Psalm 45 this evening, and we'll
look at verse 9, down through verse 17. Verse 9, down through
verse 17. Twice it says in this portion
of Scripture, verse 9, the king's daughters were among thine honorable
women. Again in verse 13, the king's
daughter is all glorious Within, think about that, her clothing
is wrought of gold. This is the good news about the
Lord's church, about the Lamb's wife, about those who are chosen
and redeemed in the blessed Savior. In Psalm 45 verse 1 down through
verse 8 we have a glorious description that we looked at last week of
our conquering victorious king. You remember from the revelation
where it says he went forth conquering and to conquer. He's never lost
a battle. Defeated sin, hell, death, and
the grave. Defeated Satan. All enemies bow
and submit to the king. Now, this evening, verse 9 down
to verse 17, we see the glorious description of his church, what
he has made her. He found us in the pit. He found
us on the dunghill. He raises us up and makes us
sons of God, princes of God. It's a description of his church,
his bride, what he has done for her and what he has made her
by his grace. THEY BELONG TO HIM. THEY ARE
HIS ROYAL FAMILY. BOUGHT WITH HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD. GOD LOVED THE CHURCH AND BOUGHT
IT WITH HIS OWN BLOOD, REDEEMED BY HIS GLORIOUS POWER. YOU'RE
NO MORE YOUR OWN, YOU'RE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. AND THE LORD'S
GONNA HAVE WHAT HE BOUGHT. HE'S GONNA ENJOY WHAT HE BOUGHT.
And we see through the gospel the victory the Lord Jesus Christ
has won for us. In these verses here he calls,
he owns and calls his people the king's daughter, honorable
women, the queen in gold. virgins, princes. What a blessing
God has given us to be chosen of God, to be a part of His royal
family, adopted by His love, called out of darkness into His
marvelous light, translated out of the kingdom of darkness into
the kingdom of God's dear Son, and made the very sons of God.
HE'S CHOSEN US, HE'S MADE US A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, HE'S MADE
US A HOLY NATION. WITHOUT SPOT, WITHOUT BLAME,
UNHOLY, UNBLAMEABLE, UNREPROVABLE IN HIS SIGHT. LOOK AT VERSE 9,
THE KING, KING DAUGHTERS WERE HONORABLE AMONG THE HONORABLE
WOMEN UPON THE RIGHT HAND did stand the Queen in the gold of
Ophir." Here's the daughter who's the Queen at the right hand of
the blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer
spiritually is a child and daughter or son of God by His sovereign
grace. Now remember from Ephesians chapter
2, he described what we are by nature. sons of wrath even as
others but God who is rich in mercy. Every believer spiritually
is a child and son of God by his sovereign grace. We are his
chosen children given to the Lord Jesus Christ IN THAT ETERNAL
COVENANT OF GRACE. WHEN DID GOD CHOOSE HIS PEOPLE?
WE ARE BOUND TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR YOU, BRETHREN, BELOVED
OF THE LORD, BECAUSE GOD HAS, FROM THE BEGINNING, CHOSEN YOU
TO SALVATION. I LIKE WHAT MR. SPURGEON SAID. HE SAID, I THANK GOD THAT HE
CHOSE ME BEFORE I WAS BORN, BECAUSE HE NEVER WOULD HAVE CHOSEN ME
AFTERWARD. HE CHOSE US IN ETERNITY. THE CHILDREN NOT HAVING DONE
ANY GOOD OR EVIL THAT THE PURPOSE OF GOD ACCORDING TO ELECTION
MIGHT STAND. THE LORD OFTEN REFERRED TO THOSE
PEOPLE GIVEN TO HIM IN THAT COVENANT OF GRACE. ALL THAT THE FATHER
HATH GIVEN TO ME THEY SHALL COME TO ME AND THOSE THAT COME TO
ME I WILL UNKNOWWISE CAST OUT. HE SAID THE FATHER HATH GIVEN
ME POWER OVER ALL FLESH THAT I SHOULD GIVE ETERNAL LIFE TO
AS MANY AS THOU HAST GIVEN TO ME. IN THAT PRAYER IN JOHN 17
HE MENTIONS THOSE GIVEN TO HIM AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX TIMES. THOSE
CHILDREN THAT THE FATHER ELECTED IN CHRIST JESUS, AND HE STANDS
FOR THEM AS THEIR SHERIFF, AS THEIR REPRESENTATIVE, AS THEIR
HIGH PRIEST, AS THEIR KING, AS THEIR HUSBAND, AS THEIR HEAD.
ONE WITH HIM. ONE WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
THE CHURCH IS ALSO DESCRIBED IN THE LAST PART OF VERSE 9, The king's daughter, there upon
the right hand, did stand as queen. in gold of Ophir. The church is also described
as his queen at his right hand. The church shares his honor,
his happiness, his holiness, being in union with him, being
one with him. As I've said to you over the
years, what's true of the head is true of the body. Where the
head is, that's where the body is. Christ is our forerunner
who has entered into God's presence and we are seated in the heavenlies
in the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Right now. He sets her in a place of honor
and dignity, not behind him, but at his right hand. He sets
her in a place of honor and dignity, and then he clothes her, his
bride, with the best robe made out of gold. The queen in the
gold of Ophir, which is supposed to be and considered the purest
gold, the best gold. The Lord gives nothing of secondary
value to his daughter to his queen, his bride, but only the
best. The best. God so loved that he
gave the best. He gave himself for us. There
the believer is divinely arrayed in the royal garments Christ
has provided for us. Let me read it to you. Isaiah 61. Verse 10, I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God. For he hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered
me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decketh himself
with ornament, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels. We're dressed out the best that
God can provide in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has called the Lord
our righteousness. And what's true of him is true
of us. We are righteous in him. Happy
and blessed are those that are found in him. That's why the
Apostle said, I count everything else lost, dung, and ruined,
that I may win Christ and be found in him. Happy and blessed
are those that are found in him. Cursed are those people that
persecute the bride. You remember it talks about in
Jeremiah 17 about the blessed man and the cursed man. Blessed
is that man that trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord
is, and then cursed is that man that trusteth in himself. Happy
and blessed are those that are found in him. In him. Look at verse 10 now. Harken. That means listen. That means
pay attention. That means set up and listen.
Harken, O daughter. Boy, when God speaks, we ought
to listen. Used to be that old stock commercial.
Remember, when E.F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens.
Well, how about when God speaks? Harken, O daughter. The daughter
has an ear to the king. See, we're the king's daughter,
and the daughter has an ear. As a sheep, he said, my sheep,
hear my voice. I know them, and they follow
me. Hearken, O daughter, and consider. Consider the word. Consider the king. Incline thine
ear. Hearken, consider, incline thine
ear. And forget everything else. Forget also thine own people
and thy father's house. Every precept or word spoken
by our King is most worthy of our attention. He says, hearken,
consider, and incline. Our whole being should be ready
and willing to receive His holy word. Remember when the Apostle
writes about it, he said, we receive the Word of God as it
is in truth, the Word of God, not as the Word of men, but as
the Word of God that effectually works in you who believe. Faith comes by hearing, hearing
what? The traditions of man? No, the
Word of God. James said, be swift to hear.
Swift to hear what? Swift to hear the word of the
Lord. Peter said, desire the sincere milk of the word that
you might grow thereby. And the Lord said, my sheep,
they do hear my voice. I know them. They hear my voice
and because they do, you know what they do? They follow the
master. They follow the shepherd, the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, forget also, he says here,
thine own people. When the Lord talks about marriage,
for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother. A man
leaves his father and mother. and shall be joined unto his
wife, and they too shall be one." That's kind of what he's saying
here. Forget thy own people, thy father's house. Now, this
is not teaching us to sever all natural ties to our fleshly family. We're to honor our parents and
love our brothers, but we do part with company with those
that are opposed to the gospel. WE DO RENOUNCE THIS WORLD'S GLITTER
FOR WHAT IT IS, VANITY. WE DO PART WITH FOLLY FOR WISDOM. WE PART WITH SOAP BUBBLES FOR
ETERNAL JOY. THE FASHION OF THIS WORLD IS
PASSING AWAY. WE DO PART WITH OUR FORMER IDOLATRY
FOR THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD. WE DO PART WITH ANY IDEA THAT
flesh and blood can inherit the kingdom of God, we do part with
anything that is contrary to the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are, before we press toward the
mark of the high calling of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ to the believer, he's
all and in all. Now, you remember our Lord said,
except you hate father and mother more than, except you hate those
in your family, father and mother, let me see if I can get it right. He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me. HE THAT LOVETH SON OR DAUGHTER
MORE THAN ME IS NOT WORTHY OF ME." WHAT HE'S SAYING HERE, WE
LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SO MUCH, IT APPEARS THAT WE DON'T
LOVE ANYBODY ELSE BUT HIM. SEE WHAT HE'S SAYING? FORSAKING ALL, I TAKE HIM. HE'S MY ALL AND IN ALL. LOOK AT VERSE 11. So shall the king greatly, now
this is the miracle of grace. So shall the king greatly desire
thy beauty. Now by nature what are we? Ugly. We're ugly, especially
in God's sight. He's holy. We're just the opposite. Remember, he describes us in
Isaiah chapter 1, from the bottom of our feet to the top of our
head, nothing but open, running, ugly, smelly sores that have
not been bound up or treated with any kind of ointment. But
here, here's what we are by his grace. So shall the king greatly
desire thy beauty, for he is the Lord. He is our Lord. We own him as our God, as our
Lord, as Thomas said, my Lord and my God. So shall the king
greatly desire thy beauty, he is thy Lord, and because he is
our Lord, We worship Him. We worship Him in spirit and
in truth. The Lord Jesus loves and delights
in His church. He sees beauty in her, the beauty
which He has graciously bestowed upon them. We're beautiful through
His comeliness, through His righteousness. Remember from the Song of Solomon, Thou art fairer, my love, there
is no spot in thee." That's what the Lord says of His church,
that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having
any spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be
holy and without blemish. He presents us to the Father
holy, unblameable, unreprovable in His sight. THAT'S HOW HE DESIRES
OUR BEAUTY BECAUSE IT'S CHRIST IN YOU. IT'S A HOPE OF GLORY. AND THEN THE FRUIT OF THAT IS
WE WORSHIP HIM. WE WORSHIP HIM. WE OWN HIM. HE IS THE LORD BECAUSE HE IS
OUR LORD. GOD HAD MADE THAT SAME JESUS
WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST. HE IS OUR LORD. Lord
of Lords, King of Kings. What do we do? We worship Him. We worship Him as He is. As He
is. Our Savior is our Sovereign. Our Lord is our King. Our Lord is our Ruler. We delight
in Him and with delight we bow to Him. We delight to be enabled
to worship Him, and we delight to serve Him as He ought to be
served. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. Fear Him all the earth. Worship the Lord. He is worthy
of our worship, is He not? Worship the Lord. Leaving all
others cleaving only to him. He's called our husband. Here's
a reference, let me read it to you. Isaiah 54, thy maker is
thy husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, he's thy redeemer,
he's the holy one of Israel, he's a God of the whole earth. Isaiah 54 verse five, worship
thou him. Worshiping the Lord is not a
burden, it's delight, it's privilege. I wish we could worship him as
he ought to be worshiped. His Father seeketh such to worship
Him in spirit and in truth. There is no spirit to worship
without truth. Is there? Cannot be. The truth
of who God is, the truth of who we are. Verse 12, the daughter
and the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift. even the
rich among the people shall entreat thy favor, or shall entreat thy
face. The daughter of Tyre shall be
there, the Lord has elect among the Gentile nations, I believe
that's the daughter of Tyre there who that represents, that shall
be called out of darkness into God's marvelous light, and will
give themselves unto the Lord TO SERVE HIM AS HE OUGHT TO BE
SERVED. THEY SHALL BE THERE WITH A GIFT.
WHATEVER SUPPORT OR WHATEVER SACRIFICE IT TAKES, WE'LL BE
THERE TO SERVE THE LORD, TO HONOR THE LORD. EVEN RICH AMONG THE
PEOPLE SHALL INTREAT THY FAVOR. God is able to save the poor. God is able to save the rich.
It has no bearing on economics, whether you're poor or rich. The Lord has an elect among all
people, kindred, nation, tribe under heaven, who will give themselves
unto the Lord to serve his cause and his gospel. You remember
the woman of Canaan did. The woman at the well in Samaria
did, Gentile women. Lydia in the city of Thyatira,
all Gentile women who served the Lord, who gave unto the Lord. His grace is able even to conquer
them that are rich or wealthy in this world. Blessed is a sinner
who knows what he has by the grace of God is the gift of God,
and that his riches are not his hope, but he knows true and eternal
riches are in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's nothing wrong
with the Lord's people having riches. The problem comes in
is when riches have them. That's the problem. But God's
people love to serve him with what little
they have or with what greatness they have, material wealth they
may have. His grace is able to conquer
them all, rich or poor. And whatever means they have,
they want to serve the Lord. I got a letter, I've been corresponding
with some prisoners in the Mount Olive Correctional Prison in
the state of West Virginia. And I started writing, or not
writing, I heard from a prisoner there in that prison several
years ago, who had watched Pastor Mahan's TV program way back in
the 70s and 80s. And he's been in prison for a
long time. I think he's there for life. And I started sending
him sermons. His wife contacted me. and said
that this man listened to sermons and wanted some sermons, so I
sent those sermons in there, and this prisoner started leaving
them. He'd read them and pass them
on. And he'd leave them in the library, and someone else picked
them up and started reading them. And they wrote to me, said, we
would like to have some more of them sermons. Well, I sent
him some sermons, and he laid them around and passed them around.
And another prisoner picked them up and started reading and wrote
me. And that went on to another prisoner.
Now I'm sending sermons to four prisoners. But here's the point
I want to make. You can serve the Lord with little
or great. I got a letter just last Monday,
I think it was. And this prisoner said, he said,
I'm in prison for life. He said, I murdered someone.
I've got a life sentence. He said, I've been here 23 years.
But he says, I believe the gospel, and I love the Lord. He says,
I only make $48 a month. But I want to send $5 a month. to the ministry there to help
support it. Isn't that something? Little
or great, it doesn't matter. Whatever means God has given
you, use what you have. Use what he's put in your hand
to serve his purpose. That's what he's saying there
in that verse. Look at verse 13. The king daughter is all
glorious within. She's beautiful to the Lord.
Because the king's daughter, this queen, the lamb's wife,
is all glorious within. Her clothing is wrought of gold,
the gold of Ophir we talked about. Christ our righteousness. The
king's daughter is glorious within. Christ in you is a hope of glory. Glorious within. Oh, I know we
have this old rotten nature. We have that too. But we have
that blessed, holy nature. The nature of God. We are partakers
of a divine nature. All glorious within. Her clothing
is wrought of gold. Any garment that he makes for
us has got to be beautiful and sufficient, satisfying. The true
beauty of every believer is not outward beauty, but inward beauty. You see, God looks on the heart. God looks on the heart. You remember
the Lord said to Samuel when he went down to Jesse's house
to find a king. And Samuel looked at all those
big older brothers of David. David was out there in the field.
He wasn't even invited to this Choice that samuel was to make
god said look not on his countenance Speaking of a lie of the older
brother of david on the or on the height of his stature because
i've refused him For the lord seeth not as man seeth for man
looketh on the outward appearance god looks on the heart Samuel
looked at all the brothers of David, and God said, nope, nope,
nope, nope, seven sons, nope, nope. Samuel said, Jesse, you
got any other boys left? I've got one, but he's just a
runt. He's a ruddy young man out there in a shepherd's field.
Go get him. That's God's king, anoint him.
And that's what happened. God looks on the heart. He gives
us a new heart. Any man be in Christ, he's a
new creature. Only the best is reserved for
every believer. The best material, the best workmanship. The king's daughter is all glories
within. Her clothing is wrought of gold. We are his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. unto good work. How carefully
and painfully did our Lord work out the precious material for
our redemption, our righteousness, into a glorious robe. And He
sovereignly and freely puts that on every believer. And that is
Christ Himself. He is our righteousness. That's
why we're beautiful within. That's why in God's sight we
have the beauty of the Lord. That's why he desires us all
glorious within. Look at verse 14. under the king in raiment of
needlework oh fine detail work needlework the virgins her companion
that follow her shall be brought unto thee with gladness and rejoicing
they shall be brought they shall enter into the king's palace
She shall be brought unto the king in the finest array, that
is, the bride, the lamb's wife, in arraignment of needlework. The virgins or the servants of
the Lord, true servants of the church, shall be brought and
shall enjoy this eternal unbroken fellowship and union with Christ
forever. They shall be brought. I will,
I shall, and they will, and they will be brought. I thought of
this verse. No man can come to me except
the Father which sent me. Draw him. And then in 1 Peter
3, Christ also suffered once for our sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might do what? Bring us unto God. If he doesn't
bring us, we're not going. WERE BOUGHT AND BROUGHT. SHE SHALL BE BROUGHT UNTO THE
KING IN THE FINEST RAIMENT OF NEEDLEWORK. AND ALL THE VIRGINS,
HER COMPANIONS THAT FOLLOW HER, THEY SHALL BE BROUGHT UNTO THEE,
UNTO THE KING. AND THEY COME WITH GLADNESS.
VERSE 15, THEY COME WITH GLADNESS, THY PEOPLE SHALL BE WILLING IN
THE DAY OF THY POWER. THEY COME WITH GLADNESS AND REJOICING. They come all the way rejoicing,
and they shall enter into the king's palace. The king's palace. Brought by grace, they shall
enter into eternal glory. What joy in being brought unto
the Lord! But oh, what joy to enter into
everlasting glory OF THAT ETERNAL CELESTIAL CITY
WHOSE BUILDER AND MAKER IS GOD. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD
TAKES US HOME. WE ENTER INTO THE KING'S PALACE
INTO HIS PRESENCE TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY TO BE PRESENT WITH
THE LORD. ABIDING WITH CHRIST FOREVER IN
THAT KING'S PALACE. SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE
LORD. Look at verse 16, instead of
thy fathers shall be thy children whom thou mayest make princes,
princes in all the earth. Instead of thy father shall be
the children. Here's what someone said, the
ancient saints who stood as fathers in the service of the great king
have all passed away. But a spiritual seed is found
to fill their places. The veterans depart, but the
volunteers fill up the vacant places. The line of grace never
becomes extinct. As long as time shall last, the
true believers will be found among all nations. God has an
elect. AMONG EVERY TRIBE, KINDRED NATION,
TONGUE, AND PEOPLE UNDER HEAVEN. THE LORD HAS NEVER LEFT HIMSELF
WITHOUT A WITNESS. HE MAKES SINNERS INTO PRINCES. SEE ALL THESE DESCRIPTIONS HE
USES, THE QUEEN, THE DAUGHTER, PRINCES, WHOM THOU MAYEST MAKE
PRINCES IN ALL THE EARTH. HE MAKES SINNERS INTO PRINCES.
THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST ARE MADE KINGS AND PRIESTS UNTO OUR GOD.
HE MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS UNTO OUR GOD. VERSE 17, I WILL
MAKE THY NAME TO BE REMEMBERED IN ALL GENERATIONS, THEREFORE
SHALL THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE, THAT'S THE PEOPLE, CALL HIS NAME
JESUS, HE SHALL SAVE THE PEOPLE FROM HIS SIN, FROM THEIR SIN.
Therefore shall the people praise thee forever and ever. So shall the king greatly desire
thy beauty, for he is thy Lord. Worship thou him. Therefore shall
the people praise thee forever and ever. What is that worship?
Worship, true worship, true worship. The Lord shall have an eternal
fame and honor forever and ever. The glory, honor, and majesty
of the Lord is not left to human guardianship,
the eternal God guarantees his full honor. Every knee will bow,
every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The almighty warrior brought
my proud and stubborn will, made me bow, made my rebellious heart
to submit to thy power. The Lord made us bend our stiff
knees and break our hard hearts before him as king of king to
own, to love him, to worship him, to trust him, and believe
him as God our Savior. I will make thy name to be remembered. and all generations. Therefore,
shall the people praise thee forever and ever. Oh, it starts
here, but it never ends. Forever and ever. Worthy is the
lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and
power, both now and forever and ever and ever. Amen.