The most quoted Old Testament chapter in the New Testament is the 110th Psalm. It is one of several psalms that are Messianic, pointing towards Israel’s Great Deliverer. In our text today we will see why so many NT authors quote this psalm. It is Jesus who elevates the words of this psalm in order to silence the Pharisees and give us a fuller understanding of the resume of the Messiah. This clarity will come in the form of a heavenly dialogue between God and His Son. Join us as we eavesdrop together on the words exchanged in Heaven’s Throne Room and see how Jesus persuasively ended the cycle of debate that has defined chapter 22.
11. Embrace the deity of Jesus
practically!
What should we do?
Humbly submit to the Father’s
authority!
12. Embrace the deity of Jesus practically.
What should we do?
Humbly submit to the Father’s authority!
Be confident that Jesus will get
the last word!
Editor's Notes
As most of us know, this part of Illinois was host to one of the most famous series of debates in American history, the Lincoln-Douglas debates. One of the locations was in Galesburg at Knox College. Like many of you, I have posed for a picture by the historical plaque marking the historic debate. What may surprise us is just how taxing the debates were to the two participants. There were a total of 7 debates. They were two hours each. One party made an opening 30-minute statement. The opposing party gave a 60-minute speech followed by a 30-minute rebuttal. Yet, this barely defines the strain. Each of these debates involved travel by rail. Both Douglas and Lincoln made hundreds of stump speeches at railstops along the way. By the end, Douglas’ heavy drinking and pneumonia had practically worn him to the ground. He was the strong favorite but found Lincoln to be surprisingly capable and astute.
One of the key issues had to do with the designating of slave and free states as America was expanding westward. Although Douglas admitted that slavery was an unfortunate evil, he asserted that the territories had a right to “popular sovereignty.” The territories had a right to choose whether to allow slavery or not. In the final debate, Lincoln asked a killer question. This was the question that ultimately won the series of debates. And although Douglas won the Senate seat due to the manipulation of district borders called “gerrymandering”, he lost the debate when Lincoln asked this question:
“How do you propose to improve the condition of things by enlarging slavery—by spreading it out and making it bigger?”
Douglas had no good answer. He continued to make personal attacks on Lincoln. He tragically continued to assert the superiority of the white race. But he never answered Lincoln’s question. There was no response.
In our text today we will see that Jesus is at the end of a series of four debates. He has debated the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees and now again the Pharisees. Each of these debates was taxing. But the real pressure was Jesus’ constant awareness that he was headed to a cross… imminently. And in the fourth and final debate, Jesus will close with a killer question, a question which could not be answered and brought the debate cycle to an end.
So, let me share a brief sermon overview with you. We are going to start by looking at an initial debating round of Question and Answer. This interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees is unique from the other debates in that Jesus initiates the questioning. He has gone on the offensive! Next, we will see that Jesus quotes from the opening verse of the 110th Psalm, the most quoted verse in the Bible. We will pause to consider the importance of this frequent quotation. And then we will consider “The Last Question”, the killer question that ends the debating cycle.
Q & A
Matthew 22:41-42
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”
The Frequent Quote
Mt. 22:43-44
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
Psalm 110 is one of the 72 Psalms that are traditionally attributed to King David. This is an important fact and will be at the very center of Jesus’ final question.
James Montgomery Boice states that by his count, Psalm 110:1 is either directly quoted or alluded to 27 times.
Notice that in the image on the screen, the first LORD is all in capital letters. Biblical translators use these capitals to indicate, YHWH, or Jehovah… the God of Israel. You’ll also see that the second Lord begins with a capital, but then has lower case letters. This indicates a different word, the Hebrew “Adonai” which means Lord or Master.
Till I make your enemies your footstool.
The Messiah would achieve total victory over his enemies!
1 Corinthians 15:25
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The Last Question
Matthew 22:45-46
45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
What should we do?
Embrace the deity of Jesus practically!
The problem today is slightly different. It is not so much in our churches that members
deny the deity of Christ13 as that they ignore it in their lives. One of the sad results of the
denigration of theology in the popular church is the tendency to lower Jesus to the status of
friend and companion rather than of cosmic Lord and “very God of very God” (the Christology
of the Nicene Creed). It is time to worship Jesus as Lord with a new depth. (Grant Osborne)