Thank you, Eric. Isaiah 43 is
one of those pages in my Bible that are well, well worn. And
that's such a, such a powerful, powerful passage of scripture.
Trust has prepared our hearts to worship. If you would open
your Bibles with me now to Psalm 24. Question I'd like for us to consider
this morning is who can stand in God's presence. That's the
question that David is asking in verse 23. Who shall send into
the hill of the Lord or who shall stand in his holy place? David is asking, is there anyone
who can stand in God's holy presence? Is there anyone who can stand
in God's presence because he satisfied God? Is there one,
anyone, that can go into God's presence and be accepted because
his righteousness is perfect? Is there anyone that can go into
God's presence and stand, not be destroyed by the holy light
of his presence? That's David's question. Now,
we should just be totally honest. When we're asking this question,
is there anyone who can stand in God's presence? This is what
we're really asking. Is there any way I can stand
in God's presence? Is there any way you and I can stand in God's
holy presence? Is there a way that sinners like
us can stand in God's holy presence and be accepted? Is there a way? That's the all important question.
I can't think of a more important question for you and me than
this. Is there a way a sinner like
me can stand in God's presence? Well first, when considering
this question, David shows us this. He shows us something of
who God really is. He says in verse one, 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 God is the creator. This God with whom we have to
do, he's the creator. He created everything that exists. And he did it in untold power. He just spoke the world into
existence. He just spoke everything into existence. There was nothing
in space but a vast, empty void. Just a vacuum. And God said, let there be light.
And there was light. God said, let the dry land appear.
And it appeared. God has such power, he hung a
bunch of balls in space with no visible support. And there
they've stayed. There they've stayed. They stay
there by God's power. And this one ball, this one planet
that God made inhabitable by man, David says he founded it
upon the floods. He founded the earth, the dry
land that we have on earth, he founded it on water. founded
on water. How can water support anything?
I mean, is there anything more unstable than water? Yet there
the earth has stood. The land on the earth has stood
for 6,000 years and man's lived upon it all that time. Now that
just gives us just a hint of God's power, doesn't it? And
his authority. His authority as creator. Since
God is the creator of this world, he's the sustainer of this world.
He keeps this world from crashing into the sun or going too far
away from the sun and you know that we all die. God keeps the
earth full. He keeps it full of air and water
and minerals and food and animals and things. Since God's the sustainer
of it all, everything that's in earth belongs to him, doesn't
it? The fullness, everything in this earth belongs to him.
Everything and everyone, you and me, in this earth belongs
to God. It's his to dispose of as he
pleases. He can do with us as he pleases. And nobody can question it because
he's God. He's God. He's the God that created
us. He's the God that gave us life. He's the God that sustains
us. He owns us. So he can do with us as he pleases.
I'll tell you what that means. All of us have to answer to God.
It's appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment.
We must answer. to the holy God. And that's a
frightening proposition for a sinner, isn't it? And that's why David
asked this question. Can anyone stand in God's holy
presence? And he did not use his absolute
power to destroy us. Is there any? Then number two,
David gives us the description of who can stand in God's holy
presence. He says in verse three, who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath
clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul
into vanity nor sworn deceitfully, he shall receive the blessing
from the Lord and the righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Now, there's one David describes who can stand in God's presence.
And you know from reading this description, the only one he
can possibly be describing is the Lord Jesus Christ, the son
of David. The one who stands in God's presence
must have clean hands. Well, that's none of us. He can
only be describing the Lord Jesus, can he? He never used his hands
to sin. He never used his hands to shed
innocent blood like we have. He used his hands to help people.
He used his hands to heal people. He used his hands to point people
to salvation in him. He used his hands to point people
away from the burden of the law to freedom from that bondage
and burden in him. He pointed his people to a place,
if you're thirsty, come drink. If you're hungry, come eat. If
you're weary, come rest. He used his hands to point helpless,
hopeless sinners to salvation in him. And then he gave his
hands to be nailed to the tree, to be crucified so that he would
become the sin sacrifice for his people. That's what he used
his hands for. He never lifted his hands to
idols. He always trusted his father
perfectly. Everything he did was pure and
clean. Everything he did outwardly.
And he was perfect outwardly because he's perfectly inwardly.
David also says the one who stands in God's presence must have a
clean heart. Well, you know that's not you and me. The only one
that can be is the Lord Jesus Christ. He did no sin. You know why he did no sin? Because
he has a holy nature. He has a clean heart that could
not sin. He has the only nature that God
will accept. He loved God perfectly. He's
holy. Now holiness is not just an outward
thing. Holiness is, well, I still have
these sinful desires, but I don't act on them as much as I used
to. Holiness is not having the sinful desire in the first place.
We don't have the sinful desire in the first place because we
have a holy nature. See, that can only be described
in Christ, can it? Then David says, the one who
stands in God's presence must have never delivered up his soul
to vanity. Now again, that can only be talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ. His hands, his heart, and his
soul are all perfect. And this word vanity, It has
to do with the uselessness of idolatry. That's what the word
means. Now, can you think of anything
more empty than idolatry? I mean, anything other than Christ
alone is idolatry, isn't it? Idolatry is empty of salvation.
It's empty of life. It's empty of grace. It's empty
of mercy. It's empty of cleansing from
our sin. Anything other than Christ alone
is empty of salvation. righteousness and forgiveness.
So lifting up the soul has something to do with vanity and also something
to do with enjoying. You're the one who God accepts
never even enjoyed idolatry. He always trusted in the Lord. The Lord Jesus always found his
joy and his satisfaction in his father. Then David says the one
who stands in God's presence must have never sworn deceitfully.
Now he's talking about the lips, isn't he? The one that God will
accept never made a promise he didn't keep. Swearing deceitfully
is making a promise you never intended to keep. The one that
God will accept never made a promise that he did not keep. Now again,
that can only be talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior,
was never a fraud. The one I tell you to trust in
is not a fraud. This news of the gospel, this
news of grace, it's not too good to be true because he's not a
fraud. He never pretended to have a
righteousness that he didn't have. He never pretended to have
a holiness that he didn't have. He never pretended to have a
sacrifice for sin that he did not have. He never pretended
to have a way to the Father that he did not have. And he never
coveted anything. He never coveted any glory that
wasn't his. He wasn't deceitful. He'd have
to use deceitful means to get something done wrong to him.
He couldn't covet everything because he already owns everything,
doesn't he? The fullness of the earth is
all he is. Now, you know, lots of people
have made vows to God, haven't they? Every one of us here have. Oh, Lord, if you'll just do this,
I promise I'll do it. Every one of us made a vow to
God, and not one of us has ever kept it. But there's one who
has. There's one. The Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, He made a vow to His Father. In the covenant
of grace, He made a vow to His Father that He would come to
earth and redeem his people from their sins. He would come as
a man and he would obey the laws of representative of his people
and he would make them righteous. He would come in the flesh and
do absolutely everything it took to redeem his people from their
sins and bring them to the Father. Adam had separated God's people
from him. Christ vowed, I'm gonna come and bring them back to you.
And at Calvary, the vow was paid. Look back at page Psalm 22, verse 25. This is the Psalm of
the cross. In verse 25, he says, my praise
shall be of thee in the great congregation. I will pay my vows
before them that fear him. Christ paid that vow, his father. He sacrificed himself so the
sin of his people will be put away. He's the only one who ever
did what he promised to do. The Lord Jesus is the only one
who was not born a fraud, a deceiver. He's the only one who did no
sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth. He only desired,
he only thought about, he only did, he only said that which
is holy. Even when he was made sin and
suffered the justice of his father, he still never sinned because
he has a holy nature. that makes him the sinless sacrifice.
See, that's why all of the sin of his people is put away under
the blood of his sacrifice, because his blood is perfect. His blood
is sinless. Since he's the sinless sacrifice,
he can take the sin of his people away from them into his own body
upon the tree and put it away by the sacrifice of himself.
That's what he promised the father he'd do. And that's what he did. That's what he did for his people.
So, verse five, He, this one who can stand in God's presence,
he shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness
from the God of his salvation. Since God the Son kept his vow
to the Father in the covenant of grace, the Father kept his
vow to the Son too. Christ came, he fully accomplished
the salvation of his people. By his sacrifice, he redeemed
all the people that the Father gave him to save. Because he
did what he promised he would do, The father blessed the son. He kept his promise that he made
to the son. He gave his son justice. He gave his son exactly what
he deserved. Now, when Christ was made sin,
the father gave him exactly what that sin deserved, didn't he?
But when the sacrifice was complete, sin is put away. The father raised
him from the dead. And he gave his son exactly what
he earned. He brought him back to glory.
Gave him a name which is above every name. That phrase there,
he'll receive righteousness from the God of his salvation, that
phrase means the father gave him exactly what he earned. Christ
has earned a name which is above every name. He's earned the salvation
of his people. Since Christ pleased the father,
the father exalted the son. He gave him praise and glory,
which is exactly what he deserves. You know, after the Lord was
raised from the dead, he went around about 40 days with his
disciples on earth, and then he ascended back into heaven.
You know why he ascended back into heaven and why he was accepted
of the Father? Because the Father exalted him
to be there. There in verse three, it says,
who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? That word means
to be exalted. The Savior didn't just rise up
from earth to heaven of his own accord. The Father exalted him
to be there. Exalted him to be there because
that's what he earned by his life and his death and his resurrection
for his people. The Father exalted him to be
there because that's what he earned. So the only one who can
stand in the presence of God and be accepted is the Lord Jesus
Christ, he's the only one. And not only can he, he has. He has. Now look over at John
chapter three. This is something I can't explain,
it's just so, because I read it in God's word. Christ our
Savior has always stood in the presence of the Father. He's
never not been accepted. It's not like, well, he wasn't
accepted before he came into flesh, and then he did all the
work of righteousness and all the work of salvation, and then
finally he's accepted into the presence of the Father. He's
always been in the presence of the Father. He's never not been
accepted. Look at this, John chapter three,
verse 13. Here our Lord is talking to Nicodemus, and he says, no
man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven
Even the Son of Man, which is in heaven. Now, Nicodemus, his
mind could never comprehend being born again. How in this world
can Nicodemus ever understand the one standing here talking
to you is in heaven? But he is. He's accepted even then. Always accepted. It's the omniscience
of our Savior. He's everywhere at the same time. He's the only Savior. He's the
only one that the Father will accept. Well, I see that, don't
you? Do you see that? I mean, I see
that. That's just plain from the whole
Word of God. I understand how David's describing
the Lord Jesus Christ here. I understand how that Christ
is earned to be accepted of the Father and staying in the Father's
presence. I understand that. I have no problem seeing that.
Do you? I see that. But this description
that David gives excludes you and me. I don't fit that bill. Do you? Our nature is nothing
but sin. Our hands, all they do is sin. Because our nature, our heart
is sin. Our hands and our feet are swift
to shed blood. All our nature can do is lift
up itself in vanity. I mean, idolatry is at the very
heart of our nature. You think, well, I've never bowed
down to a stone statue. I've never... Well, I'll tell
you what's the idolatry that's in the heart of every man. Worshipping myself. Trusting
myself. Trusting my works, that I'm good
enough. I'm better than somebody else, so God will accept me.
That's idolatry. It's trusting my works instead
of trusting Christ alone. Unless God does something for
us, God gives us a new heart, we will always refuse to bow
to Christ. That's how horrible our nature
is. Our mouths, all they've done is sworn deceitfully. We claim
to have a righteousness we don't have. We pretend to be better
than what we are. We claim to have a love for God
that we don't have. I know somebody's gonna say,
oh, I love God. Well, we love the God, the little G, God of
our imagination. But by nature, we don't love
the God of heaven and earth. We don't love the God of this
book. We don't love that God who is sovereign and can do with
us as he pleases. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof. No, we don't like that. By nature, I don't
like God can do with me as he pleases. I want a chance. But
that's the God of scripture. And you tell somebody about him,
our mouths will be full of cursing and bitterness. No, we won't
have that man to reign over us. Now, that's our nature. So you
and I can never earn praise and acceptance from the Father. The
only thing we can ever earn from Him is wrath, isn't that right?
The only thing we deserve because of our sin is damnation. Now
since David can only be describing the Lord Jesus Christ, I see
that, I'm not arguing with that. But here's the question, where
does that leave us then? Where does that leave us? Can't
there be any hope for a sinner like me? Well, there is. There is. That's the good news
of the gospel. There is. And that hope, it's easy to find. It's all in one person. It's
all in Christ. Look what David says back in
our text here. Psalm 24, verse six. This is the generation of
them that seek him, that seek thy face, O God of Jacob. Now we just saw this description
of the Savior. He's holy, he's sinless, he's
pure, he's righteous. The father accepts him and gives
him every blessing because that's what he earned. The father's
given him what he deserved because he kept his vow. Well, the good
news of the gospel, the mystery of the gospel, is that Christ
has made his people to be just like him. This word generation,
it means the description, the description. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the federal head of his people. He's the representative of his
people. So all of his people are just like him. They're righteous
and holy. It's the same way Adam made all
of his race unrighteous. Adam made all of his race sinful,
didn't he? We're all made just like him. There's not a person
here that can deny that. We're all made just like Adam.
Now I see that because I see it in the flesh. For Christ the
second Adam, he's made all of his people just like him. He's
made them righteous and holy by his obedience to God. And
the father, we see this, he accepts Christ. Well, you know what? He accepts everybody in Christ
too. He accepts everyone who's under his federal headship. The
father accepts those people in Christ because they're made just
like Christ. Just like him. And you say, well,
I don't see that. I don't see how I'm made just
like Christ. I don't either. But the way the Father sees us,
that's the way we are. That's the way we are. What this
is teaching is the union of Christ and his people. I wish we'd get past thinking
about this union with Christ as a doctrinal difference between
us and somebody else. Union with Christ is sweet. It's glorious, it's mysterious,
but it's sweet. And it's glorious that a sinner
would be united to the Son of God. Made part of the body of
Christ so that we are what He is. And this union is real. It's real to be made just what
Christ is. to be as holy and righteous as
He is. For He hath made Him sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made, what? The righteousness
of God. The righteousness of God, and
He had made us righteous as the Son of God. That's the only way
the Father can accept us, is if we're truly righteous. That's
what Christ made us, made His people righteous. Was Christ
holy? He is, of course he is. Then
so are his people, because they're made just like him. Is Christ
righteous? Absolutely he is. Well, his people
are too, because they're made just like him. Not by what they
did, by what he did. See that? By what he did. He
made his people to have a righteous, legal standing. But salvation is a whole lot
more than a legal standing. Salvation's a whole lot more
than just a legal piece of paper, a legal acceptance. Christ made
his people righteous. Yes, he gave them a legal righteousness,
but he causes them to be righteous, to be righteous. You know how
he does it? The new birth. When they're born again, they're
born righteous. When God's elect are born, when
they're born again, there's a new nature born in us that's born
from a holy seed. Now the nature is determined
by the seed that conceived it, right? If the seed's holy, the
nature's holy. You know why we're born unrighteous
and sinful in the first place? Because the seed that conceived
us is sinful and unrighteous. It's the only seed Frank Sr.
had to pass on to me. The only nature he had to pass
on. We're born of the holy seed of the Word of God. The only
nature that can possibly be produced from that is a holy nature. See,
that old nature is unchanged. There's a new nature born, and
that nature is righteous. That nature can never sin. That nature can never lift itself
up to idolatry. It can never trust anyone but
Christ. It's a righteous nature. Now,
I'm gonna show you that. Look over to Ephesians chapter
four. God's not pretending that His
people are something that they're not, so He can accept them. No,
He made them righteous. He made them holy. Ephesians
4, verse 24. It puts you on the new man, which
after God is created. See, this is a new nature created
in us. It's created in righteousness and true holiness. True holiness. It's not pretend. It's real. There's no guile there. There's
no vanity there. The Lord causes his people to
be born with a holy nature that he'll accept. That's how we can
stand accepted in his presence. You see the redeemed. They don't
stand. They don't ascend in the hill
of the Lord, but they don't stand in his holy place on the footing
of the law. No, we come to God and we stand
in his holy in His presence, in His holy place, on the footing
of grace. On the footing of grace in Christ
Jesus. See, God's people, we're all
just like Jacob. That's why He calls Himself here
the God of Jacob. Because everybody God saves is
a Jacob. We're all cheats. We're all supplanters. We're full of hypocrisy. We're
full of guile. We're full of sin. We're all
trying to get something that don't belong to us. We're all
trying to get something for cheap. Not pay the full price for it.
Now, if God's going to accept those people in His presence,
it's got to be by grace, doesn't it? It can't be by their works
of the law, because they don't have any. It's got to be in Christ. It's got to be by grace. Well,
here's another description of the people that God accepts.
He says they're seekers. This is the generation of them
that seek Him. Seek Him. Now, why do you seek
for something? You seek for something you don't
have. If you have it, you're not seeking for it, are you?
We only seek for something that we don't have. And you only really
seek for something that you need. And if I don't really need it,
I'm not bothering to look for it. The only thing I'm going
to seek for is something I don't have and something that I need.
Well, I'm telling you this, God's people seek Christ. Because they
need him. I must have him. I'm not just
seeking a righteousness, I'm seeking Christ who is my righteousness. See that? I'm seeking Him, I
must have Him. These seekers, they're not seeking
earthly things, earthly stuff. They're not seeking honor and
riches and all these things. Nothing wrong with having those
things, the Lord gives them to you, but that's not what I'm
seeking. What I'm seeking, what I must have, is a person. It's Christ. See, the answer
to David's question, verse three, who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord or who shall stay in his holy place? The answer
to that question is not a set of doctrines. It's not a theology book. It's
not a way. It's not a new way of doing things. The answer is a person. The answer
is a person. It's all in Christ. You seek
Christ and you'll have righteousness. You'll have the forgiveness of
your sins. You'll have peace with God. You'll have every blessing,
because they're all found in Him. Heaven's going to be filled
with seekers. Seekers. Seekers and finders. Now I'll tell you this based
upon the authority of the Word of God. If you seek Christ with
all of your heart, you'll find Him. You will. You'll find Him. If you seek
Christ because you need Him, you'll find Him. If you seek
Christ because you cannot live without Him, you'll find Him. I promise you that's what He
said. Now, when you find Him, you may tell folks, I found Him. One of the disciples said that.
I found Him. I found in the Moses row. I found
the Messiah. Did you really? Or did Christ
come and find you? No, Christ came and found you.
You found Him because He sought you first. But you'll find Him
when you seek Him. When you seek Him. You'll find
Him when you beg for mercy. You won't find Him when you make
a deal with God. I'll do this, Lord, if you do this. You'll
find Him when you beg for mercy. There's an article in the back
I encourage you to go home and read it, an article by Brother
Chris Cunningham about beggars. There's nobody yet ever begged
for mercy. Nobody ever yet. You'll find
him when you beg him. Now that's good news, isn't it?
Well, what's left for us to do then? Christ did it all. I don't
have to do something to add to his righteousness. I don't have
to do something to make that effectual for me so I can go stand in God's
presence. If Christ did it all, what's left for us to do? We
can worship the king. Verse seven. Lift up your heads,
O ye gates, and be lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the king
of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The
Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Lift
up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? The Lord of hosts. He is the
King of glory. You know, the door to God has
been shut ever since Adam sinned. The way to God's been cut off
ever since Adam sinned. That door was closed by Adam's
disobedience. But now our text is saying, Lift
up, ye gates. Open up, ye doors. Why? Because Christ the King is coming.
See, He's opened those doors by His obedience for His people
and by His sacrifice for the sin of His people. When Christ
ascended back up to heaven, He didn't have to knock on the door.
He didn't have to bang on the door and let them know He's home.
The doors opened for Him. Those gates lifted up for Him.
And He walked in. And He walked up to the throne.
And you know what He did? He took the book. from him that
sat upon the throne, and he opened it. He took it, because that's
what he earned. Christ has entered, those gates
opened for him. He entered, not just as himself,
but as the forerunner. As the forerunner for his people.
Since Christ opened the door, he removed every obstacle for
his people to come into the presence of the Father. That door's gonna
stay open. He'll never shut on them again.
There's no reason for it to. Christ put it all that away.
Are we sure now? Are we sure all this is going
to be able to happen? Are we sure? Are we sure Christ can
be able to save His people? Are we sure nothing's going to
happen to stop His people from coming to God's presence? Are
we sure? Are we sure? Who is this that opened the doors?
Who is this that the gates opened up for? The King of glory. The King. The Lord. Mighty in
battle. He's already defeated every enemy.
There's no enemy that exists that can keep God's people out
of God's presence. Christ has already conquered.
He's the mighty conqueror. By Christ obedience, by his sacrifice. That door wide open. As long as you come to God by
him. As long as you come to God by him alone. Look over Hebrews
chapter seven. We'll close with this Hebrews
chapter seven. This king of glory, verse 25. Wherefore, he is able also to
save them to the uttermost completely forever. They come unto God by
him. That's the key there, by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for him. Who is
the king of glory? He's the Lord mighty to save. He's the Lord of hosts. He saved
a number no man can number. And every last one of them are
gonna come and stand before the Father, accepted because of the
king, because of what the king has done for them. Oh, aren't
you glad? To hear the standing in God's
presence, to be accepted of the thrice holy God, it's not up
to you. Christ has already done it. Now
you come to Him. Come to Him. All right, let's
bow together. Our Father, human words, fail to express the thanksgiving,
the awe, the wonder that we have at seeing Christ our Savior,
Christ the King, the Lord of hosts, who would do such a great
work for such a bunch of low-down sinners as we are. Father, how
we thank you. Father, I beg of you that you
would Take your word as it's been preached and apply it to
our hearts this morning. Father, we can't see it unless
you give us eyes to see. We can't trust Christ unless
you give us a heart to believe. We can't understand unless you
give us the mind of Christ. Father, apply these things to
our hearts and give us faith to see, to trust, to rest in
Christ our Savior. And Father, I know I ask a great,
great, great blessing that you'd be pleased to give us here faith
in Christ. It is for our benefit, for our
good. But Father, for thy glory, I
pray that you get glory to yourself by saving us here. Surely you'd
have to get all the glory and all the praise for it. Father,
it's in Christ. For his sake and his glory we
pray, amen. All right, Isaac.