Psalm 110 - Jesus is God's Messiah

Psalm 110. Prerecorded talk. SHC. Sunday 26/4/2020. Matthew 22:34-46. Jesus is God’s victorious king – defeating sin and death. Victory The psalm is talking about a king but David is not referring to himself. He is referring to a greater king, the everlasting Messiah. David had been promised that his line of kings would last forever in 2 Samuel 7. And it is a psalm that is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament: Acts 2:32-35 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' What do we learn about king Jesus from this psalm? Appointed by God In verse 1. irreversible and unchangeable. Greater than David calls Lord in verse 1. Matthew 22:45 45 If then David calls [the Messiah] ‘Lord’, how can he be his son?" John 1:30 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' He pre-existed his birth. He is not only human but also God. Why would Jesus point out this riddle? Authoritative and glorious Verse 1. The Messiah is told to “sit at [God’s] right hand”. Matthew 28:18 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Victorious verse 1 where it says: “till I make your enemies your footstool” But who are these enemies? Verse 2, he rules in the midst of his enemies and verse 6, crushes the rulers of the whole earth. 1 Corinthians 15:26 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. His rule is effective Next, we see that the Messiah’s rule is effective. In verse 2, it says, Psalm 110:2-3 2 The LORD will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. Zion refers to the hill Jerusalem is built on. This is the king of Israel who will be the undisputed ruler of the nations. secure and firm. This is a truly just rule. This rule is effective; it is not hindered by any external opposition or internal corruption. He is a priest-king He turns enemies into friends. How is Jesus’ able to defeat death? Psalm 110:4 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek." What is a priest? Hebrews 2:14-17 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Now, you might wonder what the reference is to Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:16 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. Jesus’ work is complete and therefore permanent. Hebrews 9:25-26 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. This is what makes his victory as king effective and permanent. His sacrifice on the cross as priest is effective and permanent therefore his victory over sin and death as king is permanent. The permanence and certainty of this victory is emphasised several ways in our psalm: In verse 1, it says “Sit at my right hand”. All of this is demonstrated to be true by the resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection shows that his payment for sin on the cross is complete. His resurrection shows that his conquest of death is permanent. His resurrection shows that he is Lord of all. So Jesus is not like other kings. He is a priest-king. Jesus did not do battle with the kingdoms of the world and with death by conventional military means but as a priest he defeated his enemies by his death on the cross. Implications There are a number of implications to Jesus being our priest-king: 1. Christ will judge Psalm 110:5-7 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head. 2. Receive the forgiveness of sins. He defeats our enemies – he defeats death and forgives our sin. From the earliest days of the church, the apostles declared: Acts 5:31 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. Receive forgiveness. Jesus our priest-king defeats the enemies sin and death so that human enemies can be reconciled and brought into his kingdom. 3. Live a transformed life Colossians 3:1-4 Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.