Choose Your Lord Series

OPEN: Does anyone know what happened on the moon 55 years ago? That’s right, that was the first time mankind set foot on the Moon. In July of 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the surface of the Moon and they spent over two hours exploring the site. They collected over 47 pounds of lunar material to bring back to Earth. They were on the Moon's surface for 21 hours, 36 minutes before lifting off from the surface and then they returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24. By that time, they’d been in space more than eight days. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)

NOW… I THINK THAT’S COOL!

And you’d would expect that after having come back from the moon that they’d have immediately been given tickertape parades and they’d have met with the press and political dignitaries. And of course, that all DID happen. But before all of that… they had to spend about 21 days in quarantine, and of course… there was some paperwork to be filled out.

1st – they had to go through customs. They were required to declare to custom officials the Moon rocks, moon dust and other lunar samples, and then they had to sign a customs form saying that that’s what they brought back.

And of course… they ALSO had to present their passports because they had been out of the country for few days. (https://www.space.com/7044-moon-apollo-astronauts-customs.html). Did you realize that US citizens NEED to present their passports in order to get back into the US after leaving the country?

The Passport identifies WHO you are… and WHY you should be here!

Now Psalm 110 is basically Jesus’ passport. It identified who He was, and why He came. By the time Jesus was born… Psalm 110 was seen as a Messianic prophecy - a prophecy that declared that God would send a hero change their lives. And Jesus was that hero.

The section we just read tells us Jesus came to be our PRIEST! "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4) So, AS A PRIEST Jesus came to offer a perfect sacrifice for our sins, and that sacrifice was His own life and His own blood on the cross.

If you’ll notice in verse 1, it says “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” (Psalm 110:1) What does that mean that Jesus SAT AT THE RIGHT HAND?

ILLUS: One commentary explains that there were times when people were brought before the Sanhedrin in the same way you might GO TO COURT to face judgment. It was the custom in the Sanhedrin, during those proceedings, for two scribes to sit on either side of the judges. The scribe who sat on the left would write the condemnations - writing that you were guilty. The scribe who sat on the right would write the acquittals - writing that you were NOT guilty! (John MacArthur, Commentary on Hebrews. p. 207)

Now, when Jesus rose from the dead… where did He sit? “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND!!!” And because He sat at the right hand… He declared us not guilty. When Jesus ascended on high, He went there not to condemn us, but to FREE us from GUILT. That’s why Hebrews 10:12 tells us that “When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” He sat down and wrote “NOT GUILTY.”

So, Jesus came to be our PRIEST… but He also came to be our KING. The first 2 verses say “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter (He’s a King). Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Psalm 110:1-2

Not only is Jesus King now (because Colossians tells us Christ is the head of the church), but Philippians tells us that THE DAY WILL COME when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11

ILLUS: Years ago, Johnny Carson had Billy Graham as a guest on his show. And at one point Johnny said, "You know what Billy, I bet if Jesus ever came back to earth, I bet we’d do him in again!" Billy Graham leaned forward and said, "In the Bible we read that Jesus predicted that He would return to earth again. But the first time He came in love. The next time, He’ll come in power - and no one will DO Him in!"

When Jesus comes again, He’s come to take over… He’s coming as KING, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is LORD.