King of Glory Lesson Plan 66a6733efe3345ba03d7-82b2324fe35dff478b72a91d04c278b6.r74.cf2.rackcdn.co


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Leader Guide Sunday, October 14, 2018

King of Glory Sermon Text:​ Psalm 24 Study Texts:​ Revelation 19:6-16 Sermon Recap​: Psalm 24 celebrates God as the King of Glory. The Psalm opens with a statement of God’s sovereign rule over the earth, “​The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof..​.” There is nothing that God does not own, and there is nothing outside of His control. This gives clarity and context to the way God’s people are to worship. As we approach God in worship, it is none other than the Sovereign of the universe that we approach. The Psalmist poses a devastating question in 24:3 saying, “​Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?​” To answer in our own power and worth is to say, “Not I, for I am unworthy.” The Psalmist answers for us saying, “​He who has clean hands and a pure heart...​” In the end, we are left longing for the One with clean hands and a pure heart, and we find Him in vv. 7-10. The King of Glory, Jesus Himself, is the Savior of the people. Through Christ alone, we gain clean hands and pure hearts, and through Christ, we ascend the hill of the Lord. Sermon Connection:​ In Revelation 19, we find this very topic addressed in what is apocalyptic literature (this meaning referring to the end times and things to come in the future). John is given a glimpse of two great happenings. The first, in Rev. 19:6-10, is the great wedding feast of Jesus where the finishing of the gospel is celebrated. All the peoples of God praise Him for salvation as they stand completely righteous in Jesus. The other occurrence is the conquering of Jesus, the great Warrior-King. Just as Jesus saves all who repent and believe, He will judge with severity all who reject His lordship.

Lesson Plan Lesson Goal: ​To see that Jesus is the only One Who is worthy to ascend the mountain of God; and to see that, through faith, the Church is gathered with Jesus on that mountain. Lesson Points: Point 1: The Great Marriage Supper of Jesus (the Lamb)​ (vv. 6-10) Point 2: Jesus, the Great Warrior-King​ (vv. 11-16)

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The Context: ​Revelation can prove to be a difficult book to read and understand. It is considered apocalyptic literature, meaning that it is referring to things that will accompany the apocalypse; it is to accompany things to come in the end of time. And while there is much apocalyptic and prophetic literature in this book, there is much to be gleaned and applied for our lives today. Revelation 19 is one such text as it speaks of two great coming promises. First, it speaks of the coming consummation of the gospel when Christ will finally perfect the Church and rid Her of all sin; what a glorious and celebratory banquet that will be! Second, we see that Christ is able to do this for the Church because He is our great Warrior-King who defends us from sin and the nations. He is the righteous Judge to Whom the world will answer. Point 1 - The Great Marriage Supper of Jesus (the Lamb)​ (vv. 6-10) Verse 6 is a prophetic vision looking ahead to something that has not yet happened. Who/What is the great multitude and what are they praising? The great multitude in this verse is most likely the gathered voices and praises of the redeemed people of God. John hears the sounds of a ​great multitude​ rejoicing over the marriage supper of Jesus and the Church. In other words, the redeemed people of God are praising and rejoicing because the time has come for Jesus to make all things right. The Church is finally going to be glorified (the final work of the salvation process whereby all sin is removed giving way to Christ’s perfect righteousness). And how does this happen? Verse 6 notes that this happens because God, the Almighty, reigns. God’s will, as it always is, is accomplished. Throughout the Bible, a marriage feast has been used to depict the relationship between Jesus and the Church (Hos. 2:19; Isa. 54:5-7; Mt. 22:2ff; Eph. 5:32). What is v. 7 showing us about the marriage feast to come? John hears the heavenly multitude cry out, “​Let us rejoice and exult and give Him glory…​” Another translation says, ​“Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad.”1 The verse, then, is showing that the foundation of joy for the people of God is in the success of Jesus’ reign, in the success of the gospel. This people, this heavenly multitude, would have no place in heaven were it not for the grace of Jesus Christ. Therefore, they rejoice with exceeding gladness because Jesus, their Husband, has redeemed them. Jesus has brought them to the place of God. Verse 8 depicts the clothing of the heavenly multitude (which is the Church). How does this help us to better understand the gospel and Jesus’ redemptive work? (Compare with the clothing of the harlot in 17:4 and 18:16). How is this tied to Psalm 24:3-4? This heavenly multitude, which is the Bride of King Jesus, stands clothed in the finest of pure linens. This multitude, Jesus’ beloved Bride, is clothed bright and pure. This word picture is meant to communicate the fact that this people has been redeemed from their sin. This 1

Robert Mounce, ​The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament​, 338.

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heavenly multitude finds its bright purity in Christ alone. This is in contrast to the harlot of 17:4 and 18:16, who, while clothed in fine linens, is clothed in unrighteousness. This calls our minds to the question posed by the Psalmist in 24:3, “​Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?​” The answer, as the Psalmist notes is, “​He who has clean hands and a pure heart...​.” Who sits with Jesus at the great marriage supper? It is the pure Bride of Christ, made so by His Own gospel work. The people of God are so in and through Jesus. Verse 9 is considered the 4th of 7 ​Beatitude statements​ (statements of blessedness) throughout Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14). The angel declares to John that all those who are invited to the marriage supper—those who are saved in Christ—are truly blessed. How does this help us to understand the tie to Psalm 24? The great marriage supper of Jesus (the Lamb of God) is not for everyone. It is clear from these verses, and from Psalm 24, that only the righteous and pure shall be in attendance with Jesus on this great day of celebration. The promise of this great celebration of salvation in Jesus is a biblical theme (Mt. 26:29; Lk. 13:29) and should cause much joy in the hearts of Christians. As we think about the benefit and glory of this scene, we should see the devastating question of Psalm 24 is being answered in a most glorious way. We are left in Psalm 24 without hope apart from God, and here we see that God graciously grants the hope of salvation in His Son. Verse 10 reminds us, that while we a different than angels, we are both fellow servants of the Most High God. The Angel gives John an incredibly helpful hermeneutical2 truth: “​The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.​ ” Another translation of this is, “The testimony about Jesus is the common substance of all prophecy.”3 How does this help us to better understand the Bible as it points to Jesus, and Psalm 24 in particular? Understanding this verse really helps to unlock a major portion of the Bible. A helpful principle of Bible study is to first let the Bible interpret and make sense of Itself. And here, the Angel is clearly teaching John, and us, that all of the Bible’s prophecy is ultimately focused on Jesus Himself. And not just on His person, but on the fact that in Jesus is the salvation of the world. As we consider the Psalms, we find much in the way of prophecy and prophetic language, and we can have confidence that while we may not always understand exactly how, Jesus Himself is the very substance of all of the Bible. Transition Statement: ​As we consider the glorious coming marriage feast of the Christ and the Church, we must also consider that Christ, our good Husband, is also the great Warrior-King. And it is in His conquering as the Warrior-King that we find our confidence in the coming feast.

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Hermeneutics means how to rightly study the Bible. Mounce, 343.

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Point 2 - Jesus, the Great Warrior-King​ (vv. 11-16) Verse 11 brings us face-to-face with Jesus, the great Warrior-King. Why is it important to note the Name given to Christ here? What is the great hope for the Church that is found in Jesus’ Name? The transition is almost abrupt. We are witnessing a celebratory feast where the bridge is arrayed in splendor, and then we are face-to-face with a great Warrior-King. The Rider, Who is Jesus, comes to bring an end to the present age, thus inaugurating the marriage feast just mentioned. His Name, “​Faithful and True​,” is eternally important. They speak to the character of the Rider. One writer notes that the words faithful and true, in the Hebrew language, are synonyms and reference the idea of reliability. “God is faithful to His promises and will, in due time, vindicate the faith of all who place their confidence in Him.”4 The Church’s great hope is the assured victory Jesus will bring. He is, as the Psalmist notes in Ps. 24:10, “​The LORD of Hosts (Armies)​.” What kind of war will Jesus come to make on the nations? See also Rev. 2:16 and Isa. 11:3b-5. We note that the great Rider on the white horse whose name is ​Faithful and True​ comes in judgment and war. And this war is not in hopes of victory, as are all human wars. Rather, this war is one of definite judgment. In other words, the victory is already won, and Jesus is coming to deal with the defeated. This is the idea referenced both earlier in Rev. 2:16 and in the OT text of Isa. 11:3b-5. The Lord will judge all who reject Him. This harsh judgment is the other answer to the Psalmist’s question in Ps. 24:3. Who will ascend the hill of the Lord? The righteous. All others will face the Great White Rider of Rev. 19. In vv. 12-14, we find a picture of Jesus and His army coming to do battle. What are we to learn about Jesus from these apocalyptic images? How does this connect with Psalm 24:3-4, 8-10? These images of Jesus can be quite startling as they do not fit the normal narrative of the quiet, gentle Savior-King. But, we must not overlook or downplay this aspect of Jesus’ Kingship. He will conquer sin, and He will lay waste to all that opposes Him. The eyes of fire mentioned in v. 12 is reminiscent of Ps. 19:6 where David says, ​“...there is nothing hidden from its [the Lord’s Word] heat.” ​Jesus, the eternal Word of God, will lay everything bare and judge it in righteousness. The many diadems (crowns) represent that Jesus does possess all authority (Mt. 28:19-20). And we also note that although He comes with an army, Jesus Himself conquers the world with His Word; His Word is as a sharp sword that brings the nations to ruin.

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Mounce, 344.

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Only Jesus can ascend the mountain of God (Ps. 24). Only He is righteous, and only those He brings with Him bear His righteousness. And as we see here, Jesus is the King of the armies that the Psalmist makes mention of in 24:8-10. Verses 15-16 give us a picture of the total destruction Jesus will bring to the ungodly at the time of judgment. How is this both a deep comfort to the Church (Ps. 24) and terrifying warning to the nations? The comfort for the Church in this text about our Warrior-King is that Jesus goes to battle for us. He has already done battle against our sin on the cross, and we are now counted in Him and dressed in His royal splendor and purity (Rev. 19:6-10). We have the confidence of knowing that in Christ, we shall ascend the hill of God with clean hands and pure hearts. We shall finally become the blessed man of Ps. 1. But also as Ps. 1 notes, the wicked are not so. The wicked are they who reject Christ and will face the certain destructive judgment of the Rider of the white horse. In a great song written from this text, rapper Shai Linne says, “Today is the day that He’s welcoming the foreigner, so repent and believe that He [Jesus] hung up on the cross for you, otherwise you’ll meet Him as a holy, righteous slaughterer.”5 The Big Picture The Church has a great hope in Jesus Christ. In fact, it is the greatest of all hopes. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God, and He is the great King Who, with clean hands and a pure heart, ascends the hill of God. And as we have seen through the gospel of salvation in Jesus, we too are given a clean pair of hands and pure heart that we might, with Jesus, ascend the hill of God and find salvation forever. Revelation 19 helps us to see both sides of this great salvation. For the people of God, those who repent of their sin and follow Christ, a great celebration is yet to come, where Jesus Himself will greet us in heaven and complete our salvation, clothing us in purity and righteousness. But this is not the hope for all people. Those who reject Jesus stand to meet Him as the Warrior-King on the white horse as He brings judgment. And because He will enact swift and decisive judgment on the earth, the Church is assured of Her hope, although She doesn’t yet possess it. It is coming, and it is coming for sure. Application Questions ● How am I treasuring Jesus’ salvation in my life? ● How am I teaching my family to treasure Jesus everyday as Savior and Lord? ● How am I joyfully anticipating the coming marriage feast of Jesus? ● How am I/is our growth group warning others of the assured judgment of Jesus?

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Matt Papa and Shai Linne, “The Lord is a Warrior.”

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● How is this coming judgment motivating our growth group to engage our neighborhood with the gospel? ● How are we going (planning to go) with the gospel to the nations?

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