Sermon Psalm 24 Biblical Transitions: To Whom Do You Belong?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon: Biblical Transitions: To Whom Do You Belong? – Psalm 24

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Churches

January 25, 2015

This morning I will be completing my series of sermons on biblical transitions. And this is appropriate because my wife and I and this church are entering a transition today. The church is beginning a transition to a new pastor, whom God will identity soon. Your session has lined up some excellent pastors for this transition. The Rev. Donna Bowers will be in this pulpit next week. I am beginning a call as Interim Pastor of the church in Ocean City. As we go through these transitions, prayer is essential. So let's pray.

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

Psalm 24:1-10 ^NRS Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; ² for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. ³ Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. ⁵ They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation. ⁶ Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah ⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. ⁸ Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. ¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah

For the last month we have been looking at biblical transitions. We started with the transition of the people of God as they brought the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan into the Promised Land. God had the law which had governed their lives written down for them to observe as they settled in their new land. God told them to be bold and courageous, to remember that God is always with you, and to have no fear. Then we saw how the people of God in the first century feared that they could no longer pray to God when they were no longer able to enter the temple. The author of Hebrews assured them that Jesus Christ was their high priest and would continue to relay their prayers to God. And last week we read the letter to the exiles in Babylon from Jeremiah telling them to trust in God, live normal lives and pray for their oppressors. All of this constitutes biblical wisdom which we can use as we experience transitions in our lives.

In today’s scripture we see a joyous transition. The Ark of the Covenant representing the presence of God is being brought into Jerusalem. The people of God have transitioned from living in a loose federation of tribal states into a single nation led by King David with Jerusalem for its capital. The arrival of the Ark into Jerusalem indicated that God was the true king over this nation. And so this was a time of great celebration with singing and dancing and worship.

As the Ark started it journey to Jerusalem King David asked the people to remember that they were God’s people. And the God they worshiped was none other than the creator of the universe and their own creator. This meant that their God was the owner of the entire world and everything in it. And all the people of the kingdom of God belong not to themselves but to God.

So as we approach transitions in our lives we must remember that we too belong to God. We are not in control of our own lives. Rather we are God’s people and participants with God in the world that God has made. And the church is owned by God as well. No one here should think that they own this church. The session does not own the church. The presbytery does not own the church. The pastor certainly does not own this church. Nor does the congregation own this church. This church is owned by God and will be used by God for God’s purposes. And each of you is owned by God and will also be used for God’s purposes. So as you experience transitions remember that you and the entire world belong to our loving God.

As the Ark neared Jerusalem King David asked the people of God if they were worthy to ascend the hill of Jerusalem to be in the presence of God. David told them that to be worthy to enter into the presence of God they must have clean hands and pure hearts. In other words all their works must be done for the glory of God, and these must be motivated by their love of God and their love for one another. This means that everything we do must be done for the glory of God out of our great love for God and our love for our neighbors in here in Pocomoke. This is evident every Sunday as we satisfy the community’s hunger for the Word of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ as we worship together.

Our love of God requires that we worship and confess that our creator God is the only God. When we experience transitions in our lives we must never turn away from God and worship idols. We must not put our faith in money, or jobs, or government, or relationships, or education, or anything else that we might value more than God. We must always be motivated by our love of God and the command to love our neighbors.

When King David and the Ark of the Covenant arrived at Jerusalem he ordered the ancient gates of the city to be opened. He announced that the King of Glory had arrived to assume power over the nation. A voice from the city wall asked for the identity of this King of Glory. King David said that the King of Glory was none other than the Lord, God of Israel, who had led his people to victory over their enemies and blessed them with peace and prosperity as a mighty nation.

The news that the Lord God of Israel had arrived in Jerusalem echoed throughout the city, and the gates were opened. The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the city and a great joyous festival erupted celebrating the presence of God with them. And this same joy and excitement is experienced by this church as it assembles in worship each Sunday. We worship joyfully welcoming our God right here in this sanctuary.

So the wisdom we have received from King David, which we can use whenever we face transitions, is to remember that we belong not to ourselves but to our God. We must keep ourselves holy during transitions remember that all we do is for the glory of God motivated by our love of God and our love for one another. And whenever we face transitions remember that in worship we come into the very presence of God and this gives us great joy and confidence so that we can approach transitions with boldness, confident that God is with us. So have no fear because whatever happens we always have Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest. And live your lives normally remembering to pray for those who anger you. If you follow this wisdom all transitions in your lives will go well with you and you will be richly blessed by our creator God.

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Presbyterian Churches have had a rich history and an exciting present, but what about the future. What will happen to us in the years ahead? The promise of scripture is that one day Christ will return and bring all of heaven with him to earth. There will be no more death, nor pain, nor suffering, nor mourning nor crying because this will be a time of great joy as God comes to live with us. We know this because Jesus Christ, who was present with God at creation, serves us today as our High Priest, and will one day make all things new. In worship we encounter Jesus who wipes away our tears and brings us the joy of being in the presence of God. So let’s rejoice that God is with us and has plans for our glorious future. Let's pray.

Lord Jesus Christ we acknowledge your presence with us this day and ask that you lead us as our High Priest +and into the presence of God. We ask that you give us courage to boldly walk into our future without fear. We ask that you be with us as we lead our lives and lead us into the glorious future that was planned for us before creation. We love you O God and ask that you help us to love our neighbors here in Pocomoke. We pray all of this in the name of our one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.