Sing to our Ascended King

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” They really had no good reason for standing there looking into the sky. Jesus had returned to the right hand of the Father. He told them he would go away so he could prepare a place for them. Waiting at the place where they last saw him wasn’t going to bring him back. And Jesus had told them what they should be doing. They were to wait for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them. Then they would become witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

            I probably would have continued stare too. Jesus had been everything to these people. Now their teacher is gone. Their friend is gone. Now what? How will they know what to say when they get the chance to witness? It would be ten more days before the Holy Spirit would be poured out on these people at Pentecost. So, “Now what?” and “Who’s going to lead us?” were probably questions going through their minds.  

The angels proclaimed what the sky-gazers needed to hear. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Jesus left them visibly, but he didn’t leave them forever. Luke’s Gospel tells us after this happened, “Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continuously at the temple, praising God.” (Luke 24:51-52)
            Tonight we join our voices with those disciples who praised Jesus after his Ascension. Tonight we join with the Sons of Korah who wrote the words of our text to praise Jesus with, and we join with all of God’s people who over the years praise God who through Jesus has given us deliverance from our enemies. Tonight, we Sing Praises to Our Ascended King.  We sing because our God rules. We praise him for what he has done for us and we praise him for what he continues to do for us.    

            Most of the psalms were written by Jews for Jews, but the scope of this psalm stretches far beyond the nation of Israel: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy” Psalm 47 was written for all people.  That means this psalm was written for you and me.

            Clapping and shouting aren’t exactly the norm when it comes to Lutheran worship, but we need to remember that the setting of these verses isn’t a church sanctuary or even a synagogue service.  Instead picture the glorious procession of a triumphant ruler: “How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth” (2)!

            The Lord most high is awesome. What is awesome? Pizza is not awesome. Fourth of July fireworks are not awesome. Natural wonders like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, they aren’t all that awesome when they are compared with the God who created them.  The Lord Most High is truly awesome, and over the course of human history he has done things that have filled his people with awe.

            “He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet”.  The psalm itself doesn’t explain how and when God subdued nations and peoples, so I will.  How about the time when the armies of Egypt had the poor, defenseless Israelites trapped with their backs against the Red Sea?  What did God do?  He directed Moses to part the waters so that the people could cross over on dry ground.  And then he commanded those same water walls to crash down and destroy the forces of the Pharaoh (Exodus 13 & 14).  How awesome is that?

            Or how about the time when the Israelites came up against the city of Jericho?  What did God use to bring down the walls?  A battering ram?  A massive siege ramp?  A series of underground tunnels?  The Lord directed his people to march around the city seven times and blow their trumpets, and the huge stone walls just collapsed (Joshua 5 & 6).  How awesome is that?

            Or how about the time when Joshua led an army against a group of Amorite kings?  Not only did God give his people a great victory, not only did he send a hailstorm that killed more soldiers than Israelite swords, but he also made the sun stand still so that Israel’s enemies could not escape (Joshua 10).  How awesome is that?   

            God gave his people many military victories like these, but these conquests were only a means to an end.  Every army that was defeated, every king that was conquered, brought Israel one step closer to possessing the land God had promised them.  “He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved” (4).     

            When Abraham pitched his tents in Canaan, he was a stranger living in a strange land.  And still God promised him that his descendants would call that land their own (Genesis 15).  When Jacob stole the birthright from his brother Esau, he was forced to leave the Promised Land and flee for his life.  And still God promised Jacob that he would return (Genesis 28). 

            It didn’t happen for a few hundred years, but the Lord made good on his promises to Abraham and Jacob.  He transformed the land of Canaan into the nation of Israel.  And even more important than that, God fulfilled this far-reaching promise: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3, see also Genesis 28:14).    

We are included in “all peoples,” and we are blessed.  We are blessed through Abraham’s offspring.  We are blessed because God kept his promise to send a Savior.  We are blessed because Jesus gave up his throne in heaven to become one of us.  We are blessed because Jesus gave up his life to take away our sins.  We are blessed because our King “has ascended amid shouts of joy” (5).  We are blessed because we will rule with him in heaven.

How awesome is this?! Psalm 47 pictures Jesus as a king returning to his palace after winning a war. This scene has been played out countless times throughout history. Trumpets blast. Citizens shout and clap. Confetti and flowers rain down from balconies. But the King doesn’t always fight the battles. His men fight for him. And a king doesn’t usually go into battle unless there is a personal benefit for him.

               But Jesus is different. Jesus is a king who went to war, not for his benefit, but ours. Jesus left the glory and splendor of heaven, and the praise of his angles, to live in a world that rebelled against him. A king puts down a rebellion. A king normally kills rebels. This King sought the rebels. This King came to save the rebels. His weapons? H told Peter, “Put your sword away.” The weapons he used: the Word of God, humility, obedience and trust in his Father. While fighting for the rebels in our world, Jesus blessed his followers: he provided for them. He protected them from physical and spiritual enemies: the yeast of the Pharisees, the attacks of Satan, and from themselves.

Jesus knew his final battle would be in Jerusalem. He once said “No prophet can die outside of Jerusalem.” He told his disciples “We are going to Jerusalem…and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” (Mark 10:33-34) Sure enough, while in Jerusalem, his enemies caught up with Jesus after Judas’ betrayal. As he was arrested by the temple guard Jesus followers fled into the darkness and his enemies had their way with Jesus. Jesus was mocked, spit on, and lost his life on that and die on the battlefield of earth.

But this is why Jesus went to Jerusalem. To defeat Satan, Jesus must trust in his Father, meet temptation head on. To defeat sin Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice. To defeat death, Jesus rose again. Having finished this world of bringing back the rebels into his kingdom, God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. 

T.         Tonight we join our voices with those disciples who praised Jesus after his Ascension. Tonight we join with the Sons of Korah who wrote the words of our text to praise Jesus with, and we join with all of God’s people who over the years praise God who through Jesus has given us deliverance from our enemies. All of God’s people praise our Ascended King for all eternally for what he’s done. We also praise him for what he continues to do for us.

2.         If anyone pictures Jesus’ ascension as retirement from work, that is far from the truth. “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne” (8).        

            Simply put, God rules over nations and God rules over rulers over nations. God rules over rulers. The powers of every nation every government on earth belong to him. He is calling the shots each day. God is the only true superpower because every nation and every citizen of every nation is subject to him. Everything belongs to Jesus. And even the president of our country answers to Jesus. But the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth isn’t a tyrant or a dictator. Our King is our Father. Our King is our Savior. 

            Jesus reigns over the nations. The Apostle Paul stated that God the Father, “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Mighty powers fight against Jesus and his salvation and against the Church, but this King of ours works out all of history for the good of His Church. Our Great King uses all his power for our benefit. No retirement for Jesus. He’s as busy as ever.   

            And he has made us citizens of his kingdom.  “The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham” (9).   Do you understand what that verse means?  Let me read it again: “The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham” (9).     

            The Israelites were physical descendants of Abraham. The Jews boasted because they were the children of Abraham.  But they weren’t special because they had Abraham’s blood coursing through their veins. They were blessed because they held onto the promises God had given to Abraham. And those promises were not exclusive to them.

            The Bible tells us that Abraham was saved by faith, and so are we.  By faith we are the children of Abraham.  By faith we belong to the God of Abraham.  By faith we belong to God and live in the kingdom of his grace. By grace this King’s rule extends to us Gentiles. And even now he is ruling in our hearts. And not only does he rule in our hearts, but as the “nobles of the nations, he includes us in his plan of extending his kingdom to other hearts. This former rebel is every privileged to address you fellow nobles with the message from of our gracious King.

            But it doesn’t always seem like God rules all things, does it? If we are honest with ourselves, there are probably times when we wonder if God is really in control. Sometimes we’d rather not have the Lord be in charge because the Lord’s wisdom and our wisdom doesn’t always match up. Sometimes we wonder if the Lord uses all of his power for the benefit of his people. And let’s face it, being a noble in God’s kingdom isn’t real impressive in a world full of rebels. Sometimes we want more than knowing we have an eternal inheritance to look forward to. We’d like to reign now. We’d like the glory now.  

            We don’t know why everything happens, but God does. We can’t always explain why things happen, but God can. And sometimes he does. But even when he chooses to keep his plans hidden from us, his love for us always remains in view. And even if his visible presence has been taken away from us, his Ascension only serves to convince us that his work of salvation has been completed.

            When Jesus was crucified, Pontius Pilate had this notice affixed to his cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). That was an accurate statement, but it wasn’t complete. Jesus was the King of the Jews, but he’s our King too.  His perfect life and sacrificial death give us the answer to life’s most important question: How can I be saved? Jesus’ resurrection proved that he had paid for sin and conquered death. But his ascension strengthened the awesome truth that his victories were complete. If Jesus still had work to do for our salvation he wouldn’t have returned to heaven. And now our risen and ascended Savior guides and directs our lives.     

            Our King will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  Our King will never permit us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13).  Our King will never allow the gates of hell to overcome his church (Matthew 16:18).  Our King is intimately involved in every aspect of our earthly lives, and everything he does for us now brings us one step closer to eternal life.   

            “All’s well that ends well.” The person who coined that phrase wasn’t talking about Jesus’ Ascension, but Jesus finished his work and now all is well. And all will be well for all eternity. Therefore it is our honor and privilege to sing to our King.  We praise him because of what he has done for us. We praise him because of what he still does for us. Amen.

Clap your hands, all you nations;

shout to God with cries of joy.

2How awesome is the Lord Most High,

the great King over all the earth!

3He subdued nations under us,

peoples under our feet.

4He chose our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah

5God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7For God is the King of all the earth;

sing to him a psalma of praise.

8God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.

9The nobles of the nations assemble

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kingsb of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.