Lord's Day Sermon, December 13, 2020: Christmas Psalms of Expectation (Part 3)

“Messiah Brings Salvation to All Nations”
Psalm 45; Luke 1:30-33; 2:29-32; Ephesians 3:4-6
Christmas Psalms of Expectation Pt 2
Lord’s Day, December 6, 2020
Bart W. Newton, Preaching Minister
To view simple online worship service which includes a sermon from Psalm 22 and the Lord’s Supper, please click on the the following link: “Messiah Brings Salvation to All People”

(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.)

• We’ve been considering Christmas Psalms of Expectation. In these messages we look at Psalms that speak of the first Advent (coming) of King Jesus, but also encourage the church to look forward to the 2nd Advent (coming) of Jesus.

The superscription at the top tells us it’s a love song.

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.
• As one read’s Psalm 45 you can tell that it’s is a royal psalm about a king’s and queen’s wedding.
• If the psalmist is describing a royal wedding of his day, we don’t know for sure who it is.
• We do know, however, that that this love song is a royal wedding psalm that is also prophetic of the Messiah.
• C.H. Spurgeon: “Some here see Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter only—they are shortsighted; other see both Solomon and Christ—they are cross-eyed; well-focused spiritual eyes see here Jesus only, or if Solomon be present at all, it must be like those hazy shadows of passers-by which cross the face of the camera, and therefore are dimly traceable upon a photographic landscape.” Treasury of David, V.1, p. 315
• The poet is enthusiastic about his verses for the king:

45 1My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.


• I appreciate Michael Wilcock’s words about this first verse: “These opening lines also remind us that along with [the oral tradition] Bible people valued equally the pen of a skillful writer. So did God, giving us his words through both media, with the vividness of speaking and the permanence of writing.”—Michael Wilcock, The Message of the Psalms, V. 1, p. 161.

• With the exception of handsomeness, everything in verses 2-9 is spoken of King Jesus in the NT though with different words.

The Royal Groom (vv. 2-9)
Address to the King (vv. 2-5)
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.

• Not long after Jesus began His earthly ministry and after he’d spoken in the synagogue, Luke records: Luke 4:22: And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?”

3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you.


• Writing of the 2nd Advent—2nd Coming of King Jesus and the resurrection, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:23-26: 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. (NLT)


The Groom’s Glory (vv. 6-9)

• Listen carefully to these next two verses:
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

• The psalmist refers to the King as God!
• “‘The King,’ the God whose throne is for ever and ever, is no mere mortal and his everlasting dominion is not bounded by Lebanon and Egypt’s river.” –C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, V.1, p. 315

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions…


• These same two verses are quoted in the NT letter of Hebrews as referring to King Jesus!

Hebrews 1:8-9: 8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”


8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;


• Now there is a transition to thoughts about the queen bride in v. 9:
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.


• Address to the Royal Bride (vv. 10-12):

10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father's house,


• To become a bride of the King means that as a new relationship begins, old ones must be put in their proper place.
• These words are reminiscent of the conversation between Ruth, from whom Christ is a descendent, to Naomi.
• Perhaps you recall the story about Elimelech and his wife Naomi from Bethlehem in Judah?

Ruth 1:15-16: 15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. (NLT)


• King Jesus makes this clear to all who would follow Him:
Luke 14:25-26: 25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. (NLT)

• Why would Jesus say such a thing? Could it be because when it comes to really following the will of God, people use their family as a reason to say, “Sorry, I cannot!”

11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.


• King Jesus, the groom of the Bride of Christ, is worthy of bowing to Him in recognition of His Lordship. He in turn recognizes the beauty of the church’s loving allegiance to Him.
• Verses 10-11 remind us of the “leave and cleave” words of Genesis 2.
• The Bible tells us that God created male and female, man and woman, Adam and Eve; that it’s not good for man to be alone; that woman is the proper and complementary partner; and being brought to him is the part of the marriage pattern. “In every generation from then on the leaving of one’s parents and the cleaving to one’s spouse bring about a new and permanent relationship.” –Michael Wilcock, Message of Psalms, V. 1, p. 164
• Surely, this passage is a reference to the mystical union between Christ and His church.

The Glory of the Bride (vv. 13-15)

13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

• Does this not remind us of the description of the the righteous deeds of the church, the Bride of Christ, in The Revelation?

Revelation 19:7-8: 7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;

8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.


14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.


• Just as the queen bride was led to the king groom, so the church, which is the bride of Christ, is led and presented to Christ the King:
2 Corinthians 11:2b: I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. (NLT)

• Revelation 21:2: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.


Conclusion (vv. 16-17)
• Verses 16-17 return to thoughts of the King:

16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.


• Christ’s realm is the entire world:
Matthew 28:18-20: 18 When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)

• Faithful, persevering followers of King Jesus are promised to reign with Him:
2 Timothy 2:11-12: 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;12 if we endure, we will also reign with him (ESV)

Revelation 5:9-10: 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from)every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”


17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.


The prophecy of the Messiah King was fulfilled to the letter (v. 17).

• The Messiah does bring salvation to all nations!
Ephesians 3:6: This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
• Not let us briefly go back to the events surrounding the first advent, the first coming of King Jesus:

Luke 1:30-33: 30 And the angel said to [Mary], “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

• And once again the words of Simeon when Jesus was presented at the temple when He was but 8 days old:
Luke 2:29-32: 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”


• King Jesus is faithful. And the bride of Christ, made up of individual followers of Jesus, are called to be faithful in every way to King Jesus, the Bride’s groom.
• Tesh & Zorn (p. 333): “As to the ultimate significance of the psalm, whatever king the psalmist may have been addressing, the Christian sees here the Messiah, the heavenly bridegroom, the bride being the church (that is, the totality of the redeemed and purified). The relationship is stated most clearly by the apostle Paul” in…
Ephesians 5:25-27: 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. (NLT)