Christ Our King

Chris Patton
July 17, 2022
Psalm 24
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Introduction

• What do you first think of when you think of “king” ?
• Many different ideas come to our minds when we think – “king”
• But what does it mean that God is King?
• Our Psalm today speaks of God’s kingship – God’s rule and reign over all things.
• However, because God is unique among kings and because there is no King like God our typical ideas of what a king is fail to fully capture what it means that God Himself is King.

Main theme: God is King – He is King of all!

I. What is the scope of God’s kingship?

• While we as Christians know in our minds that God is king, that Christ is king — I’m not sure we always live our daily lives with a deep awareness of how utterly comprehensive His rule and reign really is.
• Verse 1, the Creator God is The LORD, Yahweh. Likewise, Verse 8 names the King of Glory. He is also the LORD! He is Yahweh. And in the NT, the name “Yahweh” is applied to Christ.
• In this Psalm, the King of Glory is the Creator Lord – is Yahweh – is Christ and in verses 1-2 we discover the scope, the extent of His kingship.
• What we learn in verses 1-2 is that Yahweh’s Kingship, the Kingship of Christ, is all-encompassing.
• His rule includes absolutely everyone and everything. No person, No thing is excluded. Christ is king over all and he is king over all precisely because He is the one who created all.

King Over Every Person

• Christ the King can and does  make His rightful claim over every human heart!
• We are his creatures living in his world, Hence we owe Him our full submission and allegiance.
• The sobering question every person must answer is “will I acknowledge His kingship? Will I submit to the King? ”
• Where we ourselves may be failing to submit to the rule and reign of Christ, may we repent.
• We all freely confess — we don’t submit and obey perfectly…which is why we are so thankful for the Cross.
• It’s also why we regularly find ourselves in a place where we need to repent, to turn from sin.

 “our Lord and Master Jesus Christ . . . willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”  – Martin Luther

King Over ‘Every Square Inch’

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”  — Abraham Kuyper

• It is good to be reminded that Christ our King not only rules in a general way over the entire universe—but Christ stakes His claim on the details as well.
• He cares, in the details, about what happens not only in our personal lives and churches — but literally everywhere —–businesses, institutions, schools, sports teams, governments–everywhere!
• This should be an encouragement to us, no matter what activity we engage in, to not forget to take our Christianity with us, to be a light, and to seek to be an influence for righteousness sake.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. — 1 Corinthians 10:31

II.  Who is right with the King?

• The people who first sang this song understood this psalm as a call to righteousness, purity and holiness. And we should understand it that way too. But who can perfectly live up to this standard???
• If we must live up to this standard perfectly  – we are lost – because we are sinners.
• Notice where the blessed person’s righteousness comes from.
• The blessed person’s righteousness comes from the Lord — that’s the Gospel right there.
• This reminds us – no one is accepted into God’s presence on the basis of their own righteousness.
• Rather, we are accepted into God’s presence on the basis of Christ’s righteousness alone — imputed /transferred to us.
• What a relief! May we rest in our justification. May we rest in Christ’s righteousness credited to us and come freely into God’s presence without fear or shame or guilt.
• It is important to note — God’s people are not at liberty by virtue of Christ’s imputed righteousness, to now somehow ignore the call here to pursue clean hands and pure hearts, to flee idolatry and to speak the truth.
• If a professing believer’s life doesn’t evidence increasing submission to Christ and obedience to Him over time, that is cause for  concern.
• Those who receive the Kings righteousness and salvation and are pursuing clean hands and pure hearts–the text says —vs.6—also seek the Lord.
• How are you doing with seeking the Lord?
• Praise God for imputed righteousness! May we rest in it! May we rejoice in it !
• May we also seek the Lord, seek Yahweh, seek Christ our King with all of our heart, soul mind and strength.

III.  Where is the King Now?

• While the exact setting of verses 7-10 is not known, it is likely that those who first sang this psalm would have been thinking of the ark of the covenant returning to Jerusalem or the temple.
• Looking at these verses through the lens of the New Testament, through the Gospel – this section also refers to Christ, the Warrior King who ascended into heaven after His death and resurrection.
• When Christ ascended, the gates of heaven opened up to receive the Savior into the presence of God, where He is seated – even now – at the right hand of God.
• Verse 3 asks the question “who can come into God’s presence?” In verses 7-10 the answer is the King of Glory; it’s Jesus–the only human being ever to have perfectly clean hands and a perfectly pure heart…
• Who can come into God‘s presence ? The Warrior King who conquered sin, conquered Satan and conquered death. He is the One who can come into His presence.
• And He promises to one day take us to be where He is. The good news is – through His death and resurrection, Jesus, the Warrior King, has secured eternity in God’s presence for all who believe in him.
• “I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.” — John 14:3
• Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Jesus, the Warrior King and all he takes with him!!
• in Ps.68:18 David prophesied of the Christ —“You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train ”
• Redeemed sinners throughout history are the captives in the train who Christ brings into God’s presence.
• We experience God’s presence in part now, by the Holy Spirit. One day, we will experience His presence in full when Christ returns and brings every redeemed captive into glory in the very presence of God.
• We will surround the throne with a multitude of believers which no man can count worshipping the king – praising the king and enjoying the new heavens, the new earth, and pleasures forevermore.
• What a glorious day that will be!

Questions for Discussion/Application:

• Re-read the text, Psalm 24. What initial insights and observations do you have from reading this passage?
• Re-read verse 5. Our righteousness comes from God. This points to the doctrine of justification–that we have been justified, declared in righteous in God’s sight not on the basis of our own righteousness, but of Christ’s righteousness, imputed to us. How does it affect your soul when you consider your justification, your right standing with God on the basis of what Christ has done for you?
• How does this Psalm remind us of the importance of pursuing growth in godliness? When we sin, when we fail to measure up to what God calls us to in His Word, what does a biblical response look like?
• Martin Luther said,  “our Lord and Master Jesus Christ . . . willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”  What does it mean to truly repent?
• Re-read verse 6. What does it mean to be a person who seeks after the Lord? In what ways do you want to grow to seek the Lord more?
• Looking at the latter half of the Psalm — how does it make you feel to know that Christ made it possible for us to have access into God’s very presence? How does the promise of eternity in God’s presence encourage you today?
• Consider taking time to pray, asking the Lord to (1) Help us rest in the gospel and Christ righteousness (2) Help us pursue growth in seeking the Lord and walking according to His Word.