Introduction
I want to begin today by asking you a question about ownership. What does it mean to truly own something?
Perhaps you think of the deed to your house, the title to your car, or the receipt for a precious family heirloom.
These are things we possess, things we have a legal right to. But our ownership is temporary, isn’t it?
We are but stewards for a fleeting moment in time.
This morning, the psalmist David lifts our gaze from our small claims of ownership to the ultimate, absolute, and eternal claim of Almighty God.
If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Psalm 24.
We will stand in awe of a King whose claim is not written on paper but upon the very fabric of the cosmos.
This psalm, traditionally sung as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem, is a majestic procession in three movements.
It shows us the King’s rightful dominion, the King’s required devotion, and the King’s dramatic doorway.
> “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.”
(Psalm 24:1–2)
1. The Foundation of All Things: The King’s Unquestionable Dominion (vv. 1–2)
David begins with one of the most sweeping and profound declarations in all of Scripture:
“The earth is the Lord’s.”
Notice the totality of this claim. It is not just the empty land, but “the fulness thereof.”
Every mountain and valley, every ocean and river, every lion in the Serengeti and every sparrow that falls from the sky — it all belongs to Him.
Every field of grain and every hidden gem beneath the soil is His.
And it is not just the physical world, but “the world, and they that dwell therein.”
Every soul in this room, every person in our city, every nation, tribe, and tongue on this planet — we are all His.
You may think you are your own, that you are the captain of your soul, but the Bible begins with a different premise:
You were created by God, and therefore you belong to God.
Why? What gives Him this right?
Verse 2 provides the unassailable reason:
“For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.”
He is the Creator. He is the Architect. He is the Engineer.
He spoke, and reality came into being. He commanded, and order emerged from chaos.
His ownership is not based on purchase or inheritance; it is based on the foundational act of creation itself.
While men build their kingdoms on shifting sand, our God has established His world upon the deep, conquering chaos and demonstrating His supreme power.
Application:
This means we must live our lives not as owners but as stewards.
The breath in your lungs is a gift. The beat of your heart is a loan.
The money in your bank account, the talents you possess, the time you have each day — it is not yours. It is the Lord’s.
And one day, we will give an account for how we managed the King’s property.
This truth should humble us and reorient our entire lives around His glory, not our own.
2. The Condition for Fellowship: The King’s Holy People (vv. 3–6)
After establishing God’s infinite greatness, the psalm pivots to a deeply personal and searching question.
If God is so vast and so holy, how can we, small and sinful as we are, ever hope to approach Him?
> “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?” (v. 3)
This is the question of all humanity: How do I get to God?
How can I have fellowship with my Creator?
The world offers many answers — be a good person, perform religious rituals, gain secret knowledge.
But God Himself gives the answer, and it is a standard of absolute perfection.
> “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
(vv. 4–5)
Let’s look closely at this fourfold requirement:
Clean Hands – This speaks to our actions, our outward deeds.
Have our hands been instruments of righteousness, help, and healing? Or have they been stained by sin, greed, and harm?
A Pure Heart – This goes deeper, to our motives and intentions.
Why do we do what we do? Is it for the praise of men or for the glory of God?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity – This is about worship.
What do you truly live for?
An idol—vanity, an empty thing—is anything you place before God.
It could be your career, your reputation, your comfort, or even your family.
Nor sworn deceitfully – This is about integrity, the truthfulness of our words.
Are we people of our word?
Or is our speech filled with half-truths, exaggerations, and manipulative lies to get our way?
Now, as we read this list, a sense of despair might settle in.
Who among us can claim this? Whose hands are perfectly clean? Whose heart is utterly pure?
Who has never chased an idol or spoken deceitfully?
If we are honest, the answer is no one.
This holy standard shows us not how to earn our way to God, but why we cannot.
It is meant to crush our self-righteousness and show us our desperate need for a Savior.
And that is where the magnificent hope of verse 5 shines forth:
“The one who ascends does not achieve righteousness — he receives it.”
We cannot climb this holy hill on our own merit.
But praise God, there is One who did!
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only one who has ever lived with perfectly clean hands and a perfectly pure heart.
He never bowed to an idol, and no deceit was ever found in His mouth.
He ascended the hill of Calvary, not for His own sin but for ours.
And through faith in His finished work, we receive His perfect righteousness as a free gift.
He cleans our hands. He purifies our hearts.
He becomes the sole object of our worship.
We become, as verse 6 says, “the generation of them that seek Him, that seek Thy face.”
3. The Climax of History: The King’s Triumphant Entry (vv. 7–10)
Now the psalm crescendos into a glorious, antiphonal chorus.
Imagine the scene: the procession has reached the gates of the holy city.
A herald cries out to the ancient gates themselves, commanding them to make way for the approaching Monarch.
> “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” (v. 7)
A voice from within the walls — perhaps a gatekeeper — calls back with a challenge:
> “Who is this King of glory?” (v. 8a)
And the triumphant answer rings out:
> “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (v. 8b)
This is not just about the Ark of the Covenant.
This is a prophecy of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
After His victory over sin and death on the cross, after His glorious resurrection, He ascended into heaven itself.
The everlasting doors of heaven swung open to receive their conquering King — no longer crowned with thorns but crowned with glory and honor.
The call is repeated for emphasis and majesty:
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates!”
And again the question: “Who is this King of glory?”
The answer thunders back with finality:
> “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (v. 10)
“The Lord of hosts” — Yahweh Sabaoth — the Commander of heaven’s angelic armies.
This is our King!
He is not a weak, sentimental figure; He is the all-powerful, victorious warrior who has defeated every foe — sin, death, and the devil.
Conclusion: Opening Your Gates
Beloved, this psalm does not leave us as spectators. It brings us to a moment of decision.
First, do you recognize His dominion?
Do you live each day acknowledging that everything you are and everything you have belongs to Him?
Second, have you despaired of your own ability to climb His holy hill and, instead, by faith received the righteousness that comes from the God of your salvation — Jesus Christ?
And finally, this morning, the King of Glory stands at the gate of your own heart.
He who owns the world and commands the armies of heaven condescends to stand at the door of your life and knock.
The call of this psalm is the call of the Gospel:
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates.”
Lift up the gate of your will. Lift up the gate of your pride. Lift up the gate of your future.
Fling wide the everlasting doors of your heart.
Who is this King of Glory who desires to enter?
He is the Lord — strong to save you and mighty to break the chains of sin in your life.
He is the Lord of hosts, who will fight your battles for you.
Will you let Him in?
Will you enthrone Him as the King of your life today?
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
(Prayer of consecration and invitation follows.)
Let us stand and affirm together the final, glorious truth of this psalm:
“The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.”
Amen.
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