Psalms of Prophecy and Doctrine

Today's message is going to be a bit of an exploration into the book of Psalms. Psalms is an interesting book, and it's a rather dynamic book. Honestly, more dynamic than I think we often give it credit for. Psalms is most commonly known by readers as a collection of songs and prayers and Hebrew poetry that have been collected together and set to music. Quite a number of the headings in the Psalms that you could read say, you know, these words are meant to be played with stringed instruments or in a certain type of ensemble.

So they were meant to be sung. We won't go into it today, but Psalms is really quite a classic study into the structure of Hebrew poetry and the parallelisms and the other types of structures in Hebrew poetry. It's quite different than our sort of poetry that tends to rhyme in terms of sound. There's a rhythm and a rhyme in terms of intent and meaning and emphasis literally behind the words in many of the Psalms.

But it is a very fascinating book, and it's often read by God's people for its words of encouragement during a trial. If you're down, if you're going through a struggle, you go, ah, okay, I know a certain author of many of the Psalms who went through trials and struggles himself and wrote about those things. And so we read that for encouragement and to be uplifted. We read these words as well for practical instructions for living this Christian way of life day by day.

And because the Psalms are also prayers, they're helpful in providing for us guidelines for how we should pray, the kinds of things we should pray for. Of course, we see King David, who had a very close relationship with God, wrote many of these Psalms as a prayer of either praise to God or crying out to God in distress or just, you know, some form of prayer. And I've known people that have actually read Psalms on their knees before God in prayer, you know, saying, God, would you accept this expression because it so clearly marks out what it is I'm feeling inside.

And David just had such a unique way of pinning those things. Other Psalms as well serve as history lessons. They contain details of ancient Israel, their exodus from Egypt and their wilderness wanderings and God's dealings with the people of Israel.

And they also give us insight into what King David was thinking, what was going through his mind as he walked through many of the circumstances that he faced in his life both before and after he was king. As God's people today, we sing songs from the book of Psalms, don't we? I wasn't paying attention to all of them, but I know at least the third song of our opening series of songs that we sang today came from the book of Psalms.

And so those are very meaningful to us even today, and they've been set to music, and we sing those as expressions of praise to God. We pray Psalms in our prayers to God, and we often quote Psalms in our conversations with each other. In fact, we're encouraged to do so in the New Testament, speaking to one another and songs and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. It's a means by which we as God's people are to lift one another up.

And these words are very encouraging for doing just that. So it is a very dynamic book in so many ways. The Psalms have had and continue to play a very big part and have a big impact on the people of God day by day. As we read and we study and we incorporate those things. Today I want to focus on a little bit of a different aspect, other than what I've already outlined from the book of Psalms.

I want to spend some time today exploring the importance of the Psalms from the perspective of prophecy and doctrine. And maybe we don't always think of the Psalms in that way, but they are full of prophecy and doctrine. And that is my title today, Psalms of Prophecy and Doctrine. We're just going to scratch the surface today on this topic. Actually, we're just going to take a thin thread of doctrine on pretty much a similar point and pull it out.

But this goes in so many directions in the Psalms. If you were to pick up the church's booklet on fundamental beliefs, many of those doctrines, if not all of them, have some roots going back into the Psalms and things that we can find expressed there. So the Psalms is a beautiful book, and I would encourage you to scour it for the prophetic insights and the doctrinal guidance that it provides.

And if we keep that in mind along with the other aspects of the Psalms—again, encouragement and prayer and song, those things that we've considered already today—we're going to find that it's an enjoyable book, and that is very much alive in terms of the Word of God. It is alive, and if we absorb these things and inculcate these things into our life, we will be alive as well in response to our God in heaven.

Who authored the Psalms is maybe a good question to begin with as we lay a little bit of foundational footwork. Who authored the Psalms? I think we all know that King David wrote a large portion of the Psalms, of the 150 Psalms making up that collection. Seventy-three are designated as being of David in their introductory comments. So David was a very gifted man, a talented man, and he had, I would say, artistic expression in many ways, and eloquent in his words. And other scriptures—it would be an interesting study if you want to chase down this thread— that shows that David was actually an inventor of musical instruments, an inventor of stringed instruments, and it would seem that it's likely that those stringed instruments that he invented were for then the playing and the performing of the Psalms in praise to God. Again, I'll let you examine that on your own. There are other authors in the Psalms as well. We find that Psalm Psalms are attributed to men whom David placed in charge of worship in Jerusalem. Asaph would be an example. There's 12 Psalms in the book of Psalms from Asaph. Some different other people who were involved in the worship at the temple as well, penned maybe one or two Psalms. There's other names you could add into there. The name of David's son Solomon appears twice. Ten Psalms are attributed to the Levitical family of Korah. And one composition that we're aware of, Psalm 90, is attributed to Moses. We'll go there and quote that from time to time. Teach us the number of our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. That was a Psalm penned by Moses, then making it the oldest of the Psalms in this package. And so there's quite a lot of expression of thought and multiple authors overall for the Psalms. Fifty Psalms have no attribution at all, although it's believed that King David was an author to many of those, because if you go forward to the New Testament and see where some of those are quoted, ones without attribution in the Old, there's at least two or three that are attributed to David in the New. So it would appear that likely he is an author of many of those, and again, overwhelmingly the author of the book of Psalms. Some Psalms as well could have been composed as late as the time of Ezra. That was the time frame when the final assembly of that book then came together. So you could have had King Hezekiah as an author, perhaps, Habakkuk. And even women psalmists are a possibility, such as Deborah and Hannah. Certainly, as you read through the biblical accounts of those ladies, they were individuals who penned songs of praise to God. So that is a possibility as well. Now, if we're going to talk today about prophecy and doctrine contained within the Psalms, we need to recognize then what the inspiration or the source of that prophecy would be, where it would come from, and how it would bring forth. Where did the prophecy originate? Where did the doctrine come from that we can now look back and pull out of that book? Well, 2 Peter gives us the answer, and I want to begin there today, in 2 Peter 1 and verse 20.

2 Peter 1 and verse 20. I'm kind of jumping into the middle of the context, but it gives us an important understanding of what is the source of prophecy. 1 Peter 1 verse 20 says, "...knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation." That word, interpretation, could also be origin, as it would come from the Greek.

So it's not of any private origin. "...for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." So what we find is that it was God's Spirit that inspired the recording of the Psalms, especially, as we would say, the prophetic ones. Because many of the authors who wrote these things, they wrote them for purpose in their day, and they had an application to their day. But when you read them from our modern-day perspective, you come to understand they have as well an application that points forward.

And one that even they themselves may not have fully understood as they wrote them. But it was by God's Spirit that these things were inspired. They were for, I would say, their encouragement, but also through us that we would have confidence in the Scriptures. These things are true, and they do tie together as God intended. Again, King David was a prominent author of the book of Psalms. He was a man who possessed God's Holy Spirit clearly.

And so not only was he gifted, he was also inspired. He was inspired by the Spirit of God. And in fact, David is labeled as a prophet by the Apostle Peter. Sometimes it can be quick and easy to read over, and maybe we don't always think of it, but King David is a prophet. And he was one of the dominant prophets in the Old Testament.

Acts 2 and verse 23, we can see that label attached to him by Peter. Acts 2 and verse 23. Here, the context is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the day of Pentecost. And we're going to take a string of passages here and actually look at some Psalms that have been brought forward to this section. And we're going to see as well as we're here that it includes both doctrine and prophecy together.

So to begin Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, it says, "...him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands and have crucified and put to death." Speaking of Jesus Christ, who was crucified there in Jerusalem. Verse 24, "...whom God raised up, having loosened the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it." He says, "...for David says concerning him..." So now Peter's going to go and he's going to go back to the book of Psalms.

And, you know, from memory, he didn't just go pull the scroll out, but he's going to take a section of the book of Psalms and he's going to pull that forward now and says, this applies here. And this applies to what God has done at this time, and indeed what he is doing on this day. "...for David says concerning him..." Concerning Jesus Christ, "...I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken.

Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence." This is quoting from Psalm 16, verses 8-11. So David here was writing not just simply about himself. Predominantly, this is a prophecy pointing forward to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the fact that the Messiah would not remain in the grave, the fact that he would not see corruption, but also there is a parallel to an understanding of David, because you can go to other Psalms and see that David knew there would be a day that he would dwell in the presence of God forever.

It would dwell on his holy hill and in his tabernacle. And so David had an understanding by God's Spirit of the plan and purpose of God, the Gospel. Abraham had the Gospel talk to him. And so there was understanding, and David knew, okay, God, you're going to raise up your son, and I have hope in that as well, because then I'm not going to be left myself in the grave indefinitely. But we have this pull forward, and Peter says, this is applying to Jesus Christ.

Verse 29, "'Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.' The point is, he wasn't writing about himself being raised before his flesh even saw corruption." This would have been about the one who was raised after three days and three nights.

Verse 30, "'Therefore, being a prophet,' King David was a prophet, "'and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. And he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he, Jesus Christ, poured out this which you now see and hear.

He received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, and he poured it out on them on the day of Pentecost." Verse 34, "'For David has not ascended into the heavens, but he says himself,' again so now another psalm, "'The Lord said to my Lord, said at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'" And so what we find here is that David recorded prophecies again in the psalms under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, that to a degree they had meaning in his day, but they very much pointed forward to what it was that God would fulfill.

These things were prophetic in nature, and they came by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. And what you find then is that the apostles quoted these psalms with understanding.

As they came to understand who Jesus Christ was and witnessed his crucifixion and his resurrection, and they could now see by God's Spirit, inspiring them, these psalms apply ultimately to him. And so you find in their writings so many places where there's quotes from the psalms, things that have been pulled and applied, because they say, these apply today in our day. Not that they didn't apply when they were penned, but ever so much more, the ultimate purpose and fulfillment of these things are for us.

The book of Psalms is the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament because of the prophecies it declares and because of the doctrine it establishes. And Jesus again and the apostles were constantly referring back to those writings to reinforce what God was fulfilling in them. Jesus Christ himself quoted from the psalms on multiple occasions to reinforce a point, and even oftentimes when he was confronted by the Jewish leadership and had to defend his own divinity as the Son of God.

In this case, this is a prophecy about Jesus' resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, but you see it is also a doctrine. It's also a doctrine. When the Church of God establishes the doctrine of the resurrection and the understanding that the day is coming, that all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth.

There has to be an understanding that the resurrection is true and it is real, and that understanding comes through the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That his soul was not left in the grave and it did not see corruption. Because as we read, I think it was on the first day of Unleavened Bread in 1 Corinthians 15, if there is no resurrection, then our hope is pointless. Our faith is futile. And if Christ is in the grave, there is no resurrection.

Go back now to the book of Psalms, right? And it's there in foundational structure, and it's a part of the package of our understanding of the resurrection.

Additionally here, Acts 2 tells us that David was a prophet, and he understood the promises of God pertaining to the perpetual covenant also regarding his throne.

The fact that Jesus Christ, David's descendant, would be the Messiah whom God would raise up in glory to occupy that throne for the benefit of mankind in the age to come. We read through that as well in this section of Acts 2. So there's so much that's contained just in a sliver that, frankly, we could spend all day talking about the implications of those things.

But that's not my point. It's an overview when I want to give us today how we can look at the Psalms and understand the fullness of it includes prophecy and doctrine.

So let's look at another Psalm, and this time let's go back to the book of Psalms. Psalm chapter 2.

Psalm chapter 2. Again, we're just going to explore through some of the Psalms with the recognition that they were important in their day, but they point ultimately to prophetic events that God would fulfill. I'm not going to take time. You can go back and look at ones that pointed to the first coming of Jesus Christ.

Psalm 22 is one that you can walk through, and it talks about His crucifixion and His time on the stake and many details. His garments were divided among them and those things.

We're not going to go down that path. I want to go through ones that are more so forward-looking even from our day here today.

Psalm chapter 2 and verse 1 starts out with a question.

Why do the nations rage in the people plot of vain thing? It says, The history of mankind has been a long, long track record of plotting a vain thing.

That vain thing has been rebellion against God the Father and Jesus Christ, and rebellion against the laws and the commandments of God. It started in the beginning, and it continues today.

But what we're going to see as well is that the time comes where that plotting will climax at the end of the age with the nations who gather together in open rebellion against the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God.

And indeed, as we know, that is a vain thing.

Verse 4, This is the response to what man and their vanity and what they perceive as their strength would plot.

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. They shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his displeasure. He says, And so the resistance of man is going to be met with the wrath of God, ultimately resulting in Jesus Christ, the one who God says, I will establish on my holy hill of Zion. He will be installed by God as king over the nations at his return.

Again, I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. It may have had an application to David in his day, but ultimately the fulfillment is to Jesus Christ at the establishment of the kingdom of God.

Verse 7, The Lord has said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. There's no confusion over who this king is. It is the only begotten son of God, the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Verse 8, And I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.

So we have the Psalm now pointing forward, and it's quoted in Revelation 2, verse 27, and it pertains to the authority that Jesus has received over the nations from his father. And actually, it's authority as well. That Christ says, I've been given this authority, and you, my saints, will have this authority of dominion as well. Ultimately, this world will be brought into subjection by him. And as the returning king of kings and Lord of lords, he must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet.

Carrying on in verse 10, it says of Psalm 2, it says, Kiss the sun. It's kind of an interesting phrase. It essentially means to embrace discipline, to heed the instruction, to come in line with what it is that God has declared. Kiss the sun, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are those who put their trust in him. And so, we have this very interesting psalm that, again, applied in type, and ultimately, though the fulfillment pointed forward to now the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God.

Psalm 2 is what is known as a royal psalm, because it pertains to the future kingship and the rulership of Jesus Christ when he is established on this earth. And indeed, there are a number of royal psalms contained within the book of Psalms. But again, where do we get our teachings as a church of the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God? Is it in the New Testament only? No, it's not. And we come back, and part of the foundational portion of the package is built throughout the prophets of the Old Testament, including those who were given the inspiration of writing in the psalms. Let's look at another psalm of prophecy and doctrine. Psalm 72. Psalm 72, verse 1. What's interesting about this one is, if you have a Bible that shows the title of the psalm, it'll say, A Psalm of Solomon. But if you turn over to the last verse of the psalm, verse 20, Psalm 72, it says, The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. So there's a little discussion about this. It's thought that perhaps, actually, this is a psalm of David, and it was written for Solomon, not by Solomon. And that is very, very possible. But either way, it's either a psalm of Solomon or a psalm for Solomon by David. But as you read through the psalm, it seems that the slant could have been more so from David towards Solomon. Psalm 72, verse 1, says, Give the king your judgment, O God, and your righteousness to the king's son. You can imagine that this psalm had importance as the dynasty down the line of King David's sons that would rule, and it would be held on to almost like a prayer for the kings as they came on to the throne.

But again, give the king your judgment, O God, and your righteousness to the king's son. But as we're going to see, the king's son here is ultimately a reference to Jesus Christ, the one who will come, the one who will be set on God's holy hill. And the fact is, he is of the line of David's descendants. So he is the king's son. But he's also the son of God.

Verse 2, it says, Mountains and hills are often a reference to governments and nations. And it says, Out of these, again, we come peace and righteousness. This is a millennial prophecy.

Verse 4, he says, Again, we can have a parallel here to Solomon, who was the son of David, and frankly, his kingship, which was a type of the rule of Jesus Christ yet to come. But as we'll read through it, we see that the fulfillments expand out beyond what was limited to Solomon.

Verse...

I'll start again at verse 5.

So this is clearly not referring to Solomon. Again, although his reign included attributes of this in a limited fashion, but this is a forerunner, he was, of Jesus Christ. Solomon's kingdom and the peace of Solomon's kingdom and the wisdom of Solomon was a type and forerunner of Jesus Christ, who would ultimately come in that way. But the righteous king being established here is the same one whom God will set on his holy hill of Zion, who will rule the nations. Verse 8, it says, "...he shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth." That terminology is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as well pertaining to the Messiah. Verse 9, "...those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before him, and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles will bring presents. The kings of Sheba and Siba will offer gifts. It's all the king shall fall down before him." Why would all the kings fall down before him? Well, because he is king of kings, as his father would establish him. "...all nations shall serve him." This was not Solomon. Verse 12, "...for he will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also in him who has no helper." Verse 13, "...he will spare the poor and the needy and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence, and precious shall be their blood in his sight." This will be a different kind of rulership than what man has become accustomed to, because this king will rule righteously, help the poor, lift up the oppressed and the needy. And again, you can go to so many other prophecies, Isaiah being one, and see how this applies to the ministry of Jesus, both at his first and second coming. Verse 15, it says, "...and he shall live. And the gold of Sheba will be given to him, and prayer also will be made for him continually, and daily he shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain on the earth, on the top of the mountains. Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon, and those of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth." Verse 17, "...his name shall endure forever, and his name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in him. All nations shall call him blessed." You recall that a messianic prophecy that was given to Abraham was that, "...in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Again, this is pointing forward ultimately to the seed of David as well, the Messiah who came forth.

Verse 18, "...blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things, as God will ensure that these things take place. And blessed be his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen." And so this is the closing, what they call a doxology of praise for book number two of the Psalms.

If you have a heading in your Bible over starting Psalm 73, it says Book 3. Because the Psalms are broken into five books, and at the conclusion of each book you have this doxology. It's a term of praise to God. And again, verse 19 is that doxology. "...blessed be his glorious name forever, let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen." The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

And so David clearly seemed to have an understanding of the coming kingdom of God, as well as Jesus Christ's role as God's reigning King on the earth. And he was inspired by God's Holy Spirit to record these things. Even maybe, or maybe not with full understanding of his time, he understood what God gave him to understand. But we understand as we can look back now and read these things through the lens of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the promises of the New Testament that they very much point to not just a human being, but of a divine fulfillment. Psalm chapter 110 is another prophetic and doctrinal psalm. Psalm chapter 110, this is a psalm of David, as it's clearly noted. Psalm chapter 110, and it's another prophetic psalm, and it's considered both a royal psalm and a messianic psalm. And it's also a cornerstone psalm for the church's doctrinal understanding pertaining to the divinity of Jesus Christ. The fact that he pre-existed his human birth. He was with God, and he was not an angel that came in the flesh. Psalm chapter 110 and verse 1, the Lord said to my Lord, Yahweh, attributed here to the Father, said to my Lord Adonai, which would be the one who became Jesus Christ. So David said, the Lord said to my Lord, to David's Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. We don't have time to go today through all of it, but there's other references to this verse in the New Testament that confirmed that this Adonai, this Lord, the one who was at the right hand of the Father, was not only David's Lord and Master, but he was also the one to come who would be the Son of David. All right? He was his Master and Lord back in this time, but he was the one to come who would be the Son of David. Matthew chapter 22, verse 41 through 46 confirmed that. We won't turn there today, but there's the exchange there between Jesus and the Pharisees, and they're contending with him about who he is, and Christ basically says, well, let me ask you a question. You know, how does David call him Lord? You know, whose son is he, the Messiah? And they said, well, David's son. He says, well, how does David call him Lord? And yet he's his son, and they couldn't answer him. And the answer was because he was David's Lord. He was also the one who was born as his son, the Messiah, as well.

While some have tried to claim that an angel, not a God-being, became the son of David, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 13 clearly refutes that by showing this position at the right hand of the Father was not given to the angels, it was given to God's Son. To which of the angels did he ever say, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool? The answer is he never did. That position was reserved for his son.

So this passage, again, is useful for us, brethren, in providing doctrinal proof to the New Testament writers as well. They pulled this verse forward more than any other verse in the Bible. It's quoted multiple times in the New Testament.

Provided them and us doctrinal understanding of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

So again, Psalm chapter 1, verse 1, This section of Scripture is clearly a prophecy of the coming reign of Jesus Christ as he establishes the rule of God's kingdom on the earth.

And just like Jesus was in will be, is the prophecy, established as king in Zion. Again, we read that prophecy in Psalm chapter 2.

The Rod of his strength will also be sent out from Zion to rule in the midst of his enemies.

Verse 3, it says, Your people shall be volunteers in the day of your power, and the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning you have the due of your youth.

Volunteers, the prophecy says, your people will be volunteers in the day of your power.

Messiah's people, those that would accompany him in subduing the earth and exercising power over the nations. Well, who is that?

Who are the volunteers? The wording here in the Hebrew is literally freewill offering.

Freewill offering.

In other words, those who will accompany Jesus Christ will offer themselves a dedicated service to the efforts of the Messiah. And, brethren, that's you and me.

God willing, if we are faithful to the end and are there, God calls us.

But our response is voluntary. But if you are the people who want to be there to reign alongside Jesus Christ for a thousand years, you will be volunteers in his service in the day of his power.

You will be the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and you will be the ones assisting in his work as the bride of Jesus Christ.

So the prophecies that spring forth from these psalms are true.

Verse 4 says, The Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Again, a prophecy pointing to the priestly work of Jesus as our high priest. Verse 5 says, The Lord is at your right hand. So we have the understanding from verse 1 who sits at the right hand of who. Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father. So the Lord, the one who would be Jesus Christ in this narrative, is at your right hand. And notice, He shall execute kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the nations. He shall fill the places with dead bodies. He shall execute the heads of many countries. He shall drink of the brook by the wayside. Therefore, He shall lift up the head. Jesus Christ will lift up the head. He will lift up God in the glory of God and all the earth as He accomplished these things. According to His will. This is somewhat of a graphic description of what will be required in order to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. Revelation 19 and other passages describe in detail Jesus' future efforts in fulfilling these words as He intervenes in the affairs of the world. And He puts down the rebellion against God. Again, notice in detail basically verses 5-7, He says He will execute kings. He will judge among the nations, fill the places with dead bodies, and so on. This is what must take place in order to put down the raging of the nations in rebellion against God.

And we see the dramatic fulfillment of that. I do want to turn forward to Revelation 19. Again, just as a comparison of, is the returning Jesus Christ the one to fulfill what was prophesied in Psalm 110? Revelation 19, verse 11, says, You'll recall Psalm 110 says, In righteousness He will judge, and in righteousness the one who comes, the returning Jesus Christ, judges and makes war. Verse 2, So no question about who this is, who this being is, Jesus Christ the Word of God. Verse 14, Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations, and He Himself, important words, He Himself, there are things that Jesus Christ Himself will do, but it comes from the authority of God the Father, because God, the Father is executing judgment, but through Jesus Christ. And it says, Verse 16, It is a position of authority and a role that the Father has delegated to the Son, to be king over all kings of the earth, Lord over all lords, all masters, and to establish the kingdom of God. Verse 19 says, It says, And the rest of the kings of the earth that were standing there in opposition and battled against Him, and the rest were killed with the sword, which proceeds from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, the coming king of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. And the birds were filled with their flesh.

And so we see the fulfillment that when Jesus returns as king of kings and Lord of lords, He will execute the Father's judgment on the earth. And He Himself will tread out the winepress and the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He will establish the reign of the kingdom of God on earth. And so what we see from fulfillment, and what was prophesied in Psalm 110, is that the Father's and the Son's relationship has been consistent. And will continue to be. From the beginning of God's plan of salvation of mankind through to the end, there are so many points that we can point to of a relationship being of God through Jesus Christ. Of God through Jesus Christ. Again, that relationship is consistent. The Bible reveals that all creation was of God through Jesus Christ. We're not going to go to those scriptures. We've been through those before, but this is a pattern. The forgiveness of sin comes of God the Father through the sacrifice and through the blood of Jesus Christ. The giving of the Holy Spirit, as we read in Acts 2, of God through Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the dead put those scriptures together, of God through Jesus Christ. And the judgment of the earth, as well, will be of God the Father. God is executing judgment on the nations. But it is carried out through Jesus Christ, as is clearly shown by the scripture. We also have this confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Acts 17. So let's turn over there quickly.

Acts 17, verse 30. Paul here is addressing pagans, we would say. People who have not yet come to conversion. Idol worshippers on Mars Hill, on the Areopagus. He's teaching them of about God and who He is. In Acts 17 and verse 30, Paul says, Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness. God the Father has appointed a day on which God the Father will judge the world in righteousness. And how will He do that? By the man whom He has ordained. He says He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. And so, brethren, all these verses tie together to form a package of consistency. But so many of the truths that we find the foundation of them are declared not simply in the New Testament. You go back to the Old Testament and you can find in the prophets. And again, the prophet David amongst the Psalms. The foundation of this scriptural package. Psalm chapter 110 is a prophecy establishing Jesus supremacy as King, as priest, and Messiah. And it's why it is the most frequently quoted Psalm in the New Testament. And it's why it stands as a passage of foundational doctrine for the Church of God today. Again, it is both prophetic and doctrinal. Psalm chapter 47 speaks of God being triumphant over the nations.

Psalm chapter 47. And again, this is just one string of prophecy that runs throughout the Psalms. It goes in various directions, but I want us to just at least have some insight into the depth of this. Psalm chapter 47 verse 1 says, O clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. If Jesus Christ is King of Kings, does that mean God the Father is not a King? It does not. God the Father is a great King. He is King over all the earth. But He is delegated to Jesus Christ, the position and the authority when He comes to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords for the establishment of God's Kingdom. But verse 3 says, He will subdue the peoples under us. Notice we're brought into this now, as we understand the part we can play as God's people. He will subdue the peoples under us and the nations under our feet. And indeed, all the nations of the earth will be subdued under our feet when we reign alongside Jesus Christ. But it's not just the nations. It's not just physical human beings that will be under our feet. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 16, verse 20, that the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. So God's plan for His holy people includes dominion over all creation, okay? Just as Christ inherits dominion over all creation. It also includes all people, all nations, and even reigning over the angelic realm. Carrying on in verse 4, it says, He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. God will choose the inheritance of His people. You know, ultimately we inherit eternal life, but we understand that our reward and inheritance and position within God's kingdom of how we will serve can be different. So God will choose our inheritance in His kingdom, in our portion and positions determined by Him. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3 through 4 states that God has begotten us to an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and does not fade away. You know, people today can receive physical inheritance. If your parents, if your grandparents who have worked hard, who have stored up to have something that they want to pass on to their children and you receive an inheritance, but you see in this physical world it's corruptible, and what you receive is sometimes very quickly spent or sometimes very quickly lost in various ways, but what God has promised is an eternal inheritance.

Verse 5 says, God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King, sing praises, for God is the King of all the earth, sing praises with understanding. Verse 8, God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God and He is greatly exalted.

Again, this is a snapshot of a future time when God is triumphant over the nations, and we will have a part to play in that victory as well. Jesus Christ will be established and will reign, but the glory goes to God. And the nations come to know who God is, and the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. That is the point of the gospel message then being shouted from every rooftop when the Messiah comes, and the nations are brought in subjection to Him.

These are all beautiful prophecies, brethren, and I would encourage us to meditate upon them, especially as we're living in an age of decline, an age of trouble and turmoil. This is what can be helpful to us to put our focus on the end result and what it is that God has purposed and focus on these things that are both encouraging and praiseworthy. Because these are the things of God. The world may melt down around us, but the things of God will stand.

That is what we'll endure eternally. There are so many different strings of prophecy that we could go into through the Psalms. I've just chosen this and hopefully whetted your appetite to go and pursue some others for yourself. With die-digging, you can find prophetic and doctrinal scriptures pertaining to a number of topics. Let me just give you a few. You can chase some of these out. Again, there are so many others. But in the Psalms, there are prophetic and doctrinal scriptures pertaining to the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ, the nature of man, the nature of the angels, the purpose and destiny of man.

What is man that you are mindful of him? David asked. The questions are there, and the answers are sprinkled throughout as well. You can find scriptures pertaining to the kingship and the messiahship of Jesus Christ about who will be in the kingdom of God. David asked, Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle, who may dwell on your holy hill? We can find answers to what the kingdom of God will be like and the part we will have to play in it.

Again, many important questions and answers that can find some of the foundational scriptures in the book of Psalms. Inspired by God's Spirit, it is indeed incredibly dynamic and alive book that's been preserved for our learning today. If you're not sure where to begin in studying the prophetic and doctrinal Psalms, I'd encourage you to simply go through the New Testament and find the Psalms that have been quoted there. And pull them there, and then don't just leave them there.

Go back and read the context in which they were given originally. Again, these things had parallel meanings to a degree. It meant something in the time they were written, but they mean things as well in their ultimate fulfillment by God's purpose. Go find them quoted in the New Testament, quoted by Jesus Christ, quoted by the apostles, because they're instructive as to the importance of the material that are contained in this book. I want to conclude today by looking at one more passage in the New Testament that pulls a number of Psalms in close proximity into its context.

Hebrews chapter 1, and we'll wrap up here today, Hebrews chapter 1, this passage of Hebrews pulls a number of quotes from the Psalms, and by simply reading through it, you can see the value of the Psalms to the prophetic and doctrinal understanding of the Church of God today. These are things that were put together by the apostles that form doctrinal understanding for their time that we seek to preserve in our time today as well. Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1, we're just going to read through the chapter.

Verse 3, who, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. So we understand who is sitting at the right hand of the majesty on high. Right? Today, you are my son, today I've been gotten you. This is the one who was Jesus Christ. And as the passage goes on, then, it highlights the superiority of Jesus Christ over the angels. Verse 5, it says, So part of this is from the Psalms. You are my son, today I've been gotten you is from the Psalms. The remainder is from another portion of Scripture as well that has been pulled in. Verse 6, and when he again brings a firstborn into the world, he says, from the Psalms, Let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he says, from the Psalms, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But to the son, he says, from the Psalms, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. From the Psalms, therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions.

And, verse 10, from the Psalms, You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you will remain. They will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you will fold them up. And they will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will not fail. There's a little mixture in verse 10 through 12 from the Psalms and from other locations that have been brought in. Verse 13, But to which of the angels has he ever said, from the Psalms, said at my right hand, till they make your enemies your footstool? Again, it's the questions that's posed, and the answer is, he never said that to an angel. He said that to his only begotten son, the one who came, who died, who rose again, who sits at the right hand of the Father. Verse 14, speaking of the angels, then, Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

And so, brethren, here we have multiple quotes pulled from the Psalms that set a doctrinal position for a number of things. The divinity of Jesus Christ. The fact that he wasn't a created being, but he was God with God. Okay? That is contained within these quoted Psalms. The position of Jesus as the anointed of God and as the Son of God.

The active role of Jesus Christ in creating all things is established here. The everlasting nature of his throne. The superiority of God the Father overall. Therefore God your God, okay, the Father overall. And the position of the role of angels. These are all scriptures from primarily from the Psalms that were prophetic in their implications. And they are doctrinal as well, forming the basis of the understanding of the Church of God today. So, brethren, hopefully we can see the value of the book of Psalms as God's people. They recorded under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, and they've been preserved for us today. And because of that, they encourage us when we are down. They teach us how to pray. They give us lessons of practical application in this Christian life. They teach us history. They point us forward to the future in prophecy. And they give us foundational principles upon which to build doctrine in the Church of God. It has been built. Okay, the apostles solidified the doctrine of the early Church. Our responsibility is to hang on to the truth and the faith once delivered. But this is where our doctrine comes from. In the pull from the words of King David in Psalm 119, verse 105, God's Word truly is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And it does illuminate the way, not just what happened behind, but it illuminates the way before us as well. So, brethren, I'd encourage you to take a little time to enjoy the Psalms, to dig deep, and to consider both the prophetic and doctrinal portions that it offers. Certainly, as a package, it is a blessing and a benefit, and something I think we do very well to sing to rejoice. And as we speak to another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, let us appreciate the blessing of God's Word and how it impacts our life as His people today.