Psalm 110

This morning we come to the most quoted Old Testament passage by the New Testament writers. It was absolutely central to their understanding of who Jesus is. It is a theologically rich text in terms of Christology. In fact, it is the text that Jesus himself and the apostles appeal to in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, the Christ. I hope that is a powerful pull on your interest to see what this psalm is all about.

And as we ask why it is so often quoted, we find it also resolves a great tension that the Old Testament prophets wrestled with in understanding the nature of God’s promised deliverance. How, exactly, will God deal with the problem of evil and the consequent injustice and oppression in the world? This psalm speaks to all of this.

Because it deals with these great themes, it is also a very pastoral psalm, as it gently guides and goads you through your spiritual journey, no matter where you are along the way. There is simply so much here!

So, where do we start? Let’s start with it’s main thing it teaches: who is the Christ. When I say, “the Christ” I mean the one the Jews anticipated to fulfill so many of the Old Testament prophecies about a son of David that would sit on the throne, conquer their enemies, usher in a time of peace, and be tied to a new covenant. Something great was in their future and they longed for him to come.

So, who is the Christ?