Sermons by Art Davison

THE KING OF GLORY
PSALM 24:1-10

This sacred hymn was probably written to be sung when the Ark of the Covenant was taken up from the house of Obededom, to remain within curtains upon the hill of Zion. It looks beyond the bringing up of the Ark, to the ascension of the King of Glory, the true Redeemer, who has opened heaven’s gates for the entrance of his elect.

I. THE GLORIES OF THE LORD

A. The earth is the Lord’s, vv. 1-2; Psalms 50:12, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.”

1. God demonstrates His dominion over the earth to Pharaoh, Exodus 9:29, “And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S.”

2. The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s, Deuteronomy 10:14, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.”

3. The sea is His, Psalms 98:7, “Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

B. The people are the Lord’s, v. 1; Exodus 19:5, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:”

1. The Jews said, “The holy land is God’s, and the seed of Abraham are his only people;”

2. But their great Monarch had long before instructed them, v. 1b, “the world, and they that dwell therein” are His.

II. THE TRUE ISRAEL

A. Who will come up to the Lord? Psalm 15:1, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?”

1. He that has clean hands, v. 4; Psalms 18:20, “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.”

2. He that has a pure heart, Psalms 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

B. He who is clothed in the garments of God’s righteousness, Zechariah 3:4, “And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”

1. God has taken away the filthy garments for a robe of righteousness, Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

2. Those that God has taken their iniquity away, Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

a. They are clean from all their filthiness, Ezekiel 36:25, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”

b. Those who have God’s righteousness, Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

C. Who will stand in God’s holy place, v. 3; Hebrews 12:28, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:”

1. It is only the grace of God that enables us to worship God in a right manner, Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

2. Those that FEAR the Lord will stand in God’s heaven, Hebrews 5:7, “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;”

III. THE ASCENT OF THE TRUE REDEEMER

A. Who is the King of Glory? v. 8; Revelation 19:11-21.

B. Open the gates and let the King of Glory come in, vv. 9-10; Proverbs 8:34, “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”

1. To dwell in the house of the Lord, Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

2. To be a doorkeeper in God’s house, Psalm 84:10, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

CONCLUSION

THE GREAT SHEPHERD–PSALM 23; HEBREWS 13:20-21

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21-Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Introduction:

The 23rd Psalm has been for generations a comfort to those who have lost loved ones or to those who are depressed and lonely.

Is speaks of our Great Shepherd and what He does for us. In these verses we see our Shepherd in seven different functions as He cares for his sheep.

I. OUR SHEPHERD

A. As our Shepherd he sees to our physical needs. Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

1. Basic needs for our good health.

2. Basic needs for our need of a home, .” Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

B. As our great High Priest He sees to our spiritual needs.

1. He has seen to our need of redemption, Hebrews 9:9-11, “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10-Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;”

2. He sees to our need of our spiritual maintenance, 1 John 1:9,

3. He see our to our need of fellowship, Acts 2:42.

II. THE CARE OF THE SHEPHERD

A. He goes before the sheep, John 10:28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

B. He knows each sheep by name, Luke 10:20b, “but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

C. The sheep do not need to worry when they follow him.

1. He protects them.

a. In the valley the shepherd is beside them.

b. Beyond the valley he leads them to the house of rest.

c. At the end of the day he leads them back to the fold.

2. He provides for them.

a. He stands at the door of the fold to examine each one.

b. He sees the bruised and weary one.

c. He applies oil upon it.

1) The oil refreshes.

2) It heals the wounds.

d. He gives the sheep a drink of cool water.

I. THE GRACIOUSNESS OF OUR SHEPHERD TO CARE FOR US
(Each of the Old Testament names for God is seen in this Psalm:)

F. Jehovah-Jireh, “the Lord will provide,” v. 1; Genesis 22:13-14, “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14-And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

G. Jehovah-Rapha, “The Lord will heal or restore,” vs. 2-3; Exodus 15:26, “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”

H. Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord our peace,” v. 2; Judges 6:24, “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

I. Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “The Lord our righteousness,” v. 3; Jeremiah 23:6, “6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

J. Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord is there,” v. 4; Ezekiel 48:35, “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.”

K. Jehovah-Nissi, “The Lord our banner,” v. 4; Exodus 17:8-15, (vs. 14-15) “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15-And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:”

L. Jehovah-Raah, “The Lord my shepherd,” v. 1, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is to His sheep all that they ever need. It is like the little girl trying to quote Psalm 23:1 when she said “The Lord is my shepherd – what more shall I want?”

COMFORT FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
PSALM 23:1-6

Introduction:

God is the comforter of His people. God has provided every thing that we need to keep us in a satisfied condition. Many Christians are living lives of fear and doubt, instead of living in the will of God. Consider just a few things that the Lord has done and continues to do for those that love Him.

I. THE LORD IS THE SHEPHERD THAT LEADS AND PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE

A. He feeds His flock like a Shepherd, Isaiah 40:11, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

1. Jesus is that Good Shepherd and He knows His sheep, John 10:11, 14, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 14- I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep , and am known of mine.”

2. He gives His life for the Sheep, Titus 2:14, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

B. His lovingkindness leads His flock, Psalm 40:11, “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.”

C. His truth continually preserves His flock, Psalm 43:3, “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”

II. THE LORD CARES FOR HIS OWN

A. No man cared for my soul, Psalm 142:4, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.”

1. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none, Psalm 69:20, “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.”

2. My friends had forgotten me, Job 19:14-15, “My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. 15- They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.”

B. Jesus loved me and died for me, Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7- For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die . 8- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1. I was without strength to help myself, Titus 3:3-5, “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 4- But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5- Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

2. Jesus appeared in God’s own time to put away my sin, Hebrews 9:26, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

III. THE LORD SHELTERS HIS OWN FOR ETERNITY

Psalm 61:3, “For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.”

A. He has showed us the good, Psalm 4:6-7, “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7- Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.”

B. He is our strength, Psalm 81:2-4, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3- For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4- I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.”

C. He is our safety, Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

1. He is the anchor of the soul, Hebrews 6:18-19, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19- Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

2. He is the author and finisher of our faith, Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

D. He is our Advocate and Intercessor, 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

1. Jesus is there for us, Hebrews 7:25, “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.”

2. He is our Intercessor, 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

CONCLUSION:

God has taken care of His own. We are under His protection and care. Nothing can defeat us and our lives are in His hands.

This psalm describes clearly the sufferings of Christ as He is crucified on the cross on Golgotha’s hill. The psalmist was setting forth the prophecy of the death of the Son of God centuries before the Savior was born.

Some say that Jesus may have repeated this psalm word for word on the cross. This psalm is certainly a gem among the psalms.

I. THE STARTLING CRY OF GOLGOTHA:

“MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”

A. The Cry of the Crucified Son of God, v. 1; Psalms 71:11, “Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.”

1. Some said there is no help, Psalm 3:2, “Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.”

2. But our LORD’S FAITH BEAMS FORTH to hold on to His God, Psalms 31:14, “But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.”

B. Here the Savior is FORSAKEN, Psalm 42:10, “As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?”

1. The challenging of the Lord, Psalm 42:3, “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?”

2. His own beloved Father was standing afar off with back turned to Him because of our sins which He bore, Habakkuk 1:13a, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:”

C. Here Jesus abandons His meekness and ROARS so that all will know the price of Salvation, Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

1. Because Jesus was forsaken for a time, we will never be forsaken throughout all eternity, Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

2. When everyone else has forsaken us the Lord will take us up, Psalm 27:10, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”

II. THE JEWS MOCKED, BUT THE ANGELS WORSHIPPED JESUS

A. Man despised their redeemer, vv. 6-7; Job 25:6, “How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”

1. Man in general despised the Lord, Isaiah 49:7, “Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.” [Man despised Jesus in his soul].

2. The Jews despised their redeemer, Matthew 27:20-23, “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 21- The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 22- Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified . 23- And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.”

B. The angels had worshipped Him at His birth, Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14- Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

C. Now the angels worshipped Him at His Death on the Cross as they did before His throne, Isaiah 6:2-4, “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3- And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke,”

1. His angels praise Him, Psalm 148:2, “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.”

2. They rejoice in Heaven because Jesus has redeemed the sinner by His death on the Cross, Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

D. The redeemed praised Him for the Salvation they have in Jesus Christ, Psalm 107:1-2, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2- Let the redeemed of the LORD say so , whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”

CONCLUSION:

The Psalmist great psalm of praise for the Lord of Glory who suffered and died on the Cross of Calvary that we might be saved is one of the great psalms of all time. It brings tears of joy to those who have received Jesus as their Savior knowing the price that He paid.

GAMBLING AT CALVARY–PSALM 22:11-21

The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to be the supreme offering for our sins. He had enjoyed the glory of Heaven with the Father in eternity past, but in order to redeem fallen man Jesus had to submit to the death of the cross.

Charles H. Spurgeon called the 22nd Psalm “The Psalm of the Cross.” He states further, “It may have been actually repeated word by word by our Lord when hanging on the tree; it would be too bold to say that it was so, but even a casual reader may see that it might have been.”

I. OUR LORD WAS IN GLORY WITH THE FATHER

A. Jesus was in the Ivory Palaces of Heaven during eternity past, Psalm 45:8, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”

B. Jesus became a man to fulfill God’s will, Philippians 2:6-8, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7- But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8- And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

1. Jesus claims His deity:

a. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

b. In the New Testament, Revelation 1:17-18, “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18- I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

2. Jesus was made in the likeness of men, Hebrews 10:5, “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:”

3. His life on this earth was not that of the rich, 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

4. The Lord actually lives as poor man, Matthew 8:20, “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”

C. Jesus was a man not of wisdom, Luke 16:9, “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”

II. JESUS LEFT GLORY TO BE THE SACRIFICE FOR THE SIN OF MAN

A. God the Father was His Joy, John 17:13, “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

B. The GOAL of the Lord Jesus was to fulfill God’s will, John 17:4, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

1. He had kept the Father’s commandments, John 15:10, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

2. He always pleased the Father, John 8:29, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”

3. He was obedient unto death, Philippians 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

III. JESUS CAME TO DIE FOR YOU AND ME

A. He was forsaken by God, v. 1; Psalms 71:11, “Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.”

1. There was none to help, v. 11; Psalms 10:1, “Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?’

2. This was done to fulfill the Scriptures, Matthew 26:56, “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”

B. He was mocked by the Jews, vv. 12-21.

1. The “strong bulls of Bashan” = “The priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, rulers, and captains bellowed round the cross like wild cattle,” v. 12; Psalms 68:30, “Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.”

2. Jesus marks the more ignoble crowd, while less strong than their brutal leaders, were not less ferocious, vv. 16, 20; Jeremiah 12:6, “For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.”

C. They gambled for His vesture, the seamless coat, v. 18; John 19:23-24, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24-They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”

1. Jesus prayed for His tormentors, Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

2. Jesus suffered the maximum humiliation of being crucified naked.

CONCLUSION:

Psalm 22 paints a true picture of Jesus’ suffering for our sins on Calvary written over a thousand years before Christ’s birth. “It is the photograph of our Lord’s saddest hours, the record of his dying words, the lachrymatory of his last tears, the memorial of his expiring joys.” —Charles H. Spurgeon.