‘Who is this King of Glory?’
Almost a thousand years before Christ’s coming, the Psalmist - David - penned this question. It is a question whose answer framed David’s life. Whether out in the field or as the ruler over all of Israel, his was a life of humble adoration and passionate pursuit – all for this ‘King of Glory’.
But why? Who could possibly yield such a response even from a man of such standing and authority as David? Who is this King of Glory?
As we look through Scripture, we find our answer:
This is a King merciful and mighty - the Lion of the tribe of Judah, almighty and all powerful. Yet, also the pure, spotless Lamb who was slain to atone for the sins of the world.
This is a King who is Holy - completely set apart and other, who is worthy of everything and who alone has supremacy; the One to whom all knees will bow. Yet, who also delights to reveal Himself and make Himself known - welcoming the broken, the sinners, the lost and hurting.
This is a King who left His throne of glory, humbling Himself to take on flesh and give His life upon a cross - bearing the sin, shame and punishment of humanity, so that in return humanity could know the life, hope, peace, forgiveness, freedom and joy He offers, in the greatest of all exchanges.
Who is this King of Glory?
He is a King unlike any other. He is the Lord, strong and mighty. His Name is Jesus.
He is the King above all kings!
King Above All Kings is the third full-length live worship album released by Vision Worship.
Over a number of months in 2023, we hit record and endeavoured to capture a season of worship at Vision Church. This is the culmination of that endeavour - 8 original songs, plus a spontaneous moment of worship, recorded live in our Sunday morning gatherings.
Our prayer is that these songs point people to Jesus, the King above all kings, and would lead many to the place of responding to Him in worship so that He would have His rightful place in hearts and lives.
Below you will find some of the stories behind the songs, as well as chord charts and some other resources. We pray they are a blessing to you.
SONG STORIES + CHORD CHARTS
Lord Almighty (Yahweh)
Names are significant. They reveal something of one’s character, nature and identity.
In Exodus 3, when the Lord appears to Moses in the midst of the burning bush, He reveals Himself - and significantly, He proclaims His Name - ‘I AM WHO I AM’. Moses was instructed to tell God’s people that the LORD had sent him, and that this was His Name forever - the One He would be remembered by throughout all generations. The LORD - or in the original Hebrew, the divine Name - YAHWEH.
The Lord Almighty - YAHWEH - that is His Name. This is the One we worship - the one true God. The One who created and continues to sustain the universe. The One who reigns forever in righteousness. The One who is strong to save and deliver. The One who is faithful and unchanging. The One who is forever greatly to be praised. And - the One who so loved the world that He gave the greatest gift - His Son Jesus - that we might know Him.
KING ABOVE ALL KINGS
In Psalm 24 we read: ‘who is this King of Glory?’ Scripture reveals the answer to this question.
This is a King merciful and mighty - the Lion of Judah, all powerful and almighty, yet also the pure and spotless Lamb who was slain.
This is a King who is Holy - completely set apart and other; who alone has supremacy; the One to whom all knees will bow. Yet, He also delights to reveal Himself and make Himself known - welcoming the broken, the sinners, the lost and hurting.
This is a King whose life, death and resurrection was the fulfilment of that which had been prophesied for centuries prior.
This is a King who left His throne of glory, took on flesh and gave His life upon a cross - our Champion and victory.
This is a King who will come again in triumphant glory, to rule and reign forevermore.
This King of Glory is the King above all kings - the One who is worthy of our hearts, time, adoration and devotion. The One to set our hearts upon and order our lives around. This King of Glory is the One who must be front and centre in the songs we sing and the lives we live.
HEAVEN’S SONG
In Revelation 4 - 5 we are given a glimpse into the very throne room of Heaven, where we see this incredible picture of pure and unceasing worship.
We see elders bowing down in reverence, casting down their crowns in humility before the One who is truly worthy. We see living creatures crying out day and night in unceasing worship, beholding the majesty of the Living God. We see myriads (a countless number) of angels, proclaiming the praise and worth of Jesus, the Lamb who was slain. It is a beautiful, glorious and perhaps slightly overwhelming picture.
But then we come to read that every creature joins in the song - in heaven and on earth! That means that when we, as the people of God, worship the Lord here on earth, we are joining with the saints, elders, living creatures and angels in Heaven’s Song. What an incredible picture that is! What an incredible privilege we have, to sing the praises of our God here on earth!
GREAT EXCHANGE
There are so many Scriptures that point us to the wonder and reality of all that Christ Jesus has done. When He freely and willingly surrendered His life upon the cross, a divine exchange took place.
In Isaiah 53 we read of the Suffering Servant - the One who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; the One who was pierced for our transgressions; the One who Himself bore the punishment that brought us peace; and by whose wounds we are healed. In Isaiah 61 we read of the One who brings freedom to the captives, who gives beauty for ashes, and joy instead of mourning. In their New Testament writings, the Apostles Paul and Peter both proclaim how Jesus bore our sin on the cross, and in return we can receive and know His righteousness!
In view of such mercy and radical grace, Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! should be the joyful and grateful response of our hearts! The greatest of all exchanges means we can know life, instead of death; hope for our despair; healing for our pain; forgiveness for our sin; and freedom for our shame. Forevermore, all the glory be unto His Name!
CROSS OF CALVARY
Many songs have been written about the cross. And rightly so! What was once a symbol of suffering, torture, shame and humiliation, through Jesus, has become an anchor of hope, life and victory.
Billy Graham once said ‘the cross shows the seriousness of our sin - but it also shows the immeasurable love of God’.
It was because of the great and unfathomable love of God that the highest price was paid to atone for our sin, and indeed the sin of the world. We have been redeemed - bought back - by the precious blood of Jesus.
Thank You Jesus for the Cross of Calvary - forever our hope and our victory!
Joy (Psalm 23)
This King of Glory who reigns in majesty and power, who is worthy of all honour, glory and praise is also the King who is the Good Shepherd of our souls.
He is the One who cares for us, who leads us, who gives us rest by still waters, who comforts and protects us as we walk through the darkness and the deep valleys, who satisfies the deepest longing of our hearts with His goodness and faithfulness, and who fills our cup to overflowing.
We can not only sing about this One who is our shepherd and keeper, but we can rest assured in and hold fast to His promise that His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives!
We rejoice in you
In Psalm 105:3 it says ‘let the hearts of those who seek you evermore rejoice’. The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 4, writes a similarly challenging exhortation - that we are to ‘rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!’
If we ponder those Scriptures for a moment, they reveal that for those who know and follow the Lord Jesus, there should be a sense of joy and rejoicing in our lives!
To rejoice means to ‘feel or show great joy or delight’. Through Jesus, we can know joy in the midst of the circumstances, because the joy He brings isn’t dependent on the circumstances. We can know a hope that abounds, no matter what the season we are in may look like, because in Christ, we have a hope that never perishes or fades. We can know freedom and life, because through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can have the blessed assurance of life everlasting with Him.
May His joy rise up within us as a result, so that we rejoice in the God of our salvation!
MATCHLESS KING
In Colossians 1:15-20, Paul emphasises the supremacy of Christ. It is a wonderful proclamation of Jesus - both who He is and all He has done, and it should stir our hearts in response.
One of the wonderful things about coming to worship the Lord is that it makes room for Jesus to have His rightful place in our hearts and lives. When we worship, we lift our eyes to Him, and our perspective is made right. We remember that HE is the only firm foundation, that HE is the first and the last, that HE is the Head of the Church, that HE is the Living Word, that HE has the authority, and that in all things HE has the supremacy. There is no one like Him, and He is matchless in every way!
May our hearts be awakened to the greatness of who Jesus is, and may we respond in reverence to the One before whom all knees will bow.