The Lord of Hosts

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty over the earth?

The Bible teaches that the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, as stated in Psalm 24:1. Psalm 24 begins with the declaration that 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.' This emphasizes God's ultimate sovereignty and ownership over all creation. Throughout Scripture, we see the theme of God's authority extending to all aspects of life on earth, demonstrating that no matter how men might divide nations or claim possession, ultimately, it is all under God's domain. He alone has the right to rule and the power to sustain the earth and its inhabitants.

Q: How do we know Jesus is the King of Glory?

Jesus is called the King of Glory in Psalm 24, affirming His lordship and sovereignty over all creation. In Psalm 24, David asks, 'Who is this King of Glory?' The answer given is that it is 'the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.' This title signifies both authority and triumph, particularly pointing to Jesus Christ, who has overcome sin and death. His resurrection confirms His kingship, as He is exalted over all things. The New Testament reveals that all power has been given to Him in heaven and earth, affirming His reign and His role as the King who brings His redeemed people into His kingdom through His redemptive work.

Q: Why is understanding the fullness of the earth important for Christians?

Understanding the fullness of the earth emphasizes God's provision and sustenance, reminding us of His generosity and power. The concept of the 'fullness of the earth' as presented in Psalm 24 highlights God's continuous provision for all creation. Despite the vast consumption of resources by humanity, the earth remains full and beneficial, demonstrating God's sustaining power. As Christians, recognizing His providence should foster gratitude and a sense of stewardship over creation. This understanding also reinforces the belief that God is the source of all blessings and encourages us to seek Him in all aspects of our lives, as everything serves His purpose and reflects His glory.

Q: What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart?

Having clean hands and a pure heart refers to being free from sin and possessing genuine motives aligned with God's will. Psalm 24 poses a critical question about who can ascend to the hill of the Lord, answering that only those with clean hands and a pure heart may dwell in His presence. This description goes beyond mere outward actions to the condition of one's heart and intentions. In Christ, believers find their cleansing and righteousness, as He is the one who fulfills the requirements of the law on their behalf. Thus, through faith in Him, Christians are seen as justified and are called to live out their faith authentically, reflecting Christ's purity in their lives.

Q: Why should Christians recognize the Lord as the owner of everything?

Recognizing the Lord as the owner of everything instills humility and stewardship, reminding us of our dependence on Him. Understanding that the Lord owns everything on earth deepens our awareness of our role as stewards rather than owners. Psalm 24 establishes that the earth and its fullness belong to God, which resounds throughout scripture. This perspective encourages humility, as we recognize our temporary status as tenants in God's creation. It prompts us to live lives marked by gratitude, using our resources to honor Him while fostering care for others and the world around us. It highlights the truth that we are accountable to Him for how we manage what He has entrusted to us.

Psalm 24 opens with these words, The earth is the Lord's. You know, men live on this earth,
and they divide it into nations and countries. And each nation makes itself
a flag and sets over that nation a ruler, a king, or president. And then they begin to fight
over the boundaries. But the earth is the Lord's.
It doesn't belong to men. It belongs to him. And men divide
these nations into states. or territories, and they talk
with pride about how they came to be, who they are and where
they are and what they are. I'm a Southerner or I'm a Yankee,
or I'm a Virginian or a Kentuckian, and they have great pride about
these individual territories that they call their own. And then men divide these states
into cities, into ranches, and farms, and estates, and lots,
and they sell them to each other. And they issue little deeds on
paper. Deeds, title deeds of ownership. They say, this is mine. It belonged
to my father, and to his father, and to his father before him.
But the Scripture says, what does it say? The earth is the
Lord's. The earth is the Lord's. Job
wrote this. He said, God said, Who hath first
given to me that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the
whole heaven is mine. You and I are but tenants here.
temporary residence. We're living on his earth, we're
eating his food, we're wearing his clothes, we're breathing
his air. Everything we have, I've sat
there a moment ago and thought about this. Everything you have,
your Your car is sitting out there,
your home, your food, everything we have came from the earth. Say, our clothes, the cotton
grew and they picked it and made clothes out of it. Well, I got
my clothes, my animal, that animal came from the earth and going
back to the earth. Even you came from the earth. God made the
earth first and he got everything from it. every single thing we
have came from the earth, even this flesh. And one day it will
go back to us. So we're but tenants, and we're
subject to eviction at any moment. The great owner of all things
sitteth in the heavens, and he says, the earth is mine. Whatsoever is under the whole
heaven is mine." And look at the next line, "...and the fullness
thereof." The fullness thereof. Have you thought about this?
When God made the earth, when he made the earth, when he finished
everything, he said it's good. He created the heavens and the
earth. He created the earth, he created everything that's
here, created man, placed him on the And he said, it's good,
it's full and good. The earth was full and fit for
life. Let me show you that Genesis
1. This is interesting. Turn over here. When God finished
creating the heavens and the earth, he said in Genesis 1,
verse 29, and God said to the man, Behold, I've given you every
herb Every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of the
earth, every tree in which is the fruit of the tree yielding
seed, every tree will reproduce itself, every herb will reproduce
itself, every plant. To you it shall be for me. And
every beast of the earth, to every fowl of the earth, to every
thing that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life,
I have given every green herb for me." And it was so. Everything
is finished. Everything's fit for life, everything's
full, and God keeps it full. The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness thereof. He hasn't had to recreate, he
hasn't had to replenish. That first creation, it was full
and it's remained full. The seas, the rivers, and the
lakes remain full despite all the water that's evaporated and
risen back to heaven. It's still full. The waters remain
full of fish despite all that we've caught and eaten. Can you
imagine how many fish have been taken out of the streams, and
the rivers, and the lakes, and the ocean? Trillions every year. It still remains full. Have you thought about how much
food people consume on this earth, how much fruit and vegetables
and food, and how much leaves and food animals eat, birds,
and the trillions and trillions and trillions of animals and
insects and birds and beasts and people consume, and yet it
remains full? The air is full, notwithstanding
every set of lungs that breathe air. The soil is full of life, though
trillions of plants and trees and flowers and vegetables are
taken from it, but they still take after all these thousands
of years. The earth is full of minerals,
though millions and millions have taken from it and burned
it up. Somebody says, I own mineral rights. No, you don't. You use
them. He owns them. Turn to Psalm 50, about just
a few pages. I love this statement, the earth
is the Lord's. And the fullness thereof is His
and guaranteed by Him. The fullness. He remains full. full of provisions, full of blessings,
full of benefits, full of... Whose hand? His hand. Psalm 50, verse 10. Psalm 50, verse 10, For every
beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand
hills, under all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts
of the fields are mine. If I were hungry, I would not
tell you, for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof is mine." Everything we have is borrowed. He created all things, and by
Him all things are held together. back in my text. The earth is
the Lord's and the fullness are our bliss and the world and they
that dwell therein. The old Jews used to say, they
had a saying, the holy land is God's and Israel is His only
people. How foolish. The world is mine
and all they that dwell therein. The cattle on a thousand hills
are mine. The Gentiles build Him a building,
and they call it God's house. We've got a lot of those in this
country, God's houses. I always got amused that the
building out here on 13th Street used to be God's rescue mission. We build Him a building and call
it God's house and call ourselves God's people. The Lord God owns
all the world and they that dwell therein. They're all His creation
and His people, the sheep of His pasture. He hath made us
and not we ourselves. We're His people. I don't make Him my Lord. He
is my Lord. I don't make Him king. I don't
crown Him king. He wears that by right. Isn't
that true? The world is His by creation.
The world is his by decree. Our Lord Jesus said, Thou hast
given me all authority over all flesh. He said to his disciples,
I have all authority in heaven and earth, all power. It is his by purchase. He doubted
that he might be Lord of the dead and the living. It's his
by administration. Isaiah 9, 6 says this. Under us a child is born, under
us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders." The government on his shoulders. So what I'm saying is this, and
what David is saying here, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness
thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. And all people
are either his sons or his serpents. But they're his. You see what
I'm saying? Now watch it, all people, they're
either his sheep or his goats, but they're his. They're his. They're either his vessels of
mercy, and in a great house they're vessels of honor and dishonor,
but they're either his vessels of mercy or his vessels of wrath,
but they're his. They're either his vessels of
honor or his vessels of dishonor, but they're his. Paul, he said, verse 2, here's
the chief reason why the earth is the Lord's and the world and
they that dwell therein, for he hath founded it. He made it. Let me read you a
scripture from the book of Revelation, chapter 4. It says here in chapter
4 verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honor and power, for Thou hast created all things. You're worthy of glory and honor
and power because you created all things. Isn't this awesome?
To think that I'm wearing a shirt or a suit that once was in the
earth and it grew through a plant and someone picked the the fabric
and put it on a mill and fixed it up so I could... Isn't it
amazing when you plant a seed, a little old shriveled wrinkled
seed, and it rains and the sun shines and it comes up and there's
food to put on the table? Isn't that awesome? What a mind! What majesty! What wisdom! What glory! Now, you know, when someone does
accomplish some unusual event or activity, we brag on them,
we say, man, that's good, that's great. But I look into the heavens
this morning and I say, that's great, that's good. Thou art worthy to receive all
the glory and the honor because thou hast created all things,
listen, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created. for his pleasure. People take
great pleasure in great accomplishments. So does he. So does he. Over here in the book of Proverbs
it says this, let me read you this. In Proverbs 16 verse 4
it says this, The Lord hath made all things for himself. The Lord hath made all things
for himself, yea, even the wicked, for the day of evil. I can't
explain that. The earth is the Lord's, verse
2 says, for he founded it. He founded it upon the seas and
established it upon the floods. What's that mean? He founded
it with water above and water beneath, and two-thirds of its water. And one day he destroyed it with
water and every living thing. Someday he'll destroy it by fire.
He said never again by water, but he'll destroy it by fire.
But he founded this earth, the waters above and the waters beneath. Founded it upon the seas. And even though seas are held
in, the scripture says they're held in their boundaries. by his hand. Now point is, and David's point
is, the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the
world and all they that dwell therein, and we should magnify
his name and honor and glorify his great power. Now what's the
next line? Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? David knowing something about
this majesty of God, this holiness of God, this glory of God, this
might of God, this awesome character of God. So he asked, who shall
ascend into the holy hill of the Lord? This hill of the Lord is the
heaven of heavens, the throne of God. Back here in Psalm 2,
it said this, listen, in Psalm 2, It says in verse 6, yet have
I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. And here David is talking
about this glory of God, this awesome majesty and power of
God, and he says, who's going to ascend into this presence? The throne of His majesty and
glory and justice and holiness. I hear an awful lot of folks
today talking about their familiarity with God, and how they go to
God all the time, and God comes to them, and God talks to them,
and so forth and so on. But David asks a serious question
here. Who, what man is going to actually
from this place called earth. When I consider the heavens,
he said, the sun, the moon, the stars, thou hast made what is
man that thou art even mindful of him, even aware of him. Now,
David talks about who, what man is going to actually ascend into
the holy, the hill of his holiness. Who's going to listen? Who's
going to stand in this holy place? The question here is not who's
going to run in and run out, who's going to go in and dwell
there? Who's going to dwell there? Who's
going to dwell there? I shall dwell in the house of
the Lord forever, David said later, or earlier. But who? And the answer comes
in verse 4, here it is, for all who want to know. When the rich
young man came to Christ and said, what good thing shall I
do to inherit the kingdom of God? He gave him this answer,
keep the commandment. Fulfill the requirements. Go sell what you have and give
it to the poor. Take up your cross and follow me. You want
to do something? You want to be one of those that
ascends into the holy hill, the hill of his holiness, and stand
or dwell in his presence? Then be perfect. That's what
he says in verse 4, he that hath clean hands, he's never sinned,
his hands are pure. He that hath a pure heart, holy nature, a holy motive, holy
imagination, he hath never lifted up his soul to vanity, that is,
perfect love for God's will and God's way, never has never has
buried in the slightest from the perfect, perfect will of
God. Never has his soul, let alone
his mouth, ever been lifted up to vanity. Never had a worldly
thought. Has never sworn deceitfully his
word has always been perfect truth. There it is. Because this is a description
of our God. It's a holy hill. It's a hill
of his holiness. Who's going to, he just talked
about who the Lord is, he said, who's going to ascend into this
hill of holiness and who's going to dwell there? Well, I'll tell
you who. People without sin, without fault, without stain
or mark. Perfect. Now, verse 5, that person,
that man shall receive the blessing from the Lord. That man. If he
can be found, he'll receive the blessing. What is the blessing? Listen. Blessed is the man whom
thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee, and to dwell
in thy presence. That's the blessing. And that
man, verse 5, shall receive righteousness, holiness, from the God of his
salvation. Listen. Blessed is the man to
whom God will not charge sin. Blessed is the man to whom God
imputed not transgressions. There we are. Verse 6 says, this is the generation,
this is the description, you can write that in there, this
is the description, this is the characteristic of them that seek
him, that seek thy face, O God of Jacob. But brother man, there
is no such man. Oh yes there is. Brother man, there is no man
and no woman with clean hands and a pure heart who's never
ever lifted up his soul to vanity nor told anything but absolute
perfect truth. Yes, there is. Pilate pointed
to him one day and said, behold, the man. Paul wrote about him. He said
there's one God, one mediator, the man, Christ Jesus. John the
Baptist pointed to it, behold the man, the Lamb of God. That's
who I'm pointing to this morning. There is such a person. Only one to whom these promises
and blessings and righteousness applies, and that's to the blessed
Son of God. And the Father said, this is
the man in whom I'm well pleased. And the wonderful thing about
it is that he didn't have to do that for himself. The man
didn't have to become the man for his sake, but for my sake,
the man. The man didn't have to leave
heaven and put on the rags of mortality and lie in human flesh
and blood. He didn't have to for his sake,
he did it for my sake. That man was born of a woman
and made under the law that he might redeem them that were born
under the law. He's our man. He's the God-man. Adam was the first man, and in
Adam we all died. Christ is the second Adam, second
man. In Christ we're made alive. And what he did, he did for us. So I have in him, through his
obedience and representation and substitution, clean hands.
Because God doesn't look on us, he looks on him. That's right,
that's substitution, that's satisfaction. I do have a pure heart. Not in
this flesh, but in my Savior. In the new man, in Christ there
is no sin. That's right. You see that? Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart. All right, verse 7 now. So lift
up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King of glory shall come in. I tell you, the
gates of God's kingdom have been closed a long time, haven't they? Bowed down and closed. The doors
of that kingdom have been shut and these words written over
it, no admittance. God put Adam out of the garden
and put a flaming sword and said, don't you come back. Don't you
come back. Don't you come back. No one will
enter here except clean hands and a pure heart who's never
lifted his soul to vanity, who's never sworn deceitfully. But
David the psalmist says, hey doors, open up. Hey gate, I can see that old
castle gate, you know, they used to pull up this way, roll it,
and it didn't open this way, it opened this way. Lift up your
head, the King of Glory is coming in, and the, you know, Lucifer
said, I'll enter, I will, exalt my throne to the stars of God.
No, you'll be cast down to hell. Adam said, I'll go in, I'll be
like God. No, he failed. The builders of
the tower to heaven, the Tower of Babel says, we'll build our
way. No, you won't. But here comes the cry, the King
of Glory shall come in, and the answer comes back from heaven.
Who is this King of Glory? Who is this One that's coming
in from down there? Who is this One from outside
that's coming in? Well, I'll tell you who He is.
He's the Lord. He's the Lord. And He's strong
and mighty. He's able to do all that He promised.
He's our Lord Jesus Christ. He shall not fail. He's able
to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. He's
able to keep us from falling. He's able to do all that He promised.
He's able to raise up our bodies and make them like His own. He's
strong and mighty. He's able. Who is this King of
glory? He's the Lord, mighty and victorious
in battle. He has conquered. He has met
justice and satisfied it. He's met Satan and defeated him.
He's crushed the power of evil. He's redeemed all his people.
He cried at the cross, it's finished! And heaven opened to receive
him. So lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. triumphantly,
gloriously, victoriously. He's coming in. And one more
time the question comes, who is this King of glory? This is
what thrills me. He's the Lord of hosts. You see that word host, the heavenly
host, how many are there? The Lord asked Abraham that one
day, How many stars up there, Abraham? Oh, I couldn't begin
to number them. The heavenly host. How many angels
and seraphims and cherubims? The heavenly host. Well, this
is the Lord of hosts. And He's not coming in alone.
That's what we're talking about here. All right, gates open up,
doors swing wide, the Lord of Glory is coming in. Because he's
strong and mighty, because he's mighty in battle, because he's
won the victory, he's coming in triumphantly, victoriously,
he's coming in. But watch out, he's the Lord
of Hosts! He's bringing with him a number
which no man can number. out of every tribe and kindred
and nation and tongue unto heaven. He's bringing them with Him. Bringing them with Him. What's
that they sing, Oh Lord, I want to be in that number. When the
Lord of hosts brings His people home. Won't that be a day? He
said, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare
a place for you, I'll come again. I'll come after you. and receive
you unto myself, because we're going in together, going in to
the Lord of hosts. You know, I thought when I prepared
this message from Psalm 24, who said the Old Testament saints
didn't know anything about Christ? Bob, who is this but Christ?
Jim? It's the Lord of hosts. The Lord said to my Lord, set
thou on my right hand, or I make thine enemies thy footstool. So lift up your heads over your
gates. The King of Glory is coming in. Who is this King of Glory?
It's not me. It's not the Baptist Church. It's not Mary. It's not the saints
of old or the martyrs. It's not Abraham or Moses. It's
the Lord Himself. Strong and mighty, mighty in
battle. And thank God he's the Lord of
Hosts.

The Lord of Hosts

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty over the earth?

How do we know Jesus is the King of Glory?

Why is understanding the fullness of the earth important for Christians?

What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart?

Why should Christians recognize the Lord as the owner of everything?

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The Lord of Hosts

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty over the earth?

How do we know Jesus is the King of Glory?

Why is understanding the fullness of the earth important for Christians?

What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart?

Why should Christians recognize the Lord as the owner of everything?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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