Did you ever wonder why you tell a man there's 400 billion stars and he'll believe you, but tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it? Why?
Did you ever wonder why is it called a hamburger when it's made out of beef? Why do you put suits in garment bags and put garments in suitcases? Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Did you ever wonder why they lock gas station bathrooms – are they afraid someone is going to sneak in there and clean them? Why are there five syllables in the word monosyllabic? When two airplanes almost collide, why do they call it a near miss – it sounds like a near hit to me?
Did you ever wonder why banks charge you a non-sufficient funds fee on money they know you don't have? Why do you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway? Why are they called apartments when they're stuck together? If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made of that stuff? (John Stumbo, “God's Sovereignty: The Ultimate Question,” Preaching Today, #202)
Did you ever wonder why good people suffer? Did you ever wonder why the world is so out of control if God is in control?
Right now, we live in a world of “why?” So how are you supposed to live in such a world? How are you supposed to live in a world where there are no satisfactory answers to the question “Why?” How are you supposed to handle all the unanswered questions life throws your way? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Psalm 24, Psalm 24, where the Bible shows us how to live in a world of “WHY?”
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. (ESV).
When life is one big WHY, first and foremost…
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS IS KING!
Confess that Jesus is in charge. Recognize that Jesus owns it all. He owns the whole world!
You see, this psalm is part of a trilogy of psalms, each of which present the Lord as our Shepherd, and all of which the New Testament applies to Jesus. Psalm 22 pictures the Good Shepherd dying for the sheep. In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, [who] lays down his life for the sheep.” Psalm 23 describes the Great Shepherd caring for the sheep. In Hebrews 13:20, Jesus is described as “the great shepherd of the sheep.” And Psalm 24, as we’ll see, presents the Chief Shepherd coming for the sheep. 1 Peter 5:4 says, “When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (Wiersbe, W. W., 1993, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
I don’t know about you, but I find great comfort in the fact that the One who died for me and the One who cares for me is also the One who is in charge of my life. I may not understand what Jesus is doing, but I can trust that He is working all things together for my good and His glory.
In his book God in a Brothel, investigator Daniel Walker recounts his attempts to infiltrate brothels and gather evidence so he could release women and children from sex trafficking. He describes how he overcome his initial fears with a deep-seated confidence in God's sovereign rule – even in a despicable brothel.
He said: “I had not been conducting investigations into sex trafficking for very long, and being inside a brothel still left me feeling vulnerable and afraid. I was afraid of my sinful nature. I was afraid of perpetrators and corrupt officials who were profiting from organized crime. And I was afraid of going into what I perceived as enemy territory.”
But as he closed his eyes and prayed, suddenly God completely changed his perspective:
Walker said, “A still, voice reminded me that ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4 KJV)… The words of an old hymn came to mind: ‘This Is My Father's World.’ Again I saw for the first time that the brothel I was standing in was as much a part of God's creation as any beautiful mountain or crystal cathedral, and that God had in no way surrendered it to anyone.
“I knew that God was in that brothel before I arrived, suffering with [victims of sexual trafficking], witnessing [their] defilement night after night and sharing in [their] tears, and that he would remain in the brothel long after I left. Any uncertainty I previously had about walking into such a dark and ‘evil’ place vanished.
Though not in an audible sense, I nevertheless heard his command and his call to go boldly in his name to such places as these, to rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and to plead for the widow. (Daniel Walker, God in a Brothel, IVP Books, 2011, pp. 30-31; www.PreachingToday.com)
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19). Make disciples of all people groups even in the dark and evil places of our world, because Jesus is in charge even in those places.
Jesus owns it all, because He made it all.
Psalm 24:2 For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (ESV)
God founded and established everything, and the amazing thing is He founded and established it all on water! Now, the sea was a scary place for God’s people in Bible days. The nation of Israel, in those days, had no merchant ships or Navy. Jonah once called the sea, “sheol,” which means the place of the dead. And everyone looked forward to the New Heavens and the New Earth where Revelation 21 says, “There is no longer any sea.” That’s because the sea was an unpredictable and dangerous place, but that is the very place where Jesus founded and established the world.
When the Titanic was launched, 16 skilled mechanics, all from the city of Belfast, were on her maiden voyage. The city was very proud of these men who had a part in building what they called The Unsinkable Ship.
Then news came that the Titanic had sunk in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and that all 16 had gone down with her. The city was overcome with grief. Grown men would meet each other in the street, burst into tears, and then walk away without saying a word.
An American preacher was in Belfast that week, and he was scheduled to speak in church that Sunday. All 16 mechanics were members of that church, and it was packed with their newly made widows, their orphaned children, dignitaries, and people from all over the city.
The preacher titled his message, “The Unsinkable Ship,” but he wasn’t talking about the Titanic. He was talking about the frail little boat on the Sea of Galilee, unsinkable because Jesus was there asleep on a pillow. (Paul Lee Tan, #1972)
Jesus establishes His world even in scary and unpredictable places. So when your world is scary and unpredictable, when you feel like you’re on a stormy sea, recognize that Jesus is in control. When life is one big WHY, acknowledge that Jesus is King! Then…
WORSHIP HIM WITH INTEGRITY.
Praise Him with every fiber of your being. Honestly celebrate His sovereign rule over your life.
Psalm 24:3 asks a question: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” – That’s Mount Zion, where the tabernacle is. And “Who may stand in his holy place?” – That’s where God’s presence is. In other words, “Who can stand in God’s presence and worship Him? The answer…
Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. (ESV)
God wants worshippers who worship Him with absolute integrity. He doesn’t want any hypocrites. He wants only those with clean hands – the right actions, and pure hearts – the right attitude.
But who is truly that kind of worshipper? David, who wrote this psalm, certainly did not have clean hands and a pure heart. One day he lusted after a woman taking a bath in the courtyard below his palace, brought her to the palace and got her pregnant, then killed her husband to cover up his lascivious act. Are you worthy? Am I worthy to stand in God’s presence? We search our own hearts and all of human history to find one truly worthy, but there is none!
It reminds me of the scene in Revelation 5, where God is holding a scroll on His throne in heaven and an angel booms out the question, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And there is great sadness when no one was found who could do it. Then Jesus steps forward to take the scroll, and all of heaven joyfully responds, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…”
You see, the only One truly worthy to come into God’s presence is Jesus Himself, because He is the only One truly without sin, and He is the only One who died for sinners all over the world.
So, if you want to come into God’s presence, you must come through Jesus! Admit your own sinfulness before a Holy God. Ask Jesus to deliver you from your sin. Then, in His name, and only in His name, stand honestly and openly before God to worship Him.
Phil Callaway, responding to a letter from a frightened soon-to-be dad, recalled the birth of his own first-born son. It was May 31, 1986, when he found himself face to face with his little boy. He writes, “Sure, he was a little wrinkly, but who could blame him? I held him close. I touched his tiny fingers and counted his toes – all ten of them. I looked into his eyes. They were blue. Like mine.
“Then the most amazing thing happened,” he said. “A revival, I suppose. As I looked into those blue eyes, it was as if I heard these words: ‘Callaway, for the first 25 years of your life you've been a hypocrite. You've been close to the church but far from God. You are holding in your arms the one person you'll never be able to hide it from. If you think this little guy won't see it, you're naive.’
“That night,” he says, “for the first time in my life, I bowed my head and said, ‘Dear God, I'm sorry. Make me real. I want my precious little boy to hunger and thirst after righteousness. If he won't learn to from me, he has two strikes against him already.’ I meant every word.
“It's been slow-going sometimes, but I believe God heard that prayer. Five years later this same little boy looked up at me one night and said, ‘Daddy, I wanna be like you,’ and tears came to my eyes.”
Then Phil closed the letter: “I don't have all the child-rearing answers for you. But I do know this: If you want your child to love God, love Him first. If you want your son to obey, be obedient to the still small voice of God. If you want to change your life to change for good, have children. Lots of them. (Servant Magazine, Spring, 1999, p. 15)
You see, children reveal our hypocrisy all the time. That’s because you cannot fool your kids, and you certainly cannot fool God.
Do you, like Phil Callaway, find yourself close to the church this morning, but far away from God? Then stop faking it and pray the pray the prayer he did. Bow your head and ask God to make you real. Ask God to truly change you from the inside out, so you can honestly praise Him. Ask God to give you a genuine heart of appreciation for Him and for what He is doing in your life.
Because God wants this kind of worshipper, and God rewards this kind of worshipper.
Psalm 24:5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (ESV)
God blesses honest worshippers with His righteousness. Do you see it? As you come honestly before the Lord, admitting your own desperate need of Him, He declares you righteous, and He begins the process of making you righteous before Him! He gives you His own righteousness in exchange for your sinfulness.
The Bible says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin (that’s Jesus), so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
A lot of people leave the place of worship in poorer condition than when they came. They leave bored and tired. They leave disinterested and hardened to the Word of God. They leave empty, because they came full of other things; they came with the wrong attitude; they came without integrity.
Others leave a place of worship blessed. They leave rejoicing and a little better off, a little more righteous. They leave full, because they came empty and hungry for God; they came with the right attitude.
How did YOU come this morning? Did you come wanting to meet God, or wanting to get it over with? If you came hungry for God, then you are a true worshipper.
Psalm 24:6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (ESV)
When you come seeking the face of God, because you are desperate for Him, then you are a true worshipper.
In 1992, Paramount Pictures produced a film called Leap of Faith, which told the story of Jonas Nightengale. He was a fast-talking preacher who traveled the country making money by deceiving audiences with staged miracles. The only problem is a crippled teenage boy, named Boyd, actually gets healed at one of his rallies. Later, Boyd approaches Jonas and asks to go with him. Take a look (show video: Leap of Faith Genuine Article)
Jonas replies, “You're a little too old to be running away with the circus, aren't you, kid?”
The boy says, “It's not that. You made me walk again. A lot of people tried to do that, but they couldn't.”
“Hold it, kid,” Jonas says. “I had nothing to do with your walking.”
“Sure you did,” Boyd says. “Everybody saw it.”
“Look, I run a show here,” Jonas admits. “It's a lot of smoke and noise and is strictly for the suckers. I've been pulling one kind of scam or other since I was your age. And if there's one thing I know, it's how to spot the genuine article. Because that's what you got to watch out for. Not the cops. You can always get around the cops. But the one thing you can never ever get around is the genuine article. And you, kid, are the genuine article.”
Boyd says, “Are you saying you think you're a fake?”
“I know I'm a fake,” Jonas replies.
“Well what difference does it make, if you get the job done?” Boyd asks.
Jonas leans forward and says solemnly, “Kid, it makes all the difference in the world.” (Leap of Faith, Paramount Pictures, 1992, directed by Richard Pearce, written by Janus Cercone; 01:31:42 to 01:34:42)
My dear friends, don’t fake it until you make it. Instead, admit you’re a fake and ask Jesus to make you into the genuine article, because it makes all the difference in the world.
When life is one big WHY, first, acknowledge that Jesus is King; then worship Him with integrity; and finally…
WELCOME HIM WITH HONOR.
Accept your King with great admiration. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your life with all the respect He deserves.
The background of this psalm is 2 Samuel 6, where David wants to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. He loads it onto an ox-cart, employs some men to accompany it, but they never make it to Jerusalem. On the way, the oxen stumble, the Ark begins to topple, a man reaches out to keep it from falling out of the cart, and God strikes him dead. You see, the Ark of the Covenant represents the very presence of God, and you don’t treat God that way. You don’t treat God like a bale of hay on an ox cart.
So the Ark stays for three months in Obed-edom’s house, during which time he experienced tremendous blessing. Everything he touched flourished, because God was there. David gets wind of this, and he determines to bring the Ark of the Covenant the rest of the way to Jerusalem. Only this time he consults the Word of God and does it right. Four priests carry it on two gold-plated poles. David sacrifices a bull and a calf after the first six steps, and he dances before the Ark all the way into Jerusalem. They are approaching the city gates, and somebody calls out…
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. (ESV)
The gate-keeper replies…
Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? [And the people shout,] “The Lord, strong and mighty, The Lord, mighty in battle.”
Psalm 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. (ESV)
Psalm 24:10 Who is he, this King of glory? [the gate-keeper asks.] The Lord of hosts, [the people reply.] “He is the King of glory.”
They are proud of their King, and they ask the gates to lift up their heads with pride, as well. They welcome the Lord into their city with honor just like they will do on that first Palm Sunday about 1,000 years later.
Then, just outside the city of Jerusalem, Jesus mounted a donkey. His disciples spread their cloaks on the road in front of Him, and according to Luke, “the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice… saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Luke 19:37-38). What a wonderful day that was when the people welcomed their King into the city gates with great honor.
But an even greater wonder awaits Jerusalem when Jesus comes again to claim David’s throne. Revelation 19 says, Jesus will enter those same gates on a white horse with the armies of heaven also on white horses. Then from David’s throne, Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:11-16). And in the background, all of heaven will shout, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns” (Revelation 18:6).
Whenever Jesus comes, people welcome Him with great honor. You do the same. Welcome Jesus, your King, into your life with great honor. Receive Him with all the respect He deserves.
In his book Healing for Damaged Emotions, David Semands talks about Charlie Steinmetz, who had one of the greatest minds the world has ever known in the field of electricity. Steinmetz built the great generators for Henry Ford in his first plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Once everything was in place, the assembly line worked like clockwork. Thanks to the electrical genius, cars began to roll off the production line, and the profits began to pour into Ford's pockets. Things ran along smoothly for months.
Suddenly, without warning, everything ground to a halt. Ford Motor Company went dark. One mechanic after another was unable to locate the problem, much to Ford's frustration. They were losing money. Finally, he contacted the brain behind the system. Steinmetz showed up and immediately went to work. He fiddled around with some switches and a gauge or two. He tinkered with this motor and that one, pushed a few buttons and messed with some wires. He then threw the master switch, and lights blinked on, engines began to whirl, and things were back to normal.
A few days later Henry Ford received a bill from Steinmetz for $10,000. Although Ford was a rich man, he couldn't believe it. Paying such an exorbitant amount of money was out of the question, especially for what appeared to be such a small amount of work. He returned the bill with a note: “Charlie, isn't this bill just a little high for a few hours of tinkering around with a few wires and switches?”
Steinmetz rewrote the bill and sent it back. It read: “For tinkering around on the motors: $10. For knowing where to tinker: $9,990. Total $10,000.”
Henry Ford paid the bill. (David A. Seamands, Healing for Damaged Emotions, Victor Books, 1981, p. 23; www.Preaching Today.com)
When you invite Jesus into your life, He knows exactly where to “tinker.” He knows how to put right what’s gone wrong and repair what is broken.
So when your life is one big WHY, acknowledge that Jesus is King; worship Him with integrity; and welcome Him into your life with great honor. For Jesus is worth all the affection of your heart, all the admiration of your mind, and all the allegiance of your life.
