Psalm 45

Good morning, City Church.

It is great to be with you.

It's great to be able to come together, to be able to once again come and worship the Lord God.

I hope you're well wherever you are on this uh dull and wet uh Sunday morning.

Maybe it's not dull and wet where where you are, uh but it is here.

But as we come uh together uh and looking at this Psalm, Psalm 45, uh let us pray um as we come.

Loving Father, I thank you for your word.

I thank you for the truth of your word.

I thank you how you uh long to make yourself known toward us through your word by the spirit's work.

I pray for us now.

As we come to this psalm, would you speak with power and authority by your Holy Spirit?

Would our affections and our hearts be stirred toward the beauty and the glory of King Jesus?

Would we see you for who you are and would we worship and rejoice in you?

In your name I pray.

Amen.

On the 29th of April 2011, Prince William married Kate Middleton.

They got married, and this royal wedding saw over two billion people actually watch it.

They tuned in to see and share in this occasion.

In London, the streets were filled with people celebrating.

Over one million people went to try and get a glimpse of the happy couple.

An estimated 800,000 pounds was spent on the flowers alone.

That's a lot of money.

The UK had a public holiday in honor of this day.

William received three new titles just because he got married.

The entire event cost over 34 million pounds.

Now I don't know if that surprises you, whether whether that kind of shocks you, but it is clear that there is something enchanting about a royal wedding.

Maybe you yourself were one of those people who tuned in to watch and see.

There is something that led people to want to be a part of this event, that they wanted to just be there and witness what was happening.

There is something almost magical or special, unique about the future king marrying his bride.

One of the most striking things about the marriage, about the situation is that William had chosen someone.

He had chosen someone who was not of royal blood.

That's a big deal.

Kate is a commoner, just like you and me.

If you didn't know that, you're a commoner unless you have royal blood.

For Prince William, this fact about Kate was never going to be the deciding factor.

Clearly, he loved Kate, and that was why he wanted to marry her.

This story captured the imagination of so many as it was played out for the world to see.

This love story brought so much attention globally.

Yet, with all the interest, with all the excitement, with all the anticipation, it cannot compare to the greatest love story.

The greatest wedding of all, the wedding that is being sung in this love song, in this psalm.

The wedding of the true king.

Coming to his bride.

Because this is the story and truth of our world.

The true king who is coming for his bride, his people, whether you know it or not.

The greatest love story is being played out for the world to see.

They may not recognize it, they may not see or acknowledge it, but that will not prevent the true king revealing his love for his bride.

At the start of this psalm, we see the psalmist.

He's so excited, he is struggling to contain his excitement about what he's about to share.

His heart is overflowing with joy and anticipation as he sees what he is about to share.

His tongue is ready to articulate the greatest love song ever to be written.

But it's not just a mere song, but rather the story of our world, of a king who is beyond our comprehension, who is beyond any other king.

As we look to this psalm, what is really important that we acknowledge this is not written primarily to just inform you about the king.

It's not just for your intellectual knowledge, but rather it is written to compel you, to draw you toward the king, to stir up your affections for him in seeing the kind of king he is.

That is what songs do for us.

They impact us in special, in unique ways.

They help us to feel, to experience what no mere words in themselves can do.

But with that said, I'm not actually going to sing the sermon.

So sorry if you were expecting that.

But I do pray, I do long that the Spirit might ignite your passion and affections through this Psalm toward the glorious and beautiful King, who is completely unique to any other person.

And what we will see, we will see that he is unique in his character, he is unique in his rule, and he is unique in his love.

As we go through this Psalm, it is hard not to see the fact that it orientates, the entire psalm orientates around the king.

So let us look.

Let's look at this king, let's see his unique character.

Please do uh look and follow with me as we go through the psalm.

Look down at verse 2.

You are the most handsome of the sons of men.

Grace is poured upon your lips.

Therefore, God has blessed you forever.

Gird your sword on your thigh, Almighty One, in your splendor and majesty, in your majesty, ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.

Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds.

It's clear straight away, none compared to this king.

You maybe consider and think about your husband or your wife or your girlfriend or boyfriend, and you think about them and you you consider and you think, actually, you know what?

None are as attractive as they are.

No one in this world is as attractive as them.

Or maybe you think about celebrities.

Celebrities in our culture seem almost like fictional people.

They're so beautiful and perfect.

They're not, but that's how we can see them.

And maybe you think about a celebrity and think there is no one more attractive than them.

But the reality is, none compare to the beauty of the true king.

None stand alongside him.

He is being set apart as uniquely beautiful, not merely in appearance, but in every way.

Yet even though he is above everyone else in his beauty, he doesn't respond in the ways that we might respond.

Because we know what we're like, what you're like, what I am like.

If people constantly spoke about you in how wonderful you are, if people constantly said you are just so beautiful in every way, everyone thought that, everyone said it, everyone put that upon you.

It wouldn't take long for you to start acting out of that belief, to feel like, yeah, I am beautiful, I am better than these ugly people around me.

I'm pretty cool, I'm great, I'm wonderful, everyone says it, everyone sees it, everyone knows it.

Most of us would become conceited.

Most of us, if not all of us, would become more selfish because we believe that we're better than anyone else.

And what is so wonderful is that the beauty of the true king, although he is beyond and above everyone, instead of being like us, he is so different.

Instead of being self-centered, his words are words marked with grace.

As grace is poured upon your lips in verse two, it says, Words that speak to the sort of king he is.

A king who does not just hunger and strive for power and authority, but a king who shows care and love to those around him.

A king who speaks words that bring hope and life to those who would listen.

This is the sort of king we long for.

Instead of just bringing judgment and condemnation, he speaks words of grace toward his people.

A king who is not struggling to show or display grace, but the image of grace being poured upon his lips is an image of him as the one who just overflows with grace.

How I'd love to be this sort of person, a person who just easily shows grace to those around me, a person who does not just react when someone wrongs me, a person who does not just seek my own interests above others, but rather that I would just burst out with grace.

Sadly, I know that's not me.

I am not like that.

I want to be.

Unlike me, unlike you, this king, the true king, naturally displays and reveals grace to those around him.

He doesn't need to work to conjure up grace.

The true king naturally overflows with words of grace, never lacking, never hesitating, but consistently revealing his unique grace towards us.

That we do not get what we deserve from this king, but he gladly offers us what we don't deserve.

That he brings us and invites us into relationship with him.

This is it is a mistake for us to hear this, though, to think, oh, he he's gracious, he's beautiful, and hear these words, and and then we might begin to think about this king and think he's he's beautiful, he's gracious, but surely he he's just kind of weak, he's a weak king, as though he's just some very nice, kind man without any real power.

But the fact is, the one who is beautiful, the one who is gracious is the one with complete power and authority, who is described as the mighty one, as the one who is always victorious.

Look down at verse 4 in your majesty, ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.

Do you hear the confidence in this king?

The image of him riding out to battle is in itself a display of his victory to come.

He will not be defeated by anyone.

There is no worry or concern of what the outcome might be, as he is the mighty one.

He is the king who has power, true, genuine power.

The one who is already has the victory before the battle even begins.

There is no other king or ruler like him.

Throughout history, rulers and kings have come, who have seen mighty, who have seen powerful and strong, but this king will never be toppled as they have been.

Victory is his, and nothing will prevent that.

But it is striking and glorious the way in which he exercises this power and authority that he has.

The true king fights for the cause of truth, meekness, and righteousness.

So often we can mistrust those in a part uh in authority, sorry.

Sadly, sometimes for legitimate reasons, they fail.

They don't live up to the expectations we feel that they should meet.

I don't need to mention countries or leaders for you to bring to your mind those who have failed in leadership.

There are too many examples.

Yet the truth is even when you look to the best leaders, the best earthly rulers, the best government, the best president, they fail.

They cannot exercise their authority with perfection.

They cannot meet all that they even desire to do.

They cannot constantly make the right call.

Increasingly, in our world, there is a feeling of discontentment toward our earthly leaders.

Increasingly, there is a belief that they will not and do not have what it takes to lead well, to act rightly.

But when we turn our gaze, when we look not to all these earthly leaders who will fail, but as God's people, as we gaze upon the true king, as we look, we are captured with the image of the one who fights for the cause of truth, meekness, and righteousness.

And the confidence we have is that he will never fail in this fight, in his fight as the victorious king.

Because when he fights, he succeeds every time.

He cannot and will not fail, because he fights not just for these causes that he sees as right and good, but rather he actually fights from the reality of who he is, as true, as meek, as righteous.

These are not just causes over here that this king looks at and says, these are good causes.

No, they speak to who he is.

There is an inseparability here, an inseparability from who the king is and what the king does.

Because the king is truth, he exercises and champions truth.

Because the king is meek, he exercises and champions meekness, because the king is righteous, he exercises and champions righteousness.

We know that his kingdom will be a place of truth.

We know that his kingdom will be a place of meekness and righteousness.

Because he is truth, because he is meek, because he is righteous.

This is the king who we so desperately long for, isn't it?

Under this king you flourish, under this king, you do not have to fear.

Under this king, you have ultimate security.

There is nothing for us to fear.

A kingdom where truth is not sought out, but is experienced constantly, a kingdom where meekness is not longed for, but expressed all the time.

A kingdom where righteousness is not cried out for, but reigns in every single area of the kingdom.

This kingdom is driven by the king.

It is only possible because of who he is, the sort of king he is.

Unique in his character, but also unique in his rule.

What is clear to see is that the rule of this king is complete and eternal.

It is complete because none are able to stand against him.

As we have seen and as we continue to see, look at verse 5.

Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, the peoples fall under you.

It is not that the king does not have enemies, doesn't have those against him, but rather his enemies cannot win.

They are powerless to stand against him.

None stand a chance before the true king.

When I was around the age of 16, I went with my sister to Rome and Florence.

At the time I was studying art for my leading cert, and there was an art trip in the school, but it was very expensive, and we basically planned one which was much cheaper.

Now my sister, who's older than me, she uh how do I put this nicely, she is rather detailed in her plans, which meant to my joy, I got to see enough art to last me a lifetime.

Funny enough, at the age of 16 years of age, Duncan found that a tad boring.

So my sister spiced it up.

How did she spice it up?

By taking me to places like the Colosseum and Circus Maximus.

As many of you know, these were used for entertainment during the height of the Roman Empire, symbols of their power in being able to construct such structures for their entertainment.

We visited Circus Maximus, which was very underwhelming, if I'm honest.

It just a field, really.

And though the Colosseum was somewhat impressive, the reality is it's a ruin.

That is what it is.

But I want you to realize this was one of the greatest empires the world had ever known.

And here we were, just walking around in the ruins of this empire.

Many would not have believed, many would not have believed that this empire would have ever fallen.

Yet it did.

Because the truth is, all empires, all earthly empires, whether historical or present-day superpowers, will fall.

They will pass away.

But the kingdom of the true king cannot be undone.

No enemy has the power to destroy or bring an end to this kingdom, to this king.

Because this is not just merely an earthly kingdom, it is a divine kingdom.

This kingdom is an eternal kingdom.

As the king who is not just an earthly king, but rather the true king, God Himself.

Hebrews 1 says this of this Psalm.

It says, But of the Son he says, Your throne is, O God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore, your God, therefore, God, sorry, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.

As the Son of God, the true King, He has complete and eternal rule.

Jesus Christ has always been and will always be the true King, the one who rules, and the one who has no end.

What a comfort for us to know that, to know the King.

What a joy is it for those who do know the Son of God, who know Jesus Christ Himself, knowing that there is nothing in all creation that will prevent His kingdom from being established.

There is nothing that will prevent Him from the completion of His kingdom.

Even when we feel, even when you feel the evil is great around us.

When you feel there is so much pain and suffering in this world, we can have confidence.

Knowing He rules with a scepter of uprightness, never failing to do what is good, never failing to do what is right, what is needed.

How much do you long for this king in our day?

How much do you long for his rule?

We don't need to look far to see the countless situations where there are injustices all around us, failures by those in power, injustices due to ethnicity, injustices due to poverty.

In our broken world, the poor, the weak, the vulnerable are always the ones to suffer the most.

When people are viewed not as having intrinsic worth and value, but rather their worth and value is judged by what they offer, what they contribute to society.

This is not how the true king rules.

Jesus Christ Himself, the true King, went toward the weak, the downcast of his day.

The true king, so those who were rejected, who were ridiculed by the culture, by the society, and he shows love, he shows compassion, he loaths himself.

The true king reveals his heart to exercise his rule with uprightness, not viewing and judging how we view and judge, but instead seeing those who are intrinsic value and worth and going toward them with love and compassion and grace.

He gets down to our level, he comes and meets us in the pit.

Does that not deepen your longing for this king, his kingdom?

That is how he rules, that is who he is.

As the king who is utterly unique in his rule.

When we know this king, when we know his rule, we experience all that we so desperately long for in our lives as we rest in who he is and what he has done for us.

That he is gonna bring the completion of his kingdom, he is going to come again.

This love song is a song expressing the beauty and the glory of the king as he heads toward his wedding day, as he reveals his love for his bride.

So unique is his love.

Like a great love song.

This is the pinnacle, this is the high note of the psalm.

As we turn our gaze toward the wedding day itself, he is the one who comes for his bride, bringing her into a new family, a new home.

Look down at verse 10.

Hear, O daughter, and consider and incline your ear, forget your people in your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty, since he is your lord.

Bow to him.

The call here is for the bride to look toward her future, to see what is coming, to see that she is being brought into a new family.

She is being brought into the king's family.

This is what happens when a groom and a bride come together.

There is a creating of a new family.

The two become one, joined toward one another.

As Jesus Himself declares himself to be our groom, we as the church are his bride.

This image of love being displayed by the true King toward his bride.

Because though the image of the bride is one of beauty here, this is the picture of what the church is being formed into.

Because the beauty of the gospel, the love of the true King, is that we were not beautiful.

You were not beautiful.

I was not beautiful.

You were not worthy, you were not acceptable, but the true king saw us, saw you in your shame, in the dirt, in your filth, saw you at the worst, as those lost, without direction, without a home.

Instead of rejecting us, the one who overflows with grace comes and lifts our face up from the dirt and looks at us in the eyes.

And he proclaims his love for us.

As the princess enters into the family of the king, she is viewed as glorious.

Look at verse 13.

All glorious is the princess in her chamber with robes interwoven with gold in many colored robes.

She is led to the king with her virgin companions following behind.

Her her sorry, following behind her with joy and gladness.

They are led along as they enter the palace of the king.

Every wedding day I have been to, there is an emphasis on what the bride will be wearing.

You know what it is like.

Oh, I wonder what she's wearing.

I wonder what style of dress she's wearing, blah blah blah blah blah.

I'm sure it's very important.

Cameron loves to talk about the wedding dress.

Anyway, and I wonder what her hair will look like, and conversations go on and on and on until that day.

As the bride enters, everyone is straining to get a glimpse of her, to see as she comes down the aisle in her wedding dress.

Phones are out taking pictures, the photographer is clicking away.

And we get this image of the princess in her chamber preparing for her marriage as she comes toward her groom, the king.

She enters into the palace.

She is no longer an outsider.

She is in the family.

She is with the king.

She is no longer in the dirt, filth, rejected.

No, she has been accepted by the king, loved by the king, made beautiful by the king.

And as we hear these words, we can't help but look forward and see Christ and his bride, the church.

As Christ has chosen us as his people, the one true king.

He has brought us in.

He has invited us in to join him in the palace, to be with him.

In joy and gladness, we enter in.

In joy and gladness, we understand what has been brought to us, what has been bought for us, to be a part of the family.

The compelling reality is that he desires us to know that we are his bride.

He is our groom.

That we have done nothing to deserve his love.

This picture is a picture of the intimacy he longs us to know with him.

Do you get that?

Do you understand that?

Do you feel that?

There is no closer, more intimate relationship on this earth than the marriage relationship.

There is no more vulnerable relationship than the marriage relationship.

And this is the image that is laid before us.

That Jesus is saying, look, look what I long for you to know.

That I am your groom.

You are my bride.

I love you.

The image that we are his people.

We are coming to our wedding day.

And on that day we will be fully and completely united to him for eternity.

When we will be fully and completely adorned and seen as glorious, just as this princess is being described.

The image is one that is meant to stir our affections and our understanding of the uniqueness of his love, to stir us toward that day when he will return.

That day when we will know without wavering the love of the true King.

How I long for that day, how you should long for that day, when all my failures and my worries and my insecurities are met by the gracious, glorious love of my king.

At the beginning, as I described the royal wedding, it can be easy, sorry, for us to forget what happened to Kate.

Just imagine Kate when she was a girl, maybe a teenager, around the age of 15, and she she comes up to the gates of Buckingham Palace and she stares in and she longs to enter, and she's asked, Who are you with?

She's a nobody, she's a commoner, she's not royal blood, she's not gonna be let in.

But now, now she can say, I am with him.

I married the prince.

Who is she?

She is Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge.

She gets her identity from her husband.

In the same way, we get our identity from Jesus, our husband.

United to the Son, we are now family.

The joy is we get to enter into the palace of the King.

We get to be a part of his family, all because of who he is, all because of what he has done.

All creation itself is waiting for the day, is yearning for the day when Christ will return to claim the bride for which he died.

That all who have known Jesus as Lord and Savior, if you have known Jesus as Lord and Savior, you will experience the fulfillment of our union with Him.

Never to feel half-hearted in your love ever again.

Knowing what we have gained, knowing that we were never worthy, we were never good enough.

And yet he has shown and displayed to us his unique love.

A love beyond all loves, a love that quiets the deepest longings of your soul.

As the one who will receive all glory to his name.

Look at verse 17.

I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations.

Therefore, nations will praise you forever and ever.

The day is coming.

The day is coming when the king will return.

What a day that will be.

The day is coming when we will know him face to face.

The day is coming when the king and his kingdom will reign forever.

And on that day, his people, the bride, will rejoice.

We will never stop rejoicing.

We will never stop praising him.

We will never get tired or bored of enjoying the true King, the one we have been created to know and enjoy forever.

So until that day, until that day, allow your heart to be in awe.

Allow yourself to experience the uniqueness of his character, the uniqueness of his rule, and the uniqueness of his love.

Let me pray for us.

Lord Jesus, I give you all honor, glory, and praise that you would love us in such a way, that you are so good, so beautiful, so glorious, and yet you lift us from the dirt and you proclaim your love toward us.

I thank you that your kingdom is coming, that you are returning, and on that day there will be no doubt, and we will know the longings of our hearts met in you.

Help us to see, help us to know, Holy Spirit.

Increase our longings, increase our desires for you.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.