Jesus The Priest-King

Yahweh says to my Adonai, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool.

There's a number of assumptions that this psalm has that might be lost in us. We don't really understand honor, privilege, position, authority, and order in our culture. We flatten these things out. There's a way in which the right hand is a place of honor. It's a place of power. It's a place of unity. A human king would call his firstborn son to be closest to him, that the truest advisor would be at his right hand. Someone significant. It's important that this is the psalm of David because I want to work backwards as to where this psalm lands in redemptive history. David has received a promise from God in 2 Samuel 7. Remember, Jerusalem is his, he's on his throne, he sees that he has this great palace, and God's tabernacle doesn't have a permanent dwelling place, so he says, God, I wanna build you a house. God says, no, I don't need your help, David, but I'll build you a house, I'll build you a dynasty. One of your sons will be on the throne forever. David, one of your physical descendants will be on my throne forever. He will be like to me, a son, and I'll be like to him, a father. There's all kinds of illusions of who God is, but Psalm 110 is built upon that declaration. That there's going to be a forever king, who's also a forever priest, that is fulfilling 2 Samuel 7. Well, 2 Samuel 7 is also fulfilling Genesis 49. Ben preached on this a few weeks ago. That's where every tribe of Israel is getting a declaration, a blessing. And the tribe of Judah is declared, you will be the lion tribe. You will be the line, the heritage from which the king will come. And David, the son of Jesse, is of the tribe of Judah, the son who would be the king The son of David will be the king, has to come from the tribe of Judah. Well, this is built upon the Abrahamic covenant. When God came to a cursed world and said, I will bless you, I will bless you, I will bless you, and you will be a blessing to all people. And that is built upon Genesis 3.15. Where after we've sinned, God makes a promise. A child of Eve will crush the head of the serpent. A child born of Eve will crush the head of the serpent. So we're looking for a child of Eve who's going to be a warrior, a child of Abraham who's going to be a blessing, a child of Judah who's going to be king, and now a child of David who will be the forever king. And Psalm 110 is telling us from David's own lips, Yahweh said to my Lord. Well, Jesus actually talks about this passage. Matthew 22, this is one of the times you're gonna need to get out your Bibles and turn there. If you're using a pew Bible, this is on page 828. This is right before Christ is about to die, and the scribes and Pharisees, they're challenging Jesus. They keep trying to stomp him and trick him into saying something he shouldn't say, and he finally just says, all right, I'm gonna ask you all a question now. Matthew 22, beginning of verse 41.

Now, while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?

Being good scholars of scripture, knowing 2 Samuel 7, which is a significant passage, they're all looking for this, they said the son of David. Correct answer, but Jesus goes further.

He said to them, how is it then that David in the spirit calls him Lord, saying,

he quotes there verse one,

the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.

Jesus gives the rational question here.

If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?

Now again, we might not really fully appreciate what's happening here, but in the honor culture of David, And the promises of God, how is it that a someone who's going to be a descendant of David is someone that David will also call my Lord, my master? That is confusing categories. Jesus is pointing out to them that you understand he will be a physical descendant of David, but you don't actually know who he truly is. Well, Jesus is also helping them understand you're looking at this Lord, but you don't quite see it yet. And verse 46 tells us what happens.

And no one was able to answer him a word nor from all that day. Did anyone ever ask him any more questions?

They were truly stumped. It's important to see what Jesus has done here with his own exegesis of Psalm 110. This is a incredibly mysterious figure in Psalm 110. David is calling his physical descendant son, his own Lord, which is an impossibility in this culture. Even in the reality of what scripture would teach us. Parents are honored by their children. Here, David is giving the great ultimate homage by calling him Lord. Well, this is only really makes sense if we understand the incarnation. The Messiah is David's physical descendant, but it's David's creator who came down to become like us in every way, taking on the form of man, being born, being formed as a human in the womb of Mary who is a physical descendant of David. So Jesus makes it clear there's something more going on in this text where David calling him my Lord makes this figure someone greater than David himself. Let's go to another text, Acts 2. This is found on page 910 of your pew Bible, if you're using a pew Bible. Again, this is in the text, the context of the first Christian sermon. Peter is going through mentioning numerous texts. He's just referenced Psalm 16, where he says, David says,

you will not abandon my soul to Sheol.

And well, David did die. So he was referring to somebody else. And now he says, referring to Jesus who was raised. I'll begin on verse 32,

this Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing, for David did not ascend to the heavens, 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 him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucify.

So Psalm 16 is referenced as David descended, but he didn't rise. Well, Jesus descended and he rose again, but, and also Jesus arose again and he's now ascended to the right hand of the father. Verse 36 is the key. Let us all know for certain that Jesus is Lord and Christ. He is the fulfillment of this psalm as the one who is greater than David because he is risen from the grave and now he is risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father. And the last five words there should sting us a bit. The Lord has exalted his son, Jesus Christ, whom we crucify. This Jesus whom You crucified Peter, is telling the audience, but we have to recognize it is our sin that led him to that cross. It is our sin that led him to have to die for sinners, though the one who is despised by sinners is the one who is exalted by God. The last place, and we'll go to Hebrews later, but Hebrews 1.13 makes another interesting argument where he says, no angel ever was exalted at the right hand of the Father. When we're gonna look at Hebrews a lot, Hebrews' main argument is Jesus is greater than Moses, Joshua, Abraham, all the priests, and it begins by saying, even angels. There's something even greater about this Lord, this Messiah. He's greater than even the angels who never sat at the right hand of Yahweh. First, we look at Psalm 110, and these are just some of the key places it's cited. You could also look at 1 Corinthians 15, where it's clearly cited. They all point to one thing. Jesus is the Adonai who Yahweh says, sit at my right hand, the position of authority, the position of power, the position of unity. And we can only make sense of what Psalm 10 actually says in light of what we now know of Jesus Christ, in light of two of the most fundamental truths of Christianity, the Trinity, in the incarnation. These two must be believed together. The only way for this Lord to be David's physical son and fulfill 2 Samuel 7 is that he is born of Mary and we know he's born of the Virgin. But he's also David's Lord because he's David's creator. He's David's Lord because he's David's master. And he sits at the right hand of authority next to Yahweh as the one who executes the Yahweh's will because they are one and the same God. The New Testament fleshes out Yahweh and Adonai as father and son. In redemptive history, we have even more specific and necessary names to know who God is. Yahweh, who says to Adonai, that is the father and the son. Now let's look at what the action means. The Lord sends forth from Zion the holy hill, your mighty scepter. Yahweh sends forth from Zion Adonai's 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.

Now that enemy language has to go back all the way to Genesis 3.15. Where it isn't just that a child of the serpent will strike the heel of the child of Eve, and the child of Eve will crush the head of the serpent, but there's a promised enmity. There's hostility. Those who fall in the pattern of Satan hate God, and they rage against him. We can look at many places where this is the constant pattern. Cain and Abel, Psalm 2. The Lord, Adonai, Jesus Christ, he is told to go and rule in the midst of his enemies. He's told to come down and bring about a kingdom that will be for his own good. And then notice in the midst of his enemies, there is a time where all these enemies will be destroyed, and that's what's going to be later. But this particular section, verse three, the focus is actually on your people. You'll rule in the midst of your enemies, but the focus here is on your people. Remember, why is Jesus named Jesus? Because he will save God's people from their sins. He will save his own people from their sins. Verse three, your people, that's you. This particular part is about you. If you are under the headship of Jesus Christ, if you are one of the citizens of his kingdom, your people will offer themselves freely. God's people will see his promises fulfilled. God's people will see his righteousness, his good rule, his authority used for our own salvation, and we will come to him freely on the day of his power. When we see him, we will come to him with our hearts renewed. You notice there it says in holy garments, that could be in the beauty of holiness or in the holy beauty. I just want to pause here for a second. Holiness is beauty, beautiful, and whatever is beautiful is holy. We too often think something of God and his holiness that it's too strict or it's plain. No, there's glory in holiness. The beauty of His holiness is what we're supposed to be longing for. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Don't trust your eyes. Whatever you think is beautiful should be measured according to the holiness of God. Those who come to Him freely here know Him in His holiness. They see Him in His glory. And they long to know that glory more and more. They come in the holy garments. They come in the beauty of holiness because they themselves have been transformed and want to draw closer to him who they call holy, holy, holy. Verse three ends with some fantastic imagery.

From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.

These two parallel lines are both pointing to a renewal, a regeneration, a new beginning. Due in the morning is new life. The womb is a representative of new life. Christian, our king, he has come to rule. And when he calls us as our good shepherd by name, we hear his voice and we come to him. This verse is significant for Christmas. The good shepherd's come. His rule is good. His rule is executing the will of Yahweh. He has come to be the fulfillment of all the promises. We can come to him freely. A significant question. What is it that keeps you from eagerly desiring to come fully into the presence of God? Are you afraid of him? Are you afraid of him? Are you afraid he would not accept you? The God who right after we sin goes into the garden and says, where are you? The God who comes down to be rejected by us, mocked by us, murdered at our hands, who comes down to see us, do not be afraid to come to him. He's good. He gives his life for you. The only way we are afraid to come closer to him is if we're still holding on to unrepentant sin. Do not let your burdens or your desire for sin keep you from coming freely in holiness to the one who comes to save you. Hold fast to the Lord Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, the way in which the New Testament makes this clear that this is about Jesus. He is greater than David. He is greater than angels. He is the king who has this great power. Now to the more complicated one. Verse four. The second point, hold fast to the Lord Jesus, who is your forever priest. There's some straightforward ways in which we get to Christ in fulfillment. Matthew 5, 17, we mentioned a few of these, the seed, the son, prophet, priest, king. Psalm 110 is important in that not only is it the most quoted, but there's a lot of different scarlet threads, is what we call them, promise threads. And Psalm 110 is one of those places where they start coming together. They start binding together, showing they're all coming together in this one figure. Jesus isn't just the king born of the line of Judah to be The son of David who will reign forever. We now see he's the priests forever. And apart from Christ coming to fulfill this verse four really stands out as mysterious. If it stands on its own and, and in the 11th century, as David wrote it, we need to first look at verse four.

Yahweh has sworn and he will not change his mind.

God makes promises. That's what the entire scripture is based upon. He's describing what he said, he tells us what he says, he's given us his promises so we know what to trust in the midst of this chaos. The Lord has, Yahweh has sworn and he will not, he cannot change his mind. Well, let's go ahead and turn over to Hebrews. We're gonna, again, spend some time there. And I wanna first look at Hebrews 6, verses 13 to 20. As we think about what it means that the Lord is sworn, Hebrews 6, 13 and 20, it is not giving us a commentary on this exact oath. Rather, it's giving us a commentary on the promise to Abraham. But I think what it tells us is extremely important. Chapter six, verse 13,

for when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself saying, surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained his, the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves and in all their disputes, an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

The author of Hebrews is writing to Christians who seem to be tempted to go back to temple worship because of persecution. They're giving up worshiping the fulfillment of all the old Testament and going back to the former ways of the temple worship in Levitical priests. And the author here is, is making us see that what God has said is sure. There's two things. God cannot lie. And he tells us the perfect, unchangeable purpose. This is what our hope is. This is to encourage us to hold fast to that hope. This is why we look at these texts during Advent, because we want to long to have a sure hope in what God has said. Keep going in verse 19.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of.

Okay. Someone 10 verse four is actually exposited from chapter five to eight and even alluded to other parts of the book of Hebrews here. The other Hebrews is giving us a significant promise to not Abandon Christ. God has given an oath. He is the forever priest we need. He is the sure and steadfast anchor of your soul. He has gone as our forerunner before us. He has gone behind the curtain. Christian this morning. I want to ask what what what kinds of. waves knock you off of Christ the Rock. The word of God is meant to be the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. Are you coming tossed to and fro? There's all kinds of challenges to Christianity constantly. Moral challenges, does it fit our standards of righteousness? Historical challenges, scientific challenges. It's the most challenged belief system for 2,000 years. And it certainly leads to having good questions. But the most basic assertion we can see is God keeps his word. What God promised for thousands of years, he has come to fulfill in Jesus Christ as the authors of scripture themselves tell us, as the Holy Spirit in our own hearts assure us. God has sworn to save us from our sins, he will surely do it. There's a way in which we're supposed to just long for the promise of God, to know that promise of God, and to trust that promise of God. Now, chapter 6, verse 20 of Hebrews tells us that Jesus went as our forerunner behind the curtain in the order of Melchizedek. So now we need to look at chapter 7 of Hebrews. And you're going to need to turn there. We're going to look at the chapter seven of Hebrews, there's there's many parts of Hebrews that would help us understand this text, but I'm going to walk through and I'm going to try to follow the exposition of Hebrews of Psalm 110 verse four. So this is me showing how Hebrews. Preach Psalm 110. It's like three layers. Hopefully it actually is wonderfully clear because it's just using the Bible to interpret the Bible. First in chapter seven, verse one, we get an introduction to who Melchizedek is. He's the king of Salem. He's a priest of the most high God. This is how he's introduced in Genesis 14. Hebrews tells us his name means the king of righteousness. He's the king of Salem. He's the king of peace. And he makes this observation in verse three of chapter seven. He didn't have a mother or a father. And that really stands out in Genesis because Genesis is the generations of so-and-so and the generations of so-and-so. Everybody in Genesis has an origin. Well, Adam has an origin of God creating him and God doesn't have an origin. But here, Melchizedek, he doesn't have father or mother. He stands out in the generations of people. And he says this is why he is resembling the son of God who is a priest forever. He doesn't have a listed beginning or end. Now, how much he's saying Melchizedek didn't have a listed beginning or end, or if Melchizedek doesn't actually have a beginning or end, we don't know, but he's making the point. Melchizedek is a priest forever because he has the beginning of end, just like the son of God. He tells us he is the priest who represents the son. And already we see the brilliance of what God has given us in scripture from Genesis 14 to Psalm 110 to Hebrew seven, a redemptive history. Then he talks about Abraham in chapter seven of Hebrews, verse four.

See how great this man was,

Melchizedek,

to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who received the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these are also descended from Abraham. But this man,

Melchizedek,

who does not have his descendants from them, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises." It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

There's your rule, verse 7. Same rule as to why David would call his own son master or lord. That doesn't make any sense. And here he's making it clear if Melchizedek blesses Abraham, he's greater than Abraham. And if you're a good Jew, nobody's greater than Abraham. He's a father of the faith. He's a father of all the blessings and promises. And he's pointing out Melchizedek not only receives a tithe from Abraham, But he blesses Abraham, being the superior. Verse eight,

in the one case, ties are received by mortal men, but in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say,

and it does seem like he is saying it,

that Levi himself, who receives ties, paid ties through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Mechizedek met him.

He's setting up here, Melchizedek priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek blesses Abraham and therefore he is superior to Abraham and he's superior to the Levitical priest. Melchizedek is a forever priest. Jesus is superior to the Levitical priest because he is a forever priest. Now look at verse 11. So we see who Melchizedek is. He doesn't have a beginning or end. He's greater than Abraham because he blesses Abraham. Now, verse 11, the Levitical priesthood could never perfect the people of God.

Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood. For under it, the people receive the law. What further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

Just pause here, it seems that the author is telling us why would someone tend, why would God talk about another priesthood if the Levitical priesthood was actually able to do what they were supposed to do or what we need? Verse 12,

when there is a change in the priesthood, there is a necessary change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belong to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests.

We just have the tribal problem solved. Jesus is born of Judah, he can't be a Levitical priest, because Levitical priests are of the tribe of? Hey, you're right, you're following, good, good. So he comes from a different order. Verse 15,

this becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent,

being born of the right tribe,

but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witness of him, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

There's our Psalm 110 quotation. All right, verse 18 and 19, focus in.

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness.

That should make you all feel uncomfortable after Matthew 5, 17.

I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

Here, the author of Hebrews is telling you that there's a former commandment. The law of Moses, the law of Jesus referring to that must be fulfilled. A former commandment is set aside because it's weak and useless. That that should call some hairs on the back and some serious curiosity. And don't worry. God's word answers what he's talking about. Look at the parentheses right next to it for the law made nothing perfect. For simplicity's sake, let's just say with the law never provided forgiveness. The Levitical priest, in all their perfect obedience to every law, could never provide the perfect forgiveness God promised and we need. The law is able to do what it's supposed to do, because it's God's good word, it doesn't return void. It tells us what God's like and what he says is good and right. And in so doing, it also shows us that we're sinners who need to cry out to a holy God for mercy. But there is not enough obedience that we can do to the law to have a perfect forgiveness. to have a perfect relationship with God again. The law was useless and weak to that end because that's not what God intended it to do. Now the law pointed us to the one who is able to perfect us. The law points us to Jesus. Look at verse 19,

for the law made nothing perfect, but on the other hand,

on the one hand, the former commandment is set aside because it's weak, but on the other hand,

A better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath, for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind, you are a priest forever. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

We gotta keep going. Melchizedek is a better priest because he is forever. And Melchizedek is a better priest because he blesses Abraham and therefore Levi. He's a better priest because the whole Levitical priesthood should have been seen from the very get-go. It couldn't do what we really need. It did its job, but it could not take away sin. Verse 23,

the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But Jesus holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever.

Now, that's quite the contrast. The previous order of many, many priests, year after year, they die and they have to be replaced year after year because that system already shows you it isn't right. It isn't perfect because you have to have a priest after priest because they die. Well, that's in contrast to Jesus, who is a singular always forever priest. Verse 25,

consequently he's able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Verse 26,

for it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens He has no need like those high priests who offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Christ is the perfect priest because he's one. He's the forever priest. He is not replaced. He is not replaceable. And he doesn't make a sacrifice for his own sins. Notice he's innocent. unstained, holy, separated from sinners, verse 26. And he doesn't make a sacrifice year after year after year, day after day after day for our sins. No, he offers one sacrifice once as the one priest and sin is paid for in full. We can actually keep going in the book of Hebrews. He also doesn't make it a temple made with hands. He makes it in the very presence of the holy of holies. Verse 28,

for the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a son who has been made a priest forever.

As we look to Jesus Christ, the Levitical priesthood was a sign pointing that we needed a better priest, a forever priest, a singular priest. We needed a better sacrifice, a singular sacrifice, a true sacrifice that took away the sins of the world, not just covered over them. Christ came in a different order of priesthood to provide the salvation we need, to provide the perfect forgiveness we need. This is why he's able to be the king and the priest. He is a different order being of the order of Melchizedek, Melchizedek representing forever indestructible life. Well, Christ having raised the dead and risen to the right hand of the father, He is indestructible life. It's important that we see who Jesus is. He's the one who made the perfect sacrifice for sins. There is no way for us to obey the law enough to save ourselves from sin. It was never designed for that. Jesus offered himself once as the perfect priest with his perfect sinless life in our place so that we would have a sure, and steadfast anchor for our souls. The psalm is a sure and steadfast anchor for our soul in a way that is unlike most other psalms. I hope you're learning how to pray psalms. I hope we start singing psalms directly. We're working on that. Normally we go to psalms because they help us pray to God. They teach us how to thank him. They teach us how to praise Him. They teach us how to confess our sins to Him. Think about how wonderful that is. God teaches us how to confess our sins to Him. This altar is oftentimes a way of going up and praising God, but this one is different. I think it's one of the unique Christ alone song. It's for us, it's about us, we're included in it, but it first of all shows us who Christ is. And the way that, This psalm is pulling together these threads. He's the king of all righteousness, and he's the priest who has provided a perfect sacrifice for our forgiveness. It's the foundation to help you pray all the other prayers. Psalm 51 and Psalm 32 are wonderfully easy to pray as psalms of confession for sin when we actually see that we're praying to the son who saved us by laying down his life for us. It helps us praise him because we see how exalted he is who came down so lowly to us. His priestly work perfects us because he is the king of righteousness. These two things come together. If you come here this morning with a weary soul, tossed to and fro by accusations of Satan, flipped over and confused because of temptations of lust, anger, a lack of self-control, you're burdened with pain, you're burdened with loss, you're fearful, you're anxious, you're worried, this psalm is for you. Because I want you to see the most significant part is Yahweh says, Yahweh swears he cannot lie. What you need he has simply declared he has done. What we need he has simply declared he has done. And we get to live on the other side of this knowing Jesus Christ is this priest and is this king as God's word has made clear. Verse five, again, this Lord is referring to Yahweh. If it's confusing that Yahweh now is at your right hand, this is just showing how the Trinity, they are one, and they are operating inseparably. I want you to see here, it's Yahweh who shatters kings, and Yahweh who executes judgment. It is doing this through the right hand, or the power of the Lord, or the power of the priest. And that word chief, he will shatter chiefs? That actually should be translated, I think, head. Because it's fulfilling, Genesis 3.15. Here, I want to conclude by actually pointing out something that we don't normally think about with Christmas. We usually think about Jesus being born in a manger, lowly, helpless, vulnerable. He came riding on a donkey in peace. He died on the cross looking defeated. Jesus came as a warrior priest the first time. Jesus came as a champion to destroy real enemies that should and have terrified humanity. Jesus came as a warrior priest because king and priest and the warrior language is following from the priesthood language. Christ came as a real champion over real enemies and we're just gonna cover three. Christ came as a priest to defeat death. Christ came, and we can see on the cross where he does look defeated, he does look weak. But Christians, we know. He died in our place to defeat death so that we can live with him forever. He suffered the consequence of our sin by dying in our place so that we can have eternal life in Him and with Him. The second enemy is sin. Sin is defeated in the death of Christ. We are perfectly forgiven and we're perfectly freed from its power. We can now walk in Christ. We can now live with Christ. We can now walk in the newness of life that he has provided for us. We can put on that beauty of holiness. And the third enemy is Satan, who is greater than us. Satan is defeated in the death of Christ. Yes, he's still roaming and roaring and looking for someone to devour and defeat. But I'm going to read two passages from Colossians to help us understand. First Colossians 1.13, he, speaking of God the Father,

he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

And then even more explicitly, Colossians 2.13, and you, Christian,

who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive to gather with him. having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

On the cross, we see how he puts aside sin and the accusations of sin and the legal debt we owe in sin. And then verse 15,

he disarmed the rulers and authorities.

That's referring to Satan and demons.

and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him.

God has conquered Satan, having triumphed over Satan in Christ's death because he crushes his head. He crushes the power of temptation that he had over us. He crushes the power of lies that he had over us. In Christ, we are free to no longer be mastered by Satan. but to submit freely to our righteous King, Jesus Christ. Verse seven,

he will drink from the brook by the way, therefore he will lift up his head.

That is a declaration of courage and victory because the victory is sure in Christ Jesus. Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you that you did not leave us alone in sin, but you promised salvation. And as we can trace through Genesis 3 to Psalm 110, to Matthew 26 and the cross, to Hebrews and the explanation of what has happened, we thank you that we can see Christ is the hope we need and he is the sure hope you've provided for us. Help us, Lord, to trust him. Help us, Lord, to trust you and how you've made promises. Help us to be ever thankful for all he has accomplished in the first coming and to long for your second coming. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.