Who is Jesus? Some would say that he is just the figment of our imaginations, created to give us a crutch as we go through the difficult times of life. Others would say he was a good man who lived long ago, maybe much like Mother Teresa, but that he was misunderstood and was killed. Others would claim that he was just some normal man who was elevated to divine status when some of his friends mistakenly believed he was raised from the dead. And thankfully some would say, like Peter, when asked by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” that Jesus is “the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20).

Why did the writers of the New Testament believe Jesus to be who he was? Why does the author of Hebrews argue that he is a priest, even though he didn’t even belong to the tribe of Levi? Or why did Peter write of him coming to judge the earth, every one who has ever lived? Much of the answer to this question is found in this statement, “They understood Psalm 110.” Probably more than any other text in the Old Testament, Psalm 110 shaped the apostles’ understanding of who Jesus was and is. It is the most referenced Old Testament text in the New Testament, being quoted or alluded to at least twenty-seven times. And in the book of Hebrews, a book in which the author communicates to his readers the glory of Jesus Christ, this psalm seems to be alluded to if not quoted in practically every section of the book. Therefore, if we’re going to rightly understand who Jesus is we, like the apostles before us, need to turn our attention to what Psalm 110 says of him.

First, however, let me assure you that the psalm is indeed speaking of the Christ, of Jesus of Nazareth. It begins with David writing, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (v. 1). Now, keeping that in mind, let us look at Matthew 22:41 and following. The Pharisees were always asking Jesus questions in the gospels to try to stump him, show his ignorance of the Scripture, or show his outright rebellion against God’s Word. However, he always showed himself right and good and true. On this occasion, however, Jesus decides to ask them a question. We read, “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” Now, they were familiar with 2 Samuel 7, in which David had received a promise from God that his son would reign on the throne of a kingdom forever. This is the Christ who would come. Therefore, the Pharisees rightly answer, “The son of David.” However, then Jesus shows them that though they are right, they have missed the true nature of the Christ. We read, “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’? If 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 to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:41-46).

Therefore, we see some things clearly from this exchange. The first is that David is indeed the author of this psalm. That will be a crucial detail for us as we turn to look at the psalm more closely. Second, we see that David was speaking rightly about the Christ, for all Scripture is breathed out by God. He is the ultimate author. That’s why Jesus says that David calls him Lord, “in the Spirit.” And finally, we see that this psalm was indeed written about the Christ, the one whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth, for Jesus started the question by asking the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ?”

With these details in mind then, let us now turn to look more closely at this psalm that we might understand more of who Jesus is. And the basic answer of the psalm is that he is the great King, Priest, and Warrior. Therefore, this morning let’s look at each of these three aspects of who Christ is and then see how these truths should impact how we live.

Jesus is the Great King (v. 1-3)

You will hear the language of kingship in the first three verses of the psalm as David writes, “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” (1-3).

Some obvious words are there to key you in to seeing that he is saying that the Christ is the great King. We read of his “mighty scepter” and of his “rule” in verse 2 and of him having a “people” in verse 3. But there is also a clear statement of his kingship, of his reign, in verse 1 as David declares, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Now, in your Bibles, the first “Lord” is probably in all capital letters, signifying that this is Yahweh, God the Father. Therefore, David is saying that the Lord, Yahweh, says to my Lord, and then finishes the verse. Now, if this had been someone other than the king speaking (for we remember that David was the king), then we might think at first glance that someone was speaking about the LORD (Yahweh) speaking to his lord (the king), for the king would have been his master. However, Jesus confirms for us that this is David speaking, and he confirms that he is speaking of the Messiah. Therefore, if the king calls Jesus his lord, then it must be that Jesus reigns even over the kings of the earth, that he is the King of kings, reigning over all. And indeed the verse confirms that as David mentions that the LORD says to David’s Lord that he will sit at God’s right hand (a position of reign and power) “until I make your enemies your footstool.”

In the ancient world, the image used to show that you reigned over all of those against you so that they were under your power and no threat to you was the picture of a king seated with his feet on the throat of the enemy. And I’m sure you can see why that picture was used. One is hardly in position to say, “I’ve got you right where I want you” when another foot is on your throat. Therefore, David speaks of the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth as being the King of all, reigning over all his enemies so that they are no threat to him at all.

And if we have missed this statement of Christ reigning as King over all the earth, David writes in verse 2, “The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies.” David’s picture is of the Christ walking into the enemy camp and saying, “I’m setting up my throne right here.” If you’re going to do that, you better know that your better and more powerful than anyone else in every way. And that is David’s point. That’s why he calls him his Lord. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He has all power. Christ is King.

But this King does not reign without followers. David declares of him in verse 3, “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.” This verse is difficult to translate and to understand, but the sense seems to be that this king will have a number of people volunteering to serve and follow him as their king, that the people will be holy, and that they will follow him as a king whose glory never fades, or who never grows old.

So then, how are we to respond to the proclamation of the psalmist that Jesus is this great King? First, to the non-Christian, you need to respond today by bowing your knee to him. Currently, you are an enemy of the king because of your sin against the Lord. And David makes clear that Jesus is reigning and will reign in the midst of his enemies. Despite what many in the world are saying, Jesus alone is the great King. There is no other way to the Father than by bowing to him. So, I would plead with you today to turn from your sins, place your faith in Jesus, and follow him as your Lord and King.

Then, to those who are believers, I think verse 3 has given us our response. The King has volunteers and sends them off to war. I believe that’s exactly what happened in the Great Commission. Jesus had dealt the fatal blow in his death, burial, and resurrection to the one called the god of this world, the ruler of this age, the prince of the power of the air. He had dealt a fatal blow to the strong man, the devil. Therefore, he spoke to his followers saying, “I am sending you out into enemy-occupied territory to reclaim that which rightly belongs to me.” The Great Commission should be heard by evil powers, to Satan, death, and hell that Christ has declared war and we have been sent out by the victorious King to reclaim that which rightfully belongs to our King.

Therefore, one clear way we are to respond to the truth that Christ is King is by obeying his call to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that he has commanded them. We obey him by investing our lives in the lives of others so that they might become servants of Christ who obey all that the King has commanded us.

Jesus is the Eternal Priest (v. 4)

Jesus is King, but he is more. David writes in verse 4, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’” The figure Melchizedek is an interesting one. He appears in Genesis 14 as Abraham is returning from battle, and he comes out to meet Abraham, receive a tithe from him, and blesses him. He is a king and a priest at the same time, something that was not allowed under the Law. And there are all kinds of interesting things about him, the author of Hebrews points out to us, namely, that the translation of his name means “king of righteousness,” that being the king of Salem he is the king of “peace” (i.e. shalom = peace), that since there is no mention of his birth or death he gives the appearance of living forever, and that he is obviously greater than the levitical priests because they came from Abraham and Abraham tithed to and was blessed by Melchizedek. What then was this man? He was someone, according to the author of Hebrews, who was meant to be a type of a great King-Priest to come, one who would truly be a King of righteousness, who would be a King of peace, one who was greater than Abraham, and one who really would have no beginning or ending to his days, one who would live forever.

Therefore, in Psalm 110:4, David declare that even as Melchizedek was a priest whose death is never recorded in the Bible so that we have no record of his priesthood ending, God has made an oath to the Christ that in that same order he has been made a priest by virtue of his indestructible life and will be a priest forever.

Therefore, Christ is not only our King, but he is our eternal priest. But why is it so important that he lives forever. Here’s why it is important. With the levitical priests, they could offer sacrifices and intercede for the people, but they would have to repeat it year after year, and eventually they died so that the people would need another to intercede for them. We needed more than the priests of the Old Testament. We needed a priest who could offer a sacrifice once for all and who could intercede for us forever. Jesus, after offering the sacrifice of himself, sat down at the right hand of God, showing that this sacrifice was enough, and that his work of sacrifice was finished (Psalm 110:1). And because he lives forever he is always able to intercede before God on our behalf so that we never have to fear somehow our sins surfacing before God again. Jesus is our eternal high priest.

So, how should we respond to Jesus as Priest? First, to the non-Christian, what does it mean for you that Jesus the great Priest? It means simply that you can be forgiven. The King who reigns over his enemies is a Priest who has made a way for his enemies to be forgiven and reconciled to him. He came and died on a cross, offering himself as a sacrifice for us, paying the penalty we deserved. And if you place your faith in Christ, trusting his death, burial, and resurrection to be your hope for salvation, then you will be saved. You will be able to know that Christ has paid for your sins and is before the Father right now interceding on your behalf – forever, so that you might always approach God as a holy child.

For the Christian, the truth that Jesus is Priest means for us that our forgiveness is certain for all eternity. Never will there come a day that God will say, “You know, enough is enough. I’ve had enough of your sin. I no longer want to hear you. I no longer accept you” because Jesus lives to intercede for us forever.

Therefore, let that encourage you today to confess your sin and strive for holiness. I’m saying this to you today to encourage you not to sin, realizing what Christ has done for us. But if anyone does sin, realize what Christ is doing for us right now, confess your sin, and walk in obedience by faith before your God.

Jesus is the Mighty Warrior and Judge (vv. 5-7)

In verse 1 we read that the LORD had said to his Christ to sit at his right hand “until I make your enemies your footstool.” In verses 5-7 we get a picture of that day when the Christ comes and his enemies will finally be put under his feet as he will come to judge them. We read, ‘The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings of the on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpse; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”

One day the King will come as a Warrior to destroy his enemies. He will come shattering all who are against him, kings, chiefs, and all. No person from any nation will be exempt, as he will judge over the whole earth. David pictures him filling the earth with corpses. He is coming to judge as a Warrior and no one will be able to stand against him. And on that day he will drink, lift his head, and be shown to be the one whose justice has been satisfied and who is the one standing (v. 7).

The book of Revelation pictures this judgment as Christ’s enemies being thrown into an eternal lake of fire. He is King; he is Priest, and he is the coming Warrior and Judge who will judge all men and crush his enemies.

Therefore, how should we respond to this truth of Jesus? We should respond with a sense of urgency in our lives. For the non-Christian, you need to feel the urgency of bowing the knee because he is not simply the reigning King but the coming conquering King. He is coming to judge his enemies, and his judgment is just. It is merciless. In Psalm 2, as God crowns his Son the King he warns all men everywhere to kiss the Son lest he be angry and they perish in his way. I say to you today, kiss the Son, bow to the King, repent of your sins, place your faith in Christ, and follow Jesus as your Lord. He is coming to judge and will destroy his enemies. I am not asking you how you can say no to this pitiful man. I am asking you why you will die in your sins before this coming and conquering King. Why will you die in your sins? Today, right now, repent and believe.

To the believer, we too need to allow this image of Christ as Warrior to give us a sense of urgency. Do not put off until tomorrow living a life of allegiance before the King. Realize that he is coming to judge and destroy, and so obey him. Let this urge us to obey the Lord in fulfilling the Great Commission.

And let this image of Christ as Warrior comfort us as well. One day all of Christ’s enemies, including Satan, and sin, and death will be destroyed before the conquering King, and that will mean our salvation. It is true. That day is coming. It is sure. Therefore, comfort your heart that tempts you to hold on to the things of this world so tightly, that tempts you to want to keep your life instead of giving it for Christ’s sake, that tempts you to not want to give up the praise of men, and that tempts you to fulfill your lusts with what is appealing to your eyes. Comfort your heart today by reminding your heart that the things of this world are fleeting. Christ is returning to judge, and that means our salvation will soon be complete. Comfort your heart by reminding your heart that it is okay to let go of the things of this world and live for one to come because that “until” of Psalm 110:1 will soon be a reality. He is coming back. He promised us. And he told us to remember what he has done to this point and will do in the future by eating of this meal as we gather until he indeed comes. There will be a day when we will no longer eat this meal by ourselves but with the Lord bodily present with us, eating as well. Therefore, may we come to the table today rejoicing that Christ is our King, our Priest, and the coming Warrior. Lord come quickly. Amen.

OUR KING, OUR PRIEST, OUR WARRIOR