The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 1 specifically is quoted more or alluded to more in the New Testament than any other Old Testament verse. So I want to read the psalm and then we're going to look at three particulars in this passage. Beginning in verse one, 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.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray. Our blessed God and our Holy Father, we come before you now and we ask for the ministry of your Spirit. We confess our sins and our transgressions. We want to be covered in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and have anything that would darken our understanding washed away.

And we pray that you would just guide us by the Spirit to cause us to appreciate afresh our great Redeemer King, the Blessed One described in this psalm, that One who is both Priest and King, who is the One who has saved us from our sins. We pray, Our Father, that You would cause these things to warm and encourage our hearts, fill us with gratitude that we may worship You aright, and grant grace to any and all who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ to come to Him tonight, realizing that He saves to the uttermost, realizing that it's through His blood and through His righteousness that anyone will ever enter in to that blessed state. We ask our Father that you would be praised in this meeting, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

Well, there is a book that was written, I think, in 2010 by a man named Michael Reitelnick. It is The Messianic Hope. Is the Bible, or is the Hebrew Bible, really messianic? And one of the things that he asserts is that many evangelicals are denying that reality.

That instead of being a book full of prophetic testimony concerning the Messiah to come, That's precisely not what the issue is. It's unfortunate that there are evangelicals who maintain such a position in light of the overwhelming evidence to suggest otherwise. Reitelnick sets forth the affirmation of his thesis over against those evangelicals, and one of the things he does is cite a man by the name of James Hamilton. And James Hamilton says this concerning the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is a messianic document written from a messianic perspective to sustain a messianic hope. And I would heartily agree with that. I think Psalm 110 is certainly one of the high points in Old Testament literature that indicates the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I've said, some would question this whole idea.

Look at the superscription. It says it's a Psalm of David. Some say it's a psalm to David, a psalm concerning David. But the New Testament puts that objection to rest very swiftly.

For in Matthew chapter 21, our Lord, I'm sorry, Matthew 22 verse 41, our Lord in dispute with the Pharisees says to them, what do you think about the Christ, whose son is he? They said to him, the son of David. He said to them, How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?

And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question him anymore. Notice that the Pharisees do not offer up an alternative interpretation. They accept the messianic application of Psalm 110 to the Messiah. Now, of course, they rejected that Jesus was that Messiah, but in terms of the interpretation of the psalm, they saw it as messianic as well in Acts chapter 2 and verse 34.

The Apostle Peter says, 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. A commentator who is much to be preferred over those evangelicals that deny the messianic nature of Old Testament prophecy. J. A.

Alexander commenting on Psalm 110. 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. And I would heartily amen what Alexander says in that statement, as would Calvin, as would John Gill, as would Spurgeon, as would all the men. that we trace our blessed heritage to. Psalm 110 is a messianic prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the psalm breaks down into three particulars that I want to look at this evening. In the first place, the Messiah as divine king, verses 1 to 3. Secondly, the Messiah as priest, in verse 4. And then finally, the Messiah as conqueror, in verses 5 to 7.

The Messiah as Divine King

Now notice, in the first place, the Messiah as divine king. Two observations here in verses 1 to 3.

His Enthronement

Note first his enthronement. Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. The parties involved We see Yahweh and the Lord. This is Jesus.

This is Messiah. This is a promise concerning David's greater son. Now there is a link between Psalm 110 and Psalm 2. Again, Alexander recognizes this particular link and he says this is the counterpart of the second Psalm, completing the prophetic picture of the conquering Messiah.

The book of Hebrews makes this connection as well in Hebrews chapter 5 verses 5 and 6. We see the same theme in Psalm 2 as we see in Psalm 110. The idea is that God the Lord, Yahweh of Israel, has stationed His King on His holy hill of Zion. And Yahweh has entrusted to Him universal dominion, absolute authority, power, glory, majesty, and excellence.

That is precisely what we find in the second Psalm and we find in Psalm 110. The backdrop, of course, is what is called the covenant of redemption. The parties of that covenant are the Father and the Son, specifically the Father giving and elect people to the Son, the Son covenanting to the Father that He would indeed redeem them from their sins. We see the application of the historic fulfillment of this in Peter's language in Acts 2.

It is applied at the ascension of our Lord Jesus. It is decreed in history. It finds its fulfillment at the time of the ascension of our Lord Jesus. Now note again Psalm 110 verse 1.

Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. The right hand of Yahweh is simply the position of authority and dominion. It is that place of regal power. It is that place of glory and majesty.

It is that place of exaltation. For Yahweh to put someone at His right hand indicates something concerning that person at His right hand. The rest of the Scriptures indicate that this person at the right hand of Yahweh shares the essence of Yahweh Himself. He is a divine Messiah.

He is the glorious Christ. He is the one that rules from heaven. over all things. Now notice, he says, till I make your enemies your footstool. The Messiah awaits victory over all of his enemies.

I love the language that is employed here. The footstool imagery, according to Gill, is an allusion to the custom of conquerors treading upon the necks of the conquered. Again, these are concepts we're not very familiar with. If we lived in a situation where there was war, where there was battle, where there were bullets flying overhead, where there were contending armies with one another, this psalm would probably take on a whole new light for us.

We live in a very, very calm and subdued sort of a climate. And we sometimes miss the reality of biblical imagery. In Joshua chapter 10, this image is employed. There was a coalition of Amorite kings that joined the king of Jerusalem. in their attempt to oppose the armies of Israel under Joshua.

After Joshua routed the enemies of the Lord, actually it was the Lord who routed his own enemies, we see these five Amorite kings take up place in a cave. So Joshua commands that they roll a stone to keep them in that cave while they finish the battle. And then the stone is rolled away and Joshua gives this particular command to his soldiers. And they drew near and put their feet on their necks." It is a blessed picture of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ subduing his enemies under his foot.

Psalm 47 verse 3, He will subdue the peoples under us and the nations under our feet. And we ought to hear in this passage, we ought to hear in verse 6 as well, as we ought to hear in many, many places in the Old Testament and New, Genesis 3.15. That promise of the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent himself. And we see that Christ lowers his foot upon all of his enemies to bring blessing, joy, comfort, and protection to his people.

And as well, in this statement, we find that Christ's triumph is assured. We mustn't ever forget that. I was trying to think of a good illustration. It's hard right now, isn't it, to imagine a 60 degree day, or what would that be, 15 or 20, with rain.

Doesn't that sound good? I bet our front lawn thinks it sounds very good. Most of us are at this particular point. We walk a fine line here, as A.W.

Pink points out in Sovereignty of God. To complain about the weather is to murmur against God's sovereignty. So I don't want to complain, but I would suggest that in the midst of a heat wave, a 60-degree day with showers looks pretty beneficial, looks pretty enjoyable. But you can't even picture it right now.

You can't even comprehend it right now. You can't even sink your teeth into it. because it seems so far removed. When we look at this world around us, with immorality being legislated from the highest courts in the land, with sodomy being promoted, with abortion continually being promoted, and even subsidized by federal funds, it is difficult to see that foot of Messiah crush the head of the serpent. It is difficult when we are so far removed from a particular reality to envision it, to understand it, and to wrap our minds around it.

But the faithful of Christ have always sung Psalm 110 with a hopeful, confident expectation that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent himself. He will trod down upon him and upon all the enemies of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. This ought to be our battle psalm. This ought to be something we never tire of singing.

We ought to testify with the Psalter. We ought to testify with the New Testament. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies Your footstool. Now notice, specifically, the Messiah's government.

His Government

Under the heading, the Messiah as Divine King. His government is given to us in verses 2 and 3. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

Again, Psalm 2, verse 6. God has placed His Christ on His holy hill of Zion. And why does God place His Christ on the holy hill of Zion? Because of the mutiny of man.

Because of the rage of the nations. Because of the people's plot of vain thing. Because rebel sinners are raising their fist at God and at His Christ. And so how does the calm dignity of the throne room of heaven respond?

By setting His anointed upon His throne. And this is precisely what we find in this instance. In Psalm 2, where Yahweh sets his king on his holy hill of Zion, verse 6, from whence he breaks rebels with a rod of iron and dashes them to pieces like a potter's vessel. I love the way Davis captures Psalm 2.

If you had to do a one-sentence description of Psalm 2, he says, the appointed king, verse 7, with worldwide sway, verse 8, to be established an overwhelming force, verse 9. That is the decree that is controlling history. And that is precisely what we find in Psalm 110. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion.

Pastor Kim read from Revelation 19. We need to understand that that sword proceeds from the mouth of him who rides the white horse. What is primarily in view is the word of the living God. When the law and the gospel are preached, the enemies of Christ are subdued.

Some are rejected and cast off into hell. Others are conquered and brought into the fold. We ought to bless and praise God for the power of that word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ. But in the final days, in the final aspect, there will be that crushing, there will be that bruising, there will be that complete shattering in pieces of all those who oppose the Lord of glory.

Now notice, verse 2 describes the rule of Christ in the midst of his enemies. But as well, verse 3 describes the rule of Christ with reference to His people. Now we often preach Psalm 110 verse 3, and I don't think it's illegitimate, as an effectual call verse. God makes men willing in the day of his power.

I'm sure you've heard me say that many times in this particular pulpit. That is not incorrect. But perhaps the background to this statement in the Psalter is Judges 5. In the song of Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, after the victory they had, It says, they sang on that day saying, when leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord.

So perhaps we are to understand in Psalm 110.3 something of the effectual call. God does make us willing in the day of His power. He doesn't draw us to Himself kicking and screaming. He goes in, He changes our hearts.

He makes us willing. He makes us to see the glory of Christ. He makes us to see the wickedness of sin. He makes us to see the One, as we heard this morning, who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand.

We want to run after Him. We want to lay a hold of Him. We want to hold on tight to Him and never let Him go. But as well, as the servants of Christ, what will we be?

We will be volunteers in the day of His power, so that when He goes conquering and to conquer, we go conquering and to conquer. Now this isn't the holy war that was waged against Canaan. in the Old Testament situation. We need to make sure we understand that. I've said that many times.

There is a disconnect in terms of the theocratic nation of Israel and the new covenant Israel, which is the church. We as Chilliwackians are not to go wage war against Abbotsfordians and lay our feet upon their necks until they cry Jesus. That is simply inappropriate. But the church and her witness The church in her testimony, the church in her conduct, the church in her preaching.

What does she do but wage the battles of Christ the Lord? We need to be about these things. We need to be a willing people in the day of His power. And instead of kowtowing to the culture around us, we shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

And we do so by holding forth the word of truth. And when there is governmental coercion, we say we must obey God rather than men. We declare the whole counsel of God law gospel. We preach all things that the Lord has given to us because we are a willing people in the day of His power.

And then notice that next clause, which I understand to be notoriously difficult Hebrew, says, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning, you have the due of your youth. Now, many commentators take this as a reference to the amount of the number or the multitude of those who come under Christ's way. Listen to Calvin. David extols the divine favor displayed in increasing the number of Christ's people.

And hence, in consequence of their extraordinary increase, he compares the youth or race which would be born to him as to the dew. Isn't that beautiful? Again, something we long for, isn't it? Dew.

What is dew? We haven't seen dew for a long time. But does dew just arrive on one bush in your yard? No, dew encompasses the entirety of your property.

Dew comes down all over the place and this could perhaps be what David is extolling, the number of Christ's elect, the number of those made willing in the day of his power. The number of those who by grace have been conquered in the effectual call, but those who by grace go forth in the name of Christ into a faithful witness and testimony. But there is an intriguing reading in what's called the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. It says, 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. It could not necessarily be referring to the amount of the elect in terms of Christ's rule, but rather it could be referring, as does Psalm 2 do, to the begottenness of the Son by the Father from before the morn. Now, if I was Matthew Henry, I would just give you those two positions and say, figure it out. I certainly favor that Septuagintal reading because I think it does harmonize with what we find in Psalm 2, and I think it does further describe for us the Messiah.

But be that as it may,

The Messiah as Priest

let's look at verse four under the consideration of the Messiah as priest. Again, a very famous, a very familiar passage for readers of the New Testament. Notice, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

The oath of God is riding upon this. Again, the backdrop is that covenant of redemption. that covenant of peace wherein Yahweh has purpose to save a great multitude and Christ as surety and mediator has taken on their behalf all of the obligations of that covenant to fulfill it on their behalf. Notice in Hebrews 7, 20, 21 it says, and inasmuch 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, You see, the priestly office of Christ, the mediatorial reign of Christ, the messiahship of Christ, His rule not only over foes, but over friends, is not up for grabs. It is not willy-nilly.

Brethren, you can hang your soul upon a statement like this. The Lord is sworn. There is nothing higher than God. When God goes into the courtroom, He doesn't put His hand on the Bible.

He swears by Himself. Because there is nothing higher or superior to God. He has sworn an oath, according to Hebrews 6. And this is unchanging.

It is lasting. It is immutable. God is impassable. He doesn't change.

Tomorrow, He is always the same. Yesterday, today, and forever. Notice, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. Now as we proceed through the sermon, and I promise you it's not going to be an hour tonight, I want to love you as I love myself.

I want to treat you as I would like for you to treat me. I do not want to butcher you with heat, but I want to present to you what this passage says concerning this blessed priest king. We are not in the hand of fate. We are not in the hand of luck.

We are not in the hand of cosmic forces that may change when things become contrary. We have the oath of God Most High. We have the promise of God that He is sworn and that He will not relent. He will not change His mind.

Gil says, what follows was said. And this oath was made in the Council of Peace, the covenant of redemption. 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 acts of his acts of grace." Now notice the office of priest. The Lord is sworn and will not relent.

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Isn't that beautiful? The kings in Israel didn't serve in a priestly capacity. And certainly Saul tried to, but what happened?

Did Samuel say, good on you, Saul? No, Samuel upbraided him. Saul should have waited for Samuel before he offered burnt sacrifice. He should have never undertaken on behalf of Yahweh to offer up this sacrifice.

We learn in that particular instance that though our motives may seem to be pious, that though our motives may seem to be I mean, after all, all Saul wanted to do was offer sacrifice to God. That can't be wrong, can it? It can't be wrong that I have a hankering to do the will of the Lord. It is wrong when we undertake in a way or manner that God the Lord Himself has not commanded.

Remember last week in our study of the second word, the first word describes or sets forth to us the object of worship. The second word specifies the manner of worship. So it is sin to worship the wrong God, but it is also sin to worship the right God in the wrong way. Saul was condemned as a result of undertaking in a position that he was never charged with.

But in this instance, this glorious king, this vice-regent, this Messiah, seated at the right hand of Yahweh, is not only king of kings and lord of lords, is not only the one who shatters his enemies to pieces, but he is the priest of his people. He is both priest and sacrifice in a glorious and wondrous combination.

The Order of Melchizedek

Notice the reference to Melchizedek. You can look him up later in Genesis chapter 14. And you can see exposition or amplification in Hebrews chapter 6 and 7. Perhaps the idea that is most primary is the reality that Melchizedek was a king and a priest.

He was a king and a priest, and Christ likewise, not a son of Aaron, from the tribe of Judah, nevertheless of the order of Melchizedek in order to function in this kingly, priestly capacity for the good of his people. Interesting, the prophet Zechariah refers to this one in Zechariah 6, 12 and 13. And he also links him with the branch, that branch that is specified throughout the prophetic literature. He says, Behold, the man whose name is 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 counsel of peace shall be between them both. The glorious Christ will bear the glory.

What does that mean? When anybody looks upon Christ, what is He doing? He is bearing the glory. It's like when you just wash your car.

It looks good. It looks nice. Now this is a bad analogy to be sure, but it's shining and it's gleaming and it reflects something of the value and the import of that particular unit. Christ sitting upon the throne at the right hand of the Father.

What does He do? He bears glory. He manifests glory. He radiates glory.

He demonstrates glory. Pink highlights the significance of these two offices in the one blessed person.

Priest with Royal Authority

He is priest with royal authority and a king with priestly tenderness. Isn't that beautiful? Sometimes you wish there was something you wrote yourself. Actually, I don't.

I don't care. I can just tweet it and get all the joy out of it I want. He is a priest with royal authority and a king with priestly tenderness. Doesn't God answer to our needs specifically?

Doesn't God deal with us in great mercy and kindness? Isn't this precisely the priest we need? He has royal authority. Isn't this precisely the king that we need?

He has priestly tenderness. This is the one for his people.

The Messiah as Conqueror

Now notice thirdly and finally, the Messiah as conqueror. The Messiah as conqueror. Verses 5 to 7, the Lord is at your right hand. Again, I think this is language. that is speaking of Christ at the right hand of Yahweh.

The Lord is at your right hand.

The Extent of His Judgment

Now notice the extent of His judgment. I like the New King James marginal readings better than what we find in the text. Notice in verse 5, He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. Literally, in verse 5, He breaks kings in pieces.

Again, for an excellent essay on Genesis 3.15, may I suggest The Skull-Crushing Seed of the Woman by James Hamilton Jr. He will show you in so many places in the Old Testament Scriptures this allusion to or direct quotation of this concept of the victor of God, the Christ of God, the seed of the woman crushing the skull of the serpent. This is probably in the backdrop in this passage. He will break kings in pieces.

The next statement in verse 6, He shall execute the heads of many countries. He shall break in pieces the heads of many countries. The serpent and his seed will be destroyed by the Lord Christ himself. Notice the extent of his judgment.

The Messiah shall shatter in pieces kings in the day of his wrath. The Messiah shall judge among the nations. The Messiah shall fill the places with dead bodies. And the Messiah shall shatter in pieces the heads of many countries.

Now again, we don't live in a martial climate. We don't walk out tonight wearing flak vests. We're not strapped because of the threat of enemy invaders that may approach us when we go out to our car tonight. I know there's crackheads, and I know there's druggies, and I know there's all those sorts of things.

But I'm talking about combat-ready soldiers. We do not see such things. And such language strikes us as a bit violent. The imagery is a bit harsh for us in our delicate sensitivities.

Those readers of McShane's calendar recently have read Isaiah the Prophet, chapter 63. If you haven't read this lately, you can turn there and notice verses 1 to 6, a description of Messiah. Isaiah 63, verse 1, Who is this who comes from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah, 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 winepress? I have trodden the winepress 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 the 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." Now having not been a part of a martial climate, we miss something of the imagery that is used here.

When we read that Messiah shall fill the places with dead bodies, what does that indicate? For us and our delicate sensitivities, it indicates a bit of a smelly mess. But if we were in a martial climate, it would indicate victory. It would indicate conquest.

It would indicate that our leader, our Lord, our Christ has subjugated his enemies. We need to capture this mindset with reference to the conquering Jesus. I love what Ralph Davis says concerning Christ. This is in his commentary on the book of 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, in righteousness. He says this, 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. Michael Reitelnick in his book, The Messianic Hope, quotes the essayist, the author, rather, Dorothy Sayers. And she said, 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. We have tamed the lion of the tribe of Judah.

We don't read this language and say, praise God Almighty. We get embarrassed. We start getting apologetic. We start trying to reinterpret because we don't want to offend God-hating rebels that their ultimate lot, should they fail to come to the one alone who gives life everlasting, is to be shattered into pieces.

And just think about this mindset. We get a little bit bothered, a little bit irritated, a little bit freaked out, if you will, at the thought of him filling the places with dead bodies and shattering the heads of many countries. Think of the doctrine of hell. You know, as much as this is descriptive, using very violent imagery, it doesn't begin to touch the realities of eternal punishment.

It doesn't begin to touch the realities of conscious, everlasting punishment away from the glory of God Most High in that place where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing. I have never understood the evangelical mindset that stumbles over teaching or preaching or interpreting properly these military martial images and then affirming hell. It just doesn't make sense. Perhaps if we understood these passages and we weren't afraid of these passages, sinners might see that the justice of hell is necessary because the justice of God is about crushing his opposition.

We notice. in this passage, the total destruction, the total subjugation of all of the enemies of Jesus. And then

The Refreshment of the King

the last statement, the refreshment of the king. Notice in verse 7, he shall drink of the brook by the wayside, therefore he shall lift up the head. The battle, there's two views, the battle rages on and he stops long enough just to get a drink of water. Or the idea is that conquest is over, subjugation is concluded.

And now he goes for refreshment. And now he takes a drink. Now he finds that blessed reprieve. And the last statement, therefore he shall lift up the head, that is a reference to conquest.

That is a reference to victory. What has he done to the heads of the many countries? He has shattered them. He has broken them in pieces.

They can't lift the head. When Messiah's foot is upon their neck, the last thing they can do is lift up the head. The contrast is stark. The contrast is sharp.

Their heads are shattered in pieces, and Messiah lifts up His. In faithful obedience to His Father, in executing the messianic task of redeeming His people from their sins.

Application

And thus concludes the exposition quickly. Quickly. In the first place, we need to understand the reality facing Christ's people. The reality facing Christ's people.

From the ascension to the consummation, Christ rules. From the ascension to the consummation, Christ is subduing his enemies. But that also teaches us something. That until the consummation, Christ has enemies on this earth.

And hence the church herself will have enemies. You see, we need to understand things that happen in this world. There is an antithesis. There is a God-imposed antithesis according to Genesis 3.15.

God says, I will put enmity between you and the seed of the woman. I will do this. We ought not to be shocked when the Supreme Court rules in favor of sodomite marriage. We ought not to be shocked that Canada was the fourth country in the world to vote that into law 10 years ago.

We ought to be grieved. We ought to say with the psalmist, rivers of waters run down from my eyes because men do not keep your law. But shocked? No.

What does Jesus teach in Matthew 16? I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Christ will be victorious. That is assured.

That is underscored. But there will be this attempt by the gates of Hades to try and stop the advancement of Christ's kingdom. That is a legitimate application that we derive from this passage. 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.

It is the reality for us. We are facing formidable enemies. We are facing those who oppose Jesus and who oppose his church. In the second place, we ought to be encouraged.

We ought to be, as Brother Dr. Renahan says, encouraged. C.H. Spurgeon says, while we see our Lord and representatives sitting in quiet expectancy, we too may sit in the attitude of peaceful assurance and with confidence await the great outcome of all events.

So we need to be a weeping people with the psalmist. We need to be a praying people with the entirety of God's Word. We need to be a preaching people, a testifying people, a witnessing people, a godly people. But as well we ought to be a hope-filled people because the foot of Messiah is going to stand upon the neck of all of his enemies.

Spurgeon says again in his Treasury of David, 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 Mohammed and other deceivers who are now heads of the people. Jesus must reign and they must perish.

I think I shared with you recently a quote that I saw on a brother's blog. Something to the effect that in the early church, these men from the government say to some presbyters, some elders of the church, They said, we are going to destroy the church. We are going to brutalize it. We are going to decimate it.

We are going to bring it to an end. And the presbyters and the elders said, look, sir, if we haven't been able to do it with our sin and pettiness, then we do not trust that you shall be able to do it either. Christ is building his church. How many times as believers do we forget that?

How many times as believers do we forget the reality of Matthew 28? All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and disciple the nations, baptize them, teach them all that I have commanded you. And he underscores it with his presence.

He says, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Brethren, there is great cause for encouragement for the people of God Most High. There are enemies. There are foes.

There are mahatmatins, as Spurgeon would call them, as Gill would say. But they will be ruined. They will be crushed. They will be dashed to pieces.

The dogma of Rome will not continue into the eschaton. The abortion clinics will not continue into the eschaton. The so-called gay marriage will not continue into the eschaton. Brethren would say, oh, you're preaching hate.

I'm not preaching hate. We ought to love people. We ought to love image bearers. But we ought to preach to them the truth as it is in Jesus.

When we don't define sin properly, men don't see their need. When men have a faulty understanding of God's law and a faulty understanding of sin itself, they will ultimately have a faulty understanding of Jesus the Lord. That is from Bunyan, by the way. The church has great cause to be encouraged.

Matthew Henry said, Christ sitting at the right hand of God speaks as much terror to his enemies as happiness to his people. The third place, we learn of the total subjugation of Christ's enemies. We need to realize there is no peace ultimately in the ultimate sense until all enemies are abolished. That's just reality.

When they went into Canaan, notice specifically in Joshua 21, 44. Joshua 21 and verse 44, which by the way, 21 to 45 gives us an overview of the whole book. But if you notice in verse 44 in Joshua 21, 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.

There could be no rest in Canaan. With Canaanites there? There could be no rest in the New Jerusalem with abortion clinics there. Isn't this precisely how John describes the New Jerusalem?

Which comes down out of heaven adorned as a bride for the bridegroom. In Revelation 21.8 he 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. Doesn't verse 8 describe the headline news on CNN or Fox or whatever place you find your news? Isn't it all about the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars?

Isn't that precisely what we see all around us? Well, rest assured in the New Jerusalem, they're not there. Rest assured, in the New Jerusalem, all the enemies of Christ are vanquished. In the New Jerusalem, all the enemies of God are excluded.

Notice in Revelation 21-27, 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 in 22-15, But outside, are dogs, and sorcerers, and sexually immoral, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. We need to understand that king that proceeds on the white horse, faithful and true, in righteousness he judges and he makes war. He will bring his foot to bear on the necks of all of his enemies.

He will subdue all of his enemies before us. They will be excluded. from that new Jerusalem. And in the final place, we ought to observe the glory of the priest-king. That a king would be a priest is amazing, isn't it?

I mean, think about your job right now. It's probably a difficult job. You've got a lot of responsibility, you've got a lot of hands on your time, you've got a lot of persons under you, persons around you. It's tough to do one job well, isn't it?

I mean, the job of a king, especially, to govern a universal empire. The fact that he is not only king but priest is absolutely amazing. But the fact that he is king and priest and sacrifice is doubly amazing. You see, this priest who reigns forever according to the order of Melchizedek is both priest or offerer and the offered.

And in an interesting sort of juxtaposition of the language of Genesis 3.15, he will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel. What does the prophet Isaiah indicate to us concerning the nature of the servant of the Lord? You can turn to the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. We've used the language of shattering in pieces. synonymous with bruising, synonymous with crushing, synonymous with the subjugation of the enemies of Messiah.

Notice the nature of this priest king also identified as the servant of Yahweh. in the servant songs in the prophet Isaiah. Notice in 53 verse 4, "...surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions." He was bruised or crushed for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to His own way. And Yahweh has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Notice in verse 10, Yet it pleased Yahweh to crush Him. He has put Him to grief.

When you make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed. He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. The way ultimately that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent himself is by being crushed himself on Golgotha by suffering in his own person the wrath and fury of the Father for all those whom God had given to him. It was penal substitution.

The chastisement for Arpes was laid upon him. The Lord Christ is not only king. He is priest, and he's not only priest, but he's victim. He is sacrifice.

He is the one offered. And according to the book of Hebrews, for such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the people's, For this he did once for all when he offered up himself." Notice, he does not make an offering for himself, but he makes an offering of himself for all those whom the Father had given to him. This priestly king laid down his life for us. This priestly king was subjugated under the wrath and fury of his father for us.

This priestly king bore that wrath in our place, in our stead. Brethren, as we were reminded this morning, we need to do this in remembrance of him.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Our father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the Psalter and for the entire testimony of the word of God to the glory of Christ the Lord. We thank you that he sits enthroned at your right hand, where he must reign till all his enemies are made his footstool. We thank you that he is coming again to judge the living and the dead.

I pray that each and every one in this room, that all of us, by grace, would make peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we would be able to stand on that day, that we would be able to extol the King who bears glory, that we would see Him as He is, and we would see Him in all of His beauty and majesty. God, be merciful. Reach down and save sinners. And God, strengthen and encourage us as individuals.

Cause us to see that Christ's victory Christ's conquest is indeed total, that all false religion, that all wickedness and ungodliness, that all wretchedness and evil will ultimately be put down, that in the new Jerusalem only righteousness will dwell, only the people who have been blood-bought will dwell with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit. We thank you for this great encouragement. We pray now that you would guide our thoughts as we remember Jesus, specifically in his dying and in his rising on our behalf. And we pray in Christ's name.

Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15; 14
• Joshua 21:44-45
• Judges 5
• Psalms 2:6; 2:9; 47:3; 110:1; 110:3
• Isaiah 53:4; 53:10; 63:1-6
• Zechariah 6:12-13
• Matthew 16:18; 22:41; 28:18-20
• Acts 2:34
• Hebrews 5:5-6; 6; 7:20-21; 7:26-27
• Revelation 19; 21:8; 21:27; 22:15