TO HIS PLACE OF WORSHIP….
*** ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF THE LORD IS COMING TO HIS HOLY PRESENCE…
*** ASCENDING TO THE HILL OF THE LORD IS COMING TO HIS THRONE… TO HIS KINGDOM… TO HIS AUTHORITY…
--- AND WHEN AUTHORITY IS IN GOD’S HANDS…. HIS WILL, HIS DESIRE, HIS POWER…. IS THE ONE IN CONTROL….
***Lord’s Prayer….
Matt 6:9-10…"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
*** IN HEAVEN GOD IS IN CONTROL…. HIS WILL, HIS DESIRE IS BEING FOLLOWED….
*** IN EARTH…. As we ascend to His mountain… God expects from us that our desire, our will, are left behind but HIS WILL, HIS AUTHORITY, is being observe.
BEING IN THE DWELING PLACE OF GOD, BEING IN THE HILL OF GOD, BEING IN THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD…. BEING IN HIS PRESENCE….
I. GIVES YOU A CLEAR VISIBILITY (VISION)
A. TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS….
- Being in the top of the HILL, you can see clearly your surroundings.
- We can see what is beyond the rocks.
- We can see what is beyond the trees.
- We can see what is beyond mountains.
- Your VISION IS NOT LIMITED ON WHAT IS NEAR TO YOU, BUT YOU CAN ABLE TO SEE WHAT ARE BEYOND!
*** IF WE ARE ON THE HILL… WE ARE NOT ONLY NEARSIGHTED…. BUT WE ARE FARSIGHTED EITHER.
*** Do you want to have clear vision, visibility in your surroundings? ASCEND TO THE HILL!
ILLUSTRATION: TELL THE EXPERIENCE COMING UP THE HILL IN EDINBURGH…
- as we going up…. The flag in the top of the hill is getting bigger…. And the things down, the van, cars, even people are getting smaller….
- That’s it! The more we are in the presence of God, the bigger He becoming into our lives, and the smaller the things become our cares, our desires, the worldly things. Because our focus is change to heavenly things!
*** CLEAR VISIBILITY TO … OUR SURROUNDINGS.
B. TO OUR ENEMIES…
- If you are in battle… the best place to look where, and when your enemies coming is go up to most high place possible. The higher you are, the sooner you can see if there are some enemies coming.
- Since you have noticed it while it is quite far…. You have time to prepare necessary defense… or you have might change your direction not to meet the enemy.
*** 1 Peter 5:8…Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
***Eph 6:12 … For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
*** Brothers and sisters… IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN… WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT… YOU ARE IN A BATTLE!
*** THIS BATTLE COULD BE ANYTHING THAT THE DEVIL PUT IN YOUR WAY SO THAT YOU WILL BE DISTRACTED IN YOUR SERVICE TO THE LORD…
- This battle might be your old self…. Trying to take control again over your new life in Christ.
- This battle might be your job… TAKING ALL YOUR TIME SO THAT YOU CAN’T EVEN OPEN YOUR BIBLE!
- This battle might be your hobbies…. XBOX, PLAYSTATION, ETC… which push you to the limit where you put less time with God.
- We have different kind of battles in life…. BUT IF WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, IF WE ARE IN THE HILL OF THE LORD…. IN THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD…. WE CAN SEE THIS “TRAPS” THE ENEMIES HAVE PUT IN OUR WAYS BEFOREHAND!
- DON’T STAY IN THE VALLEY AND BE SURPRISED BY THE ENEMIES ATTACKED! ASCEND TO THE HILL AND SEE THEM BEFORE THEY COME!
- Romans 8: 36… As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…
- 2 Cor 2:14 …But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
- 2 Cor 10:4-5 …The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
*** IT GIVES YOU CLEAR VISIBILITY…
II. IT PUTS YOU INTO ACTION…
***Exodus 17: 8-13…
V.10…
- Moses is in the top of the hill… with his staff raise… and the Israelites are winning, but when his hands are down…. They are losing.
- It gives moral boost to the warriors when they see Moses hands raise up… and they encourage to fight harder….
- Moses in the top of the hill… visible to every warrior… affects the warriors actions… by raising down and up his hands and staff.
***Brothers and sisters…. Christ was once on the hill of calvary… and thru his death… we have victories… because he is risen from the dead.
*** And that puts us into action… to go on… to move on…
*** Greater than Moses… and He did not only lift his staff… but his BODY on the cross to give us victory.
1 Peter 1:3…Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,
5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
*** IT GIVES US CLEAR VISIBILITY
*** IT PUT US INTO ACTION
III. IT MAKES US SAFETY
***Psalms 121:1-2… I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
- Enemies can’t easily come to you if you are in the hill.
- Enemies arrows and spears can’t reach you.
- You are safe in the hill.
- Stay in the place of refuge. Stay in the place of safety.
ZION – “citadel” – a stronghold to which people go for shelter during battle.
- It is a place of stronghold. And if God is our stronghold…. No one can bring it down!
*** If we trust in science. We got what science can do… If we trust in money, we got what money can do… if we trust in doctors, we got what the doctors can do… and so on …. And if we TRUST IN GOD… WE GOT WHAT GOD CAN DO!
*** Ascend to the HILL and make God your tower, your refuge… your hiding place… make HIM you CITADEL…. And you will get what GOD can DO!
*** IT GIVES US CLEAR VISIBILITY
*** IT PUT US INTO ACTION
*** IT MAKES US SAFETY
***BUT THERE IS QUESTION WE NEED TO CONSIDER….
v.3… WHO MAY ASCEND TO THE HILL OF GOD?
- WHO MAY COME INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD?
- WHO MAY COME INTO THE GLORY OF GOD?
- WHO MAY COME INTO THE HOLINESS OF GOD?
Psalms 15: 1-2 …LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
Psalms 24:4… He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false…
Psalms 15:2…He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
*** IN simple words… THE ONE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS!
***Romans 5:17-19… 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
***Our Righteousness is coming from JESUS CHRIST!
***John 3:13-14…13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up…
***Jesus implies that without His first ascending the Hill of God, and standing in the Holy Place, it would be impossible for any other to make the journey themselves.
***Christian, the grace of God is enough to make you worthy to ascend His hill and stand in His Holy place without fear of death. His love is so pure and His forgiveness so un-endless in its effect that you should never fear His wrath.
- TWO ACTIONS IS NOTED!
***ASCEND to the hill of GOD….
-COME… GO TO HIM.
-APPROACH TO HIS PLACE.
-SEEKING HIM
***STAND to His holy places….
- POSITION OF STAYING….
- DWELLING IN HIS PRESENCE….
- REMAINING IN HIM…
CONCLUSION:
- CAN YOU SAY TODAY… I AM THE ONE WHO WILL ASCEND AND STAND IN THE HILL OF THE LORD?
- OR YOU CAN SAY… I WILL GO UP LATER OR SOME OTHER TIME?
v.7…Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
