The Christmas Song in Psalms
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The Bible is filled with music. Whenever the people of God have an encounter with Him, their hearts are filled to the brim, and their mouths are filled with song. Join us this Christmas as we examine the songs of Christmas, this week we are in the book of Psalms!
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- Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon We pray that as we declare the
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- Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who
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- Christ is May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you
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- It was Martin Luther who once said music is hateful and intolerable to the devil
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- I Truly believe and do not mind saying that there's no art like music next to theology and It's the only art next to theology that can calm the agitations of the soul
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- Which plainly shows that the devil the source of anxiety and sadness flees? From the sound of music as he does from religious worship
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- That is why the scriptures are full of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in which praise is given to God.
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- That is why When we gather we are commanded to sing That is why when we gather around God's throne in heaven, we shall sing his glory forevermore
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- Music is the perfect way To infuriate the devil and inflame our love and devotion to God It is one of the most magnificent and delightful presence that God has ever given us
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- What a quote Music is consequential Music is not just something that we do to fill in the space so that we make sure that we have enough time and service
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- Some churches may have to do that. We have plenty of time and service But music is consequential.
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- It is a powerful tool in the hand of the Spirit. It is a weapon Against the devil himself and his minions.
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- It is a balm to the beleaguered soul. It is a mechanism for our ardent joy
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- Music is powerful Music bypasses your defenses. It goes past your subconscious even and it allows truth to very easily and error to slip in That is why the church sings psalms hymns and spiritual songs as Luther said because we want the
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- Word of God to get down in us and get Past all of our defenses and get past all of our us
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- So that it can take root in us But that's also why Satan uses music so Effectively, that's why music is not neutral There's no such thing as a neutral song there.
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- They're either existing to glorify and magnify the king of the universe or They're taking us away from him.
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- That's why Satan counterfeits with music in the secular world. That's why he propagates carnality through music
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- Music is consequential And that's why for Christmas we're doing a series that's entirely focused on the songs
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- It's focused on the songs that we find in the Bible whether that be Psalms or whether that's some songs that Moses wrote or whether that's songs that we found in the
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- New Testament What we see is that the Bible not only talks about Christmas The Bible sings about it
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- So what we want to do is we want to examine the songs Christmas it not only details what happened to Mary Joseph Simeon and Elizabeth Zechariah Hera wise men shepherds the innkeeper who didn't let them stay
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- It sings about their joy in Christ for his incarnation and for his coming the scriptures sing
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- Christmas songs of hope they sing and declare Christmas songs of praise and When the men and women of Scripture experience who
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- Christ is They cannot help but burst out into the most delightful
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- Joyful and ardent songs when you see the shepherds really understanding who Jesus is they go away singing
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- When you see the angels declaring who Jesus is they do it through song Christmas is
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- Probably the most musical time in Scripture the incarnation of Christ It's funny when you look at the lion the witch and the wardrobe, excuse me
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- Magician's nephew by C .S. Lewis where he's describing the creation of the world. He describes the creation as God singing over his
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- Nothingness and forming it into orderly somethingness. I think that's a beautiful analogy
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- Because when new creation comes everybody's singing so I wouldn't God be singing in old creation as well today
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- We're gonna begin a new series called the songs of Christmas where we're gonna be looking at the musical
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- Hope that the people of God have for the coming Christ and today we're gonna be in the
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- Old Testament It's the only sermon in this series. That's gonna be in the Old Testament and it's gonna be looking at the book of Psalms I originally
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- Planned to look at the life of Hannah Who's Samuel's mother and she has this beautiful song that that looks forward to Christ?
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- But then when I thought about it the whole hymn book of The Jews the hundred and fifty songs that we have are all about Jesus They recognize his coming they revel in his character and his calling and they reveal his glorious nature
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- Why so that you and I and them and all people of God at all time
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- Can rejoice in God? So, let us pray Lord, thank you for the songs in Scripture Lord, thank you for the gift that it is that we can be a singing people
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- Lord, we know that we're supposed to be creative because you're a creator We know that we're supposed to be holy because you're holy.
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- We know that we're supposed to be Loving Because you are so loving merciful because you're merciful.
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- But Lord, let us also remember That the reason we are a singing people is because you're a singing
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- God You're the one who sings creation. You're the one in Zechariah. It says that you sing your love over us your love is poured out on to us by song and when our hearts
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- Are touched with the beauty of Christ We naturally sing we naturally pour forth praises because our hearts were made for that Thank you
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- God that you made us to be a singing people Thank you that you gave us a mechanism by which to express the joy and praise that we have in you and Lord.
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- I pray That we would experience that joy frequently as we get to know you and love you and worship you
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- It's in Christ's name. Amen The Psalms it's been argued by some the book is
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- Probably one of the most theological books in all of the Bible now we don't think about it that way we think about the
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- Psalms as the emotional book of the Bible the Singing book of the Bible and it is but it's also one of the most theological books
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- It has a depth and richness in a theological beauty if you read any Systematic theology from any very smart man
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- There are systematics by very unsmart men But if you read one that's faithful the
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- Psalms are Quoted everywhere because they describe for us the nature and the character of God.
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- They herald it They sing the triumph of his creation. They exult in the pre -fall nature of man
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- They hum the dirge of man's great fall into sin. They serenade us with major and minor chords
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- They describe the full gamut of human emotion. They chant the needfulness of the word
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- They harmonize when it's talking about the work of the Spirit they warble. I had to look that word up over worship and They belt out with the angels about salvation and the kingdom of God and the end of human history the
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- Psalms describe every aspect of theology in Poetry and verse and Yet where the
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- Psalms sing the loudest Where the Psalms are screaming to us with the grandest fortissimo
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- She means really loud singing is the doctrine of Christ That's where the loudest
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- The Psalms sing loudly boldly joyfully triumphantly about the coming
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- Christ. It's all over the place the book of Psalms ought to be a
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- Fifth gospel even in the New Testament because they're so Christo centric They teach us every fact about his life from his birth to his calling to his nature to his purpose his life ministry death burial
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- Resurrects and ascension and the end of human history every facet of Jesus's life shows up in the book of Psalms today
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- We're not going to cover all of it Today, we're only going to cover the parts that are related to his coming birth and incarnation
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- We're gonna see what the Psalms have to say About his incarnation. We're gonna be looking at four areas
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- We're gonna see how the Psalms Recognize his birth his coming how the
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- Psalms revel in his character How the Psalms reveal his glorious nature and how the
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- Psalms rejoice in knowing Christ Let's begin with recognizing they recognize that Christ has to come
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- Because the promises of God would not be fulfilled. Otherwise the promises that are listed in Psalms are so good that David and Solomon nor any of their sons could ever accomplish the
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- Psalms promises about the coming King are so spectacular that no human being could ever accomplish the
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- Psalms Require us to lift our gaze above the page and see that these things
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- Must be about Christ Now we read the author correctly
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- David sometimes is describing his feelings or Ethan Ethan the Ezra height or or some of the other psalmist
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- They're they're describing their experience. But what we have to see is underneath the surface of those Psalms is
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- Christ For instance, look at Psalm 89 3 through 4 We'll be looking at most of that chapter throughout the sermon, but let's begin in the beginning
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- God says I have made a covenant with my chosen. I Have sworn to David my servant that I will establish your seed forever and I will build up your throne to all generations verses 3 & 4 of Psalm 89
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- Now here we have a promise that's given to David. It says that I have given a covenant to my chosen I've sworn it to David But David it's bigger than David because David couldn't manage it when
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- David dies he could not possibly Manage the covenant that God had made with him so David at a minimum had to trust that God would be faithful to his word and yet What we see is
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- That it's not bound just to the physical line of David it can't be because as soon as David dies then who takes over Solomon and Solomon at the end of his life the kingdom is getting ready to fracture and splinter completely into two but Rehoboam is
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- Solomon's son and he oversees the fracturing and the breaking of the kingdom and Then after that you have them decimated the northern kingdom by the
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- Assyrians you have the southern kingdom Destituted and exiled by the Babylonians you have them never again after the exile regaining their national sovereignty for over 600 years
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- The throne in Jerusalem was empty. So when God says I've made a covenant with my chosen.
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- I've sworn to David my servant I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne for all generations.
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- He's not just talking to David Because if he were you have to make a choice
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- If it's only about David then for 600 years the promises of God failed But what happens in the
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- Psalms is? That God looks past the human author He gives promises that are relevant to them in their lifetime in a micro sort of way
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- But the biggest the fulfillment of it the magnitude of it is fulfilled in Christ Because it is
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- Christ who is the son of David whose throne will never be vacated Because Christ today and for the last 2 ,000 years and for the last 200 million on into infinity will be sitting on the throne of David reigning in his kingdom and this promise will never fail
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- Because it's about Jesus The Holy Spirit who authored this passage yeah a guy named
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- Ethan wrote it But it was the Holy Spirit who authored it The Holy Spirit's omniscient the
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- Holy Spirit knows that this passage really is gonna find its nexus and fulfillment in Christ It looks beyond David to a better man to a better ancestor to a better King To the one who's born in David's city
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- To the one born in a wooden manger in a stall Who would sit on the throne forever
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- Jesus is the king that Psalm 89 is epitomizing He's the king that Psalm 89 is preparing us for look at how the psalm continues in verses 29 through Through 20 or 36.
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- You can't do 29 through 26 apologize for that so I'll establish I will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven if His sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments
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- Then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes But I will not break off my loving -kindness from him nor dare deal falsely in my faithfulness my covenant
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- I will not violate nor will I alter the utterance of my lips once I have sworn by my holiness.
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- I Will not lie to David His descendants shall endure forever in his throne as the
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- Sun before me God is saying That this
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- King this coming King is not only going to come through the line of David He's going to be better than David bigger than David He's gonna be
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- Christ which Matthew it's why he begins his gospel with Jesus the son of David Because he's the covenant
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- Fulfillment of all these promises. He's the one who's gonna sit on the Davidic throne forever Because David's line was marred with sin misery and failure and God would not break his covenant.
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- So he fulfills his covenant through Christ Every human being that has any level of status is gonna have their moment in the
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- Sun and then they're gonna die They're gonna have their moment on the center stage they're gonna strain like gnats and they're gonna work like ants to try to desperately solidify a legacy out of dirt and Christ alone will stand forever
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- That's why this verse has to be about Jesus because the most important men of every single century are barely remembered
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- Tell me who's the most important person in the 2nd century BC or the 3rd or the 4th or the 5th?
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- Or what about 80 7th century AD these men who are the most important people on earth at that time are
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- Forgotten and yet it's Jesus Christ who we remember forever His kingdom is more sure than the rising
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- Sun it's more sure than the earth rotating on its axis It's more sure than the seasons changing.
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- Thank God winters not forever. It is more sure Than the breath that is in your lungs.
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- It is more sure Then you're gonna wake up tomorrow. His kingdom is forever
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- And we learn that not just in the New Testament We learn that here in Psalm 89 in the book of the songs of Israel It also tells us the
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- Psalms tells us that he's going to establish Zion That he's gonna set up a kingdom that has no geographical boundaries and that kingdom is gonna cover the entire globe
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- Look at what Psalm 132 13 through 17 says For the
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- Lord has chosen Zion He has desired it for his habitation This is my resting place forever here.
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- I will dwell for I have desired it I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her needy with bread her priest
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- Also, I will clothe with salvation and her godly ones will sing aloud for joy
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- There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth I have prepared a lamp for mine anointed
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- The songs that Israel are singing is saying that the Sun The the anointed one is gonna come.
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- Yes the physical Jerusalem and he did But it's so much bigger than that because he's gonna build
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- Zion Do you know what Zion is? It's not just a ship in the movie Matrix If you remember that Zion is
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- Is the people of God gathered together from every generation?
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- Old Testament and new it is the end time fully gathered people of God Jesus will build that which is the kingdom.
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- He's gonna come and knock down the walls of old Jerusalem and he did that Matthew 24 he says not one stone will be left upon another because old
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- Jerusalem was in the way of the Unimaginably beautiful kingdom that he was bringing new
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- Jerusalem Zion He came to knock down that old city so that he could bring about an even better city a living temple
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- It says that he's the cornerstone and that you and I are living stones being built into a living temple to the
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- Lord our God That's the kingdom that we belong to a living temple not an old dead
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- Dusty city in the middle of Palestine a living kingdom that blankets every square inch of this earth
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- Jesus came to make this world That's filled with chaos filled with his presence
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- He came to transform this place from secular into sacred space He came as the book of Revelation says to make the entire world the
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- Holy of Holies every bit of it You think about the priest in the
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- Old Testament who had to tie a rope around their body in case they had that one sin That they forgot to confess or or they drop the bread and they say oh and they get mad and then poop they're dead
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- So they had that rope tied around them so that they could be pulled out so that no one else would have to go into The violent dangerous presence of God to get them
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- That is what you and I live in because of Christ that Amazing Magnificent Shekinah glory of the presence of God is what you and I have
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- Because of his finished work on the cross Let us not take that for granted It says that I will not only welcome them into my presence
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- But I will abundantly bless her provision and I will satisfy her needy with bread
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- This passage is looking past the Old Testament Priest and it's saying that Jesus is going to be the one to bring us living bread
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- He's the priest that welcomes us into the temple and has the table of showbread there so that we can feast with Christ He's the one who's going to satisfy the people with their needs the passage says that he will clothe the priest
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- With salvation, did you know that you're a priest in the kingdom of God? First Peter says that we are a kingdom of priest
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- Not just males not just Levites male female every color every race are priests in the kingdom of God So therefore
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- You've been clothed with the clothes of salvation Jesus the true priest clothed you in his love and Who could remove a cloth a piece of clothing that Christ has put on us who could take it away good affliction?
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- Good persecution. Are you powerful enough to remove the blessings of Christ from your own life? I don't think so If you've been made a priest in his kingdom, you're clothed with salvation
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- It says that his her godly ones are gonna sing aloud for joy, we'll come back to that in a minute Tuck that one away
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- He came to bless us to cause our joy to overflow Because he came and was born in a little town called
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- Bethlehem The Horn of David came for our salvation and it's not just for the
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- Jews It's not just for the Israelites or the Levites or the
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- Danites Or any of the tribes it's for us as well. Look go to verse or Psalm 18 49 through 50 or write it down I go really fast.
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- Sometimes last week at the Presbyterian Church. Everybody was like gosh, he really flips through scriptures too fast
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- I'm hyperactive. I'm sorry That's why they're up there for you Psalm 18 49 through 50
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- He gives great deliverance to his king and he shows loving -kindness to his anointed to David and his descendants forever
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- Now every Jew who's reading that every Israelite who's reading that would say amen. It's for us.
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- It's for David's descendants It's for our people. He's gonna show loving -kindness to us, but look at one verse earlier in verse 49
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- Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations Oh Lord, and I will sing praises to your name
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- The psalmist is telling us that this is not only about a covenant that God made with Old Testament Israel that he's going to sing among the nations
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- The song of Christ love is echoing out across every tribe tongue and nation on this planet and you if you're a
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- Christian are under the singing love of Christ God's not gonna stop
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- Until all the Gentiles have come in and all of that begins in the smallest beautiful seedling form
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- When he's born in a feeding trough made for pigs beautiful the
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- Psalms teach us That he's gonna be called even from the womb
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- Psalm 22, which is a messianic Psalm Which is devoted entirely to Christ if you were to look at all the passages in the
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- Bible in the Old Testament and say this one is Obviously about Jesus you'd go to probably two passages
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- Isaiah 53 and you'd go to Psalm 22 and you would say Did somebody at the copying?
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- Company mess this up and put this out of order this this really should be in Matthew and Mark and Luke these two chapters are exquisitely
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- Christocentric most explicit references to Jesus and the whole thing we could quote the whole thing, but there's a couple
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- Parts that I want to share with you Number one. I want to remind you that this is a song
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- Psalm 22 verse 1 is what Jesus said on the cross my god my god
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- Why have you forsaken me? Could it be I don't know
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- I wasn't there this is a song Could it be that in Jesus's last and final moments?
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- He sang this on the cross He sang the tune My god, my god.
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- Why have you forsaken me? And the reason that's important because in Israel when you sang the first line of a song you're appealing to the entire song just like you and I when
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- I hear dum -dum -dum -dum What am I what am I talking about? Beethoven's fifth
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- You knew that because you knew the first line of it Jesus on the cross singing my god my god
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- Why have you forsaken me the people would have realized he sang the psalm is about me
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- He's saying that David is not the one that this is experientially talking about.
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- It's my experience on the cross and I encourage you to read
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- Psalm 22. It is beautiful. There's so much they they gamble for his clothing
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- They roll lots for him. There's no broken bone They pierce him his they feed him vinegar to drink like all of the things that we see at the crucifixion happen here in Psalm 22 but I want to focus on verse 9 and 10 because if the whole psalm is about him and I've argued that it is because the first verse he's saying on the cross
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- Then verse 9 and 10 is about him. This is what verse 9 and 10 say about the Savior Yet you are he that's
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- God Who brought me forth from the womb? You made me trust upon or when upon my mother's breast
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- Upon you I was cast from birth. You have been my God from my mother's womb
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- Now David may have thought that this passage was about him David may have been having a really bad day in Psalm 22
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- And he's like the bulls have encircled me poor pitiful me David could have been thinking that But what this passage is saying ultimately is that it's about Christ And what that means is is that he's the one who was called by God even from his mother's womb.
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- He Conceived of the Holy Spirit unlike any human being that's ever lived was called by God with a unique salvific calling for us from the moment of conception
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- He's the man Who'd be born by the will of God? He's the man who would grow it says that he grew in the strength and admonition of the
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- Lord at his mother's breast That's here in Psalm 22 it says that this man was cast upon God even from his infancy
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- It was the scholars in the temple who said there's something different about this 12 year old because he's arguing in such a way that proves
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- That he has learning and knowledge that a 12 year old should not have so far
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- Just in a few verses. We've learned nine things about Christ in his coming We've learned that the
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- Messiah will surely come he has to because the promises are too big Otherwise that he would be born a child from David's line.
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- He would be chosen from the moment of his infancy He would be given a special status from God. He would inaugurate
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- Zion the heavenly people of God He would make you and I into a kingdom of priests. He would provide for us
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- He would fill our mouths with song and that would include both you and Gentile That's a lot that we've learned already about Christ.
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- We're just getting started the second thing. I want us to see The Psalms not only anticipate or recognize his coming but they also revel in His calling they revel in his calling in another
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- Messianic Psalm Psalm 2 verse 6 I'm gonna read from verse 1 just so we can have context
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- Why are the nations in an uproar and the people's devising a vain thing?
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- The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying
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- Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us He who sits in the heavens laughs the
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- Lord scoffs at them and Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury saying but as for me
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- I have installed my king upon Zion My holy mountain
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- What this is saying this is a Messianic Psalm, which means the whole things about Jesus is not about David That God himself would install the king of kings on the throne of Zion That Jesus came for more
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- Than just to be a baby. I Don't know if you've seen certain movies that epitomize sweet baby
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- Jesus. That's ignorant. He came To be the Christ the king of kings the
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- Lord of lords who would reign among the gathered people of God That was his calling This Savior born in the most lowly of circumstances
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- Became the greatest man To ever live the man who has all glory all authority in heaven and on earth
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- He was called to be king he was also called the only begotten Son of God verse 7 of that same chapter
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- I will surely tell the decree of the Lord He said to me you are my son and today
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- I have begotten you again This passage is looking past David because it can't apply to him. It's bigger than him
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- It's saying that God begat Christ, which is a very confusing statement and Really?
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- It takes us away from our purpose this morning, but I am gonna deal with it just for a moment because it's complicated What does it mean that God begat
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- Christ begat means to bring into existence? So does that mean that God brought Jesus into existence?
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- Absolutely not look at what the book of Acts chapter 13 verse 32 through 34 says and We preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers that God fulfilled this promise to our children and That he raised up Jesus as it is also written in the second
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- Psalm You are my son today. I've begotten you he's quoting Psalm 2 as For the fact that he raised him up from the dead
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- No longer to return to decay. He has spoken in this way. I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David What this
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- Psalm is telling us is not that God brought Jesus into existence when he was born. Jesus has always existed
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- Eternally with the father what this is saying is the begetting of Christ happened at the resurrection of Christ when
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- God allowed his own son to die for our sins and By the power of God alone three days after he had perished
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- God raised him up from the beget from the dead begetting a new creation
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- That's what the word means. It does not mean what the Mormons will say that Jesus is a created being
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- It doesn't mean with Jehovah's Witness will pound on your door and try to annoy you until you convert
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- You're laughing because you've had it happen to you. It's Jesus.
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- It's not a created being He's the author of new creation. The begetting happens at new creation
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- So when he says you are my son today, I have begotten you it's looking past David It's looking past David a thousand years into the future to the day the stone rolled back and Jesus came
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- Bursting out of the out of the tomb alive. That's the begetting of the son There in Psalm 2 and we learn that first Not in the
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- New Testament We learn that in the Old Testament Because it all is pointing to Jesus Psalm 89 27 repeats this theme and in a ballad sort of form
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- I will also make him my firstborn the highest of the kings of earth firstborn son language came out of the book of Exodus where God says that Israel will be his firstborn son and now
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- You can't you can't overlook the controversy of the statement I will make him my firstborn
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- It's not the nation of Israel anymore the failed and flawed and broken nation of Israel.
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- God is going to make Christ the firstborn son He's going to stand in the place of Israel as the true
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- Israel of God who will welcome God's people Into the faith that was Israel's job
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- They existed to be a light into the Gentiles. He existed to share the knowledge of God with the entire world
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- Existed to welcome the nation's in a relationship with Yahweh and they failed
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- So what does Psalm 89 say I will make him my firstborn because he will be a light to the nation's
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- He will welcome them into the presence of God. He will bring them into the family Even at the height of the
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- Davidic dynasty This did not happen in the way that it happens in Christ Even at the height of the
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- Solomonic period where Queen the Queen of Sheba is coming and extolling the virtues of Solomon it
- 33:58
- Happened not in the way that it will happen in the kingdom of Christ. This passage is pointing to the firstborn
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- Sonship of Christ in the new kingdom where this kingdom that you and I are a part of Will overtake the entire globe
- 34:17
- We don't have a pessimistic eschatology We don't hide our head in the sand like a bunch of lovable ostriches saying dear
- 34:25
- Lord rescue us He's the one who has victory He's the one who will have triumph over every square inch in this planet things might not look perfect right now
- 34:37
- But give it time because the promises of God are always true The promises of God always come to pass if he said that he will make
- 34:46
- Christ the highest king of the earth Then fear not and doubt not Because it's happening.
- 34:53
- It's growing and it will continue until Christ returns the boy in the stable is now in charge of the world and All of the worldly powers will soon bow down or be crushed by him
- 35:07
- That's what the text says Not only is he called King not only is he called son he's the one who has
- 35:14
- Intimate relationship with God in order to be able to call God his own father. We learn this in Psalm 89 23 through 29
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- But I shall crush his adversaries We can agree this is talking about Jesus then all of Jesus's adversaries will be crushed if America becomes an adversary of Christ It will be crushed
- 35:31
- Every nation that becomes an adversary of Christ will be crushed and I didn't say that God the
- 35:38
- Father said that but I will crush his adversaries before him and strike those who hate him
- 35:45
- My faithfulness and my loving -kindness will be with him and in my name his horn a
- 35:53
- Word that's often attributed to Christ will be exalted. I shall also set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers and He will cry to me.
- 36:04
- You are my father my God and the rock of my salvation. I Also shall make him my firstborn the highest of the kings of earth my loving -kindness
- 36:14
- I will keep for him forever. My covenant shall be confirmed to him. I will establish his descendants forever and His throne is the days of heaven if you're a citizen of the kingdom of God, you've been established forever
- 36:34
- We learn so much in this passage. I Wish we had hours and hours and hours
- 36:40
- I know you do too, but in particular we learn that Christ has a special relationship with God where he calls him father
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- The kind of relationship that has been playing out in song and in worship all throughout eternity
- 36:57
- Where the father and the son are singing praises the spirit is singing praises
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- They're heaping praises upon each other in the halls of eternity so if you're keeping count and if not
- 37:11
- I'll post this later. We've learned 15 things so far about who Jesus is in the book of Psalms The Messiah is surely gonna come
- 37:20
- He'd be born from the David from David's line. He'd be chosen from the moment of his Conception he'd be given a special status with God so that he could inaugurate
- 37:28
- Zion the heavenly people. He would make a kingdom Filled with priests.
- 37:34
- He would clothe his people in the robes of salvation number eight He would provide for our every need he would fill our mouths with song that people would include both
- 37:43
- Jew and Gentile He will be called King Eternal who reigns in the heavens his reign and dominion will also be preeminent on the earth
- 37:50
- That kingdom is gonna last forever. He's God's unique son. He knows God as father. He alone will bring this to pass
- 37:56
- We learn this from the Psalms from the songs of Israel the third thing as We see that the
- 38:06
- Psalms not only revel In him, but they also reveal his nature and his character
- 38:12
- The Psalms tell us ultimately that Jesus is God Psalm 45 1 through 7 says My heart overflows with a good theme.
- 38:21
- I Address my verses to the King if you're in the NASB, you'll notice it King is capitalized because it's talking about God My tongue is the pen of a ready writer
- 38:32
- You are fairer than the sons of men Grace is poured out upon your lips
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- Therefore God has blessed you forever. No human being does that apply to that's
- 38:44
- Christ and Your sword on your thigh Almighty one in your splendor and in your majesty and in your majesty you ride on Victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness let your right hand teach you awesome things
- 39:00
- Your arrows are sharp the people fall underneath you your arrows are in the heart of the king's enemies your throne
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- Oh god is forever and ever Did you notice that We're talking about a king and it says you were thrown.
- 39:15
- Oh god Because the king is god Your throne. Oh god is forever and ever a scepter of an of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom
- 39:25
- You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness therefore god Your god has anointed you
- 39:32
- With the oil of joy above your fellows. Did you hear that? This is one of the most fascinating verses of the trinity that i've ever seen
- 39:40
- It says therefore god Your god anointed you
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- How does that make sense Unless god himself anointed himself God the father anointed christ the god man
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- To be king forever mighty Fairer than the sons of men
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- Grace poured out on his lips blessed forever mighty and majestic Because he's god in the flesh psalm 45 6 through 7
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- Your throne. Oh god is forever and ever a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom
- 40:22
- You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness He's talking about christ the forever reign of jesus
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- The psalms also tell us he's an eternal creator the passage Let's see.
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- It's I didn't write this one down. It's up there verse 16 102 psalm 102.
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- Sorry 16 For the lord has built up zion He has appeared in his glory
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- We've already been told in other psalms that the one who builds zion is jesus So therefore psalm 102 is also talking about jesus the one who builds up zion.
- 40:59
- So we've established that now look with me In verses 25 through 27 of old you capital y founded the earth
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- And the heavens are the work of your hands even they will perish But you will endure all of them will wear out like a garment like clothing
- 41:17
- You will change them and they will be changed But you are the same and your years will not come to an end the one who builds zion is god
- 41:25
- He's the one who lives forever and he's the creator This is why the book of colossians says that that through him everything was made
- 41:33
- That's why the book that's why john's gospel says that everything that came into existence came into existence through him because jesus
- 41:42
- Is the creator of the cosmos? When you look at the garden of eden, you see god walking with adam and eve.
- 41:48
- That's christ when you see god kneeling down and fashioning with hands That's christ when you see god looking at adam
- 41:58
- The statue and breathing life into his nostrils. That is the second person of the trinity christ bringing life into his creature
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- Before jesus came as a baby in the stall Before he died on a roman cross.
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- He was in the garden Shaping and cultivating and crafting humanity after his image
- 42:22
- He's the creator It says heavens are the work of his hands
- 42:30
- Psalm 110 doesn't just describe him as a creator or a king Or not just as a creator, but as a king psalm 110 1
- 42:37
- The lord says to mine lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet This one's a mind bender until you wrap your head around what?
- 42:45
- David is saying The lord yahweh said to david's lord
- 42:52
- Who is david's lord David's most powerful man in israel If you ask david if he's the most powerful man in the world if he doesn't rip your head off Then he'll agree with you
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- Who's david's lord christ the new testament says it over and over david is passive here
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- God said to david's lord. God said to jesus. David's observing this he even says
- 43:19
- Earlier or later that he's writing this down to be faithful But he's observing a conversation between god and christ the lord said to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet
- 43:32
- The new testament picks up this verse and says that it's all about jesus This verse is the most quoted verse in the new testament from the old testament and it's all about christ
- 43:43
- That when he died on the cross Although it looked like the moment of greatest defeat although it looked like The whole project of redemption was over On the third day he raised
- 43:57
- And then he ascended to heaven where? to the right hand of god And what is he doing now he's reigning until all his enemies are made a footstool for his feet
- 44:11
- This is why we have a optimistic eschatology Because unless all jesus's enemies have been put under his feet then this passage has not been completed yet The lord says to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.
- 44:30
- You want to know when jesus stands up from the throne and returns When he's done sitting at the right hand of god
- 44:36
- It's very easy when all his enemies have been put under his feet He will not stand a moment sooner
- 44:44
- I don't care if another vaccine comes out. I don't care what conspiracy theories that we learn about on youtube
- 44:50
- From some guy in iowa who's got a tinfoil hat on his head. I don't care The market everybody wants to talk about that.
- 44:58
- The end is near the end will be near When every enemy of christ has been put under his feet every one of them
- 45:05
- If we don't believe that we don't believe the psalm He's an eternal forever king, he's also three verses later an eternal priest forever
- 45:18
- The lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are oh my Isn't that beautiful?
- 45:24
- God knows how easy it is for us to forget that he's that he's telling the truth when he talks to us The lord has sworn and will not change his mind.
- 45:34
- You are a priest forever according to the order of melchizedek that means
- 45:41
- If you've been saved And brought into his priestly kingdom You're secure
- 45:47
- Because his kingdom is forever These are the songs that israel was singing about the coming christ
- 45:55
- If you've been keeping track we've learned 19 things so far This is one more than than the the most points i've ever had in a sermon so here we are 19 of them christ would surely come
- 46:11
- He would be born of david's line Chosen from the moment of his infancy given a special status with god.
- 46:17
- He would inaugurate the heavenly people called zion He would make you and I into a kingdom of priests.
- 46:23
- He would clothe His people in the robes of salvation. He would provide for us That people would include both jew and gentile
- 46:32
- That he will be called king eternal who reigns in the heavens His reign would have dominion and preeminency on the earth.
- 46:38
- That kingdom is going to last forever because he's god's unique son He will know god as his own father.
- 46:45
- He will be god in the flesh eternal creator To establish his new creation dominion eternal king to establish his eternal kingdom forever eternal priest to Eternally save his people and he will fill our mouth full of the songs of hope and joy
- 47:03
- And that's why I said we're going to come back to that verse The point of all of this we're not just we're not just stacking 19 points about jesus from the psalms
- 47:12
- Just so that we can make ourselves feel better This is not just intellectual That we're doing here today.
- 47:18
- I we've given 19 points today so that you can worship That's the point
- 47:24
- Because as you get to know who jesus is Then it should cause your heart to be filled with love for him
- 47:31
- If you learning about jesus doesn't cause your heart to to be filled with love and enraptured with affections
- 47:38
- Then you don't know him Or at least you don't know him rightly The knowledge of jesus christ leads to a heart filled with love
- 47:48
- And a heart filled with love burst forth in song And a and a mouth that is filled with the songs of jesus is an entire body filled with joy
- 48:01
- That's what I want for us this christmas Is I want us to know christ
- 48:07
- And in the knowledge of christ, I want it to affect our hearts And in our hearts overflowing with love.
- 48:13
- I want us to sing And as a singing people I want us to have joy Let's pray lord.
- 48:23
- Your psalms are so densely filled with your With who you are Lord It blows my mind that a thousand years before you were born such vivid details about you your kingdom
- 48:36
- Your dominion your salvation Your character all of it can be made known to us if we search the text
- 48:47
- Lord I pray that this would not just be dead knowledge that sits
- 48:56
- Just clanging around inside of our heads Lord I pray that if there's only one thing that somebody remembers out of the sermon
- 49:05
- Maybe it's not 19 Maybe it's not even one of the 19. But if there's one thing that someone remembers today about christ
- 49:14
- Then god, I pray that that would cause their heart to be filled with laughter their mouths to be filled with songs of praise
- 49:24
- And that we would be the most joyful people this world has ever seen Lord let us not give in to the temptation of grumbling and complaining
- 49:33
- Because our very wealthy and opulent nation is going through some trials right now Lord, let us be the kind of people who sing the joy authentically passionately devotedly to christ
- 49:50
- And lord we can't manufacture that Open up our hearts to understand who you are jesus
- 49:56
- Let that fill our hearts let it fill our lips and let it fill our heart our entire soul full of joy christ name.