Who Shall Stand? (10/06/2002)

We've taken a journey in recent days through Psalm 22, 23, and 24.

We remind ourselves that Psalm 22 speaks of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, my

God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me? But in this Psalm, he also speaks of his deliverance by his

Father. In Psalm 22, 14, he said, I am poured out like water. In verse 16, he says, for dogs have compassed me.

The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet.

In verse 20, he said, deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog.

He's speaking of his soul there, not his body. He asked for the deliverance of his soul. In verse 22,

I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

So Psalm 22 begins with, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And it ends with, for all of the period of the church age and beyond, the

Lord Jesus Christ, every time there's a congregation with one born again child of God there,

I suppose you'd have to have two to have a congregation. He is there in the midst, praising the

Lord, his Father. Psalm 23 then speaks of Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of God's sheep.

And we come into Psalm 24, we start with the first two verses, and it announces the sovereignty of God.

It begins with the sovereignty of God and moves on to speak of the kingship of Jesus Christ.

Gives a fore view of his second coming and earthly kingdom. And it shows him as the king of not only the earth, but also the king of glory.

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.

Established meaning he erected the worlds and the universe. Founded having the sense of sitting down together and counseling and settling something once and for all.

So it begins with the first two verses establishing the sovereignty of God and the great counsel of God that happened before time began on this earth.

When all things were established. And then verse three, ask the question.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?

Kodesh maakom, this holy place. The word place literally means a standing.

As if to insinuate something that always stands for all eternity. Holy, the sacred place of standing, this holy place where the

Father dwells. Who shall ascend that hill? Now there are some commentators who want to interpret this to mean

Jerusalem. The holy hill Jerusalem where Jesus Christ will come at the second coming and set up his throne during the millennial kingdom.

But I don't think that's exactly what this is referring to here, because I think it's clear when it says who shall ascend.

If you're looking at this from the point of view of heaven, you would not ascend to Jerusalem, you would descend.

This says who shall ascend. And so I believe it's a reference of the Lord Jesus Christ after his death and burial and resurrection.

It's a question that's asked now, who shall ascend? Well, it gives a description of who this person might be.

Look at verse four. The one who shall ascend into the very abode of the father, verse four says, is he that has clean hands and a pure heart and who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor ever sworn deceitfully.

Lifted up his soul to vanity. This word in Hebrew is very much stronger word than the English word vanity, because it doesn't just mean vain like we've come to use it in modern usage, but it means something which literally desolates in an evil, destructive sense.

It makes something totally useless by desolating it. And the question is, who has not lifted up his soul to that kind of vanity, that kind of destruction that would bring destruction to the life, nor sworn deceitfully?

Well, this leaves only one choice for the answer. Matthew chapter three, verse 17 says, and lo a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom

I am well pleased. Matthew 11, verse four, Jesus answered and said to them, go and show

John again those things which you do here and see. The blind receive their sight. The lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf here and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. In second Corinthians 521, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.

In first Peter chapter two, verse 21, for even here unto we were ye called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that he should follow his steps.

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

Who when he was reviled, he reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.

Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed.

For ye were his sheep gone astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

In John chapter eight, verse 44, you are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.

And because I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convicteth me of sin, he asked.

This one who has clean hands and a pure heart and who has never one time lifted his soul up to vanity nor sworn deceitfully is none other than the

Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only qualified person.

Secondly, this is a picture of Jesus Christ as the kingly priest after the order of Melchizedek.

In Genesis chapter 14, verse 18, we find this interesting passage, and then it's referred to in the

New Testament in Hebrews chapter 5 and other places. It says, in Melchizedek, king of Salem brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the most high

God. And when we go into the New Testament, into the book of Hebrews chapter 5, starting with verse 5, we see a fascinating description of the

Lord Jesus Christ, not as king only, but as the king priest. Melchizedek was not in the line of Aaron at all.

He was quite possibly was not even Jewish. But the point is, he was a priest called by God, but he was also a king.

And he was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 5, verse 5 says, so also

Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest. Jesus never asked to be a priest during his earthly ministry.

He never claimed to be a priest. He did not look for this office nor aspire to it.

But he that said unto him, thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, he is the one who made

Jesus Christ to be a priest. And that is the father, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.

That goes back to Psalm 22. You're going to see how Hebrews chapter 5 and 6 and following where it speaks of this priestly type in Melchizedek ties in with the

Psalm 22 passage we've just studied. Crying and tears unto him that was able to save him.

Not his body, although he was able, but not willing. But his soul, yes, it was saved from the dogs and from the lion, as the passage describes it.

He was heard because he feared God. Verse 8, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him or trust him.

Called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek. So as we go into Psalm 24, and we ask the question, who shall ascend into the hill of the

Lord? We have the answer in these passages. Hebrews chapter 6 continues in verse 17, wherein

God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, he might have a strong consolation.

We might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.

You couldn't have more beautiful language than that. I don't think the modern versions can even touch the rendition of that verse in the

King James, Hebrews 6, 19, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.

Whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, chapter 7, verse 1,

I'm sorry, chapter 7, verse 14, for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe

Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood. And it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek, there ariseth another priest who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

For he testifieth, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Down into verse 24. But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto

God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

This uttermost salvation, this uttermost eternal security that the children of God have is linked to the ever liveth part of this one who forever lives to make intercession for us, our high priest, the

Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 26, for such an high priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled.

Remember the question that is asked in Psalm 24, who shall ascend into the hill of the

Lord, he that has clean hands. Verse 26 says, for such a high priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens themselves, who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins and then for the people's.

For this he did once when he offered up himself. Chapter 8, verse 1, now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum.

We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the

Lord pitched and not man. Chapter 9, verse 24, for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Verse 26, but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and to them that look for him shall he appear a second time without sin unto salvation.

So this is the only qualified one who shall ascend into the hill of the

Lord, that one who is both our king and our priest.

Verse 5, back in Psalm 24 now, you go halfway through the book of Hebrews to cover

Psalm 24 verses 3 and 4, it all speaks of it. Verse 5, it says of this one, he shall receive the blessing from the

Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Now, that verse, without quite a bit of study, sometimes sounds a little strange because it's odd to think of the one who is righteous as receiving righteousness from God.

So let's explore this just for a moment. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord first. Let's look at this and then we'll look at the righteousness part.

He shall receive the blessing from the Lord. What you think about this verse, you don't have to look it up, just stay there in Psalm 24.

But this verse in Psalm 68 verse 18, you'll remember it. It's quoted over in the

New Testament also. It says, thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the

Lord God might dwell among them. This is a beautiful thought that's given to us in that one verse.

It says from the vantage point of the psalmist that there will come a time in the future that there will be one who will ascend into the hill of the

Lord and who will receive gifts for men, even for those of us who are rebellious, which is all of us, as pictured by the nation of Israel as that nation pictures the

Christians so many times in so many ways. It says he will receive gifts for men.

Verse five says he shall receive the blessing from the

Lord. This is the giving of those gifts.

I think as we see Jesus receiving these blessings, the word for blessing here in verse five is b 'rachol, which means prosperity.

It comes from a smaller Hebrew word, b 'rach, which means to kneel.

And so as you picture the Lord Jesus Christ as he ascends into the heavenlies, which

I believe this whole passage in Psalm 24 pictures, in a moment we'll see how the gates of heaven, which we'll look at that for a moment, very interesting concept, but we'll see how those gates are opened.

And he passes from this dimension into a timeless dimension where God the

Father is, whom no other man has seen nor shall see the face of the

Father. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ was considered fit.

He was considered meet for this. Who shall ascend into the hill of the

Lord? The one with clean hands, the one with the pure heart, the one who never one time lifted up his soul unto vain destructive things, nor ever swore deceitfully.

The gates were opened for this one and he walked in. He triumphantly entered the heavenlies after having destroyed the enemy in battle, becoming and providing for the perfect sacrifice, and then presenting the blood and applying it to the mercy seat.

I believe this passage in verse 5 where it says he shall receive the blessing, which comes from the root

Hebrew word, which means to kneel, pictures Jesus Christ kneeling before the

Father as a knight before his king, and receiving the blessing from the sword of the

Father as he blesses him on both shoulders. And the marvelous thing that we know from Scripture is that when he received that blessing, we received it because we resurrected in Christ, we ascended in Christ, we entered this portal in Christ, we knelt before the

Father in Christ, and this blessing was given as we were in Christ.

Psalm 45, 2 pictures it as well. Verse 6, it says, Thy throne,

I'm sorry, chapter 45, verse 6 says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

A scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness.

Therefore, God, thy God, hath anointed thee with oil of gladness, listen to this, above thy fellows.

You take all of the creation of God, you take all of the angelic beings, you take all of the humans that he created in Adam in his own image, you take all of those and this one, this one of whom it asks, who shall ascend into the hill?

This Lord Jesus Christ was anointed above all others. Why? Because it says, thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness above all others.

So he received this blessing. All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloe and cassia, wonder why?

Those are the herbs that are placed upon the body at death at this time.

Out of thy ivory palaces whereby they hath made thee glad.

So he kneels before the Father and receives this blessing. And as he received these blessings for himself, he received them for us as well.

His deliverer became our deliverer. His salvation became our salvation.

His blessing from the Father has become our blessing. His birthright has become our birthright.

So he shall receive the blessing from the Lord. Now verse 5 in Psalm 24 goes on and it says there's another thing he will receive from the

Lord as he receives these gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also. And the next thing he received was righteousness from the

God of his salvation, or you could say the God of his deliverance. It's kind of interesting that when we look at the word

God in this verse, every other place in this Psalm, you'll see the word

Lord used, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, all of the letters are all caps.

And that always is a reference to Jehovah. But when you see this where it says the righteousness from the

God of his salvation, the word God there is not Jehovah. It is Elohim, which is the same word for God that's used in Genesis 1, 1, many of the verses in the very first early portions of Genesis.

It is the uniplurality of God. It describes the supreme one, but the triune

God, one and yet plural. This Elohim, this supreme

Godhead was Jesus Christ's deliverer.

And the one who gave him the gifts of these blessings and this righteousness, it was the very righteousness of Elohim.

Now look at verse 6. We have thus far gone with Jesus.

We can picture it in our minds now. We can picture a little bit of what it was like as he entered the heavenlies triumphantly.

I believe he had already presented his blood because I believe that he did that before the actual ascension, or the one that we read about at the end of Acts.

And I should say at the beginning of Acts and at the end of the

Gospels, he had already presented his blood. And so this picture is his triumphal entry into the heavenlies as the king priest.

And we see him come towards these portals or openings or gates that are between time and non -time.

And they are opened and he passes through and he approaches and climbs, ascends, I should say, the hill of the

Lord. And he stands before him and is blessed. He is blessed because he loved righteousness and hated evil above all of his fellows.

And so, therefore, he was blessed above all of his fellows. After all of that, it brings us to verse 6.

Now let's read it together carefully. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face,

O Jacob, say love. Now some commentators might lead us to believe that this changes the subject away from Jesus and to those who are saved, which would be us.

And I do not believe after studying the Hebrew in this verse that that's what it's doing.

I don't believe the attention is moving away from Jesus for one moment. I believe all of the attention of the universe is placed upon Jesus as he is knighted, so to speak, at this time.

And I believe where it says this is the generation, it is the Hebrew word dor, which means posterity, it can mean an age, it can mean a generation, but it can also mean unto posterity, which carries the same sense as in the

New Testament in 1 Peter 1, 23, where it says being born again, not of corruptible seed.

This phrase born again in the Greek language means to beget, but it comes from the word ana, which means above, with the word geneo, which means to procreate.

And the English word gene comes from this word. So it's interesting in the

New Testament where it says we are born again, it literally says we are gened from above.

We are given the genes of God, so to speak. We are his genetic material, so to speak, in a spiritual sense.

And this word generation back in Psalm 24, verse 6, carries the same meaning.

When it says this is the generation of them that seek him, it means

Jesus, Christ, is the one who gened us. He is the one who allowed us to be the posterity.

He is the one who we come from. He is the one that all the spiritual children of God came forth and sprang from spiritually.

And this was the generation of all of us. This is where we received the gene of life, the genetic code of God.

This is where we had the first ability that later on in time, God could give us the very nature of himself.

You see, those who can't get it straight on eternal security, those who think you could sin in such a way as to lose your salvation, they don't understand the genetic code that we've been given in salvation.

They don't understand that this gening began back long time before they were born into the world, some 2 ,000 years ago in our time.

But with God, it didn't happen in time. It happened outside of time. We're going to see that in a moment when we get to these verses about these portals opening.

But as Jesus stepped out of time and was found worthy, the only worthy one of all the creation of God to step into this place and to step before the

Father and to receive these blessings and this righteousness to give forth to all of us,

God's children, we see that this seed which we have is pointed out that's who

Jesus is. You might as well say in verse 6, he is the generation of them.

Jesus Christ is the generation, the one who procreated them that seek the

Father, that seek God's face. And he's speaking to Israel, so he says,

Oh, Jacob, Selah. Jacob, you need to learn something. Israel, you need to learn that you are not saved by works of righteousness.

You're not saved by religiosity and all of the legal trappings that you surround yourself with.

The only way you can be saved is by this one who entered in to the hill of God and who was given this blessing and received this righteousness to give gifts to men, yea, even to those who are rebellious.

The only way you can be saved is to be re -jeaned, born again, born, as it says, from above.

Why does it say from above? Because it's pointing to this place that Psalm 24 has taken us this morning. It is not an earthly place.

Salvation is not of the earth. It is of God, and it is found in Jesus Christ standing at the throne of God at the moment he received this blessing.

He was the beginning of the generation of all those who would seek him both from earth time before that in the

Old Testament saints and from earth time beyond that covering the entire church.

He is the first, and he is the last. He is the firstborn from the dead.

He is the first of many sons. He is the beginning of prosperity of all the children of God as distinguished from Satan's seed.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word.

Who is the word? Which liveth and abideth forever, born again, jeaned from above.

It shows us his triumphal entry in verse 7. Lift up your heads,

O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in.

Everlasting is this word we've studied so many times in the last few years. Olam, which means a concealed thing or the vanishing point.

It comes to mean time out of mind. It means both eternity past from our vantage point and eternity future from our vantage point.

You go out as far as you can see and you drop off into this place. And so these doors are from that place.

They are not earthly doors. They are not universal physical doors.

These are doors that separate time and space and matter from the place where God dwells outside of time.

These everlasting doors. Olam and the word door, petach, literally means the entrance way.

This was the very entrance way from where we are to the place where the father dwells.

God the father, obviously these gates cannot open themselves. God the father is now speaking them open in verse 7.

The father says to these Olam petachs, these vanishing point, eternal openings, entrance ways into the place where the father is,

God himself speaks them open. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up as if they were persons who could rejoice and glorify and praise the king as he walks through them.

The everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in. This is the

Lord Jesus entering the heavenly portal, the dimension where God dwells, the place where God himself exists.

And he looked into the face of him whom we shall never see, the creator of all that is, the

I am. Verse 8, who is this king of glory? Who is this one who is fit to ascend into this place?

The Lord Jehovah is the name that's given to him here. Isn't it interesting that Jesus Christ is called

Jehovah many places in the Old Testament? 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? Well, he's known as the

Lord of hosts. He is the king of glory, say, Lord. Anytime you see in the

English the word Lord where they're all caps, the next little phrase that comes after it, oftentimes there's a phrase like the

Lord of this, the Lord of that. Actually, that little phrase has become a part of the name of God.

Jehovah -Jireh, Jehovah -Rapha, all of these names of God. As God revealed himself little by little, line by line through time, he gives us more of his name because his name reveals himself to us.

And here he is revealed as Jehovah -Tzobah, which means

Jehovah, the Lord of hosts. And the word host in the

Hebrew is an organization of men for the purpose of going to war.

That's all it ever means. So who is this one who walks through these everlasting doors into the presence of God and receives gifts for men and righteousness for men, for those who are the

Lord's? His name is Jehovah, the

God of war. Revelation 17, 14 says that's exactly how he will return.

These shall make war with the lamb and the lamb shall overcome them, for he is

Lord of lords and king of kings. He is the king priest and they that are with him, that's us, are called and chosen and faithful.

Revelation 19, 11, and I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true with a capital

F and a capital T. And in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no man knew but himself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name was called the word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses. Do you know you're going to get one of those? Clothed in fine linen, do you know that you have that now?

That's the righteousness of Jesus Christ. White and clean and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he shall smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty

God and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written king of kings and Lord of lords.

Who is this one who can ascend into the hill of God? And I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves together into the supper of the great

God that ye may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond, both small and great.

You don't have to worry too much about what Saddam Hussein is going to do. You don't have to worry too much about what

Mr. Bush is going to do because there's going to be a great supper that's going to feast upon the flesh of these mighty men of the earth who hate the

Lord Jesus Christ so much. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army, that's us, and the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him.

There are already many antichrists on the earth doing false miracles but he took these two, these, the beast and the false prophet with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and then that worshiped his image.

These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Does that sound like some place that might be literal?

Does that description sound to you that when the lost die they just go into oblivion and don't exist anymore or does it sound like there is an everlasting eternal place that's described as a lake of fire burning with brimstone that was created for Satan, created for this antichrist, this beast and this false prophet and they are indeed cast here alive into this lake of fire burning with brimstone and the remnant were slain with the sword by him that sat upon the white horse which sword proceedeth out of his mouth and all of the fowls were filled with their flesh.

And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and the great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till a thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed for a season.

This Lord Jesus Christ of ours ascended into heaven as the priest king.

He was given the blessings. He was given the gifts as our priest as that one who stands as the daysman between us and the father whom we cannot look upon without perishing.

He is the intercessor between us and him. He is the true high priest that stands and takes the hand of God's people and the hand of God and brings us together and he entered into heaven in that form and he was given the blessing and the righteousness and he was proclaimed to be that one because he loved righteousness and hated evil more than any of his brothers.

And he then stood after that knighting experience and he now perhaps stands at the very threshold of that same portal.

He perhaps is standing today at the very threshold of the everlasting doors waiting to hear the voice of the father say,

Open the everlasting doors that the king of glory may pass through and descend to the heavenly hills.

And when he comes we will meet him in the air and we will come back with him.

We'll all be on white horses and he will come as the king not so much as the priest but as the king.

And he will make right everything that was wrong done wrong to God's people on this earth.

Every Christian child and mother who was slaughtered by the

Roman Catholics in Box's Book of Martyrs as it describes it so vividly.

Every child of God who was destroyed by any nation that hates

God. Every Christian person who is ever killed by the Islamics who would blow themselves up thinking they're going to go see

Allah who is the devil and they will go see him. But they think they're doing it for God and Satan tells them and whispers in their ear kill any

Christian, any Caucasian American Christian that you can find or any black American Christian or any color for that matter.

Just kill them for me and they go about to do it. All of that will be righted when he comes.

All of it will be righted when this great last supper of the good old

Texas buzzards who are all going to head east and be at this place and feast on the flesh of these great leaders who would wreak havoc in our world.

This is the Lord of Glory. This one who is coming again. Let's stand with our heads bowed for a moment and our eyes closed and let's have a few moments of quiet praise for this one.

He's going to burst on the scene and surprise the lost someday as lightning from the east to the west in power and he will speak with his voice and destroy them and the blood will be as high as the bridles on the horses in the valley of Gehenna in the valley of Megiddo and it will all be done in righteousness.

It'll be the first battle perhaps that was ever fought in true complete pureness for the exact right reason and for the right end.

Let's praise him for a few moments. Lord when we think that you went from the cross to the cross the grave before you made this triumphal entry and you did that for the father but you did that for us as well we can only praise you.

We cannot imagine what you were experiencing when you said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

We cannot comprehend the darkness that you were in and yet even in that darkness you alone had the faith to know that God would deliver the darling of your soul and because of that great faith and your great righteousness when you ascended you received this blessing at the very hand of the father himself and this great righteousness which you have bestowed upon us because it was the father's will.

Praise you and bless you and we thank you and we watch for you because we know you're coming again.

Lord help us remember these passages. Help us remember Psalm 24 when we enter persecution, when we enter tribulation, when we enter horrible things that we may begin to see on the face of this earth.

Father, take the little children from Ben's age on up to the college age young people.

Help them remember this passage and go back to it because their life on this earth will be very different than ours has been.

As they see terrible fierce things happening all around, as they see murderous things happening, as they see abominable things, as they see satan himself unleash his fury upon this earth, may you help them know who the king is and may you help them watch for his coming.

Father, would you bless our fellowship together in a few moments in the meal we're about to have in Jesus name.