Psalm 110 | The Most Quoted Psalm in The Bible | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Maranatha Conference 2025

Well, good morning to you. I am extra excited for this session, because we will endeavor to explore one of the most stunning and significant Psalms, and with that, one of the most important passages in all of the Bible. That is not a matter of conjecture. It's not my opinion, but rather it is a testimony from scripture itself. Does anyone know what Psalm is most quoted and alluded to in the New Testament?

Very good. Psalm 110. And it is arguably the most reference Old Testament passage in the New Testament. Now why is that? Because Psalm one ten is one of the most comprehensive prophecies about the Messiah.

In fact, it's all about Christ. Even partial fulfillments of it. It is unmistakably all about the anointed one to come, and indeed he has come. Evidently, the New Testament writers recognized that understanding the Psalm was key to coming to terms with the Messiah, and also seeing how Jesus Christ fulfills it. So much so that Christ himself briefly expounds on this passage.

And when he did, it silenced his accusers to the degree that they never dared again to challenge him with a theological trap until they ultimately put him to death. And that is where I want us to actually begin this morning. Please turn in your bibles to Matthew 22. And let's look here at this brief exchange and see how our precious Lord affirms and applies this astonishing song. Matthew 22 beginning in verse 41.

Don't you love that sound? I don't mind iPads, but there's something about the book. Matthew 22 verse 41. Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. Now pause here.

Up to this point, the Pharisees and the different religious leaders have been asking a lot of questions. So now Jesus is like, it's my turn. Verse 42. Saying, what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?

They said to him, the son of David. He said to them, how is it then that David in the spirit calls him Lord? Saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. Then David calls him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare ask him any more questions.

A few things to highlight from this. First, it is widely known and accepted that the promised deliverer, the son of David, the coming ruler of the world, the bearer of universal righteousness and of peace would be a descendant of David. The Pharisees understood this, but their understanding of the Messiah was incomplete. Physical descendant of David. Jesus is showing them he is much more than that.

And when Christ actually makes this argument from the scriptures, namely Psalm 110, it is so utterly clear that the Pharisees could not even refute it. Number two, this is important. Highlight how Jesus affirms the authorship of this Psalm. That's important. It is undeniably written by David.

Why is that significant? If it was written by someone else or if it was anonymous, then the whole meaning really falls apart. It is crucial that David wrote this prophecy. And that is why you have today so called scholars and opposers to Christ who try to discredit this Psalm or try to give it a different author. And no matter how many letters you have beside your name, in doing so, you are choosing to disagree with the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

By the way, did you notice how Christ confirms the dual authorship of the bible? He says that it was written by David, but he goes beyond that. And he also adds that it was in the spirit. It's wonderful. The spirit of God carried men to write these oracles, these truths.

Peter tells us that so clearly. And though there's so much more we can say about this, I simply wanna borrow Jesus's first question and apply it to this moment. What did he begin by asking them? What do you think about the Christ? That's my question for you this morning.

What do you think about the Christ? What do you know about him? And whatever you do know about him, has it changed you? Have you experienced the Christ? Are you familiar with him, and do you desire to grow more intimate with him?

This is what we find here. And no matter where your understanding of Christ is, Psalm one ten is going to tell us at least five things about him. Here's what this means for the believer. If you really this is really a time of discipleship. That's how I see it.

My prayer for this session is that you would be equipped because if you really understand Psalm one ten, you will grow in your confidence, and you will also be able to explain and defend why you believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Messiah, is the Christ. By the way, Christ is not a surname. Christ is a title. The Greek translation of the Hebrew understanding of Messiah, the anointed one. It's a mission.

It's a fulfillment of something. It's a role. It's it's a position. It's not Jesus' last name. So believer, if you really can understand someone 10 remember, the beginning of this whole conference to meditate on and master the Psalms.

If you can if you can get this, you'll be able to help Jews come to Christ. But unbeliever in this place, you're not off the hook because what we're about to explore is an ancient prophecy written a thousand years before the life of Jesus Christ, yet it attributes to him. Meaning, you have to wrestle and you have to deal with the supernatural source of this passage. And after you hear how this points to Christ, you have to determine what you're going to do with this Jesus. You will either accept him or you will reject him.

There is no neutral ground. The claims are too clear. The implications are too strong. There is no neutrality. So with that being said, let's read Psalm one ten together in its entirety.

I hope you're already there in verse one. Psalm one ten, a Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments from the womb of the morning. The dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your right hand.

He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses. He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way. Therefore, he will lift up his head.

Five things that we need to understand about the Christ. Number one, the deity of the Christ. We find here that when Jesus engaged the Pharisees about this very text, he asked them a total of four questions back in Matthew 22. Four questions. And after quoting the Psalm, he presented him with this final challenge.

If then David calls him Lord, whose son is he? Brilliant. Goes to show that even the top scholars in Jesus' day missed very obvious passages. Right? That should scare some of us who who put too much emphasis on tradition.

These guys were so about their tradition, their man made tradition, their oral tradition. They they they brought it all the way back to Moses. They claimed that Moses had this oral law that they misclear passages like this. Do you think people are doing that today? Blinded by man made ideology.

It's like you missed it. Yeah. You believe he's the son of David, but whose son is he if he calls him lord? Here's what Christ is saying. If the Messiah is merely flesh and blood, a descendant of David, then how is it that he attributes to him a superior rank?

My lord. Especially when you consider the the obvious father son dynamics here. Just by that, you understand that the father is superior. But in David's case, his son is actually elevated above him. Thrown to the mix this factor, that David is not in this obvious sense the father of this descendant, yet calls him my lord.

He's also been elevated by God to be the highest ranking man, not just in Israel, but in the whole world at this time. Come to Psalm 89. Highlight this in verse 20. Psalm 89 verse 20. This is about David.

And the spirit of God says in Psalm eighty nine twenty, I have found David my servant. With my holy oil, I have anointed him. So I I make that clear to just show you this is about David. Now scroll down to verse 27 of Psalm 89. And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

By the way, is firstborn here meaning the firstborn of the siblings of David? No. He he was the lastborn. So understand that because people will go to Colossians and say, well, Jesus is called the firstborn of creation, so he's a created being. No.

The Bible has a different dictionary than you do. Firstborn means preeminent one, and it's applied here to David. But notice this part, the highest of the kings of the earth. So what does that imply then? What does that say about David's son if David calls him my lord in Psalm one ten?

Here you have the highest of all the kings of the globe at the time. And yet whoever the son is, he's even above that? The logical conclusion is that whoever this sun is, whoever this king to be is, he's he's a king of another world, of another realm altogether, of heavenly origin. This is a different kind of lord. This is a different kind of master, and the divine makeup of the son of David is described in the rest of Psalm one ten.

Look again at verse one. He sits at the right hand of God. What other creature is summoned and invited to such a heavenly place of honor? Not even the angels according to Hebrews chapter one. Additionally, we're told in verse four that he will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek who will live, how long, forever.

Unlike the Aaronic pre priesthood where after one priest dies, another replaces him, whoever this son is, he's going to be king. He's also gonna be priest. We'll get to that in a moment, but here's what I wanna highlight. He will live forever. He will never cease to exist.

He's eternal, and yet he is a man since he will be a physical descendant of David. Christians can make sense of this. Others can't. And as clear as it is, I wanna inform you that this point has not gone unchallenged. Again, there are those who refuse to acknowledge Christ in this prophecy, And they'll go beyond that and actually accuse Christians of being dishonest, especially in their English translations of the bible, and particularly this passage.

What's the argument that you'll hear from those who who understand that Christians hold to this psalm? Well, they'll say this. In the Hebrew text in Psalm one ten, the first word for lord is what? Yahweh, the covenant name of God. And yet the second word for lord in that verse, the lord says to my lord, is adoni.

And that refers to a human master, a human superior, and it is typically ascribed to a man. What's the accusation? You Christians in your translation made much more of the second word lord by doing what? Look at it in your translation. They capitalized the l.

It's a subtle little thing that you did. And so they'll say, you are trying to make too much of this adony by even emphasizing the lettering here when in fact, you look at the wide range of scripture and it is typically used for human masters. Now I don't have time for this, but I would make the case if if somebody was willing to sit down to show how even Adoni is ascribed to God, Not just Yahweh, but even Adoni, master, Lord, superior on a human level, even in the Old Testament that's used for God, but we won't go there. How do we answer this? How do we answer those who say you capitalize this?

How do you answer those who say you're manipulating this? We acknowledge that there is a distinction in the Hebrew, but we also say that the translators chose to capitalize the second lord because of the context. Again, this is no ordinary lord. This is someone who is going to sit at the right hand of God. This is someone who lives forever.

Ergo, this is no ordinary earthly master. If anything, the translators here are being honest with the context and are helping us see what the Holy Spirit wants us to see. In fact, I would go as far to say that David, in a sense, is a Trinitarian. Do you see it? I see it.

Here he is writing about the Lord, Yahweh, speaking to a second person who obviously contains divine attributes and characteristics, yet is distinct. And and this conversation that David is invited to listen in on was granted to him how? According to Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. So you have Yahweh, you have a second person, and he's seeing it by the spirit. And in case you were wondering, David understood that he spoke by the Holy Spirit.

You want a reference for that? Second Samuel 23 verse two. The spirit of the Lord speaks by me. David was a king, but David also knew he was a prophet, and he understood that the spirit of the Lord spoke by him. His word is on my tongue, he says.

So what do we have here in the very verse verse first verse here in the Psalm? A confirmation and endorsement of the deity of Christ. It's undeniable. And King David here is granted incredible access into this dialogue between the godhead. I was curious at this point.

I wanted to know, well, then how do Jews make sense of this? Because this is their bible. And I discovered that it baffles them. It troubles them deeply. And the most common explanation is that they claim that King David, who wrote this Psalm, is actually writing about himself.

And so they do this kind of manipulation thing with the Hebrew, and and the claim is that David was, yes, writing by the spirit, but he put the Psalm together to give to the Levitical priest so that they can sing about David in the temple. So when it says the Lord said to my Lord, who's the second Lord? Apparently, it's David. To which I would answer, so David sits at the right hand of God. And David will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek forever?

Here's what the New Testament says about this Psalm. In acts two thirty four, Peter preaches that wonderful sermon, the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem, and he writes in acts two thirty four, or he says rather, for David did not ascend into the heavens. In other words, this isn't about David, but he himself says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made them both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. My prayer is that Israel would know it today, the deity of Christ.

The second thing that we notice and learn from this Psalm is the kingship of the Christ. Come back to Psalm one ten. Look at verse two. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

So much can be said. I wanna bring forth one point. How this king to come is going to not just rule in Zion, synonymous term for Jerusalem. He is going to rule from Zion that his government and his authority will not be contained in Jerusalem. It won't remain in the boundaries of Israel.

It's going to reach and touch the globe. Why do we need to know that? Because this prophecy is not just for the Jewish people. It's for the world. This is a prophetic glimpse, not a poem.

This is a prophetic glimpse into what is coming to this planet. There is a king who is coming, and when he does come, he's going to make everything right. He will be unstoppable. He will bring forth peace and justice like we have never known. So that means this applies to each of us hearing this right now, Right here and right now.

And it's important to clarify that while we can understand this as Christ currently reigning from heaven, we believe that. We believe that he is ruling and reigning even now in the midst of a hostile world. This prophecy primarily refers to the future, a literal reign of Christ, the material manifestation of the kingship and the authority of Jesus. Why do I believe that? Yes.

Again, there's an element of Christ currently reigning in victory, especially after his finished work on the cross, but all of the description here speaks about a a judgment that is yet to come. Just this exercise that has not yet been realized. So this is this is primarily future because Christ is not executing the judgment that we read here, but he will. And that's important because what we find fascinating in verse two is that he will rule in the midst of what? His enemies, which means at least two things.

On an encouraging note, it means that despite the the hatred that people have for Jesus, for righteousness, for truth, these antichrist governments and systems of belief, despite any opposition, Christ will succeed. He will rule. He will establish and plant his flag on every hill, and no one can tell him otherwise. That's the encouraging note, but then there is a sobering note, a a quite sobering note actually, because it also reveals that even up to and during the material reign of the Messiah, there will be those who oppose and despise Jesus. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

And here's my question. Are you one of them? Are you an enemy of Christ? It'd be shocking if somebody would lift their hands now and say, yeah. I am.

What's more likely is you have those who might say, of course not. I admire Jesus. I respect him. I even believe he existed. I I think he taught helpful things.

But again, the Bible has a different dictionary than we do, and we're told what qualifies someone to be an enemy of the Son of God. And I wanna I wanna show it to you with your own eyes in Philippians chapter three. Look what the spirit of God says when describing those who are enemies of Christ now and in the day to come. Philippians three verse 18. For many.

Paul doesn't say some. He says for many of whom I've often told you and not tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is their destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. There are many who are enemies, but notice how specific the spirit is. He doesn't say enemies of Christ, does he?

Enemies of the cross of Christ. Remember how we opened up about how everybody wants to claim Jesus? Remember that? They want Jesus. They don't want his cross.

Nobody has a problem with Christ, his name, his miracles, even his message to some degree. It's what happened on that cross. Some say he didn't die. Some say he was replaced. Some say he was killed differently.

All these different theories, the spirit is so surgical in this explanation. It's the enemies of the cross of Christ. So number one, what makes an enemy of Jesus? Somebody who opposes the true message of the gospel. It's sufficiency, what it accomplishes.

What it does, what it means to deny that makes you an enemy. But not just that, those who are willing slaves to their fleshly desires notice, their god is their belly. Speaking about appetites and fleshly desires to live for that, to submit to that, to actually glory in that. Right? They glory in their shame makes you an enemy of Christ.

And finally, with minds set on earthly things. Ambitions, preoccupations, affections that are not primarily set on Christ, but are filled with worldly things that have no space for the rulership of Jesus, qualify someone to be an enemy of Christ. Here's the encouraging note. While you may be an enemy of Christ, Romans five ten tells us while we were enemies, while you were still a rebel, an opposer of Christ, We are reconciled to God by the death of his son. If you are here today and you oppose the gospel, your God is your own belly and your mind has no room for Christ.

Your heart and the throne on it is occupied by you. Jesus made the first move to make you his ally and to redeem you, and not just keep you safe, not just promise that he won't judge you, but even make you a co heir and to actually have you rule with him. The kingship of the Christ. That's the second point. We come now to the third, and that is the people of the Christ.

Come back to Psalm one ten. Look at verse three. Your people whose people? The son of David, the Messiah. Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.

So in contrast to the enemies of the Messiah, we are now told about his people. That's us. And there are three characteristics that the spirit of God underscores that mark those who are truly the people of the Messiah, and and they're thrilling thoughts. The first thing that we see here is that they offer themselves freely. Do you notice that?

Your people will offer themselves freely, not under compulsion. Implying that those who truly belong to Christ have pledged their allegiance to him out of delight and joyful surrender. They're not forced. They're not coerced. No.

Those who have enlisted to his army do so because they've been enamored by the love and grace of the Messiah. They report for duty, not because they fear, but because they have a fierce loyalty to the captain of their salvation. This shows that those who truly belong to Christ do not see his commandments as burdensome or taxing. No. No.

No. No. Wholeheartedly, they recognize that as life giving and an honor to serve him. Give me any badge. Give me any name tag.

Put me in any spot. I will serve you freely. I surrender completely. When I was meditating on this, I I just stepped back and thought, is there any example, strong example that can confirm this truth? And you know where my mind went?

I know many of us here at NBC, you know this, we're going through the book of Revelation, so I'm getting ahead of myself here. But when we talk about the 144,000 who will be saved out of the tribulation period, there is this awesome description about how their faithfulness will shine so brightly in that very dark period of human history. And it's found in Revelation 14 verse four. You don't have to turn there, but listen to how the spirit of God describes the 144,000. In Revelation fourteen four, it is these who have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins.

It is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for god and the lamb. Do you see that in the middle? They follow the lamb wherever he goes. What a picture of a true follower of Christ.

Wherever you want me to go, I'll go. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do. Does that sound like they're doing it because they're forced to do it? Or because they can't help themselves? They're compelled.

Even with all the chaos and all the danger and the tribulation period, wherever the lamb goes, we will go. That's a true Christian. Whatever he says, I will obey. But that's just the first mark according to Psalm one ten. The second mark of those who belong to Christ, the people of the Christ, is that they are adorned in holy garments.

Don't you see that? Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments. You know what the word actually means? Priestly attire. Why is that significant?

Because in the next verse, verse four of Psalm one ten, we learn that this king, son of David, will also be a priest. So what's the connection? I think it's so clear here. It's to show that those who belong to the Christ will reflect his character and his calling. They will look like him.

They will resemble him. And if you truly belong to the lord Jesus, there will be a deep and powerful longing, a cry in your soul that says, I want to be like the one that I offered myself freely to. I don't wanna just adore him. I wanna imitate him. And so a true believer will constantly, out of joy, out of excitement, out of thrill, cast off any worldly carnal mindset and seek to adopt greater affections and more accurate attitudes of Christ.

In other words, let me just speak plain English. If you really are his people, your ambition in this life is for people look at you, they would catch a glimpse of him. No matter what your job is, no matter how you look, no matter your height, no matter your weight, you want people to see Christ in you. When they hear you, they hear Christ. When they see you move, they see Christ.

These people here, they are adorned in holy garments. Lastly, and this is the most difficult to interpret because it's so highly poetic, but we will try to do it in this session. Notice the last part of verse three. From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Now you might have a different Bible translation than the ESV, and it might be worded differently.

That's because the Hebrew is complex. It's not it's not as clear and plain. But I believe that this is if you keep the context in mind, you have in this section the spirit of God prophesying what the people of God are like, the people of the Messiah. And if that's in view, then David is foretelling that Jesus Christ will possess a people numerous who will prioritize him who will prioritize him just as the dew. When does the dew appear?

First thing in the morning. It glistens the lawn, the fields. It shows up first and foremost. I think there's an element there of how the first thing that you see, in some sense, the do speaks of the first of the devotion that we have toward him. And beyond that, it also signals that those who belong to the Messiah will dedicate the best of their lives, the best of their years.

Right? From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth, your youth will be yours. Christ will be so attractive. Christ will be so winsome. Christ will be so glorious that those who even in the prime of their lives will say, I will follow you wherever you go.

And even if you're advanced in life, this still speaks about you. It speaks about you giving what you have left, the freshness of your life. Every ounce of strength and energy that is reserved will be dedicated to Christ, the people of the Christ. We now come to the pinnacle of the psalm. This is the high point.

Number four. This is really the center. This is where we need to spend most of the time, and it's interesting because it speaks about a doctrine that's not very likely to be spoken about in a morning session at a conference. The priesthood of the Christ. Look at verse four.

The lord has sworn and will not change his mind. Stop. This is obviously important because it invokes God actually saying, I I I I promise this is gonna happen. Listen very carefully. I'm swearing that what I'm about to say will take place.

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This would have shocked the ears of the Israelites in David's day, and it still challenges Jewish minds today for two reasons. Number one, the combining of the kingly and priestly offices is not only unlikely, it's illegal in the old covenant. For a king to assume the role of a priest was met with swift discipline.

If anybody dared to do it like king Uzziah, they were immediately judged. So to have David speak about one of his sons, who will not just be a king, that's obvious, but also will be a priest, That doesn't make sense. How can that be? You have the royal tribe, Judah, and you have the priestly tribe, Levi. They're in their own lanes, and now you're saying that the king is actually gonna intersect and be a priest.

How can you make sense of this? Well, it's it's answered in the same verse. He is going to be a priest, but not after the order of Aaron. After the order of a strange mysterious man by the name of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is only mentioned one other place in all of the Old Testament, in Genesis.

And there's no record of any genealogy, no idea about his origins. There's there's no record of his death. He just abruptly appears on the scene after Abraham, known as Abram, defeats a coalition of armies. And this man, this figure shows up to bless him and and Abram clearly perceives his superiority and responds to him in a marvelous fashion. There's so little mentioned about Melchizedek, yet what we do know about him is very significant.

Genesis 14. Let's go there. This is important. It deals with Jesus, and I want you to see here what happens in verse 17 of Genesis 14. It says here, after his return this is Abram.

After his return from the defeat of Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley Of Shaveh. That is the king's Valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God most high, and he blessed him and said, blessed be Abraham by God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be God most high who has delivered your enemies into your hand, and Abram gave him a tenth of everything. This text is so rich.

It deserves not just one sermon, many sermons. So we have to do something here. We gotta just step back, take a deep breath, and dissect this slowly. The first thing that we have to understand is Melchizedek's name and where he came from. Melchizedek, meaning king of righteousness from Salem.

It it comes from the same root word of shalom, peace. So he is the king of righteousness, and he he is a king of peace. That is intentional. That is monumental. That is profound.

The second insight is that this king is he's also a priest, and he's a priest. By the way, this is the first time priest appears in the bible. This is the first time that the the title or a priest appears in the scriptures. Before we read about the established tribe of Levi and the Aaronic priesthood, we come to know a priest distinct from Abraham. That is also significant.

But he's a priest, and we're introduced to him as someone who is disconnected from the Abrahamic line or to any lineage for that matter, and yet he represents the true God. Do you understand how awesome this is? Israel is not even a nation yet. There is no Levi, you're distinct to be priest, mediators, teachers of the law. There's no tabernacle.

There's no temple, and yet we meet a non Israelite priestly line of Canaanite origin, you can say, and they worship the true God. This is massive. He's a priest. And let's consider his first actions. Melchizedek comes to Abraham, brings him bread and wine, and blesses him.

And Abraham is so moved that he gives a tenth of his plunder. Something moved him. And this is significant because he's the father of the faith. He's the father of this nation, and yet he submits himself to this figure and honors him in such a way. Now I know what some of you might be thinking.

This this has this has got to be a preincarnate manifestation of the person of Jesus Christ. Melchizedek is Jesus, and Jesus is Melchizedek. Thank you for showing me Christ in the Old Testament before he appeared on the scene in flesh. I don't wanna disappoint you here. Melchizedek is not Jesus.

It's not my opinion. It's because the New Testament tells us that. There are two verses that will prove this. Hebrews chapter seven. The author of Hebrews teaches about Melchizedek to Christians because he wants to prove to these Jewish believers that the priesthood of Christ is far greater than the priesthood of Aaron, and he says this in verse three.

Look at Hebrews seven verse three. And speaking about Melchizedek, he is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the son of God, he continues a priest forever. If somebody comes up to me and says, hey. You resemble so and so. Does that mean I am so and so?

No. I I resemble them though. There are traits and there are qualities about me that reflect somebody that you might know. You resemble someone. Doesn't mean you are someone.

Now maybe you're not convinced yet. Scroll down to verse 14 of Hebrews seven. For it is evident that our lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priest. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek. There it is again.

Just worded differently. In the likeness, if I say you look like or you act like or you sound like someone, it doesn't mean you're that someone. You say, well, hold on, man. You skipped verse three way too quickly because it says here that he has no father, nor mother, nor genealogy, having either beginning of days, nor end of life. How can you say that Melchizedek is not Jesus when it shows that he just he appears?

I don't know where. And and he seems to be confirmed in the New Testament as being eternal. Well, no. He resembles. Here's what's happening.

Moses, the author of Genesis, was inspired and instructed by the Holy Spirit. As he came to that point in Genesis 14, no chapters back then, and was told by the spirit of God to record the details of Melchizedek's encounter with Abraham, God, the Holy Spirit told him, don't write his genealogy. Don't mention his death. Leave out those details. Because like a shadow that shows you that a person is going to arrive, I want Melchizedek to be a shadow for the real priest, the real kingly priest that is going to come.

Do you know why that's significant? Because genealogies is jam packed or rather Genesis is filled with genealogies. And when it comes to Melchizedek, those details are omitted. So it's intentionally done by Moses, ultimately, by the Holy Spirit to leave out those details pertaining to this man. Why?

So that he can resemble one who is eternal. So that he can look like that he always was. That he never had a beginning. That he never had an end. So that he could point to and foreshadow one who is truly eternal.

That's what you have going on here. Melchizedek is not Christ, but he does resemble him. So what's the the point of his appearance then? Here's the reason. It's to reveal to sincere seekers and true worshipers that even before a priestly line was established by God through Israel, Levi, Aaron, there was another priestly line and it is far greater.

Much more significant, much more impactful, and that is seen by the fact that Abraham here is blessed by this Melchizedek, and then he gives to this Melchizedek, and Abraham represents the Aaronic priesthood. And Hebrews seven makes that very same point that you can say in a sense that Levi was in Abraham's loins and yet he gave a tenth of everything to him. This is this is brilliant. And so the spirit of God listen to this. Genesis, Melchizedek appears.

And just as quickly as he appears, he disappears. Centuries go by, and then the spirit of God now works through David. And he says, I want you to write about your son, who will, yes, be king, but also priest after Melchizedek. And he reminds the Jewish people that the anticipated Messiah is not gonna be coming from Levi or Aaron, but that Melchizedek back in Genesis 14. Melchizedek.

For God to say that he's gonna come from the order of Melchizedek means that Melchizedek's priesthood and what it points to must be superior, and indeed it is because his priesthood will offer a greater sacrifice. And his priesthood would mediate for not just the Jews, but also Gentiles. And his priesthood will promise an eternal representation on our behalf and a sufficient sacrifice that will always please God. There won't be replacements for this priest. There won't be repeated sacrifices.

There won't be just for one tribe and just for one nation. It will be for all people for all time. This is the priesthood of Christ. Now do I have permission to do something? Do I have permission to stay a little bit longer in Genesis 14?

And I want to show you the practical help of Melchizedek for our own Christian lives. Come back to Genesis 14. At this point, it's not just a story of one king, but two kings. Look at verse 17 again of Genesis 14. After his return, that's Abram, from the defeat of Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley Of Shaveh, that is the King's Valley.

So remember, Abraham in miraculous fashion goes out to war to rescue his nephew Lot after he was defeated because he was living in Sodom. Right? So Abraham comes, rescue him, actually defeats this coalition of kings, and Sodom, the king of Sodom, wants to congratulate him and actually reward him. And so he's on his way now to meet with Abraham. But before he gets there, look at verse 18, another king shows up.

And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of god most high. That's important to notice. Melchizedek appears before Abraham and converses with him and blesses him before king of Sodom comes. But now come to verse 21.

And the king of Sodom said to Abraham, give me the persons but take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted my hand to the Lord God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say I have made Abram rich. So the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abram in a way that would actually compromise his testimony. Abram understood this. This is not the right time to receive a reward from the king of Sodom.

I want all the glory to go to God. I want him to receive all the praise and all the recognition, so he refused. Abraham refused. Why did he refuse, and how was he able to refuse? Because he first encountered the king of righteousness and of peace.

In fact, this is even shown in in how Abraham addresses the king of Sodom. He repeats a title that Melchizedek introduces to him and blesses him with pertaining to God. Look at what Abraham says again. He says here about the God most high possessor of heaven and earth. Where did he learn that from?

Melchizedek. Melchizedek introduces this title of god, Abraham learns it, and then he uses it to resist temptation. Here's the lesson. If you wanna be able to overcome the seductions of Sodom, you need to encounter Christ. If you do not wanna submit to another rule, a rule of the flesh, a rule of carnality, a rule rule of worldliness.

You know what the solution is? You first need to experience the blessing and revelation of this king. The order is not by accident. Abraham was willing to stand firm before this king because he met another one first. So much so, I love this.

He goes, I'm not even gonna take a shoelace from you. I wanna be able to say that about the world. I don't even want a shoelace from the world. Never mind their entertainment. Never mind their ambitions.

Never mind their lust and all their crazy ideas of what a fulfilled life is. I don't even want a shoelace from the world. Well, how's that gonna happen? I first have to meet this king, and I have to be blessed by him, and I need his revelation. And from that, I receive the strength to stand strong.

Another thing. Did Abraham go out looking for Melchizedek, or did Melchizedek go out and find Abraham? Is any different with Christ? We all, like sheep, have gone astray, and we have been chased down by this king and this priest. He comes to us.

And when he came to you with that staff, he didn't whack you over the head with it. He might have put it around your neck and nudge you back. But like Melchizedek, he blesses us. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. And after he was blessed, what was Abraham's response?

I give you. That's the order even in the new covenant. We were first lavished with his love. We were first met with grace. And because of that, you and I should be a people who offer ourselves freely to him.

The priesthood of the Christ. Use this if you have a Jewish friend or neighbor. Ask them about the priesthood of Melchizedek. It's in their bible. This isn't Ephesians.

This is Psalm one ten. This is Genesis 14. Explain to me who Melchizedek is. You see why it's so important to understand this song? Our last point, and that is the conquest of the Christ.

Come back to Psalm one ten, and let's read the final two three verses together. Verse five. The Lord is at your right hand. He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses.

He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way. Therefore, he will lift up his head. So this eternal priest who's coming from and after the order of Melchizedek, he he is presented to us in such rich mercy and tender love, but he is not to be seen as a passive leader. No.

In fact, the one who is sitting at the right hand of God now, the one who is interceding for you and I, the one who continually bears the wounds of his sacrifice on your behalf so that every time you and I sin, the father can look at that wound of the son and realize that your payment has been already dealt with in full. That same Jesus will one day emerge from his throne, invade this world, and deal with his enemies once and for all. He will judge the world, and it will be fierce and it will be complete. And though all the forces of the nations and hell itself rank up against them, they will fail. And so ambitious will the Christ be in his return and the establishment of his kingdom that he won't even take a sip of water until he accomplishes it.

Isn't that what you find here in verse seven? He will drink from the brook by the way. Therefore, he will lift up his head, speaking of victory and elevation. But the same one who will not drink a sip until he accomplishes this is the one who, on the cross, refused to take a sip of the sour wine that would have numbed his pain as he bore the sins of the world to become our atonement. The same one who will drink one day the cup of victory refused to alleviate an ounce of pain and instead chose to absorb every drop of the wrath of god for you.

And so who is he going to deal with at the end of the age? Those who understood that on that cross, he refused that cup and still rejected him. He's coming for those who are enemies of the cross of Christ. And my prayer today is that even if there is one person here who has their god as their belly, who glories in their shame, who is who has their mindset on worldly things, we'll be able to see this is no ordinary book, and it speaks of no ordinary man. And it relates totally to my life and not just my life, but human history.

So my question to you in closing is, what will you do with the Christ? Let me bring it back to Jesus' first question. What do you think about the Christ? Will you offer yourself freely? Or will you join the world and stand against him?

Let's pray. Father, we're filled with wonder how one Psalm can promise so much, how one Psalm can point to Christ in every verse. We pray, oh god, that you would equip us to be more assured in our faith and more bold to speak about Christ. For this prophecy does not just deal with one people group, but the world. So, Lord, continue to open our eyes about these dimensions of the person of Christ so that we can offer you greater worship, and we can offer the world greater answers.

We come now to sing praises. We come now freely to open our mouths and to honor you as the priest king who is to come. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Let's stand and worship the lord.