1 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:01,639 (upbeat music) 2 01:00:01,639 --> 01:00:02,760 - You're listening to the 3 01:00:02,760 --> 01:00:04,519 Midtown Church sermon podcast. 4 01:00:05,639 --> 01:00:06,800 Midtown Church is a 5 01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:08,440 family compelled by God's love 6 01:00:08,440 --> 01:00:09,519 to practice the way of 7 01:00:09,519 --> 01:00:11,039 Jesus together in Austin. 8 01:00:12,440 --> 01:00:14,880 Our big prayer is this, in 9 01:00:14,880 --> 01:00:16,400 Austin as it is in heaven. 10 01:00:17,360 --> 01:00:19,639 Learn more at MidtownAustin.org. 11 01:00:21,039 --> 01:00:24,639 - Hey, my name is Matt Tolander. 12 01:00:24,639 --> 01:00:25,119 I'm the spiritual 13 01:00:25,119 --> 01:00:26,719 formation pastor on staff 14 01:00:26,719 --> 01:00:27,960 here at Midtown, which is an 15 01:00:27,960 --> 01:00:29,320 incredible privilege for me. 16 01:00:29,760 --> 01:00:31,039 And I'm really excited this morning. 17 01:00:31,039 --> 01:00:31,760 We're continuing our 18 01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:32,639 Psalms of Summer series. 19 01:00:32,880 --> 01:00:34,400 And this morning, we are gonna talk about 20 01:00:34,400 --> 01:00:36,840 the most important Psalm in the Bible. 21 01:00:37,039 --> 01:00:37,800 And I have my friend, 22 01:00:37,800 --> 01:00:39,880 Stephen Flowood, to read it for us. 23 01:00:39,880 --> 01:00:40,960 So if you would, please, if you're able, 24 01:00:41,639 --> 01:00:43,280 stand for the reading of our 25 01:00:43,280 --> 01:00:44,199 teaching text this morning. 26 01:00:47,199 --> 01:00:48,880 - The Lord says to my Lord, 27 01:00:49,360 --> 01:00:50,519 sit at my right hand 28 01:00:50,519 --> 01:00:51,920 until I make your enemies 29 01:00:52,159 --> 01:00:52,800 your footstool. 30 01:00:53,519 --> 01:00:55,239 The Lord sends forth from 31 01:00:55,239 --> 01:00:56,639 Zion your mighty scepter. 32 01:00:57,400 --> 01:00:59,039 Rule in the midst of your enemies. 33 01:00:59,960 --> 01:01:02,239 Your people will offer themselves freely 34 01:01:02,679 --> 01:01:03,599 on the day of your 35 01:01:03,599 --> 01:01:05,559 power in holy garments. 36 01:01:06,239 --> 01:01:07,679 From the womb of the morning, 37 01:01:08,079 --> 01:01:09,840 the dew of your youth will be yours. 38 01:01:10,440 --> 01:01:11,960 The Lord has sworn and 39 01:01:11,960 --> 01:01:13,280 will not change his mind. 40 01:01:13,880 --> 01:01:15,079 You are a priest forever 41 01:01:15,079 --> 01:01:17,079 after the order of Melchizedek. 42 01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:19,440 The Lord is at your right hand. 43 01:01:19,800 --> 01:01:20,920 He will shatter kings 44 01:01:20,920 --> 01:01:22,119 on the day of his wrath. 45 01:01:22,760 --> 01:01:23,559 He will execute 46 01:01:23,559 --> 01:01:25,000 judgment among the nations, 47 01:01:25,559 --> 01:01:26,679 filling them with corpses. 48 01:01:27,800 --> 01:01:28,440 He will shatter 49 01:01:28,440 --> 01:01:29,960 chiefs over the wide earth. 50 01:01:30,519 --> 01:01:32,639 He will drink from the brook, by the way. 51 01:01:33,239 --> 01:01:35,039 Therefore, he will lift up his head. 52 01:01:35,480 --> 01:01:36,480 This is the word of the Lord. 53 01:01:37,119 --> 01:01:37,880 - Thanks be to God. 54 01:01:38,760 --> 01:01:39,119 Thank you. 55 01:01:41,119 --> 01:01:41,599 You're like, wait a 56 01:01:41,599 --> 01:01:42,719 minute, that wasn't Psalm 23. 57 01:01:46,559 --> 01:01:47,559 Show of hands, how many of y'all 58 01:01:47,559 --> 01:01:48,679 are familiar with Psalm 110? 59 01:01:50,199 --> 01:01:51,639 All right, pretty good, pretty good. 60 01:01:53,639 --> 01:01:54,280 Let me ask you this. 61 01:01:55,920 --> 01:01:57,880 If someone came to you, like say like a 62 01:01:57,880 --> 01:01:58,559 non-Christian person, 63 01:01:58,559 --> 01:01:59,639 one of your non-Christian friends or 64 01:01:59,639 --> 01:02:00,119 something like that, 65 01:02:00,119 --> 01:02:01,519 if someone came to you and 66 01:02:01,519 --> 01:02:03,280 they asked you to explain 67 01:02:03,280 --> 01:02:04,960 like what is the message of the gospel? 68 01:02:05,559 --> 01:02:06,760 What is the heart of Christianity? 69 01:02:08,239 --> 01:02:10,039 But you can only use the 70 01:02:10,039 --> 01:02:12,400 Old Testament to explain it. 71 01:02:12,400 --> 01:02:12,920 Could you do it? 72 01:02:14,000 --> 01:02:15,239 What passage would you go to? 73 01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:17,239 You can't use the Romans 74 01:02:17,239 --> 01:02:19,079 road, can't use John 3 16, 75 01:02:19,079 --> 01:02:20,880 can't use Ephesians 2, 1 through 10. 76 01:02:22,119 --> 01:02:23,039 Which Old Testament 77 01:02:23,039 --> 01:02:24,320 passage would you go to 78 01:02:24,639 --> 01:02:25,960 to communicate the heart and 79 01:02:25,960 --> 01:02:27,960 the truth of the Christian faith 80 01:02:28,239 --> 01:02:29,239 and the Christian message 81 01:02:29,239 --> 01:02:30,960 that we call the gospel? 82 01:02:31,239 --> 01:02:31,960 And this is the most 83 01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:33,760 transparent opener of all time. 84 01:02:34,760 --> 01:02:35,480 Because when the early 85 01:02:35,480 --> 01:02:36,679 Christians did not have 86 01:02:36,679 --> 01:02:37,800 the New Testament yet, 87 01:02:38,360 --> 01:02:39,599 and they had to communicate 88 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:40,960 to a world that needed to 89 01:02:40,960 --> 01:02:42,000 hear this gospel message, 90 01:02:42,519 --> 01:02:43,880 when they turned to scripture, 91 01:02:44,480 --> 01:02:46,719 they turned repeatedly and 92 01:02:46,719 --> 01:02:49,440 overwhelmingly to Psalm 110. 93 01:02:49,599 --> 01:02:53,960 Psalm 110 is the most 94 01:02:53,960 --> 01:02:55,800 quoted Old Testament passage 95 01:02:56,039 --> 01:02:56,800 in the New Testament. 96 01:02:57,800 --> 01:02:58,599 There's at least 20 97 01:02:58,599 --> 01:03:00,639 different explicit references to it. 98 01:03:01,880 --> 01:03:03,639 At Pentecost, when Peter 99 01:03:03,639 --> 01:03:04,599 preached the first sermon 100 01:03:04,599 --> 01:03:05,679 in the history of the church, 101 01:03:06,239 --> 01:03:08,760 he ended the sermon in Psalm 110. 102 01:03:10,280 --> 01:03:11,760 Paul references this text 103 01:03:11,760 --> 01:03:13,599 in some of his most important 104 01:03:13,679 --> 01:03:14,559 passages, including 105 01:03:14,559 --> 01:03:17,400 Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians 15 106 01:03:17,599 --> 01:03:19,639 and Ephesians 1 and Colossians 3. 107 01:03:19,639 --> 01:03:21,000 And the entire book of 108 01:03:21,000 --> 01:03:25,280 Hebrews is based on this Psalm. 109 01:03:25,280 --> 01:03:26,360 And all three gospel 110 01:03:26,360 --> 01:03:28,079 writers include an encounter 111 01:03:29,239 --> 01:03:31,679 in which Jesus makes a very strong, 112 01:03:32,280 --> 01:03:34,880 very forceful use of Psalm 110. 113 01:03:34,880 --> 01:03:37,000 And so I wanna use one of those passages 114 01:03:37,519 --> 01:03:40,360 as a front door into the Psalm. 115 01:03:41,039 --> 01:03:42,320 So let me set it up for us. 116 01:03:42,320 --> 01:03:43,760 So at the time of this story 117 01:03:43,760 --> 01:03:44,719 that we're about to jump into 118 01:03:44,719 --> 01:03:45,679 this interaction, what's 119 01:03:45,679 --> 01:03:46,960 going on is that the Judeans 120 01:03:47,039 --> 01:03:47,679 had been under the 121 01:03:47,679 --> 01:03:48,679 thumb of the Roman empire 122 01:03:48,880 --> 01:03:50,280 for nearly a century. 123 01:03:51,320 --> 01:03:52,599 And the Hebrew Bible that 124 01:03:52,599 --> 01:03:53,480 we call the Old Testament 125 01:03:53,480 --> 01:03:54,760 is full of these 126 01:03:54,760 --> 01:03:57,280 prophecies about a descendant 127 01:03:58,079 --> 01:04:00,599 of King David, who happens to be the 128 01:04:00,599 --> 01:04:01,639 author of Psalm 110. 129 01:04:02,840 --> 01:04:03,639 And they expected 130 01:04:03,639 --> 01:04:04,800 this descendant of David 131 01:04:04,800 --> 01:04:07,960 to be a warrior king, a political leader 132 01:04:07,960 --> 01:04:09,360 who would deliver Israel 133 01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:11,599 from their political enemies 134 01:04:12,119 --> 01:04:12,880 and would establish 135 01:04:12,880 --> 01:04:14,639 this era of God's peace. 136 01:04:14,639 --> 01:04:15,679 And they were sure of it. 137 01:04:16,360 --> 01:04:17,440 They were sure of this 138 01:04:17,440 --> 01:04:18,880 based on their interpretation 139 01:04:18,880 --> 01:04:20,760 of the prophecies in 140 01:04:20,760 --> 01:04:23,119 places like Isaiah and Jeremiah 141 01:04:23,400 --> 01:04:24,599 and Ezekiel. 142 01:04:25,440 --> 01:04:26,960 This Davidic king in 143 01:04:26,960 --> 01:04:28,960 Hebrew is called the Messiah. 144 01:04:29,719 --> 01:04:31,159 Greek word Christos, 145 01:04:31,480 --> 01:04:32,679 which is where we get Jesus 146 01:04:32,960 --> 01:04:33,840 is not his last name. 147 01:04:34,840 --> 01:04:36,280 It's his title, Jesus Christ. 148 01:04:36,960 --> 01:04:37,719 It means the anointed 149 01:04:37,719 --> 01:04:39,559 one, the anointed prince, 150 01:04:39,760 --> 01:04:42,840 God's chosen agent to do this work. 151 01:04:42,840 --> 01:04:44,559 And so in the midst of that expectation 152 01:04:45,679 --> 01:04:46,559 for this Messiah, you 153 01:04:46,559 --> 01:04:47,679 have Jesus of Nazareth 154 01:04:47,880 --> 01:04:49,480 stepping into the scene 155 01:04:49,480 --> 01:04:51,719 as this provocative rabbi, 156 01:04:52,440 --> 01:04:54,039 and he's gaining popularity. 157 01:04:55,000 --> 01:04:56,119 And it starts to alarm 158 01:04:56,119 --> 01:04:57,480 the religious establishment. 159 01:04:58,679 --> 01:05:00,360 And so they come to him and 160 01:05:00,360 --> 01:05:01,719 they start to ask him questions. 161 01:05:02,880 --> 01:05:04,920 And they ask him questions about issues. 162 01:05:05,559 --> 01:05:06,840 I mean, you know us religious people 163 01:05:06,840 --> 01:05:08,400 how we love to argue about issues. 164 01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:10,519 And they come to him 165 01:05:10,519 --> 01:05:11,280 and they ask him questions 166 01:05:11,280 --> 01:05:11,960 about issues. 167 01:05:12,239 --> 01:05:13,400 Should we pay taxes to Caesar? 168 01:05:14,239 --> 01:05:14,679 Political issue. 169 01:05:16,519 --> 01:05:19,039 What's marriage gonna be like in heaven 170 01:05:19,039 --> 01:05:19,840 or in the afterlife? 171 01:05:20,400 --> 01:05:21,440 A theological issue. 172 01:05:22,280 --> 01:05:22,920 What's the greatest 173 01:05:22,920 --> 01:05:24,079 commandment in the law? 174 01:05:24,960 --> 01:05:27,159 That's a scriptural interpretation issue. 175 01:05:28,239 --> 01:05:29,880 They wanna talk to him about issues. 176 01:05:30,599 --> 01:05:31,400 And they're asking him 177 01:05:31,400 --> 01:05:32,840 these very tricky questions 178 01:05:32,960 --> 01:05:34,320 because they're, you 179 01:05:34,320 --> 01:05:35,280 know how politics works. 180 01:05:35,280 --> 01:05:35,760 I mean, they're trying 181 01:05:35,760 --> 01:05:36,679 to make him look dumb 182 01:05:37,480 --> 01:05:38,039 or they're trying to 183 01:05:38,039 --> 01:05:39,000 get him to say something 184 01:05:39,119 --> 01:05:40,000 that's in error 185 01:05:40,000 --> 01:05:42,280 scripturally that they can pin on him. 186 01:05:42,719 --> 01:05:43,599 Or they at least are 187 01:05:43,599 --> 01:05:44,639 hoping that he'll say something 188 01:05:44,840 --> 01:05:45,159 that would maybe 189 01:05:45,159 --> 01:05:47,440 alienate some of his followers. 190 01:05:48,760 --> 01:05:50,519 And, you know, sort of push 191 01:05:50,519 --> 01:05:52,360 away some of his constituents 192 01:05:52,360 --> 01:05:54,679 and maybe lessen his influence. 193 01:05:54,679 --> 01:05:55,599 But that doesn't happen. 194 01:05:55,599 --> 01:05:56,840 Each time he answers, he gives 195 01:05:56,840 --> 01:05:59,519 them these slam dunk answers. 196 01:06:00,239 --> 01:06:02,679 And finally, Jesus goes on offense. 197 01:06:03,440 --> 01:06:04,480 And he goes on attack 198 01:06:04,480 --> 01:06:06,239 with a question of his own. 199 01:06:06,679 --> 01:06:08,679 And we see it in Matthew chapter 22. 200 01:06:08,679 --> 01:06:10,400 It's also recorded in Mark 12 201 01:06:10,400 --> 01:06:11,639 and also in the Gospel of Luke. 202 01:06:11,760 --> 01:06:13,480 But here's what we got. 203 01:06:13,519 --> 01:06:16,239 Matthew 22 starting in verse 41. 204 01:06:17,280 --> 01:06:17,960 So while the Pharisees 205 01:06:17,960 --> 01:06:18,960 were gathered together, 206 01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:21,519 Jesus asked them, what do 207 01:06:21,519 --> 01:06:22,559 you think about the Messiah? 208 01:06:23,280 --> 01:06:24,280 Whose son is he? 209 01:06:24,960 --> 01:06:25,880 And they would reply, 210 01:06:28,280 --> 01:06:29,159 son of David, right? 211 01:06:29,440 --> 01:06:32,280 Based on Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. 212 01:06:32,559 --> 01:06:34,159 They answer, he's the son of David. 213 01:06:34,519 --> 01:06:35,400 And they're right. 214 01:06:36,639 --> 01:06:37,119 They're right. 215 01:06:38,320 --> 01:06:40,079 But Jesus takes them in 216 01:06:40,079 --> 01:06:40,719 a different direction. 217 01:06:41,320 --> 01:06:42,800 He said to them, how is it then 218 01:06:43,199 --> 01:06:44,719 that David speaking by 219 01:06:44,719 --> 01:06:46,519 the Spirit calls him Lord? 220 01:06:46,920 --> 01:06:48,239 And then he quotes Psalm 110. 221 01:06:48,239 --> 01:06:51,079 For he says, the Lord said to my Lord, 222 01:06:51,880 --> 01:06:52,840 sit at my right hand 223 01:06:52,840 --> 01:06:53,760 until I put your enemies 224 01:06:53,760 --> 01:06:54,480 under your feet. 225 01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:56,400 If then David calls him 226 01:06:56,400 --> 01:06:58,840 Lord, how can he be his son? 227 01:07:01,719 --> 01:07:03,239 And what he's done is he's 228 01:07:03,239 --> 01:07:04,599 used their own interpretive 229 01:07:04,679 --> 01:07:07,000 method to challenge them. 230 01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:08,760 He's proved to them from the scriptures, 231 01:07:08,960 --> 01:07:09,840 using their own method 232 01:07:09,840 --> 01:07:10,679 that their understanding 233 01:07:10,840 --> 01:07:12,400 of the Messiah was incomplete. 234 01:07:13,400 --> 01:07:14,280 It was inadequate. 235 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:17,039 David doesn't say my son. 236 01:07:17,039 --> 01:07:18,400 He says, my Lord. 237 01:07:18,599 --> 01:07:20,000 And this whole interaction, 238 01:07:20,000 --> 01:07:21,360 they've been peppering Jesus 239 01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:22,400 with these questions, 240 01:07:22,719 --> 01:07:24,559 trying to box him in 241 01:07:25,239 --> 01:07:26,960 according to their preconceptions. 242 01:07:27,159 --> 01:07:29,480 And he uses Psalm 110 to very 243 01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:30,800 definitively break out 244 01:07:30,800 --> 01:07:31,679 of these containers 245 01:07:31,679 --> 01:07:32,719 that they're sort of trying 246 01:07:32,719 --> 01:07:33,480 to put him in. 247 01:07:33,480 --> 01:07:34,760 And it's a crisis moment. 248 01:07:35,880 --> 01:07:36,880 It's a fork in the road. 249 01:07:37,679 --> 01:07:38,760 Because when you start to consider it, 250 01:07:38,760 --> 01:07:40,239 you realize none of these other questions 251 01:07:41,519 --> 01:07:43,039 none of them matter if 252 01:07:43,039 --> 01:07:43,960 they have the wrong answer 253 01:07:43,960 --> 01:07:44,880 to Jesus' question. 254 01:07:46,519 --> 01:07:47,119 The questions about 255 01:07:47,119 --> 01:07:48,920 the issues do not matter 256 01:07:49,599 --> 01:07:50,280 if you have the wrong 257 01:07:50,280 --> 01:07:52,679 answer about who Jesus is. 258 01:07:52,679 --> 01:07:53,800 And so it's easy for us 259 01:07:53,800 --> 01:07:55,239 to read a passage like this 260 01:07:55,800 --> 01:07:57,000 and kind of look down 261 01:07:57,000 --> 01:07:58,239 our nose at the Pharisees 262 01:07:58,239 --> 01:08:00,199 as though we were not the Pharisees. 263 01:08:00,760 --> 01:08:01,679 And it's us and Jesus 264 01:08:01,679 --> 01:08:02,599 against the Pharisees 265 01:08:02,599 --> 01:08:03,320 when we read the passage. 266 01:08:04,800 --> 01:08:06,119 But we are the Pharisees. 267 01:08:06,119 --> 01:08:08,159 We do this to God. 268 01:08:09,039 --> 01:08:11,360 We do this to Jesus all the time. 269 01:08:11,360 --> 01:08:12,239 So let me ask, what kind 270 01:08:12,239 --> 01:08:13,440 of box do you have God in? 271 01:08:15,920 --> 01:08:16,439 What are the ways in 272 01:08:16,439 --> 01:08:17,319 your life in which you try 273 01:08:17,319 --> 01:08:19,760 to contain him or 274 01:08:19,760 --> 01:08:23,159 control him or define him? 275 01:08:25,840 --> 01:08:26,319 I think there's two 276 01:08:26,319 --> 01:08:28,680 ways that we often do this. 277 01:08:28,680 --> 01:08:30,239 Two subtle ways, kind of tricky ways. 278 01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:32,720 And I do this and you do this. 279 01:08:33,800 --> 01:08:35,199 And these are usually really 280 01:08:35,199 --> 01:08:36,560 easy to spot in other people 281 01:08:37,159 --> 01:08:38,840 and extremely hard to spot in ourselves, 282 01:08:39,560 --> 01:08:40,640 which is probably just the 283 01:08:40,640 --> 01:08:41,760 way it is with most things. 284 01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:44,359 But the first way I think 285 01:08:44,359 --> 01:08:47,159 people often do this to God, 286 01:08:47,159 --> 01:08:48,520 try and contain him or box 287 01:08:48,520 --> 01:08:51,319 him in, is through projection. 288 01:08:53,159 --> 01:08:53,960 It's through projection. 289 01:08:54,680 --> 01:08:55,760 Now, this was the critique 290 01:08:55,760 --> 01:08:58,000 of a guy named Ludwig Forbach 291 01:08:58,760 --> 01:08:59,800 in the 19th century. 292 01:08:59,800 --> 01:09:02,039 He was a 19th century German philosopher. 293 01:09:03,159 --> 01:09:05,399 And he surveyed the theological landscape 294 01:09:05,600 --> 01:09:06,399 of continental Europe 295 01:09:06,399 --> 01:09:07,520 in the 19th century. 296 01:09:08,399 --> 01:09:10,720 And he looked around and his critique 297 01:09:11,359 --> 01:09:12,319 of the Christianity at 298 01:09:12,319 --> 01:09:14,840 that time was that God seemed 299 01:09:14,840 --> 01:09:17,279 to be just a bigger version of them. 300 01:09:19,199 --> 01:09:20,159 God was a projection. 301 01:09:20,920 --> 01:09:22,279 God is just a bigger 302 01:09:22,279 --> 01:09:23,920 version of your idealized self. 303 01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:25,399 God is just this abstract 304 01:09:25,399 --> 01:09:28,279 object upon which you project 305 01:09:28,279 --> 01:09:30,399 your own values, your own 306 01:09:30,399 --> 01:09:33,399 desires, your own wishes, 307 01:09:33,399 --> 01:09:34,279 your own dreams. 308 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:37,600 And his criticism was extremely apt for 309 01:09:37,600 --> 01:09:38,800 19th century Europe. 310 01:09:39,960 --> 01:09:40,960 If you sort of look into 311 01:09:40,960 --> 01:09:43,760 the theological development 312 01:09:44,119 --> 01:09:45,199 of what was happening in the church, 313 01:09:45,720 --> 01:09:47,359 this is an incredibly optimistic time 314 01:09:47,359 --> 01:09:48,119 where they basically 315 01:09:48,560 --> 01:09:50,760 believe that God had given them the 316 01:09:50,760 --> 01:09:52,000 revelation of religion. 317 01:09:53,039 --> 01:09:54,960 And he had given them a 318 01:09:54,960 --> 01:09:56,439 religious system in a society 319 01:09:56,880 --> 01:09:57,960 that would work together to just 320 01:09:57,960 --> 01:09:58,840 Christianize the world. 321 01:10:00,159 --> 01:10:01,039 And so all of the 322 01:10:01,039 --> 01:10:02,279 theological thoughts started 323 01:10:02,399 --> 01:10:03,880 to orient around our 324 01:10:03,880 --> 01:10:06,399 feelings and our experiences. 325 01:10:07,560 --> 01:10:08,640 It was all very positive and 326 01:10:08,640 --> 01:10:10,199 optimistic about human beings. 327 01:10:10,840 --> 01:10:11,760 And so Forbach starts to 328 01:10:11,760 --> 01:10:12,520 look at this and he goes, 329 01:10:13,520 --> 01:10:15,640 when they talk about God, 330 01:10:16,199 --> 01:10:17,079 it's like they're talking 331 01:10:17,079 --> 01:10:18,560 about themselves with a loud voice. 332 01:10:20,840 --> 01:10:21,720 And that was his critique. 333 01:10:23,079 --> 01:10:24,000 And it held out very 334 01:10:24,000 --> 01:10:25,399 well until World War I 335 01:10:25,399 --> 01:10:26,399 and World War II, but sort 336 01:10:26,399 --> 01:10:28,720 of shattered this mindset 337 01:10:29,159 --> 01:10:29,880 in continental Europe. 338 01:10:31,159 --> 01:10:33,079 And so his criticism was 339 01:10:33,079 --> 01:10:33,960 very apt for that time. 340 01:10:33,960 --> 01:10:34,880 It was very apt for our 341 01:10:34,880 --> 01:10:36,840 day to, especially I think 342 01:10:36,840 --> 01:10:38,000 in our political climate. 343 01:10:39,119 --> 01:10:41,159 You can turn on any cable news network, 344 01:10:41,159 --> 01:10:41,800 not that I recommend 345 01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:44,119 you do, but if you do, 346 01:10:44,600 --> 01:10:47,079 you will see politicians projecting. 347 01:10:48,159 --> 01:10:50,239 You will see politicians using the 348 01:10:50,239 --> 01:10:51,520 vocabulary of religion. 349 01:10:54,239 --> 01:10:54,960 And here's what 350 01:10:54,960 --> 01:10:56,399 projection looks like in practice. 351 01:10:58,119 --> 01:11:00,119 God never disagrees with you. 352 01:11:02,039 --> 01:11:03,159 God never challenges you. 353 01:11:04,399 --> 01:11:06,000 God disapproves of all the 354 01:11:06,000 --> 01:11:07,319 same people you disapprove of 355 01:11:07,319 --> 01:11:08,520 and just as harshly. 356 01:11:11,039 --> 01:11:12,600 And God can sort of, he 357 01:11:12,600 --> 01:11:13,960 begins to function for us 358 01:11:13,960 --> 01:11:14,600 when we're doing this. 359 01:11:14,960 --> 01:11:15,880 He begins to function for 360 01:11:15,880 --> 01:11:17,880 us like a card that we play, 361 01:11:18,439 --> 01:11:20,840 just to justify ourselves and to 362 01:11:20,840 --> 01:11:22,399 legitimate our beliefs 363 01:11:22,720 --> 01:11:23,520 and our behavior. 364 01:11:23,560 --> 01:11:27,159 He blesses our biases, doesn't he? 365 01:11:28,079 --> 01:11:28,960 And so when we talk 366 01:11:28,960 --> 01:11:30,199 about God, it starts to sound 367 01:11:30,199 --> 01:11:30,840 like we're really just 368 01:11:30,840 --> 01:11:31,760 talking about ourselves 369 01:11:32,159 --> 01:11:33,720 with a loud voice. 370 01:11:34,600 --> 01:11:37,960 It's projection, if Feuerbach is right. 371 01:11:37,960 --> 01:11:38,680 But here's the problem. 372 01:11:40,159 --> 01:11:41,119 Jesus is not a projection. 373 01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:43,600 He is not a projection. 374 01:11:44,680 --> 01:11:45,279 He is a person. 375 01:11:46,279 --> 01:11:48,600 Listen to what W.H. Auden says, the poet, 376 01:11:50,159 --> 01:11:51,439 when he's explaining why 377 01:11:51,439 --> 01:11:52,640 and how he came to believe 378 01:11:52,760 --> 01:11:54,760 in Jesus Christ, he says this, I believe 379 01:11:55,159 --> 01:11:56,079 because he, Jesus, 380 01:11:56,319 --> 01:11:57,840 fulfills none of my dreams 381 01:11:59,439 --> 01:12:00,279 because he is in 382 01:12:00,279 --> 01:12:01,720 every respect the opposite 383 01:12:02,560 --> 01:12:04,199 of what he would be if I 384 01:12:04,199 --> 01:12:05,479 had made him in my own image. 385 01:12:06,560 --> 01:12:07,760 Why Jesus and not 386 01:12:07,760 --> 01:12:09,800 Socrates or Buddha or Confucius 387 01:12:09,800 --> 01:12:11,960 or Muhammad, listen to his answer. 388 01:12:13,399 --> 01:12:15,399 None of the others arouse 389 01:12:15,399 --> 01:12:17,840 all sides of my being to cry, 390 01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:19,199 crucify him. 391 01:12:22,359 --> 01:12:23,479 Jesus is not a projection. 392 01:12:25,319 --> 01:12:28,640 Jesus is a projectile that 393 01:12:28,640 --> 01:12:30,199 God fires into this world 394 01:12:30,199 --> 01:12:32,960 to shatter all of our projections. 395 01:12:34,119 --> 01:12:35,720 And so if we never find ourselves 396 01:12:35,720 --> 01:12:36,880 confronted by Jesus, 397 01:12:38,279 --> 01:12:39,039 if we never find 398 01:12:39,039 --> 01:12:40,600 ourselves challenged by him, 399 01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:41,159 if we never find 400 01:12:41,159 --> 01:12:43,279 ourselves corrected by him, 401 01:12:43,279 --> 01:12:43,960 then we would do well 402 01:12:43,960 --> 01:12:45,039 to stop and ask ourselves 403 01:12:45,039 --> 01:12:45,720 like if it's really 404 01:12:45,720 --> 01:12:46,079 Jesus that we're dealing with 405 01:12:46,520 --> 01:12:49,760 and that we're engaged with. 406 01:12:51,239 --> 01:12:51,760 So that's projection. 407 01:12:52,039 --> 01:12:53,239 The second way that we do this, 408 01:12:53,239 --> 01:12:53,840 the second way that 409 01:12:53,840 --> 01:12:54,840 we sort of contain God, 410 01:12:55,159 --> 01:12:56,239 boxing man is through abstraction. 411 01:12:57,640 --> 01:12:59,359 Abstraction, so we depersonalize God. 412 01:13:00,079 --> 01:13:01,279 We depersonalize God. 413 01:13:01,279 --> 01:13:02,600 We don't relate to God as a 414 01:13:02,600 --> 01:13:03,800 person or Jesus as a person. 415 01:13:04,000 --> 01:13:05,399 We relate to them as 416 01:13:05,399 --> 01:13:06,880 something impersonal, 417 01:13:06,880 --> 01:13:08,479 as an idea, as an 418 01:13:08,479 --> 01:13:11,159 abstraction, as a topic for discussion, 419 01:13:11,560 --> 01:13:13,960 as energy, as a force. 420 01:13:14,720 --> 01:13:14,960 And the reason we do this is because we don't have 421 01:13:15,000 --> 01:13:16,239 and the reason we do this 422 01:13:16,239 --> 01:13:17,800 is because an impersonal God 423 01:13:18,239 --> 01:13:18,960 doesn't have a will. 424 01:13:20,439 --> 01:13:21,520 And an impersonal God is 425 01:13:21,520 --> 01:13:22,960 never gonna make demands on me. 426 01:13:22,960 --> 01:13:24,279 An impersonal God does 427 01:13:24,279 --> 01:13:25,000 not have preferences. 428 01:13:25,279 --> 01:13:26,680 An impersonal God is not gonna place 429 01:13:26,680 --> 01:13:28,880 any kind of restrictions on me, 430 01:13:28,880 --> 01:13:29,960 but the claims of Jesus 431 01:13:29,960 --> 01:13:31,840 problematize this for us 432 01:13:32,159 --> 01:13:33,600 because he comes in and 433 01:13:33,600 --> 01:13:34,720 he says, I'm the Messiah. 434 01:13:36,399 --> 01:13:37,319 I am the king, the 435 01:13:37,319 --> 01:13:38,720 Davidic king of Psalm 110. 436 01:13:40,079 --> 01:13:41,399 I am God's anointed king 437 01:13:41,399 --> 01:13:43,600 and more than that, I am God. 438 01:13:44,520 --> 01:13:48,319 And so he personalizes God in a way 439 01:13:48,319 --> 01:13:48,800 that's rather 440 01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:50,439 threatening to us when we're used 441 01:13:50,439 --> 01:13:51,319 to sort of regarding 442 01:13:51,319 --> 01:13:53,319 God as an abstraction. 443 01:13:53,960 --> 01:13:54,760 Listen to the way C.S. 444 01:13:54,760 --> 01:13:55,680 Lewis talks about this 445 01:13:55,680 --> 01:13:56,880 in his book, Miracles. 446 01:14:00,760 --> 01:14:01,399 I just pulled my 447 01:14:01,399 --> 01:14:02,439 bookmark out and lost the page. 448 01:14:02,439 --> 01:14:02,960 Here we are, okay. 449 01:14:04,079 --> 01:14:05,119 So C.S. Lewis on this 450 01:14:05,119 --> 01:14:06,399 idea of an impersonal God. 451 01:14:06,399 --> 01:14:06,920 Here's what he says. 452 01:14:08,119 --> 01:14:11,279 He says an impersonal God, well and good. 453 01:14:12,560 --> 01:14:13,800 A subjective God of 454 01:14:13,800 --> 01:14:15,159 beauty, truth, and goodness 455 01:14:15,279 --> 01:14:17,359 inside our own heads, better still. 456 01:14:18,600 --> 01:14:21,159 A formless life force surging through us, 457 01:14:21,159 --> 01:14:22,680 a vast power which we 458 01:14:22,680 --> 01:14:24,560 can tap best of all. 459 01:14:25,560 --> 01:14:30,640 But God himself, alive, pulling at the 460 01:14:30,640 --> 01:14:31,600 other end of the cord, 461 01:14:32,720 --> 01:14:34,840 perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, 462 01:14:34,840 --> 01:14:36,800 the hunter, the king, the husband, 463 01:14:37,560 --> 01:14:38,960 that is quite another matter. 464 01:14:41,279 --> 01:14:42,319 He goes on, there comes a 465 01:14:42,319 --> 01:14:43,079 moment when the children 466 01:14:43,079 --> 01:14:44,119 who'd been playing at 467 01:14:44,119 --> 01:14:45,399 burglars hushed suddenly. 468 01:14:46,399 --> 01:14:48,000 Was that a real footstep in the hall? 469 01:14:52,319 --> 01:14:53,279 There comes a moment when 470 01:14:53,279 --> 01:14:54,239 people have been dabbling 471 01:14:54,239 --> 01:14:56,760 in religion, suddenly draw back. 472 01:14:58,039 --> 01:14:59,359 Supposing we really found him. 473 01:15:00,359 --> 01:15:02,000 We never meant it to come to that. 474 01:15:02,000 --> 01:15:05,159 We're still supposing he had found us. 475 01:15:06,520 --> 01:15:07,399 In other words, 476 01:15:09,840 --> 01:15:10,640 if you've been relating to 477 01:15:10,640 --> 01:15:12,840 God in a depersonalized way, 478 01:15:14,119 --> 01:15:14,840 it's like you're playing a 479 01:15:14,840 --> 01:15:16,079 child's game in your heart. 480 01:15:17,279 --> 01:15:18,159 There's no stakes. 481 01:15:19,199 --> 01:15:20,159 There's no consequences. 482 01:15:20,439 --> 01:15:22,039 Like you go through the 483 01:15:22,039 --> 01:15:24,359 motions of a religious life, 484 01:15:24,640 --> 01:15:26,079 but you keep God at arm's 485 01:15:26,079 --> 01:15:27,840 length by dabbling with him. 486 01:15:29,680 --> 01:15:36,880 And at any moment, God could break in 487 01:15:38,119 --> 01:15:39,479 and disrupt that dynamic 488 01:15:39,479 --> 01:15:41,960 and disrupt that pattern. 489 01:15:42,840 --> 01:15:44,680 And if he does that, then 490 01:15:44,680 --> 01:15:45,720 it could be very sudden, 491 01:15:45,960 --> 01:15:47,079 it could be very startling, 492 01:15:47,079 --> 01:15:47,840 and he will become 493 01:15:47,840 --> 01:15:49,880 very shockingly personal. 494 01:15:51,079 --> 01:15:51,880 And this happened for 495 01:15:51,880 --> 01:15:52,960 me when I was in college, 496 01:15:52,960 --> 01:15:53,960 as it does for a lot of folks. 497 01:15:54,159 --> 01:15:56,239 I mean, I had this experience in college 498 01:15:56,239 --> 01:15:57,439 where the combination of 499 01:15:57,439 --> 01:15:58,880 my own poor decision-making, 500 01:15:59,399 --> 01:16:01,199 which was the start, it started with me, 501 01:16:01,520 --> 01:16:02,279 and then other 502 01:16:02,279 --> 01:16:03,560 people's graceless reaction 503 01:16:03,840 --> 01:16:05,600 to my poor decision-making, 504 01:16:06,279 --> 01:16:07,640 combined to produce this 505 01:16:07,640 --> 01:16:08,720 guilt and shame in my life 506 01:16:08,720 --> 01:16:11,399 that was new, it was 507 01:16:11,399 --> 01:16:12,760 not something I dealt with 508 01:16:13,560 --> 01:16:14,399 at that kind of level 509 01:16:14,399 --> 01:16:15,520 and that intensity before. 510 01:16:16,000 --> 01:16:18,000 And I did not know how to 511 01:16:18,000 --> 01:16:18,880 deal with it spiritually. 512 01:16:19,159 --> 01:16:19,840 It was like such a 513 01:16:19,840 --> 01:16:22,000 shocking and disorienting time 514 01:16:22,840 --> 01:16:24,439 and a dark time, and I 515 01:16:24,439 --> 01:16:26,079 felt abandoned by a God 516 01:16:26,079 --> 01:16:26,680 that I wasn't even 517 01:16:26,680 --> 01:16:27,680 really sure I ever knew. 518 01:16:29,880 --> 01:16:30,760 And so I had this 519 01:16:30,760 --> 01:16:31,760 moment where I was like, 520 01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:32,840 oh, I have to face reality. 521 01:16:33,960 --> 01:16:36,239 And the reality was that I 522 01:16:36,239 --> 01:16:37,560 had a depersonalized God, 523 01:16:39,319 --> 01:16:41,640 and I had been a Christian all my life, 524 01:16:42,159 --> 01:16:43,119 all of my conscious 525 01:16:43,119 --> 01:16:45,600 life, and grew up in church. 526 01:16:46,960 --> 01:16:48,279 But in many ways, I was a 527 01:16:48,279 --> 01:16:50,079 21-year-old baby Christian, 528 01:16:51,439 --> 01:16:52,119 and I didn't look like 529 01:16:52,119 --> 01:16:54,479 it, I didn't talk like it, 530 01:16:54,920 --> 01:16:55,840 because I knew my Bible, 531 01:16:56,600 --> 01:16:58,600 and I was at university studying 532 01:16:58,600 --> 01:16:59,760 theology, learning Greek, 533 01:17:00,560 --> 01:17:02,159 leading in three different ministries, 534 01:17:03,159 --> 01:17:05,039 but God was impersonal to me. 535 01:17:05,720 --> 01:17:07,479 My God was an abstraction, and the 536 01:17:07,479 --> 01:17:09,039 problem that I discovered 537 01:17:09,039 --> 01:17:11,920 is that an abstraction could not help me. 538 01:17:13,960 --> 01:17:15,720 An abstraction could not 539 01:17:15,720 --> 01:17:17,800 help me resolve the guilt 540 01:17:18,279 --> 01:17:19,039 that I felt for these 541 01:17:19,039 --> 01:17:19,840 things that I'd done 542 01:17:20,159 --> 01:17:21,239 that I could never justify. 543 01:17:23,159 --> 01:17:24,159 And so my impersonal 544 01:17:24,159 --> 01:17:26,800 God was useless to me. 545 01:17:28,520 --> 01:17:29,279 Absolutely useless. 546 01:17:30,319 --> 01:17:33,439 Couldn't love me, couldn't comfort me, 547 01:17:34,159 --> 01:17:36,520 couldn't help me, couldn't forgive me, 548 01:17:36,560 --> 01:17:38,479 couldn't heal me, couldn't change me, 549 01:17:38,800 --> 01:17:42,399 couldn't do anything for me, 550 01:17:44,680 --> 01:17:45,800 because he was an abstraction, 551 01:17:47,359 --> 01:17:48,880 because I had depersonalized him. 552 01:17:50,439 --> 01:17:51,560 And for the first time in my life, 553 01:17:51,560 --> 01:17:54,039 I was just truly desperate to know Jesus, 554 01:17:54,039 --> 01:17:55,920 and I knew that I needed more, 555 01:17:55,920 --> 01:17:57,399 I needed more than the 556 01:17:57,399 --> 01:17:58,800 abstraction, and so do you. 557 01:17:58,840 --> 01:18:00,119 You need more than an 558 01:18:00,119 --> 01:18:02,560 impersonal God, and you need more, 559 01:18:03,359 --> 01:18:05,439 I mean, it's not enough to 560 01:18:05,439 --> 01:18:06,920 just go through the motions 561 01:18:07,520 --> 01:18:09,800 of the Christian life and 562 01:18:09,800 --> 01:18:10,960 not know Jesus personally. 563 01:18:11,880 --> 01:18:14,039 It's not enough to just have the 564 01:18:14,039 --> 01:18:16,119 vocabulary of Christianity 565 01:18:16,520 --> 01:18:17,600 and the grammar of religion 566 01:18:18,000 --> 01:18:20,159 to verbalize your own experiences. 567 01:18:20,159 --> 01:18:23,359 We need God to speak into our world. 568 01:18:24,760 --> 01:18:27,319 And so in that spirit, I 569 01:18:27,319 --> 01:18:29,279 want us to look to Psalm 110, 570 01:18:30,439 --> 01:18:31,279 because Jesus said this 571 01:18:31,279 --> 01:18:32,359 psalm was about himself. 572 01:18:33,079 --> 01:18:35,560 He used it to challenge these Pharisees, 573 01:18:35,560 --> 01:18:36,600 and I hope that he uses it 574 01:18:36,600 --> 01:18:38,159 to challenge us this morning. 575 01:18:39,920 --> 01:18:40,920 The main figure in this 576 01:18:40,920 --> 01:18:45,479 psalm embodies three paradoxes, 577 01:18:46,119 --> 01:18:48,920 three sets of these seemingly 578 01:18:48,920 --> 01:18:50,520 contradictory characteristics. 579 01:18:51,439 --> 01:18:53,159 And so I wanna look at what they are 580 01:18:53,279 --> 01:18:53,800 and then talk about 581 01:18:53,800 --> 01:18:55,800 how Jesus fulfills them. 582 01:18:57,119 --> 01:18:58,439 So looking to Psalm 110, 583 01:19:00,800 --> 01:19:03,479 we see that this character, Jesus, 584 01:19:04,560 --> 01:19:05,520 is both human and 585 01:19:05,520 --> 01:19:07,520 divine, both human and divine. 586 01:19:09,800 --> 01:19:13,319 In verses one and two, 587 01:19:14,960 --> 01:19:18,279 says the Lord says to my Lord. 588 01:19:18,680 --> 01:19:20,319 Now, the English word 589 01:19:20,319 --> 01:19:21,600 Lord is used twice there, 590 01:19:22,520 --> 01:19:24,560 but it's two different words in Hebrew. 591 01:19:24,560 --> 01:19:27,840 The first one, the first Lord is Yahweh, 592 01:19:27,920 --> 01:19:28,800 referring to God, the 593 01:19:28,800 --> 01:19:29,800 covenant name of God, 594 01:19:29,800 --> 01:19:30,439 I am that I am. 595 01:19:31,359 --> 01:19:32,920 The second Lord is 596 01:19:32,920 --> 01:19:34,399 the Hebrew word Adonai, 597 01:19:34,920 --> 01:19:36,479 not Adonai, which you 598 01:19:36,479 --> 01:19:38,319 recognize from Josh's talk 599 01:19:38,319 --> 01:19:40,359 a couple of weeks ago, but Adonai, 600 01:19:40,359 --> 01:19:42,560 which is the singular form of Adonai, 601 01:19:43,159 --> 01:19:44,359 and the overwhelming 602 01:19:44,359 --> 01:19:46,039 majority of uses of Adonai 603 01:19:46,439 --> 01:19:47,159 in the Old Testament 604 01:19:47,159 --> 01:19:48,920 refer to a human being. 605 01:19:50,319 --> 01:19:52,720 So David's Lord is a human being, 606 01:19:52,720 --> 01:19:54,960 and yet Jesus' point to the Pharisees is 607 01:19:54,960 --> 01:19:55,960 if this character is a 608 01:19:55,960 --> 01:19:57,039 human descendant of David, 609 01:19:57,359 --> 01:19:57,960 then David would have 610 01:19:57,960 --> 01:19:59,399 never called him my Lord. 611 01:20:00,600 --> 01:20:01,279 Never, he would have 612 01:20:01,279 --> 01:20:02,520 never called him my general. 613 01:20:02,760 --> 01:20:03,199 He would have never 614 01:20:03,199 --> 01:20:05,520 called him my king, my Adonai. 615 01:20:05,800 --> 01:20:07,039 He would have called him my son. 616 01:20:09,159 --> 01:20:11,439 And so we have the human and the divine. 617 01:20:11,680 --> 01:20:13,960 God also says to this 618 01:20:13,960 --> 01:20:15,920 Lord, sit at my right hand. 619 01:20:16,960 --> 01:20:18,720 The sitting at the right hand indicates 620 01:20:19,239 --> 01:20:20,159 that David's Lord, 621 01:20:20,159 --> 01:20:22,520 Jesus, has a unique privilege 622 01:20:23,399 --> 01:20:23,880 and a unique 623 01:20:23,880 --> 01:20:26,000 position, because human beings 624 01:20:26,000 --> 01:20:27,279 do not ascend to heaven to 625 01:20:27,279 --> 01:20:28,239 sit at the right hand of God. 626 01:20:29,560 --> 01:20:30,520 Angels do not sit at 627 01:20:30,520 --> 01:20:31,399 the right hand of God. 628 01:20:32,560 --> 01:20:33,840 Only someone equal with 629 01:20:33,840 --> 01:20:35,239 God, only someone divine, 630 01:20:36,000 --> 01:20:38,039 could sit at the right hand of God, 631 01:20:38,920 --> 01:20:40,399 because he is above all 632 01:20:40,399 --> 01:20:42,159 angels and all earthly beings. 633 01:20:42,159 --> 01:20:42,560 And so that's why 634 01:20:42,560 --> 01:20:44,399 Jesus has this privilege. 635 01:20:44,760 --> 01:20:45,800 So we see that this 636 01:20:45,800 --> 01:20:47,800 character is both human and divine, 637 01:20:47,800 --> 01:20:48,920 and if you're a Christian person, 638 01:20:48,960 --> 01:20:49,920 the idea that Jesus is 639 01:20:49,920 --> 01:20:50,920 both human and divine 640 01:20:50,920 --> 01:20:51,800 is probably not something 641 01:20:51,800 --> 01:20:52,680 you're tripping over, right? 642 01:20:52,680 --> 01:20:54,039 You're like, I think I knew that. 643 01:20:54,920 --> 01:20:56,520 We covered that in the intro class. 644 01:20:58,800 --> 01:20:59,600 But let's keep going. 645 01:20:59,600 --> 01:21:00,640 We also see that because 646 01:21:00,640 --> 01:21:01,920 he is human and divine, 647 01:21:03,279 --> 01:21:04,399 he is equal to God, but 648 01:21:04,399 --> 01:21:05,359 also different from God. 649 01:21:06,680 --> 01:21:08,479 Equal to God, but different from God. 650 01:21:08,479 --> 01:21:10,319 So David's Lord is divine, equal to God, 651 01:21:10,319 --> 01:21:11,800 but at the same time distinct. 652 01:21:12,159 --> 01:21:13,479 So look at this, in verse two, 653 01:21:14,840 --> 01:21:17,920 he shares equally in God's ruling power. 654 01:21:17,920 --> 01:21:19,279 He's at the right hand of God, 655 01:21:19,279 --> 01:21:20,520 and then it says, "The 656 01:21:20,520 --> 01:21:22,039 Lord will extend your scepter 657 01:21:22,039 --> 01:21:23,520 "from Zion, saying, rule in 658 01:21:23,520 --> 01:21:24,439 the midst of your enemies." 659 01:21:24,439 --> 01:21:26,119 Now, the scepter is 660 01:21:26,119 --> 01:21:27,199 symbolic of authority, 661 01:21:27,199 --> 01:21:28,800 and in this case, the scepter is shared. 662 01:21:29,600 --> 01:21:30,640 It's God's scepter, 663 01:21:30,640 --> 01:21:31,600 which is then extended 664 01:21:31,600 --> 01:21:32,920 to the human divine king, 665 01:21:33,760 --> 01:21:35,600 and so it is a distinct action 666 01:21:35,600 --> 01:21:37,199 from one character to another. 667 01:21:37,920 --> 01:21:39,399 So they're distinct people. 668 01:21:39,399 --> 01:21:39,800 And then in verse 669 01:21:39,800 --> 01:21:42,439 five, David addresses God, 670 01:21:42,680 --> 01:21:44,319 the first Lord, in the second person, 671 01:21:44,720 --> 01:21:45,520 and refers to the 672 01:21:45,520 --> 01:21:46,520 Messiah in the third person, 673 01:21:46,680 --> 01:21:47,720 saying, "The Lord, 674 01:21:49,319 --> 01:21:50,560 David's Lord, the Messiah, 675 01:21:50,880 --> 01:21:52,920 "is at your God's right hand. 676 01:21:53,680 --> 01:21:54,600 "He will crush kings on 677 01:21:54,600 --> 01:21:55,279 the day of his wrath." 678 01:21:55,279 --> 01:21:56,920 So we have these two discrete actors. 679 01:21:56,920 --> 01:21:57,840 We have the Lord, we 680 01:21:57,840 --> 01:21:59,159 have David's Lord, God, 681 01:21:59,560 --> 01:22:02,159 and the Messiah, the Father and the Son, 682 01:22:02,880 --> 01:22:05,279 equal and yet distinct. 683 01:22:06,880 --> 01:22:08,279 And so, so far in this psalm, 684 01:22:08,520 --> 01:22:09,399 we've covered some things 685 01:22:09,399 --> 01:22:11,159 that you're probably expecting 686 01:22:11,159 --> 01:22:12,439 in a talk about Jesus. 687 01:22:13,319 --> 01:22:14,119 He's human and divine. 688 01:22:15,159 --> 01:22:18,600 He is equal to God, but also distinct. 689 01:22:21,199 --> 01:22:24,039 And Jesus claimed to be this Messiah, 690 01:22:24,039 --> 01:22:24,520 and the earliest 691 01:22:24,520 --> 01:22:25,920 Christians proclaimed him as such, 692 01:22:25,920 --> 01:22:27,319 and so this was Jesus' 693 01:22:27,319 --> 01:22:28,560 whole point to the Pharisees. 694 01:22:28,560 --> 01:22:30,199 The Messiah is not 695 01:22:30,199 --> 01:22:31,640 just a human warrior king 696 01:22:32,399 --> 01:22:33,680 who's gonna come in to deliver you 697 01:22:33,680 --> 01:22:34,840 from your political enemies. 698 01:22:34,840 --> 01:22:36,520 He is human and divine. 699 01:22:37,359 --> 01:22:38,960 He's God in the flesh. 700 01:22:40,159 --> 01:22:41,800 And so the enemies that he will conquer 701 01:22:41,800 --> 01:22:43,319 are not necessarily flesh and blood. 702 01:22:44,840 --> 01:22:46,039 He didn't just come to overthrow 703 01:22:46,039 --> 01:22:47,399 their geopolitical enemies. 704 01:22:47,399 --> 01:22:47,760 I mean, he didn't just 705 01:22:47,760 --> 01:22:48,720 come to overthrow Egypt 706 01:22:48,720 --> 01:22:50,920 or Babylon or at this point, Rome. 707 01:22:51,560 --> 01:22:52,640 He came to wage this 708 01:22:52,640 --> 01:22:55,520 all-out relentless war 709 01:22:56,039 --> 01:22:57,079 on sin and evil. 710 01:22:57,800 --> 01:22:58,640 But what that means then 711 01:22:58,640 --> 01:23:00,199 is that every human empire 712 01:23:01,079 --> 01:23:02,079 is on a road to 713 01:23:02,079 --> 01:23:03,399 disillusion, including ours. 714 01:23:04,880 --> 01:23:05,319 But there's still one 715 01:23:05,319 --> 01:23:06,439 more paradox to see, 716 01:23:06,560 --> 01:23:07,399 and it kind of 717 01:23:07,399 --> 01:23:08,399 demands our full attention. 718 01:23:10,680 --> 01:23:11,680 The last thing that we see, 719 01:23:11,680 --> 01:23:12,399 when we see that Jesus 720 01:23:12,399 --> 01:23:13,640 is both human and divine, 721 01:23:13,720 --> 01:23:14,399 we see he's different than 722 01:23:14,399 --> 01:23:17,039 God, and also equal to God. 723 01:23:18,760 --> 01:23:21,600 Jesus is a king, as we've established 724 01:23:21,600 --> 01:23:22,399 in the first couple of 725 01:23:22,399 --> 01:23:23,800 verses of this psalm, 726 01:23:24,439 --> 01:23:25,840 but he is also a priest. 727 01:23:27,319 --> 01:23:28,279 He's a king and a priest. 728 01:23:28,560 --> 01:23:29,279 Let's talk about this. 729 01:23:30,039 --> 01:23:31,399 So in verses one to two, 730 01:23:31,760 --> 01:23:33,199 we have Jesus sitting 731 01:23:33,199 --> 01:23:34,199 at God's right hand, 732 01:23:34,399 --> 01:23:35,800 and he's been given this scepter 733 01:23:35,800 --> 01:23:37,199 to rule in the midst of his enemies. 734 01:23:37,199 --> 01:23:39,640 So he is sharing prestige with God, 735 01:23:39,680 --> 01:23:41,239 sharing power with God. 736 01:23:41,520 --> 01:23:42,920 He's sharing in God's authority, 737 01:23:43,039 --> 01:23:44,720 he's sharing in God's rule. 738 01:23:45,560 --> 01:23:46,720 And in verse three, we do 739 01:23:46,720 --> 01:23:48,159 see that he's a warrior king. 740 01:23:49,039 --> 01:23:51,039 It says, "Your troops will be willing 741 01:23:51,039 --> 01:23:52,159 on your day of battle. 742 01:23:52,159 --> 01:23:53,560 A raid and holy splendor. 743 01:23:53,560 --> 01:23:55,920 Your young men will come to you like dew 744 01:23:56,439 --> 01:23:57,399 from the morning's womb." 745 01:23:58,079 --> 01:23:58,760 In other words, he won't 746 01:23:58,760 --> 01:23:59,840 have to conscript anybody. 747 01:24:01,760 --> 01:24:02,239 He's not gonna have to 748 01:24:02,239 --> 01:24:03,520 force anybody to fight for him. 749 01:24:03,520 --> 01:24:05,479 He's gonna be this beloved king. 750 01:24:05,479 --> 01:24:06,079 People are going to 751 01:24:06,079 --> 01:24:07,399 be eager to follow him, 752 01:24:07,399 --> 01:24:08,439 eager to serve him, 753 01:24:08,760 --> 01:24:09,960 eager to sort of be with him. 754 01:24:10,520 --> 01:24:13,359 And David uses this incredible picture 755 01:24:13,359 --> 01:24:15,000 of dew from the morning's womb. 756 01:24:16,920 --> 01:24:18,199 And so I think of it this way. 757 01:24:18,199 --> 01:24:19,279 I used to work at a golf course, 758 01:24:19,680 --> 01:24:21,560 and I had to get to work like real early 759 01:24:21,560 --> 01:24:22,439 before the sun came up. 760 01:24:22,920 --> 01:24:24,279 I was always the first person in there. 761 01:24:24,960 --> 01:24:25,439 And if I got 762 01:24:25,439 --> 01:24:26,840 everything set up fast enough, 763 01:24:26,840 --> 01:24:28,760 then I could get it done before sunrise, 764 01:24:28,760 --> 01:24:29,680 and I could sit, and I 765 01:24:29,680 --> 01:24:31,039 could watch the sunrise come up, 766 01:24:31,039 --> 01:24:32,760 and like the back of this 767 01:24:32,760 --> 01:24:33,920 country club faced east. 768 01:24:35,039 --> 01:24:36,680 And so I could watch the sunrise come up 769 01:24:36,680 --> 01:24:37,920 over three different fairways 770 01:24:38,960 --> 01:24:40,279 that had all had the sprinklers running, 771 01:24:40,319 --> 01:24:40,760 and they had the dew and 772 01:24:40,760 --> 01:24:41,680 stuff, and they were wet, 773 01:24:41,680 --> 01:24:42,279 and I would see the 774 01:24:42,279 --> 01:24:43,600 glistening of the water droplets, 775 01:24:44,520 --> 01:24:45,600 like a billion little 776 01:24:45,600 --> 01:24:46,640 knights in shining armor. 777 01:24:48,920 --> 01:24:49,960 And that's what David is 778 01:24:49,960 --> 01:24:50,960 kind of drawing upon here. 779 01:24:52,439 --> 01:24:54,319 This king priest, he's a warrior king. 780 01:24:54,319 --> 01:24:56,159 He's gonna lead this army into battle, 781 01:24:56,159 --> 01:24:58,399 and yet he's also a priest. 782 01:25:00,000 --> 01:25:00,800 He's also a priest. 783 01:25:00,800 --> 01:25:04,520 Verse four, "The Lord is sworn and will 784 01:25:04,520 --> 01:25:05,439 not change his mind. 785 01:25:06,800 --> 01:25:09,039 You're a priest forever in 786 01:25:09,039 --> 01:25:10,439 the order of Melchizedek." 787 01:25:10,720 --> 01:25:13,720 Now, to be simultaneously a 788 01:25:13,720 --> 01:25:16,640 king and a priest in Judah 789 01:25:17,119 --> 01:25:18,039 was essentially 790 01:25:18,039 --> 01:25:19,920 impossible in David's time. 791 01:25:20,520 --> 01:25:20,920 Here's why. 792 01:25:21,680 --> 01:25:22,920 The priesthood was 793 01:25:22,920 --> 01:25:24,199 restricted to the descendants 794 01:25:24,199 --> 01:25:25,720 of Aaron and the Levites. 795 01:25:26,600 --> 01:25:27,920 So they were the only 796 01:25:27,920 --> 01:25:28,640 people who could be priests. 797 01:25:29,279 --> 01:25:29,760 David and his 798 01:25:29,760 --> 01:25:31,279 descendants could not be priests. 799 01:25:32,079 --> 01:25:33,600 And the kingship was 800 01:25:33,600 --> 01:25:35,319 restricted to David and his house. 801 01:25:36,159 --> 01:25:36,960 So Aaron and his 802 01:25:36,960 --> 01:25:38,479 descendants couldn't be king. 803 01:25:39,680 --> 01:25:41,199 And so because these two offices, 804 01:25:41,479 --> 01:25:42,119 these two roles and 805 01:25:42,119 --> 01:25:43,800 functions have been reserved 806 01:25:44,039 --> 01:25:45,159 for these two specific family 807 01:25:45,159 --> 01:25:47,159 lines, they don't cross over. 808 01:25:47,159 --> 01:25:49,399 You don't ever have one person occupying 809 01:25:49,800 --> 01:25:50,720 both of these roles. 810 01:25:50,720 --> 01:25:52,760 In fact, kings were forbidden 811 01:25:53,159 --> 01:25:55,800 from performing priestly functions. 812 01:25:56,159 --> 01:25:56,720 They didn't have any 813 01:25:56,720 --> 01:25:57,800 priestly prerogatives. 814 01:25:57,800 --> 01:25:58,399 And so you see multiple 815 01:25:58,399 --> 01:25:59,600 times in the Old Testament, 816 01:26:00,159 --> 01:26:02,039 kings getting themselves in trouble 817 01:26:02,239 --> 01:26:03,439 because they try and act like priests. 818 01:26:04,439 --> 01:26:06,920 So for example, David's predecessor Saul 819 01:26:07,680 --> 01:26:08,600 did all kinds of things 820 01:26:08,600 --> 01:26:09,479 that made the Lord angry. 821 01:26:10,159 --> 01:26:12,199 But the final straw was that 822 01:26:12,199 --> 01:26:14,199 he offered a burnt offering 823 01:26:15,039 --> 01:26:16,159 on his own without a priest. 824 01:26:17,079 --> 01:26:17,760 And that is the last 825 01:26:17,760 --> 01:26:18,680 thing before he's removed 826 01:26:18,680 --> 01:26:21,039 from the throne and rejected by God. 827 01:26:22,399 --> 01:26:24,760 King Uzziah, who is David's descendant, 828 01:26:25,039 --> 01:26:27,960 David's seventh great grandson, 829 01:26:29,359 --> 01:26:31,439 he went into the temple alone 830 01:26:31,439 --> 01:26:34,000 to offer an incense offering. 831 01:26:34,680 --> 01:26:35,840 And the priests saw him going in there 832 01:26:35,840 --> 01:26:36,840 and they followed him in. 833 01:26:37,399 --> 01:26:37,920 And they were like, "You 834 01:26:37,920 --> 01:26:39,800 can't do this, your grace. 835 01:26:41,279 --> 01:26:42,920 Please don't, this is not your role. 836 01:26:43,760 --> 01:26:45,079 We have to be the ones to do this." 837 01:26:45,359 --> 01:26:47,560 Uzziah became angry with them 838 01:26:47,560 --> 01:26:48,319 and he was stricken 839 01:26:48,319 --> 01:26:50,079 with leprosy on the spot 840 01:26:51,279 --> 01:26:52,079 and had to give away the 841 01:26:52,079 --> 01:26:54,439 throne to his son Jotham. 842 01:26:55,439 --> 01:26:56,520 And so we see that the 843 01:26:56,520 --> 01:26:57,680 king and the priest's role 844 01:26:57,840 --> 01:26:58,720 are both incredibly 845 01:26:58,720 --> 01:27:01,720 important in ancient Israel. 846 01:27:02,560 --> 01:27:03,680 They're incredibly important. 847 01:27:04,920 --> 01:27:08,720 And at the same time, 848 01:27:09,039 --> 01:27:09,520 they're sort of 849 01:27:09,520 --> 01:27:11,920 contradictory and mutually exclusive. 850 01:27:12,600 --> 01:27:14,479 And nevertheless, God makes an oath 851 01:27:14,920 --> 01:27:17,479 with this divine human king. 852 01:27:17,840 --> 01:27:19,319 He says he'll be a priest forever 853 01:27:19,920 --> 01:27:20,520 in the order of 854 01:27:20,520 --> 01:27:23,199 Melchizedek, forever the way to God. 855 01:27:24,560 --> 01:27:25,279 It will be you. 856 01:27:25,279 --> 01:27:26,520 Now who is Melchizedek? 857 01:27:27,840 --> 01:27:29,600 Melchizedek is like Jack 858 01:27:29,600 --> 01:27:30,800 Nicholson and a Few Good Men 859 01:27:31,039 --> 01:27:31,880 or Anthony Hopkins and 860 01:27:31,880 --> 01:27:32,680 Silence of the Lambs. 861 01:27:32,680 --> 01:27:33,840 Like he's like barely in the movie, 862 01:27:33,840 --> 01:27:34,880 but he makes a huge impact. 863 01:27:37,560 --> 01:27:40,479 So he shows up in Genesis 14. 864 01:27:41,079 --> 01:27:41,840 It's the only other Old 865 01:27:41,840 --> 01:27:43,880 Testament mention of Melchizedek. 866 01:27:43,880 --> 01:27:44,880 He shows up in Psalm 110 867 01:27:45,520 --> 01:27:46,399 and he's gonna show up in the New 868 01:27:46,399 --> 01:27:47,119 Testament a little bit. 869 01:27:47,520 --> 01:27:49,039 But Melchizedek, 870 01:27:49,039 --> 01:27:50,439 we're told in Genesis 14, 871 01:27:51,680 --> 01:27:52,600 Abraham meets him after 872 01:27:52,600 --> 01:27:54,000 defeating the king of Sodom. 873 01:27:54,760 --> 01:27:55,720 And Melchizedek's name 874 01:27:55,720 --> 01:27:56,880 means king of righteousness. 875 01:27:57,640 --> 01:27:58,640 And he's described in the 876 01:27:58,640 --> 01:27:59,920 text as the king of Salem, 877 01:27:59,920 --> 01:28:00,680 that is Jerusalem. 878 01:28:01,720 --> 01:28:02,520 And Salem means peace. 879 01:28:03,600 --> 01:28:04,319 So he's a king, 880 01:28:05,199 --> 01:28:06,520 but the text also describes 881 01:28:06,520 --> 01:28:08,760 him as a priest of El Elyon, 882 01:28:08,760 --> 01:28:09,600 God the Most High. 883 01:28:10,880 --> 01:28:12,920 And so Melchizedek blesses Abraham 884 01:28:13,520 --> 01:28:15,520 and he gives him bread and wine. 885 01:28:18,079 --> 01:28:18,960 Now some interpreters 886 01:28:18,960 --> 01:28:19,920 do think they insist 887 01:28:19,920 --> 01:28:21,840 that Melchizedek is actually Jesus Christ 888 01:28:22,640 --> 01:28:24,239 making a cameo in the Old Testament. 889 01:28:25,439 --> 01:28:26,520 I don't think that's the case. 890 01:28:27,159 --> 01:28:28,960 But the author of Hebrews, 891 01:28:28,960 --> 01:28:29,640 who like I said, the 892 01:28:29,640 --> 01:28:30,520 entire book of Hebrews 893 01:28:30,520 --> 01:28:31,800 is based on this Psalm, 894 01:28:31,800 --> 01:28:32,960 the author of Hebrews 895 01:28:32,960 --> 01:28:33,880 interprets Melchizedek 896 01:28:33,880 --> 01:28:35,439 as being what's called a type. 897 01:28:36,279 --> 01:28:37,079 Sort of a forerunner, a 898 01:28:37,079 --> 01:28:38,840 foreshadowing of Christ. 899 01:28:40,520 --> 01:28:41,520 And so here's how this works. 900 01:28:41,520 --> 01:28:43,279 Melchizedek was a priest long before 901 01:28:43,279 --> 01:28:44,199 Aaron and the Levites. 902 01:28:44,640 --> 01:28:45,039 They're not gonna come 903 01:28:45,039 --> 01:28:45,760 around until much later. 904 01:28:45,760 --> 01:28:47,039 He's a priest and a king all 905 01:28:47,039 --> 01:28:48,199 the way back in Genesis 14. 906 01:28:48,880 --> 01:28:51,399 And Jesus is not a descendant of Aaron. 907 01:28:52,640 --> 01:28:53,520 And so he doesn't come 908 01:28:53,520 --> 01:28:54,520 from the priestly family, 909 01:28:55,840 --> 01:28:57,600 but he is a priest in the order 910 01:28:57,600 --> 01:28:59,319 that predates Aaron's order. 911 01:29:00,560 --> 01:29:01,279 And that's part of why 912 01:29:01,279 --> 01:29:03,880 Jesus is a superior priest. 913 01:29:04,920 --> 01:29:05,520 So here's the rub. 914 01:29:06,640 --> 01:29:07,079 King and priest, 915 01:29:08,159 --> 01:29:08,880 they're mutually exclusive, 916 01:29:09,279 --> 01:29:10,399 they're contradictory roles. 917 01:29:11,279 --> 01:29:12,039 And even if they were 918 01:29:12,039 --> 01:29:13,159 embodied in the same person, 919 01:29:13,920 --> 01:29:15,600 they have different functions. 920 01:29:16,520 --> 01:29:17,600 They have different functions. 921 01:29:18,239 --> 01:29:19,560 They're contradictory roles with 922 01:29:19,560 --> 01:29:20,600 contradictory purposes. 923 01:29:21,119 --> 01:29:23,119 And the contrast is made very clear 924 01:29:23,439 --> 01:29:25,159 once we jump into the following verse. 925 01:29:25,159 --> 01:29:25,840 Cause right after we 926 01:29:25,840 --> 01:29:27,079 have this priestly oath, 927 01:29:27,079 --> 01:29:31,199 right after God swears to David's Lord, 928 01:29:31,399 --> 01:29:32,439 to Jesus, to the Messiah, 929 01:29:33,039 --> 01:29:34,079 that he'll be a priest forever 930 01:29:34,079 --> 01:29:36,600 in this order of Melchizedek. 931 01:29:38,159 --> 01:29:40,560 David in the Psalm begins to address God 932 01:29:40,560 --> 01:29:41,640 and refers to the Messiah. 933 01:29:42,680 --> 01:29:44,520 And it goes pretty dark. 934 01:29:45,399 --> 01:29:47,359 He says, "The Lord is at your right hand. 935 01:29:47,399 --> 01:29:49,960 He will crush Kings on 936 01:29:49,960 --> 01:29:50,680 the day of his wrath. 937 01:29:51,359 --> 01:29:52,600 He will judge the nations, 938 01:29:53,479 --> 01:29:55,920 heaping up the dead, heaping up bodies, 939 01:29:55,920 --> 01:29:56,600 heaping up corpses, 940 01:29:57,520 --> 01:29:58,399 and crushing the 941 01:29:58,399 --> 01:29:59,560 rulers of the whole earth. 942 01:30:00,520 --> 01:30:01,039 And he will drink 943 01:30:01,039 --> 01:30:02,000 from a brookle on the way 944 01:30:02,000 --> 01:30:03,279 and so he will lift his head high." 945 01:30:03,279 --> 01:30:03,720 I mean, that doesn't 946 01:30:03,720 --> 01:30:05,159 sound very priestly, does it? 947 01:30:06,800 --> 01:30:07,279 Based on everything 948 01:30:07,279 --> 01:30:07,880 you know about priests 949 01:30:07,880 --> 01:30:08,600 from the Old Testament, 950 01:30:09,880 --> 01:30:11,119 it doesn't sound like a priest at all. 951 01:30:12,119 --> 01:30:12,680 Here's the problem. 952 01:30:13,520 --> 01:30:15,199 The king is meant to 953 01:30:15,199 --> 01:30:16,720 represent God to the people. 954 01:30:18,039 --> 01:30:19,720 The priests are meant to 955 01:30:19,720 --> 01:30:21,000 represent people to God. 956 01:30:22,520 --> 01:30:23,399 In some ways they're 957 01:30:23,399 --> 01:30:24,640 opposing agendas, right? 958 01:30:24,640 --> 01:30:26,560 The king has to rule and 959 01:30:26,560 --> 01:30:28,159 judge and enforce the law 960 01:30:28,159 --> 01:30:30,279 and go to war and kill people. 961 01:30:31,439 --> 01:30:34,359 The priest serves and advocates and heals 962 01:30:34,359 --> 01:30:35,800 and offers sacrifices and 963 01:30:35,800 --> 01:30:38,720 removes sin and preserves life. 964 01:30:38,960 --> 01:30:40,720 And so in these two roles, 965 01:30:40,720 --> 01:30:42,279 we have this classic tension. 966 01:30:42,319 --> 01:30:43,720 I mean, the classic tension. 967 01:30:43,720 --> 01:30:45,600 It's justice and mercy, right? 968 01:30:45,880 --> 01:30:47,960 Law and grace, Javert and Valjean. 969 01:30:49,479 --> 01:30:51,720 And so we see this paradox 970 01:30:51,720 --> 01:30:53,800 in other places in the Bible 971 01:30:53,800 --> 01:30:55,920 and especially in one 972 01:30:55,920 --> 01:30:57,159 very important place 973 01:30:57,880 --> 01:30:58,560 that Josh also 974 01:30:58,560 --> 01:30:59,920 mentioned a couple weeks ago 975 01:30:59,920 --> 01:31:01,079 and that I talked about 976 01:31:01,079 --> 01:31:01,960 the last time I was up here, 977 01:31:01,960 --> 01:31:02,960 but it's Exodus 34. 978 01:31:04,520 --> 01:31:05,159 Exodus 34. 979 01:31:05,399 --> 01:31:07,520 And in Exodus 34, what we have is that 980 01:31:07,520 --> 01:31:08,600 Moses has asked God, 981 01:31:08,880 --> 01:31:10,159 he wants to see God's glory. 982 01:31:10,800 --> 01:31:11,800 And God's like, "Well, here's the, 983 01:31:11,920 --> 01:31:13,439 if I show it to you, you'll die. 984 01:31:14,520 --> 01:31:15,640 And so I can't do that. 985 01:31:15,640 --> 01:31:17,239 So I will pass by and then 986 01:31:17,239 --> 01:31:18,159 you can look at the place 987 01:31:18,159 --> 01:31:19,239 where I just was. 988 01:31:19,760 --> 01:31:20,640 And that like just the 989 01:31:20,640 --> 01:31:22,039 glowing spot where I used to be. 990 01:31:22,039 --> 01:31:24,199 I mean, that's all we can do. 991 01:31:24,800 --> 01:31:26,880 And so he's gonna, he says to Moses, 992 01:31:27,079 --> 01:31:27,920 he says, "I'll make all my 993 01:31:27,920 --> 01:31:30,159 goodness pass before you." 994 01:31:30,920 --> 01:31:32,319 And in this text, we're 995 01:31:32,319 --> 01:31:33,319 gonna see this paradox, 996 01:31:33,319 --> 01:31:35,000 this contradiction in 997 01:31:35,000 --> 01:31:35,960 the very heart of God. 998 01:31:36,520 --> 01:31:37,199 So when the Lord 999 01:31:37,199 --> 01:31:38,640 reveals his glory to Moses, 1000 01:31:38,720 --> 01:31:40,399 reveals his goodness, it says, 1001 01:31:40,439 --> 01:31:41,880 "Then the Lord came down in the cloud 1002 01:31:41,880 --> 01:31:42,760 and stood there with him 1003 01:31:42,760 --> 01:31:43,920 and proclaimed his name, 1004 01:31:43,920 --> 01:31:45,640 the Lord," and listen to the name. 1005 01:31:46,479 --> 01:31:47,199 "He passed in front 1006 01:31:47,199 --> 01:31:48,039 of Moses, proclaiming, 1007 01:31:48,760 --> 01:31:50,640 the Lord, the Lord, the 1008 01:31:50,640 --> 01:31:52,439 compassionate and gracious God, 1009 01:31:53,279 --> 01:31:55,000 slow to anger, abounding 1010 01:31:55,000 --> 01:31:56,159 in love and faithfulness, 1011 01:31:56,159 --> 01:31:57,760 maintaining love to thousands, 1012 01:31:58,319 --> 01:31:58,760 and forgiving 1013 01:31:58,760 --> 01:32:00,560 wickedness, rebellion, and sin. 1014 01:32:00,800 --> 01:32:02,920 And yet he does not 1015 01:32:02,920 --> 01:32:04,880 leave the guilty unpunished. 1016 01:32:06,199 --> 01:32:06,920 He punishes the 1017 01:32:06,920 --> 01:32:08,319 children and their children 1018 01:32:08,840 --> 01:32:09,720 for the sin of the parents 1019 01:32:09,720 --> 01:32:11,840 to the third and fourth generation." 1020 01:32:12,079 --> 01:32:13,680 Now, I don't wanna get 1021 01:32:13,680 --> 01:32:14,680 too off track on this, 1022 01:32:14,800 --> 01:32:16,199 but punish is kind of a 1023 01:32:16,199 --> 01:32:17,399 weird translation here. 1024 01:32:17,880 --> 01:32:19,119 Essentially the idea is 1025 01:32:19,119 --> 01:32:20,920 that sin, if it goes unchecked, 1026 01:32:20,920 --> 01:32:21,880 it perpetuates itself 1027 01:32:21,880 --> 01:32:23,079 generationally, okay? 1028 01:32:23,079 --> 01:32:24,000 What you live with, you learn, 1029 01:32:24,199 --> 01:32:24,840 what you learn, you 1030 01:32:24,840 --> 01:32:26,039 practice, what you practice, 1031 01:32:26,039 --> 01:32:26,960 you become, what you 1032 01:32:26,960 --> 01:32:28,000 become has consequences. 1033 01:32:28,479 --> 01:32:29,239 That's how this works. 1034 01:32:29,560 --> 01:32:30,439 So Jesus is not just 1035 01:32:30,439 --> 01:32:32,079 arbitrarily punishing kids 1036 01:32:32,239 --> 01:32:32,880 because their parents 1037 01:32:32,880 --> 01:32:33,680 did something wrong. 1038 01:32:34,279 --> 01:32:35,000 Jesus is talking about 1039 01:32:35,000 --> 01:32:40,199 a generational transfer 1040 01:32:40,840 --> 01:32:43,520 of a destructive habit or a 1041 01:32:43,520 --> 01:32:44,600 pattern or emotional pattern 1042 01:32:44,600 --> 01:32:46,159 or a sin pattern, something like that, 1043 01:32:46,159 --> 01:32:47,159 but it perpetuates 1044 01:32:47,159 --> 01:32:47,880 through the generations. 1045 01:32:48,199 --> 01:32:51,159 Now, getting back to the main point, 1046 01:32:51,159 --> 01:32:51,680 did you see the 1047 01:32:51,680 --> 01:32:53,000 contradiction in the heart of God? 1048 01:32:54,880 --> 01:32:56,640 On one hand, he is so 1049 01:32:56,640 --> 01:32:57,920 compassionate and gracious 1050 01:32:58,319 --> 01:33:00,319 and so abounding in love and faithfulness 1051 01:33:00,920 --> 01:33:01,760 that he will forgive 1052 01:33:01,760 --> 01:33:03,840 wickedness and rebellion and sin. 1053 01:33:03,880 --> 01:33:05,000 And yet at the same time, 1054 01:33:05,319 --> 01:33:07,680 he is just and righteous 1055 01:33:08,720 --> 01:33:11,039 and does not leave sin unpunished. 1056 01:33:11,039 --> 01:33:12,359 He does not leave the guilty unpunished. 1057 01:33:14,720 --> 01:33:15,199 And so this is the 1058 01:33:15,199 --> 01:33:16,199 paradox of God's goodness. 1059 01:33:18,640 --> 01:33:19,640 And unless we learn to 1060 01:33:19,640 --> 01:33:20,680 appreciate both sides 1061 01:33:20,680 --> 01:33:21,520 of this paradox and 1062 01:33:21,520 --> 01:33:22,560 unless we learn to hold them 1063 01:33:22,960 --> 01:33:25,520 in tandem and intention together, 1064 01:33:26,640 --> 01:33:28,560 be really hard to engage 1065 01:33:28,560 --> 01:33:30,239 fully with the goodness of God 1066 01:33:31,319 --> 01:33:31,880 in our lives. 1067 01:33:34,279 --> 01:33:35,319 And so we had this issue. 1068 01:33:36,960 --> 01:33:38,199 He's so good that he wants to 1069 01:33:38,199 --> 01:33:39,520 forgive all sin and wickedness, 1070 01:33:40,640 --> 01:33:41,399 but if he gives sin 1071 01:33:41,399 --> 01:33:42,279 and wickedness a pass, 1072 01:33:42,520 --> 01:33:43,520 then he's not good. 1073 01:33:44,760 --> 01:33:45,439 Because no judge who 1074 01:33:45,439 --> 01:33:46,560 looks at evil and says, 1075 01:33:46,560 --> 01:33:47,720 "No problem," is a good 1076 01:33:47,720 --> 01:33:49,279 judge, and all of you believe that. 1077 01:33:51,159 --> 01:33:52,199 So at the same time, though, 1078 01:33:54,399 --> 01:33:55,760 he doesn't leave the guilty unpunished, 1079 01:33:55,760 --> 01:33:56,800 but if he only ever 1080 01:33:56,800 --> 01:33:58,159 punished and was never merciful, 1081 01:33:58,159 --> 01:33:59,000 he wouldn't be good either. 1082 01:34:00,399 --> 01:34:01,119 So he is merciful. 1083 01:34:02,439 --> 01:34:03,159 But how does this work? 1084 01:34:03,840 --> 01:34:06,039 How does all of this get resolved? 1085 01:34:06,039 --> 01:34:09,800 The paradox is resolved in Jesus Christ. 1086 01:34:11,600 --> 01:34:12,239 The paradox is 1087 01:34:12,239 --> 01:34:13,279 resolved in the priest king, 1088 01:34:14,560 --> 01:34:15,439 in David's Lord. 1089 01:34:17,560 --> 01:34:17,960 Here's how. 1090 01:34:19,840 --> 01:34:21,119 Jesus resolves this 1091 01:34:21,119 --> 01:34:23,119 contradiction in the heart of God, 1092 01:34:23,840 --> 01:34:26,039 in his own body, in his own life, 1093 01:34:27,119 --> 01:34:30,600 and he does it by becoming the judge 1094 01:34:31,079 --> 01:34:32,279 who is judged in our place. 1095 01:34:33,880 --> 01:34:34,800 He is the judge who 1096 01:34:34,800 --> 01:34:36,439 is judged in our place. 1097 01:34:38,119 --> 01:34:39,359 Here's what it says in Colossians 1. 1098 01:34:40,319 --> 01:34:41,079 Paul writes this. 1099 01:34:41,079 --> 01:34:41,520 It says, "Once you 1100 01:34:41,520 --> 01:34:42,720 were alienated from God, 1101 01:34:44,079 --> 01:34:45,720 enemies because of your evil behavior, 1102 01:34:46,600 --> 01:34:48,399 but now he has reconciled you 1103 01:34:48,399 --> 01:34:50,359 through Christ's physical body, 1104 01:34:51,079 --> 01:34:53,079 through his death, to 1105 01:34:53,079 --> 01:34:54,800 present you holy in his sight, 1106 01:34:55,800 --> 01:34:57,680 without blemish and 1107 01:34:57,680 --> 01:34:59,560 free from accusation." 1108 01:34:59,840 --> 01:35:02,960 Now you see, Jesus, on one hand, 1109 01:35:03,000 --> 01:35:04,159 he proclaims our guilt. 1110 01:35:05,239 --> 01:35:06,359 He proclaims our guilt. 1111 01:35:06,359 --> 01:35:07,520 He judges our guilt, but 1112 01:35:07,520 --> 01:35:08,920 also he became our sin. 1113 01:35:10,640 --> 01:35:11,880 And so he is at the same time, 1114 01:35:11,880 --> 01:35:13,560 he is the judge, the just 1115 01:35:13,560 --> 01:35:15,079 judge, the righteous judge, 1116 01:35:15,079 --> 01:35:16,119 but he is so gracious 1117 01:35:16,119 --> 01:35:17,359 and so compassionate 1118 01:35:18,399 --> 01:35:19,479 that he will become sin 1119 01:35:19,479 --> 01:35:20,520 and he will place himself 1120 01:35:20,920 --> 01:35:22,640 under God's righteous judgment. 1121 01:35:22,920 --> 01:35:25,279 And this is how Jesus the priest king 1122 01:35:25,279 --> 01:35:26,439 destroys his enemies. 1123 01:35:26,720 --> 01:35:28,079 He reconciles us to God. 1124 01:35:28,399 --> 01:35:29,199 He makes us friends, 1125 01:35:30,680 --> 01:35:31,439 which is the ultimate 1126 01:35:31,439 --> 01:35:32,920 destruction of an enemy. 1127 01:35:34,760 --> 01:35:36,039 He judges our wickedness, 1128 01:35:36,039 --> 01:35:37,920 but then he takes the 1129 01:35:37,920 --> 01:35:39,119 responsibility on himself 1130 01:35:39,119 --> 01:35:39,920 to make us holy. 1131 01:35:42,960 --> 01:35:43,720 And then when the hand 1132 01:35:43,720 --> 01:35:45,960 that holds this scepter 1133 01:35:46,520 --> 01:35:47,880 that's been extended from Zion, 1134 01:35:47,880 --> 01:35:49,720 when this hand deals 1135 01:35:49,720 --> 01:35:52,159 the final killing blow 1136 01:35:53,119 --> 01:35:54,800 to sin and evil, all it 1137 01:35:54,800 --> 01:35:56,520 does is hang there and bleed. 1138 01:36:01,399 --> 01:36:02,079 That's our priest king. 1139 01:36:05,640 --> 01:36:07,479 And I'd like for us to contemplate that 1140 01:36:08,399 --> 01:36:10,079 as the band comes up and 1141 01:36:10,079 --> 01:36:11,920 as the communion service 1142 01:36:11,920 --> 01:36:13,319 distribute the elements. 1143 01:36:14,880 --> 01:36:16,319 I'd like to encourage you just to take 1144 01:36:16,319 --> 01:36:18,479 a couple silent minutes and pray. 1145 01:36:21,760 --> 01:36:23,239 And consider our priest king. 1146 01:36:23,279 --> 01:36:29,159 Consider David's Lord, 1147 01:36:30,399 --> 01:36:32,199 the human and divine Messiah 1148 01:36:32,199 --> 01:36:35,359 who comes to wage war on sin and evil 1149 01:36:35,359 --> 01:36:36,920 and in fact has done it. 1150 01:36:36,920 --> 01:36:38,840 And that is why he is now 1151 01:36:38,840 --> 01:36:41,119 seated at the right hand of God 1152 01:36:41,119 --> 01:36:42,920 awaiting the final 1153 01:36:42,920 --> 01:36:45,319 surrender of all of his enemies 1154 01:36:45,319 --> 01:36:47,560 when they become his footstool. 1155 01:36:47,560 --> 01:36:49,800 Just take a couple silent moments, 1156 01:36:49,800 --> 01:36:49,880 just to pray and reflect and have a moment with God. 1157 01:36:49,920 --> 01:36:56,119 - Thank you for 1158 01:36:56,119 --> 01:36:57,600 listening to the Midtown Church 1159 01:36:57,600 --> 01:36:58,479 Sermon podcast. 1160 01:36:59,439 --> 01:37:00,279 We invite you to 1161 01:37:00,279 --> 01:37:01,319 practice the way of Jesus 1162 01:37:01,319 --> 01:37:02,840 in Austin with us because 1163 01:37:02,840 --> 01:37:04,439 as we become more like Jesus, Austin will become more like heaven. 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