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you you you you you you you you you you welcome to everyone for our call to worship you can turn with me in your bibles to psalm 2. psalm 2. and i'll begin reading in verse 1. why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the lord and against his anointed saying let us break their bonds and pieces and cast away their cords from us he who sits in the heavens shall laugh the lord shall hold them in derision then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure yet i have set my king on my holy hill of zion i will declare the decree the lord has said to me you are my son today i have begotten you ask of me and i will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel now therefore be wise o kings be instructed you judges of the earth serve the lord with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all those who put their trust in him amen well please turn in your hymn books to psalm 110 a psalm 110 a as in alpha we'll stand as we sing together i is oh so is oh is is is [Music] well let us pray our blessed and gracious god it's a great privilege to gather again in your house on this sabbath day we acknowledge your glory and majesty in the created order we see your sovereign power in the providential order and god we stand amazed at your grace and mercy in that redemptive order we thank you for the sending of the son of your love into this world we thank you for his life of perfect obedience to the law his death at calvary is a sacrifice and substitute and we praise you for his resurrection from the dead and god we stand amazed as well at the current session of our blessed savior at the right hand of god almighty we know he has been made head over all things with a specific reference to his church and we look forward to his coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead we pray that as we sing tonight as we consider holy scripture as we uh praise uh pray to you that we would do so in a in a manner that is consistent with what we find in scripture you are in fact a great god you are holy holy holy and as a result your creatures ought to tremble and fear before you it is well god we have received your grace we have received the forgiveness of sins and that righteousness that you have given to us so god may be mingled with joy with thanksgiving and with celebration we come in out from the world and we are weary god we see the various things going on around us we see the enmity revealed against our blessed savior but we are able to be still and to know that you are god to understand that you will be exalted among the nations and in the earth and so even now lord god cause our hearts and our minds to be focused squarely upon you we ask that you would forgive us for all of our sin and transgression we pray for cleansing in that precious blood of the lord jesus we know that our brother john the apostle wrote that first epistle so that we may not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the father even jesus christ the righteous we know god he didn't do this so that we'd have license he didn't do this to promote sin but he did this in light of the fact that we have remaining corruption in light of the fact that there is that principle in us the good that we wish to do we don't do and the wickedness we don't want to do we find ourselves doing so lord god forgive us now and cleanse us in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness we ask god that you would be merciful to those who are still in their sin those who are still dead those estranged those at enmity with you lord god we pray that you would humble them that you would convict them that you would show them the altogether loveliness and the reality that christ is chief among ten thousand and that he is able to save to the uttermost and god in heaven may you bless the word as it goes forth here and elsewhere and may it run swiftly and be glorified and may you be pleased to say from every tribe and tongue in people and nation we ask for your blessing upon churches in our community we thank you for the brothers we have a fellowship with we thank you for that alliance that we have forged in the past several months we ask god that you would bless these men and grant them help and strength and grace and the power of the spirit that they may preach boldly the word of truth we pray for our brother mike and suri we thank you for his labors in the word and doctrine we ask that you would continue to look with favor upon him and upon that local church and may they be a beacon in that community bless ryan as he preaches and in vernon we ask god that you would continue to give him that wisdom and ability and that that that the competence with the scriptures for the edification of the people of god and the calling of sinners under repentance and faith and lord bless the brothers in dryden we thank you for the prospects of a work there we ask god that you would guide them give them wisdom direction and just bless them richly and may they indeed be a place in that community where sinners can find the truth as it is in jesus christ our lord continue with john and with margarita give them full physical health and strength and cause them to continue to go forward in the fear of the lord and in the comfort of the holy spirit bless the entirety of that church and god used them as well in that part of the world in honduras to hold forth the word of truth and lord bless the persecuted church we are mindful god that there is still such oppression and such hardship in the nation of china we see it as well in the muslim-led nations we see the ongoing unrest in myanmar and the recent happenings in afghanistan god all over the earth there is unrest all over the earth there is what appears to us to be chaos but we know this does not shake you we know that our god is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases we know that christ has absolute authority at the right hand of the father that he is over all of these things so god help us to walk in faith help us to have that peace and that that steadiness of heart and mind as we contemplate the world around us let us never forget what the scriptures say concerning the various tumults of the earth that even in the midst of them god reigns over all and lord bless the missionary enterprise bless the preaching of your word throughout the earth we have great encouragement from the psalter from the prophets that the knowledge of yahweh will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea so god give us boldness at the throne of grace give us earnestness when it comes to prayer and help us to intercede on behalf of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and lord god visit this church with your blessing help us to go forward in the fear of the lord help us to honor and to glorify you and help us all to let our conduct be worthy of the gospel of our lord and savior jesus christ bless those among us who are struggling with the physical afflictions associated with life in this world grant all of us grace lord god as we have the various temptations and trials spiritually that confront us in this world and help us lord god to know the nearness of god as our good and may you always keep us by your grace and for your glory and we ask these things in the name of the lord jesus christ amen we can turn with me again in your hymn books to him 4 46 hymn 446 will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign foreign [Music] me so it so well you can turn in your bibles to the book of leviticus for our scripture reading this evening leviticus chapter 1. it's important to remind ourselves of how exodus closes exodus chapter 40 the tabernacle is constructed but we see a bit of a tension involved in the construction of the tabernacle in chapter 40 of exodus at verse 34. it says then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting and the glory of the lord filled the tabernacle and moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting because the cloud rested above it and the glory of the lord filled the tabernacle remember the tabernacle was the dwelling place of god in the midst of israel and it was designed to be a meeting place with israel god and his people would meet together in the tabernacle we'll see uh here we see the shekinah glory of god come down upon the tabernacle but moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting because the cloud rested above it and the glory of the lord filled the tabernacle now moses was not only the leader of israel but he was also probably one of the most holy men that has ever lived on the face of the earth so if one of the holiest men that ever lived on the face of the earth was not able to enter in and meet with god in the tabernacle that presents attention how do we deal with that particular situation well here comes the book of leviticus the sacrificial system describes how guilty vile helpless sinners can enter into the presence of a thrice holy god in the words of michael morales he says israel's sins must be dealt with expiated only a clean a cleansed humanity may belong to yahweh the way to god then is through a bloody knife and a burning altar so the book of leviticus resolves the tension how does sinful man dwell in the presence of a holy god it's through blood atonement it's through the sacrificial system it is in the language of morales the bloody knife and the burning altar now obviously this is typological it points forward to our lord jesus christ who is in fact the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world but it's very crucial for us to understand just what is happening in leviticus what is being prescribed is the means by which israel can access or have access to the true and living god well in the first chapter we see the burnt offering so i'll begin reading in chapter one at verse one now the lord called to moses and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meetings saying speak to the children of israel and say to them when any one of you when any one of you brings an offering to the lord you shall bring your offering of the livestock of the herd and of the flock if his offering is of a burnt sacrifice of the herd let him offer a male without blemish he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the lord then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him he shall kill the bull before the lord and the priests aaron's sons shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting and he shall skin the burned offering and cut it into its pieces the sons of aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and lay the wood in order on the fire then the priests aaron's sons shall lay the parts the head and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water and the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice an offering made by fire a sweet aroma to the lord if his offering is of the flocks of the sheep or of the goats as a burnt sacrifice he shall bring a male without blemish he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the lord and the priests aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar and he shall cut it into its pieces with its head and its fat and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar it is a burnt sacrifice an offering made by fire a sweet aroma to the lord and if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the lord is of birds that he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or young pigeons the priest shall bring it to the altar ring off its head and burn it on the altar its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar and he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar on the east side into the place for ashes then he shall split it at its wings but shall not divide it completely and the priest shall burn it on the altar on the wood that is on the fire it is a burnt sacrifice an offering made by fire a sweet aroma to the lord amen so the book of leviticus underscores what the apostle says in hebrews 9 at verse 22 without the shedding of blood there is no remission the apostle says elsewhere in hebrews chapter 10 that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin as i mentioned this is typological it points forward it is a sign that is demonstrating the coming realities of jesus christ who serves or functions not only as the priest but also as the victim the one that offers himself so essentially what you have in these opening chapters in the book of leviticus you have the laws of sacrifice in chapters one to seven and then you have the consecration of the priests to serve in chapters eight and nine at the end of chapter nine they offer up sacrifice and god approves god consumes it with fire and the people rejoice at the presence of god almighty so again the main emphasis in these opening chapters is how does sinful man enter into the presence of a holy god and this points us forward to that answer that the new testament reveals that uh jesus christ the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world well let us pray our father we thank you for this system that we see in the old covenant we thank you for its typological function the way it foreshadowed and pointed toward the coming of the messiah and god we rejoice that we live in those days that we have seen the beauty and the the the synthesis of all of scripture this consent of all the parts the scope of the whole which is to give glory to god through salvation in jesus christ we bless you and we praise you for that lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world we thank you that we are washed clean in his precious blood and we thank you that we receive his righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone so god encourage our hearts build us up in our most holy faith and cause us to reflect positively upon these things and may we return to you thanksgiving and praise and adoration and worship and we ask through jesus christ our lord amen we can turn with me again to 378. him 378 will stand as we sing together [Music] foreign [Music] is more so say so well you can turn with me in your bibles to psalm 110 psalm 110 it's a psalm we have looked at before in the past both in its old testament setting psalm 110 itself but also in acts 2 the apostle peter appeals to psalm 110 and then various places in the book of hebrews invokes psalm 110. so i want to read the psalm pray and then we'll look at it in some detail a psalm of david the lord said to my lord sit at my right hand till i make your enemies your footstool the lord shall send the rot of your strength out of zion rule in the midst of your enemies your people shall be volunteers in the day of your power in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning you have the dew of your youth the lord has sworn and will not relent you are a priest forever according to the order of melchizedek the lord is at your right hand he shall execute kings in the day of his wrath he shall judge among the nations he shall fill the places with dead bodies he shall execute the heads of many countries he shall drink of the brook by the way side therefore he shall lift up the head amen well let us pray father thank you for psalm 110 thank you for its frequent use in the new testament and god i pray that it would encourage our hearts now as we get a fresh view of christ enthroned at the right hand of god most high lord there ought to be no reason we shrink back in fear in this modern culture there ought to be no reason why we don't step forward in faith with reference to the promises of god that are yea and amen through our lord jesus christ help us as the church of the lord christ to never shrink back from declaring the whole council of god and help us in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to shine as lights and help us to walk in the confidence not in our own strength but in the strength of our blessed savior the lord jesus christ again forgive us for all of our sin fill our hearts and minds with the spirit of god and guide us now as we consider your word and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen well there are those who say that psalm 110 is about david that it's about his reign it's about his rule it's about his authority and sovereignty when he ruled over israel but it's also the case or not also the case rather it is the case that when we get to the new testament we see that it is in fact as the subscription says a psalm of david but it's about his greater son the lord jesus christ it's not david who ascends into heaven it's not david who sits at the right hand of god most high this is peter's argument in acts chapter 2 at verses 34 to 36 david wrote about jesus david wrote about messiah and what david writes about messiah is a great encouragement to the church of our lord jesus we ought to consider the offices of jesus christ that's what happens here in psalm 110. there are two of the three offices of christ underscored the westminster shorter catechism asks the question what offices does christ execute as our redeemer christ as our redeemer executes the offices of a prophet of a priest and of a king both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation so psalm 110 underscores the priestly and the kingly office of christ not that he's not a prophet but these are the ones that are uppermost in the mind of david as he takes pen to paper and gives us psalm 110. michael reitelnik says the theme of the psalm is that the lord has granted universal dominion to the messianic priest king so christ the lord is the subject of david psalm in psalm 110 and there are three things we ought to observe first the kingship of messiah in verses one to three secondly the priesthood of messiah in verse four and then finally the triumph of messiah in verses five to seven and i think a good dose of the triumph of messiah is always a helpful antidote to the people of god who are beset not only with their own remaining corruption and the various temptations that confront us on a daily basis but we live when we live in tumultuous and chaotic times it is good for us to have a fresh view of the kingly reign of our lord jesus christ in fact in the book of revelation john the apostle begins that book by greeting the seven churches of asia minor and then he conveys upon them grace and peace and truth from god the father from jesus christ and from the holy spirit when he describes jesus christ he does so with reference to the threefold office christ is the firstborn from the dead that's the priestly office of jesus christ christ is the uh the faithful witness so there there is the prophetic testimony concerning christ but he's also ruler over the kings of the earth now that is a very key position in the book of revelation in terms of what follows the book of revelation while it is consumed with the triumph of jesus christ it does not shrink back from declaring the hardship of the people of god there are the two beasts in revelation 13. there is oppression to the seven churches in asia minor in chapters two and three there is great persecution in the various cities where the people of god find themselves so what would they need to study their souls in the midst of chaos they would need a fresh word concerning that one who is in fact ruler over the kings of the earth so let's look first at the kingship of messiah in verses one to three you have his enthronement verse one and then his government in verses two and three notice the lord said to my lord now the two parties involved here are yahweh and adonai yahweh and adonai both are translated in the english version as lord but if you notice the first lord it's all caps that's a convention used by the new king james version by other translations to indicate that what's in view is yahweh so we have yahweh said to my lord my adonai sit at my right hand till i make your enemies your footstool one man j.a alexander has seen a connection with psalm 2 the psalm that i read at the outset of worship he says this is the counterpart of the second psalm completing the prophetic picture of the conquering messiah it's not just j.a alexander that does that but it's the apostle paul in hebrews 5 at verses 5 to 6 it says so also christ did not glorify himself to become high priest but it was he who said to him you are my son today i have begotten you psalm 2 and he also says in another place you are priests forever according to the order of melchizedek so the author appeals to both psalm 2 and psalm 110 to underscore that it's speaking concerning that messiah that lord jesus christ sent from the father in order to save his people from their sins so yahweh says to adonai sit at my right hand till i make your enemies your footstool now the right hand of god most high speaks concerning a position of authority and dominion in the heavenly throne room that's what the right hand of god means remember from our study in the confession this morning god is without body he doesn't actually have a hand the bible predicates or asserts truths about god in an improper way not that it's false not that it's a lie not that it's deception but it says that god has a right hand not to teach us that god actually has a right hand but it underscores something concerning his authority his supreme supremacy and his dominion now the fact that the lord jesus sits enthroned at the right hand underscores the reality that christ has supreme dignity and christ has sovereign rule in other words in matthew's gospel in chapter 28 at verses 18 to 20 jesus says all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth now let that sink in for a moment it's not the case that person's running for political office it's not the case that nations who are at war with one another are completely untethered that they in and of themselves are sovereign that they in and of themselves are independent that they in and of themselves can do whatever it is they want no christ most high has absolute authority now often times people say well why does he let what happened happen well i don't know the answer to that but i do know this that all things are in his hand all things are controlled by him and ultimately all things will redound to his glory his honor his praise the vindication of his bride and the ultimate punishment of all of his enemies this is what jesus said in that parable concerning prayer with reference to the important important woman woman this morning remember what he says in luke chapter 18 he says and shall not god avenge his own elect who cry to him day and night you mustn't ever think that your prayers fall upon deaf ears you mustn't ever think that that heaven is closed to the cries of god's people you mustn't ever conclude that christ must have taken a holiday and now he's left us to fend for ourselves no he's enthroned at the right hand of the majesty of god on high and he must reign until all of his enemies are made his footstool that's what david says under the inspiration of the holy spirit it should speak great encouragement to the hearts of his people and it should speak great terror to the hearts of those who are not his people notice the footstool imagery the lord said yahweh said to my adonai sit at my right hand till i make your enemies your footstool the footstool imagery points to conquest verses five to seven underscore conquest john gill says with reference to the image an allusion to the custom of conquerors treading upon the necks of the conqueror now again the bible wasn't written to sissies it wasn't written to delicate people that couldn't deal with a bit of this kind of language it was written to steal the soul and the heart of god's saints it was to encourage it was to strengthen it was to build us up in joshua chapter 10 when they execute the amorite kings they drew near and put their feet on their necks first kings 5 3 when solomon appeals to hire king of tyre hiram king of tyre in order to get building materials for the temple he says you know how my father david could not build a house for the name of the lord as god because of the wars which were fought against him on every side until the lord put his foes under the soles of his feet and then in psalm 47 at verse 3 he will subdue the peoples under us and the nations under our feet and then turn to first corinthians chapter 15 to see the new testament application of this image to our blessed savior the lord christ first corinthians chapter 5 15 at verse 23 well verse 22 for as in adam all die even so in christ all shall be made alive but each one in his own order christ the firstfruits afterward those who are christ at his coming then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to god the father when he puts an end to all rule and author and all authority and and power for he must reign till he has put all his all enemies under his feet the last enemy that will be destroyed his death for he has put all things under his feet this is a most blessed encouragement for the church today turn over to ephesians chapter one same emphasis same emphasis in terms of the triumph of our blessed lord jesus christ this footstool imagery underscores the reality that christ is victor christ is triumphant christ most high will ultimately uh ephesians 1 20 which he worked in christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be had over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all now brethren most likely this imagery also reflects another piece of scripture so does what we find in terms of a vivid description of the triumph of the messiah in psalm 110 verses 5 to 7. specifically notice what it says in verse 6 he shall judge among the nations he shall fill the places with dead bodies he shall execute the heads of many countries most likely this along with the imagery of the footstool is reminiscent of the promise made in the garden at genesis 3 15. i will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed he shall what bruise your head he shall crush your head he shall execute judgment on your head now in the midst of it you shall bruise his heel through the suffering and the death ultimately of our lord jesus christ he gains triumph and victory over the power of darkness so this illusion runs through scripture and instead of going oh that's icky i can't believe that god would actually suggest that christ is going to dash his enemies into pieces the faithful of christ love that concept not because they're barbaric not because they're sadistic not because they don't have some you know well-adjusted idea of justice but rather for the opposite we have been remade anew in the image of our blessed god we have been saved by grace through faith and now we image god in terms of a longing for justice and righteousness the apostle speaks to that in second thessalonians 1. he says it's right with god to repay with tribulation those who afflict you in the book of revelation at chapter 6 you see the souls under the altar crying out how long o lord until you avenge our blood and in revelation 19 at the judgment or after the judgment of the great harlot she's cast into the lake of fire what does heaven do does heaven lecture god on how hard she is does heaven lecture christ on how unjust he is no in revelation 19 there is a four-fold alleluia to god most high for casting down the great into the lake of fire this is a concept that runs from genesis to revelation again i am not suggesting we take up arms again i am not suggesting we go out strap on a c4 vest walk into a crowded mass of people and say we'll see you on the other side that is absolutely positively not the case the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds and those weapons that the church avails ourself of is prayer and preaching but with reference to our messiah with reference to our savior with reference to our lord christ the apostle again in second thessalonians says that he will come in the glory of his father with all of his holy angels taking vengeance on them who knew not god and on those who do not obey the gospel if paul is able to see that as a positive if paul is able to extol that as a good then those of us saved by grace ought to be able to do the same thing david uses the language of his day to underscore that his greater son is going to be the trium the triumphing king the conquering messiah notice back in psalm 110 you have his enthronement in verse 1 and then you have his government in verses two and three the government over his enemies in verse two the lord shall send the rod of your strength out of zion rule in the midst of your enemies you can turn back to psalm two same sort of situation that we find there psalm 2 you have the mutiny of man psalm 2 you have the kings of the earth you have the nations raging you have the peoples plotting a vain thing you have mutiny against yahweh and against his christ so what is the response the response is is that the father sets his king on his holy hill of zion verse six and then in verse seven i will declare the decree the lord has said to me you are my son today i have begotten you ask of me and i will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession again brethren you can't miss this this reference in the great commission go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit why can or why does jesus say this because god most high the father has conferred upon him authority over the nations he has given them to him and thus christ sends forth his church to disciple them and then notice in verse 9 you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel davis comments on psalm 2 he says the appointed king verse 7 with worldwide sway verse 8 to be established in overwhelming force verse 9. that is the decree that is controlling history now again when we walk by sight we don't see it when we walk by faith we understand it that's why it is imperative for the people of god in times of tumult to be in the word of god it's the word of god that communicates to us the various things that we need by way of encouragement by way of stirring us up to prayer by way of stirring us up to faithfulness in the light of a faithless time so do not neglect scripture in the midst of whatever it is you're going through because it's the word of truth that affords that comfort back in psalm 110 we have his rule over his enemies in verse two and then a rule his rule over is his people in verse three your people shall be volunteers in the day of your power in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning you have to do of your youth i think this is reminiscent of judges 5 2 the song of deborah when leaders lead in israel when the people willingly offer themselves bless the lord in other words under the lord's leadership the people of god step up under the lord's leadership the people of god are volunteers in the day of his power he doesn't have to draft us he doesn't have to extort us he doesn't have to coerce us he doesn't have to beg us we are the blood-bought children of god owned by the holy spirit of god and therefore it is our joy and our delight to engage in the service of god and i believe that that's what he means in verse three your people shall be volunteers in the day of your power as well god is sovereign over the hearts of men he is able to make man willing in the day of his power it speaks to his sovereign grace it speaks to the efficacy of the power of the spirit it speaks to his ability to overcome his enemies not with that potter's or with that that that rod of iron but rather with the grace of the word spoken but then that last clause in verse 3 is a bit difficult and the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning you have the dew of your youth some suggest that it underscores the multitude of christ's people calvin takes it this way david extols the divine favor displayed and increasing the number of christ people and hence in consequence of their or extraordinary increase he compares the youth or or race which would be born to him as to the dew the other interpretation goes along with the greek septuagint that's the the greek translation of the old testament scriptures they see it as the eternal relation of origin between the son and the father it goes this way with thee is dominion in the day of thy power in the splendors of thy saints i have begotten thee from the womb before the morning and i think when we compare it with psalm 2 7 i suggest that that is an excellent way to understand what is in view here it is highlighting what john highlights in the prologue in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god this messiah to come this one who is king this one who is prince this one who will be triumphant shares or rather has the essential deity or divinity of god most high now notice in the second place the priesthood of messiah remember that the kings in old covenant israel didn't function as priests remember that instance where samuel tells saul i want you to wait here and don't do anything saul gets impatient so saul says well i'm going to go ahead and offer up a sacrifice this is in first samuel chapter 13. when samuel gets back samuel doesn't commend him samuel doesn't say good on you saul that was wise no he rebukes him and he announces at that point that no longer would saul be or no what longer would the kingdom reside in saul's family it's that place where it is announced that ultimately the king or the crown would pass from saul to the davidic dynasty so saul under or saul arrogates to himself this privilege of offering sacrifice he is condemned by samuel but with reference to messiah as we saw in westminster shorter catechism he executes the office of prophet priest and king here christ is not only king but he's also priests notice in verse 4 the lord has sworn and will not relent you are a priest forever according to the order of melchizedek now this swearing is indicative of the reality that whatever this priest does will most surely come to pass when we look to the book of hebrews specifically chapters 6 and 7 we see the apostle make much of melchizedek and the lord jesus christ in hebrews 7 at verses 20 and 21 it says and in as much as he was not made a pr a priest without an oath for they have become priests without an oath but he with an oath by him who sat and notice again in our text the lord has sworn and will not relent see when it comes to the salvation of his people when it comes to the destruction of his enemies that's not up for grabs that's not something that it may go one way or the other there's an election coming up a federal election it may go one way or the other we certainly don't know we might have some idea we might make our projections we certainly offer up our prayers in terms of what we would desire but we don't know it could go either way but when it comes to the priestly office of our lord jesus christ not only that he is constituted as priest but that he actually engages in the function of a priest it's not left to chance it's not left to be arbitrary it's not left ultimately up to us whether this will come to pass or not christ as priests does what priest is supposed to do in order for the salvation of his people the commitment of god is at play notice the lord has sworn and will not relent john gill says what follows was said and this oath was made in the council of peace when christ was called to this office and he accepted of it and of this the lord never repented as he never does of any of his acts of grace in other words brethren we can be content that god's will will be done god's will will be done when we turn to revelation 5 and 7 we have a great multitude that no man can number when we ponder this now we might think how's it ever going to work out how is he ever going to connect the dots how is it going to be the case that from every tribe and every tongue and every people and every nation there will be a mass this great church triumphant it may be perplexing to us but it's not to god god has decreed god has sworn with enough god has appointed jesus as messiah as priests in order to engage in a priesthood similar to melchizedek in order to save his people from their sins now why does david and why does paul in hebrews compare jesus to melchizedek well the point is is that jesus was from the tribe of judah no priest came from the tribe of judah you had to come from the tribe of levi you had to be connected to aaron you had to be of that stripe that that sort of pedigree in order to function or in order to serve in that capacity of priesthood and so that link between melchizedek and jesus is made by the apostle according to david in psalm 110 at verse 4 which reflects that character back in genesis 14 who was both a king king of salem and a priest of the most high god so melchizedek functions typologically concerning our lord jesus christ some suggest that melchizedek was our lord jesus christ in his pre-incarnate state i do not take that particular position i believe he was the king of salem that was also a priest of the most high and that is where the typological nature was he points forward to one that would come from the father one that would come from the most high one that would combine the offices of both king and priest in his own earthly ministry and we see with reference to this that branch metaphor that's applied to christ in zechariah chapter 6. zechariah chapter 6 at verses 12 to 13. it says behold the man whose name is the branch from his place he shall branch out and he shall build the temple of the lord yes he shall build the temple of the lord he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule on his throne so he shall be a priest on his throne and the council of peace shall be between them both notice that he shall be a priest on his throne who do you think zechariah is talking about the same one that david is talking about in psalm 110 4. the same one that the apostle expounds specifically in hebrews chapter 7. he's not from the tribe of levi he is not connected to the aaronic priesthood but rather his priesthood is of the order of melchizedek that melchizedek from genesis 14 who is both king of salem and priest of the most high now in terms of the practical significance a.w pink has a wonderful statement concerning this in his commentary on hebrews 5. he says this jesus is a priest with royal authority and a king with priestly tenderness isn't that wonderful isn't that awesome isn't that glorious he is a priest with royal authority and a king with priestly tenderness everything that a sinner needs in our lord jesus christ is available in our lord jesus christ we need his compassion we need his kindness we need his mercy we need his love in fact the confession of faith in the catechism reflect on why do we need jesus as a king well we need him to rule over us we need him to command us we need him to protect us and to defend us why do we need jesus as a priest because we need one who is a mediator between us and the father we need one who offers himself up and sacrifice in order to save us from our sins why do we need jesus as a pro as a prophet the catechisms are clear because we're ignorant and we need the voice of god most high and christ brings that as a prophet he brings mediation as a priest and he brings his rule and authority over us as a king it is most blessed that our savior is king and priest and prophet now notice thirdly and finally the triumph of messiah in verses 5 to 7 in psalm 110. he underscores or reiterates or repeats the reality of his position of universal government notice in verse 5a the lord is at your right hand the lord is at your right hand so just before he expounds on the triumph he expounds on the victory he reminds us that he's in the position of advantage in order to be able to carry it out i might say i want to go conquer this particular nation but i don't have the resources to do it i might have the desire but if i don't have the power or the capability that desire might be nice but it doesn't do anybody any good so not only does christ have the desire speaking in the manner of men not only does christ actually carry out or execute his vengeance but he's at the position of authority in order to be able to do so so verse 5a the lord is at your right hand now notice the extent of his judgment verses 5 b and 6. it says he shall execute kings in the day of his wrath the margin says he will break kings in pieces again we have this concept of gentle jesus meek and mild and that's not necessarily wrong but it's not necessarily the whole answer in revelation chapter 6 the persons under the judgment of god most high call upon the mountains call upon the hills call upon the rocks to fall on them and to hide them from the wrath of what the wrath of the lamb so the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world is also the lamb who executes judgment on those who continually rebel against his reign and so the messiah shall shatter in pieces the kings in the day of his wrath notice verse 6 he shall judge among the nations that is one of the the the future sort of things that christ is still engaged with john chapter 5 he says judgment has been given to me acts chapter 17 verse 31 the apostle paul tells us that god judges the world by the man whom he has ordained and he has given proof of this by having raised jesus from the dead the resurrection of the dead not only speaks encouragement and comfort and blessing to the people of god but again it should speak terror to the non-people of god that empty tomb not only publishes grace and mercy and a gospel that saves but it publishes the reality that christ will be the one who judges the living and the dead notice the messiah shall fill the places with dead bodies he shall fill the places with dead bodies and then notice he shall execute the heads of many countries turn over to isaiah 63. this is just those or a couple of places that speak this way concerning messiah isaiah chapter 63 specifically at verses one to six i feel as you're turning i must qualify once again i am not advocating that the people of god go out and engage in violence i'm not advocating that the people of god strap on c4 vests and go and tell people see you on the other side i am not suggesting that at all but what i am underscoring or highlighting is that christ when he comes again it will be to bless his people to bring them into that that blessed uh eternal state wherein we will be with father son and spirit but there will also be a casting off of the enemies of christ there will be a destruction of those who know not god and those who do not obey the gospel look at isaiah 63 verse 1 who is this who comes from edom with dyed garments from bozera this one who is glorious in his apparel traveling in the greatness of his strength i who speak in righteousness mighty to save why is your apparel red and your garments like one who treads in the wine press i have trodden the wine press alone and from the peoples no one was with me for i have trodden them in my anger and trampled them in my fury their blood is sprinkled upon my garments and i have stained all my robes for the day of vengeance is in my heart and the year of my redeemed has come i looked but there was no one to help and i wondered that there was no one to uphold therefore my own arm brought salvation for me and my own fury it sustained me i have trodden down the peoples in my anger made them drunk in my fury and brought down their strength to the earth you see that kind of imagery used or employed by the apostle john in the book of revelation the same language treading the winepress of the wrath and fury of almighty god brethren instead of us going oh that's too horrendous to ever think about as the apostle says in second corinthians knowing therefore the terror of the lord what do we do we persuade men if we actually believe the bible that god not only saves sinners but he's going to execute this kind of vengeance upon his enemies shouldn't that impel us in terms of the evangelistic enterprise shouldn't that impel us in terms of missions shouldn't that impel us in terms of planting churches such that the enemies of christ most high can believe the gospel and be saved and instead of being dashed down instead of being shattered by that rod of iron they come to submit to his rule to his government confessing him as lord and savior perhaps it is this vacancy in our theology in terms of the judgment of god that gives us no immediacy in terms of evangelism perhaps we have bought into the idea that god is only ever loved that there is no righteous judgment there is no execution of justice there is nothing like that brethren if that is the case we won't say with paul knowing therefore the terror of the lord we persuade man several weeks ago in our reading in the book of exodus i quoted dale ralph davis you've probably heard this several times because it's one of my favorite quotes outside of the bible but he speaks concerning jesus in terms of psalm 110 verses 5 and 6. i don't think that's exactly the comment i think the comment is from joshua but he says the popular image of jesus is that he is not only kind and tender but also soft and prissy as though jesus comes to us reeking of hand cream such a jesus can hardly steal the soul that is daily assaulted by the enemy we need to learn the catechism of psalm 24 question who is the king of glory answer yahweh strong and mighty yahweh mighty in battle we must catch the vision of the faithful and true sitting on the white horse the one who judges and makes war in righteousness revelation 19 11-16 no mild god or soft jesus can give his people hope it is only as we know the warrior of israel who fights for us and sometimes without us that we have hope of triumphing in the muck of life brethren again i'm not making this up the old testament is riddled with this imagery as is the new testament dorothy sayers was an english novelist and poet from 1893 to 1957. listen to her perceptive words we have very very efficiently paired the claws of the lion of judah certified him meek and mild and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies that is no joke brethren we have tamed the lion of judah we have domesticated him we have put him on a shelf and have neglected the reality that the lord is at your right hand he shall execute kings in the day of his wrath he shall judge among the nations he shall fill the places with dead bodies he shall execute the heads of many countries and then the psalm ends again on a note of triumph verse 7 he shall drink of the brook by the wayside therefore he shall lift up the head what does a king do what does a warrior do what does a battle-hardened soldier do when he's done dispatching the enemy he drinks water remember samson at jawbone height remember samson betrayed by the by the tribe of judah samson sold out by the very persons that he had engaged in salvation for judah turns over samson into the hands of the philistines samson takes the jawbone of an ass and he kills a thousand philistines you know what samson then wants he wants water he prays to god most high and he sounds almost arrogant but god doesn't take it that way he says i've killed these men i've dispatched the enemies shall i now die for a lack of water god doesn't say you arrogant wretch god gives him an abundance of water so when we see in verse 7 we see the returning king the returning general the battle-hardened man he shall drink of the brook by the wayside therefore notice he shall lift up the head how is he able to do that because the heads of many countries have been shattered to pieces under his rule under his reign and under his government christ is triumphant this king priest will not fail he will competently carry out his duties and he will indeed bring his blessed people unto fruition in terms of salvation or or rather a location in the heavenly jerusalem but he will damn his enemies into everlasting fire in terms of some practical observations and then we close in the first place while the triumph of the king is most conspicuous in the psalm we also ought to appreciate the persecution of christ's people is in the song notice the lord said to my lord sit at my right hand till i make your enemies your footstool so in the midst of the reign of the messiah he still has his enemies and those who identify with messiah by grace through faith will also suffer persecution that's what the text is telling us there will be hardship he doesn't immediately ascend on high and then come in glory and in power there's already been a couple thousand years how many more years i don't know we just need to wait and see we need to patiently look forward to it we need to have the confident expectation that it's going to actualize and that when he comes he will be triumphant but from the ascension to the consummation there is not only a protracted period where christ reigns but also a period wherein he subdues his enemies hence there will be enemies to oppose the church it's similar to matthew 16 i will build my church and the gates of haiti shall not prevail against it there's a promise of triumph a promise of victory i will build my church but there's also a promise that the gates of hades shall try to oppose it so we're not going to go unmolested or unaffected in this present evil age even though messiah isn't thrown at the right hand of the father it's just not the way it's going to be there's going to be hardship there's going to be difficulty and as calvin says at the same time he intimates that the kingdom of christ would never enjoy tran tranquility until he had conquered his numerous and formidable enemies so until that last enemy is defeated first corinthians 15 death there's going to be these assaults against his kingdom secondly the encouragement for christ's people now when we want encouragement from the psalms not only the psalms but when we want encouragement in terms of the psalms spurgeon is a good guide here commenting on psalm 110 he says all nations shall feel his power and either yield to it joyfully or be crushed before it he goes on to say the monarch of the greatest nation shall not be able to escape the sword of the lord nor shall that dread spiritual prince who rules over the children of disobedience be able to escape without a deadly wound pope and priest must fall with muhammad and other deceivers who are now heads of the people jesus must reign and they must perish again brethren these aren't psychos these aren't sociopaths these are biblical commentators that suck the sweetness out of the psalms not only in terms of the salvation of god's elect but the subjugation of god's enemies through his manifested power matthew henry said christ sitting at the right hand of god speaks as much terror to his enemies as happiness to his people again this is a vision that the church of god would do well to have thirdly in terms of psalm 110 we see the total subjugation of christ's enemies when we see that first corinthians 15 20 he must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool calvin again said as a shepherd is gentle towards his flock but fierce and formidable towards wolves and thieves in like manner christ is kind and gentle towards those who commit themselves to his care while they who willfully and obstinate obstinately reject his yoke shall feel with what awful and terrible power he is armed i say this brethren to bring encouragement i say this brethren to steal our hearts i bring psalm 110 for that expressed purpose we live in tumultuous times we live in chaotic times we live in times that are very difficult to navigate if we are not walking by faith in the son of god who loved us and who gave himself for us and who has assured us of his triumph of his victory of his eternal reign and in terms of the gospel we should turn back to psalm 2. to end on that high note that invitation by david to the nations of the earth to behold and see that the lord god most high is good notice in psalm 2 you not only have the rage of the nations verses one to three you have the response of yahweh in verses four to six you have the revelation of the decree in verses seven to nine it ends finally on the response of the wise in verses 10 to 12. notice now therefore be wise o kings be instructed you judges of the earth see david doesn't say well i want those amorites and those hittites and those hivites and those philistines to continue with their pagan gods now david's an evangelist david is a missionary david has a heart for sinners david says come and behold israel's god he tells the surrounding nations to be wise o kings be instructed you judges of the earth now we extrapolate from that not only the kings and the judges but the ones they rule over the ones they judge in other words every single one of us need to come to grips with what david says here notice in verse 11 serve the lord with fear and rejoice with trembling isn't that a blessed concept we can serve the lord with fear and rejoice with trembling i'm sure i've said it before when i was a little kid i remember the the laura ingalls wilder sort of series of books and once in a while you would hear them refer to each other as god-fearing christians as a little guy i never could possibly conceive how there was happiness in fearing god that's because i didn't understand the fear of god the fear of god biblically isn't to run from him it is to run to him it is to understand his glory it is to understand his majesty it is to give him that reverence it is to give him that honor that is his due that's what it means to fear the lord and notice rejoice with trembling verse 12 kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little now notice blessed are all those who put their trust in him verse 12 there's a command kiss the son there is an argument lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little and then it ends with a benediction blessed are all those who put their trust in him if you are not a believer in the lord jesus christ blessed are you when you do so blessed are those sons and daughters of god almighty who are washed in the precious blood who have the holy spirit who are heaven bound who are destined for glory because of the goodness and the mercy and the graciousness of our king our priest our prophet that blessed mediator of the new covenant even jesus christ our lord for those of you who have not tasted and seen that the lord is good i bid you to do so listen to david blessed are all those who put their trust in him let us pray father thank you so much that christ is at the right hand of the father thank you so much that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead thank you that he will not be thwarted that he will not be frustrated that he will not be stopped that his kingdom will come that his glory will be had that the nations of the earth will be judged and that his people will be brought into that blessed rest in the heavenly jerusalem and those enemies cast off into the lake of fire god we pray that more and more of the enemies would come to know jesus as lord and savior we pray that you would give us that impetus knowing therefore the fear of the lord or the terror of the lord help us to persuade men and god bless the preaching of the gospel throughout this land we know again these are difficult days these are divided days these are tumultuous tumultuous days and certainly the answer is to be found in the prince of peace in that one who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand go with us now we pray and bless us in this coming week and help us to be faithful unto you and we ask through jesus christ our lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation [Music] you