God's Sovereign Plan for the Future

Lord, We come Before your throne. Acknowledging, Lord, that you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Lord, we come before Your throne. With a degree of trembling in our hearts, for we realize, Lord, that In and of yourself, ourselves, we have no right to come before you.

We acknowledge the fact that it is only because of our great high priest. The Lord Jesus Christ. who laid down his life for us so that our sins would be atoned for and who dresses us in His righteousness. It's only because of Him and Him alone that we can come before you, but we do so with boldness, God.

We do so because we are a needy people. We need help. We need grace from you. We need for you, oh God, to complete the work that you have begun.

We need for you, Jesus, to be pleading our case before the Father and to intercede for us, we need for you, oh God, to reveal yourself to us so that we might see you. Upon your throne. In majesty and beauty. We pray, Lord, that as we take the time to look at your word that you would show yourself to us, reveal yourself to us through the pages of scripture, help us, Lord, to see you.

Lord, we pray that if there is anyone here and And it is likely that there is someone who is here who has yet to experience salvation. Those who are here who have yet to be born again. If there are those who are here, Lord, who perhaps might be falsely converted, we pray, Lord, that in your grace, you would lift the blinders. We pray, Lord, for those of us who know you, that Lord, as you reveal yourself to us, that you would cause our hearts to fatten with praise for you.

That Lord, we would be encouraged and edified and built up that as we lay hold of you through the eyes of faith, Lord, that we would find ourselves being transformed, being changed, being made to be more like Christ. We pray, Lord, that through the Psalm that we will be looking at here this morning, that you would deliver us into the very throne room of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would behold the king. Our great high priest, that we would see you, Lord, as a great and mighty, glorious, wonderful God.

Lord, go before me as your unworthy servant and use me as an instrument of your grace to minister to the hearts of your people, Lord, prepare their hearts to receive.

We surrender ourselves to you. We pray that you would glorify yourself. During this hour, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

I, I personally struggle with a hatred. for not knowing what the future has in store. Something inside of me wants to know what will happen and I am even happier when I have a say and I can be in control of what will happen. Some of that I am a Boston Red Sox fan.

I forgive you 2003 was a very painful year. That was when Aaron Boone teed off on Tim Wakefield to hit a game and series-ending walk-off home run, which sent the Yankees to the World Series. The Red Sox were sent packing. The following year resulted in a rematch between Boston and the Evil Empire, Evil Empire during the American League Championship Series.

After the 1st 3 games, I had had enough. I was done. My lovable losers found themselves down 3 games to none. And on that 3rd game, they lost by a score of like 19 to 8.

It was ridiculous. No team ever in the history of postseason baseball had come back from a 3-game deficit. At that time, I vowed never to watch another game, never. But the suspense killed me and I found myself glancing at game day on my computer in order to see how the games were going.

I didn't literally watched it. I kept up with it. Game 4 through 7 provided for me unbearable suspense as the Red Sox rose from the dead to complete one of the greatest miracles in the history of the game of baseball. During those 4 games, I felt as if I had died a dozen deaths.

The suspense nearly destroyed me. Did I say that I hate not knowing what the future has in store? You might not have in common with me a love for the game of baseball and the subsequent stress that it causes me. I don't love the stress, but we are all involved in another game.

The game of life. And throughout life, we find ourselves faced with situations that seem unbearable. There are times when we want to know the outcome. The suspense eats at us and we cannot bear not knowing what is going to happen.

What grade did I get on that exam? Will the university that I applied for accept me as one of their students? Will I get that job that I had just interviewed for? Will that couple that I have been praying for be restored?

Will their marriage be made whole? Will my child come to faith in Christ? Will God miraculously raise that little girl to life? Will Dad make it through the surgery?

Is the cancer terminal. In this game of life, we may go through and often do go through situations that shake us to the core and remind us afresh that we are not in control. Our humanity becomes exposed and we can hardly bear to face the future. Some look for ways to escape.

They turn to drugs and to alcohol. Others embrace a hope through false philosophies, religions, and the wisdom that this world has to offer. This morning, we will be reminded afresh that there is one. In whom we should trust.

There is one who reigns, one who is the king, one who is our great high priest, one who is our ultimate warrior. There is one in whom we can trust, who has a plan for the future that can never be shaken. There is one who in the chaos of life in a fallen world has our back and therefore we should trust in him. We will see this in our Psalm for today.

I wanna ask you please to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 110. Incidentally, that is the Psalm for this day in our Psalm through the Psalms reading. And as you turn there, I want to highlight a few things. Psalm 110 is written by David, King David of Israel.

We see this in the subscript, and this is also confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he quotes the Psalm and he refers to it as a Psalm written by David. And this is the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament from David's vantage, Psalm 110 is purely prophetic. Everything that he says, for all intents and purposes is something that is yet to come into fruition, to full fruition. But from our perspective, the Psalm is partially fulfilled.

Psalm 110 envisions an ascended Christ who reigns as exalted king and who serves as our great high priest. This is the part of the Psalm that from our vantage is already fulfilled. We also note from the Psalm future descriptions that from our vantage have yet to be fulfilled. There is a day coming when the Lord will arise from his heavenly throne, and he will return once again to the face of earth.

The Lord is a mighty warrior who will utterly destroy his enemies and his reign on earth will be established. In this Psalm, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords reveals himself to us, and what is revealed regarding the Lord should encourage and it should motivate all who believe in and embrace the lordship of Christ. Psalm 110 reveals a God who reigns. He rules from on high, He is sovereign over the affairs of man, and the Lord is sovereign over our own lives.

He is in complete and total control. There is nothing that happens apart from his divine design. We might have questions about what God is doing. Much of my family are from the island of Guam.

And currently Guam is under the threat of attack from North Korea. One of my best friends is in the midst of a divorce. It can be tempting for me to question God. God, why?

God, what are you doing? But I know that despite the evil that I see in this fallen world, that the Lord reigns and the Lord is in control. Our psalm this morning reminds us of the fact that God is sovereign and He is in control and that evil in this fallen world will be addressed. He has a plan for the future.

And so our message this morning is entitled God's Sovereign Plan for the Future. We will consider four truths regarding God's sovereign plan for the future that will encourage and motivate us in our service to Almighty God. I would like for us to begin then by reading the Psalm, Psalm 110. A Psalm of David.

The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. The Lord will stretch forth thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, Rule in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of thy power. In holy array from the womb of the dawn, thy youth are to thee as the dew.

The Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind. Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at thy right hand. He will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

He will judge among the nations, he will fill them with corpses, he will shatter the chief men over a broad country. He will drink from the brook. By the wayside, therefore, he will lift up his head. For truths regarding God's sovereign plan for the future that will encourage and motivate us in our service to the Lord.

Truth number 1, Christ will ascend to his heavenly throne and reign as king. We see this in verses 1 through 3. We see this in the first of two declarations made by Yahweh directly to Adonai. This first declaration can be understood more in the sense of an oracle or decree that is issued in the form of a command.

Listen to what David as he eavesdrops in on the conversation that the father has with the son, Listen to what David records regarding the decree of Yahweh to Adennai. The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. This one decree comes loaded with much information that is further developed in later revelation. You will notice a difference between the two references to the Lord.

The first reference is in all capitals. The second reference begins with a capital and is completed with small letters. This indicates a difference that exists in the Hebrew. Lord in capitals is Yahweh, Lord with the small letters is Adonai.

Both are references to God. This verse reveals a difference in the persons that make up the Godhead. To the ancient Jew, this was a mystery, but to Christians who embrace a triune God, this makes sense. In this passage, we see a reference to two distinct persons of the godhead, God the Father and God the Son.

You will also know David's use of the first person possessive pronoun, my. He refers to the Lord, he refers to Adonai as my Lord. David, the king submits himself to the king of all kings and to the Lord of all lords. The earthly king sees himself under the authority of his heavenly king, who will be seated at Yahweh's right hand side.

We see this with clarity as we examine the decree of Yahweh to Adonai. The father says to the son, sit at my right hand. This is a position of authority and rule bestowed upon one who reigns as king. Here we observe Christ seated on his heavenly throne.

It is hard to know to what extent David understood all of what he was saying would take place, but later revelation provides clarity. For example, in Luke chapter 22 verse 69, Luke 22:69, Jesus declares to the religious council, from now on, the Son of Man, speaking of Himself, I will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. You see, Jesus anticipates that after his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, that he would ascend into heaven and that he would take his place at the seat at the right hand of his father.

In Acts chapter 2, Peter in his Pentecost sermon references Psalm 1101.

Listen to what Peter says in Acts 2, beginning in 29. Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and he was buried and his tomb is with us to this day. And so because he was a prophet and because he knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne, he looked ahead and he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades nor did his flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again to which we are all witnesses.

Therefore, having Be 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 thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. And Peter goes on to say, therefore, let all of the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him, Jesus, both Lord and Christ, King and anointed one.

This Jesus, Peter says, whom you crucified.

Romans 8:34. tells us that, Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who also intercedes for us. Paul in Ephesians 1:19 declares that God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. Coloss.

3:1 says that we are to keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Hebrews 1:3 tells us when he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. In Hebrews 10:12, We read that Christ having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, that he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies we made a footstool for his feet. And in Hebrews 12:2, we read that Christ has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In Revelation 3:21 we read, He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with me on my throne. This is the Lord Jesus speaking. He says, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my Father upon his throne. And so in our passage, Psalm 110:1, the prophet David gets a glimpse of the reigning Christ, who after being crucified and rising bodily from the dead, ascends into heaven and sits at the right hand of his Father.

This is the place from where our Lord presently reigns, and he will do so, Yahweh says, until. Until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. The day is coming when the enemies of the Lord will experience total defeat. The enemies will face a day in which they will be nothing more than a footstool upon which the feet of our Lord will rest.

Here we have a picture of our sovereign Lord at rest with his enemy underfoot. Brothers and sisters, the enemies of the Lord may conspire together against Yahweh and his anointed, but the day will come when all such foolishness will cease. Psalm 2 is a parallel passage in which Yahweh says that God the Son will break them. He will break them, referring to his enemies with a rod of iron, and he will shatter them like earthenware.

The Lord is currently seated on his throne at the right hand of the Father. He will remain there until such a time in which his enemies will be utterly decimated. Verses 2 to 3 serve as further commentary on the decree just declared. Look at verse 2 with me, the Lord will stretch forth thy strong scepter from Zion saying, rule in the midst of thine enemies.

Yahweh will hand the scepter over to the Lord and give command to rule. The scepter is a symbol of a king's right to rule, and Yahweh commands the Lord to rule in the midst of his enemies. Some say that such a rule began when Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, and in a sense, we can say that he is ruling in the midst of his enemies, yet there is a sense in which he is not yet ruling in the midst of his enemies. An alternative understanding is that near the end of the seven-year tribulation period, Christ will return to earth, and you can read about this in Revelation chapter 19 verses 11 to 21, Revelation 19:11 to 21.

In that section of scripture, we read about how the Lord Jesus will return to earth on a white horse. He will strike down the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron. This is Jesus ruling in the midst of his enemies. Revelation paints a picture of a fierce battle near the end of this tribulation in which the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.

And do what happens? The enemies of Christ are utterly decimated in this battle called Armageddon, and on the other side of this battle, Revelation declares that Satan will be bound for 1000 years, and during that time, the Lord Jesus, King Jesus, will reign on the earth. Verse 3 provides us with yet further detail. In verse 3, we read that thy people will volunteer freely in the day of thy power.

This is David, if you will, speaking. To the Lord. And in speaking to him, and praying to him, he's affirming something that is true, thy people will volunteer freely in the day of thy power in holy array from the womb of the dawn, thy youth are to thee as the dew. This verse makes it clear that there will be those when Christ returns in power, who will be arraigned willingly under the lordship of Christ.

These are those who have come to faith in Christ, they have embraced The truth that the Lord Jesus Christ has died on the cross for them so that their sins might be atoned for, and they have in repentance and brokenness come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith believing in him and in Christ they have received new life. These followers of Christ are described by David as being dressed in holy array. This seems parallel to what is said in Revelation chapter 19 verse 14, where the apostle John describes the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him, they were following the Lord Jesus Christ.

On white horses.

When the Lord returns, he will not be alone. He will return with an army of followers. David further declares in referring to God's people that from the womb of the dawn thy youth are to thee as the dew. David seems to be referring to a new beginning here.

womb represents the start of new life, dawn represents the beginning of a new day. The followers of the Lord are called youth, perhaps signifying the fact that they will come new and refreshed in the prime of their existence, and they are to the Lord as the dew of the morning. In the ancient Near East with a Mediterranean climate, it was not uncommon for the early mornings to be saturated with dew. The imagery here perhaps reinforces the notion that the youth to accompany Christ in the day of his power will be numerous.

Admittedly, this passage is tricky and commentators do offer various explanations. What is clear, however, is that the Lord will have followers. So King David, writing as a prophet, looks ahead on the other side of Christ's first Advent, when the Lord would be seated at the right hand of the Father. That is the place from where the Lord reigns right now even as we speak and we join our heavenly King in anticipation of the day when he returns and the enemy will be made his footstool.

Verses 1 through 3 reveals two parts of God's sovereign plan for the future. The first part has been fulfilled. Christ currently reigns from his heavenly throne, but there remains a day when he will descend from heaven and he will reign on the earth. In connection to this, you might recall God's covenant with David.

You can read about it in 1 Chronicles 17:10-15. 1 Chronicles 17:10 to 15. Listen with me to what God says to David through the prophet Nathan. God says to David, and it shall come about when your days are fulfilled, that you must go to be with your fathers.

In other words, you will die, and I will set up one of your descendants after you. There is one who is coming from you, one of your very own descendants, who shall be of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for me a house, and I will establish his throne. forever.

This is the Davidic covenant that God makes with David. I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son, and I will not take my loving kindness away from him as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever according to all of these words and according to all this vision.

So Nathan spoke to David. Herein we have the Davidic covenant in which God promises to David. That one of his descendants who will be identified as God's son will be settled in God's kingdom and his throne will be established forever. The fact that the Lord has from our vantage point already ascended into heaven should give to us every reason to believe and every confidence that he will return again someday and that he will reign from the Davidic throne promised years ago.

Let us now turn to the 2nd truth regarding God's sovereign plan for the future. Truth number 2. Christ will serve as a priest for his people. Christ will serve as a priest for his people.

We see this in verse 4, and really, a lot of commentators will say that verse 4 is the very heart of what this Psalm is all about. Listen to what it says, the Lord has sworn. And he will not change his mind. Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

In verse one, we observed a divine decree. Here we have a divine oath. The verse begins by stating, the Lord Yahweh has sworn and he will not change his mind. Yahweh had long ago determined that Adonai would serve as a priest forever.

And we find an exposition of this verse in Hebrews 4:14 through 7:28. If you want to know what it means that Christ is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, take the time to read through Hebrews 4:14 through 7:28 and pay special attention to chapter 7. Therein is a full elaboration of what it means and why it is important and why we must embrace the fact that the Lord Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. The writer of Hebrews implies that an understanding of the significance of Melchizedek leads to maturity and therefore let's take a bit of time to try to unpack this.

There have been many beliefs regarding who this mysterious person is. Some have said he was a, a pre-incarnate Christ, but Hebrews says he was made like Jesus, 7:3. He was a type that is, he was, he resembles something that is true of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two are not the same, they are to be distinguished from each other.

We don't have the time to read Hebrews, but understand that the writer's purpose is to underscore the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews is all about the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is better than the angels, Jesus is better than Moses, Jesus is better than Abraham, Jesus is better than Levi. The Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely superior to everyone.

He's superior to all, and the writer of Hebrews wants his Jewish audience to embrace the absolute superiority, the greatness, the majesty, the awesomeness of the Lord. And Hebrews 7 in particular addresses what it means that Christ is a priest in the order of Melchizedek and why this matters. We're not gonna read the chapter but consider a basic outline of chapter 7 with me. In a sense, this is a sermon inside of the sermon, so here's another outline, you can put it on the back of your paper if you like.

In, in chapter 7, verses 1 through 3, We have the historical identity of Melchizedek, that's what the writer of Hebrews provides us with. He hearkens back to Genesis 14 and he points out that which is necessary for us to know. Melchizedek means king of righteousness, and he ruled over a land called Salem, meaning peace. He was a priest of the Most High God.

A careful observer will note that his priesthood existed prior to the Levitical priesthood, which is tied to the whole sacrificial system. The writer highlights that Melchizedek blessed Abraham and that Abraham gave to Melchizedek a tithe. This indicates that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham. You need to know that the Levitical priesthood was hereditary, yet the writer provides no lineage from Melchizedek.

In reviewing the Genesis account, the writer of Hebrews points out that from Melchizedek, there is no record of father, mother, genealogy, beginning or end of life. He's this mysterious figure that just happens upon the pages of scripture and then he's gone with a brief description of what he does when he encounters Abraham. Thus, Melchizedek is a type. He is a type.

He is described in 7:3 as made like the Son of God. He is not the Son of God. He was made like the Son of God who remains a priest perpetually. It is the Son of God who is the perpetual great high priest, and Melchizedek would have lived hundreds of years and served for an untold period of time.

We jump to 74 through 10, and we read about the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham and Levi, the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham and Levi, and the argument centers on the fact that one, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Secondly, Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham. Therefore, Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, and thirdly, the seminal headship of Abraham over Levi who was yet to come implies that Melchizedek is also greater than Levi himself. He is a greater priest than what the Levitical priesthood had to offer.

And he is a type of Christ and thereby points to the ultimate high priest, the one in whom we have salvation. In 7:11 to 16, we learned about the need for a new priesthood, a need for a new priesthood. Why the need? Why the need for a whole new priesthood?

Because perfection cannot come through the Levitical priesthood. Perfection cannot come through obedience to the Old Testament law. Perfection can only come through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is a priest. In the order of Melchizedek, Jesus accomplished on the cross what no priest or sacrificial system in the Old Testament could ever accomplish.

The Levitical law serves simply as symbols of the reality. It was a shadow that pointed to the reality. Jesus is the reality and he is a reality distinct from the Levitical system. The writer directs his Jewish readers to embrace the great high priest Jesus according to the order of Melchizedek.

Thus, the Levitical priesthood and the whole Levitical approach must be abandoned in favor of the one and only great high priest. In 7:17 to 25, we are told about the superiority of Christ's priesthood. His priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood. Christ's priesthood is eternal, the Levitical priesthood is not, Christ is the final say, the Levitical approach is not.

In Christ we have a better hope. The Levitical priesthood and the system they represent cannot save. The Jews failed because they rejected that which the temporary Levitical sacrificial system pointed to. They embraced the shadow and not the substance.

To them, Christ was a scam. Christ spelled an end to the Levitical system, and the Jewish religious leaders could not fathom such a blasphemous thought. But Hebrews tells us Christ is the only one. Chapter 7, verse 25, who can save forever those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to intercede for those who belong to Him.

And in 7:25 to 28, we have the qualifications of Christ's priesthood. Why is it that he qualifies as a great high priest? Why is it that he is the ultimate priest? Because Christ himself is perfect and therefore qualified as a sacrifice once and for all for our sin.

The punishment for our sin is death. And so the Lord Jesus Christ determined that he would die on the cross in our place. The perfect Lamb of God died in our place as our representative, to represent us before God, and he took upon himself all of the wrath that we deserve for our own sin. He is our great high priest, and he qualifies.

He qualifies because he himself is perfect. And as a perfect man, he was able to die on the cross for us, to represent us before God the Father. And so what does this all mean? What is the big deal?

The point is that Christ is the end of the law for everyone who believes. In fact, the law, the Levitical system has got to be abandoned. There is no need anymore in our day for the Old Testament sacrificial system. We do not need the Levitical priesthood.

In Christ, we have the substance. He is. is the reality of what the shadows pointed to. He is a priest of a different order.

He is of a superior order. He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and Melchizedek is of an order that came before the Levitical law. The Levitical priestly order was temporary. It was never intended to be permanent.

It is deficient. It cannot save, but it points to the one who does save. The Order of Melchizedek, on the other hand, is more ancient. Here we have a king of righteousness identified also as a priest who reigns over a land of peace.

To whom Abraham gives tithes and receives blessing. And in Christ, we have a righteous king, who is our great high priest, and through him we have direct access into the holy of holies. We are free to come directly into the presence of a holy God, and the day will come when Jesus, our King and great high priest will descend from heaven and once again enter this domain of darkness, and he will establish his throne and reign from Zion here on the earth. David's recording of Yahweh's declaration to the Lord that he is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek finds its greatest fulfillment when Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

He died on the cross, was buried, and 3 days later raised bodily from the dead. And then after that, he would ascend into heaven and take a seat at the right hand of the Father from where he reigns as our heavenly King and lives as our great high priest to make intercession for us. All of these aspects of Christ fulfilling his priestly duties were yet future when King David overheard Yahweh declared to the Lord that you are a priest forever. And so we see that from David's perspective, Christ is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, and that some of his duties as priests were yet to be performed, but we look back some 2000 years and we behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

We see through the lens of the New Testament writers that the Lord Jesus Christ died a horrific death upon the cross and he received upon himself the wrath of Almighty God that we deserved so that our sins would be atoned for, and this is why the writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as our great high priest. He is our great high priest. And this takes us to the next truth regarding God's sovereign plan for the future. Number 3, Christ will utterly destroy his enemies.

He will utterly destroy his enemies. We see this in verses 5 through 6, Psalm 110:5, the Lord is at thy right hand. He will shatter kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge among the nations, he will fill them with corpses, he will shatter the chief men over a broad country.

Here David, under the inspiration of the spirit is declaring, What he has already heard Yahweh saying to his son back in verse one. It is as if David is praying truth. that he has heard from God, praying that truth back to God when he says, the Lord is at thy right hand. And we too do well to acknowledge truth back to God.

We do well to acknowledge the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns from on high, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he forever lives to intercede for us, and he will rise someday from his heavenly throne, and he will return to earth. David then goes on to describe what Adania will do. There is a day coming, declares David, when the Lord will shatter kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge among the nations, he will fill them with corpses, he will shatter the chief men over a broad country.

In other words, in the day of his wrath, the Lord Jesus will utterly destroy his enemies. We read about this in Revelation 19. I referred to this earlier, but let me read the account directly. Revelation 19:11.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and he wages war, and his eyes are a flame of fire and upon his head are many diadems, and he has a name written upon him which no one knows except himself, and he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God, and the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean were following him on white horses.

And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, and he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, and on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all of the birds which fly.

In midheaven, come, assemble for the great supper of God in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and against his army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone, and the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse, and all of the birds were filled with their flesh.

Whatever we make of this, wherever we land in our eschatology, this much is certain. There is a day coming when the unmitigated wrath of a holy God will be poured out upon his enemies. And if you are here with us this morning, and if you are an enemy of God, I can guarantee you that you are under the wrath of a holy God, and the day will come if you don't come. to faith in Christ, that you will be on the receiving end of his wrath and you will be sent into the eternal lake of fire, where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die.

You will experience agony like you have never experienced before and you think life in this world is tough, just wait because the day will come. In which judgment will be metered out, but you can escape the judgment through faith in Christ. Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation. Jesus says, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me. You can through the Lamb of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, by way of a sacrifice, you can enter into the very presence of Almighty God. You can be born again, you can be saved. You can become a child of God so that when the day comes and you die, or if Christ returns first, you will be with him in his kingdom forever and ever and ever.

This is what Christ teaches, this is what the Bible teaches. This is not just my opinion, this is what the Lord Jesus Himself reveals to us through His word. And I want to encourage you, please come to faith in Christ, come to faith in Christ. It is a terrible thing.

To fall into the hands of an angry God, and his anger is aroused by our sin, and his anger is aroused when we reject His Son who made atonement for our sin. But if we come to faith in Christ, there is nothing but peace between us and Him. Peace, Shalom. Well, let's turn to the 4th truth regarding God's sovereign plan for the future.

Number 4, Christ will enjoy rest during his reign here on earth. In verse 7, we read, he will drink from the brook. By the wayside. Therefore, On account of this, he will lift up his head.

It is clear that he refers to the Lord, to Adena. Jesus is in view. And we are presented with a picture of Jesus literally drinking water from the brook. We have seen how in verses 5 to 6, Jesus unleashes his wrath against his enemies here on the earth.

Now we behold the Lord drinking water. And lifting up his head. Perhaps signifying either a period of rest from battle or an end to battle altogether. When contrasted with verses 5 through 6, we get a sense that the unleashing of the Lord's wrath will give way to refreshment and rest.

The Lord Jesus will drink and then lift up his head. Whatever the case, we do know that victory is inevitable. Revelation 20 gives us reason to believe that Christ will reign on the earth for 1000 years before the present heaven and the present earth gives way to a new heaven and a new earth. The ultimate victory is described for us beginning in Revelation 21, and in verse 1, listen to what John.

The author of Revelation has to say. And then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea, and I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. And he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God Himself will be among him, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be death.

There will no longer be mourning, no crying, no pain.

The first things have passed away. And praise the Lord for that. Brothers and sisters, life. In this fallen world is difficult at times.

Deep down we feel that all is not what it should be. We make plans and they fall apart. We receive bad news and there's nothing that we can do about it. Often our struggles are compounded by the fact that deep down in our heart of hearts we want things to go our way.

We want to be in control. Therein is a significant problem that many, if not all of us struggle with, and such a struggle compounds itself when we fail to embrace the truths about God that we have been confronted with today. Brothers and sisters, the Lord. is our sovereign king.

He is our great high priest. Who currently reigns from on high. He is a mighty warrior who will utterly destroy his enemies. And he is going to be victorious.

His victory began at the cross and it will continue on into the future. We have been reminded afresh that the Lord in His sovereignty has a plan, and his plan will not be denied. Some of his plan has come into fruition. Christ has ascended to Yahweh's right hand side.

And he reigns upon his heavenly throne as King. Christ is our great high priest who through his shed blood has purchased our salvation and who lives to intercede for us. And the day will come and we still await the day when Christ will utterly destroy all who stand in opposition to him. That day is coming and Christ will enjoy rest at some future time when he reigns here on the earth.

Again. If you are with us and you have yet to put your faith in Christ. Put your faith in Christ. Believe in him, trust in him.

No. That 2000 years ago, he really came to this earth. He really lived a perfect life. It is an historical fact.

He died on the cross and he was raised bodily from the dead. And he ascended onto the right hand of the Father, even as David himself prophesized, and even as we look back some 2000 years later, and we can affirm that these things are true. There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this is indeed what has happened in time, space. And history He died He was buried, raised to life, ascended onto the right hand of the Father, and there right now as I speak, he lives to make intercession for us.

He pleads our case. In him, our sins are atoned for. We are clothed in his righteousness. God sees us as if we have never sinned, just as he saw Christ, as if Christ was guilty of the sins that we have committed, there has been a trade-off.

And we are the better for it. Again, believe. Believe in Christ. Let us pray Heavenly Father, we just come before Your throne of grace once again.

Lord, there is so much to be gained. From what we have considered this morning. Let what we have considered. Goad us into further study.

Let what we have been thinking about cause our hearts to be fattened with praise. You are King of kings and Lord of Lords. You are our great high priest, you are a mighty warrior, and you are and you will be 100% totally victorious. Lord, we anticipate the day when you come, and we thank you for your patience that you have yet to come, because you are still waiting for those who don't know you to come to faith in Christ, and we thank you for your patience, for your grace, for your kindness.

And now, Lord, we pray that you would take our, our offerings, that you would receive our offerings, that you would multiply what we give to you to accomplish your kingdom purposes. And we just pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.