IN THE MIDST- WEEK 9

WEEK 9

RULE IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES

Text: Psalm 110:1–3 (LSB) Theme: The King Reigns in the Midst

The world has always struggled with the same question: Who is really in charge?

Nations rise. Governments claim authority. Powers compete for control. And every generation wonders whether anyone truly rules the chaos.

Last week Psalm 82 showed us corrupt rulers being judged in heaven’s courtroom.

Today Psalm 110 answers the next question:

If the rulers are corrupt, who will rule the world rightly?

And the answer Scripture gives is clear.

God has enthroned His King.

INTRODUCTION — TWO KINDS OF RULERS

Last week we stood in the courtroom of Psalm 82.

God stood in the midst of the council and judged the rulers.

Those who had authority over the nations had become corrupt. They defended the wicked instead of the weak. They perverted justice instead of upholding it.

And God pronounced their sentence.

“Nevertheless you will die like men.”

The rulers of the earth were exposed as failures.

And the psalm ended with a cry:

“Arise, O God, judge the earth.”

If the rulers are corrupt… If the powers are judged… If the nations are in rebellion…

Who will rule the world rightly?

Psalm 110 answers that question.

And it does something remarkable.

After showing us corrupt rulers in Psalm 82, Scripture now shows us the true King.

Not another failing authority.

Not another temporary power.

But the King whom God Himself enthrones.

Psalm 82 shows rulers being judged. Psalm 110 shows the true King being enthroned.

When the false rulers fall, God does not leave the throne empty.

He places His Son on it.

I. THE KING IS ENTHRONED ABOVE

(Psalm 110:1)

“Yahweh says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.’”

David writes this psalm.

But David speaks of someone greater than himself.

“Yahweh says to my Lord.”

That phrase alone would have puzzled Israel.

How could David call his own descendant Lord?

Jesus asked that exact question in the Gospels.

If the Messiah is merely David’s son, why does David call Him Lord?

Because the Messiah is not merely David’s descendant.

He is David’s divine King.

And Yahweh speaks directly to Him.

“Sit at My right hand.”

This is the language of enthronement.

The right hand of the king was the place of authority, power, and rule.

When Christ ascended, He did not enter retirement.

He entered kingship.

He sat down because the throne was His.

II. THE KING RULES IN THE MIDST

(Psalm 110:2)

But the psalm does not leave the King seated in heaven.

It immediately describes what His reign looks like on earth.

“Yahweh will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.’”

That phrase should sound familiar to us by now.

All through this series we have been tracing the same theme.

God rules in the midst.

In Eden, authority stood in the midst of the garden.

In Egypt, God declared He was in the midst of the land.

In the wilderness, the tabernacle stood in the midst of the camp.

In Zion, God was in the midst of His city.

In Psalm 82, God stood in the midst of the rulers and judged them.

Now Psalm 110 shows us something astonishing.

The Messiah rules in the midst of His enemies.

Not after they disappear.

Not after history ends.

Not after the world becomes peaceful.

The King reigns right in the middle of opposition.

III. THIS EXPLAINS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

Many people struggle with a question.

If Jesus is King, why does the world still resist Him?

Psalm 110 answers that.

The King rules in the midst of enemies.

Opposition does not mean Christ is absent.

Conflict does not mean Christ has lost authority.

Resistance does not mean the kingdom has stalled.

It means Psalm 110 is unfolding exactly as God said it would.

Christ reigns while enemies still resist Him.

The kingdom advances while rebellion still exists.

History itself is the arena where Christ’s rule spreads.

Paul explains it this way:

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”

Not after.

Until.

The reign of Christ unfolds through history.

IV. THE KING GATHERS A PEOPLE IN THE MIDST

(Psalm 110:3)

Even while enemies resist the King, something remarkable happens.

“Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power.”

The reign of Christ does not only expose rebellion.

It creates devotion.

Men and women freely give themselves to the King.

They belong to Him.

They serve Him gladly.

They submit to His rule willingly.

This is the Church.

A people gathered around a reigning Christ.

Not just forgiven.

But submitted.

Not just rescued.

But enlisted.

Not just comforted.

But commissioned.

Even while the world resists Christ, His people gladly follow Him.

V. THE MOVEMENT OF THE SERIES

If you step back and look at the path we have been following through Scripture, a pattern appears.

God in the midst of Eden.

God in the midst of Egypt.

God in the midst of the wilderness camp.

God in the midst of Zion.

God standing in the midst of the council.

And now:

Christ ruling in the midst of His enemies.

The King is not absent.

He is not waiting.

He is reigning from the center of history itself.

VI. LIVING UNDER A KING WHO RULES IN THE MIDST

This changes how we live.

Christians are not waiting for a kingdom to begin.

We are living inside the reign of Christ right now.

And that means we follow Him in a world that still resists Him.

We do not withdraw.

We do not panic.

We do not surrender.

Because the King already reigns.

And every enemy that stands against Him will eventually become His footstool.

APPLICATIONS

Christ reigns even when the world appears chaotic.

The presence of enemies does not mean the kingdom is failing.

The Church lives under the authority of a present King.

Faithfulness means serving Christ in contested territory.

God is gathering a willing people even now.

The question is not whether Christ reigns—but whether we will gladly submit to Him.

FINAL DECLARATION

Psalm 82 showed us corrupt rulers judged.

Psalm 110 shows us the true King enthroned.

And the command given to Him still stands today:

“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

Christ reigns now.

And the King who rules in the midst of His enemies will one day reign without rivals.

The world may not recognize His rule. Nations may resist His authority. Enemies may oppose His kingdom.

But none of that changes the truth of Psalm 110.

Christ has been enthroned. The scepter has gone out from Zion. And the command of heaven still stands:

Rule in the midst of Your enemies.