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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!

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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!

Download Here:

The Crucifixion of Jesus – Part 3
Luke 23:32-49 (40-43)
February 7, 2021

This morning we return once again to the hallowed ground of the cross.
• It is the focal point of all history.
• It is the focal point of all theology.
• It is the focal point of all prophecy.
• It is certainly then the focal point of the church.

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

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.”

This is THE story.

Every other important act or doctrine flows from the cross.

• THE INCARNATION means nothing without the cross, for then Jesus is merely another moral example that we cannot live up to.

• THE RESURRECTION means nothing without the cross, for surely it proves Jesus to be innocent, but we remain unatoned for.

• THE ASCENSION means nothing without the cross, for what good is it for us to have a great High Priest if He has no offering to present on our behalf.

• THE SECOND COMING is actually a terrifying event without the cross since for us it would only mean judgment.

If you take away the cross, close the book and go home.
• Take every herb you can find…
• Don’t ever take any risks…
• Don’t ever put yourself in danger…

Your only hope is to live as long as you possibly can
Because without the cross this is as good as it gets.

THIS EVENT IS EVERYTHING TO US.

Thus far, we’ve looked at two aspects of this scene.
#1 THE SCENE OF THE CRUCIFIXION
Luke 23:32-35a

We simply took a panoramic look at what was occurring here
And there were some realities that really jumped out.

We saw IDENTIFICATION
• Jesus was being led with sinners, as a sinner to His execution.
• He was not sinful, but He was being treated as though He was.

We saw INTERCESSION
• While the crowd was mocking and blaspheming, He was praying
The mercy of Christ on the cross gives one of
The greatest pictures in Scripture of the depth of the mercy of God.

We saw IGNORANCE
• As Jesus was dying on the cross the crowd was simply looking on.
• They were oblivious.
• They didn’t understand what was going on here.

And so our first objective was to remove the ignorance of the cross.
• Here on the cross Jesus was bearing the full wrath of God for all the sin of all who would ever believe.
• This one sacrifice was sufficient to save everyone who would ever believe and there has never been another sacrifice like it.
• No goat, no bull, no offering of any kind ever placated the wrath of God, but on this day, at this time, Jesus did.

That was the scene of the crucifixion.

Last week we saw the second aspect of this event.
#2 THE SCORN OF THE MOB
Luke 23:35b-39

We identified all the various players at the scene.
• We have Jesus interceding
• We have the crowd oblivious
• We have Pilate with a “too little too late” sign hung above Jesus
• We have the rulers scoffing at Jesus
• We have the soldiers toying with Jesus as they mock Him
• We have one of the criminals blaspheming Him

He was truly under attack from every side.

But the most unique thing about that text is that
THEY ALL HAD THE SAME SUBJECT IN THEIR SCORN.

“If You are the King then save Yourself”

And so we talked about the INSURRECTION of the cross.
• The crucifixion was nothing short of a rejection of Jesus as King.
• They did not want Him to reign over them so they killed Him.

We talked about the necessity of submitting to Christ as Lord.
In fact, to truly believe in Christ is to confess Him as Lord.

And we talked about how
• In a little over a month, when Peter told the crowd they had killed the King
• And they asked what they should do,
• Peter told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus.

It wasn’t that baptism would save them, but Peter was calling for them to identify with Jesus the way Jesus had identified with them.

They had publicly rejected His Kingly authority.
So Peter demanded that they publicly submit to it.

This is the call for us all.

And as we finished last time
I told you to imagine this scene of scorn.
• Everyone around Jesus is mocking or abusing Him in some way or another.
• And the calling is that you, in the middle of all that scorn, would stand up and
say, “I believe Him! He’s my King!”

We are called to confess Him in a world that hates Him.

And you may wonder who in their right mind
Would have stood up at the cross, gone against the mob,
And publicly confessed Jesus as King right then?

AND YET ONE PERSON DID.
And that brings us to the third aspect of the cross we want to see.

The Scene of the Crucifixion, The Scorn of the Mob
#3 THE SALVATION OF A SINNER
Luke 23:40-43

Here’s a person who did exactly what we were talking about last week.
• In the midst of all the scorn…
• In the midst of all the mockery…

• While rulers are laughing at Jesus…
• While soldiers are pretending to bow to Him…
• While the other criminal is reviling and blaspheming Him…

This man comes forward.
• He rebukes the other criminal
• And in front of everyone he confesses Jesus as his King
• And most certainly invites the scorn of Jesus into his life as well.

Now, I do understand that in one sense someone might say, “Yes, but what did he have to lose?”
• I mean, he was already being crucified…
• He was already being ridiculed and humiliated…
• What did he have to lose by confessing Jesus here?

Perhaps we should ask the other criminal
Because he still didn’t confess Jesus.
The other thief wanted Jesus to save Himself and us.

But this thief instead submitted himself to physical death
When he confessed Christ and asked for entrance into the kingdom,
He was resigning to the fact that he would not be taken off the cross
And he likely added additional scorn and shame to his life at the present.

He came forward in the midst of this hatred and confessed Christ
And as a result he was saved.

This morning we are going to examine this man
And why he, of all the people there, was the one who was saved.

• There are several realities present in his life that are essential to salvation.
• In fact, he becomes a wonderful picture of what type of person Jesus does save.

So let’s look at what was going on in his life.

There’s actually five things here I would show you about this sinner who was saved on the cross.
1) FEAR OF GOD (40)

You are aware of the blasphemy of the first thief.
I told you last week that for a time even this criminal had hurled abuse at Jesus.

Matthew 27:42-44 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”

Even this thief had originally started out mocking Jesus.

But what is clear is that at some point in the scene,
GOD OPENED this man’s eyes to see who Jesus really was,
And it must have TERRIFIED the man.
(Similar to when those at Pentecost had their eyes opened)

Because all of a sudden he changes direction
And REBUKES the other thief for blaspheming Jesus.

(40) “But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?”

What does he mean?

He looks at the other thief and reminds him that “you are under the same sentence of condemnation”.

In other words,
• “Don’t you realize that you’re about to die?”
• “Don’t you get that in a few minutes you’re going to stand before God?”

“Do you not even fear God..?”

It is clear that what has hit this second criminal square in the jaw
Is that THERE IS A GREATER HORROR than this cross he’s on
And he is about to face it.

You may remember that I told you that
• When we look at the crucifixion of Jesus the greatest horror of the cross is
NOT what man did to Jesus on the cross.
• The greatest horror of the cross is what God did to Jesus on the cross.

In the garden when Jesus is sweating drops of blood
It is not because of the physical crucifixion that He is about to endure,
It is because He is about to endure the wrath of God.

As bad as the physical cross was (and it was bad)
It was nothing compared to the eternal judgment of Almighty God.

And this second criminal has come to grips with that.

He warns the first thief.
“You had better quit your blaspheming, you’re about to stand before God!”

Clearly there is a fear of God that has set in for this second thief.

And to that I would remind you that
Fear of the Lord is an essential prerequisite for salvation.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

That is to say that “fear of the LORD” is first.

Every sinner who is saved
First begins with an awareness of their offense to God
And the fear of the punishment that they deserve.

In fact, one of the CHARACTERISTICS Paul listed of UNREGENERATE man is this:
Romans 3:18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

That’s actually one of the reasons they remain lost; they don’t fear God.

I remember talking to a man here in Spur several years ago
• We were talking about salvation and the work of Jesus.
• And one of his responses to me was, “What do you mean; ‘Saved’?”

He had no concept of needing to be saved.
As if to say, “What do I need to be saved from?”

A person with that understanding is a long way from salvation.

I’ll tell you what you need to be saved from.
YOU NEED TO BE SAVED FROM GOD.

More specifically, you need to be saved from the wrath of God
Which He has for those who rebel against Him.

I know contemporary preachers have worked tirelessly
• Trying to convince everyone that God loves everyone unconditionally.
• To try and set people’s minds at ease that God is not angry.
• People can just run up to God like a big ole teddy bear
• Because God has their picture on His refrigerator,
• And He just gushes and goo’s over their every move.

And while it is true that it is the love of God which motivated Him to send His Son as a sacrifice for our sin, do not get your wires crossed.
It is still the wrath of God that you must be saved from.

God’s word says:
Psalms 7:11-13 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 10:30-31 “For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Or we could even go to the final judgment scene:
Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Man has offended God, and God has promised that
He will judge all sinners in hell for all eternity.

The physical torment of the cross is nothing compared to eternity in hell.
AND YOU AND I NEED TO BE SAVED FROM THAT.

We need to be saved from the wrath of God.
Fortunately for us, this is exactly what Jesus came to do.

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

So you understand where this second thief is coming from.
While facing physical death he began to wonder
What was going to happen once he died?
AND IT TERRIFIED HIM.

That is the first step in salvation.
• It is an awareness that God is a righteous Judge
• Who will in fact judge sinners
• And that you need to be saved from that judgment.

Fear of God
2) HUMILITY (41a)

Humility works hand in hand with fear of God.
In fact humility is often a consequence of fear of God.

When you realize who you are
And that you are in danger of God’s judgment
The logical next step is to humble yourself and plead for mercy.

Look at this man’s humility.
“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds;”

I’m not sure that this definition would stand up in a seminary class or a theology textbook, but I’ve often described humility to people like this.

Humility is when you believe you are who God says you are.

• It occurs when you quit arguing with the righteous Judge…
• It occurs when you submit to God’s evaluation of your life…
• When you stop being defensive…
• When you stop arguing…
• When you simply bow in honest acknowledgement that you are who God says you are.

James has a tremendous passage on this.
We see both what humility is and what it is not.

James 1:19-25 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

• Often times we hear verse 19 quoted alone
• People simply think James is talking about the evils of the human temper,
• But that misses the point.

The passage as a whole is clearly talking about
HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE WORD OF GOD.

And only two options are given.
• You will either be an “effectual doer”
• Or a “forgetful hearer”.

James said that when you look into the mirror of God’s word, and God shows you who and what you are,
• You’ll either ignore it and go about your life
• Or you’ll own up to it and do what it says.

And this is what James is talking about even at the beginning.

And James said you should be
• “quick to hear” that is eager to know what God has to say.
• “slow to speak” that means slow to argue or make excuses.
• “slow to anger” that means don’t get mad or offended, just accept it.

Now, if you are someone who is eager to hear what God has to say
And you will accept what God has to say without argument or anger,
THEN YOU HAVE HUMILITY.

That is where our thief is.
• Is not arguing.
• He is not debating that he should get to come off the cross.
• He agrees with what he is.

And this HUMILITY is also ESSENTIAL
James 4:6-10 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Matthew 5:3-4 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

That is a man who agrees that he is spiritually bankrupt
And who hates or mourns over the sin that put him in that predicament.

ONLY those who are poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of heaven.
ONLY those who mourn over sin receive God’s comfort.

You see where this man is.
He fears God and He is humble.

3) THE GOSPEL (41b)

After announcing his own guilt the thief simply says:
“but this man has done nothing wrong.”

He hits one of the very prevalent themes of Luke;
Namely that JESUS WAS INNOCENT.
• Pilate said it over and over,
• Here the thief says it,
• Down in verse 47 the centurion will say it again.

Now clearly that’s NOT ALL this man believes about Jesus.
• He certainly believes Jesus to be sinless.
• He clearly believes Jesus to be the King since he references His kingdom.
• He also believes Jesus to be the Savior and a merciful one since in spite of his sin he asks for entrance into the kingdom.

What is clear is that while ignorance surrounded the cross,
God opened the eyes of this one man.
He could see what no one else could see.

Now what I find interesting here is where this man heard the gospel.
You might say, who preached the gospel to him?

Well let’s just look at WHAT HE HAS HEARD RECENTLY.

• He heard Jesus say: (34) “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing.”

• Then the rulers announced: (35) “He saved others”

• The rulers also listed His assumed titles of: (35) “the Christ of God” and
“His Chosen One”

• When the soldiers came up, they called Him (37) “the King of the Jews” (as
did Pilate’s sign)

The thief heard all of this.

While these statements were being hurled at Jesus,
God opened this thief’s eyes to see that they were ALL TRUE.

• Jesus was the sinless Son of God
• Jesus was the Chosen One of God
• Jesus was the Christ
• Jesus was the King
• Jesus was the merciful Savior

That man learned it all right there.

And hearing the GOSPEL is also ESSENTIAL.
No one is saved without the gospel.

Romans 10:9-14 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

There is NO SALVATION apart from the gospel.
There is NO SALVATION apart from the actual name of Jesus.

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

• That means that fear of the Lord alone is NOT ENOUGH to save.
• That means that humility alone is NOT ENOUGH to save.
• That means that sincerity alone is NOT ENOUGH to save.

There is only one Savior and that is Christ Jesus.
You must cry out to Him.

The gospel matters, and this man heard it on the cross.
He may have heard it before, but it is apparent that
On the cross God finally opened his ears to it.

That, incidentally, gives us our answers regarding those who trust Christ even ON THEIR DEATHBED.

• I certainly do not recommend trying to wait until you die to be saved, for who
knows when God may open your heart (the other thief was not saved),
• But I will say this, I certainly can’t think of a more pertinent time to cry out to
Jesus than when staring death in the face.

So this man had a fear of God – This man had humility – This man heard the gospel
4) FAITH (42)

You know of course that FAITH is ESSENTIAL.

Romans 3:21-22 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”

Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Well look at this man’s faith, it is remarkable.
(42) “And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.”

Take away your spiritual awareness for a moment.
(Just look at the physical scene of the cross)

What in the world would have caused anyone at the scene of the cross to think that Jesus was about to sit on a throne anywhere?

Through physical eyes that statement from the thief
Is a dumb as they come.

All the mocking around the cross was pointing out that
Jesus was no King and that apparently He had no kingdom.

But this man, goes entirely against the grain,
He rejects the logic of the day
And he confesses that Jesus does in fact have a kingdom.

And he appeals to the apparent mercy of Jesus to welcome him in
Despite the fact that he is an unworthy criminal.

• That is faith in the sovereign authority of Jesus
• That is faith in the mercy of Jesus
• That is faith in the atonement of Jesus

He cries out to Jesus.
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

He has great faith.
INCIDENTALLY, THIS SAME FAITH
Is going to be put on display again a few hours later.

Luke 23:50-51 “And 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;”

Joseph was like this thief,
Waiting for a kingdom when it appeared that it was a lost cause.

This type of faith is the type of faith we hear written about
So often in the book of Hebrews.

Listen to the faith of the Patriarchs.
Hebrews 11:17-22 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.”

Every one of them had the same obstacle standing between them and the promise…DEATH.

• Abraham just figured God could raise the dead.
• Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau about what was coming even after death
• Jacob blessed and worshiped even while dying in Egypt
• Joseph gave orders about his bones

Every single one of those men looked like fools according to human logic.

• What kind of fool is willing to kill his own son through whom the promise is coming?
• What kind of fool still believes he’ll receive the land when neither he nor his dad had owned it?
• What kind of fool talks about their land when he isn’t even in the land anymore?
• What kind of fool talks about the land when he also is dying and even makes plans for his bones to be carried?

It’s faith that looks beyond the current situation into the future.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

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.”

That was the faith of this criminal as well.
• He was hanging on a cross next to Jesus
• But somehow believed that Jesus was still the King and that His kingdom was still coming.
• And clearly He believed that Jesus would be His means of entering that kingdom.
• He had faith in Christ.

And this also is essential for salvation.
• Fear of God
• Humility
• The Gospel
• Faith

If you don’t have those things you’ll never be saved.

And so the last reality now makes sense.
5) SALVATION (43)

(43) “And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Jesus promised this man eternal life in heaven with Christ.
• But he was a criminal? Didn’t matter
• But he was dying? Didn’t matter
• But Jesus was dying? Didn’t matter

The mercy and atonement of Christ was more.

If you’ve read 1 Peter 3, Jesus was about to serve as this man’s ark.
• Just as the ark carried Noah through the judgment,
• Jesus was about to carry this man through death into life.

Psalms 23:4-6 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

This notorious sinner, at the end of his life, was saved.
• He had a fear of God that drove him to humility.
• He had humility that opened his ears to the gospel.
• He heard a gospel that encouraged him to have faith in Jesus.
• He had faith in Jesus that brought about salvation.

He is a great blueprint, even as he died.

Now look at your life.
• Do you fear God? Do you understand the reality of judgment?

• Have you humbled yourself and do you believe you are who and what God says you are?

• Have you heard the gospel and seen that only Jesus can save you?

• Have you trusted in Christ?
• Have you publicly confessed Him as this man did?
• Have you called upon His name for mercy as this man did?

While the timing of this man’s salvation is unique,
The manner of his salvation is entirely routine.
This is how everyone is saved.

And this morning I extend that offer to you.
James 4:8-10 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

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A Message For All Peoples
Psalms 96
January 31, 2021

Tonight is the final service we are having in what is traditionally our “Missions Month” here at church.

• I realize that this year, aside from a few videos and the offerings, we really didn’t take a close focus into missions.
• In all honesty, I could not bring myself to put Luke’s gospel and this message of the cross on hold for a month.

However tonight, as God’s providence would have it,
We do get one final study that is very missional in focus.

Tonight we study the 96th Psalm.

Certainly it is a Psalm bent on worshiping God as God deserves.
• (3x) “Sing to the LORD”
• (3x) “Ascribe to the LORD”
• “Worship the LORD”

The song recognizes
• (2) “His salvation”
• (3) “His glory”
• (3) “His wonderful deeds”
• (4) that He is “great”
• (6) His “splendor and majesty…strength and beauty”
• (10, 13) His judgement

And such messages are quite common in these songs of praise
Which we frequently read in the Psalms.

But more than anything Psalms 96 is a song for EVANGELISM
• (3) “Tell of His glory AMONG THE NATIONS, His wonderful deeds AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES.”
• (7) “Ascribe to the LORD, O FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLES”
• (10) “SAY AMONG THE NATIONS, “The LORD reigns”

There is a clear message included in this Psalm that
The truths celebrated here are not just for the congregation,
But are the very truths which are to be published to the world.

We might say that this Psalm provides us with a blueprint of sorts
For the message that we are to proclaim to the world.

The truths contained here are truths that the entire world needs to hear.

It is a song of evangelism.
(Not necessarily a song sung to the lost, but rather a song sung among the saved reminding them of the message they should be proclaiming to the lost)

Another unique aspect of this Psalms
Was a historical point in which it was sung.

TURN TO: 1 CHRONICLES 16

• This is the occasion for when David brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem.
• It was a great celebration in which David appointed several men to sing and play instruments as the ark was brought up.

Now the complete song listed is in verses 8-36,
But I want you to pay special attention to verses 23-33.

(READ 23-33)

Clearly Psalms 96 was one of the songs that was sung on that day.
(The rest of the song is excerpts from Psalms 105 & 106)

WHY THAT IS INTERESTING IS BECAUSE
Here you have the children of Israel establishing God’s presence in the city which God chose.
• God is on this day moving into Jerusalem.
• This will be His city forever.
• This is where His throne will be forever.
• When Christ returns, this is where He will reign.

And as God’s presence enters the city,
The song that was sung was a song of declaration to the world
That this was the true God and He will reign here forever.

IN SHORT, THE MOVING UP OF THE ARK INTO JERUSALEM
Was a precursor to the Second Coming of Christ.

God was now setting up His permanent residence
From where He would one day judge the world.

And part of the message of that day was that
While the celebration here is good, and the rejoicing here is fitting,
THIS EVENT IS ULTIMATELY TOO SMALL.

The WHOLE EARTH needs to be in on this…
ALL PEOPLES should be joining in this worship…

And indeed when Christ returns they will, for
“every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

So perhaps that provides you with a little CONTEXT to this Psalm
And gives you a GREATER UNDERSTANDING of what we are studying.

Now in that, we will divide this Psalm up in to 4 points.
It would simply be 4 points that we should remember that the world needs to hear.

Consider this Psalm an encouragement to you and to me
Regarding what our message to this world should contain.

Call it an Old Testament gospel message…
Call it Israel’s evangelism training…

I simply call it “A Message For All Peoples”

4 points
#1 ANNOUNCE HIS SALVATION
Psalms 96:1-2

The only 3 lines that are listed in Psalms 96,
Which are not in 1 Chronicles 16 are the first 3.

“Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name;”

It is an obvious call for singing.
• It is a song to for everyone.
• It is a song meant to bless God.
• And it is encouraged to be “new”

“New” here DOESN’T necessarily mean that
You should write new lyrics or compose a new musical score,
Though there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Rather, it means to sing it a new.
• Sing it again.
• Start another one!
• Don’t simply rely on the fact that you sang last week.

God’s mercies are new every morning,
And so should your song be as well.

• Sing it again!
• Everyone sing it! (“all the earth”)
• Sing it to bless Him!

Angels before the throne never tire of singing His praise.
“Day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’”

And while we will never achieve such consistency in this weakened flesh,
It should certainly be our aspiration.

Sing-Sing-Sing

And the Psalmist adds for us THE SUBJECT OF THE SONG.
“Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.”

Now we get to the evangelistic part.

Here the singing is for the purpose of
Announcing the greatness of God’s salvation.

“Proclaim good tidings” is one word in the Hebrew: BASAR (ba-sare)

It means “to gladden with good news” or “to preach good news”

It is what the angels did to the lowly shepherds:
Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, ” Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

The good news of the angel was that a Savior has been born.

And this is the same good news that the Psalmist is calling
For the congregation to sing and publish to the world.

“Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day”

Tell the world of His salvation!
We might say, PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL EVERY DAY!

You know the hymn by Priscilla Owens:

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, Climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea; Echo back, you ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the gloom, When the heart for mercy craves;
Sing in triumph o’er the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free; Highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

It is the message of the church above every other message.
“Our God does what no other God does.”

Our God saves sinners!
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

No other god does that.
• Imagine the grief of being born in Islam only to believe that regardless of your efforts, when you die there is no assurance whatsoever that you will be saved.

• Imagine the horror of the Hindu religion to know that you can spend your entire life seeking to appease your deity and may never accomplish it.

The gods of the nations are moody and petty and angry and vindictive.
And one thing they are not is forgiving.

It is the message that the world most needs to hear.
It is the message of the gospel.
Our God saves!

When He took on human form and became human,
He came to earth in the form of a Savior.
• We proclaim this Savior.
• We proclaim the person and work of Jesus.

• We talk of His obedience to fulfill the Law
• We talk of His submission to death for our sin
• We talk of His victory over the grave
• We talk of His work as our great high priest

And we are called to talk of it “day to day”.

Sing this song of the gospel every day!
Sing this song of the gospel to a world that needs to hear!

Titus 2:11-15 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

You know the texts.
This is the song we are to sing to the world.

Isn’t it amazing that on the day that the Ark was carried into Jerusalem.

The message which was proclaimed to the world
Is that our God is a saving God.

“Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day”

Announce His salvation
#2 AFFIRM HIS GREATNESS
Psalms 96:3-6

The gospel message continues in verse 3.
• “Tell of His glory among the nations (who He is)
• His wonderful deeds among all the peoples” (what He has done)

We always say that the gospel is defined in this way.
It is the “Person and Work of Jesus”

And the Psalmist reminds us to declare that to the world.

But here it is NOT JUST that they may be saved.

Here we are called to proclaim the gospel
Because He deserves to have His person and work proclaimed.

(4) “For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”

At times it is given as a peculiar excuse.
Men will abstain from sharing the gospel
Under the premise that the sinner won’t respond.

But listen, the salvation of the sinner is only part of the reason
We are called to proclaim the gospel.

We are also called to proclaim the gospel for the glory of God.
We boast of the Person of Christ because He is worth boasting about.
We boast of the Work of Christ because His work is worth boasting about.

It’s really not about whether or not they respond,
It’s about whether or not we proclaim it.

Who He is and what He is done should not be kept a secret.
It should be published, it should be proclaimed, it should be broadcasted,
If for no other reason than for His glory.

He deserves praise from all of His creation.

That was part of the point of them singing while bringing up the ark.
• It was a huge celebration and yet it fell far short of what God actually deserved.

• Are we to assume that if cram 300 people in this building and sing at the top of our lungs that it is a worship service worthy of His glory?

• What if we fill our football stadium? What if we put the entire 1200 people of Spur, Texas in that stadium and sing with all we’ve got, is that big enough for His glory?

Of course not!
We read where this is headed:
Revelation 7:9-12 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

That’s more like it.

We go out and proclaim this message
Because our great God deserves for it to be proclaimed.

You don’t have any problem bragging on your kid’s achievements…

Jesus deserves for His work to proclaimed everywhere.
His greatness must be declared.

AND THIS IS THE MESSAGE TO THE WORLD.
We proclaim His greatness
Because their gods do not compare in any way to Him.

In fact the Psalmist said that our God “is to be feared above all gods”

He is to be held in awe above them all.
No god should captivate you like our God.

(5-6) “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”

I love that statement.
“For all the gods of the peoples are idols…”

• That is to say they are all imposters
• They are all usurpers
• They are all “wanna-bes”
• They are frauds; they are phonies

They’ve never done anything in their life, in fact they aren’t even alive,
But our God “made the heavens”

Speaking to idols, God says:
Isaiah 41:21-24 “Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.”

Psalms 115:3-8 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”

I did a simple internet search where I am told that
• Of the 7.8 billion people in the world
• 1.7 billion claim to be Muslim.
• 1.2 billion people are Hindu.
• 500 million are Buddhist.

Now just on those numbers alone that means that 43% of the world wakes up in the morning and gives glory to and fears a god that does not exist.

And that doesn’t even take into account lesser religions or those who claim atheism.

The point is simple.
The world needs to hear about the greatness of our God.
The world needs to hear about who He is and what He has done.

In what news I’ve watched or listened to in the past months there are a few terms or words that continue to pop up. Words like “Propaganda” or “Gas lighting” or “Psy-op”

• Well I’m telling you that half the world is a victim of propaganda.
• Half the world has been gas-lighted
• Half the world is falling for a psy-op

They are worshiping a god that does not exist
And they do not know about the greatness of our God.

THE WORLD MUST KNOW.

“Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”

• These are defining characteristics that are unique only to Him.
• No other god has splendor or majesty
• No other god has strength or beauty
• Those things are unique to Him and Him alone.

And yet half the world does not know Him.

Which is why the Psalmist says “Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”

Isaiah 43:11-13 “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Announce His salvation, Affirm His greatness
#3 ASCRIBE HIM GLORY
Psalms 96:7-9

You clearly see the call to “Ascribe”

It means “to give” or “to provide”
Especially that which is deserved and due.

And it reminds us here that this One true God
Who alone is the savior of the world
Also has requirements for the mankind He created.

God created mankind to worship Him.

Those who refuse incur His wrath and are judged.

Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Our world DOESN’T JUST need to know that
God alone saves and that God alone is real.

Our world also NEEDS TO KNOW that a failure to give honor and glory to the God who created them will cause them to incur His wrath.

Our job is to call the world to worship the Lord and worship Him properly.

• “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples” (that is everyone)
• “Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength”
• “Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name”

It is time for all peoples to worship God as God deserves to be worshiped.

What does that look like?
(8b) “Bring an offering and come into His courts.”

Make no mistake, God requires an offering.
God requires a sacrifice.

• Now, you know, and we have talked about the many verses where God indicates that it is not the blood of goats and bulls that He requires.

• Those things were merely a symbol of the coming sacrifice of Christ.

• And so yes, in one sense we understand that when Christ presented Himself to God, He did so on our behalf and in many ways there is no other offering that needs to be presented.

If you’re following along in our Hebrews devotion,
This is what Hebrews 9 and 10 is all about.

Christ offered that one perfect and sufficient sacrifice to God.

BUT LISTEN, the “offering” referred to here is not just one of atonement.

It is also one of TRIBUTE, and we never stop bringing that.
Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Even the writer of Hebrews who went to such great detail to make sure we understand that Christ was our one sufficient sacrifice to God ENDED HIS BOOK BY SAYING THIS:
Hebrews 13:15-16 “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

We understand that while Christ alone atones for our sin,
Our great God still deserves a great tribute from us.

• We bring Him offerings for the work of His kingdom…
• We bring Him songs of praise…
• We bring Him generous and grateful hearts…
• We present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices…

The world is certainly called to understand this.
Micah 6:6-8 “What God Requires of Man With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

There is a lost world that needs to hear this.

• You watch those Muslims on their knees bowing during times of prayer convinced that this is what god requires…
• You watch Hindus struggling under the cast system for fear of offending the god who put them their…
• You watch them cramming food in the mouth of their carved idol to feed their deity…

THEY HAVE NO CLUE what the God who created them desires from them.
We are called to show them so that they may give what He desires.

(9) “Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth.”

You know that garments represent character.
God demands holiness.

Certainly we find this only in Christ.
• And a religious world following Mormonism or Jehovah’s Witness who assume that their own righteous garments are good enough must be told otherwise.

Remember the parable of the wedding banquet?
Remember that one man who snuck in their without wedding clothes?

Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Certainly we understand that
We only approach God clothed in the righteousness of Christ
And with the humility that He requires as we bring our tribute.

There is a lost world which does not grasp this and they must be told.

Announce His salvation, Affirm His greatness, Ascribe Him glory
#4 ANTICIPATE HIS COMING
Psalms 96:10-13

This is also a message that the world needs to hear.
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

We are called to remind a sinful and rebellious world that
• Despite their current wickedness,
• Despite the fact that their sin seems unnoticed.

The God who created them has not abdicated the throne.
He reigns and soon He will judge.

(10) “Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”

Christ will return and He will return for judgment.
Every man will be judged and our world must hear that.

This message is pure delight to all who hate sin and long for a righteous land.

(11-13a) “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,”

Paul said:
Romans 8:19-22 “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.”

• Creation remembers life before sin.
• Creation remembers life before the fall.
• My how frustrated creation must be having been forced to endure this evil
administration of Satan who is the god of this world.

And we too, after our redemption…
We too are awakened to the filth of our current prison.

That is why Paul went on to say:
Romans 8:23 “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.”

• We used to love this world.
• We used to be knee deep in the corruption.
• We used to enjoy the sin that permeated it.

And then we were awakened!
Then we were filled with the Spirit of God!
And we joined in the groan of creation.

We also began to long for “a better country”,
A land “where righteousness dwells”.

And that land is coming.
“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.”

Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 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.”

That is the land we wait for!

But, just as we long for it, we must lift up our eyes and recognize
That the world is not ready for that day.

If Christ were to return today, there is a massive amount of humanity
That would be swept up in the judgment.
They must be warned.

And this is why we are here.
• We are here to ANNOUNCE HIS SALVATION
• We are here to AFFIRM HIS GREATNESS
• We are here to ASCRIBE HIM GLORY
• We are here to ANTICIPATE HIS COMING

As the children of Israel moved the Ark into Jerusalem,
• They could see with their mind’s eye a better day.
• They could see the day when Christ would return and set up permanent
dwelling upon the earth.

And so as they rejoiced they encouraged the people
That the truths about our great God must be proclaimed to the world.

This is a message for all peoples.