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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/aj-higgins/the-wondrous-exultation-of-christ/
I'm going to ask you to turn to Psalm 118 initially, Psalm 118. As I think we mentioned earlier in the week, this is very likely the psalm the Lord Jesus Christ sang in the upper room going out to the cross of Calvary.
When they had sung a hymn or when they had sung a psalm, they went out. And Jewish tradition says that at the Passover, this is the last psalm that would have been sung. So we're just going to break in here for the sake of one or two verses.
Verse number 21, I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.
Another marvelous work of God. Turn to Psalm 72 for a similar expression. Verse number 18 of Psalm 72, Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous or marvelous things and blessed be his glorious name forever.
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen. And amen. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. Now we're going to go back and read the psalm in its entirety. A psalm for Solomon is how this psalm is entitled.
Psalm number 72, one of the great messianic psalms that look forward to a coming day of glory for the Lord Jesus. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgment.
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, the little hills by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people and shall save the children of the needy. He shall break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the moon grass, as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace as long as the moon endure.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river onto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents.
The kings of Sheba and Sheba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also and him that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and needy and save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight and he shall live and to him shall be given the gold of Sheba.
Prayer also shall be made for him continually and daily shall he be praised. There shall be a handful of corn in the earth. The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him. All nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things and blessed be his glorious name forever and let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended. Tremendous song, tremendous prospect, tremendous glory ahead for our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to think, then, with me of this wonderful work of God, the day when he will exalt his son and bring him forth to the gaze of wandering worlds.
Think first, if you will, of the context in which this psalm is found. Now, if you happen to have a I think I know Mr. Newberry does it. I'm not sure of other Bibles. But Psalm 42 to Psalm 72 is the second book of the Psalter or of the Psalms.
It's divided into five sections and those five sections of the Psalms. The first section, 1 to 41, corresponds to Genesis. And so you have creation psalms there and other psalms that link themselves with Genesis.
Here you have the Exodus section that begins in chapter 42 with someone who was cut off. You recall, as the heart paneth after the waterbrook, so paneth my soul after thee, O God, when shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42 begins with a man cut off from God and it ends in Psalm 72 with a man glorified by God. And so it reminds us of what we have in the book of Exodus of judgment. And how does the book of Exodus end?
It ends with the glory of God filling the tabernacle. How does Psalm 72 end? Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. So just as Exodus ends with glory filling the tabernacle, the second portion of the book of Psalms 72 ends with the glory of God filling the entire earth in a coming day.
Now, you can look for other links together, but for now, we'll have to just leave it at that. The language here certainly is exultant. It's expectant. It's thrilling to read of a day that will be so different than the day in which you and I now live and what we are exposed to.
The longings expressed in the psalm by David, it's very obvious. It begins or rather the title superscription of it is a psalm pertaining to Solomon. And yet David is going well beyond Solomon. In fact, if we go back to 2 Samuel 23, interesting that there it says these be the last words of David.
Here it's the prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended. But in 2 Samuel 23, David says, although my house be not so with God. He says, he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.
He shall be like a morning without clouds, tender like the rain coming down upon the tender grass. He says, my house isn't like that. David realized that Solomon could never, never fulfill what we are reading of here, of one whose dominion will be from sea to sea and cover the entire earth.
Kings coming and falling down before him and owning him in all of his glory and in all of his beauty. So while there are some links we could make with Solomon, the language soars and supersedes anything that Solomon ever envisioned or ever accomplished.
When Solomon ended his life or when Solomon's life was ended, there were clouds on the horizon. There were enemies rising up both from within Jeroboam and from without. Hey, dad, and others who are rising up.
There were many, many clouds on the horizon. David said, when the one comes who will rain, it will be like a morning without clouds. No storm clouds hovering over, but absolute peace and righteousness and holiness in that coming day.
So let me just mention for just a moment here about this coming reign. We call it the millennial reign of Christ. One thousand years. That's the word millennial. One thousand years when he will be exalted in the earth and he will have his rightful place.
Why is there going to be a millennial period? Now, there's many different reasons. And we don't have time to look at Revelation 20 and the proof that there is a millennium coming. But here we have a day of glory for Christ over the earth.
And the word of God tells us it will last for a thousand years. But really, that will just be the prelude, the the vestibule into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior. He will reign forever of his of his kingdom.
There shall be no end. A thousand years, yes, but it will go on well beyond that. But this thousand year period is a special period we will see in a moment of testing the final test to which the human heart will be exposed.
But before we get there, why is there going to be a millennial kingdom for the Lord Jesus? Number one, it is going to be a vindication. A vindication of his person. What do I mean by that? The Lord Jesus left this world and in the history books of Rome, he died a criminal.
Over his head was an accusation written. And as far as the world is concerned, that was the last sight they got of Christ. As far as we know now, we can only say what the scripture tells us. As far as we know, no unsafe person saw Christ in resurrection, only seen to his own.
Witnesses chosen before by God. He died, left this world. And I say it guardedly and reverently. He left this world with a cloud of suspicion over his head in the minds of men. Now, God did vindicate him in resurrection.
But public vindication of the Lord Jesus is still future. His kingdom and his dominion and his glory will be partial compensation for the sufferings of the cross. Peter is the one who tells us repeatedly of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
The Lord Jesus spoke to us to those two on the road to Emmaus ought not Christ to have suffered these things and enter into his glory. So suffering preceding glory. It will be a vindication of the person of Christ.
God will bring forth the righteous one who men despised and rejected. He'll be owned in that day vindication, but also not only vindication, but manifestation. You recall in Paul, Timothy says that God will in his own time show who is king of kings and lord of lords.
God is going to manifest his son to the entire universe and. Indicate to everyone what he thinks of his son, giving him the highest place. It's interesting. We I'm going to say I was going to say we're not careful in what we say, but sometimes we are not careful in what we say.
We speak about the purposes of God. The truth is God has one purpose. You never read about purposes of God. It's always in the singular. God has one purpose. Ephesians one reminds us to head everything up in Christ, giving him the highest place head over everything.
His headship is seen in seven different ways in the word of God. We think of him as head of the corner, head of the church, head of the body, head of the nations, head of man, head over all things, head over every principality and power.
God is going to head up everything in Christ and the universe will see a man who is perfectly competent to rule the entire globe and to bring peace and to bring prosperity and not just vindication, not just manifestation, but exaltation.
God will give him the very, very highest place. Do you ever notice in Psalm 24? You all know that Psalm lift up your head, so you gates and be left up the everlasting doors and the king of glory shall come in.
Who is the king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of hosts. He is the king of glory. Now, that is not the Lord Jesus entering heaven. I know we apply it that way.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ coming back from defeating all the enemies and entering into Jerusalem. Just think for with me for just a moment. Psalm 24 says, lift up your heads, oh, ye gates and be lift up the doors and everlasting doors.
The last time he went through the gates of Jerusalem, he went out. Carrying a cross. The next time he goes through the gates of Jerusalem. He'll go through. To claim a crown. The last time he went through the gates of Jerusalem, he was carrying a tree.
The next time it will be to claim the throne. But more than that, you recall what we read elsewhere. Is it Psalm 69? They that sit in the gate speak against me and I was the song of the drunkards. What do you have in Psalm number 24?
You have those that sit in the gate. Singing his praise. You've got the song now, not of the drunkards, but you have the song now of of glory. He went out last time he went out. Marked by shame, he'll come back and it will be a scene of glory.
He went out the last time he went out alone. No disciple. No friend. No one there to comfort or to encourage. He went out alone when he comes back. It will be as the Lord of. Hosts. He'll be bringing a great company with him.
He'll be bringing the redeemed with him in that coming future day. So tremendous contrast between what we're looking at here in Psalm number 72 and what we read in Psalm 24, as well as in what we know of in the Gospels, a day of his exaltation.
But what about the character? That's the context of the character of this kingdom and and its purpose, not just the context where this Psalm is found and the compensation he'll enjoy. But what is the character of the kingdom?
What what is the world actually going to be like when Christ reigns for a thousand years? I mean, it's almost like science fiction to read this because it's so it's so different from our world today. You can hardly begin to to envision that this kind of a world is possible.
That's why it is one of God's wondrous works. Here's something that no government, no administration, no philosophy, no technology, no scientific advancement has ever been able to even come close to doing.
And yet he will do it himself. One man reigning over the earth. So the first thing is, of course, there is a we mentioned already the demonstration of his headship, no longer heads of state that will be vying for power, no longer heads of governments who will be trying to have a place of supremacy.
One man head over all things and will all be on display for the entire universe to behold. Here is a man able to rule for God, able to solve every problem that has ever plagued the human family under his administration.
There is the demonstration of his headship. There's the elimination of social differences and bias. We read together many times versus 2, 4, 12, 13, justice for the oppressed, justice for the poor and needy.
Now, you know as well as I, the poor and needy are what every government plays with, right? You know, they're good for votes and they're good for going to battle when you have a war and they're expendable.
It says here that their blood will be precious in his sight. They will be valuable to him. Now, of course, the other thing that we are plagued with is when people are poor and needy long enough, there's a sense of entitlement that I deserve something.
But in that day, everyone will recognize the absolute grace and mercy of God appreciating God's grace and mercy. So all sense of entitlement gone and a deep appreciation for all that God has given in his son, he will remove bias.
He will remove prejudice. He will remove social injustice. Everything under his beneficent, benign reign will be absolutely as it ought to be, as God meant it to be. All those that governments and nations have bypassed and have just used for the sake of votes or power, whatever it is, he will have deep interest in their needs.
And he will take care of the poor and the needy. We're reminded in verse number four that there will be the eradication of every oppressor. He shall save the children. He shall break in pieces the oppressor.
I almost hate to mention this because I don't want to lower the ministry in any way. But as we sit here tonight, if we knew. If we knew the tragic, heartbreaking reality of the slavery going on in our world today, of people who oppress innocent young girls, selling them into slavery.
If we knew the oppression that occurs in many third world countries where individuals are sold as mere pieces of property, we think slavery is gone. There's a huge slave traffic going on in our world today where the mighty and the wealthy oppress.
It goes on in our country, unknown to most of us and unseen by most of us. Thank God that it's not as bad in this country as many others. But there is tremendous oppression in our world. Our hearts would break if we knew it.
He'll end all that. All that the oppressor will be broken in pieces and all injustice, all the attempts of using people for one's own financial gain or one's own physical pleasure will all be unknown.
Then he will break the eradication of every oppressor. You recall, you recall that when Solomon came to the throne, first Kings chapter three, he removed from his kingdom everything that offended. Job had to go.
Adonijah had to go. Shimei had to go. Abiathar was exiled. He was removing. That's the picture, isn't it? In Matthew 13, when the Son of Man comes, that he will remove everything that offends. In this day, he will remove everything that offends.
Every oppressor broken, we are reminded of here. Verse four reminds us as well of the confirmation of holiness, rather, and of purity, sanctity in his kingdom. Holiness and righteousness will characterize his kingdom.
Sin will not be tolerated. Now, we read elsewhere that the sinner dying 100 years old will be esteemed young. In other words, those who do sin outwardly, blatantly in rebellion against the king will be summarily judged.
Maybe I should back up. All that go into this millennial kingdom, everyone going into it. Now you can go back to Matthew 25, the sheep and the goats, the sheep coming into the kingdom. Everyone entering the kingdom will be a believer in Christ.
But they will have natural bodies. They will not have resurrected, changed bodies at that point in time. So they will have normal children, children who have a fallen nature. They need to be saved. And those that rebel against the king will be judged by the king and righteousness and holiness will mark the kingdom in that day.
In fact, if you read in Zechariah 14, so pervasive will be holiness that it says the common pots will be holy unto the Lord. And upon the upon the horses, the bells will be saying holiness to the Lord.
It says, though, holiness will fill the entire earth. We have that hymn in our book, don't we? Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. And what once marked the throne where the cherubim surrounded it and sang, holy, holy, holy will then fill the earth in a coming day.
A few years ago. Back where I live in the city of Philadelphia, there used to be a department store called Wanamakers. Now it's actually sold as now a Macy's department store. But in Wanamakers is the largest pipe organ in the world.
Strange it's in a department store, but that's where it is. And there are concerts every day on the large Wanamaker organ. Number of years ago, I think it's now six or seven years ago during the holiday season, doing what was called a random act of.
The arts, the Philadelphia Opera Company and a number of other groups infiltrated. They have a grand court right in the center of the department store, and it goes up, opens for many, many floors, and the grand organ is on the second tier above and at a given signal unknown to anyone as these people were all shopping during their holiday shopping and all of these professional singers were there at a given signal.
They began singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel. You can go on YouTube. I think it's still on YouTube and you can just they began scanning the audience, the people, the shoppers, people, their mouths open, and some with tears as the hallelujahs fill that professional singers.
And maybe they really weren't really appreciating the value of the words they were singing. That's very possible. What's going to be like? What will it be like in a day to come when it won't be professional singers and it won't be people singing on cue, but the whole earth, the whole earth singing.
Praising, worshiping. The Lord Jesus, that's the kind of day we're looking at. That's the kind of future that awaits this globe on which we now walk and which we now move the confirmation. Verse seven reminds us of the vindication of the righteous in his day shall the righteous flourish.
Now, we're going to speak more of this if time allows, but if you do any speaking to people about salvation, about God, about the word of God, one thing they'll tell you, one of the many things I'll throw in your face is this.
If there is a God, why do the righteous suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? In that day, in that day, the righteous will flourish. Not only will it vindicate the righteous one, the Lord Jesus, but that kingdom will vindicate that it's worth living a righteous life.
Just one aside from that, maybe some older ones here will remember the name of Mr. Sidney Maxwell. Younger ones, unless you listen to some of his messages on some of the recordings that are available, you would not know Mr. Sidney Maxwell.
But those of us that know him, knew him, deeply cherish his ministry. He taught us as young Christians drilled into our heads that we were going into heaven based on the work of Christ alone and nothing else.
And we were coming out of heaven based on our work alone. Now, do you grasp that? We are going into heaven based on what Christ did. But the way we come out of heaven, the place we will have in this coming kingdom, the usefulness for God we will know eternally is based upon how we have lived for him now.
And so Peter, in his epistle, he takes up that very theme. He says that there is a coming kingdom. And he says, if you're mindful of it, if you don't forget, you are purged from your own sins and don't fail to see a far off.
He says you won't be barren or unfruitful. And he speaks of the fact that you will be supply, you will be administered an abundant entrance, not into heaven, but into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The righteous will be vindicated in that day. In that day shall the righteous flourish. There will be the subjugation versus 9 to 11. Remind us the subjugation of every foe, every foe. Now, we do know that, as we'll see at the end of this millennial period, there will be a final rebellion.
But during that period of time, no one will rise up in rebellion against the king in Jerusalem. Every foe or every foe victorious, we sang he on his throne shall rest. Remember what God has said to his son, sit down at my right hand until I make every enemy a footstool of my feet.
Would it surprise you if I said the Lord Jesus Christ is living by faith today? Yes, it would surprise me. But he is. What what does the Lord Jesus have to guarantee him that what we're reading about here, this coming kingdom is actually going to occur?
We say, well, God has told him he's got God's word. You're absolutely right. And that's what faith is. Faith is just accepting what God says and living in the good of it. So he has God's word and he sits at God's right hand awaiting a day when God will make every foe a footstool of his feet.
We read of it here, every foe beneath his feet in that day, and he will rain from the river to the ends of the earth. The subjugation of every foe. There will be as well in verse number 11, the dedication of willing service.
All nations shall serve him. Now, let me just stop there, because you remember that in Psalm 110, where I just quoted from sit down at my right hand until I make that enemy's life footstool and so on.
Psalm 110 also says in that day, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Now, again, you're going to think that I'm selling Newberry Bibles. I'm not. I've always used the Newberry. So it's kind of like second nature.
But if you look in the margin of Mr. Newberry's Bible in Psalm 110, he'll tell you in that day, thy people will be willing offerings. Willing offerings in the day of thy power. So what that means is when Christ comes to reign, people will clamor for the opportunity of serving him.
I mean, think of what it will mean. Think of the honor. Think of the dignity that will be involved. Here is the king of all the earth upon his throne. And men will just will almost vie for the opportunity of being in his service.
You know what it's like now, the honor linked with being one of the members of a cabinet or the honor that is linked with being one of the individuals in the confidence of a king or a queen and, you know, tremendous prestige.
Well, that's all pride. We're not looking at pride here, but we're looking at the idea of honor, the honor that will be linked with serving him in that day. Have you ever considered that the day defines the deed?
The day defines the deed. Now, what I mean, just think with me on. Think of I think I could find a place in the Bible where a man brought beans and barley. Now, you can't get much more basic than that, right?
That's not gold. It's not like gold, silver, precious stone. It's not gold, frankincense and myrrh. Just beans and barley and a few beds and a few basins. Not worth much, was it? He brought it to David when David was escaping from Absalom in the wilderness.
And it meant everything to David in that day. You see, the day defines the deed. What was a very, very insignificant thing if David were sitting on the throne in his palace, wouldn't be much to bring David a few beans.
Wouldn't meant much to bring David a few basins. Wouldn't meant much to bring David a few bowls. But when David is in the wilderness, when his own nation has turned against him and he's fleeing for his life.
And this is the people came weary and tired and thirsty. And Barzillai comes to meet them with those things. David never forgot it. When David returned, you remember, don't you, that he met Barzillai and Barzillai came to meet him and David wants to compensate him.
What am I saying? I'm saying it'll be a wonderful thing to serve the king in that day. But how much more precious, how much more wonderful to have the opportunity to do it now, not in the day of his power, not in the day when everyone in the world recognizes his glory and honor.
But to serve him now in a day when he's rejected, in a day when he is despised, in a day when he is absent to serve him in some measure, whatever it is, whether Sunday schoolwork seeking to build up the assembly, visiting, comforting, whatever it is, whatever ministry God has given you to do, to do it now and to do it for him in the day of his rejection, the dedication of willing service.
I have to hurry. We're reminded here then of the supplication. Now here it is made for Solomon, but in that day it will all be made through this king and link with that daily shall he be praised. The exaltation that will fill the earth in a coming day daily shall he be praised.
Worship and thanks will fill the kingdom. We're reminded here as well of the cancellation of sin's dominion. Now, what do I mean? We read of it there. There shall be a handful of corn in the earth. Verse number 16, upon the top of the mountains, fruit, the roast shall shake like Lebanon.
You remember Romans chapter 8, the entire creation that the picture there is a graphic and Paul uses the imagery of the whole creation groaning and travailing together. Waiting, waiting for what? Waiting for this day, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, because through man came their subjection to vanity through a man and the sons he is bringing to glory will be lifted temporarily and lifted in part the tremendous curse over the earth so that the idea of food shortages be a thing of the past.
The picture that Amos uses in his prophecy when he speaks of this day, the plowman overtaking the reaper. In other words, the crops are so abundant and so full that hardly have time to bring in one crop before time to plant another and just handfuls upon handfuls of harvest in that coming day and the earth suddenly relieved of the tremendous effects of sin.
Now, it won't be totally relieved. Men will still die if they sin and men will still have a sinful nature. But the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage it is now in in that day when the king reigns.
And so we're reminded here of the abundant harvest that will then mark the earth. I don't know what will happen to the animal kingdom. I don't know whether we'll suddenly be able to control them again or not.
I don't know. I think I think Noah must have had some of that given to him as he brought the animals two by two into the ark, whatever it was. And it may be that we as well, human beings will have dominion again over the natural creation.
But whatever case it is, we see here there will be a lifting, a relief of the bondage, the thorns and the thistles, the sweat and the toil that Adam brought into the world to reap harvest. And in that day, there will be an abundance, an abundance of corn, as we read here in in the land, earth, the earth relieved of the tremendous bondage of sin.
This tells us as well of the illumination that will fill the entire globe. His name continued as long as the sun, the whole earth filled with his glory. The revelation of God through the Lord Jesus Christ filling the entire earth, no spot on the planet where there will be what we call heathen darkness, the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
I think I mentioned earlier the first time that expression occurs is the crisis of unbelief and numbers 14 when the 10 spies brought back the bad report and the nation turned back. God said the whole earth will be filled despite the failure of the nation.
The whole earth will be filled with the glory, with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. It occurs again in Isaiah chapter six and Isaiah as he sees the the holiness of God and the glory of the throne.
He recognizes the whole earth is filled with the glory of God here in Psalm number 72. It's really the prayer, isn't it? The prayer of David. Let the whole earth as he as he contemplates the wonder of that day, as he thinks of all that will occur in that coming day and the blessings that will bring to a groaning to a sad earth.
It's his longing. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. That really, really is the only hope that this planet has. The only hope this planet has is the return of this king in a coming day. It is hopeless.
Otherwise, only. Marked by self-destruction in every way in that day, the king will come back. And of course, the third or fourth time it is used, it's used by Habakkuk as he can't understand how God can use a wicked nation like the Chaldeans to judge Israel as a nation.
And he goes to his watchtower and he makes his prayer. And God says that just shall live by faith. And God says the whole earth shall be filled, even though you don't understand what's happening now, even though it seems so contrary to what should be.
Don't worry, the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. Here it is, David's prayer, his longing. His last words, the prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended. His aspirations culminated.
He can ask for nothing higher, nothing greater, nothing better than the coming king. But you notice something else, what it led to. It led to humiliation or humbling, if you will, a realization that humbled him.
What was that? Notice how David ends this psalm. The prayers of David, the king are ended. No, it's not what it says. When David thinks of the coming king. When he thinks of the king of kings who's coming.
David says, I'm just the son of Jesse. That's all I am. He is the king. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended. And so he takes his place. I think it was Queen Victoria who had one of the, if not the longest, one of the longest reigns as a monarch over Great Britain.
And she was alleged to have said that she would, she longed that during her reign, Christ would return so that she could lay her crown, the crown of the British empire at his feet. David is in effect saying, I cast my crown at his feet.
He is king of kings. I am only David. Just the son of Jesse, the character of the coming kingdom. Let me just quickly then mention one or two other things. How will this kingdom end? What is the consummation of this kingdom?
Three things I just want to point out to you very, very hurriedly. One is the blindness of Satan will be revealed. Now, what I mean by that is this. For a thousand years, Satan will be confined in a chain to a pit in the abyss, Revelation chapter 20.
And after a thousand years, he's loosed for a little season. Now, you would think you would think that Satan would realize after being bound for a thousand years just by an angel and being totally helpless during that period of time, you would think that coming out, he would realize there is no possibility of overcoming Christ.
And yet, after a thousand years, he goes to the four corners of the globe, we read, gathers an army to make one final assault upon Jerusalem to try to destroy the king of kings. And you can read in Revelation 20.
He's summarily dismissed, cast into the lake of fire forever. You may say, I mean, Satan can read the word of God as well as we he knows what's what's in store. Why in the world does he does he even try it?
I mean, what what madness that in light of his absolute impotence against God that he will still try? Well, number one, of course, he is only evil. He's he's not capable of doing anything other than evil.
But more than that, I think. He is the master deceiver. And you know what happens to master deceivers? They deceive themselves. He is the father of lies and his own lies eventually will destroy him. We all know people who lie so much they can hardly tell truth from lies.
Well, Satan is the the father of all lies and he will lie to himself and deceive himself and destroy himself as a result. So it will reveal the blindness of Satan, but it will reveal as well the baseness of the human heart.
I mentioned that this last dispensation, this last thousand years will be the final. I'll use the word trial. Humanity will be on trial once again. They had a trial in the garden and Adam fell. They had a trial under Noah and they fell.
They had a trial under law and fell a trial under grace when the Lord Jesus was here and they fell the trial right now and then reject Christ. During that thousand year reign. Now, I mentioned already I mentioned we mentioned one of them.
I'm going to give you about a dozen. I want you to think of them for a moment with me. These are excuses people use for rejecting Christ and rejecting any idea of God. Now, you can add to it. I'm sure you could.
But let me just mention some of them. Sin is the result of social problems. If it weren't for the social difficulties in our world, injustice and poverty, the crime would go away and people would be good to each other.
And then I might be able to believe in a God. But here's poverty. Here's in that day. No poverty. No social ills. Men will live for a thousand years with no ghettos. No homeless people. No impoverished people.
In that day, that excuse will be eliminated. Others will say, well, you know, all the bad things are because of Satan. Why did God allow Satan to do what he did? Well, for a thousand years, Satan will be out of the picture, removed from the equation.
Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Men will see what the world can be like without Satan. Then men will say, how do we know there's a God? You've all been faced with that. How do we know there's a God?
You know, it's just your idea. Well, in that day, Ezekiel tells us in his very last verse of his prophecy that the name of the city, the name of Jerusalem in that day will be called Jehovah Shama. The Lord is there.
How will we know there's a God? He's right there in Jerusalem. He's right on his throne. And he has ravaged our world for seven years with what is called the Great Tribulation. And his son has come back visibly, tangibly to planet Earth.
And the presence of God is a known fact. No questioning, no arguing, no disagreeing. He's manifested himself in greatness and in power. God has made it very, very clear that he is the God he has said he is.
But then another excuse, a very common one, is what about the people who have never heard? I mean, if you say there's only one way to heaven, what about all the people that have never heard the gospel?
I mean, how can God possibly judge them when they've never heard? In that day, for a thousand years, every single person on Earth will know the gospel, will have heard that the knowledge of the Lord shall flood the earth as the waters cover the sea.
There will not be a dark spot on this planet, no heathen nations. But the knowledge of the Lord covering the earth, that excuse will be taken away. They'll also say, no one ever came back to tell us, right?
I mean, you say there's an eternity, heaven and hell after life. No one ever came back to tell us. Really? In that day, there'll be lots of people come back, lots of people. Now, I know there's a debate whether we as the redeemed will come back to Earth and so on.
But the Lord Jesus did tell people, you will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sit down in the resurrection and be yourselves thrust out. So at least Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are going to be there. And I would take it the Old Testament saints will be there in resurrected bodies on Earth and people will see individuals who have come back from the other side of death in resurrection and they'll tell them all about it in that day.
So that excuse will be taken away. They'll also say, how do we know the Bible is true? Just written by a bunch of men, right? And, you know, you're making it it's just just your ideas. Well, certainly the kingdom is going to vindicate the word of God.
And what about the excuse that men give? Why is there so much suffering in the world if there is a God? No suffering in that day. Doctors will be out of business, I think. Maybe even Dennis, I don't know what will do it for teeth.
But it won't be a lot of suffering in that day. And the injustice of our world, why doesn't God do something to stop the wars? Why doesn't God do something to stop the serial killer? Well, he will. That won't happen in that day.
And, of course, all religions are the same. I mean, it doesn't as long as you're sincere and as long as you're sincere and you're doing the best you can, doesn't matter whether you're Islamic, doesn't matter whether you're a Buddhist, doesn't matter whether you whatever you are is fine.
In that day, it will be abundantly clear that you can read Zachariah again, if nations don't come up to worship the Lord, there will be no rain. They won't enjoy a harvest. So now with every excuse removed.
From the human mind. With a thousand years of nothing but peace, prosperity and plenty, you know what unsaved men will do at the end of that period of time, they will say. We prefer Satan. We prefer sin over prosperity and peace and blessing, and they will join with Satan to revolt against the Lord Jesus.
The baseness of the human heart, everything humanity has ever said it wanted will be in abundance in that day. And yet such is the human heart. It will show itself. In its final test that it has natural enmity against God and will seek to cast off the Lord Jesus in one final rebellion.
The blindness of Satan, the baseness of the human heart. Could I speak to you about the beauty of Christ? Now I'm jumping ahead now to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. At the end of this millennial reign of a thousand years, every foe put down, Satan and his minions destroyed, the beast and the false prophet have been consigned for a thousand years already to the to the lake of fire.
And now the last enemy has been absolutely destroyed. And in the hands of one man is the dream of every despot that has ever lived. Every monarch that has ever ruled, every Napoleon, every Alexander in his hand is absolute world dominion, world power, world glory, world honor.
It's all his. You know, 1 Corinthians 15 says he's going to do with it. He's going to give it back to his father. He's going to hand it back to God. A perfect stewardship. Doesn't keep it for himself.
You may say he's not going to be king. Yes, he will be king forever, but he is going to direct all honor and all glory back to his father. Remember what it says in Philippians chapter two, we sometimes skim over the end of that.
That the one who has humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross, God has highly exalted him, given him a name above every name that in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord.
Don't forget the end to the glory of God, the father. As a servant, he will eternally direct praise to his father. As a steward, given the responsibility to rule for God, he will give everything back to his father.
The beauty of Christ, he never keeps it. In a sense, he never keeps it for himself. He is he is always honoring his father in every sphere and every responsibility directing praise. You remember how Ephesians three ends unto him be glory in the church through Christ Jesus world without end.
The Lord Jesus will be the chief song leaders, we said last night, leading praise, leading adoration. To his father, God, and you and I will be with him. Wonder of wonders. They follow the lamb with or soever he goes, we will be with him through it all.
Enjoying his glory, sharing with him in his rule, his consort, his bride. By his side eternally. We will be there. The beauty of Christ. Let me just mention one thing, and I can't develop it. You'll have to look at it yourself, not just the context in which this is found and not just the compensation that it will be for Christ, not just the character of his kingdom and not even just the conclusion of the kingdom.
But is there anything that compares to this today? Let me just go through it. Just give me a minute. Any place that his headship is on display. Is there any place on earth today where there is the repleteness of the knowledge of God?
Any place on earth today which is marked by the revelation of the holiness of God? Any place on earth today where they need to remove everything that offends? Any place on earth today where righteousness flourishes?
Any place on earth today where there is the reign of peace, where there should be the reign of peace and of love? Any place on earth today where there is. Willing, responsive surrender. In service to Christ.
Is there any place on earth today where, like in a millennial earth, there will be sacrifices, there will be the remembrance. Of Calvary. Some wonder why are there those sacrifices in Ezekiel, where we have offerings again in the temple in Ezekiel's time?
Well, I think just as we study the offerings to understand more of what Christ did, it's going to be an object lesson for them. Remembering what Christ did, understanding by those offerings all that Christ did.
There'll be there'll be object lessons eternally for that thousand year reign, rather for Israel and the nations to appreciate the depth of Calvary. Any place on earth today where the work of Christ is remembered on a regular basis?
Now, what I'm trying to tell you is that a local assembly is really a microcosm. Of a coming kingdom. And really, we could extend it beyond that. It's really a microcosm of eternity. Because his headship will be eternal.
His reign will be eternal. We will eternally remember the lamb that was slain. The one who was loosed us from our sins in his own blood, a coming kingdom, a coming king. Walter Martin was the man who wrote Chaos of the Cults and one or two other books.
He was once debating a group of atheists. And in the middle of it all, he just stopped. He said, gentlemen, gentlemen, I know how it's going to end. I've read the book. We know how it's all going to end.
We've read the book. He will have the highest place in the universe. May God bless his word. Shall we pray? Our father, we bow before thee. Our hearts are thrilled to think of all that lies ahead for thy son.
The last time he touched down on planet Earth, he was despised, rejected. He was a man of sorrows. He was acquainted with grief. We thank thee the next time he comes and his feet stand upon the Mount of Olives, he will come as the great victor, putting down every foe and reigning for a thousand years, culminating, bringing to fruition all of the purpose of God for a redeemed Earth and a redeemed people.
We thank thee that grace has linked us with him eternally. And we bow in adoration and thanksgiving for thy mercy to us. We are undeserving sinners. What we have spoken of as being in the heart of man that will be revealed in its awfulness, in its ugliness at the end of that thousand years is what is in our hearts right now.
But we do thank thee that we have been purged. We have been redeemed and been given new life and been given the opportunity of the capacity to obey and to honor thee. Help us, we pray, then to yield ourselves in willing surrender and service to our king as we give thanks to thee for him.
Take us home safely. Again, remember the gatherings for the weekend and remember those traveling. Watch over all, we pray, as we return thanks in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.