A Road Map for Life | Remembering Our Redeemer Sample

ALL HAIL, KING JESUS (Psalm 48)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.”

That is the opening verse of Psalm 48. As I mentioned previously, this is the third installment in a trilogy of Psalms. It is wonderful to see how they are connected, all espousing the greatness of our God.

We believe that Psalms 46-48 make up the song of the Millennium. The King is coming. He will set up His throne on this earth to rule and reign for a thousand years. We will rule and reign with Him and also rejoice with Him for that time. We are going to praise Him and give Him glory.

The center of His millennial kingdom is going to be His city, Jerusalem. That is really what these psalms are all about, worshipping Him in the millennial kingdom. Psalm 45 is about Him establishing His kingdom on the earth, and that is followed by these other three psalms about us worshipping the King.

J. Vernon McGee said that to consider these psalms apart from each other is like the little boy who was asked to explain what a lie is from the Bible. So he put together two unrelated Bible verses to say, “A lie is an abomination to the Lord but a very present help in time of trouble.” That child connected two verses in a way that they should not be connected.

But Psalms 46-48 should definitely be connected, and they are connected to Christ. He is the great King who is coming.

We do not know exactly when Psalm 48 was written. Some people believe that it was given upon completion of the second temple, which would make sense because there is a description of the city of Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord. If that is true, I would remind you that in the millennial kingdom, there will be worship like you have never seen before as we will all have access to our great King. It will be glorious, and I am looking forward to it.

Verses 2-8: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.”

Some day, all of the kings of the earth will have to acknowledge the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every throne will eventually fall except for the throne of our God. Every kingdom will disappear except for that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you believe that, what difference should it make in your life? Some practical applications can be made regarding this psalm, and they can be made here and now.

Verses 9-14: “We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”

There is no doubt that he was speaking here about the literal city of Jerusalem and the Temple. But this is a truth not just for Israel, but also for us. He is bringing us not just to a place but also to the God of that place.

The only thing that makes Jerusalem special is God’s presence. The only thing that makes the temple holy is God’s presence. The psalm does not end at Jerusalem; it ends with God. Through Psalm 48 we should learn to know God in a greater way.

1. We can think of Him.

Verse 9 says, “We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God.” Will you think about Him today? It is easy to get your thoughts on so many other things, even bad things. Make a conscious effort today to think about the goodness of God.

We read in Philippians 4:8 the words, “think on these things.” You can choose what you think about. Make yourself think about God’s lovingkindness to you — His grace, mercy, and faithfulness. Think on the Lord. If you are a godly person, He should be in all of your thoughts.

2. We can thank Him.

Thoughtfulness should lead to thankfulness. When we think about the goodness of God, it is only natural to stop and say, “Thank you, Lord.” Praise should well up inside you. That is why verse 10 says, “so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth.”

All people should be giving God thanks and praise and glory. Stop right now for just a moment and thank Him for not letting you go to Hell and for every good gift that He gives you. Be thankful for the Holy Spirit who lives in you and guides you.

3. We can talk about Him.

Verse 13 says that we can “tell it to the generation following.” When you think of the Lord, you should talk about Him. The Bible says in Mathew 12:34, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

When you are thankful to God, you should tell others about your gratitude. Direct your praise to Him, then praise Him to other people. That is the most effective witness you can give. The happiest Christian testimony is when one joyful saint says to someone else, “Let me tell you how good God has been to me.”

Don’t let your testimony be only about how you were saved many years ago. Let it be a present-tense testimony about what God is doing in your life right now. That is verse 14 says, “For this God is our God for ever and ever.”

The psalm concludes, “He will be our guide even unto death.” Let that be your prayer today. When I breathe my last breath here, may it be in the will of God. When I take my last step on this planet, may it be a step in the will of God as I step into His presence forever.

Until then, these are the three things we can do. We can think of Him, thank Him, and tell others about Him. We will definitely be doing it in the millennial kingdom, but we can do it now. You can worship God and talk about Him today. Let the King rule and reign in your heart.

I believe in a literal kingdom that will be established, but I am living under the rule of King Jesus today. By God’s grace, I want to think about Him, thank Him, and talk about Him. I encourage you to do the same.