Download here:

Holy Is The Lord
Psalms 99
February 28, 2021

Last Sunday night we rejoiced in our study of Psalms 98.
We called it “What A Day That Will Be!”

• We saw the Psalmist rejoicing because the Lord had come.
• We saw the Psalmist rejoicing because the Lord is here.
• We saw the Psalmist rejoicing because the Lord will judge.

We said that it was the song to be sung at His inauguration or coronation.

As He has come and destroyed His enemies,
And is now taking His seated upon the throne,
The people rejoice in His victory
And look with eager anticipation towards His reign.

IT WILL BE EXCITING!

Psalms 99 continues in that theme as you see in the opening statement.
“The LORD reigns”

The purpose of Psalms 99
Is to help you understand the coming reign of the LORD.

One might ask, “What will His reign be like?”
Psalms 99 answers the question.

Now, in one sense, we already took a brief look at this reign last week.

Isaiah 11:3-5 “And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”

We saw that He will be a righteous King.
• He will not be swayed by public opinion.
• No lobbyist will be able to bribe Him.
• No wicked man will be able to intimidate Him.
• “righteousness will be the belt about His loins”

And that passage prepares us for the passage we read tonight
Which further explains to us the reign of the LORD.

And simply by reading Psalms 99 to begin this evening I should think
The CHIEF CHARACTERISTIC of His reign should now be OBVIOUS.

(3) “Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He.”

(5) “Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His footstool; Holy is He.”

(9) “Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the LORD our God.”

“Holy…Holy…Holy”

One of the most famous and repeated sermons RC Sproul preaches is a sermon on the Holiness of God from the text of Isaiah 6.

If you’ve not ever listened to him preach that text then go search it out on the internet and listen to it. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/essential_truths_of_the_christian_faith/holiness-of-god/

But Sproul talks about the reality of how Jewish literature
Had various ways of emphasizing their text;
And their CHIEF WAY WAS THROUGH REPETITION.

If you really want someone to notice what you said, you repeat it.
• And this was certainly the method of the angels of heaven who cried out to the
Lord, “Holy, Holy, Holy”

Sproul would also point out to you that
This is the only attribute of God that receives this type of emphasis.

God is NEVER referred to as “Love, Love, Love” or “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”
Or “Judgment, Judgment, Judgment”

He is only referred to as Holy in the triplicate.

And that is precisely the way the Psalmist
Answers the curiosity of the congregation.

• How might we describe the LORD who has come to reign? HOLY
• How might we describe the way in which He reigns? HOLY
• What might we expect in all His judgments? HOLY
• What sort of things might the LORD want from us? HOLY

And tonight we take a brief look at this HOLY LORD.

AND I MIGHT ADD
That this is so needed in our culture, perhaps even in our churches.

The word “holy” is a very important word.
It is QADOWSH (ka-doshe) in the Hebrews.

It is often defined as “sacred, or holy, or set apart”

What it reveals really more than any other thing
Is the GREAT DISTANCE between God and man.

God is NOT like us.
And we are NOT like God.

• Made in His image? Yes
• Called to imitate Him? Yes
• Adopted into a relationship with Him? Yes

But we are not like Him, and He is not like us.

Psalms 50:17-21 “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. “You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit. “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. “These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”

Isaiah said:
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

When Paul outlines THE SINFULNESS OF HUMANITY,
He does so by explaining how man sought to liken God to themselves.

Romans 1:22-23 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

And this has been the chief sin of our culture.

There has grown over the centuries
What I consider to be a sinful familiarity with God.

By that I mean that man, even in the church,
Has often times committed the sin of
Seeking to make God too relatable and too explainable to the world.

I spoke to my mom this past week
• She was talking about a woman who comes to her store that she has been witnessing to.
• Mom was a little grieved because this woman has gotten washed up in some heretical charismatic doctrine.
• It started with the realization of God as “Father”, which is certainly not wrong, but in seeking to understand what it means that God is our Father the woman made a terrible mistake.

• She began to compare God to herself and sought to understand Him according to her own ideals and principles.

For example, she recently told my mom that she doesn’t believe God will send anyone to hell. Why? Because He is a Father. She reckons that as a mother she would never send any of her children to hell, so there’s no way that God would ever send any of His there.

You understand the blasphemy.
It is to dumb God down and to seek to recreate Him in our own image.

This is the chief of sins.
It is to blaspheme the very name of God.
(His name is the summation of who He is)

To relate God down to our level is commit the most heinous of sins.

Think about the 10 commandments for a moment.
• They actually begin with three commands that protect the name of God.

Exodus 20:1-7 “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

The first 3 commands were all about protecting the name of God.
• No one is equal to Him and no one should be treated as such.
• Do not seek to explain Him by dumbing Him down in idolatry.
• Do not blaspheme His name.

Consider what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer”.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, the first command was:
Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

Jesus said that the first prayer request of any believer
Is that God’s name be hallowed.

That is the prayer request of the church.
That God’s name be exalted.

When we bring God down to our level, we miss the entire point.

Isaiah 40:18-25 “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.”

Isaiah 46:5-9 “To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike? “Those who lavish gold from the purse And weigh silver on the scale Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They bow down, indeed they worship it. “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; They set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,”

What we are talking about then is a failure to know who God is.

It was another great statement by R.C. Sproul.

“Our world knows that God is…”
(creation and conscience teach us that in Romans 1)

“Our world knows THAT God is,
But our world does not know WHO God is.”

And the despicable attempts of men
To explain God by dumbing Him down
And likening Him to sinful humanity
May in fact be the greatest sin of the ages.

It is to blaspheme the name of God.

God is not like us – GOD IS HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

And this is the cry of the Psalmist in Psalms 99.

Do you want to know what the reign of the LORD will be like?
• Well it won’t be like any other human ruler you have ever known.

His reign will not be like a human king.
“Holy is He”

• He is set apart
• There is a great distance between Him and us
• He is transcendent
• He is perfect
• He is eternal

What we are looking forward to is the coming reign of a Holy King.

And that is the subject of Psalms 99.

I want to break it down into 2 main points tonight.
#1 GOD’S REIGN ANNOUNCED
Psalms 99:1-5

Again, you see clearly the announcement that “The LORD reigns”

You also see other announcements:
• “He is enthroned”
• “The LORD is great”
• “He is exalted”

We are talking about His great reign.

Now you also notice that there seems to be TWO DISTINCT THOUGHTS
In these first 5 verses, each one ending with the statement “Holy is He”

There are two distinct thoughts here regarding His holiness.

The first has to do with HIS PREEMINENT POSITION (1-3)

• We see in verse 1 that “He is enthroned above the cherubim”
• We see in verse 2 that “He is exalted above all the peoples”

It speaks of superiority
It speaks of transcendence
It speaks of preeminence

He is better than us
He is higher than us
We are not equals
HE IS ABOVE US

He is even above the angels.

But the miracle of these first 3 verses is that
This transcendent King has come to reign among us.

(2) “The LORD is great in Zion,”

This is the King of whom Solomon said:
2 Chronicles 2:6 “But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?”

And the miracles is that the God of the highest heavens
Would be willing now to come and dwell among His creation.

Moses marveled at this:
Deuteronomy 10:14-15 “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.”

It’s really unfathomable.

This transcendent God.
This God who is higher than the angels.
This God who is greater than all peoples.
Has now come to reign in Zion.

That explains the various responses called for by the Psalmist.
• “let the peoples tremble;”
• “let the earth shake!”
• “Let them praise Your great and awesome name;”

Remember Isaiah 6 when Isaiah saw the LORD?
Isaiah 6:1-5 “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Remember when the apostle John saw this same king?
Revelation 1:17a “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man…”

Isaiah saw one who was not like him.
John saw one who was not like him.
They saw one infinitely greater, infinitely higher, infinitely better.

And the only fitting way to describe Him is “Holy is He.”
There is a great distance.
He is absolutely incomparable.

He is no ordinary king.

This was the reality that Job ran square into regarding his understanding of God.

Job began to question the holiness of God.
Not just the justice of God, but Job began to speak to God as an equal.

And do you remember how God answered Job?

TURN TO: JOB 38 – 40:5

That passage is all about the holiness of God.
It is all about God’s Preeminent Position

• Job was reminded that day of the great distance between him and God.
• God is holy, Job is not.
• God is great and awesome and beyond Job in every way.

Who in their right man would belittle God so as to make Him like us?

Romans 9:20 “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?”

That is one way in which His holiness is explained, but it’s not the only way.

We also see HIS PREEMINENT NATURE (4-5)

It’s not just the intrinsic greatness that sets this King apart,
BUT ALSO HIS MORAL CHARACTER.

“The strength of the King loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

This King is also morally superior in every possible way.
• None of us measures up to His righteous standard.
• He is the very epitome of perfection and justice.

He is not only greater than us, but He is better than us.
• We do not compare.
• We do not measure up.

It is such a blasphemy to assume the behavior of God
Would in any way be like the behavior of man.

To say “I wouldn’t do this, so God wouldn’t do this”
IS THE PINNACLE OF STUPIDITY.

God is not like you.
And while you are called to imitate God, you are not like Him.

• We are evil, He is righteous
• We are fickle, He is faithful
• We are rebellious, He is loyal
• We are corrupt, He is just

There is no comparison.

And so THE REQUIREMENT and THE COMMAND is obvious.
(5) “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool;”

There is no need to approach Him to give Him advice.
• He doesn’t need your counsel.
• When you draw near it will not be to render advice.

Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

God doesn’t need your instruction.
When you show up, it will be FOR WORSHIP.

God will be exalted by you for “Holy is He”

Not only intrinsically better, but morally better in every way.

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

Job ran into this too:
Job 40:6-14 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm and said, “Now gird up your loins like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me. “Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified? “Or do you have an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His? “Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty. “Pour out the overflowings of your anger, And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low. “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him, And tread down the wicked where they stand. “Hide them in the dust together; Bind them in the hidden place. “Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.”

And of course Job learned his lesson again:
Job 42:1-6 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”

Job learned of the holiness of God.
Quit comparing God to yourself!

He is not like you and you are not like Him!
He is preeminent in position and He is preeminent in His very nature.

“Holy is He”

And so when you want to know
What sort of King is about to reign upon the earth?
We can confidently say: A HOLY KING

That is God’s Reign Announced
#2 GOD’S REIGN EXPLAINED
Psalms 99:6-9

For those who still need some explanation regarding this great King
The Psalmist takes you on a history lesson
Where he seeks to help you understand this God.

• He carries us back into the days of Moses and the days of Samuel
• He uses them as an example of what it will be like when this great King reigns on the earth.

And in looking at these men
There are some themes or similarities that emerge.

1) These were men who prayed to God and men whom God answered.

(6) “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the LORD and he answered them.”

Now the reason Moses and Aaron and Samuel are mentioned
IS NOT just because these were men of prayer;
Indeed many Old Testament saints might fall into this category.

These men are chosen because
They emerge as great intercessors in Scripture.

In fact, you might remember when Jeremiah was pronouncing certain judgment on Jerusalem he actually said:
Jeremiah 15:1 “Then the LORD said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!”

Moses and Samuel were regarded as the GREAT INTERCESSORS of old.

So what we’re talking about here is that
This holy King will certainly be a merciful king.

We know that because that’s who He has always been.
(Moses and Samuel proved that over and over)

And we can’t look at them all, but consider the great intercessions of these men.

• We know of Moses on Sinai in Exodus 32 when God said He was going to
wipe out Israel, Moses interceded and God’s anger relented.
• We remember Numbers 12 when Miriam grumbled against Moses and was
turned into a leper, but Moses interceded and she was forgiven.
• We remember Numbers 14 when the children of Israel failed to enter the
Promised Land and God threatened again to wipe them out but Moses
interceded.

• Regarding Samuel we remember how the children of Israel had offended
God by asking for a King and how God was ready to destroy them but Samuel interceded on their behalf and God turned away from His fierce anger.

What we learned about God through these men is that
When people mess up, if they repent, that God is merciful.

When Moses prayed for forgiveness God answered.
When Samuel prayed for forgiveness God answered.

And you can certainly expect this type of reign from your king.

He is Holy, but He will also be merciful.

So that’s one thing we learn about God through these men.

2) These were men who heard from God and who understood the importance of obedience.

(7) “He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; They kept His testimonies And the statute that He gave them.”

Something else you learned about God through these men
Is that OBEDIENCE TO GOD IS VERY IMPORTANT.

• Moses after all gave us the very Law of God.
• Moses outlined for us all that God said to do and not to do.
• It was Moses who laid out the penalties for violating God’s Law.

Samuel as well.
• We remember when Saul made the sacrifice how Samuel rebuked him saying:

1 Samuel 15:22 “Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

SO THEY WERE ALSO MEN
Who desperately understood the importance of obedience.

They were men then who taught us that God is to be obeyed,
And also that God is merciful.

These are the types of things we can expect from this king.

And so you get sort of the culmination or explanation about God’s reign.

(8) “O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.”

There was a balance.
This King is very merciful, but do not assume that He is a pushover.

Spurgeon wrote:
“Many profess to admire the milder beams of the sun of righteousness, but burn with rebellion against its more flaming radiance; so it ought not to be; we are bound to praise a terrible God and worship him who casts the wicked down to hell. Did not Israel praise him “who overthrew Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea, for his mercy endureth forevever.” The terrible Avenger is to be praised, as well as the loving Redeemer. Against this the sympathy of man’s evil heart with rebels; it cries out for an effeminate God in whom pity has strangled justice. The well-instructed servants of Jehovah praise him in all the aspects of his character, whether terrible or tender.”
(Spurgeon, C.H. [The Treasury of David; Vol 2; Psalms 58-110; Hendrickson Publishers; Peabody, MA] Pg. 223)

He’s correct.
• There are so many today who wish to swing their pendulum too far.
• They recognize the God of mercy and grace, but forget that He is a Holy God.

Through Moses and Samuel we learned repeatedly that He is both.

Remember when Miriam offended God and Moses prayed?
Numbers 12:11-15 “Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. “Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “O God, heal her, I pray!” But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.”

Mercy, but still discipline.

Remember when the children of Israel wouldn’t enter the Promised Land?
Numbers 14:17-23 “But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ “Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” So the LORD said, “I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD. “Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.”

Mercy, but still discipline.

Remember when the Israelites wanted an earthly king?

TURN TO: 1 Samuel 12:12-25

What do we learn?
That this King is merciful, but He is also lawful.

Remember how God defined Himself?
Exodus 34:5-7 “The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Do you want to know what His reign will be like?
HOLY-HOLY-HOLY

He is certainly merciful to who seek mercy when they fail,
But do not assume that He has no righteous standard.

His kingdom will be a righteous kingdom.
His reign will be a just reign.

And so the Psalmist again bids us:
(9) “Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the LORD our God.”

This is the reality about His reign.

And I would remind His church that
Though He does not yet reign on the earth, He still reigns in our hearts.

He is still our King; He is still our Lord.

And that means the truths we learn here
Are exactly how we are called to live even today.

• He is a merciful King
• He does forgive our sins.
• But are we to assume that our Lord does not care about our holy and righteous living?

Of course not!

• He disciplines us still so that we may share in His holiness.
• He sanctifies us still.
• This remains our calling.

This Psalm reminds us of who our God is.
He is a merciful God and yet also an Avenger of our evil deeds.

It’s not enough that you know THAT God is,
You should also know WHO God is.

Psalms 99 reminds us: HOLY IS HE.

Download here:

Responding To The Crucifixion
Luke 23:47-53
February 28, 2021

Sometime around 1707 a young man in church complained to his father, who was also the pastor that most of the hymns which were sung in church were not “inspirational enough”.
• Most of the hymns of that day were metrical hymns and left this young man wanting for a more moving form of expression.
• His father encouraged him to start writing hymns of his own.
• In preparation for the upcoming Lord’s Supper the young man had read Galatians 6:14

Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

• He was moved by the verse and thus inspired to write a hymn which encompassed the emotion he felt from the passage.
• The hymn he penned was highly controversial since it was the first of it’s time to contain a personal pronoun. He sung about “me” and “I” in a very personal tone.
• The hymn caught on and has since been called “The greatest hymn in the English language.” Another said of it, “There may be a few others equally great, but there is none greater.”

The young man who wrote the Psalm was Isaac Watts
The title of the Psalm was: “Crucifixion To The World By The Cross Of Christ”

Though that’s not the title you know it by.
You know it as “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”

It was Isaac Watts profound and emotional response
To the scene of the crucifixion.

He wrote:
“When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
http://dianaleaghmatthews.com/survey-wondrous-cross/

What Isaac Watts expressed to his father was that the cross of Jesus invokes a personal and real and even emotional response.

A person cannot gaze upon it and remain unmoved.

That DOESN’T MEAN that all men respond correctly to it,
But all men certainly respond.

Paul taught us:
1 Corinthians 1:18, 22-24 “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

• Some certainly looked at the cross of Jesus as a foolish display…
• Some have looked at it as a ridiculous notion…
• Those who are saved are utterly moved with awe and wonder at the love, wisdom, and power of God…

• Still others, as we see today, are horrified or terrified.
• Some see it and find their courage and conviction.

But the cross leaves no man unaffected.
It is the greatest event in all of human history and man must respond to it.

When Isaac Watts surveyed the cross
• He was crushed into humility,
• He saw that nothing of this earth holds a candle in value to the redemption of
Jesus on the cross.
• He also recognized that such a sacrifice demanded full devotion of his life.

When he surveyed the cross, that was his response.

Well we have just spent the better part of a month
Surveying the wondrous cross of Jesus.

• We have seen the SCENE
• We have heard the SCORN
• We have beheld the SALVATION
• We have learned the SIGNIFICANCE

This morning we come to see THE EFFECT
That the crucifixion had on those who were there.

And as we study perhaps you can consider
How you will respond to the wondrous cross of Jesus.

We’re going to fix our gaze on 4 different responses this morning.
#1 THE CONVINCED
Luke 23:47

Here we have “the centurion”

• The name itself indicates that he was a leader in charge of 100 men.
• This was no bottom dwelling soldier.
• This was an experienced, qualified, military man.

This particular man must have been at least in partial command of
The cohort that first mocked and then crucified Jesus.

It would have been his men (maybe even him)
Who gambled over His garments

Certainly this man had been a part of this ordeal from the beginning.
• He was a part of Jesus’ beating
• He was a part of Jesus’ mocking
• He was a part of Jesus’ crucifixion

And now, he has settled in for the long haul
To watch Jesus suffer until He dies.

This man would have to be a cold man by nature.
• Rome fought no shortage of wars
• Rome spilled no shortage of blood

Furthermore Rome was no stranger to crucifixions.
• Pilate himself had crucified over 300 insurrectionists
• And lined the road with their crosses.

The point is, this man was hardened.
• He’d seen his share of blood
• He’d seen his share of gore
• He’d seen his share of crucifixions

Watching Jesus beaten, bleeding, and dying on the cross
Was not a new thing to him.

And yet here we have A STRANGE EVENT.
“Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.”

• I don’t have to tell you that this is a remarkable about face.
• This centurion would have been a pagan idol worshiper.
• But on this day, after this event we find him “praising God”

The subject of his praise was that “Certainly this man was innocent.”

If you’ll recall, the innocence of Jesus
Has been really the main point of Luke over the last couple of chapters.

• He reported to us how both Pilate and Herod had found Jesus to be innocent.
• We saw the second thief on the cross declaring that “this Man has done
nothing wrong”
• And now Luke adds that the centurion also pronounces Jesus to be
“innocent”

That is Luke’s way of showing you that
This man recognized in Jesus a man who was DYING UNJUSTLY.

He did not deserve the death He endured.
He was most certainly dying on behalf of someone else.

Matthew’s gospel gives us even more detail here.
Matthew 27:54 “Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matthew says that he was “very frightened” (PHOBEO)
• He no doubt recognized the darkness…
• He saw and felt the earthquake…
• And he was consumed with fear.

And his confession, aside from Luke’s note that Jesus was innocent,
Was also that “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Mark adds that he was also amazed at THE WAY JESUS DIED.
Mark 15:39 “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

The whole scene captivated him.
• The meekness…
• The mercy…
• The salvation of the sinner…
• The darkness…
• The earthquake…
• The statements and confidence in the way He died…

The centurion was blown away and afraid
For he recognized that hanging on this cross
Was in fact the sinless Son of God.

You and I know that God must have shown him that,
Or else he could not have known it.

Matthew 16:16-17 “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

1 Corinthians 12:3 “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”

God had clearly shown this centurion that Jesus was no routine criminal.
It had been revealed to him that Jesus was the sinless Son of God.

Now, let me help you see what has occurred.
• Starting early Friday Jesus was arrested, beaten, mocked, and condemned.
• At 9am He was crucified.
• And for three hours men like the centurion heaped upon Him the worst that they had.
• The reviled, they mocked, they scorned, they shamed
• Then at noon darkness fell on the land and for three hours God dealt with sin.
• During that time Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” & “It is Finished!” & “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.”

At the ninth hour (3pm) Jesus died,
And at the ninth hour LIGHT CAME BACK on the cross.

And the centurion was in no way ready for what he would see.
• He had seen men beaten
• He had seen men crucified
• He had seen men die in agony on the cross

But he had never seen anything like this

You are familiar with Isaiah 53, we read it a lot.
There are many however who contend that the last 3 verses of Isaiah 52 also belong in that chapter.

Isaiah 52:13-15 “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.”

• Isaiah said that Jesus was “marred more than any man”.
• No crucifixion victim had ever suffered like that.
• And the scene would be so remarkable that even kings would shut their
mouths and the unconverted would be blown away at what they saw.

THIS WAS CERTAINLY THE CENTURION.

When light shined back on the cross he knew something was wrong.

It was obvious that this was more than just a normal execution.

He saw the scene and he was convinced that Jesus was the Savior.

That is certainly a fitting response to surveying the cross.
• When you see the meekness and mercy of Christ…
• When you hear Him interceding and praying for forgiveness…
• When you hear Him cry “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?”
• When you see Him declaring a sinner saved…
• When you hear Him entrusting His soul to God…
• When you see the wrath that He bore…
• When you see the temple veil torn?

Are you convinced that He is the sinless Son of God?

This centurion was and he confessed Christ publicly right then and there.

The Convinced
#2 THE CONDEMNED
Luke 23:48

Now we come to “the crowds who came together for this spectacle,”

You know what they are like.
Luke’s gospel didn’t include their reproach, but other gospel accounts did.

Matthew 27:39-40 “And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

We certainly remember
Their participation in securing a conviction for Jesus.

Matthew 27:21-26 “But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

This was the crowd.
• They had worked to get Jesus crucified,
• And they mocked as He hang dying on the cross.

But now, like the centurion they have taken in the whole scene.
“And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.”

They saw it all too.
• They heard the statements…
• They experienced the darkness…
• They felt the earthquake…

And after Jesus entrusted Himself to God and died,
Their spectacle turned into something extremely terrifying.

They began to realize what they had done.
They had just participated in the murder
Of the sinless Son of God and they were horrified.

That is what is meant by “beating their breasts.”

You’ve seen that statement before.
Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

• Beating the breast was a symbolic act of self-attack.
• It was to announce one as deserving judgment.

That is what this crowd did.
It is this very reality that Peter would build on in just over a month
When he would preach at Pentecost.

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Or a few days later in Jerusalem
Acts 3:13-15 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”

Or the day after that
Acts 4:10 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health.”

The horror those men felt as Peter preached in Jerusalem
Was actually a horror that began at the cross.

Even there they were coming to realize what they had done.
And this is a terrifying thing.

The writer of Hebrews asked:
Hebrews 10:28-29 “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

• What kind of wrath does a person deserve if they were to humiliate the Son of
God by crucifying Him?

This crowd was beginning to realize what they had done.
• They felt their own condemnation.
• They felt their own guilt.

Certainly that is a fitting response to the cross.
• On one hand, like the CENTURION, you should recognize who Jesus is and
that His death was no ordinary death.
• And on the other hand, like the CROWD, you should recognize your part in
Him dying there.

He didn’t die for His sin, He died for your sin.
He bore your wrath.
He would not have been there if it were not for you.

Condemnation is a fitting response.

The Convinced, The Condemned
#3 THE CONFOUNDED
Luke 23:49

Here we run into “His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee”

These were His followers.
The only disciple that we know to have been
Even remotely near the cross was John.

John 19:25b-27 “But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.”

These were His followers.

But the unique thing we notice is that they were
“standing at a distance, seeing these things.”

Why at a distance?

Had not Jesus just revealed in the upper room…
Luke 22:35-37 “And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”

We talked about this.
If you ride with an outlaw, you die with an outlaw.

The cross was no place for the followers of Jesus to stand out in the open.
• They were afraid.
• They were timid and concerned.
• They were confounded that their Messiah was dead
• They were confused regarding the plan of God.

We’ll see this out of them for the next few days.

Even on the coming Sunday we read:
John 20:19 “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Even on Sunday we find the disciples back up in that same upper room, and they’ve got the door locked because they are afraid.

The cross was a horrific thing.
• Jesus had been brutally killed.
• And they didn’t know what to do with it.

Remember the man on the road to Emmaus (we’ll see in a few weeks)
TURN TO: LUKE 24:13-27

You can hear the disillusionment and confusion in their conversation.
They don’t know what to do.

And their fear and sorrow would continue
UNTIL the saw the resurrected Christ.

The resurrection would turn their sorrow into joy,
The Holy Spirit who was about to come would turn their fear to courage.

But none the less we see again THE HORROR OF THE CROSS.

• How terrible is the wrath of God that He would do this to His own Son?
• How genuine is the hatred of men for God that they would crucify Jesus?

And indeed many today have turned back from following Christ
Because of their fear of the world’s hatred.

There are many who when faced with the call
To “deny” themselves, “take up” the cross and “follow” Jesus
Have said, “No”.

Paul wrote about them to the Galatians:
Galatians 6:12 “Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”

Paul even said that the root motive behind their legalism
Was so that they could escape the persecution of the cross.

As we read earlier, the cross is foolishness to the world.
And there have been many who have sought to dodge the scorn.

This is what made men like Paul so remarkable.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

We are called to embrace and proclaim the cross.

But there are those who are terrified of it and seek to keep it a distance.
• This was even true of the acquaintances of Jesus
• Until after the resurrection and ultimately Pentecost.
• Then, they became proclaimers of the cross!
• And that is certainly a proper response

The Convinced, The Condemned, The Confounded
#4 THE CONVICTED
Luke 23:50-53

This one is actually my favorite.

Here in Luke’s gospel we simply read about “a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;”

Luke, as is commonly the case,
Seeks to show those he includes in only a positive light.

And he calls Joseph “a good and righteous man”
• Namely because he would not join the Sanhedrin in their hypocritical trial to condemn Jesus.

But the reality is that the cross
Must have made a profound impact on Joseph.

Listen to John’s gospel:
John 19:38 “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.”

John said that Joseph was “a secret” disciple because he was afraid.

Now just to make sure that we are clear.
• Jesus has been adamant that while there may be secret disciples, there are no saved secret disciples.

Matthew 10:32-39 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

Joseph may have been a secret disciple,
But it would have been a stretch to have called him a saved one.

And we may even know why.
We are told in Matthew’s gospel that Joseph was a rich man.

Matthew 19:21-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

That may explain Joseph’s desire to remain secret.
He may have wanted to keep his wealth.

We also learn in Luke’s gospel that he was a member of “the Council”, that is the Sanhedrin.

And certainly he must have feared that
He would lose his position if he confessed Christ.

THAT HAD BEEN JOSEPH’S LIFE.
• He knew who Jesus was…
• He was convinced that Jesus was the Savior…
• He was secretly a learner…

But fear had kept him from confessing Christ publicly
As is required for all believers.

HOWEVER, on this day we find him doing something remarkable.

(52-53) “this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut in the rock, where no one had ever lain.”

THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN WHAT YOU SEE HERE.

On one hand there is the issue of defilement.

Remember earlier at the trial of Jesus how the Sanhedrin wouldn’t even accompany Pilate into the Praetorium?

John 18:28 “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.”

Well, being in the presence of a dead body
Was most certainly an act of defilement.

Consider way back to the days of Moses.
Numbers 9:5-6 “They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.”

If Joseph goes near the dead body of Jesus,
He can kiss the Passover good-bye.

And that’s not all.
He also has to get permission from Pilate for the body of Jesus.
And that is a terrifying thing.

Mark 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.”

Joseph had to gather up courage to go to Pilate and ask.

Beyond that, if Joseph actually goes to Pilate
And then defiles himself so that he might take the body of Jesus,
There will be no more “secret disciple” status for him.

His secret will be out.

But on this day, after the cross,
Joseph left his cowardice and found his courage.

He took down the body of Jesus off the cross.

And this is actually huge!
• Ordinarily the Romans would have just taken them down and thrown them in a
pit or a ditch.

But there was a prophecy about Jesus.
• Part of His vindication was that even though He would die as a sinner, He
would receive burial as a saint.

Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

Jesus would receive a sinner’s death,
But God had ordained that He would not receive a sinner’s burial.

He would receive an honorable burial.

Joseph of Arimathea fulfilled that prophesy.
He faced Pilate,
He outed himself as a disciple,
He defiled himself that he might take the body of Jesus down off the cross.
• Joseph pulled the nails…
• Joseph handled His bloodied body…
• Joseph wrapped Him up…
• Joseph carried Him to his own tomb…
• Joseph buried Him…

WHY?
There is something important to understand about Joseph.
Luke says in verse 51 that he “was waiting for the kingdom of God”

Joseph was looking for the king.
What he witnessed on the cross
Convinced him that Jesus was that King!

And he found his courage and he displayed his conviction
And he let the world know his allegiance to this crucified king.

When he surveyed the wondrous cross it moved him to conviction.

SO YOU SEE THE RESPONSES.

• When the centurion surveyed the wondrous cross he was convinced that Jesus was the sinless Son of God.
• When the crowd surveyed the wondrous cross they were condemned for they knew they had played a part in executing the Savior of the world.
• When His acquaintances surveyed the wondrous cross they were hit with the reality of the hatred this world has for Jesus, and they proclaimed it anyway.
• When Joseph surveyed the wondrous cross he was filled with conviction and courage to confess Christ.

What about you?
When you survey the wondrous cross, what does it spark in you?

Isaac Watts said:
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

I wonder this morning how you might respond to the cross of Jesus?

I would hope that you too
Would be so convicted that Jesus is the Christ
That you might also publicly confess Him before the world
And let it be known what He did on that cross, He died for you.

Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Download Here:

What A Day That Will Be!
Psalms 98
February 21, 2021

Throughout Scripture (especially the Psalms)
We see the constant contrast between the wicked and the righteous.

Now certainly we understand
• That apart from the redemption of God that we are all wicked.
• That only Christ is righteous and that we are only righteous when we are found in Him.

However, once redemption occurs
Then the distinction between the righteous and the wicked
Becomes blatantly obvious on the earth.

One longs for righteousness the other longs for sin
One dwells in light the other walks in darkness
One loves this world, one longs for a better one

It is very much a good vs evil reality.

It is a tension we read about often in Scripture.

The Psalms began with this very tension.
Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”

And we have seen throughout the Psalms
How the presence of the wicked causes much grief to the righteous.

Psalms 10:1-15 “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hid Yourself in times of trouble? In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD. The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “There is no God.” His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them. He says to himself, “I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.” His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.” Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up Your hand. Do not forget the afflicted. Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, “You will not require it.” You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You have been the helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.”

The righteous are certainly tormented by the wicked in this life.
• They see them pushing for the spread of evil
• They see them loving things that are detestable to God
• They see them as a very corrupting influence

And the thing that can be especially grievous to the righteous
Is that it often times feels like the wicked are winning.

After all this world is not ascending in righteousness and morality
It is rapidly descending into corruption.

It DOES NOT feel like in our battles that we are ever taking new ground,
But rather that we are fighting just to keep what ground we still have,
And even that feels at times like a losing effort.

The Psalms commonly express that frustration as well.

And there is a continual cry for deliverance from these wicked men.
Psalms 17:13-14 “Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes.”

Psalms 71:4 “Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,”

Psalms 94:3-7 “How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. They have said, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

Psalms 7:9a “O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous…”

And we could literally fill our entire time here tonight
Doing nothing more than reading Psalms
Which outline the frustrations between the righteous and the wicked.

HOWEVER, FOR THE RIGHTEOUS.
• Regardless of the current struggle…
• Regardless of the apparent defeats…
• Regardless of the frustrating battles…

THERE WAS A COMING REPRIEVE.
They longed for the day of the LORD.

They longed for the day when God comes and delivers this world
From the corruption of the wicked.

Those who were righteous in the Old Testament certainly did.

We’ve read about ENOCH living just 7 generations after Adam who was a preacher who said:
Jude 14-15 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

We’ve read about LOT living in Sodom
2 Peter 2:7-8 “…righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),”

We read from the writer of Hebrews about the Patriarchal Family:
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

• You think of Abram leaving Ur
• You think of Jacob & Joseph speaking of leaving Egypt
• You think of Moses leaving Pharaoh’s house
• You think of Daniel not accepting Babylonian food

These men didn’t want the things of this world.
• To them this world was rotten and corrupt and evil.
• They longed for a better country.
• They longed for one that was not stained with the corruption of this evil place.

The writer of Hebrews catapulted off of their conviction
And wrote to his audience:

Hebrews 13:14 “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”

Just as O.T. Believers longed for the day of the LORD,
The N.T. saints began to long for the return of the Lord.

PETER shared that desire:
2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

• Peter didn’t want this world, it was already spoiled and rotten.
• Peter wanted a new one; a righteous one.

PAUL wrote:
Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Paul saw the difference.
• There were men who loved this world and wanted this world.
• Their god was their stomach and all their greedy lusts
• To them this world was good and desirable

Paul said, THAT’S NOT US!
• Our citizenship is in heaven
• We want the undefiled city
• We eagerly wait for a Savior who will transform all of this

JOHN echoed in as well:
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

To John this world was nothing but evil upon evil and decay upon decay.
It was vile and contemptible and full of treacherous sin.
John wanted a new heaven and a new earth.

Those N.T. writers jumped right in step with the Psalmists
Who did not blend in with the world, but rather opposed it.
They didn’t enjoy the evil around them, they grieved it.

They were grieved and frustrated by the evil of the world around them,
And so they never settled in this world, but always longed for a better one.

THIS IS TRUE OF BELIEVERS
In fact, this was one of the ways that New Testament writers
Actually recognized true believers.

True believers were those who did not love this world,
But who were filled with an intense longing for the return of Christ.

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

On the other hand those who did not love the return of the Lord
Were considered as the unredeemed and accursed.

1 Corinthians 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.”

“Maranatha” means “Lord Come!”

Paul said anyone who does not long for His coming;
Anyone who loves this present world;
Anyone who would rather stay here;
IS ACCURSED.

It is that same tension we see in the Psalms.

So the reprieve for the righteous man today
Is the same as the righteous man in the Psalms.
CHRIST IS COMING!

Our King will return and He will destroy this world
And create a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells!

• On the day when He comes sin will no longer be celebrated…
• On the day when He comes corruption will no longer be the norm…
• On the day when He comes the innocent will no longer be afflicted…
• On the day when He comes the wicked will no longer prosper…

It will be a terrible day for the worldly.
TURN TO: REVELATION 18
(read it all)

The day of the LORD will be a terrible day
For the wicked who love this world.

• But for those of us who are sick of this corrupt world…
• For those of us who long for righteousness…
IT WILL BE A DAY OF GREAT REJOICING!

We will have a righteous King who reigns in righteousness.
Isaiah 11:3-5 “And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Can you take a moment and contemplate that day?

Can you take a moment and consider (with Bill Gaither)
“What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.”

Or maybe you would rather consider it with Bart Millard of Mercy Me
“I can only imagine what it will be like When I walk by Your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see When Your face is before me
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine, I can only imagine”

SO ARE YOU CONTEMPLATING THAT DAY?
• Is the joy of that day on your mind?
• Is your heart longing for it a little longer at this very moment?

If it is then, you are now ready to take a look at Psalms 98.

Psalms 98 is the song to be sung
The first time the saints of God gather before Christ
After He has ascended to earth and vanquished the foe.

I always think verb TENSES ARE IMPORTANT
To our understanding so look at them here.

Verses 1-3 are PAST TENSE – they speak of what has just occurred.
• Namely the Lord has come and done wonderful things.

Verses 4-6 are PRESENT TENSE – they speak of what is occurring now.
• Namely the saints are gathered before their newfound King.

Verses 7-9 are FUTURE TENSE – they speak with anticipation
• Of what the future holds now that our great King has begun to reign.

If Christ returns in the morning,
This is the song being sung that afternoon.

Studying it has flooded my heart again with absolute longing for this day, I hope studying it will do the same for you.

3 Points
#1 REJOICE THE KING HAS COME
Psalms 98:1-3

The song begins with what has become a recurring statement of late.
“O sing to the LORD a new song,”

As we said recently,
• This doesn’t necessarily mean lyrics that have never been sung,
• It can also simply mean, “Start another one!” “Sing some more”

However, it can certainly mean to sing a new song
Which has never been sung,
And that is certainly fitting when a person is experiencing something
That has never before been experienced.

For example:
• If you have never been in danger,
• But suddenly you found yourself in danger and the Lord delivered you,
• You might be inclined to write a new song about the Lord’s deliverance.

The Psalms are actually like that.
• It’s one of the things that I think makes studying the Psalms difficult.
• If you’ve never been in the shoes of the Psalmist it can be difficult to grasp the song he is singing.

Well since we’ve never seen Christ return
And destroy the wicked and save the righteous,
One could certainly expect new songs to be written on that day!

And here the call is to sing this new song
“For He has done wonderful things,”

We might say, “Such as?”
And the Psalmist gives us 4 wonderful things.

1) THE VICTORY HE GAINED (1b)
“His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.”

“His right hand and His holy arm”
• Is not only a reference to His power,
• But is also a reference to Christ who is seated at His right hand.

Isaiah 53:1 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

The arm is Christ.
And here we find that he has “gained the victory”

This would be the very return of Christ.
• This would be the moment that His sword came from His mouth and vanquished the foe.
• This would be the moment where He treat the winepress of the fierce wrath of God.

1 Corinthians 15:24-27a “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”

Every foe is vanquished.
The wicked will be no more.

2) THE SALVATION HE DISPLAYED (2a)
“The LORD has made known His salvation;”

At His coming, He not only destroyed the enemy,
BUT HE ALSO SAVED HIS OWN.

Hebrews 9:27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Romans 13:11 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

He has come and destroyed the wicked and delivered the righteous.

This is the day when all those cries of “How Long?”
Have finally been answered.

It is the promise Paul spoke to the Colossians about.

Colossians 3:1-4 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

When Paul says that “your life is hidden with Christ in God”
That word for “hidden” is KRUPTO from where we get cryptic.

The world can’t see it right now.
But when Christ returns the whole world
Will see who you are and whose you are.

It will be salvation and holy vindication!

3) THE RIGHTEOUSNESS HE REVEALED (2b)
“He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.”

• To all who have had their belly full of evil and wickedness.
• To all who are sick of having immorality crammed down their throats.
• To all who are grieved of being powerless against the corrupt.
• To all those who are tired of those who call evil good and good evil.

Finally the Lord returned and revealed the righteous standard.
Finally the Lord returned and put righteousness in its rightful place.

Finally He let righteousness have its day.

Sometimes today it feels like that will never happen.
The wicked just continue to get away with it.
ON THIS DAY THEIR CORRUPTION COMES TO A SUDDEN END.

4) THE COVENANT HE REMEMBERED (3a)
“He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;”

It’s that glorious word CHECED it is God’s loyalty.

Here we see loyalty and faithfulness remembered for Israel.

The Return of Christ and His reign upon the earth
Is the promise that Israel has been waiting for
Since the days of Abraham.

They have longed to have their King reign upon the earth.
• We all understand the reason for the delay, even the reality of the fact that when He came they crucified Him.

But God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.
And on this day, all of those promises are fulfilled.

Zechariah 8:1-3 “Then the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’”

Zechariah 14:1-11 “Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light. And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.”

That is the day we see here.

And as we noted the Psalmist speaks of that day in PAST TENSE,
Indicating that all of these things have just occurred.

• Christ has returned,
• He has slaughtered the wicked,
• He has vindicated and saved the righteous,
• He has put His righteousness on display,
• He has fulfilled His promises to Israel.

Today we anxiously wait for that day.
Can you imagine what it will feel like 15 minutes after that has happened?

It’s no wonder the Psalmist is calling for us
To rejoice because the King has come!

“O Sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things,”

And the summary of those wonderful things is found at the end of verse 3, “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

What a day!

So Rejoice, The King Has Come
#2 REJOICE THE KING IS HERE
Psalms 98:4-6

When you read those 3 verses
There are a couple things that stand out to you.

First of all, there is an EAGER PARTICIPATION in the worship.
• No one is reluctantly singing…
• No one is begrudgingly singing…
• No one is put out that they have to sing…

The word of the day is “joyfully”

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.”

It is an automatic and natural celebration!
It is the cry of deliverance.

I read to you a moment ago part of Isaiah 11
Where we see the Lord reigning in righteousness.

Isaiah 12 is the song that results from that reality.
Isaiah 12 “Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, “Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.” Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

It is simply a day of great rejoicing.

The picture is that after Christ has returned,
The whole earth has now come to appear before Him.

It is a sea of humanity who have in effect come to witness His inauguration.

And the celebration is huge!

But also apparent at this moment is an IMPLIED DISSATISFACTION.

It is not a dissatisfaction in the King, not at all.

Rather there is an implied dissatisfaction in the fact that
The worship doesn’t seem to be worthy of what He deserves.

It almost reads like a great choir director or symphony conductor
Who is continually pushing the choir to shout louder and the instruments to play stronger.
• Give me more!
• Give me more!
• I can’t hear you!
• Louder – louder – louder!

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.”

Even the whole earth singing together
Does not seem to emit a song worthy of the King.

And to that point all one must do is simply contemplate how much glory does this King deserve?
• How long should one sing?
• How loud should one sing?
• How many trumpets should be blasting on that day?

And you can’t give an acceptable answer to that question.

We are talking about the One
• Who has now come and vanquished the foe,
• Saved His people, and will rule in justice;
There’s just no way to fully express the glory He deserves.

That is the type of rejoicing that will occur on that day.

Rejoice the King has come Rejoice the King is here
#3 REJOICE THE KING WILL JUDGE
Psalms 98:7-9

Now we move into the FUTURE SCENE.
Now all those who are present at His inauguration
Begin to contemplate how great tomorrow will be
Once this King begins to reign.

It is sheer joy and optimism to think about.

(7-9) “Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.”

EVERYTHING SHOULD REJOICE.
• Creation sees the end of the curse…
• No longer will she be subjected to futility.
• Humanity is free from corruption…
• No longer will death reign or sin abound.

Zechariah 8:4-5 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘ Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. ‘And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.’”

Isaiah 9:7 “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 65:17-25 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.”

That is the day that is coming.

How frustrating it is in our world
When we see wicked men come to power
And we are forced to dread the coming days.

• We lament corruption and deceit…
• We lament immorality and wickedness…
• We lament foolishness and pride…

And we are simply forced to bear with dread
He coming days of having wicked rulers.

We all know that dread all too well.

This day will be just the opposite of that.

It will be a day of rejoicing because for the first time in history
We will be confident that tomorrow will be better than today.

What a day that will be!

TONIGHT I SIMPLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU
With the reminder that this day is coming.

• It is a day written about and promised throughout the Bible.
• It is not a scarcely mentioned reality.
• God has spoken of it over and over and over.

The God who created this world
Will redeem this world
And will place His King on the throne

REJOICE, FOR IT IS COMING!

Download Here:

The Crucifixion of Jesus – Part 4
Luke 23:32-49 (44-46)
February 21, 2021

As you know, we have been the last few weeks
Looking at the cross of Jesus Christ.

It is THE event of all history.
Romans 5:6 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

This event was THE planned event of all eternity.
Every other event in history has been sovereignly orchestrated
Around this one moment.

The death of Christ is the pinnacle.
• Everything before it flows toward it.
• Everything after it flows from it.

No other event compares.

We have been looking at it and thus far we’ve seen 3 main points.
#1 THE SCENE OF THE CRUCIFIXION
Luke 23:32-35a

• We saw IDENTIFICATION as Jesus was identifying with sinners.
• We saw INTERCESSION as Jesus was praying for sinners.
• We saw IGNORANCE as the crowd was oblivious to what was occurring there.

It is the biggest event of all eternity and the crowd was clueless.

#2 THE SCORN OF THE MOB
Luke 23:35b-39

John MacArthur referred to this as “The Comedy of the Cross”

It sounds like a horrible way to describe the crucifixion,
But that’s exactly what the crowd tried to turn it in to.

They tried to turn this event into an amusing story and
Christ was their laughingstock.
• The elders scorned Him…
• The soldiers toyed with Him…
• The criminal blasphemed Him…

Ultimately we saw that they were rejecting Christ
BECAUSE OF HIS CLAIMS TO BE KING.

They had no interest in Christ reigning over them,
And when they got their chance to mock Him for it, they took it.

#3 THE SALVATION OF A SINNER
Luke 23:40-43

We actually marveled that at this event
• There was one who stood against the mob
• One who determined to confess Christ as Lord in front of everyone,
• That was the second thief.

He had participated earlier in the mocking,
But at some point God had opened his eyes
To what was actually occurring here and he was saved.

We looked at the steps that occurred in his salvation
Because they are identical steps for anyone and everyone
Who will ever be saved.

We saw FEAR OF GOD
• As this man contemplated that in a moment he would stand before the Righteous Judge.

We saw HUMILITY
• Where he confessed that his death was justified and deserved.

We saw THE GOSPEL
• Where this man recognized the innocence of Jesus,
• And no doubt had believed the claims spoken about Jesus at the cross.
• Things like “He saved others” and “He is the King” and even Jesus praying for forgiveness.

We saw FAITH
• Expressed in his request to be remembered when Christ entered His kingdom.
• The only person at the crucifixion who thought Christ would still reign on a throne was this man.
• He had a conviction and assurance of faith.

And so we saw SALVATION
• As Jesus told this man “today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

It was a wonderful picture of what we might call the steps of salvation.

So in effect, we have looked at the cross FROM EVERY EARTHLY ANGLE.
• We’ve seen the Savior identifying and interceding
• We’ve seen the Scoffers attack and blaspheming
• We’ve seen the Sinner repentant and saved

But this morning we turn to the most sacred view of the cross.
In our text this morning:
WE SEE THE SOVEREIGN ARRIVE TO APPEASE HIS WRATH.

In short, this morning, God shows up.
(Not to say He hasn’t always been present)
But God begins to perform His work of saving sinners through Christ.

This morning we look at our fourth point
#4 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CROSS
Luke 23:44-46

Here we begin to understand the great work that was occurring here.

All the other things we’ve seen are certainly terrible and undeserved, but now we get to the saving part.

Here is where we begin to see THE ACTUAL SAVING WORK of Christ
And THE EFFECTIVENESS of that work.

As we have done, I want to break this point down a little further as well.
I want us to see the remarkable things that are occurring here.

We’ll look at 4 of them.
1) THICK DARKNESS (44-45a)

“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured;”

This is actually a remarkable scene which occurred here.
• “the sixth hour” was noon
• “the ninth hour” was 3pm

So for the brightest part of the day “darkness fell over the whole land”

Luke says it was “because the sun was obscured”
• This has led some to believe it was an eclipse.
• But the timing of the Passover makes a regular eclipse impossible.
• Furthermore no natural eclipse ever lasted for 3 hours.

This is not a natural act, this is a supernatural act.

The question is: WHY DID GOD SEND DARKNESS UPON THE LAND?

The Old Testament, and the Jewish audience, understand this very well.
This was a picture of the wrath of God.

Do you remember when God descended upon SINAI?
Exodus 19:16 “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

When the writer of Hebrews described the scene
He used words like “darkness and gloom and whirlwind” (Heb 12:18)

It was a picture of God’s unapproachable terror and of His mighty power.
What is more throughout the Old Testament
The people anticipated the day when
God would finally come forth and judge His enemies.

We think of that day as “The Second Coming”
But Jews thought of it differently.

To them, the day when God would come and judge all His enemies
Was known as “The Day of the LORD”

It is the day God breaks forth in justice and judgment.
And that day is described as a day of thick darkness.

Isaiah 13:10-11 “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”

Joel 2:1-2 “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.”

Joel 2:10 “Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.”

Joel 2:30-31 “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”

Amos 5:20 “Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?”

Zephaniah 1:14-15 “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,”

The day when God breaks forth in His mighty and terrible wrath
It will be day of thick darkness.

That is what we see here on the cross.
• This is also why in verse 48 you’ll see that these crowds who were just a moment ago laughing and mocking become terrified: “And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.”

For 3 hours God’s wrath has broken out!
For 3 hours God’s fury is on display.

But it is also vitally important that you UNDERSTAND WHY.

It is clear that God’s wrath has come.
I suppose the next question would be: WHO IS THE FOCUS OF THAT WRATH?

Many have assumed that God is breaking forth in wrath
Because He is angry about the way the crowd is treating His Son.

They assume that God is terrifying these people
Who would do such an awful thing.

Well, it is awful and the day of their terror is surely coming,
But that is NOT what is happening here.

For these 3 hours the wrath of God is surely being poured out,
But it is being poured out on Jesus.

Matthew gives us the clearest evidence of this.
Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Jesus was the recipient of God’s terrible wrath on the cross.

And this is remarkable to us.
• On the cross Jesus IS NOT dying as a martyr…
• On the cross Jesus IS dying as a sinner.

God is treating Christ like a sinful man.
And His wrath is being poured out upon Him.

Now we know that Jesus was not sinful, so did God.
In fact in 3 days God will prove that by raising Him from the dead.

So if God knew Jesus was sinless,
Then why is God treating Jesus as a sinner?

And the answer is: IMPUTATION

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Again later:
Isaiah 53:10-11 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

This is what is occurring.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

It has quickly become a favorite verse.
• We talk about not only Jesus identifying as a sinner,
• But God actually treating Jesus as a sinner.

On the cross Jesus is dying as a sinner.
God is treating Christ as a sinner.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,”

It is called IMPUTATION
Our sin was literally and actually imputed to Christ’s account
And God punished Him for it as though it were His own.

He was crushed by God as though He did the things I had done.

It is ghastly to comprehend.
And yet at the same time it is GLORIOUS to comprehend

Because when we understand that God imputed my sin to Christ
Then we can understand the second part of Paul’s tremendous statement.

“so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Salvation hangs upon the belief that God justifies sinners.
• Namely that God imputes righteousness to sinful men.
• It is not a righteousness which they have earned or naturally possess.
• It is what Luther called an “alien” righteousness.
• It is a righteousness not their own.

But one of the reasons we believe
In such a miraculous thing as imputation
Is because we clearly see that God did that to Christ.

God treated Christ as though He lived my life,
Therefore it is certainly conceivable that
God would treat me as though I lived Christ’s life.

WELL HERE WE SEE CLEARLY
Our sin on Christ and God treating Him accordingly.

Christ is bearing the wrath of God on sinners.

Another word that is important here is: PROPITIATION

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

John there calls Jesus “the propitiation for our sins”
It is a strong word and it means
“appeasement” or “satisfaction” or “placation”.

It is also what we might call a THOROUGH word.
• It has no room for anything partial or merely potential.
• It speaks of total satisfaction or total appeasement.

Christ either appeased all of God’s wrath or He appeased none of it.
Christ either satisfied all God’s fury or He satisfied none of it.

John says He did.
His death totally satisfied all God’s wrath on all those who would believe.

It’s why Paul could say:
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

It’s why we sing:
“I will not fear Your judgment, For me no wrath I dread
For it was spent on Jesus, Poured out upon His head
When Satan’s accusations. Make my poor heart afraid
I hear my King declaring “Father, that debt is paid!”

Christ totally satisfied God’s holy wrath.
Christ appeased Him.

Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

AND THIS IS WHAT IS OCCURRING HERE.
For 3 hours man has done their worst to torture and humiliate and kill Jesus.
But at noon, the land went dark and God dealt with sin.

• He crushed Christ.
• He poured out the full fury of His wrath on Christ.
• Jesus drank the bitter cup of God’s full condemnation.

Jesus endured the day of the LORD and all the wrath associated with it.

This is the ONLY WAY that sinners can be saved.
• Sin must be atoned for, and Christ is here atoning for it.
• He is being beaten by God in the stead of the sinners who deserve it.

Thick Darkness
2) TORN VEIL (45b)

“and the veil of the temple was torn in two.”

This is another enormous event!

Matthew adds:
Matthew 27:51-53 “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”

This veil was torn as Matthew said “from top to bottom”.
That is to say, “God tore it!”

Why does this matter?

TURN TO: HEBREWS 9

(In Hebrews 9 we are told exactly what the Holy Spirit wants you to know about the presence of the veil)

(READ 1-8)

“The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,”

What is the point of the veil?
• You can’t get to God.
• There is NOT peace with God.
• There is NOT reconciliation.

That veil meant to the Jews the same thing a slammed door means when your teenager walks out of the room. It means YOU ARE NOT WELCOME.

No one was.
There was enmity between God and man.

Not since the garden had God walked among men.
Not since the garden had there been total peace.

God was off limits.

FURTHERMORE, that veil was a reminder that NOT A SINGLE SACRIFICE had ever actually worked.

Hebrews 10:1-4 “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Regardless of all the religious ritual, God was never satisfied,
Man was never atoned for, and there was no reconciliation.

THE VEIL REMAINED

UNTIL THIS MOMENT
• On this day and at this moment,
• Once God’s wrath had been fully propitiated,
• And sinners had been fully atoned for,
• Access to God was granted.

And God tore the veil.

Hebrews 9:11-12 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Christ appeased God’s wrath forever.

And that is why the writer of Hebrews would go on to make
One of the most UNTHINKABLE STATEMENTS.

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

That writer told those believers in Jesus
That they were now welcome to walk right in through the veil.

They could now draw near to God through Jesus.

No Jew would have ever considered entering that veil,
But now because of the atonement of Christ,
We can draw near to God.

• Now there is RECONCILIATION
• Now there is FORGIVENESS
• Now there is ACCESS

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

That is what happened on the cross.
• Jesus bore our sin and received God’s wrath.
• God accepted that payment and removed our guilt
• And God welcomed us to Himself because of Christ.

IF you come through Christ
IF you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness
You are welcome to draw right up near to God
Thick Darkness, Torn Veil
3) TRUSTING CRY (46a)

“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.”

Peter said:
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

And that is what He is doing here.

It is one of 7 statements made by Jesus on the cross.
• You already know about His request that the Father forgive them.
• You already know about His promise to save the thief next to Him.
• We read earlier from Matthew His cry “My God, My God why have You
forsaken Me?”

John’s gospel adds the other 3
• When Jesus told John that he was to consider Mary as his own mother
• When He said “I thirst”
• When He said “It is finished!”

This statement here in Luke’s gospel is the last of the 7.

It is clear that communion with the Father has now been restored.
He HAS finished bearing God’s wrath.
He HAS paid the debt in full.

And now, as He dies, He PROCLAIMS HIS OWN INNOCENCE
By saying “INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT”

Psalms 16:8-10 “I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

• Jesus knew He was righteous…
• Jesus knew He would be vindicated…
• Jesus knew God would vindicate Him…

He had come to bear the sin of many and having done that
He now expected to be glorified by the Father.

WHY IS THIS STATEMENT SIGNIFICANT TO US AND TO LUKE?

Because it adds again to the reality of the success of the cross.
Jesus knew why He was dying. Jesus knew He was successful.

God was just to punish Him for bearing our sin,
And God is just to vindicate Him for being righteous.

It assures us that Jesus was not dying for anything He had done.

I KNOW IN THE MOVIES we like to glamorize this type of action figure or super hero that no matter how much you torture them they will never talk.

• In reality, everyone can be made to talk.
• In reality, no one can endure forever.

And in those cases we’re just talking about the wrath of man.

Jesus has just endured 3 hours
Of the most imaginative death mankind could concoct
And He has endured 3 hours of the full fury of the wrath of God.

If there was sin, He would have confessed it by now.

But as it was, Jesus was entrusting Himself to the righteous Judge
FOR HE KNEW HE WAS INNOCENT.

And this righteousness which Jesus possessed
IS THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS HE CLOTHES US IN.

The confidence Jesus had before the Father
Is the confidence we can have before the Father

Because just as our sin was imputed to Him,
So His righteousness is imputed to us.

We boldly go before God just as Jesus did.

That is why Paul could say:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Or again:
2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

How could Paul have such confidence?
• Well it wasn’t confidence in his own goodness I can promise you that.
• Paul’s confidence was in Christ’s goodness.

Those who are in Christ needn’t fear standing before God
For Christ is totally acceptable to the Father.

We see that there with His Trusting Cry

Thick Darkness, Torn Veil, Trusting Cry
4) TRIUMPHANT DEATH (46b)

“Having said this, He breathed His last.”

Christ died.

Why?
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

Often we hear talked about the blood of Jesus, but you understand that is because the life in the blood.
• Jesus didn’t just give blood to save you.
• Jesus had to die to save you.

His death was the payment.
He had to offer to God a payment of death for sinners.
AND HE DIED.

If you’re into forensic proof that He actually died, John adds:
John 19:31-34 “Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”

HE DIED.

If you want to know where He went.
1 Peter 3:18-20 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

Christ went into death.
While He was there, He made proclamation of victory!
He declared Himself sovereign over death.

When John saw Him in the Revelation…
Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

Jesus stole the keys of death and of Hades.

That is why the writer of Hebrews wrote:
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

He died to conquer death.
Hebrews 9:15 “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

He paid off the debt of that old covenant (which was death)
And He instituted His new covenant.
Jesus paid it all.

And this is the SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CROSS.
• It wasn’t about the fury and shame men hurled upon Him.
• It was about the fact that on the cross Jesus bore the full wrath of God.
• On the cross Jesus paid in full the debt for all those who believe.
• Jesus satisfied God’s righteous requirement.
• Jesus reconciled man and God.

Without the cross man and God are never reconciled
And all sinners have to look forward to is the fury of God and eternal hell.
But praise God Jesus died!

This morning we come to the Lord’s Supper to remember that.

We partake of this cracker
• Symbolizing His body and the righteousness He earned in that body.
• This is the righteousness that is imputed to us.

We partake of this juice
• Symbolizing His blood and the death where He atoned for our sin.
• This is the sin imputed to Him where He atoned for us.

We eat them
• Symbolizing our understanding that what He did He did for us.
• We eat it in faith that Christ’s righteous life and atoning death are all that are required to reconcile us to God and allow us to draw near to God.

And so we partake in the same attitudes of that thief on the cross.
• We come with a fear of God that leads to humility.
• We have a humility that causes us to hear the gospel.
• We believe the gospel by faith.
• And thus we are saved.

This morning we rejoice in the Savior.

Download Here:

When His Glory Is Revealed
Psalms 97
February 7, 2021

One of the remarkable statements
Made by John in his gospel account is this:

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

• John of course spoke of the incarnation.
• He spoke of the day that God became flesh.

One might ask, how John knew that Jesus was God?
John replied, “we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father”

Peter would echo the same:
2 Peter 1:16-17 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”

• Peter says “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

And by now of course you know what event they are speaking of.

Matthew 17:1-3 “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”

These men saw His glory.

You could also add Paul to this list:
Acts 26:12-15 “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

These were men who saw the glory of the Lord.
They saw the glorified Christ.

John would see Him a second time.
Revelation 1:12-16 “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

These men saw the glory of the Lord.
They were given a chance to see the veil of His flesh pulled back
And were able to take a peek as to what He was really made of.

THE WORLD DID NOT.
Isaiah 53:1-3 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

When the world looked at Jesus they saw an unimpressive man from Nazareth who did not bear any of the expected glorious features of a King.
• They attributed His miraculous power to Satan…
• They judged Him a blasphemer…
• And ultimately they crucified Him.

They did not see His glory.

Indeed much of the world still does not.

Now you and I have not seen His glory either,
Yet we believe it because of the testimony of the apostles,

But much of the world does not.
Much of the world has failed to understand who Jesus is.

But that reality won’t last forever.
For the next time Jesus comes the whole earth will see Him.

Matthew 24:27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Matthew 24:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”

Those who failed to grasp the true glory of Christ will see it.

This is why “every knee will bow…
and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

And this is the day our Psalmist speaks of.
(6) “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”

We are talking about the coming reign of the Lord.

It is true that Psalms 96 and 98 speak of this coming reign as well,
But they do so in joyous terms.

Psalms 97 speaks of this coming reign with a terrible warning.

And in light of His coming
The Psalmist tells us how to live our lives.

What he shows us tonight is incredibly convicting and invigorating.
He gives clear direction regarding the conviction
You and I should have in light of the coming reign of Christ.

So let’s work through this Psalm tonight.
We’ll break it down into 3 main points.
#1 THE EXPLANATION
Psalms 97:1-6

There is actually a term for the verb tense used here,
But I can’t remember what it is.
It’s basically something like “the prophetic present” tense.

• What I mean by that is that the Psalmist speaks of future events,
• But through the spirit of prophecy he speaks of them with such certainty
• That he actually writes of them as though they have already occurred.

That is why in these first six verses the Psalmist speaks
In what appears at times to be the PRESENT TENSE (1-3)
And even PAST TENSE (4-6).

All of these events are yet future,
But the Psalmist writes with certainty of their happening.

(1) “The LORD reigns”

Now certainly we could say that this is currently happening.
• God does reign in the heavens
• God does whatever He pleases
• Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Peter noted it at Pentecost.
Acts 2:32-36 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

• Peter noted that Christ is in fact Lord.
• Peter noted that Christ does in fact reign.

However, His current reign is from heaven.

The writer of the Psalms is speaking of the day
He comes to reign on earth.

(1) “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad.”

Adrian Rogers had a unique way of explaining the current evil our world. He said that, “Right now the criminal isn’t in prison, the bride isn’t with the Groom, and the King isn’t on the throne.”

In a spiritual sense you could make argument for all of those things,
But in a physical world and a physical sense he is absolutely right.

And this explains the frustration and rampant evil of our world.

• Satan is the god of this world
• he is continually blinding the minds of the unbelieving so that they won’t
believe the gospel.
• Satan is tempting and deceiving and devouring men in his evil plan of
destruction.

• Jesus is saving His bride,
• But she is currently saved from afar, left only to long for the return of her
Husband.
• And the earth suffers and groans under the effects of the sin curse.

• We do not have a land where righteousness dwells…
• We do not have a creation that is free from the curse…
• We do not have a just king on the earthly throne…

The Psalmist however looks to the day when we will.

And on that day “the earth [will] rejoice”
Of course it will!

We read it last week:
Psalms 96:11-13 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.”

Next week we’ll see it again:
Psalms 98:7-9 “Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity.”

We read:
Romans 8:18-23 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

So we understand the anticipation and excitement of the world
For the day when the righteous king sits on the throne.

“Let the islands be glad.”
• “Islands” is a common term of Israel to refer to far and distant nations; or far and distant lands.

If you want to insert the United States into the Old Testament somewhere, then you can accurately put her here.

She would be one of those distant nations or islands.

And on the day when the Lord returns and reigns upon the earth,
She will “be glad” and “rejoice” like every other nation in the world.

It is certainly a joyous and anticipated event.

HOWEVER, the point of Psalms 97 is that
It is not an event that will be enjoyed or anticipated by everyone.

• For the Psalmist does not immediately speak of the great blessings and joys of the Lord’s reign,
• But rather the Psalmist outlines the way in which He will come to take His throne.

Verses 2-6 describe His terrible wrath and powerful second coming.

(2-6) “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”

Perhaps we could break those verses down a little to give a more detailed picture.
1) HIS POWERFUL PRESENCE (2a)
“Clouds and thick darkness surround Him”

It brings a visual reference back to Sinai.

Remember the writer of Hebrews wrote of that day:
Hebrews 12:18-21 “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.”

You remember that awesome scene of the Old Testament
Where no one would dare even think of touching that mountain.

They learned that day that God is not to be messed with,
He is to be feared.

The writer of Hebrews took that reality and catapulted it into a conversation regarding the second coming and the heavenly kingdom.

Hebrews 12:25-29 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

The writer of Hebrews spoke of Sinai and the terrifying scene, but
“and that was only 1 mountain”

Next time He will “SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.”

And he closed by calling God “a consuming fire”
Which we will see referenced again in verse 3 of Psalms 97.

But you get the picture.
• When Christ opens the sky to return to this world,
• The sight of His coming will not be one of meekness and cheer.
• It won’t be like a baby in a manger surrounded by shepherds.

When He comes it will be a terrifying scene for this world.

In fact, even the elect are told to live righteous
So that even we won’t shrink back at His coming.

1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

He is coming with a powerful presence
2) HIS RIGHTEOUS CAUSE (2b)
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”

The FIRST TIME HE CAME John described His purpose like this:
John 1:16-17 “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

We saw Him as One of mercy and salvation and grace and truth.
He came to save sinners.

Next time He comes with “righteousness and justice” as His cause.

Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

3) HIS THOROUGH JUDGMENT (3)
“Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about.”

We already read that God is “a consuming fire”

• Fire is used as analogy because it is indiscriminate and thorough.
• It burns everything.

And the reminder is that no one will escape His coming fury and justice.
• No sinner will escape…
• No villain will endure…
• No evil man will simply be able to go into hiding and wait out His reign…

To be certain men will cry out to the mountains to fall upon them,
But as you will see in a moment the mountains will melt like wax.

There will be no hiding from the righteous King.
It will be a thorough and total cleansing of this world of evil.

It will be a purification by fire.

His Powerful Presence, His Righteous Cause, His Thorough Judgment
4) HIS TERRIFYING REVELATION (4)
“His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled.”

Ever been in a storm in the middle of the night?
• You can hear the wind, you can hear the hail, you can hear the thunder; and
you know it’s bad.
• But you can’t see how bad.
• You can’t get a good handle on the degree of the devastation.

However, in that storm you will be momentarily granted just flash moments where you can see the degree of the devastation.

At that moment when lightning strikes you get a split second of brightness where you can see the effects and the degree of the devastation.

That is the revelation spoken of here.

And on those brief moments where the Lord allows them to see
The full degree of His terrible wrath, “the earth saw and trembled”

It was even worse than they could have imagined.

Look there’s a reason Jesus describes His coming like this:
Luke 21:25-27 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory.”

That’s why we read:
Luke 17:24 “For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.”

And what men see will cause them to faint
And writhe in pain like a woman in labor.

5) UNSTOPPABLE ADVANCE (5)
“The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”

Mountains are used because they are immovable.
• That’s why Jesus used them as analogy saying that “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, ‘jump into the sea’”

Earlier when the Psalmist wanted to speak of the most terrifying reality available, he wrote:
Psalms 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.”

Mountains were faithful, they were resolute,
They are majestic, and immovable.

But even the mountains will not be able
To stop the Lord’s advance when He comes.

Remember the 7th bowl judgment? (It culminates with the return of Christ)
Revelation 16:17-21 “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”

Nothing can stop the Lord when He comes to reign.

6) HIS EVIDENT GLORY (6)
“The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”

They all missed Him the 1st time, but none will miss Him the 2nd time.
• They will see His terrible wrath.
• They will behold His awesome power.
• They will fall beneath His thorough judgment.

This is reality about the second coming of the Lord.
And “every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

This is the Explanation of His coming.

And from there the Psalmist moves us to his second point.
#2 THE EFFECT
Psalms 97:7-9

What will the effect be of this righteous Judge who comes to hand out judgment and reign upon the earth?

Well for the wicked who worshiped and honored false gods,
There will be nothing but Total Shame.

(7) “Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods.”

Incidentally, many of you have recently seen the end of that verse.
Hebrews 1:6 “And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”

Back in Hebrews 1 when the writer was pointing out that
Jesus is greater than the angels, he quoted this verse.

That on the day of His reign every created thing will worship Him.
Trees, human, animals, even angels and demons.

And for everyone who had yet to worship and glorify Him,
But who had spent their lives giving glory to false gods;
They will be ashamed.

Isaiah described it like this:
Isaiah 2:12-21 “For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft. The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble. In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship, In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.”

Certainly you see that men will be terrified at the return of the Lord, but did you notice what they will do with all their false gods?

“In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold…”

They’re going to bury them and try to hide them.
Why?
Because they’re trying to pretend like they never owned them.

That is the day
• When Islam becomes Waslam
• When Hinduism becomes Hinduwasm
• When Buddhism becomes Buddwasm

Men will shrink in fear and do anything they can
To disassociate themselves with all their false gods.

But for the redeemed, who have been ridiculed on the earth for holding fast to the true God, there will be Great Rejoicing!

(8-9) “Zion heard this and was glad, And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Your judgments, O LORD. For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.”

It will be a tremendous day of joy and rejoicing for the children of God!

On the day when Christ returns and every false religion dissolves
We will let out a cry of joy like the world has never known!

In fact, we are already told the song we will sing
On the day when false religion is abolished.

Revelation 19:1-6 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

• The Hallelujah Chorus is not a Christmas song, it is a second coming song.
• And we will sing it with joy on the day our Lord returns to crush false religion and reign upon the earth.

NOW, ALL OF THAT IS PERHAPS OLD NEWS TO YOU.
No doubt you love that reality, but I doubt anything I told you there was new.

More important to us tonight, and the real point of the Psalm,
Is this final point.

The Explanation, The Effect
#3 THE EXHORTATION
Psalms 97:10-12

In light of the truths of verses 1-9 the Psalmist would encourage you and I regarding how to live on this earth until that day comes.
• If you know that Christ will return in terrible fury to judge the wicked…
• If you know that none of the wicked will stand before Him…
• If you know that all will bow in worship of Him…
• If you know that every false god will be abolished…
• If you know that Christ’s glory will cover all the earth…

Then should that knowledge influence the way you live today
While still in this corrupt and fallen world?

And the answer is a resounding YES!

And do you see the most immediate application?
(10) “Hate evil, you who love the LORD,”

It is a strong word to be certain, but it is clear.

As God’s people who are awaiting the return of our righteous King
• We are not to tolerate evil…
• We are not to ignore evil…
• We are certainly not to participate in evil…
• We are to “hate evil”

If you “love the LORD” you must “hate evil”

Amos 5:14-15 “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

The calling here is to STAND FIRM!

Too often in our culture, because of fear of backlash
Or being ostracized by our “woke” communities,
The church retreats into fear regarding the evil world around us.

And often the church embraces what is evil
Under the banner of “love” or “tolerance” or even “missions”.

That is a hypocritical and cowardice farce!

God hates evil, we are to hate evil.
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

What a statement from Paul.
You can’t claim to have genuine love for God if you love what God hates.

TURN TO: PSALMS 139

• We are familiar.
• We love the last 2 verses.
• But 4 verses are omitted.

LOOK AT VERSES 19-22
What?

• When David is asking God to search his heart, he is asking, “God can
you see that I really do hate those who hate you?”
• When David asks God to see if there is a hurtful way in him, he is asking,
“Do I love anything that You hate and thus hurt You?”
• When David says to lead him in the everlasting way, he is saying, “Help
me to love what You love and hate what You hate because only this
way will endure.”

Our call is clear to hate evil.
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

It’s stated the opposite way, but it’s the same point.
You cannot love what God hates and call yourself a child of God.

And listen, the church must stand here.
• Things like abortion
• Things like sex trafficking
• Things like pedophilia and child trafficking
• Things like corruption
• Things like homosexuality and sexual perversion

We must “Hate evil, you who love the LORD”

Now, THE FEAR IS that if we rise up and stand against what is evil and hate it, then we know that we will receive great backlash.

That’s why people don’t do it.
They fear retaliation by those who do evil things.

To that the Psalmist gives a great reminder.
Speaking of the LORD, he says, (10b) “Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”

You are afraid of evil people so you don’t stand against evil.

DID WE NOT JUST READ that the LORD will come and judge this world in righteousness and on that day those who stood for Him will greatly rejoice?

Do you believe that or not?

Then WAIT for the Lord and trust Him
And stand for what is righteous and good on this earth.

The Psalmist says (11) “Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.”

Better translated as: “Light dawns for the righteous”

• Christ will come
• Light will dawn
• Evil will be obliterated
• So hate evil, be righteous, be upright, stand for what is right and just and good!

AND FINALLY
(12) “Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.”

In your struggle with an evil world,
• Rejoice that we win in the end!
• Don’t live in fear and dread, live rejoicing!
• Don’t live in complacency and cowardice, live with gratitude that we win!

Live like you really believe Jesus will return
And judge all those who participate in evil.

Live like you really believe Jesus will return
And reward those who walk in justice and righteousness.

To quote Adrian Rogers again:
“Live your life like Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back this afternoon.”

The Lord Reigns
The Lord Will Reign
Live in anticipation of that day!