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!
