Welcome In The King! Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). The Creator God (vs 1-2)

(2). The Holy God (vs 3-6)

(3). The Sovereign God (vs 7-10)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro (subway train station);

• And positioned himself against a wall beside a waste bin.

• By most measures, he was nondescript:

• A youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a baseball cap.

• From a small case, he removed a violin.

• Placing the open case at his feet, with a few coins placed in as seed money;

• He began to play.

• For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro on January 12, 2007,

• Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by,

• Most hardly taking notice.

• If they had paid attention,

• They might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is.

• They also might have noted the violin he played;

• It was a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million.

• Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall,

• With ordinary seats going for $100.

• In the subway, Bell reaped about $32;

• From the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.

• TRANSITION: That story was an experimental project;

• Organised by The Washington Post newspaper.

• Two thousand years earlier another great,

• In fact the greatest royal personage walked among people and most of them missed him!

• Failing to recognise him for who he was and is – King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

• And yet a thousand years earlier;

• One man, a shepherd, a musician, a warrior and a king himself;

• Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God:

• Looked down the lens of prophecy and recognised King Jesus!

• And that is the theme of this psalm.

Note:

• Psalms 22, 23, and 24 are a group of psalms written by King David.

• It has often been pointed out that these three Psalms (22, 23 & 24) form a trilogy;

• The cross (Psalm 22), the crook (Psalm 23), and the crown (Psalm 24),

• These three Psalms (22, 23 & 24) form a trilogy;

• They fit together and complement one another because;

• They cover the past, the present, and the future.

• They speak of Christ as the Sufferer in Psalm 22,

• Christ as the Shepherd in Psalm 23,

• And Christ as the Sovereign in Psalm 24.

• They fit together each and work together as a threesome;

• To know Christ as Shepherd, we must first meet him first at the cross as our saviour.

• And to know his continued care & guidance in our lives;

• We must make him sovereign, the king, the ruler of our lives!

Note: Psalm 24 has traditionally been interpreted in a threefold way:

(A). HISTORICALLY.

• Jewish tradition says that this psalm was written;

• To commemorate David bringing back the ark of covenant to Jerusalem,

• The ark had a temporary resting place in the house of Obed-Edon the Gittite;

• But now it would have a permanent resting place in Jerusalem.

• (see 2 Samuel chapter 6 & 1 Chronicles chapters 13 to 15),

Ill:

• Don’t miss the excitement of this occasion;

• The pageantry must have been overwhelming;

• Far greater than any Olympic opening ceremony!

• Far greater than any royal wedding or earthly coronation!

• So the ark of the covenant moved from its temporary resting place;

• Into a permanent resting place in Jerusalem.

• This was a national day of rejoicing, a day of festivity and celebration!

Sometime later (we don’t know when);

• Pilgrims (visitors/people) coming to worship in Jerusalem;

• Latched onto this psalm and took it to heart;

• They would sing the opening verses of this psalm as they approached Jerusalem.

(B). TYPICALLY.

• Traditionally the Christian Church have interpreted this Psalm as;

• The ascension of the Lord Jesus back to the Father's right hand.

Ill:

• I like the story about the little girl in Sunday School who was telling the story of Enoch.

• She said, "Well, one day God & Enoch were just walking along together,

• And it came close to the end of the day.

• And God turned to Enoch & said,

• “We’re closer to my house than to yours. So why don’t you just go home with me?"

The ascension of course marks the day when Jesus Christ went back home to heaven:

• And for years, the church has assigned this psalm to be read on Ascension Day,

• The fortieth day after Easter.

• Quote: Spurgeon calls it "the song of the ascension."

• ill: George Handel, in his oratorio, The Messiah, also applies it in this way.