WHO IS YOUR KING - Psalm 47

Amen.

>> All right. Well, if you have your

Bibles, let's open it up. We're going to

be in Psalm 47 this morning. Psalm 47.

As you know, every summer, we take the

opportunity to dive into the book of

Psalms so that we can lo and we can grow

together from these writings that

include everything from worship, worship

songs to history to poems. And it's all

pointing towards the Lord. And this

morning we find ourselves in Psalm 47.

And I want to begin our time by asking

this question.

Who is your king?

Now, we know what the Sunday school

answer is, and I pray that the Sunday

school answer is true for you. The

answer is Jesus. But here's the reality

of the life that we live. You have a

crown. Everyone has a crown. And what we

do is we take that crown and we place it

upon someone or something to reign and

rule over our lives.

For many people, it's their career or

it's wealth or popularity or their

family or politics

or anything else that would drive them

and create an angst in them. And the

question is not whether you have a king.

The question is who is your king? And my

hope this morning as we dive into Psalm

47 is that we would be confronted with

the reality of where our life is.

What authority do we bow down to? Who

has the greatest control and the

greatest influence over our lives? Men,

when it comes to your family and your

marriage, what influences and leads you?

What directs your heart? What stirs your

passion? There should only and forever

be one answer that is top on that list

and his name is Jesus.

>> In the book of Isaiah, we're given a

glimpse

into the love God has for his people.

And God's love for his people is is so

rooted in his glory and his mercy and

his holiness that the prophet Isaiah

would say this that our God is a jealous

God. Now in 21st century America when we

hear the word jealousy we often always

equate it to the emotion of envy

or coveting. But that's not what Isaiah

means.

Isaiah is not saying that our God is an

envious God or our God is a coveting

God. But our God is king of kings and

lord of lords. He reigns and he rules

over the universe. He reigns and he

rules over creation. So the worship of

anything other than him stirs

a jealousy in him

because you're his

and one of his greatest desires is that

you would dwell in his presence. Did you

know you find we find the greatest

satisfaction, the greatest contentment?

Not in the kings of this world, not in

the glory of this world, not in the

pursuits of this world, though many of

those things can be and our blessings in

our life, but where we find the greatest

satisfaction, the greatest contentment

is when we are present with the Lord.

And when I mean present with the Lord, I

don't mean simply in close proximity.

Many of us would say that our gathering

here this morning incorporates a sense

of being in the presence of God. And I

would agree with us. I would say yes and

amen to that. But when we say being in

the presence of God, what we mean is not

just a gathering place like this, but I

mean finding the secret place in your

life

where quote unquote you let God in.

Those points of pain, those points of

frustration, those points of doubt. Some

of you are in here this morning and you

have pain in your life.

There are questions that are lingering.

There are doubts that are creeping in.

There are emotions that are erupting,

flaring up within your heart, in your

mind. Maybe it's leading you to some

anger before the Lord.

Maybe some bitterness before the Lord.

And Psalm 47 speaks into that

because Psalm 47 reminds us that it's

not emotion.

It's not the circumstances that are

happening around us. It's not even the

pursuit of our life that dictates who's

on the throne

because who's on the throne will never

change. Who's on the throne is Jesus

Christ, the lamb of God who takes away

the sins of the world. However, we can

become so blinded

by earthly pursuits and earthly kings in

our life that we miss out on the

greatest king.

the one who truly desires to lead, to

guide, and to direct us in our life. So,

church, who is your king

in a world obsessed with influence?

We're no strangers to

the cultural shift that has happened

over the last decade with social media.

And the result is a deep admiration

for powerful people, a deep admiration

for celebrities, and we follow

influential voices. And part of that is

a craving for control.

It's a craving for some authority in our

life. But but here's what I love about

Psalm 47. It interrupts that obsession

to say, "There's one voice that should

lead.

There's one who is in control. There's

one who is in authority. And our

obsession with earthly power, our

obsession with earthly pursuit, our

obsession with earthly power should

forever give way to the one who who is

seated on the throne above every throne.

And the king who is above all kings.

So Psalm 47, it'll be on the screen. If

you have your Bibles, we'll read it.

Verse

one,

for the qu for the choir director, a

psalm of the sons of Kora. And a couple

of weeks ago, what did we learn about

the s uh the sons of Kora

in Numbers chapter 16? There was a

Numbers 16 · chapter mention

rebellion

against the leadership of Moses,

which resulted in a rebellion against

the leadership of God.

That rebellion was instituted by the

sons of Kora.

And if you remember further in number

16, what happens? God institutes and

reigns down judgment on the sons of

Kora. And we read this that the earth

opened up and swallowed them in. There

was a remnant, however, of the sons of

Kora that survived. And they survived

for this purpose because God knew that a

people who were once in rebellion

against his name, against his influence,

would become a people who worshiped his

name and who praised his name. And

doesn't that preach well? Cuz isn't that

our story? Isn't that your story? For

every believer in Jesus Christ, you were

once a child of rebellion, a child of

disobedience, but because of Jesus

Christ,

because of the king who is above all

kings, the one who and sits on the

throne that is above all thrones,

because he entered your life, forgave

you of your sins, awakened you to faith

in him, and gave you life eternal.

You're no longer a ch a child of

disobedience. You're a child of worship.

And this is what the sons of Kora are

doing.

We believe that this psalm that we're

about to read,

historians believe that in 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6, when King David was leading

the procession to bring the ark of the

covenant back into Jerusalem, this was

the song that was being sung.

Beginning in verse one, here's how it

reads.

Clap your hands all you peoples.

Shout to God with a jubilant

cry. This is for free this morning. But

but so many of us, we're so fixated on

everything that's wrong. We're so

fixated on the negative things in our

life and in this world that we miss out

on opportunities to praise God. And our

days are not filled with praise. They're

not filled with clapping hands. They're

not filled with jubilant cry. You know

what they're filled with? With

bitterness,

with anger,

with complaints.

And that doesn't mean those things

aren't merited. But but here's the key.

Here's the game changer. Do those things

lead you further from God, or do they

lead you closer to God? I dare say for

so many it leads you further from God

because your attitude then becomes, "Woe

is me."

And you may be in a season, yes, woe is

you. I don't doubt that we enter moments

where, yes, woe is us. But you know what

the Bible teaches us, what God's word

teaches us, that in the woe is me

season, there's always greater is he.

There's always the king of kings and the

lord of lords. Verse two,

for the Lord most high

is all inspiring,

a great king over the whole earth. He

subdues peoples

under us and nations under our feet. He

chooses for us our inheritance, the

pride of Jacob whom he loves. SA.

We've looked at Psalms before where

there's this interjection of this word

SA.

And really any theologian and Christian

historian worth their salt will tell you

ultimately we do not know what that word

means.

But there's common agreement that what

it might have and probably meant was a

pause break when this worshipful

rendition

of the king who sits enthroned and is

exalted above the whole earth that this

would have been a moment in some

churches where they say let's take a

praise break

and let's let the spirit move

and let's just sit and acknowledge God's

goodness and God's hand on this moment.

Dare I say that often times we miss the

sale moments in our life

where God is moving and and God is

working.

You know what I noticed this morning

about me?

I had to take a deep breath this morning

and I had to just sit and be still. So,

I love how Pastor Eric last week when he

preached through Psalm 46. If you've not

heard it, you need to go online, reach

thegrove.com/sermons,

and listen to his sermon on Psalm 46.

When he read Psalm 46:10,

Psalms 46:10

translations will usually render it this

way, be still and know that I am God.

But what is being said there, this

picture that's being drawn in that

passage is I love the way the CSB

translated is stop fighting

and know that he's God. How many of us

are tired of fighting?

And that's what I was reminded of this

morning. When I wake up, when my alarm

goes off on Sunday morning, I get up and

I'm ready to hit the ground running.

I shoot a text out to the servant

leaders. I shoot a text out to the

staff. I remind them of what Sunday's

about, that we're in this together. And

I'm ready to hit the ground running. I'm

the first one here. I get here early. I

have a moment where I'm able to pray

that God would do a work in here. But

today, that that angst and the angst is

good. We want the angst. We want the

fire. We want the passion. But here's

what I began to notice that that the

angst kept me going from from from

moment to moment to moment, from project

to project to project, from instant to

instant to instant. that before I knew

it, I started to feel anxiety creep in.

And you know my story with anxiety. You

know, I've dealt with over the last

couple of years. And I f I have found

that it tries to creep in. It tries to

grab a foothold whenever I attempt to do

things in my own strength. How many of

us have ever attempted to do things in

our own strength?

And so all that to say, the spirit just

reminded me, be still. Quit fighting.

have a sa moment

and just pause

and let God do what God's going to do.

That verbiage can be confusing because

we don't let God do anything. God's

going to do what God's going to do. But

when we say let God do what God's going

to do, what we really mean is that

spirit, would you give me a greater

awareness so I can recognize what God is

doing and not be so focused on how I'm

feeling.

And so we continue here in verse 5.

God ascends

among shouts of joy. The Lord with the

sound of a ram's horn.

Sing praise to God. I love verse six.

Sing praise. Sing praise to our king.

Sing praise. What are we to sing?

>> Praise.

Verse seven.

Sing a song of wisdom. For God is king

of the whole earth.

God reigns over the nations.

God is seated on his holy throne. The

nobles of the peoples have assembled

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For the leaders of the earth belong to

God. And I love how the sons of Kora

conclude this song. He is greatly

exalted.

And all God's people said,

>> Lord, would you bless your word? Holy

Spirit, would you stir our hearts this

morning?

This psalm is called an enthronement

psalm because it's a depiction of the

glory God receives

as he reigns and rules seated on his

throne. And here's the heartbeat of the

passage. If there's anything that we

recognize today, may we recognize this

that God is the exalted king over all

the earth. Not just your marriage, not

just your family, not just your job, not

just your health, not just in moments

where you need him, but he is the

exalted king over all the earth. And

what's the result of that? All peoples

are called to worship him. This is a

celebration of God's reign.

If we take the traditional view indeed

that this was sung as the Israelites

ushered the ark of the covenant back

into Jerusalem. That gives us a greater

understanding of the depth and

celebration taking place here. And the

way that we can contextualize it for us

today is to recognize

just as in 2 Samuel 6 as the ark of the

covenant is being brought into

Jerusalem. What do we know about the ark

of the covenant in the Old Testament?

It's where the presence of God dwelt.

It's where the presence of God was

seated. And so, there is this

celebration. There is praise and this

this resounding worship that's lifted up

before the Lord because God is with his

people. How much more should we

celebrate now that God's presence

doesn't dwell

in buildings made by human hands, but in

a temple that is of HUMAN FLESH? THAT

GOD'S PRESENCE DWELLS in you. Psalm 47,

church, should be the declaration of our

hearts daily. This should be the worship

that flows from our lips

from the moment we wake to the moment

that we sleep.

That God, who is the exalted king over

all the earth, I love this. He's not

campaigning for authority. He's not

competing with other rulers. We'll get

to Psalm 9 here in just a moment. That

declares that the leaders of the earth

belong to him. But he reigns

supreme.

Let me put it in a very simple way. God

is in control.

And if God is in control, that means I'm

not. And maybe for some of us type Aers,

that kind of hits us a little different

because we want to know point A to point

B and the next step and what tomorrow's

going to look like. Some of you have the

rest of your year planned out. Praise

God for organization. I love

organization.

Some of us are just so freespirited.

We don't even know what's going on this

afternoon. I don't know what I'm going

to eat.

Whatever my test buds are craving.

But here's what we can agree on. That

through it all, God remains in control.

That God leads. God guides. God directs.

And and and here's what I want us to

understand. that God is the exalted king

over all the earth that all peoples are

called to worship him. This is not just

an invitation to admire him as king.

It's very easy when we gather in this

place every single week, when we sing

songs together, when we open the word

together, when we declare the goodness

of God together, when we when we visit

together, it's very easy for us to sit

in moments like this and experience

moments like this and to say, "Yes, I

admire him as king." But the question is

not, "Do you admire him as king?" The

question is, do you submit to him as

king? Does he reign over your life as

king? So, here's what I want to do.

We're going to go back to our psalm.

We're going to reference some verses

here. And I want to pull out three

scenes, three truths that we see from

this passage. Three truths that were

true then, they continue to be true

today

and truths that we can model our lives

after. If you've ever wondered how can I

live with such passion

in the midst of all that is going on in

my life in in the pain in the diagnosis

in the test results in the finances and

and in in the wayward we're child in the

marriage that seems rocky like how can I

glorify God through all of this? How can

I maintain a spirit of celebration? And

let me just hit the pause button for

just a moment. Having a spirit of joy

and celebration does not in any way,

shape, or form reject the pain of

somebody's life.

Because what do we see time and time

again throughout the scriptures? That

even in the darkest valley, you can

still see the light shining. That even

in the fiercest storm, you can still

experience peace.

And we've said this so many times. There

are so many stories woven throughout the

people in this church who can testify to

that reality

that in the darkest of days where they

experienced the greatest hope and the

greatest joy and the greatest peace and

the greatest comfort was in the midst of

it not in the absence

of it.

So, as we live in this pattern of

celebration,

in this spirit of rejoicing over who God

is, I want to draw out some truths. If

you're taking notes, here's the first

thing. We must behold the majesty of the

King. If you remember a couple of weeks

ago, we looked at this in Psalm 45.

And there's this beautiful picture

painted all throughout the book of

Psalms that the very things that we

treasure and value are the things that

we are going to behold.

And I've shared this story with you guys

so many times. Let's see if you remember

it. When my children were born, I

remember when my first born, Kaa,

I was 22 years old,

first time dad. Everything was shocking.

Nurses and doctors, every everybody is

doing what they do. I don't know half of

what's going on. Ka's born. Nurse says,

"Dad, follow me." Give a kiss to

Crystal. I go, I follow the nurse. We go

and they start bathing her and they

start doing all these things. And and I

was just so in shock. I just remember I

didn't say anything. I was just counting

all her fingers and counting all her

toes because in my mind, I'm like, "Let

make sure she has 10 fingers. Let me

make sure she has 10 toes."

And the nurse says, "Dad, you can talk

to her. It's okay.

And there was a moment when I was able

to to to pick her up and carry her and

and I'm showing my my brother who's

there. He's he's he's visiting and and

my parents are there and my in-laws are

there and I'm like, "Look." And we're

all beholding

this newborn, this this precious child

parents, WE CAN RELATE WITH IT. WE'RE

beholding

because we love and we value and we

treasure. Do we have that for Jesus?

We're in that moment. I'm like, I'll do

anything for you.

I'll lay down my life for you. Do we do

that for Jesus?

And yes, Jesus laid down his life for

us. But do you know what the scripture

calls us to do? To crucify the flesh

daily.

to say no to the sin that you engage

with constantly.

And you know what sin it is. Even now,

the Holy Spirit is bringing it to light,

holding you accountable.

Can I just lovingly call you to

repentance

right now? Let's just take a moment

as we behold the majesty of our king.

Can we just take a moment right now?

I want you to name that sin

and in your mind, grab onto it.

And right now, let's just take a moment.

Let's confess it before the Lord.

Say, "God, I've struggled with this

and I'm laying it at your feet.

Would you forgive me?

And spirit, would you grant me the

strength

to say no.

So when temptation comes, and temptation

will come. It's not a matter of if, it's

a matter of when, would you pray that

the Holy Spirit will give you the

strength and the discipline to fill

yourself with God's word?

So when it's time to make a withdrawal

of power and strength, you've been

making deposits into your spirit to say

no to whatever sin comes knocking at

your door. Let's take a couple of

seconds right now. You have your time

with God.

Thank you, Jesus.

You know, as you confess that sin before

the Lord, the scripture says there is

indeed forgiveness. Praise God for his

forgiveness.

But the brother of Jesus, James, said

this, that there's healing in

confession.

So, I want to encourage you to do this.

It's going to get uncomfortable. That's

okay. This is where iron sharpens iron.

Find a trusted friend.

Not someone who's going to post it on

Facebook. Not someone the moment you're

done talking with them is going to text

a group and say, "Do you know what so-

and so told me?" I mean, find a trusted

friend

that you can confess that to cuz yes,

there's there is forgiveness in our

confession before the Lord. The

scripture says there's healing when we

confess it to one another.

The devil wants us to hold on to our sin

and to keep it here

rather than confessing it out there.

Because once you confess it, this is why

James talks about the power of words.

About how words build up and words

destroy and how words like the rudder of

a ship or the brattle of a horse, they

steer us. Because when we make a

confession, we get it out. We release

it. And God does a work in us when we

behold the majesty of the King. It's not

just an invitation to admire him. It's

an invitation

to submit to him. Let's look at verse

one real quick. I love how this psalm

opens up.

Clap your hands all you peoples.

Shout to God with a jubilant

cry. Here's what I love. The beholding

of the majesty of God is not just

reserved for a particular people group.

And you notice the verbiage here, the

language

that is being used.

So clap your hand. There's action

and the action is for all peoples.

This is why the scripture come full

circle. Revelation 7 will say that as

John as he was exiled on the island of

Patmas for praising God. Mind you,

he had a vision.

In his vision, he writes it down. We

know that as a book of Revelation. In

Revelation chapter 7, he writes down

Revelation 7 · chapter mention

this vision of seeing the throne of God.

And every tribe, every nation, every

people is encircled around the throne

and they are glorifying him. They are

beholding his majesty. And what is Psalm

47 doing? Psalm 47 is inviting us into

that beholding. Psalm 47 is inviting us

into that worship. Church, who is your

king?

Verse two tells us why.

For the Lord, the most high is all

inspiring,

a great king over the earth.

Why do we praise him?

Because he's the most high.

We don't praise him for what he's done.

We do. But we praise him for who he is.

Roland, what are you getting at? That

means that I praise God regardless.

When the days are dark, I praise God.

When the diagnosis is bleak, I praise

God. When the finances are little, I

praise God. When things are not going

well, I praise God. Because if all we

ever do is behold the majesty of God,

when things are going well, then we'll

never behold the majesty of God. because

we'll look to every other reason why we

shouldn't.

Now, here the psalmist makes it clear.

For the Lord, the most high

is all inspiring,

a great king over the whole earth. I

wonder sometimes

maybe

if we unintentionally have reduced God

What do I mean by that?

I wonder if maybe we look to him

as just a counselor

instead of our king.

If we want him to help us with our plans

instead of us submitting to his plans.

Psalm 47 refuses

to think that way.

Psalm 47 reminds us that he is exalted

over all the earth. Now, dads, you

thought you were going to get away this

morning. Let me speak to you for just a

moment.

One of the greatest gifts that you can

give your children,

that you can give your family, your

home,

is to aim their hearts at the Lord.

is to model to them what it means to

behold the majesty of the king.

Your family doesn't need you to pretend

like you have it all together.

What your family needs is a man of God

who in the midst of the chaos that,

let's be honest, is life recognizes a

man

who in the routine, the busyiness, and

the hustle,

takes time to sail,

and to behold the majesty of the king.

Because here's the reality. Long after

You are forgotten.

That sounds harsh, but can you remember

your grandfather's name? Yes. Your

great-grandfather's name? Probably. Your

great greatgrandfather's name? Maybe.

But I'd bargain to say four or five

generations before you, you probably

don't remember their name.

But do you know what? Your family will

remember

the way you behold the majesty of the

king.

Here's the second thing that we see.

It's not just about beholding the

majesty of the King, but when we behold

the majesty of the King, it leads to

something else. Did you pick that up

here in our psalm? It leads to praise,

to celebration, to worship. This is what

we see. We're to celebrate the victory

of the king. Let's look at verse three.

He subdues peoples

under us and nations under our feet. At

first glance, this wording sounds weird.

What are they talking about here? Here's

what the sons of Kora, here's the

picture that they're painting. THAT IT

IS GOD WHO gives the victory.

It is God who wins the battle. This is

why Paul will tell us in the New

Testament in the book of Romans that we

are more than conquerors through Jesus

Christ our Lord.

What does it mean to be more than a

conqueror? It means that you celebrate

the benefits of someone else who has

done the conquering for you.

Someone else secured and purchased the

victory. And now the spoils of that

victory, the promises of that victory,

the inheritance of that victory becomes

yours. You did not have to do anything

for it. Simply by virtue of being

attached, connected, and related to the

victor, you get the benefits. And what

does that mean for us? We're children of

God.

And what does God do? God gives the

victory. Roland, how is he given the

victory? Victory over what? Over sin,

death, and the grave. And he's done that

through his son, Jesus Christ.

He put on flesh, was born of a virgin,

lived 33 and a half years in perfect

fulfillment of the law of God. This is

why we look to the Old Testament. This

is why the New Testament looks to the

Old Testament and through Jesus

recognizes he's the lamb of God who has

fulfilled the law of God so that through

the grace of God, we might become

children of God.

This is who Jesus is. And it's through

him that God purchased the victory. And

so through his life, he fulfills the

law. Through his death, he pays the

penalty for your sin and for my sin.

Just a moment ago, that sin that you

confessed before the Lord, Jesus died

for it.

Don't go back to it.

Christ shed his blood for it.

And three days later, he didn't remain

dead. He rose from the grave in victory.

And after he rose from the grave in

victory, 40 days later, he ascended back

to the throne. He was never truly off

it, but he ascends back to the right

hand of the father. And right now

he pleads our case. He walks with us. He

talks with us.

And he tells me I am his own.

And the joy we share as we t their call

me.

None other has ever known. That's us.

That's what we'll experience to Jesus.

And guess what?

We wait in hope and anticipation of this

victory that we celebrate here. With

every song that we sing, with every

scripture that we read, with every Bible

study we're engaged in, with every kid

we have to corral and tell them sit

down, stay quiet during vacation bible

school. Every plate that we hand out on

Wednesday nights in church events, every

prayer that's ushered up, it's a

celebration of THE VICTORY OF GOD. LET'S

NEVER FORGET why we do what we do.

Everything we do matters. Which is why

later on the psalmist will say, "Sing a

song of wisdom."

Why wisdom? Why not joy? Why not hope?

Why not peace? All those things are

true, but why wisdom? Because the

psalmist wants us to know that how we

worship matters. That who we worship

matters. that everything that we do

makes a difference. From your

interactions at work to the words you

speak to your family to the things that

happen in this community in the public,

it all matters. Let's celebrate God

together. And and here's the thing. Some

of us, we we walk into church,

we carry burdens that we were never

meant to carry alone. And I think

because we like to control things,

we like to dictate the outcome of

things. And and what Psalm 47 does is

reminds us

that we do not have the ability to

secure the victory. God does. Look at

verse 5.

God ascends among shouts of joy. The

Lord with the sound of a ram's

horn. What does that mean? That means

there's a celebration

>> because God has secured

the victory.

And might I say this, I believe, and

this is from personal experience, often

times it's not until we begin

celebrating what God is doing that it

opens us up to what God is doing.

And sometimes we wait,

well, I'll wait till I see what God is

doing so I can begin to celebrate. But

remember, we don't celebrate God. We

don't behold the majesty of God because

of what God does. PRAISE GOD FOR WHAT HE

DOES. He saves lives. Yes and amen.

But we behold the majesty of God because

he's majestic. Period. Because of who he

is.

Dads, let me speak to you real quick

again.

We know the pressure of what it means to

lead. Or at least I hope you do.

Some men don't lead well.

Let's just say it. Some men don't lead

well.

You work a job. You provide for your

family financially. Praise God for that.

But some men just don't lead spiritually

at home.

You provide well. You protect well, but

you don't lead well.

And I want you to hear me carefully.

You are called to lead your family.

Be a man who not only beholds the

majesty of God, but celebrates the

victories of God.

And the way that you celebrate the

victories of God is you you recognize

that the one who saves your family, the

one who reigns over your family, the one

who is far better than carrying your

family is the Lord is the Lord Jesus.

And the strongest fathers, the manliest

of fathers, I I think the church needs

to redeem what it means to be a man. The

strongest fathers, the manliest of

fathers are not those who carry the

greatest burdens.

They're the fathers of the one who

they're the fathers of the one who

trusts

to carry the burdens.

And so if the king is majestic and the

king is victorious, then he deserves our

admiration. And we'll close on this.

Here's the third thing that we seek.

We're called to submit to the king.

What I what I love particularly about

verse six

is there's one call here

and that's to sing praises to God.

Verse seven explains why.

For God is king over the earth.

Church, who is your king?

Because the word of God declares that

there's one king and he's king over

the earth.

And then I love verse eight. Verse 8

says something profound here.

Says that God reigns over the nations

and God is seated on his holy throne.

There is a throne at the center of

everything.

And it is from that throne that

everything is influenced

that things are directed. The the

council is received. And for the

believer, for the world,

like that throne should be the throne of

God.

Psalm 47 declares that this throne that

is above every throne, this king that is

above every king, that that his reign

extends into everything. And as you

behold his majesty, as you celebrate his

victory, have you submitted to his reign

and his authority?

Have you said no to you and yes

to him?

Because verse 9 gives us a clue of where

all this is heading.

If you remember when we read Psalm 45,

we talked about how beautiful will it be

when we are in heaven with the Lord and

and the completion of the bridegroom

Jesus and the bride, the church, that

consummation is fulfilled in his kingdom

forever. That Psalm 45 is read at that

moment. And we get to see the prophetic

fulfillment of that because remember

Psalm 45 was this wedding song that was

written about an earthly king in the

Davidic dynasty. But it was also a

shadow of the king Jesus

who would come and complete his bride,

the church. How amazing will it be

when we get to heaven and Psalm 47 in

its reality and prophetic fulfillment is

read aloud and all of us rejoice because

this is where it's leading. Verse N. The

nobles of the peoples have assembled

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For the leaders of the earth belong to

who? Belong to God.

You may not agree with who's in charge

government-wise, politically,

but they'll never outshine who's really

in charge.

>> That's God.

He is greatly

exalted.

So let me just ask you the question that

Psalm 47 asks. Who is your

king?

Have you enthroned him or have you

merely invited him into a kingdom where

you're still on the throne? If so,

today's the day that you repent of that,

that you turn to him, that you cry out

for forgiveness. Because the good news

of the gospel

is that this king, King Jesus, is not

just exalted.

Not only, but he's he's gracious

and he took on flesh. He died for your

sin. He rose victoriously.

He ascended into heaven. And today, he

invites sinners to come to him. Would

you pray with me?

Lord, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for how you move and how

you work.

And even now,

God, would you just continue to stir

people's lives and hearts?

Call sinners to repentance.

Call people to rise up and serve, to

lead, to be who you've called us to be.

Lord, we are grateful for you. And it's

in your holy name we pray. All God's

people said, "Amen." Would you stand to

your feet with me? Hey, we're going to

worship together. We're going to close

our service. We're going to sing

together.

Let the words on the screen be the

prayer of your heart. This is a time of

response.

Our altar is going to be open. Pastor

Eric and myself, we'll be available. We

we'd love to pray with you. If you need

someone to pray with, someone to share

with, maybe you want to celebrate a

blessing and you want to lift up the

name of Jesus. We we'd love to celebrate

that blessing with you. Maybe you want

to pray on behalf of someone, maybe an

appointment coming up. Whatever that

prayer need is, we'd love to pray that

with you. Or if you'd love to have some

one-on-one time with the Lord, dads, if

you want to bring your family, just have

some one-on-one time with the Lord, this

is an opportunity for you to do that. If

the Holy Spirit is stirring you this

morning and is stirring you to faith in

Christ, we'd love to walk that road with

you. We're in this together. I love you,

church.