After starting the year with a glorious New Wine 4 days with Jesus and His people I felt God said,” I want to show forth my glory in 2010” He’s doing it eg Subritzky meetings, the Alpha Course, the Baptisms. And now we’re looking forward to the India mission.
Intro: recall Psalm 22 about Christ’s agony in the garden and on the cross for us; recall Psalm 23 the risen Shepherd and carer of our souls.
Testimony from Singatoka SOMA service: “Start with a miracle” and “Lift up your heads!”
Release God’s power over pain. Declare CPAC a pain free zone in Jesus name.
Psalm 24 is a powerful psalm of battle and victory. e.g During the 2nd WW the Nazi armies drove the allied armies back across North Africa 1000 miles. They were pinned down in Egypt. General Montgomery, an Australian Bishop’s son, was appointed by Churchill to drive the German armies back. Before the battle of El Alamien he gathered his officers together and said, ‘Let us call on the God of battles’ then he instructed his chaplain to read psalm 24. NZ troops led a key night breakout. The victory that followed was a key turning point in the war that defeated Hitler‘s evil empire.
A. Who is the King of Glory?
Ÿ Opening verses tell us He is the Lord of the all the Earth for he created it all
Ÿ He is Lord of all the peoples and animals who live on Earth
Ÿ V 3-6 tell us who can dwell with God and enter his presence.
(1) Those with clean hands (who use their hands to bless the Lord and care for his people and creation).
(2) Those who have pure hearts.. Hearts cleansed by the blood of Jesus so their motives are always to love God and their neighbour. Cleansed of pride, hardness of heart and deceit.(liars watch out! you may not be admitted unless you repent)
Ÿ v.6 encourages us to be a generation of people who earnestly seek after God and his face. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the pure(sincere and honest and humble and single-focused like a pair of loving doves and innocent) for they shall see God’. Math 5:8
THE REVOLUTIONARY VERSES of Psalm 24: 7 -10
1. DAVID BROUGHT THE ARK OF THE LORD’S PRESENCE INTO JERUSALEM WITH PASSIONATE PRAISE. 2 Samuel 6: 14 - 23 says
‘David danced before the Lord with all his might; so David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
Micah looked out of the widow and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord and she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in it’s place in the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When he had finished the offerings David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of
Hosts and distributed food among all the people.
Michal, the daughter of Saul and wife of David told David off for humbling himself before the Lord and before the people. She had no child to the day of her death.’
The Lord blessed David because he had a heart after God. But Micah was barren because she despised the enthusiastic worship of God. eg. Lifepoint Sunday school at the Webb St Synagogue sang and danced like David
2. JESUS RETURNED TO HEAVEN IN GREAT TRIUMPH. On the cross He declared; ‘It is finished’. He had paid the price for our redemption from sin and sickness. and slavery to Satan. On the cross Jesus was surrounded and pinned down by all the forces of evil. He willingly took them all upon himself. But God had planned a breakout. Jesus descended into Hell and released the captives and took the keys of death and hell. He rose again in triumph St Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15: 3-8
‘I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared to Peter then to the twelve, then to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time most of whom are still alive… last of all he appeared also to me.’
He ascended to Heaven in Glory as Ephesians 4: 8-10 says,
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people
When it says he ascended it means he also descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens so that he might fill all things.’
In Rev. 1:17-18 John wrote: When I saw him I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me saying, “Do not be afraid: I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see I am alive forever and ever: and I have the keys of death and hell.”
1. WE MUST NOW welcome Him to TRANSFORM OUR MINDS AND HEARTS with HIS VICTORY AND GLORY.
B. How can welcome this glorious King?
1. LIFT UP YOUR HEADS oh ye gates. Welcome Him in to transform our minds by His Spirit Romans 12:2 says, ‘be transformed by the renewing of your minds…’
2. OPEN YOUR DOORS, your hearts to receive Christ as the one who comes to share our lives and His with us. In Revelations 3:20 Jesus says, “Listen,I am standing at the door, knocking: if your hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me”.
This promise of presence was made to perhaps the most reprimanded of all the 7 churches of Asia in Rev. 2-3. Laodicea was accused of indifference and luke warmness to God. eg. My conversations with my father.(read)
Today is the day to hear Jesus knocking on the doors and calling to us to ask Him in to our hearts, our minds, our church, our homes, our work places and all our lives. Let us commit ourselves to be that generation who passionately commit ourselves to seek his presence and his face.
‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways: then I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chron. 7:14
Now is the time to turn to Christ in prayer, confess our sins and welcome in the Lord of Glory.
