Psalm 24

The Chief Shepherd

Intro

√ The last of the Shepherd Psalms

So called because they describe the ministry of Jesus to those who trust in Him.

Psalm 22 - The Good Shepherd Who lays down His life

for the sheep.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Psalm 23 - The Great Shepherd Who lives and cares

for the sheep.

Heb. 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Heb. 13:21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 24 - The Chief Shepherd Who returns in glory

for the sheep.

1Pet. 5:4* and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Psalm 24 speaks of a future time when Jesus returns to claim the Kingdom and the people of the Kingdom for which He gave His life.

√ All of scripture points to this time

Jesus will put an end to the kingdoms of Men

The earth will be restored to its original condition

Sin and the consequences of sin will be done away

Ap. Maranatha!

The hearts of His people, His sheep, cry out…

“Come quickly Lord Jesus!”

The Kingdom (vs. 1-2)

Ps. 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.

Ps. 24:2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.

√ Note the scope of the Kingdom

Vs. 1 & 2 tell us that the Kingdom of God will encompass the whole earth and all peoples!

“The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness The world and those who dwell therein.”

Not limited to the Israel, or even the Middle East, this future kingdom will extend its authority over all the nations of the earth!

Theme throughout the scripture:

Dan. 2:44 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Dan. 2:45 “Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

And…

Ps. 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

Ps. 2:8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

And…

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

And…

Rev. 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev. 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

√ Note the character of the kingdom

A kingdom marked by peace and an environment like Eden!

Isa. 11:6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.

Isa. 11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Isa. 11:8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.

Isa. 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

A kingdom without sin or Satan!

Rev. 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Rev. 20:2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

Rev. 20:3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

A kingdom where we shall reign with Jesus!

2Ti 2:12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

And…

Rev. 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Rev 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

√ So, the Kingdom of God will…

Be like the Garden of Eden – a perfect environement to live and enjoy life!

No violence – no war – no worries!

Free of sickness, sin, and death (for the saints)

Free of Satan (for a 1000 years)

Jesus will be king ruling from Jerusalem

Ap. Try and get a mental picture of that kingdom!

Are you ready!

The people of the kingdom (vs. 3-6)

Ps. 24:3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?

Ps. 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.

Ps. 24:5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Ps. 24:6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah

√ Note their character

Vs 3 begins with a question…

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?”

Who can enter the Kingdom of God, who can stand in the His holy place?

Vs. 4-6 gives us the anwser….

The person who has clean hands and a pure heart!

The person who has not worshiped an idol (possible reference to the Tribulations saints who did not worship the A/C & his image)

The person who has received righteousness from God

…in short, the person who is saved by faith in Jesus!

Ap. Only the believer will enter the Kingdom of God

1Cor. 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

1Cor. 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Don’t fool yourself, make sure that you are saved!

2Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

The point, Paul was writing to a troubled church. A church where many people claimed salvation in Christ, but by their lives demonstrated that they did not really know Him.

We all sin, but if one’s life is dominated by sinful behavior, Paul warns us that that person is probably not saved!

Time is short – make sure you’re in the faith!

The King (vs. 7-10)

Ps. 24:7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

Ps. 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.

Ps. 24:9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

Ps. 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah

√ Who is this king?

David calls Him…

“the King of glory”

In other words, He is more than just a recipiant of glory – He is the King of glory!!! All glory is given to Him.

“the LORD strong & mighty”

Note the “LORD” – the personal name of God, to Whom David attributes all power. God is the only self suffcient One, all other powers in the universe operate at His descression.

“the LORD mighty in battle”

A referance to His total and complete victory over the forces of Mankind who gathered together to make war with God in the valley of Armegedon.

“the LORD of hosts”

God is the leader of all the hosts of heaven – angels and saints.

Rev. 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

Rev. 19:12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

Rev. 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Rev. 19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Rev. 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev. 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

This is of course Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, who returns to the Earth in glory!

√ Note His entrance

David tells us that the King will enter through…

“the gates” & “the everlasting doors”

Which gate? Some fun clues!

Eze.44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut.

Eze 44:2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.

The gate on the east side of Jerusalem.

Jews call it the “Golden Gate”, the Moslems the “Eternal Gate”!

When did the “LORD God of Israel enter Jerusalem by that gate?

It is the gate that Jesus would have entered the day that he rode a donkey down from the Mt. of Olives and into Jerusalem on the day we call the “Trimphant Entry” (Luke 19:28-48)

…to the cries of

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Interesting to note that this gate was sealed by the Moslems when the took control of Jerusalem ~1000 A.D.

The Jordanian government tried to reopen in 1967 – but then lost control of Jerusalem to the Jews!

The Jews will not reopen it because they understand Ezekiel’s prophecy that it is to remain shut until Messiah comes!

Then the gates will open to Him!

√ When Jesus returns

Zec. 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.

Zec. 14:2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Zec. 14:3 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.

Zec. 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.

Jesus is returning to the very spot from which He left His diciples! (Acts 1:9-12)

He will ride a white horse down the same path upon which He once rode a donkey…

Through the same gate which will open to Him

To the new Temple

…where He will take His rightful place upon the Throne of David – and destroy the A/C and those who follow him as He goes!

Close

√ All of scripture points to this time

Jesus will put an end to the kingdoms of Men

The earth will be restored to its original condition

Sin and the consequences of sin will be done away

Those who have given their lives to Him this side of eternity will be invited to live with King Jesus and enjoy the beauty of His kingdom in a perfect world the way He designed it to be.

Ap. Maranatha!

The hearts of His people, His sheep, cry out…

“Come quickly Lord Jesus!”