Hope For the Coming King
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Growing up I remember contently telling my parents:
“I’ve been waiting forever for this”
“ I’ve been looking forward to this”
“This is something i’ve always wanted”
And my Dad would say something along the lines...
“Kyle, you always say that”
“You have not always wanted this”
“How could you have been looking forward to this, it just came out”
And now that I’m father with three kids and married to a wonderful women
She is now the one who says that to me.
These emotions of waiting, and longing are good emotions - God created us to long for that which is good.
The issue is, do we long for that which God would have us long for?
Advent is time of longing, waiting, anticipating and hoping
What are we longing for?
Christmas? Presents? good food?
the coming messiah? the birth of Christ.
What were the OT saints longing for?
Are we able to long as well? if so, for what?
We could look at the Ancient writings of Moses
We long for the seed of the women who will crush the serpents head
We long for the new Noah and Ark who will save the people of God from judgement
We long for a the Abrahamic Covenant to be fulfilled, that all the nations of the world will be blessed through the seed (that same seed who will crush the serpents head)
We long for a new Exodus, where God’s people will be redeemed from slavery to sin and death.
We long for God to dwell in the presence of his people. To tabernacle among us so we might worship him.
We long for a better sacrifice, one that will atone for our sins once and for all.
We could wander through the dark corridors of the prophets, and long with them to see
We could wander through the dark corridors of the prophets, and long with them to see
We wait for the day with Zephaniah for when the glory of God is revealed to all people and the nations of the world worship God shoulder to shoulder
We could anticipate with Ezekiel the day that the Spirit of God would resurrect a valley full of dry bones for his own glory and mission
We could long with Jeremiah to see the new heart and the new covenant promised
We could long with Isaiah to see a new Exodus, where God redeems his people and turns the desserts into vineyards.
However, this advent series we will be turning to the Poets of old, To David, the sons of Korah, Asaph and Solomon.
We we want to hear how these divinely inspired poets longed for the coming king and we want to join them in anticipating the world wide reign of King Jesus.
Our Advent Series is called Worship the King
And
The Psalms teach us what we are to long for, and how we are to long.
The Psalms are beautifully crafted for Advent, because they not only teach us what we are to long for, but how we are to go about longing.
The Hymn book of the Redeemed.
Augustine wrote, “If the psalm prays, you pray; if it laments, you lament; if it exults, you rejoice; if it hopes, you hope; if it fears, you fear. Everything written here is a mirror for us.”
The Psalms teach the people of God how to think, feel, hope, act, love, hate, rejoice, mourn they way Gould intended. The Psalms show us how to live as image bearers of God.
not only do the Psalms show us how to live
lament
rejoice
hope
fear
But the Psalms also show us how to hope in God.
The Psalms Show us How to Hope in Christ
The Psalms Show us How to Hope in Christ
The Psalms are packed for of longing, hoping, waiting, anticipating God’s cosmic reign as king over all the earth.
In other words, the Psalms teach us to hope in Christ, for the Psalms are all about Jesus
“Christ is the comprehensive mystery underlying all of Scripture.” - Augustine.
When we recognize this, we see that The Psalms are About Jesus
there is a prophetic nature to the psalms, each and every psalm is a messianic psalm.
You see, the creator and redeemer we praise in the psalms finds sharp focus in the person and work of Christ, who is creator of all and redeemer of all.
So whether a psalm refers to the depths of a psalmist’s suffering or the heights of his glory, it is in the suffering and glory of Jesus that the fullness of such psalms is displayed.
The greatest theme in the book of Psalms is the kingship of God.
And the kingship of God is not just a local kingdom, but rather it is a kingdom of cosmic scale.
There is not a single molecule in the universe nor is there a single individual that will be outside the kings reign.
The kingship of God is not only the dominate theme of the book of Psalms, but it is also the great hope of the poets who wrote the book of psalms.
And when we read the psalms they teach us to live with that same hope; hope that the king is coming.
The Psalms in both their content and structure declare without ambiguity that our God is King over all!
And this declaration, this song, has echoed through the corridors of time and have given the people of God hope for when God himself, in Christ, will rule the nations as king of the world.
Take as an example...
The Psalms in both their content and structure declare without ambiguity that our God is King over all!
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
This is a picture of God as King, the King of kings, reigning and ruling the nations.
The nations are serving God.
Paul ascribes Jesus with this sort of rule in when he says,
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2
Look at psalm 29:10
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
God is not only king of our hearts like we like to sing, but he is also enthroned over the flood, the raging seas, he is king over that which man cannot tame.
Nature itself is under the kingship and rule of God.
And we see Jesus’ rule and reign over nature in the gospels when Jesus himself stands up in the boat and rebukes the winds and the waves and they obeyed him.
Jesus is the king who rules nature that David is referring too.
Look at .13
For Jesus is the great king over all things.
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.
The kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom.
Its a dominion that endures forever
And it is a kingdom where the faithfulness of God is on full display.
Peter likewise see’s this kingdom finding its fulfillment in Christ.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 peter 1 10-11
And what we see happening when Christ came to earth he came as the promised king, to establish the eternal kingdom of God.
Psalm
Jude
And what we see happening when Christ came to earth he came as the promised king, to establish the eternal kingdom of God.
11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
However it was not established in the way the people of Jesus’ day thought it would be established.
Not only is he king over our hearts, and the raging seas, but he is also the king over the nations.
Instead of coming in like a F22 airstrike, the kingdom of God arrived like a mustard seed.
Its was planted in Jesus’ life, and it sprouted at the resurrection.
And since it was planted it has been growing for the last 2000 years. Its growing slow, its growing steady,
And it is growing with every soul that is converted.
Every person that is baptised
with every church that is planted
Like a mustard seed, it started small, but will one day be, as the psalms have said over and over, a kingdom that covers the whole earth.
And this is our hope, this is what we long for. This is what Advent is all about, longing and waiting for the king to return.
The Psalms are About Jesus
1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
You see, there is a prophetic nature to all the psalms, each and every psalm is a messianic psalm.
The creator and redeemer we praise in the psalms finds sharp focus in the person and work of Christ,
who is creator of all and redeemer of all.
Not only that, but the resurrected Jesus is the one who is given the eternal kingdom and dominion over all the nations.
So whether a psalm refers to the depths of a psalmist’s suffering or the heights of his glory, it is in the suffering and glory of Jesus that the fullness of these psalms is displayed.
The The Psalms teach us to hope, to long for, to wait for the day when the king returns and all things in heaven and earth are put in subjection to him.
This is the hope of Advent, we long and wait for the world to be made new, for heaven and earth to fused together, and God dwells with man on his throne reigning and ruling as King for all eternity.
And this is the hope voiced in many of the Psalms.
is a psalm that calls the people of God to rejoice and sing praises to God for he is the king over all the earth!
but that THE king will return, and defeat the last enemy which is death.
Praise the King
Praise the King
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
:
The Psalmist begins by telling all people (which is all the nations of the world), to clap their hands, and to shout to God with loud songs of joy!
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
And why are the nations to rejoice?
Because YHWH, the most high is to be feared, a great king over ALL the earth. Not just jerusalem, but the whole earth.
Why would the psalmist tell all the nations to rejoice, and not just the jews?
And the reason the nations can sing praise to God and rejoice, is that they are brought into this kingdom of the most high, for God has chosen for them their heritage
And that Heritage is that they would be part of God’s covenant people through Christ, who is the pride of Jacob.
You see, the Kingdom that Jesus brought with him was not just a kingdom for the Jews, but rather it was a kingdom for all people, for the nations!
The nations are invited to rejoice for their hope, like Israel, is in the coming king.
Matthew quoting the prophet Isaiah says affirms this glorious truth.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”
Jesus truly is the hope of the nations.
The hope of the nations (your hope) does not lay in
Is not the kingdom only for the jews?
Economic security
education
free markets
democracy or anything else
The only hope for the nations, and our only hope, is the fact that Jesus is king, he is seated on his throne, and he has been given authority over all the nations.
The hope of the nations is being brought into the kingdom of God as fellow citizens.
To be made part of the covenant people of God.
The hope of the nations is not find their heritage (heritage = possessions, property, inheritance)
national identity
race, gender, ethnicity
but see their heritage as part of God covenant people!
To see their hope for the future is being in Christ, unified with the king.
1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain. 2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, city of God: 4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ ” 5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” 6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
Seated with him in the heavenly places!
And likewise returning with him when he restores all things!
And how are we respond by being given such a great hope?
Look with me at vv. 5-7 - These are incredible verses!
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
ps 87 1-
This is how the nations should respond to the kingship of God!
five times in these three verses we are commanded to sing praises to God!
Sing praises to God, sing praises
Sing praises to our king, sing praises
Sings praises with a psalm
However, there is something absolutely amazing going on in this passage that we could easily miss by only focusing on the five imperatives to sings praises.
Here we discover the glorious artistry of scripture when we ask the question, “why sing praises?”
Why has the poet commanded us 5 times to sing praises?
What is so important here that would warrant such praise?
When we ask this question we are forced to look closer at the text. and What we see in these verses are two statements as to why we should sing praises.
God has gone up (V.5)
Sing praises
God is king of all the earth. (V.7)
Now, where else do we see these themes of God going up, praises being sung, and God being king of all the earth?
Turn with me to Luke 24
And as you turn there, I want you to see how God has woven all scripture together to testify to his glory.
All scripture is woven together in a mysterious way to prepare us for the person of Christ.
When Jesus showed the Emmaus road travelers how all the scriptures point to him, it says that their hearts burned within them.
So may our heart burn as we look to see Christ in this Passage.
Ok, so where else do we see these themes of
God going up,
praises being sung,
and God being king of all the earth?
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
So first of all notice that Jesus himself tells us that the Psalms are fulfilled in Christ.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
44-53
This sermon series is all about how Psalms are about Jesus.
They are fulfilled in him.
So Jesus tells them that all of scripture is about Him, and then what?
v. 45
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Jesus opens their minds, so they might understand the scriptures. So that they might understand how the writings of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms are fulfilled in Christ.
So what does it look like for them to have a divine understanding of scripture?
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
46-48
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
46-
see what he says here in v.47
And what happens?
that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to ALL NATIONS! beginning from Jerusalem.
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
This is why the psalmist tells us in v. 1 that all the nations should rejoice, for Christ is king, and the king has atoned for sin. He is offering the nations forgiveness.
Ok, now look at...
luke 24 49-
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
ok here we will see the themes of
God going up,
praises being sung,
and God being king of all the earth?
luke 24 51-
51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
When do we see God going up and praises being sung?
At the ascension of Christ.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Jesus (who is God) was taken up into heaven (acts 1 says he was taken up on a cloud)
Then the disciples respond to Jesus being taken up by singing praises to God.
In verses 53 it says that the disciples “were continually in the temple blessings God - the greek word means praising God”
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
God has gone up with a shout - that is the ascention
Sing praises to God - The disciples did this right after the ascention
But where is the king of all the earth language?
Well, We have only looked at one perspective of the ascension story. and that was from the disciples point of view.
God being taken up
singing praises
God is king of all the earth.
Acts 1:
Well, We have only looked at one perspective of the ascension story. and that was from the disciples point of view.
We also have a perspective in scripture that is from heavens point of view.
Turn with me to
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
13-
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
First of all, notice the clouds of heaven.
says that Jesus was taken up to heaven on a cloud.
So here we have one traveling on a cloud who was like the son of man. This is a reference to Jesus.
And notice which we he was traveling - not down to earth on a cloud, but toward the Ancient of Days to be presented.
The is the ascending Christ, going to the Father to receive his reward after crushing the serpents head on the cross, and defeating death in the resurrection.
And what is the reward given to Jesus?
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
There is the kingdom.
Jesus is given dominion and glory and a kingdom.
Jesus is given rule over all peoples, nations and languages.
He is given an everlasting dominion, which will never pass away,
And a kingdom that will never be destroyed.
And this eternal, unfailing kingdom was began at the resurrection - and now it is growing and the nations are getting saved, and the peoples are turning to Christ, and the bible is being translated in to languages.
And our hope is that this kingdom will continue to grow, continue to advance, and we know the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the onslaught of the kingdom.
But that all people will one day bow down before the king
that people from every tribe tongue and nation will be called sons of Abraham.
And that every earthly kingdom will bow before the true king who sits on his throne.
This is our hope. And this is what proclaims
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
Ps
Here we see God has chosen
God is King over All the Earth
God is King over All the Earth
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
Look with me now at vv.8-9
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Church,
Ps 478-9
Our hope is that no matter whats going on in our world right now, earthquakes, wars, poverty, pain and suffering, our hope is that God is on his throne.
And our prayer is what the Lord taught us to pray, “thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
The kingdom of God is still a small plant, but it will grow, it is growing, and the fact that you are sitting here this morning testifies to this truth.
We are the nations that have been saved.
We are the nations that have been gathered as the people of the God of Abraham.
So we walk through this advent season joining our voices with those ancient voices who sing praises to our God as we long for his second coming, where he will recreate heaven and earth and we will be raised and will dwell with him for all eternity.