Jesus; Our Glorious King and Priest

Jesus; Our Glorious King and Priest
Psalm 110:1-7
April 27-28, 2024

      This is another of David’s Psalms. Most biblical scholars consider this the crowning glory of all the psalms. This is without question the most quoted of all the psalms. It touches on the greatest depths of spiritual meaning and reaches the greatest heights of majesty and glory.

      Jesus himself quoted this Psalm and powerfully demonstrated that this Psalm is all about Him! That, in and of itself, makes it the crowning glory of all the Psalms. This was the greatest scripture that the early church used to proclaim Jesus as our glorious King and Priest.

      It also speaks to the latter days and prophetically describes the return of that great king to rule and reign over the nations of the world and to set right all that is wrong in this world. To which we would say, “Come Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

      It describes the coming King and Messiah of Israel as not only a great king, but a high priest. In the history of Israel, in the times of kings and priests, no one person could hold both offices – no one could be both priest and king.

      And yet, here it is. Prophetically, it speaks of a king so great that David refers to him as “my Lord,” the One who sits at the right hand of the throne of the Almighty.

I. David’s Lord Sits at the Right Hand of the Almighty

•  Verse 1 – “The LORD says to my lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”
• The Hebrew is clear, Yahweh says to my Adonai… How could David call him Lord? Who is David speaking of?

Illus – In Matthew 22, the Jewish leaders plotted together how they might trap Jesus in what He said. They challenged Jesus with their deepest and difficult conundrums, hoping He would accuse Himself by His own words. Question upon question Jesus answered profoundly. And then He turned the tables and asked them the deepest question of them all…

 Matthew 22:16-17, The Pharisees sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give tax unto Caesar, or not?”

• Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” He asked. “Caesar’s,” they answered.

Matthew 22:21, He said to them, “Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and render unto God the things that are God’s.” And hearing this, they were amazed.

• The Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, then challenged Jesus with a question designed to make Jesus look foolish.
• But Jesus rebuked them with His answer, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”
• Next the Pharisees, who were constantly debating about which of the Jewish laws were weightier and higher than others, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
• Again, Jesus amazed the crowds with His answer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. All other laws rest on these two commandments.”
• Jesus then asked them a question:

Matthew 22:42-46, “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, until I put your enemies beneath Your feet”’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on ask Him another question.

• Who was David speaking of when he said, “The LORD says to my Lord…”

A. David’s Lord is my King

• Yahweh is LORD, God Almighty, who says to David’s lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.
• Who was David’s Lord? This is one of the greatest questions in the entire Bible. David was the king. There was no one greater than he in all Israel, yet David called him Lord.
• Everyone understood that the coming Messiah would be called the son of David, but David called Him his lord. Who is this lord who must be greater than David himself if David called him lord?
• God the Almighty also gives this person the greatest honor possible when He says, “Sit at my right hand…” To sit at the right hand of the Almighty is to sit level with Him.
•  Jesus is declaring to all men everywhere that the Messiah isn’t just a military commander or a great political figure. He didn’t come to just overthrow the enemies of Israel. He came to conquer the nations and then sit at the right hand of the Almighty until His enemies were made a footstool under His feet.

• The Jewish leaders were dumbfounded by this question. It suggests that the Messiah was far greater than they could have imagined. They wanted a great military leader who could defeat Rome. Jesus didn’t fit into the box of their expectations; he was much, much more. He didn’t come to defeat Rome; he came to defeat sin and death.
•  Jesus doesn’t fit into the box of many people’s expectations, even today. They like a tame Jesus that gave gentle sayings.
• But Jesus came to set free those who are held captive by sin, He also came to break the bondage of their religion.
• “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the father but by Me,” Jesus said. Well, that’s not politically correct. That’s not very inclusive. But if Jesus sits at the right hand of the Almighty, then of course, He is the way, the truth, and the life. Of course no one comes to the Father but by Him, who else sits at the right hand of the Almighty?
• Jesus overturned the tables of their religion; confronted their hypocrisy, and then declared that which can only be declared by the One who sat at the right hand of the Almighty…
• “I am the bread of life, I am the living water, before Abraham was, I am. I am the light of the world, I am the good shepherd, I am the true vine, I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
• He was scourged for our iniquities, crucified for our sins, buried in a borrowed tomb, and raised from the dead on the third day and then sat down at the right hand of His Father until His enemies be made a footstool under his feet.

B. Time to choose sides

• Verse 3 – “Your people volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the birth of the dawn…”
• There comes a time of choosing. There comes a time to choose sides.
• Isaiah was given to see the Lord, sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple… And the angels before the throne calling out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.”
• Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responded, “Here I am. Send me!”
• In Matthew chapter 12, just after speaking about the nature of spiritual warfare, Jesus made another one of those difficult and challenging statements…

Matthew 12:28, 30, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.… He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”

• We recently read in Psalm 103 about the sovereign rule of God over all…

 Psalm 103:19,22, The Lord has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all… Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul.

• There comes a time to choose, to bow the knee. “Choose you this day whom you will serve,” Joshua said. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• Verse 3 – Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; in holy array, from the birth of the dawn…
• It is those who freely come who say, “It is the greatest honor of my life to bow the knee before the great Almighty…”

II. He is the Priest Who Makes Souls Right with God

• Verse 4 – The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
• Jesus made clear that David was referring to Him. He was David’s lord who sat at the right hand of the Almighty.
• But now David adds, that this One who is greater than he is also a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus is King and Priest forever.
• Anyone who desires to have his soul right with God, must know that the way to the Father is made possible through the work of our great high priest – Jesus the Messiah.

A. He is the priest who offered Himself

• Under the Old Testament law, a Levitical priest would offer sacrifices and offerings which were only a symbol and were therefore only symbolically effective.

Hebrews 10:1,3 For the Law, since it is only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year-by-year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.… In those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year-by-year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

• They offered the blood of bulls and goats which could never take away sins for it was only a symbol of that which was to come, that which was greater.
• But Jesus offered Himself; He offered His own blood as payment for our sins and payment in full.

Hebrews 10:11-14, And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

B. Draw near by a new a living way

• This is where it must become personal. Psalm 110 reveals some of the greatest truths known to man. Our response must be personal; that’s my Lord! That’s my King! And that is my High Priest who has made a way for sinners to have a beautiful relationship with the Almighty.
• Therefore, enter into that relationship with confidence; let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…

Hebrews 10:19-23, Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

• You can have confidence because He has taken away your sin and He has taken away your shame.

Illus – When we were kids we picked strawberries every summer. Not every kid was required to pick berries, but it was easy to tell that I was; all you had to do was look my fingers. All my fingers were deeply stained and no amount of washing would remove it. I was ashamed of my poverty and I was ashamed of my stains.

Jeremiah 2:22, “Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord God.

Psalm 103:10, 12, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities… For as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

• He is the High Priest who has made a way for sinners to have a beautiful relationship with the Almighty.