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Amen. You can turn with me in 
your Bibles to Psalm 110 for our meditation this evening. 
Psalm 110, I mentioned this morning how this sort of dovetails with 
the passage that we looked at this morning and with the reality 
that today is the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted 
church. Just to highlight and focus upon 
the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ in Psalm 110. Beginning 
in verse one, I'll read 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 rod 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 due 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 wayside. Therefore, He shall lift up the 
head. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for this, Your Word, and we pray now that You would 
guide our thoughts by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We pray again 
that You would forgive us of our sin and anything that would 
darken our understanding and cause us to reflect upon the 
glory of Christ as He so clearly revealed in this psalm. How we 
thank You for this One who is both King and Priest, as well 
as Prophet. How we thank You for the sureness 
of His triumph, the reality that the knowledge of the Lord will 
cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. And our God in 
heaven, we give you praise and glory that even now, Jesus Christ 
has universal dominion, absolute sovereignty. He said that all 
authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto him. And 
in this, the church greatly rejoices. In this, we find great comfort 
and stability. And even now, Lord God, again, 
encourage our hearts collectively as we reflect upon the blessed 
Savior of sinners. And we ask this in his most glorious 
name. Amen. Well, there are some who 
think that this psalm is about David. Notice the superscription, 
it says, a psalm of David. It was certainly composed by 
David, but it's about David's greater son. It's about the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Matthew 22, 41 to 46, Acts chapter 
2, 34, make this abundantly clear. In the language of J. A. Alexander, 
he says the repeated, explicit, and emphatic application of this 
psalm in the New Testament to Jesus Christ is so far from being 
arbitrary or at variance with the obvious import of the psalm 
itself that any other application is ridiculous. In other words, 
it is specifically and absolutely attributable to our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Michael Reitelnick explains that 
the theme of the psalm is that the Lord has granted universal 
dominion to the messianic priest-king. And that is precisely what we 
find in these seven brief verses. So we saw last Sunday morning 
where Christ said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades 
shall not prevail against it. He promises both the triumph 
of the church and the continual opposition against the church. 
And then this morning we saw how at the very beginning of 
Acts chapter 12, the passage starts off with the death of 
James and the imprisonment of Peter. Peter is ultimately released, 
Herod is ultimately struck dead, and the Word of God triumphs. 
It is increasing, it is multiplying, it is growing in its efficacy, 
or in its effect, rather, among people in the then-known world. 
So tonight I want to reflect on the glory of Christ, the triumph 
of Christ, under three considerations. First, the Messiah as divine 
King in verses 1 to 3. Secondly, the Messiah as a merciful 
priest in verse 4. And then finally, the Messiah 
as triumphant conqueror in verses 5 to 7. Now notice the enthronement. This is, in fact, an enthronement 
psalm, and it is consistent with what we see in Psalm 2. Psalm 
2 and Psalm 110 go together. Again, Alexander says, this is 
the counterpart of the second psalm, completing the prophetic 
picture of the conquering Messiah. Now, Paul in Hebrews makes this 
connection as well in Hebrews chapter 5, verses 5 and 6. He appeals to Psalm 2 and he 
appeals to Psalm 110. In fact, much of Hebrews is exposition 
of Psalm 110. You've probably heard me say 
it many, many times that Psalm 110.1 is the most quoted or most 
alluded to Old Testament passage in the New Testament. It says 
simply, the Lord, Yahweh, said to my Lord, Adonai, or Jesus, 
sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 
And the fact that this was most oft quoted or alluded to in the 
early church ought to tell us something. They were under oppression. They suffered affliction. They 
knew tribulation. They knew the hostility of unbelieving 
Israel, and they knew the hostility of the Roman state. They knew 
what it was to see martyrdom. They knew what it was to see 
imprisonment. They knew what it was to see the dispossession 
of their goods. They knew what that suffering 
was, and yet they never shrunk back from declaring, The Lord 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. This is something the church 
today must recapture. The church today, more often 
than not, assumes this defensive position, this sort of feeble 
and weak position. I'm not speaking about triumphalism 
on the part of the church. I'm not suggesting that we are 
to be arrogant, but rather we are to be confident in the rulership 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have two persons here, 
the Lord, Yahweh, said to my Lord, the Hebrew is Adonai. We 
know that this is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. These 
are two of the three persons of the Trinity, and probably 
behind the scenes is what's called the covenant of redemption, that 
intra-Trinitarian pre-temporal agreement between the persons 
of the Trinity to save God's people from their sins. So Yahweh 
says to Adonai, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. The right hand of Yahweh is a 
position of authority and dominion in the heavenly throne room. 
Now, in terms of when this was enacted, as I said, the covenant 
of redemption, but historically, it comes to pass at the ascension 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. You can turn to the book of Acts 
in Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2 shows us or indicates 
for us when the fulfillment of this takes place in history. 
Though it was already in the plan, the mind, the purpose of 
God, we see the historical fulfillment in Acts 2 with reference to the 
Ascension. Peter preaching on the day of 
Pentecost concerning the person and the work of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, highlights the humanity of Jesus in verse 22. He highlights 
the death of Jesus in verse 23, the resurrection of Jesus in 
verses 24 to 32, and then the exaltation of Jesus. And notice 
in verse 33, he says, therefore being exalted to the right hand 
of God and having received from the Father the promise of the 
Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see in here. For 
David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, 
the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make 
your enemies your footstool. Therefore, let all the house 
of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom 
you crucified, both Lord and Christ. So the historical fulfillment 
of this pre-temporal intra-trinitarian covenant between the persons 
of the Godhead takes place at the ascension of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Going back to the psalm, when 
he says, Now this footstool is an allusion 
to the custom of conquerors treading upon the necks of the conquered. And Joshua 10.24 is a wonderful 
display or description of that. It says, and they drew near and 
put their feet on their necks. Now in the context, it was the 
defeat of the Amorite kings. And this is the way they manifested 
their victory over these Amorite kings. And this is precisely 
the imagery that is used here. It is picked up in the New Testament 
by the Apostle Paul. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 
1 Corinthians chapter 15, just to see this imagery applied on 
a cosmic scale with reference to all things under Christ in 
presentation ultimately or delivered up to the Father. 1 Corinthians 
15, beginning in verse 20. But now Christ is risen from 
the dead and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen 
asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection 
of the dead. 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's 
that is coming. Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom 
to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority 
and power. For he must reign till he has 
put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed 
is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when 
he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who 
put all things under him is accepted. Now when all things are made 
subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject 
to Him, who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." 
So the idea is, is the conquering, triumphant King, the one enthroned 
at the right hand of Yahweh, will most assuredly gain victory, 
will most assuredly see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. 
Back to the psalm, we see the Messiah as divine king, and then 
the psalmist tells us in verses two and three, something of the 
nature of his rule, first over his enemies and then over his 
friends. Notice in verse 2, it says, the 
Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion, rule in 
the midst of your enemies. Again, Psalm 2, 6 tells us Yahweh 
sets his king on his holy hill of Zion. And from that place, 
he wields this rod of iron and he dashes into pieces the nations 
that rebel against him. Ralph Davis, on Psalm 2, basically 
explains it this way. The appointed king, in verse 
7, with worldwide sway, in verse 8, to be established an overwhelming 
force, verse 9, that is the decree that is controlling history. 
Now, all of this, I would suggest, is very encouraging to us, because 
at times, we don't always see it as evidently as it is in black 
and white on the pages of Holy Scripture. In other words, Christ 
presently is stationed at the right hand of the Father. Christ 
presently is lowering his foot upon all of his enemies. And 
yet abortion continues. Euthanasia continues. All this 
Soji stuff continues. And it might cause the people 
of God some perplexity at times, because Christ is King, and yet 
all of these miserable things obtained on the face of the earth. 
Well, brethren, what does Paul tell us with reference to our 
walk? We walk by faith and not by sight. One of the encouraging things, 
I hope, that has been understood in our studies in the book of 
Genesis is that when God makes promises, He doesn't always answer 
the next day. He doesn't always deliver by 
the end of duty on that particular day. There are long periods of 
time where the people of God walk expectantly and confidently 
and hopefully without yet having received the blessings that He 
has promised. We need, as the church of Jesus 
Christ, to see the reality, to see what the text of scripture 
specifies, and to understand that Yahweh said to Jesus, sit 
at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 
Now, not only does he rule over his enemies, but he rules over 
his people. Notice in verse 3. 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 due 
of your youth. Now the second or the latter 
clause is difficult. There's a couple of options. 
I don't want to go into that right now. I simply want to focus 
on the former clause. Notice in verse 3, your people 
shall be volunteers in the day of your power. I think the reality 
behind this, I think it's a great illustration of what we call 
effectual or irresistible grace, the reality that God makes his 
people willing in the day of his power. We are dead in our 
trespasses and sins. We are bound by Satan. We are in an abysmal situation 
and condition. But God, speaking that effectual 
word unto us, is able to awaken us and to make us willing in 
the day of His power to respond favorably to that call, to believe 
on Him, to repent from our sins. But likely within this particular 
context, the idea is simply this, the willingness of the King's 
people to come to Him and to battle for Him. Now it's probably 
here that I should remind us, when I say battle, I remind us 
that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. The Lord God 
doesn't say take up arms and march against Ottawa and bring 
down this civil society. He never calls us to strap on 
a C4 vest and tell sinners we'll see him on the other side. He 
does not call us to engage in that particular manner. But he 
does call us to serve alongside of Christ, using prayer, using 
preaching, being faithful, being salt, being light, and being 
willing to submit happily to the master as he engages in this 
triumph and in this conquest. There's a parallel passage, or 
at least a thematic parallel, in the book of Judges, in Deborah's 
song, in Judges chapter 5. She speaks concerning the willingness 
of God's people. And in Judges 5, 2, it says, 
when leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer 
themselves, bless the Lord. You see, that's the reality behind 
it. We have a great leader. We have 
the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality is, is that we don't 
always willingly serve him. We don't always jump into the 
fray. We don't always engage alongside 
of the savior with reference to the particular battles that 
he is waging. Brethren, at least by prayer 
or certainly by prayer and by other means, we need to enter 
into the blessed position of serving alongside of our master, 
serving alongside of our leader and doing the things that he 
calls us to. Your people shall be volunteers 
in the day of your power. This concept or this idea where 
people grumble or they moan or they whine or they sort of snivel 
or complain when God calls them to something is something contrary 
to Holy Scripture. When we sign up with the master, 
we sign up with the master. Imagine, if you will, some young 
man today signing up for military service, and he gets posted at 
a particular place, and his commanding officer gives him an order, and 
he says, but I don't want to do that. and he snivels, and 
he whines, and he cries, and he complains. Do you think the 
commanding officer is going to say, well, that's okay, junior. 
You go ahead and just lay in your cot, and we will all fall 
down around you and serve you. No, that's absolutely positively 
not what happens. And yet a lot of people come 
to the Savior, and then the Savior places demands on them in terms 
of discipleship, and says, wait a minute, I didn't sign up for 
this. You most certainly did. You absolutely, positively did. I remember being in the military, 
if one whined about where they were going to be posted, the 
response was always the same. The needs of the Air Force dictate. It doesn't matter what you want. 
It doesn't matter what you desire. It doesn't matter if you want 
to go to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. We need you in Thule, 
Greenland. That's the reality behind it. 
And yet, when it comes to the Christian church, we all want 
to sort of barter, bargain, or tell Jesus what it is we're going 
to and not going to do. Now, it could be an act of service. It could be something as simple 
as showing up at church or Bible study. It could be something 
as simple as reading scripture on a given day or praying. These 
are not things by which we earn our way to heaven. This is the 
natural outflow of those who have been conquered by sovereign 
grace. And yet today, it's almost like works righteousness and 
legalism for you ever to tell people to do something that they're 
supposed to do. Wait a minute, if they're supposed 
to do it, then perhaps they need some gentle reminders and some 
chiding along the way. But the Lord Jesus Christ, His 
people shall be volunteers in the day of His power. That's 
the Messiah as divine King, verses 1 to 3. But then notice, secondly, 
the Messiah as merciful priest. Isn't it beautiful? Our blessed 
Savior is both priest and king, and we know prophet as well, 
but this psalm highlights those two offices of the three. As 
mediator, Christ fulfills those roles before God and with reference 
to men. He is the prophet, the priest, 
and the king. The prophet, remember, comes 
on behalf of God to speak to the people. The priest goes from 
the people to God to speak for them, to intercede for them, 
and to present sacrifice on their behalf. And, of course, a king 
rules and reigns and watches over and defends his people. 
So the psalmist here is highlighting these twin aspects of Christ's 
mediatorial role. He is both king and priest, and 
with reference to priest, notice how he occupies this position. Verse 4 says, Yahweh has sworn 
and will not relent. You are a priest forever according 
to the order of Melchizedek. Christ became a priest by virtue 
of the oath of God Almighty. This is drawn out in great detail 
in the book of Hebrews, specifically in Hebrews chapter 7. Remember 
that Jesus was not a Levite. He did not come from the tribe 
of Levi. He came from the tribe of Judah. 
And that caused some people to wonder, well, how in the world 
could he be high priest? How could he be a priest if he 
wasn't Levitical? Well, the apostle in the book 
of Hebrews connects the priestly office of Jesus to this man called 
Melchizedek. Melchizedek was as well both 
king of Salem and a priest. He's the one that Abraham met 
after battle in Genesis chapter 14. And so this is the link that 
is provided in scripture to validate, highlight, confirm, or affirm 
the priestly office of Jesus. So in Hebrews 7, 20 and 21, we 
read, and in as much as he was not made priest without an oath, 
for they have become priests without an oath, but he with 
an oath by him who said. So we have this oath. The Levitical 
priests did not occupy the office by oath. They occupied the office 
by birth. They were born Levites, they 
were born in that particular tribe, and therefore they were 
guaranteed succession in this particular sphere or capacity. 
Not so with our Christ. And just to take a step back 
for a moment and focus upon this verse in the context of redemptive 
history. Now, the temple was standing 
at the time that David penned this. The temple was engaged, 
or there was the engagement of sacrifice in the temple at this 
particular time. There was a priesthood. There 
was a high priest. There was all of the things associated 
with Old Covenant worship happening at this particular juncture. 
And yet David, by the power and in the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit, prophesies of a time coming when there will be another 
priest orchestrating a sacrifice governing over the people of 
God. So Israel was always taught not 
only the kingly office of the Messiah, but as well the priestly 
office of Messiah. This was no new thing when we 
get to the New Testament, But as I said, the book of Hebrews 
shows us specifically how Jesus answers to what David pens in 
Psalm 110 by the power of the Holy Spirit. So it says, the 
Lord has sworn and will not relent. He will not repent. He will not 
change his mind. And to this we can ascribe or 
attribute the blessed perfection of divine immutability and divine 
impassibility. God doesn't relent. He doesn't 
change his mind. He doesn't say, for a time Jesus 
will serve, but then I will remove him from that particular office. 
No, Yahweh 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 any of His acts 
of grace. It's a beautiful thing. This 
is why in Hebrews chapter 7 and in Romans chapter 8, we learn 
that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. He's not 
going anywhere. As long as there is a need for 
his priestly mediation, we will have it as the people of God. 
He intercedes for us and he is an advocate with the Father. 
1 John 2, my little children, I write these things to you so 
that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Now in terms of the office of 
priest, notice what it says. The Lord has sworn and will not 
relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews chapter 6 and 7 specifically 
speak concerning Melchizedek and the reference to the order 
of Melchizedek is primarily seen in the combination of the two 
offices. Remember that in the Old Testament, 
the kings of Judah and Israel, they were not priests. The couple 
of times that kings tried to engage in priestly service was 
not received well or favorably. But Christ as Messiah is unique 
in this particular capacity. He functions both as king and 
as priest, and again, certainly as a prophet to his people. The 
prophet Zechariah refers to the Lord Jesus in Zechariah 6, 12 
and 13, and there he links him with the branch that appears 
often in the prophets. Notice what the prophet Zechariah 
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. See that? We have a priest on 
the throne. We have a king that's a priest 
and a priest that's a king. We have everything that is necessary 
in terms of power and dominion and glory, and everything that 
is necessary in terms of mercy and compassion and kindness. 
Turn to Hebrews 4, where there is some practical sort of implication 
drawn out concerning this reality, that Christ is this for his people. Hebrews chapter 4 at the very 
end, specifically at verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great 
high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of 
God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest 
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points 
tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly 
to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace 
to help in time of need. You see what his argument is? 
Because he is this merciful, omnipotent one, therefore we 
come to the throne of grace to fetch out help in our time of 
need. It's a beautiful statement concerning 
the power of Christ and the availability of Christ and the compassion 
of Christ to give us what we stand in need of. A.W. Pink says 
it this way, he is a priest with royal authority and a king with 
priestly tenderness. I think that's beautiful. He 
is a priest with royal authority and a king with priestly tenderness. And then drop down a little bit 
to chapter 5, verse 5. So also Christ did not glorify 
himself to become my priest, but it was he who said to him, 
you are my son, today I have begotten you. As he also says 
in another place, you are a priest forever according to the order 
of Melchizedek. who in the days of his flesh, 
when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement 
cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, 
and was heard because of his godly fear, though he was a son, 
yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And 
having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation 
to all who obey him. Isn't that a beautiful thing? 
It's eternal salvation. The concept or the idea that 
somebody could be saved and then lost flies contrary to what the 
scripture says. The salvation wrought by Christ, 
applied to His people by the Spirit, received by faith, is 
an eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High 
Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have 
much to say and hard to explain, since you have become dull, of 
hearing. But back to Psalm 110, we see 
the Messiah as divine king in verses 1 to 3, the Messiah as 
a priest in verse 4, and then finally the Messiah as triumphant 
conqueror in verses 5 to 7. As I mentioned this morning, 
some of this language I think shocks the people of God in the 
21st century. We sometimes wonder, can we say that? Can we sing 
this? Can we pray like this? These 
are things that seem so contrary and seem so foreign. I mean, 
even that appeal to Joshua 10, where Joshua and the captains 
of the armies of Israel are putting their heads on the necks of those 
Amorite kings, that just almost seems so antiquated and so barbaric 
and so bloodthirsty. Well, brethren, as we come to 
Psalm 110, verses 5 to 7, that same imagery is employed. Notice 
in verse 5, 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 wayside. Therefore, He shall lift up the head. I'm gonna qualify 
this one more time, because this is the kind of stuff that ends 
up on the internet, and somebody says, that cult leader was rousing 
his people to go out and blow people up. I am not doing that, 
okay? I am not suggesting that our 
service to Christ means to utilize carnal weapons. I am not suggesting 
that we all need to be, you know, look up on the internet on how 
to build bombs so we can advance the kingdom of God. I am not 
saying that. Unequivocally, our service to 
Christ We utilize the spiritual weaponry that He has provided 
to us. We utilize those resources gifted 
to us by the Divine Son. We are not to take unto ourselves 
arms to advance the Kingdom of God Almighty. Now, when he, however, 
operates in a way that is like he does with Herod Agrippa I, 
that we saw this morning in Acts chapter 12, that's his prerogative. That is his right. He is the 
sovereign. He is the universal Lord. He 
has absolute and comprehensive authority. And for anybody to 
say, well, that doesn't seem right or that doesn't seem fair, 
Who are we, oh man, to question God? Who are we to ever call 
into question the rule and the reign of the righteous Lord Jesus 
Christ? He exercises dominion, and primarily 
through those spiritual means. But once in a while, a hair at 
a grip of the first rises up in opposition to Christ, and 
Christ lowers his foot on him in a public spectacle, showing 
him. showing his futility for all 
to see. So the Messiah shall shatter in pieces kings in the 
day of his wrath. Literally, breaks kings in pieces. The Messiah shall judge among 
the nations. The Messiah shall fill the places 
with dead bodies. The Messiah shall shatter in 
pieces the heads of many countries. Now in terms of the violent imagery, 
if this is shocking to you or you find some discomfort singing 
some of the Psalms, we haven't even sang Psalm 94 yet. One day 
we're going to sing Psalm 94 and I guarantee you some of you 
are going to go, are we okay to do this? Is this legit? Every Psalm in the Psalter is 
ours to sing. They are the prayers of Jesus 
Christ. Certainly Christians ought to 
be able to join in along with our Savior as he prays the songs 
of Zion. So brethren, this is legit. This 
is authorized. We see this in the New Testament. 
We see Psalms that are of an imprecatory nature quoted by 
apostles and by our Lord Jesus Christ himself. But as I said 
this morning, it is common and not altogether incorrect to highlight 
the spiritual nature of such language, as well to highlight 
that its triumph comes through the preaching of the gospel. 
But we need to remember the Roman Empire is no more. We need to 
remember that Herod Agrippa I lost it in a most powerful way or 
demonstration of Jesus power. I want to quote two persons that 
refer to how we have domesticated or attempted to domesticate God. One is Dorothy Sayers. She was 
an English crime writer and a poet in 1893 to 1957. She says, We have 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." She ain't wrong. Again, I'm not suggesting 
that we are to go out with bandoleros and guns blazing. But brethren, 
we need to trust in this Christ. not the Christ that is preached 
in many places, the effeminate Christ, the Christ that stands 
outside the door of your heart and knocks. Brethren, if we understand 
what Scripture says concerning the effectual call, Jesus doesn't 
stand at the door of your heart and knock. Jesus takes a battering 
ram and blasts in and saves you by his grace and for his glory. 
That statement in the book of Revelation, I stand at the door 
and knock, is not individual salvation. It is corporate in 
nature. It is to the church in Laodicea. 
If you're going to continue to be lukewarm, If you're going 
to continue in this particular pattern, I will have no truck 
with you. I will spew you out of my mouth, 
but I stand at the door and knock. If any, within the context of 
the church, want to renew that fellowship, Christ is there for 
us. That text has been yanked out 
of context, and then been made to be a personal invitation text, 
and then yield that terrible picture. You know, last week 
I mentioned pictures of Jesus reflect the theology of those 
who make the pictures. Perhaps you've seen it. If you 
have, get it out of your head because it's so bad. But Jesus, 
this effeminate-looking ancient Near Eastern man, is knocking 
on a door. And of course, there's no handle. 
There's no doorknob on his side. That is Arminianism altogether 
highlighted. The door handle is on your side. It's up to you to let Jesus in. 
It's up to you to open the door. It's up to you to invite him 
into your heart. Doesn't that go along with Arminian 
preaching? You need to accept Jesus into your heart. The glory 
of the gospel isn't that you or I ever accept Jesus into our 
heart. It's that God in Christ is reconciling 
the world to Himself. It's that we are accepted in 
the Beloved. That's the emphasis in Scripture. 
The other quote is Ralph Davis in his commentary on Joshua. 
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 and righteousness. 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. See, perhaps we 
have this conception of Jesus as soft, as prissy, as reeking 
of hand cream, as one who is utterly dependent upon the creature 
to open up for him because we've neglected the Psalms. because 
we've neglected the Old Testament, because we've neglected a large 
swath of revelation about who our Christ is. Brethren, there 
is no excuse for that conception of Jesus in pulpits today or 
in the minds of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. He must 
reign, in the language of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15, until all of his enemies are made his footstool. 
That is biblical reality, and as Dale Ralph Davis says, this 
is what steals the soul. It is this that helps us to triumph 
in the muck of life. And I would suggest that when 
we see some of this military, martial language, this violent 
imagery, we ought to thank Genesis 3.15. Genesis 3.15 is the first 
promise of the gospel where the Father says, I will put enmity 
between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. 
He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. How 
many enemies of Yahweh in the Old Testament suffer lethal head 
blows? There are plenty of them. It 
is to amplify, to further along, to comment on that promise in 
Genesis 3.15. The Psalter is filled with allusions 
to Genesis 3.15. We oftentimes, and I hope we 
do, as we read the New Testament, we highlight where Old Testament 
texts are quoted. That's a good endeavor. In fact, 
most of our Bibles, I would probably imagine every English Bible that 
is put together nowadays offsets Old Testament quotes in the New 
Testament. But do you realize that within the context of the 
Old Testament itself, there's a lot of intertextuality, there's 
a lot of connection among the prophets, there's a lot of reference 
back to the law of Moses, there's a lot of building on previous 
revelation and adding to it, amplifying it, furthering it. 
Fleshing it out? Well, this is one of those areas. 
It is commentary on the reality that the soul-crushing, seed-crushing, 
skull-crushing seed of the woman is going to have triumph over 
his enemies. And then that last bit, verse 
7, I think responds or rather reflects on the refreshment of 
the king. It really does show us the military 
or the martial imagery involved. Verse 5, 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. 
This takes effort, doesn't it? This takes the exertion of energy. So verse 7, he shall drink of 
the brook by the wayside, therefore he shall lift up the head. Remember 
when Samson dispatches those 1,000 Philistines by using the 
jawbone of an ass. What does Samson then need? He 
needs water, and he needs it desperately. Now, of course, 
Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, so this is an obvious 
allusion to, or reference to, Christ according to his humanity. 
But it's the reality that in battle, in conquering, in this 
sort of mixing it up with the enemies, there is this necessity 
that he shall drink of the brook by the wayside, and then it says, 
therefore, he shall lift up the head. The lifting up the head 
there is the sign of the conqueror. The heads of many countries have 
been shattered to pieces. The head of Christ is lifted 
up after he has the refreshing water, having dispatched his 
enemies the way that Samson does when he deals with those thousand 
Philistines. Well thus, the psalm, let us 
make a couple of observations and then we'll close. In the 
first place, As we saw this morning, the reality facing the church, 
the same thing is told us here. The Lord said to my Lord, sit 
at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 
That doesn't immediately vanquish all of the enemies. There's battle 
to be engaged in. There's warfare to be conducted. 
That's what verses 5 to 7 indicate. And the same is true with reference 
to us. Calvin says at the same time, with reference to the reality 
of the triumph of the church, Calvin says at the same time, 
he intimates that the kingdom of Christ would never enjoy tranquility 
until he had conquered his numerous and formidable enemies. So that 
is the reality facing us. Secondly, the encouragement for 
the church. And basically I want to quote 
Spurgeon and Matthew Henry. Spurgeon says with reference 
to this psalm, while we see our Lord and representative sitting 
in quiet expectancy, we too may sit in the attitude of peaceful 
assurance and with confidence await the grand outcome of all 
events. Psalm 110.1 ought to provide 
for us security and stability and enable us to be composed. We ought never to lose it, we 
ought never to freak out, we ought never to abandon the faith. 
Christ is at the right hand of the Father where he must reign 
till all of his enemies are made his footstool. Spurgeon again 
said, 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. He says, 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, this might be a bit awkward 
for some of us in the 21st century church because we don't sing 
the Psalms like we should. We don't read the Psalms like 
we should. We don't pray the Psalms like we should. But men 
like Spurgeon, men like Matthew Henry, men like John Calvin had 
the stuff of the Psalter in their hearts, in their minds, in their 
souls. Matthew Henry says, Christ's 
sitting at the right hand of God speaks as much terror to 
his enemies as happiness to his people. That is a beautiful statement, 
brethren, and one that we ought to heartily amen. A third observation 
is the total subjugation of Christ's enemies. He must reign till all 
of his enemies are made his footstool. Turn to the book of Revelation 
for a moment. We're going to bring this to a close soon. But 
look at the book of Revelation. There are three places where 
something is highlighted that I think we need to be reminded 
of. Revelation chapter 21. John describes 
the new heaven and the new earth, the new Jerusalem coming down 
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. After having explained the beauty, 
the glory, the majesty of this new Jerusalem, in verse 8 it 
says, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually 
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their 
part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which 
is the second death." They are excluded from the New Jerusalem. 
Now, cowards there doesn't mean you're afraid of snakes or spiders 
or bears. Perhaps you should be afraid 
of snakes or spiders or bears, especially a bear that's running 
after you and there's a snake waiting for you. That would be 
a very scary thing. Coward in this context means 
those who do not overcome. Each of the letters written in 
the seven churches of Asia Minor in chapters 2 and 3 end on that 
note, he who overcomes, he who overcomes, he who overcomes. So cowardly here means those 
who defect, those who make a confession or a profession and then they 
fall away, those who are apostate, But the point is, is that the 
wicked are excluded from the New Jerusalem. And then notice 
in chapter 21 at verse 27, But there shall by no means enter 
it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but 
only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. And 
then 22, 15. 2215, but outside are dogs, and sorcerers, 
and sexually immoral, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves 
and practices a lie. Now go way back to the book of 
Joshua, all the way back to Joshua chapter 21. We're going to draw 
out a principle concerning the total subjection or subjugation 
of Christ's enemies. Joshua chapter 21, verses 43 
to 45 is the outline of the book. If you want to know what the 
book of Joshua is about, understand Joshua 21, 43 to 45. Verse 43 
encompasses or summarizes chapters 13 to 21. Verse 44 summarizes chapters 
1 to 12. And then verse 45 encompasses the whole book. But in verse 44, notice what 
it says. The Lord gave them rest all around 
according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not 
a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord delivered 
all their enemies into their hand. Now here's the point with 
reference to the total subjugation of Christ's enemies. It isn't 
complete until they're all gone. In other words, the New Jerusalem 
is blessed because all wickedness is external. All wickedness is 
capped out. The highest and most blessed 
beatitude for the people of God is to be in that place wherein 
righteousness dwells. To be in the presence of Jesus 
Christ, the one who has subjugated all of his enemies for the glory 
of his Father and for the good of his people. And so when we 
look at a Psalm 110, for instance, and it talks about the glory 
and the triumph of the Messiah in terms of conquest, that ought 
not to make us go, well, that seems odd. That's language that's 
a bit offensive. That's language that might land 
us in jail today. It ought to steal the soul against 
the enemies or within the context of the enemies of Christ. Brethren, 
we ultimately win is the testimony of Psalm 110. And I hope that 
this is an encouragement and I hope that this will indeed 
bless and strengthen us so that we'll walk in confident faith, 
hope and expectation, not because we're good, but because the Lord 
said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies 
your footstool. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the Lord Jesus 
Christ and for His position of sovereignty and power and universal 
dominion at the right hand of God Almighty, and how we praise 
You that He must reign till all of His enemies are made His footstool, 
and how we praise You that one day in that new Jerusalem, all 
things that offend the law of God, the holiness of God, the 
people of God, will be excluded from that place. Lord, encourage 
us and help us as we walk in the muck of life even now. Help 
us to walk by faith and not by sight. Help us to trust in these 
promises, and help us to be well-versed in the Psalter, and help us to 
be well-versed in biblical religion, so that we may indeed serve you 
in a manner that is consistent with what is revealed in the 
Scripture. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.