God’s Son and His Unshakable Kingdom
A 14 Day/Week Study: Correlating Psalm 110 and The Book of Hebrews
0. Introduction
a. Psalm 110 is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22:41-46. Most quoted Psalm. The preacher in Hebrews quotes it often. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and quoted the first verse of this Psalm.
b. Spotlight: Schizophrenia and the great paradox. God doesn’t talk to Himself. Priests don’t sit.
c. Matthew 22:41-42 “While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?””
d. We’ll learn a bit about Christology, Cosmology, Eschatology and Hermeneutics
e. Keep asking these four big questions:
i. #1. Who is God’s Son and what is His role?
ii. #2. Who are His people and how did they become His people?
iii. #3. Who are His enemies and how can we avoid being His enemy?
iv. #4. What is my faith choice in response?
1. “Yahweh says”
a. Hebrews 1:1-2 “God spoke”
b. God spoke and is speaking:
i. Verbally, Genesis 1:1-3
ii. Creation, Romans 1:20
iii. Old Testament, Romans 15:4
iv. His Son, Hebrews 1:2 (The Word)
v. New Testament, 2 Timothy 3:16
vi. The Church, Preaching and Protecting the Truth
c. Psalm 110 lets us in on a private conversation between Father and Son: (Arranging it in the preacher of Hebrews’ order and referenced by him, directly or indirectly)
i. “Yahweh says” (directly)
ii. “to my Adonai” (indirectly)
iii. “Holy”, “He will drink of the torrent” (indirectly)
iv. “Therefore, He shall lift up His head (Captain).”, “at My right hand” (directly)
v. “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” (directly)
vi. “Sit” (directly)
vii. “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind” (directly)
viii. “Until I make Your enemies Your footstool at Your feet” (directly)
ix. “Your people shall be willing” (indirectly)
x. “The Lord extends Your mighty scepter from Zion” (indirectly)
xi. “Our people shall be … arrayed in holy splendor” (indirectly)
xii. “to You belongs the dew of Your youth.” (not discovered yet) .
d. Yahweh is speaking, are we seriously listening to obey, not letting a single word drop to the ground.
i. Stages of listening and responding.
2. “to my Adonai”
a. Hebrews 1:2 “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”
b. The preacher of the Book of Hebrews starts by using the name ‘Son’ and finally in the last chapter calls Him, “Our Lord Jesus.”
c. Names of God’s Son:
i. His Son (Hebrews 1:2)
ii. Captain of their salvation (Hebrews 2:10)
iii. Apostle (Hebrews 3:1)
iv. Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14)
v. Forerunner (Hebrews 6:20)
vi. Mediator (Hebrews 9:15)
vii. The Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)
viii. Our Lord Jesus (Hebrews 13:20)
ix. Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20)
d. Characteristics of God’s Son:
i. He is the appointed heir of all things
ii. Through Him God made the worlds
iii. He is the brightness of God’s glory
iv. He is the express image, exact representation of God’s person
v. He upholds all things by the word of His power
vi. He purged our sins
vii. He is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high
e. Who is God’s Son and what is His role?
i. His Son Himself is superior, better and greater. (His personhood, His name, etc.)
ii. His Son has not done is superior, better and greater. (Did not sin)
iii. His Son has done is superior, better and greater. (Loved to the end)
iv. His Son is doing is superior, better and greater. (High priest next to the Father)
v. His Son will do is superior, better and greater. (Reign over unshakable kingdom forever)
3. “Holy”, “He will drink of the torrent”
a. Hebrews 1:9, 2:9 “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.” “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”
b. We begin to see this cosmic battle between God and Satan, good and evil, holy and the profane. The war is real, battles are constant, challenges are normal, and victory is guaranteed.
c. Illust. We are told, “The sum of Thy word is truth.” If you focus on just one side of a coin, neglecting the other side, you don’t have full appreciation of the coin. You have a distorted perception of the coin. Many see Psalm 110 as a victor’s tribute to the King-Priest without appreciating the struggle necessary to win the victory.
d. The problem of evil and pain and death in the world. Why do bad things happen to good people? Good luck or bad luck?
e. House on the rock, Matthew 7:24-27
4. “Therefore, He shall lift up His head (captain).”, “at My right hand”
a. Hebrews 2:10, 1:3 “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author (Captain) their salvation perfect through suffering.”
b. After the Son’s struggle against sin ends in His fructification, He is risen and ascends to the right hand of the Father in heaven.
c. Risen ‘Captain’ of our salvation:
i. To be lifted up (resurrected), you must be buried.
ii. To be buried, you must have died.
iii. To be dead, you must have faced a battle for your soul.
d. Holy, Battling, Crucified, Buried, Risen, Ascended to the right hand of God.
5. “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
a. Hebrews 2:17 “For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.”
b. Our High priest is better than any other priest. He is defending us against all accusers. He is constantly accessing the Father for provisions and protections. He is a good and great Shepherd.
c. His Son’s holy, perfect, selfless, substitute, sufficient, satisfying, supreme, sacrificial, supreme payment for sins, once for all!
d. Take courage, our Advocate, King, Priest, Prophet, Brother, Shepherd is defending believers:
i. He is the Judge’s Son
ii. He is eternally committed
iii. He has never lost a case, and never will
iv. He wins the little cases. He wins the huge cases.
v. He is sympathetic to our issues
vi. He is always accessible
vii. He never sleeps, on the job 24/7, 365
viii. He has access to unlimited resources
ix. He is free
x. He has already paid any penalty we might incur
6. “Sit”
a. Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.”
b. The finish work of Christ on the cross is holy, perfect, selfless, substitute, sufficient, satisfying, sacrificial, supreme payment for sins, once for all!
c. The Throne of Christ is a seat of:
i. #1. Recognition, adoration praise and honor >> Son, Creator
ii. #2. Rest, accomplishment, propitiation >> Savior, Brother
iii. #3. Resources, assistance, provisions, mercy and grace >> Priest, Shepherd
iv. #4. Rule, authority, protection, holiness and perfection >> King, Lord, Victor
7. “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind”
a. Hebrews 7:21 “But Jesus became a priest with an oath by the One who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’””
b. Certain communication from the Father is weighted with promises and oaths and covenants.
c. The heart of God and His big picture purposes over time.
d. Covenant #1: Noah & Salvation, Genesis 9:11 (Hebrews 11:7; 12:25-26)
e. Covenant #2: Abraham & Faith Family, Genesis 22:16-18 (Hebrews 2:16; 6:13-15; 11:18)
f. Covenant #3: Moses & Priests, Exodus 19:5-6 (Hebrews 3:2-5; 7:21)
g. Covenant #4: David & Kingdom Rule, 2 Samuel 7:12-17 (Hebrews 1:8,13; 12:29)
h. #5 / New Covenant: Believers’ Heart, Jeremiah 31:31-34 (Hebrews 8:6-12; 9:15; 12:24)
i. Why a New Covenant? Why is it necessary?
8. Curtain: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
a. Hebrews 10:19-20 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Placed by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body”
b. The complete, perfect work of Christ rips open the barriers of the past to make things new. There is a different way. There is a higher truth. There is an abundant life.
c. Tabernacle #1: The Way – Christ’s Tabernacle and His Fleshly Bodily Curtain
d. Tabernacle #2: The Truth –Jewish Jerusalem Temple and Curtain, Matthew 27:50-51
i. Making obsolete and replacing the lamb and the blood
ii. Making obsolete and replacing the law and its’ role
iii. Making obsolete and replacing the priests and their work
iv. Making obsolete and replacing the tabernacle and its’ grandeur
v. Makes obsolete and replacing all our evangelical religious idols, props, hinderances, substitutes.
vi. This leaves just relationship, relationship between us, God and God’s family. Love God. Love people. Anything else that jazzes us about Christianity is a negative for us personally, going back to religion.
e. Tabernacle #3: The Life – Heaven’s Tabernacle and Curtain, Hebrews 6:18-19
f. Tabernacle #4: The Human Tabernacle & Heart, Hebrews 8:6-12; 9:15; 12:24
g. If our Christianity was experienced beside Paul in prison, or at midnight in a jail in Philippi, or beside one of the great witnesses of Hebrews 12, would we still experience ALL that God wants for us?
h. He stands at the door and knocks. He instructs to knock and keep on knocking.
9. “Until I make Your enemies Your footstool at Your feet”
a. Hebrews 10:26-30 “For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,””
b. Again, the victory of the King-Priest is not without cost. Many fail to appreciate the extent of the struggle, the length of the fight and the location of the battles. First and foremost, the battle is for the hearts and minds of people. It is battle against Satan, the world system and our flesh that is still being wages daily even though the Son is on the Throne.
c. Note: If the preacher of the Book of Hebrews is addressing people facing persecution flowing from Nero’s rule, how is that victory won? Hebrews 12:1-3 addresses that. Nowhere is the preacher talk about political strategies, only heart victories.
d. An ongoing cosmic battle, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
e. #1: Earthly Year Ministry: “He will drink of the torrent”
f. #2: Currently sitting on the Throne to the tribulation: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” Walking by the Spirit battling the flesh and new man / old man.
g. #3: The Day “He will crush kings in the Day of His wrath.”
h. #4: Another Throne - Great White Throne: “He will judge the nations”
10. “Your people shall be willing”
a. Hebrews 10:5-7, 11:1, 6 “Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’” “by faith”
b. Willingness is faith. Jesus was #1 willing. Willing to do whatever the Father directs.
c. Holy Faith, Hebrews 10:22, 37, 12:1-3 (Hebrews 11)
d. Hebrews 11 Faith Characteristics:
i. #1. Faith-filled mind & heart
ii. #2. Faithful choices, actions
iii. #3. Fellowship shared. God is treating us like sons.
iv. #4. Fire tested & proven true
11. “The Lord extends Your mighty scepter from Zion”
a. Hebrews 12:1a, Hebrews 2:3b-4, Hebrews 1:8 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,” “This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,”
b. What if Hebrews 12:1 was written, ‘Even more so, we have Great Eyewitnesses / Martyrs’? Were the saints in Hebrews 11 eyewitness martyrs? No. Who were these witnesses? The disciples, apostles of Jesus.
c. Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20. The Gospel goes out of Jerusalem…
i. #1. All authority given to Me (Praise, Lordship)
ii. #2. Go therefore and make disciples, baptizing them (Propitiation, Witnesses)
iii. #3. Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded (Provisions, Discipleship)
iv. #4. I am with you always (Protection, Warriors)
v. Note: Sort of like the aspects of the Throne of Christ in Point #6?
12. “Our people shall be … arrayed in holy splendor”
a. Hebrews 12:1b-2, 10b “let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” “but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.”
i. Abiding with each other and with Christ
ii. Reject sin
iii. Lay aside hinderances
iv. Focused on Christ
v. Don’t quit
b. This section may be what it means to “Rule in the midst of Your enemies” Maybe we have met the enemy and it is us. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling flesh and we are to win the holy faith battles. What so easily hinders us … from a vibrant, abundant, moment-by-moment relationship with God?
c. #1. Holy Faith (Hebrews 11)
d. #2. Holy Hope, Hebrews 10:23 (Hebrews 12)
e. #3. Holy Love, Hebrews 10:24-25 (Hebrews 13)
f. Another Throne - Bema Seat: Judgement. He steps off the Throne of Mercy to evaluate and reward in all honesty and fairness.
13. Let us not: The Wide and Narrow Way
a. Hebrews 12:25-29 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” “The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.”
b. ‘God destroys everything that can not be purified and purifies everything that can not be destroyed’ (J. Piper) Each daily choice, for God in faith or resisting God in the flesh, takes us closer to Him or the flesh takes a stronger grip on our souls.
c. #1 Warning: Drifting – neglect, apathy, deceived Hebrews 2:1-4
d. #2 Warning: Doubting – disbelief, Hebrews 4:12-13
e. #3 Warning: Disobedient – sluggish, Hebrews 6:4-8
f. #4 Warning: Defiant – habitually raising the hand, Hebrews 10:26-31
g. #5 Warning: Denying – rejecting, apostasy, Hebrews 12:25-29
h. The opposite is Hebrews 12:1-3 and also John 15’s fruits (no fruit, fruit, more fruit, much fruit).
14. “to You belongs the dew of Your youth.”
a. Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
b. In the wilderness Jesus was shown all the kingdoms of the earth. Satan offered Jesus an easy out to the cosmic war. Jesus said, “No. I will not bow down. I worship the Father only.” Instead, the Son was loyal to His Father, kept in the struggle to the end and won the right to rule the Unshakable Kingdom forever as King-Priest.
c. I didn’t find a totally obvious section in the Book of Hebrews. It may be the ‘missing’ Fourteenth Chapter? Maybe the Book of Revelation is the detailed description of this verse?
d. Revelation 5:11, 7:9-17 What does dew look like on a field of grass in the bright morning sunlight?
e. God’s plan: Ephesians 1:3-6 Eternity past; Romans 8:28 Eternity future.
f. Will we join Him in the struggle with a guaranteed victory in the end?
g. In John 17 Jesus prayed…
i. #1. For God to glorify Himself, The Son and the Bride, so that the world would know…
ii. #2. For the Church’s protection from evil and the world
iii. #3. For the Church’s holiness in the Word, Lifestyle, Unity and humility, and Fruit of joy, love and confidence
iv. #4. That the Gospel would be Revealed (spread rapidly, eyes opened), Received (accepted, believed), Reserved (growth, discipleship) and Reproduced (leadership, all).
Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
