"Preparing the People for Worship"

Psalm 24:3-6: Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Or who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.  Selah.

In preparing people for the true worhip of God, let us observe:

A.  The Privilege of Approaching Near God (v. 3)

1.    This is a hill of glory, difficult to ascend (Matthew 7:13).  It is difficult to go uphill, but to go to the hill of the Lord would without the grace of God be impossible due to our sinful state.

2.    The sincere worshipper is admitted into the heavenly temple with his spiritual vision intensified.

B.   The One who truly worships must be Spiritually Prepared for Worship (v. 4)

1.    Outward life is in order:   “clean hands”  Outward holiness is a practical mark of God’s grace.

2.    Inward life is blameless:  “pure heart”  In the believer grace reigns and grace alone.  In the picture that Jesus gave as a parable, we are given a wedding garment that we wear that guarantees our acceptance to the wedding, we did not pay for the garment at all.  It was a gift and we are given it to wear.

C.   The One who truly Worships receives the Divine benediction (vv. 5-6)

1.    Righteousness received is in the sense of the blessings that come from worshipping God (v. 5)

2.    There is a reward for those who truly seek after God—they are promoted to a distinctive and privileged class (v.6).  True seekers are very dear in God’s esteem, and are entered upon his register.  These are the legitimate heirs to eternal life