"who May Approach God?

Title: “Who May Approach God?” Script: Psalm 15

Type: Series on the Psalms Where: GNBC 8-23-20

Intro: We are living in what I have termed a “Siri Smart yet Philosophically Puerile (childish) world.” We can get answers to almost any question on our Smart Phones in moments. Siri is pretty smart when comes to math: You can ask her to find the square root of any number and she can give you the answer in seconds. She can also be a little salty: Try asking Siri, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” “I am not perspicacious about the peregrinations of poultry.” But my favorite is when you ask Siri, “What is zero divided by zero.” Her answer is, “Imagine that you have zero cookies and you divide them between zero friends. See it makes no sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad because you have no friends.” Harsh! Funny. Yet, there are very important questions in life you cannot get a satisfactory answer from Siri. I would advise you to look to Scripture.

Prop: Psalm 15 asks one of life’s most important questions. Do you know the answer?

BG: 1. Psalm 15 is another Psalm of David’s. Unlike others so far, not certain the background.

2. This is a reflective or meditative psalm. David has one thought in mind he’s going to mull over.

3. Need to reflect of David’s example. Take time to deeply consider important questions.

Prop: Ps. 15 asks the question: “Who may approach God?” Do you know the answer?

I. The Question: Who May Approach God? V.1

A. David asks one of the most important questions man should ask.

1. “How can I approach God?”

a. V. 1 – “tent” – tabernacle. Don’t forget the temple had not yet been built. It would not be built during David’s lifetime, but rather by his son, Solomon. The tabernacle was the focal point of the worship of God during the early history of Israel. The tabernacle had great theological and symbolic significance. The tabernacle declared an amazing truth: God was willing to meet with man!

b. Illust: Not everyone could enter the Tent of Meeting/tabernacle. There was no democratic access in God’s economy at that time. Only the Levites could serve the Tent of Meeting. Only the priests were allowed to come near the Tent of Meeting and only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the Tent of Meeting, and only 1x per year, Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:2). They were warned to wash themselves first before entering (Ex. 30:19-21) and to put on the priestly clothes (Ex. 28:35). The priests were warned to hide their nakedness (Ex. 28:42-43). They were not allowed to drink wine or “strong drink” before entering the Tent of Meeting (Lev.10:9).

2. The Tabernacle and later the Temple, foreshadowed the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

a. There was only one entrance into the tabernacle’s court. There is only one way by which any person may come to God the Father: through the merits of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn.14:6). Entering that door into the tabernacle, one would see brass altar which spoke of two more great truths: a. The sinfulness of man. B. The willingness of God to accept a substitutionary sacrifice for our sin! (Lev. 1:3-9; 17:11). A veil stood separating the two rooms of the tabernacle symbolizing that before Christ tore the temple’s curtain in two at His death, there was no direct access to God for man.

b. Illust: Jn 1:14 tells us: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” “made his dwelling” – “tabernacled” among us. Jesus Christ, in His incarnation, became flesh and “made His dwelling” with man! The sacred body of our Lord Jesus Christ, became by the incarnation the tabernacle of God. The Son, which is the Word of God, begotten from the Father, very and eternal God, took man's nature upon Him in the womb of the Blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures were joined together in one person, never to be divided.. His human body and soul were the tabernacle in which He, the Eternal Word and Son, deigned to dwell, not for thirty-three years only, but forever.

B. Does David’s Question Register Any Concern for You?

1. Have you ever considered David’s question: “Who may approach God?”

a. Again, I ask you, have you asked the question David asked? It may be asked out of idle curiosity, out of despair, godly fear, earnest seeking, a troubled soul, or holy faith. Ask the question. Don’t ignore it.

b. Illust: Ravi Zacharias once said: “Whether Hitler or Hugh Hefner, religious or irreligious, everyone has a worldview. A worldview basically offers answers to four necessary questions: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. In turn, these answers must be correspondingly true on particular questions and, as a whole, all answers put together must be coherent. The three tests for truth must be applied to any worldview: logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and experiential relevance. When submitted to these tests, the Christian message is utterly unique and meets the demand for truth. Consider the empirical test of the person, teaching, and work of Jesus Christ. A look at human history shows why he was who he claimed to be. A comparison of Jesus’s teachings with any other claimant to divine or prophetic status quickly shows the profound differences in their claims and demonstrations. In fact, none except Jesus even claimed to be the divine Savior. His offer of grace and forgiveness by being the perfect sacrifice of our offense is profoundly unique.” (Think Again, RZIM)