Turn with me to Psalm 24. Psalm 24, I am personally very much enjoying the Psalms right now, if you can't tell. And with this being the time of year when people naturally think of our Lord being born king, I was drawn to Psalm 24. The end of this psalm speaks of the king of glory. That's how the psalm ends, the king of glory. That's who I love to think on. That's who I love to preach. The King of Glory, Jesus Christ. King Jesus Christ. I just love the sound of that. I love the thought of that. King Jesus Christ. Well, I came to this psalm and in looking at it, I felt led to divide it into three parts. For this Bible study, I want to look at verses one and two. For our message in a moment, I'd like to look at verses three to six. And then for our message this evening, I'd like to look at verses seven to 10. So let's begin today by establishing this. Verse one says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein, for he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. The earth is the Lord's. This earth belongs to him. The earth is the Lord's. It belongs to him. Men love to draw up deeds and they love to draw up property lines for, you know, about 70 years. One man will say, I own this. And then that man will die and he'll leave it to somebody else and somebody else will say, now I own this. And then he'll get tired of it and he'll sell it to somebody else. And that person will say, well, now I own this. And then in roughly 70 years, both of them will be dead and somebody else will come in and say, now I own this. And it'll just keep going and going and going. Now let's get one thing straight. The earth is the Lord's. The earth is the Lord's. I hope we can really, really get ahold of this. I hope we can really dial in to the fact that this earth is the Lord's. He lets man borrow it for a little while, but the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. That means everything that is in the earth, everything that is on the earth, everything that is of the earth. Verse one says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Everything, everything, all of it, all of it. Turn with me over to Psalm 50. Psalm 50, last Wednesday night, one of our kids here noticed that we didn't turn anywhere. Last Wednesday night, we were in Psalm 13, and we never turned anywhere. And I was actually wondering if anybody would notice that, because that's rare for us. And one of our parents said, you know, one of our kids said, after the message was over, we didn't turn anywhere. This parent said, I was glad to hear that. I didn't know if there was any listening at all, but at least, you know, they noticed that. Well, that's not going to be the case today. I really want us to, to, uh, dig into the scriptures all day today. We're going to turn and turn and turn, but, uh, Psalm 50, look at verse one. It says the mighty God, even the Lord. Okay. The earth is the Lord's. The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence. A fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." Those who are going to be saved by a sacrifice. through this covenant. All right? Verse 6, and the heavens shall declare his righteousness for God is judge himself. That ought to tell us who God is and who the judge is. Who is our judge? Who is our judge? Whose seat must we all stand before? We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. He's the judge. He's God. He's our God. Verse 7 says, Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against thee. I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee. That word reprove means prove you to be right. I will not prove you to be right. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds, for every beast of the forest is mine." People say, I'm going to make a sacrifice to God. All right, I've got 10 sheep. and I'm gonna take one of them, 10%, you gotta give 10%, you know, so I'm gonna take, now these are mine, I own these, and I'm gonna make a sacrifice, I'm gonna lose one, now I'm gonna have nine, and I'm gonna take one of them and I'm gonna give it to God, I'm gonna sacrifice that to God. He said, are you now? Verse 10, every beast of the forest is mine. and the cattle upon a thousand hills. That's like, I'm gonna go to your bank account, withdraw $100 and hand it to you and say, here, I just wanted to give you $100. What did you know? Verse 11, I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are mine. You see how this puts into perspective, what are we gonna do for God? Now, what are you gonna give to God? You gonna do something for God? You gonna give something to God? Verse 12, if I were hungry, I would not tell thee. If I was hungry, he said, I wouldn't come to you and say, I'm hungry. For the world is mine. What he's saying is, let's get one thing straight. The world is mine. And the fullness thereof. This is God speaking. This is God speaking. And listen to how he ends this. Verse 22, he said, now consider this, you that forget God. And I'll tell you, I'll tell you who that is. That's religion. That's religion. religion who has this little lowercase g God in its back pocket. He likes to pull out this little God every now and then and talk about this little God and tell people what they're going to do with this little God and for this little God. And you know, they're going to let this little God. He said, you've forgotten God. You've forgotten who God is. Verse 22. Now consider this you that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces. and there be none to deliver. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God. We would be wise to remember the earth is the Lord's. We would be wise. Every soul on this earth would be wise to remember the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Everything that is in it, everything that is of it. And do you know why we would be wise to remember that? Because we are in it and we are of it. We're in it and we're of it. Now follow me through some scriptures that will declare our rightful place, okay? Go with me to Genesis 2. Genesis 2 verse 7 says, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. We came from the dust of the ground. Literally. You know what they say dust is? You know what they say the number one ingredient in dust is? Skin cells. We are of the ground. And when our time on this earth is over, we are going to return to the dust of the ground. That's where we're going back to. Look at Genesis 3 verse 19. Genesis 3 verse 19 it says, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. That describes the whole life of man. That's the whole life of man. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for out of it was thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return. We are of the earth. Look with me at Psalm 100. Psalm 100, verse three. Know ye that the Lord, he is God. It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. He made us, not we ourselves. We are not self-made men and women. He is our maker. We would be so wise to know this, so wise to remember this. He's our maker. He's our maker. Go with me over to Isaiah 64. Isaiah 64 verse 6, it says, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee, for thou hast hid thy face from us. and has consumed us because of our iniquities. And I'm gonna tell you that for God's people, that happened on the cross of Calvary. That's exactly what happened. He turned his face from us and consumed us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Outside of Christ, that's what is still coming for men and women. But verse eight, he said, but now, O Lord, thou art our father, We are the clay, and thou our potter, and we all are the work of thy hand. In Jeremiah 18, the Lord said, Israel, as clay in the potter's hand, can I not do with you as I please? Can I not do with you whatever I please? We would all be wise to realize that we have a maker. We have an owner. We have a Lord. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and they that dwell therein, for he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Now, we've already said this, we've already established it, but let's see it in the word. Specifically, who are we talking about? All right, who is this Lord? Who is our potter? Who is our maker? Go with me to John 1. Just in case there's any doubt, let's go to John 1. Verse 1 says, in the beginning was the Word. Verse 14 tells us that's Jesus Christ. The Word was made flesh, dwelt among us. So verse 1 says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. That's an important thing to know. That's an important thing to know. We need a lot more respect for our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, a lot of people think the Father created everything and the Lord didn't come along until Matthew 1. In the beginning was the Word, the same Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was with God, the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. Where does the glory go? Him. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. Who is this Lord? Who is this potter? Who is this maker? Who formed man from the dust of the ground? Here's the answer. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. He is the one who holds everything in his hands. He is the one who holds the power over all flesh. Oh, we'd be so wise to know this. He holds the power over all flesh. Turn over to John 17. When we say He holds the power over all flesh, this is included in that. John 17, verse 1, these words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son that Thy Son also may glorify Thee as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh. that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. He has power over all flesh to give eternal life to whoever the father gave to him. Man does not have a free will to resist his maker. If I want to stress, I kind of want to stress the whole thing, but if I want to stress anything, I want to stress this. Man does not have a free will to resist his maker. Salvation is not a choice. Now, you need to make your choice. Let me tell you, the greatest choice you'll ever make in life is that choice to be saved and that choice for Jesus. You're going to have to choose Jesus. Salvation is not a choice. It is not a choice. If God has purpose to give salvation to a sinner, then that sinner does not have the free will to resist that salvation. That grace from God is irresistible because this Dirt is dealing with a maker, an owner, a creator, a God, a mighty God. Man does not have the power to resist salvation. Man does not have the power to do anything. Man has no power. Verse 2 says, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, all power is in the hands of our maker, Jesus Christ. All power. Turn over to Colossians 1. I'm almost finished. Colossians 1. Colossians 1, this is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 16, it says, for by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him, Jesus Christ. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist, and he is the head of the body. This hand right here, okay? This hand does not have to make a decision to move before it can move. If the head says move, it's gonna move. And that's how it is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He's the head and we're the body. He's the head of the body. The church, verse 18 says, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. First position, number one. Now, can we in our hearts say amen to that? Has the Lord given us a heart, a knowledge, an understanding, the faith to believe it and to bow to it, to acknowledge our maker, our owner, our controller? You know, to some, this is gonna be a savor of life unto life. It will create life and say, yes, amen. To some, this will be a savor of death unto death. But if this is a saver of life unto life, if we in our hearts can kneel before the Lord our maker, then now's the time for the transition into the gospel, all right? This is the gospel message to us. With that announcement being set forth, that declaration going out, I am, to every soul who says, amen, he is, thou art. Here's the gospel message, verse 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. And having made peace, this is God we're talking about, this is the maker, this is the controller. Having made peace, not trying to have made peace, not casting his vote for peace, having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself. By him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. What that means is our maker is our redeemer. He's our redeemer.

Look at verse 13. The Father here, verse 13, this is speaking of the Father, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

Our Lord said in Isaiah 43, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not, for I've redeemed thee. I have called thee by name, thou art mine.

In Isaiah 54, he said, thy maker is thine husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth is he, shall he be called.

And what he's saying here is, I did something for you. I did something, your maker did something for you. I made you, I bought you. I was good to you, you sinned against me, I was good to you again.

And that's what we're going to get into in just a minute, OK? We'll come back in just a moment and pick up right there.

All right, you're dismissed.