The Lord Speaks
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1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
(ESV) —1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
(ESV) —1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Two questions:
If God speaks, is that good enough for you?
When God speaks, its good enough for God.
We speak and what we say carries the weight of our own authority. We might change our minds with new information, but until that happens, we speak and what we say is good enough for us.
If you believe in God, then you do understand that God is higher than you are. He doesn’t look for our approval. We are not able to tell him what to do. The moment we do so, we become god over God. When God speaks, that is good enough for him.
(ESV) —8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
My question this morning is different. If God speaks, is that good enough for you?
The Bible teaches many things that are rejected by our society.
Our culture informs us that abortion is ok, that homosexuality is normal, that what people do or say in the privacy of their home should not be questioned.
Our culture informs us that if you are in power, you have the right to run over any opposition in order to achieve your goals.
Our culture informs us that getting a good job, making good money and living a fun life is a life worth living.
When God speaks, is that good enough for us?
There are some here who absolutely believe what God says about the issues I put forth.
Do you also believe God when he says that you are to bless those who curse you and do good to those who despitefully use you?
Do you believe God when he says that no unwholesome talk should come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up, so that you may give grace to others?
Do you believe God when he says not to murmur or complain?
Do you believe God when he says to make sure that a root of bitterness does not spring up and by it defile many?
Christians are often accused of picking and choosing what they will obey and what they will not obey. I am sure we all do that. I will say that those who accuse us of picking and choosing also have the same problem. They just don’t pick and choose what we pick and choose.
We are not the complete package. We fall short of the glory of God. We cannot possibly meet the standards of others who try to point out supposed hypocrisy.
Yet, if we do consciously pick and choose, if we are set in our ways and deliberately ignoring things we know are wrong in our lives, then we do not show proper respect to God.
When I was younger, no one spoke of environmental issues. I didn’t deliberately ignore them, I was just ignorant of them. The world around us is living in fear of the planet running out of resources. I do not share that same fear because I believe that Jesus is coming again.
Yet that does not give me the right to block my ears to God when he says,
(ESV) —15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
We are to work the land and keep it. This is God’s creation. We don’t need environmentalists to tell us to be responsible in how we use the resources. The resources are God-given. We should be stewards of this earth because the earth belongs to the Lord and all in it.
This is not a political statement. This is a statement of our response to a God who has put us on His earth to take care of it.
This awareness came as a result of studying the Bible.
Are you ready to listen when God speaks?
One area in which God has spoken in found in .
(ESV) —1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
God has spoken and said to Jesus, “Sit at my right hand.”
This is a position of authority and power. God has said that Jesus has authority and power.
Jesus said the same thing.
(ESV) —25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Jesus is the one that we will face on the day we die. As we go through death’s door, Jesus is the one who says, “welcome,” or “I never knew you.” So many people think that when they die, they will stand before God. They will. But they will stand before God, the Son; they will stand before Jesus.
On that day the issue of whether or not you listened when God spoke will be important. The Father has granted the Son to give life and the authority to execute judgment.
Just as you might wish to enter Canada without going through Customs, so you might wish to go to heaven without going through Jesus. But it won’t happen. God has spoken. If we are going to have eternal life, God has said, “The life is in his Son.”
(ESV) —18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
This is an echo of . Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. He has been given all authority.
Do you believe this?
If so, you will be committed to making disciples or followers of Jesus, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey Jesus.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Some of you are very committed to this. You would be the first to acknowledge that this is often difficult to do. But you try and you want to do it because you respect the authority of Jesus in your life.
Some of you have never seen it this way. It may be that God will use my words to jolt you into contemplation and meditation on the direction your life is going.
God has spoken. Jesus is at his right hand. He is in a position of authority. Jesus has spoken. Are we listening and responding?
This issue of who Jesus is and how to respond to him came up at his trial. Caiaphas, the high priest, questioned Jesus. Witnesses had come with contradictory stories. Caiaphas decided to question Jesus directly.
(ESV) —62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Do you submit to the authority of Jesus in your life?
Years ago I had the privilege of hearing Stuart Briscoe speaking on the Christian life. He was a prominent internationally known Christian speaker. He said these words, which today’s message reinforces. He said, “We cannot make Jesus Lord. He is Lord. All we can do is submit to him.”
God spoke to Jesus and said, “Sit at my right hand.” God spoke. What is your response?
I have discovered that the Christians who are growing and making a spiritual impact are those who honor God and honor the Bible.
I know others who say they honor God and honor the Bible, but are totally unaware of any more than a few teachings.
For most of us, glorifying God, putting God first, putting everything in the place God wants it; becomes a gradual process.
I have heard it said that it is not where we are that is important, but in which direction we are headed. Are we walking forward in listening to God and putting Jesus in the high place that God puts him?
That is where I want to be. That is where God wants all of us to be. Let’s pray that we would all be on that path.