Would you take your copy of God's word and turn with me to Psalm 110. This is 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. Many of us have a favorite Bible verse. If you're a professional athlete, maybe it's Philippians 4 verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Or if you're a health, wealth, and prosperity preacher, it might be Psalm 37 verse four, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Now both of these verses are wonderful selections of holy scripture. The problem is, when read in isolation, they can be taken to mean something never originally intended. Now for the sake of my analogy, if the Holy Spirit had a favorite Bible passage, it would be Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is the most alluded to and heavily quoted passage in the New Testament. Psalm 110 is repeated over and over again by the Holy Spirit as he inspires the writers of the New Testament. And unlike professional athletes, And prosperity preachers, when Psalm 110 is cited in the New Testament, its original context is never distorted. Because whenever Psalm 110 is referenced in the New Testament, it is meant to convey this simple truth, that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. Psalm 110 is the Trinitarian gospel in miniature form. God the Father sent God the Son to conquer his enemies, that God the Spirit might give life to his children in order that God the Son might present them as a kingdom to God the Father. Now, as I mentioned in my first sermon of this series on Christ as prophet, priest, and king, these studies are more catechetical than expositional. That is, they focus on the system of doctrine contained throughout Holy Scripture rather than on one narrow passage. Catechetical sermons have a long history of use in our Reformed tradition and are ultimately meant to point us back to Holy Scripture rather than to dwell on systematic abstractions. So this evening's sermon will not be a verse-by-verse exposition of Psalm 110, but rather will explore the doctrinal truths contained in Psalm 110 that extend throughout the scriptures, particularly with a focus on the royal kingship of Jesus Christ. So this evening we will examine three truths about the kingship of Christ. Very briefly, we will firstly look at how the Old Testament anticipates his kingship. Secondly, we'll consider what it means for Jesus to reign as king. And finally, we'll see how we as believers share in his kingship through our union with him. Well, firstly then, how does the Old Testament anticipate the kingly office of Jesus Christ? In the Old Testament, kingship was not just a political idea. No, it was a divine calling. Throughout the early history of God's people, it was Yahweh himself who was Israel's true king. And when the people clamored for an earthly king, when they wanted so desperately to be like the world, to be like the nations around them, rather than be the holy and set-apart people they were called to be, God warned them He warned them through Samuel. He told them that the kings of the earth were far less gracious than the king of all the universe. The kings of the sons of men would be harsh taskmasters. They would take from God's people without discretion. They would take their sons, their daughters, their fields, and their freedom. But in the end, God granted his people's request, wrong-headed as it was. God gave them a king, a man named Saul. But Saul fell short of God's glory, as human kings are prone to do. Saul exalted himself even above God, a fatal mistake for any political ruler. Then came King David, a man after God's own heart. David's reign was glorious, but imperfect. He united Israel, he conquered enemies, he wrote countless psalms for the worship of the triune God. But even David fell into grievous sin and forfeited his throne and his kingdom. But God, in his grace, made a promise to David in 2 Samuel 7. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. And this promise wasn't made for David's sake alone. No, it was a promise for the whole world, anticipating the Messiah King who would come. The Psalms speak prophetically of this coming King. In Psalm 2, for example, we read this, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Or as we read in Psalm 110, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. These are not idle words. They are a declaration of war against sin, death, and every power that sets itself against God. The Old Testament kingship was a shadow and a foretaste of the perfect reign to come. The prophets cried out for this king, the one who would establish justice and righteousness forever. And that king came in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And that brings us to our second point. The kingly office of Jesus Christ. It was necessary for Jesus to fulfill the office of king if he was to be the mediator between sinful mankind and a holy God. In order to redeem his people, Christ had to fulfill what sinful mankind could not. Before the fall, Adam was placed in the garden as a king, as God's vice-regent to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion over every living thing that moves on the earth. Adam was given this kingly feature by nature. But as a result of sin's entry into the world, Adam's dominion was in jeopardy. and his rule over sin impossible. Adam now suffered from a kingly deficiency. To redeem the first Adam and reconcile us to God, the last Adam, that is Christ Jesus, had to possess a kingly perfection and so restore order over the cosmos and vanquish sin and death. In this way, Christ stands as the head of a renewed humanity, as the representative of all who believe upon him. Now when it comes to the kingly rule and reign of Jesus Christ, at this very moment, so often we get it wrong. We think of Christ's kingly rule like the British monarchy. It's nothing more than merely symbolic. At some future date, yes, Christ will manifest his power and authority fully, but at this current moment, Christ's kingly rule is simply symbolic. It's something up there in the sky. But this could not be further from the truth. Christ's rule and reign is active. He is governing all things at this very moment according to the secret counsel of his will. And he has been doing so ever since he sat down at the right hand of God the Father. In Acts chapter two, Verse 34, the Apostle Peter quoting from Psalm 110 says that it was not David who ascended into heaven, no, it was Jesus. When Psalm 110 in verse one says, the Lord said to my Lord, that is an inter-Trinitarian conversation. That is God the Father speaking to God the Son. The Lord, that is Yahweh, the divine name, said to my Lord, that is David's Lord, Christ Jesus, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. Peter is saying that this verse was fulfilled when Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father to rule and reign until his second coming. And until that time, Jesus continues to reign until his enemies are made his footstool. Now we also need to note that the kingship of Christ is not simply limited to the church, but extends throughout the whole world. Think of Psalm 22 verse 28, for kingship belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. Or Revelation chapter one verse five, Jesus Christ, the ruler of the kings on earth. So the question for us to consider Is not, is Jesus king over all peoples and kingdoms, but rather, will all peoples and kingdoms acknowledge him as king and lord? As C.S. Lewis once wrote, there is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan. Jesus is also a good king. His rule and his reign are not that of a dictator or an ogre. Christ's kingly power is not exercised like that of a tyrant or a despot. No, Jesus is the king who lays down his life for his subjects. Jesus is the king whose laws and statutes bring life and healing and grace. He is the king who says to you this evening, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. You see, the yoke of Jesus' reign is not like that of Pharaoh or Rehoboam, who were harsh towards their subjects. No, the yoke of Jesus' reign is light and life-giving. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 14, Christ's kingdom is a matter of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And if you haven't experienced His gracious rule this evening, He bids you freely come to Him and worship Him as King. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, Christ Jesus is not a summer sun for the prosperous, but a winter fire for the unfortunate. You must also note that the kingdom over which King Jesus rules is spiritual rather than physical. Jesus said in John chapter 18, my kingdom is not of this world. And by that, Jesus points to the heavenly dimension of his kingdom. His kingdom cannot be tied to a physical geopolitical coalition or kingdom because his kingdom is tied to a heavenly one yet to be fully revealed. But nonetheless, Jesus's heavenly kingdom expands here on earth through his church as we confessed in our confession of faith in the Westminster Larger Catechism. His kingdom expands here on earth through his church such that even the language of our confession would go so far as to say that the visible church is the kingdom of God. But it is crucial for us to understand what is meant by this. The church's power and authority is not vested in physical power, but rather ministerial power, declarative power. That is the word of God. The weapons of the church's warfare are the word of God and the sacraments. This is how the king of kings and lord of lords advances his kingdom here on earth. He uses means, he uses the means of his church, his people, you and I, to build his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. And one day he will return As we read in Revelation chapter 19, he will return with his holy word in his mouth. And for those who do not obey the gospel, as we confessed in our confession of faith, those who do not obey the gospel, he will use the word as a weapon of mass destruction against all who rage against the Lord's anointed. Well lastly, this evening, we come to see how we as believers share in Christ's kingship. We read together earlier from the Heidelberg Catechism. that we are called Christians because we are members of Christ by faith and share in his anointing so that we may as kings fight with a free and good conscience against sin and the devil in this life and hereafter reign with him eternally over all creatures. What a wonderful blessing and benefit of salvation this is for us to consider. To be a Christian, to be born again is to be anointed. That is, be sealed with and receive the outpouring of the Spirit. And by faith, through the bonding of the Spirit, we are united to Christ. We are made partakers of His divine nature, such that we now live in Him and He in us. So then let's consider the implications of this. What does this mean for us as we share in Christ's kingly office? Well, in our imitation of Christ Jesus, we are called to wage kingly war against sin, the flesh, and the devil. Think about it like this. What does a king do? A king rules. A king conquers. A king exercises dominion. And this is the kingly imagery we find throughout the Bible applied to the Christian in our battle against sin, both within and without. The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter six, after reminding us that those who are in Christ are dead to sin and alive to God, he says this, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body. And that word reign in the original Greek is even stronger. It's actually the word for king in verbal form. Let not sin therefore become king in your mortal body. In other words, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is saying, do not allow the desires of the flesh to exercise kingly rule over your heart. Do not allow selfishness, or pride, or lust, or hatred, or greed, or envy to exercise kingly rule over your heart. Remember what the living God himself spoke from heaven In Genesis chapter four, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. You must rule over it. Sin seeks to entice us, to lead us unto certain death, but we as beloved children of God are called to rule over it. And how do we do this? How do we exercise kingly rule over sin? Is this a call to moral perfectionism? Is God saying the only way to receive the crown of life is to be perfect, to rule and reign over sin entirely? The answer, of course, is no. The Bible is clear, we cannot achieve moral perfection in this life. No, we will all stumble and fall in many ways until the day of our glorification. James 3 2. But what the scriptures do teach is that union with Christ means dying to sin and living to righteousness. Brothers and sisters, take hold of this precious truth this evening. Union with Jesus Christ means that it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you. Resurrection power dwells within you at this very moment. 2 Peter 1 verse 3. His divine power, that's the resurrection power that dwells within us, his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Child of God, you lack nothing. He has granted to you all things that pertain to life and godliness, and so do not settle for the defeatist mentality that is far too prevalent in the Christian church. If we're honest with ourselves, so often we adopt this defeatist mentality. We become what you might call sanctification pessimists. Sanctification pessimists think like this, well, I'm doomed to sin the rest of my life, but I know I'm secure in my salvation, so why bother fighting? But children of God, I encourage you to not even entertain such thoughts. The more we grow indifferent to our sin, the more sin grows insistent on our ruin. Christ has freed you from bondage to sin. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. This is the answer to how we exercise kingly rule over sin. It is not you and I in our own strength that have power to kill sin, but rather Christ in us, his gospel, is not impotent but potent. We have been set free from sin so that we may walk in righteousness. We have experienced the grace of God so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ. We have tasted and seen his love and delight for us so that we might respond by putting sin to death. The biblical imperative to rule over sin is always grounded in the indicative of God's mercy. Jesus mercifully first made us dead to sin and alive to God, that's the indicative. Now therefore, we exercise kingly rule over our temptations, that's the imperative. But to death, sin. because Christ on the cross put to death, death itself, for you and for me. Now if you're like me and you're always looking for ways to put this into practice, I want to leave you with three key strategies, three spiritual weapons, if you will, as you wage kingly war against sin, the flesh, and the devil. Number one, pray. James chapter four verse seven says this, resist the devil and he will flee from you. How do you resist him? In the hour of temptation, pray, as Jesus taught, Lord, deliver me from the evil one. Prayer is an assault against the gates of hell. Number two, recall. If you were raised in the church, you'll remember the armor of God from Ephesians chapter six. And you'll no doubt remember the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And this sword of the spirit is not something only for the children in Sunday school, it's a Sunday school craft. No, the sword of the spirit is a mighty weapon. God's word is the heavy artillery in the Christian's arsenal. Steady his word, memorize the Bible, and recall to mind what God says is true when faced with the lies of the devil. When his lies cross your mind, that your soul hunger will be satisfied with pornography, rebuke him with the sword of the Spirit. Declare that it is God who satisfies the longing of our soul. Psalm 107 verse nine. When you're confronted by his lie that your life will get better if you just had a larger bank account, declare God's truth from Hebrews chapter 13. Be content with what you have, for God has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. This is what it looks like to take up the sword of the Spirit. And then number three, act. Jesus says in Matthew chapter five that if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. and throw it away, for it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Now, of course, Jesus here is not literally saying to cut off your hand, but what he is saying is this, are you willing to give up anything and everything that is leading you into sin? A moment of passing pleasure is not worth an eternity of endless pain. If your smartphone is a spiritual hindrance, be willing to get rid of it, at least for a time. If your career is limiting your ability to gather with the saints each Lord's Day. Be willing to pursue an alternative career. Take preventative and proactive action in seeking to rule and reign over sin. As we come to a close this evening, I want to end where we began, with the kingship Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, born of a woman, born under the law. He is the King of Kings. and Lord of Lords. He rules and reigns and exercises dominion over everyone and everything. Every power, every authority, every principality owes its allegiance to King Jesus. And why did this King come to earth? As we remember during the season of Christmas, Well, he came to declare a holy war against sin, death, and the devil so that he might ransom his elect captives free. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace promised in Isaiah chapter nine is the same Jesus who declared, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. in Matthew chapter 10. Consider then what kind of peace it is that Jesus the King inaugurates in his birth. The church father, John Chrysostom, says it wonderfully. What sort of peace is it that Jesus asks his disciples to pronounce upon entering each house? And what kind of peace is it of which the angels sing, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace? And if Jesus came not to bring peace, why did all the prophets publish peace as good news? Because this, more than anything, is peace. When the disease is removed, this is peace. When the cancer is cut away, only with such radical surgery is it possible for heaven to be reunited to earth. Only in this way does the physician preserve the healthy tissue of the body. The incurable part must be amputated. Only in this way does the military commander preserve the peace by cutting off those in rebellion. Thus it was also in the case of the Tower of Babel that their evil peace was ended by their good discord. Peace, therefore, was accomplished. Brothers and sisters, this is the true and everlasting peace that comes to us in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem. Peace that deals a fatal blow against the kingdom of darkness and establishes a kingdom of light and life forever. First John chapter three verse eight says, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The reason for the season of this Christmas is that King Jesus was made man to vanquish sin and death and crush the devil. And he did so for you and for me, for us and for our salvation. and he will reign forever, and every enemy will be defeated, every tear will be wiped away, and every knee will bend with awe and reverence. Let's pray. Our heavenly God and Father, we give you thanks and praise that you so loved the world, that you sent King Jesus your only begotten son, to wage war against the kingdom of darkness, to establish the kingdom of light, and to reign in our hearts for eternity. We thank you for the greatest gift ever given, the gift of eternal life, which you freely offer to all who call upon your name. This Christmas season, may we find joy and hope and peace in the radiant light of your son who has shown us grace upon grace. We pray these things in his name as we await his second coming. We pray these things for his sake. Amen.