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SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND

Ps.110:1 – The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The glorification of Jesus Christ as a man sends God’s enemies into a rage. Think about it, man is the crown of God’s creation. When man fell into his abysmal state after yielding to the enemy’s temptation, it appeared he would be an eternal humiliation to the Lord. Christ enthroned as a redeemed man at the right hand of the Father sends the enemy and his forces into a rage. As the manifestation of the kingdom of God draws near the rage of desperation is infiltrating the spirit of the world. This world hates Jesus Christ and the spirit controlling it will stop at nothing to try to stop the inevitable. Here is how Augustine describes this verse and the fallout it creates.

“Christ, therefore, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Son is on the right hand of the Father, hidden from us. Let us believe. Two things are here said: that God said, “Sit Thou on My right hand;” and added, “until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool;” that is, beneath Thy feet. Thou dost not see Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father: yet thou canst see this, how His enemies are made His footstool. While the latter is fulfilled openly, believe the former to be fulfilled secretly. What enemies are made His footstool? Those to whom imagining vain things it is said, “Why do the heathen so furiously rage together: and why do the people imagine a vain thing?” etc. …He therefore sitteth at the right hand of God, till His enemies be placed beneath His feet. This is going on, this is taking place: although it is accomplished by degrees, it is going on without end. For though the heathen rage, will they, taking counsel together against Christ, prevent the fulfilment of these words: “I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession”?

Bit by bit the kingdoms of this world are falling to the kingdom of our God. As the day draws near the enemy grows in desperation. As far as we know there has never been a time like this where churches were forbidden to meet around the world. Corona is a feeble attempt to stop the church in her tracks. These are the desperate tactics of a defeated foe. What should be our position? Ignore his threats and proceed, the victory belongs to the Lord.

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ETERNAL FELLOWSHIP

Ps.110:1 – The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

David saw some incredible things by the Spirit. This verse seems like an intrusion on the holiest ground. David is describing a conversation between the Father and the Son. It’s kind of hard to talk about past and future when talking about the Lord. After all, He lives outside of space and time. But for our purposes David actually heard a conversation between the Father and the Son a thousand years before it happened. This is the Father placing His Son, after the resurrection, as a man on the right hand of the throne of power. The beauty of this is not only the substance but the glimpse into this fellowship that the deity has enjoyed from eternity. This is the fellowship we have been called into. Incredible! This is how Spurgeon talks about this mystery fellowship.

“Jehovah said unto my Adonai: David in spirit heard the solemn voice of Jehovah speaking to the Messiah from of old. What wonderful intercourse there has been between the Father and the Son! From this secret and intimate communion springs the covenant of grace and all its marvelous arrangements. All the great acts of grace are brought into actual being by the word of God; had he not spoken, there had been no manifestation of Deity to us; but in the beginning was the Word, and from of old there was mysterious fellowship between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ concerning his people and the great contest on their behalf between himself and the powers of evil. How condescending on Jehovah’s part to permit a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record his secret converse with his coequal Son! How greatly should we prize the revelation of his private and solemn discourse with the Son, herein made public for the refreshing of his people! Lord, what is man that thou shouldest thus impart thy secrets unto him!”

It’s hard to grasp but this is why Jesus came. He purchased us from our sins so that we could be brought into this supernatural fellowship. This is our hope and this is why we preach Christ. John the Apostle said it best,

1 Jn.1:3 – “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

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IN THE DAY OF THY POWER

 

Psa. 110:3 Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,

in holy garments;

from the womb of the morning,

the dew of your youth will be yours.

Seasons of revival are rare and precious. I remember a picture of John Wesley that was on the wall in the home of one of my teachers in Bible School. Just that picture invoked a fear of God and a longing for revival in my soul. Our teachers and leaders at school spoke often of those days of revival in history that changed our world. Have you ever thought about what revival is really like? What is its purpose from God’s perspective? Jonathan Edwards gives us a glimpse into the heavenly purpose in this short quote.

“God hath had it much on his heart, from all eternity, to glorify his dear and only-begotten Son; and there are some special seasons that he appoints to that end, wherein he comes forth with omnipotent power to fulfill his promise and oath to him. Now these are times of remarkable pouring out of his Spirit, to advance his kingdom; such is a day of his power.”
The whole purpose is to magnify Jesus, the one and only Son of God. David called it “a day of His power”. Jesus become the focus of life when the Lord pours out His Spirit in this way on the earth. Outpouring turns our attention off of His gifts and onto the Lord Himself. Jesus is magnified and hungry hearts are attracted to Him as the source of all life. Edwards also warned about the danger of preconceived ideas about revival that can actually cause us to reject it when it comes. It seldom happens the way we thought it would or should. Here is Edwards’ warning.

“Persons are very ready to be suspicious of what they have not felt themselves. It is to be feared many good men have been guilty of this error. . . . These persons who thus make their own experience their rule of judgment, instead of bowing to the wisdom of God, and yielding to his word as an infallible rule, are guilty of casting a great reflection upon the understanding of the Most High.”
This sounds like the way I was before I was touched by God in 1994. I had some strong opinions about the way it should be and the way it shouldn’t be. Thankfully, the Lord was persistent and broke down my barriers so that I could also enter in to His great outpouring.

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WILLING TO DO WHAT?!

Psa. 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

If you haven’t figured it out yet we have a huge heart problem. The tendency with most humans is that they have a basic concept of what they deem as right and wrong, somehow they have created in their own image. Even at that, there is no ability to follow through. Somehow, we always gravitate to the violation of even our own moral code. That is why we desperately need the gospel. The power of the gospel is not only the power to forgive us from our sins, it also has the ability to deal with the root of all of our problems; our will. In this verse David nails it, he said that God’s people would be ‘willing’ in the day of His power. That is the power of the gospel, the power touching the very nature of the human heart. Not only do we become willing to follow the Lord; it actually becomes our will and our pleasure to follow the Lord. Here is how John Pulsford said it in the 1800’s.

“Thy people shall be willing. Willing to do what? They shall be willing while others are unwilling. The simple term “willing, “is very expressive. It denotes the beautiful condition of creatures who suffer themselves to be wrought upon, and moved, according to the will of God. They suffer God to work in them to will and to do. They are willing to die unto all sin, they are willing to crucify the old man, or self, in order that the new man, or Christ, may be formed in them. They are willing to be weaned from their own thoughts and purposes, that the thoughts and purposes of God may be fulfilled in them. They are willing to be transferred from nature’s steps of human descent to God’s steps of human ascent. Or, to abide by the simplicity of our text, God is Will, and they are “willing.” God will beautify them with salvation, because there is nothing in them to hinder his working. They will be wise, they will be good, they will be lovely, they will be like God, for they are “willing”; and there proceeds from God a mighty spirit, the whole tendency of which is to make his creatures like himself.”

What a radical plan; the Lord’s intention is to make us like Him. He does this by coming at the source of our problem, the human will. That is the most amazing thing about the Lord, now we want to live for Him. We have found Him and following Him has become the source of all pleasure.

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THEY SHALL BE WILLING

Psa. 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

This describes the biggest problem man has; he knows what is right but way too often finds himself in the midst of a conflict. He chooses the wrong just because he wants to. People often discuss and even argue about the free will thing. Man was created with a free will all right, there is just this minor problem. It was our free will that became twisted that fateful day when our first parents ate from that dratted tree. You know the one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Somehow how, free will is not so free anymore, it is entirely bound by sin.

So what is the solution? It’s found in today’s verse. Did you see it? It’s the day of His power. It is times of spiritual awakening that our will is bent or conformed to His will. People tend to volunteer to follow Him gladly in the day of His power. Here are some awesome thoughts from John Pulsford.

“Willing to do what? They shall be willing while others are unwilling. The simple term ‘willing’, is very expressive. It denotes the beautiful condition of creatures who suffer themselves to be wrought upon, and moved, according to the will of God. They suffer God to work in them to will and to do. They are willing to die unto all sin, they are willing to crucify the old man, or self, in order that the new man, or Christ, may be formed in them. They are willing to be weaned from their own thoughts and purposes, that the thoughts and purposes of God may be fulfilled in them. They are willing to be transferred from nature’s steps of human descent to God’s steps of human ascent. Or, to abide by the simplicity of our text, God is Will, and they are ‘willing’. God will beautify them with salvation, because there is nothing in them to hinder his working. They will be wise, they will be good, they will be lovely, they will be like God, for they are ‘willing’; and there proceeds from God a mighty spirit, the whole tendency of which is to make his creatures like himself.”

Maybe you are still like that unbridled wild horse or maybe even like a mule. Be encouraged, we live in the day of His power. Step into His presence. Maybe that old mule will bend His neck to the yoke of the Lord.

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HIS ONLY PLAN

Psa. 110:2  The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

The church has always taken a lot of grief. How many times have I heard people say they are spiritual but don’t believe in the ‘organized church’? Well which church do you believe in, the one where you are in charge? Actually it is the weakness and imperfections in His church that make it so beautiful. He accepts us, covers us, cleanses us, changes us, and then uses us for His glory. In today’s verse David is prophesying about the mystery of Pentecost. In this Psalm he describes the beauty of the exaltation of Christ, the blessing of His heavenly priesthood, and the incredible power He displays in and through His church. It started on the day of Pentecost, continues today, and promises to crescendo in preparation for the coming King. The church, with all of its goofed up people, is His chosen tool to display His glory in the earth. Here are some thoughts from Spurgeon’s Treasury of David on this verse.

“It is in and through the church that for the present the power of the Messiah is known. Jehovah has given to Jesus all authority in the midst of his people, whom he rules with his royal scepter, and this power goes forth with divine energy from the church for the ingathering of the elect, and the subduing of all evil. We have need to pray for the sending out of the rod of divine strength. It was by his rod that Moses smote the Egyptians, and wrought wonders for Israel, and even so whenever the Lord Jesus sends forth the rod of his strength, our spiritual enemies are overcome. There may be an allusion here to Aaron’s rod which budded and so proved his power; this was laid up in the ark, but our Lord’s rod is sent forth to subdue his foes. This promise began to be fulfilled at Pentecost, and it continues even to this day, and shall yet have a grander fulfillment.”

I love the gathering together of His congregation for worship, there is nothing in this world that even comes close. As we worship Him in the beauty of His manifest presence, His glory and power increase among us. As David also said, “This is the place of commanded blessing”. Get yourself in church, you will become a part of His mighty plan to display His glory to this generation.

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LORD AND CHRIST

Psa. 110:1 ¶ The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The scripture can seem so simple and so profound at the same time. I think of teachings like- “Give and it shall be given”, “Seek and you shall find”, “Ask and it shall be given”. These teachings are so simple and at the same time deeper than the ocean. That’s how God’s word is, that’s how today’s verse is. David proclaims, in one short sentence, that the messiah would be human, that He would be God, and at the same time gives us an amazing glimpse into the trinity, what an awesome prophetic statement. David was overwhelmed with this incredible revelation. He must have wondered how this future messiah-king could be his son and the Lord at the same time. Here are some thoughts from Martin Luther on this amazing verse.

“Because the psalmist says that this Lord, Christ, the promised Son of David, sits at the right hand of God; God’s own throne, a place which no mere man, not even an angel, may occupy; it is not permissible to say or believe that Christ is merely a human being or some other creature inferior to God. It is strictly forbidden in the Scriptures to make any creature equal to God or to place another god alongside Him, as it is also written in Isaiah 44:6, 7: “I am the Fist and I am the Last; besides me there is no god. Whom will you make equal to Me?”… It is His will to remain the only God and Lord over all creation. But since here and in other places God Himself makes Christ equal to Himself by seating Him where only God may and can sit, it must be that Christ is of the same divine essence, of equal omnipotence, eternal power, and majesty. Not only David and all the kings of the earth but also all the angels of heaven must call Him Lord and worship Him who is seated at the right hand of God.”

This is the revelation that is still changing lives 3000 years after David wrote this Psalm, Jesus is a man and He is also the second person of the Holy Trinity. Today, this man is seated at the Father’s right hand just as David prophesied. He is there as our mediator, our heavenly intercessor, and the minister of the heavenly sanctuary who baptizes His sons and daughters with the Holy Spirit. God’s word is profound, in it we too can see David’s son who is Lord of all.

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WAITING FOR KINGDOM COME

Psa. 110:1  ¶ The LORD said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

I think this must have been one of Jesus’ favorite Psalms during His life on earth. He quoted it to the Pharisees when they were challenging Him about His authority in the temple. Jesus asked the Pharisees who David was talking about when He called the Messiah Lord. David said “the Lord said to my Lord”. David was clearly describing a conversation between the Father and the Son which would take place just after His return to heaven after the Resurrection. Jesus recognized this as a promise of His return to His Father after His death and Him taking the throne as a resurrected man. What a powerful prophetic word that brought faith and courage into the heart of our Lord as He walked under the shadow of the cross. Here are some powerful thoughts from Spurgeon on this verse.

“Away from the shame and suffering of his earthly life, Jehovah calls the Adonai, our Lord, to the repose and honors of his celestial seat. His work is done, and he may sit; it is well done, and he may sit at his right hand; it will have grand results, and he may therefore quietly wait to see the complete victory which is certain to follow. The glorious Jehovah thus addresses the Christ as our Savior; for, says David, he said “unto my Lord.” Jesus is placed in the seat of power, dominion, and dignity, and is to sit there by divine appointment while Jehovah fights for him, and lays every rebel beneath his feet. He sits there by the Father’s ordinance and call, and will sit there despite all the raging of his adversaries, till they are all brought to utter shame by his putting his foot upon their necks.The work of subduing the nations is now in the hand of the great God, who by his Providence will accomplish it to the glory of his Son; his word is pledged to it, and the session of his Son at his right hand is the guarantee thereof; therefore let us never fear as to the future.”

So the final victory is sure. The world can rage against the Lord and against His true church but Jesus is seated by the Father, patiently waiting for the final victory, it will be done. Our life can also seem out of control as the world breathes out its poison against God’s people. What shall we do? Just rest, after all we are seated with Him in heavenly places. The battle is the Lord’s.

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DAY OF HIS POWER

DAY OF HIS POWER

Psa. 110:3 Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.

Revival is one of the most misunderstood concepts of Christianity. Some think that revival is a planned group of services at a church with a guest speaker. Others think that it is the definition of emotionalism and excesses in the church. But for those who have tasted true revival, they would define it as a season where God visited their lives in a very personal and profound way. Jonathan Edwards is considered by many as somewhat of an expert on revival; after all, the Great Awakening effected his church and hundreds of others in the 18th Century revival. Here is something Edwards said about revival.

“God hath had it much on his heart, from all eternity, to glorify his dear and only-begotten Son; and there are some special seasons that he appoints to that end, wherein he comes forth with omnipotent power to fulfill his promise and oath to him. Now these are times of remarkable pouring out of his Spirit, to advance his kingdom; such is a day of his power.”

If you paid close attention you will note that Edwards speaks of specific, special seasons of revival. He described it as a time when The Lord “comes forth with omnipotent power to fulfill His promise.”

Arthur Wallis’ book on revival gives a great definition. Check this out.

“The meaning of any word is determined by its usage. For a definition of revival, we must therefore appeal to the people of God of bygone years, who used the word with consistency of meaning down through the centuries until it began to be used in a lesser and more limited sense in modern times. Numerous writings on the subject that have been preserved to us will confirm that revival is divine intervention in the normal course of spiritual things. It is God revealing Himself to man in awful holiness and irresistible power. It is such a manifest working of God that human personalities are overshadowed and human programs abandoned. It is man retiring into the background because God has taken the field. It is the Lord making bare His holy arm and working in extraordinary power on saint and sinner.”

This is what all our hearts are really hungry for. We long to see God reveal Himself “to man in awful holiness and irresistible power”. After reading Wallis’ definition of revival let me ask the question that is begging to be asked. Have you ever experienced anything remotely familiar to this? If so, that experience will define your life. If the answer is no, then you probably have some preconceived notions of what revival should look like. Don’t be surprised if all of your expectations are wrong. Surprisingly, not everyone is happy when God shows up. Don’t take my word for it, you can ask revivalists who have gone before. You could ask Evan Roberts or Jonathan Edwards or ask Jesus Himself. Each was loved and hated, their lives were signs spoken against.

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THE DAY OF HIS POWER

THE DAY OF HIS POWER

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Ps.110:1-3 KJV

Life changes drastically when the power goes out. We all learned that lesson in New Orleans in August 2005. Those of us who lived in Southeast Louisiana at that time got a taste of the coming world problems when Hurricane Katrina came for an unexpected visit. We were all going about our normal, everyday activities until suddenly, an unprecedented tragedy in North America was knocking on our doors. Within hours, over a million people began the tedious ordeal of evacuation. We were scattered all over the country over the next weeks and months, separated from our families and friends. We became painfully aware of the importance of power during the unfolding drama, as most of the area lost electric power for weeks, if not months. This problem was compounded by the loss of our cellular network, life changed suddenly and dramatically for many thousands of people. As we see an increase in catastrophic events in our groaning creation, these unpleasant events will become quite common.
This current power crisis, brought on my rising oil prices and nuclear mayhem, emphasizes, in my heart, the even greater crisis we face due to a lack of spiritual power in the churches and in the Christians in our miserably weak, relevant, modern christian community. In today’s verse, David was prophesying about “the day of God’s power”. He related that day to the ministry of Melchizedek, a picture of our heavenly high priest. Jesus is our Melchizedek, the resurrected, glorified, heavenly priest; seated at the Father’s right hand. When Jesus took His place with the Father on His throne, He began to pour out His power on His sons and daughters. We first saw this happen on the day of Pentecost, the beginning of David’s “day of power”. As we see the world groaning in anticipation of the end of the age, the “day of power” is intensifying. These are surely the days of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, the final outpouring before the return of our Lord. In light of these realities, there is no reason for a Christian to have a spiritual power outage. As we look to our exalted King, at the Father’s right hand, we are flooded daily with His power, and like David said, we will volunteer freely in the day of His power.