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Psalm 24 (The Struggle: Psalms for Lent) Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke

Sixth Sunday in Lent: Palm Sunday Sunday, March 28, 2021 “The Return of the King”

Not all Psalms talk about struggle. We have walked through five Psalms already in this series, and each clearly connected to our theme, “The Struggle.” Among them, they pointed out different struggles that we face and different aspects of our struggles. They reminded us how we struggle against the Devil, how we struggle against the world around us, and even how we struggle with the sin that dwells within us. We have seen how true it is that we are engaged in a struggle and that struggle is quite literally the struggle between good and evil, between God and the devil, between righteousness and sin. The Psalm in front of us today doesn’t sound like the ones before. It doesn’t sound like the struggle. It sounds like a celebration. It sounds like victory. It praises the Lord of Armies, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. It speaks of the people of God and their glorious king. In other words, it speaks not so much of the struggle as it speaks about the victory. We’ve already spoken the words of the Psalm today, and we have sung similar words as well. Let’s listen once more to this Palm Sunday Psalm as we discuss the return of the King. The Text: Psalm 24 (EHV) By David. A psalm. 1The

earth is the LORD’s and everything that fills it, the world and all who live in it, 2because he founded it on the seas, and he established it on the rivers. 3Who may go up to the mountain of the L ORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose soul is not set on what is false, who does not swear deceitfully. 5He will receive blessing from the L ORD and righteousness from the God who saves him. 6Such are the people of Jacob who look for the LORD,

who seek your face. 7Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift yourselves up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. 8Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. 10Who is he, this King of Glory? The LORD of Armies—he is the King of Glory.

This Psalm, like many in the book of Psalms, and most of the Psalms we have discussed this Lenten season, was written by King David as the Holy Spirit inspired him. David was undoubtedly the most famous and beloved king of the Old Testament people of Israel. God had used him to accomplish many amazing things for his people. Some Bible commentators wonder whether he wrote Psalm 24 to celebrate the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, an event worth celebrating, but certainly not the only one within David’s rule. God used king David to win military victories, to subdue enemies, and to bring stability to the nation in the Promised Land. After the rule of David, things changed. David’s son Solomon built a glorious Temple to the Lord, and the peace and stability of the kingdom continued through his rule. After that, however, the nation was divided. Some kings were godly and just and ruled faithfully. Others were idolaters that led many astray. Eventually, the entire nation was taken away by enemies and no longer had a king in place ruling over them. Every bit of the grandeur and glory of the kingdom over which David had once ruled had disappeared. But David’s Psalm was not about King David. It wasn’t about any of the incredible and exciting events of his reign. It wasn’t about his son or any of the other descendants who inherited his political kingdom. This Psalm is about one very particular King, about the King of Glory, the King of Kings, the Lord. It is about his rule, his

reign, the kingdom of the Messiah. This is a Messianic Psalm. The answer to all the struggles of God’s people was the return of the King, not King David, but the ultimate King. Think about how the Psalm describes him. The earth belongs to him. He made it. Everything that fills it, everyone who lives in it. This King is coming to the world that he created. And he is coming to purify his people. The Psalmist David writes, “Who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose soul is not set on what is false, who does not swear deceitfully.” No, this Psalm is not about the struggle, but the struggle is still found in this Psalm. Who can live up to these requirements? Who can go up to meet with the Lord? Who can stand in his presence? It is only the one with clean hands and a pure heart. It is only the one who is holy, set apart to serve the Lord. But here’s the struggle: that is no one. Since Adam and Eve first fell into sin, there has been no one with clean hands, no one with a pure heart. You and I came into this world that God had created for us and already at that moment we were set against the Creator. Already at our conception we shared the sin that has infected every person who descended in the natural way from those first two people. You and I entered into this world not as God’s purified people, but as his wretched enemies, stained and tainted and tarnished by sin. And so there was no struggle. The struggle was as good as lost. The best we could do by nature is to think that we need to earn God’s love and that our work can win for us salvation. But it cannot, and we cannot. Like everyone else, our situation, on our own, is hopeless. We need someone else to help us. We need a hero. We need a Savior. We need the King of Glory about whom our Psalm is speaking. Today on Palm Sunday we watch with a crowd of people who welcomed him into Jerusalem, waving palm branches and even spreading their garments on his path. We watch him ride on a borrowed donkey and hear the cheers and praises, “Hosanna, hosanna!” We take note that this is a humble king. Sure, these words of praise seem glorious, the crowd is something special, but this response is far less than what Jesus deserves. He is the one and only true God, the Creator of the universe. See how humble he is. He humbled himself to live as a lowly human being, not even one in a fine palace or gorgeous mansion. He humbled himself to serve us. He humbled himself even to the point of death, death on a cross. That’s what awaited this king as he rode into Jerusalem. That’s what would come so soon after this glorious welcome. That would come because Jesus humbled himself in order to purify his people. He came to live a with clean hands and a pure heart, with a soul set on what is true. He came to die a sacrificial death to wash hands of sin and to wash hearts of guilt. He came to win the victory over sin and over death and over the devil. And for a brief time that Palm Sunday, the people sang the praises of the true and eternal King who had come to save them. They said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10). They testified truly about who this Jesus was, about how he was fulfilling the promises of Scripture and serving as the great King of Glory. But that glory did not last. It seems safe to assume that many that day did not know the full impact of what they were saying. It is possible that some of the same voices that praised Jesus on his way into Jerusalem were later that same week calling for him to be crucified. The reception of Jesus changed rapidly in the days after Palm Sunday. But Jesus’ purpose did not change. He has purified for himself a people. He has come to rule in many hearts by faith. The forgiveness of sins won on the cross become our very own possession as Jesus through his Holy Spirit calls us to faith and leads us to trust in his sacrifice for us. Our Psalm talks about believers this way: “He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God who saves him. Such are the people of Jacob who look for the Lord, who seek your face.” And that is the very reason that his coming is so glorious. Listen again to how the Psalm calls for all to welcome the King of Glory: “Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift yourselves up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift up, you ancient doors, and the King of Glory will come in. Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord of Armies—he is the King of Glory.”

Just as his city would welcome a conquering and victorious king back from battle by swinging open wide the gates and doors, so we his people are to welcome our Savior. He comes to us in his holy Word, and we welcome him by reading and learning and loving that Word. He comes to us with the washing of rebirth and renewal in Holy Baptism, and we welcome him by repenting of our sins and rejoicing in his forgiveness. He comes to us with his very body and blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and we welcome him by receiving his gift thankfully and often for our forgiveness and strengthening. Jesus comes to us with an invitation to respond to his love by becoming more and more like him, and we welcome him by following his example and serving others instead of ourselves. And one day we will have the opportunity to welcome Jesus when he comes in the fullness of his glory at the end of time. We will rejoice and praise him not because we have overcome the struggle, but because he has overcome it for us. And he will take us to the eternal glory where we may praise him forever. And while we celebrate these truths each and every week in our worship, this is a special week in front of us. We recall that holy week when the ministry of Jesus reached its high point. We wave our palms with the welcoming crowd today, we rejoice on Maundy Thursday with the disciples to whom he gives his body and blood as a testament of his love, we mourn over his suffering and death on a Friday that we nevertheless call good, and we gather again to shout his praises as we recall the most amazing, wonderful, and glorious Sunday of all. We praise our King of Glory. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle…Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord of Armies—he is the King of Glory.