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David's Son and Lord

Renewing Your Mind / R.C. Sproul
The Cross Radio
April 4, 2021 12:01 am

David's Son and Lord

Renewing Your Mind / R.C. Sproul

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April 4, 2021 12:01 am

The scribes and Pharisees often tried to catch Jesus off guard with questions about the law of God. Today, R.C. Sproul continues his series in the gospel of Mark to show how Jesus turned the tables on His opponents, asking them to explain a passage of the Old Testament that declares His deity.

Get R.C. Sproul's Expositional Commentary on the Gospel of Mark for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/1638/mark-expositional-commentary

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In Psalm 110 David writes the Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool bears the first part of the conundrum here you have the Lord and in the Old Testament. It's Yahweh having a conversation with someone who was given the title Adonai or Lord, once again, the Old Testament and in particular passage in the soul and understanding the person and work of during his earthly ministry. The Pharisees were always trying to trick Jesus up, find confusing with difficult questions of law were about to see why that was an effort in futility. Let's join Dr. RC Sproul analyses breaches from Mark chapter 12 item professor wants in seminary to talk about a strong Christian apologist. He said that when he was engaged in debate they would not only win the debate. He would not only annihilates the position of his opponent, but that when he was through with them. He would dust off the spot where he stood and that graphic imagery of that kind of sound victory in debate has stayed in my mind. Loathe these many years and I couldn't help but think of it when I came to this portion of Mark's gospel because we've just seen the threefold interrogation to which Jesus was subjected first to buy the Pharisees and Herodian then by the Sadducees and then by the scribes, which we have already considered and these groups sought to entrap Jesus and of all things to defeat the very incarnation of truth in a debate about truth, if any, adversaries of truth were annihilated in debate it was these groups and indeed Jesus dusted off the spot where they had stood. Not only does he win the debate. But now he seizes the arena of the debate turns the tables on his adversaries, and now he becomes the interrogator. He becomes the one who subjects profound theological questions to them where he said while he taught in the temple. How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David was just look at that for a second. The first part of the question is why do the intellectuals why do the theologians, the rabbis of Israel come to the conclusion about their expectation of the coming Messiah that he would be the son of David know most of these people were well aware of the manifold texts of the Old Testament that predicted that the coming Messiah would be from the line of David that he would be a descendent of David that he would be born in the city of David that he would be of the seed of David. If you go back for a moment to the pages of the Old Testament, we realize that Israel's most illustrious King was King David. He extended the boundaries of the nation from Dan to Beersheba was the greatest military genius of their history had the finest public works program of any king that ruled over the Jewish people.

He was a man who was a shepherd poet, a brilliant administrator. He personified the greatest statesmen of that world historical error and so the reign of David was considered by the Jews to be the golden age of Israel. And we know what happened upon the death of David, where his kingdom was inherited by his son Solomon that under that reign of Solomon with all of his wisdom and at times, the lack of it. The Golden age of Israel began to be tarnished a bit and then by the next generation. The kingdom was divided between Jeroboam and Rehoboam and that glorious golden era turned to rust and the decay continued, it got worse and worse as corruption penetrated every dimension of the monarchy of both the north and the south. And so the people longed for the good old days the days of the golden years under David and God gave them the promise that the fall in the house of David would be restored and that the monarchy promise to David would be a kingship that would last forever. So in generation after generation after generation.

The Jewish people pin their hopes for the coming Messiah who would be the son of David, one of David's descendents. And so Jesus goes on here. How is it that they say that the Messiah is the son of David for David himself said by the Holy Spirit, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore David himself calls him Lord, how is he then his son with look at the beginning of this quotation were Jesus said David himself said by the holy spirit that David's testimony was the testimony of the third person of the Trinity. It was a divine assertion in a divine affirmation and he is now quoting what David wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. A portion of the text of Psalm 110 the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool again this is a quotation directly from Psalm 110 you may be surprised to learn that Psalm 110 is the most frequently quoted Old Testament text in the New Testament the site another way, there is no other statement found in the Old Testament Scriptures quoted more often than the text of Psalm 110 including direct quotations and allusions. The New Testament refers to Psalm 110, no less then 33 times.

I've already said to you that this text is so rich so profound that it is worthy of much more attention than I can possibly give it this morning and when I just mentioned to you that the New Testament writers refer to it 33 times. They clearly understood the gravity of what I've just asserted how important this text in the Old Testament is to understand the person and work of Jesus.

When all the bites of rubber when Jesus is answered all their questions. Now he drags his adversaries to this text the supreme tax of messianic expectancy among them, and he said notice what David is saying about his son. The son that you are expecting as your Messiah. David himself said by the Holy Spirit, the Lord said to my Lord, there's the first part of the conundrum here you have the Lord and in the Old Testament. It's Yahweh having a conversation with someone who was given the title Adonai or Lord, which is strange enough because in most cases. In the Old Testament whenever the title Adam. I is used.

It is used, to describe an office or a title that belongs to Yahweh go back to Psalm eight for example, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all of the earth. The text reads like this. Oh Yahweh, our as in I and Isaiah 6.

The word for Lord is found in two ways. First, it is spelled out L little ole little are Little League when Isaiah said I saw the Lord, high and lifted up, and then later on in the text. The reference to the Lord is LORD and in most cases, when the Scriptures refer to God as Lord with all capital letters. That is the English translation of the sacred name of God. The memorial name the ineffable name, the name by which God revealed himself to Moses in the Midianite wilderness when he said I am who I am, Yahweh.

That's his name. It's not his title, the supreme title that is given to God which is translated in English by L little a little are Little League is the title Adonai, which means the one who is absolutely sovereign so Psalm eight we read all God, our sovereign. How excellent is your name in all of the earth. Now if we come back to this text here we have Yahweh calling somebody else out and I that's enough to cause us to scratch our heads isn't will. Who is it who was addressed in this Psalm by the Lord God omnipotent as Adam and I it doesn't say the Lord said to himself.

Adam and I rather it says the Lord said David is writing this to my dad and I know who is David's who is sovereign over the king of Israel in Hebrew categories that would be God.

And so it would seem that God is having a conversation with himself about David's Lord about David's sovereign about David's Adam. I so the Lord speaks to somebody else who was identified in Psalm 110 as David's Lord and Jesus is saying to these scholars. We think this what about this was the Holy Spirit saying know what is it that the Lord said to David's Lord set at my right hand dearly love and we go through the biblical narrative of the work of Jesus. There are special moments in the life and ministry of Jesus that we extrapolate and associate with supreme importance in terms of redemptive history we celebrate the birth of Jesus. That way we take very seriously the death of Jesus at the cross, which is so central to our salvation.

And then at the end of holy week.

We join in. Great joy and glory celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, and we celebrate the day of Pentecost and were almost preoccupied in this day and age with respect to the return of Jesus.

But there is an element in the work of Christ. Historically that is almost completely forgotten among us, and it's what is called the session of Jesus you know that in the polity and governmental makeup of St. Andrews. We are ruled by a body of elders that we call what the session where they called the session because when they meet to deliberate the established policy to give supervision to our spiritual lives. They don't meet standing up with sit down and discuss these things and that's what session simply means a being seated when we say that Congress is in session, we mean that our representatives are assembled and they don't stand all day, though many of the decisions are made in the cloakroom. The votes are taken.

While there in their seats of the most important session of all time. And of all place is the session that is seated in heaven and what Psalm 110 says is that Yahweh says to David's Lord, sit at my right hand which means being seated in the highest place of authority in the universe.

According to my delegation and the points that this prophecy gives to us is that the Messiah, who is to come. After he finishes his labor in this world will be exalted into heaven taken up into heaven in ascension and enthroned at the right hand of God. We say it every time we say the apostles Creed suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead and buried. He ascended into heaven, then what and sit with on the right hand of God.

That is a confession of faith of the early church to the importance of this section of Christ. What does that mean for us now. What did it mean for the church in the first century, it means that Christ has been enthroned in the highest seat of political power and authority in the universe. We pride ourselves in living in a democracy or a republic, but as Christians we do not reside in a democracy or Republic we live in the kingdom where we have a king who has been enthroned already that he is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of lords, and that rain is not something to take place in the distant future, and has started already. Jesus is our King this morning said before that one of my favorite stories of all time. Robin Hood I love it. You know the story, Richard the lion heart has to leave his country has to leave his realm. His domain because he's going off into a foreign battle to try to defeat the Turks and liberate Jerusalem from the infidel, and he goes off on the crew say it's while he's gone. Wicked Prince John takes charge of the realm, and anybody who wants to be faithful to Richard is banished as an outlaw and Robin and his men live in the forest trying to escape the wrath of the corrupt Prince John, you know the story Robin Hood's mentor called a band of merry men there known for their joy but they're also known, especially for their loyalty and what they wanted to do was to protect the realm until their king came home.

My favorite part of the stories at the end where Richard returns to England, but he's disguised in the garb of a monk and he succeeded in his disguise and in and he hears people talking about this Robin Hood in an Prince John and all that's going on so on his way back.

He travels through Sherwood Forest member and all of a sudden out of the trees jump Robin in the merry men and they stop this group of monks and Robin tries to relieve them of his perch in the his face is hidden, that is, King Richards faces hidden from Robin Hood and he says to Robin Hood.

Why are you doing this and he said because of my loyalty and my allegiance to my king and then Richard pulls apart the monks garments and displays the lion and the cross on his chest froze back the hood and instantly Robin recognizes him and falls on his knees and says my liege and then in the final moments Richard nights Robin Hood Sir Robin of Loxley because of his faithfulness during the absence of the King. So I love that as a metaphor for the church, our King is already seated on the right hand of God. But he's gone to heaven temporarily.

In the meantime he looks to us to his people to remain loyal to him.

When the whole world goes for Prince John, but our King has been seated at the right hand of God the author of Hebrews makes much of this when he writes of the supremacy of Jesus where he says the end of chapter 1 of the book of Hebrews to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool earlier in that same chapter he cites elsewhere. Your throne of God is forever and ever.

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions who is anointed again. It is to the sun that these words are spoken. Wonder you then why the New Testament would have 33 illusions. The Psalm 110, which gives us such a magnificent view of the unique transcendent majesty of Christ, who is the Messiah, but the point is that yes the Messiah will be the son of David, but in Julie's categories. The sun is always subordinate to his father, the son is never greater then the father and so you would expect as marvelous as the Messiah would be if he is David's son. He cannot be greater than David but David himself. Jesus says under the guidance of the Holy Ghost calls his son is for the Jesus is not simply the son of David.

He is David's son that one passage in Psalm 110 is used more than 30 times in the New Testament to prove that Jesus indeed is the Messiah and today we see Jesus himself using that passage, Dr. RC Sproul is taught is for Mark's gospel on this lords day this Easter Sunday and it's a great bolster to our faith to see what Jesus taught about himself and then he proved it with his resurrection.

We returned to Dr. scroll series to the gospel of Mark each Sunday and if you're with us each week. Let me recommend our resource offer to supplement your study. It's the digital download of Dr. scroll's commentary on this gospel you can go online requested at Renewing Your Mind.Ward, and in advance let me thank you for your generous financial gift sound biblical doctrine is applicable to all of life in your later ministries we develop and distribute teaching that is faithful to the historic Christian faith and we do that to as many people as possible. That was Dr. scroll's name when he began licking her ministries back in 1971 and remains our goal today, so it's our prayer that these resources help you in your own spiritual growth will on behalf of all of my college. Her ministries wish you a happy Easter. And like you to join us again next for Renewing Your Mind