Until I Make Your Enemies a Footstool | Joel Richardson

so here's the thing with the end-times is most often when Christians think end times this is what immediately pops in our head we think Antichrist mark of the beast the Great Tribulation you know which nations are gonna join together in a coalition to invade Israel and all of these type of things and this is a very important and central part of the endtime story this is as believers Jesus expects us to sort of understand these things he wants us to know the signs of the times however just for clarity's sake I think it's important to emphasize that that's not the primary focus okay so the Jesus used the analogy he referred to all of the events that would precede his coming he used the analogy of birth pangs so husbands imagine if you're if you and your wife are having your first child and you come home from work and your wife's like honey all day long you know that the due date is is coming up it's it's in February and I've just been thinking all day about the birth pains it's like wait a minute what you do realize that it's not primarily about the birth pains right I mean like no I mean I'm just thinking oh it's gonna really hurt and your husband's like okay honey I think we need to go get some prozac or something you know what I'm saying like something's a little bit off here now for clarity again if you're a good husband you're gonna go to the Lamaze classes and you're gonna you know learn how to breathe and do all the different things I mean there's you know that's part of it but that's not the main focus the main focus is that there's a baby coming and then I just my oldest daughter just turned 20 so also by the way there's a lot that happens after the baby there's a lot of planning that goes into this whole thing but there is something that's coming and as believers our primary focus is not the Antichrist the mark of the beast again he wants us to understand those things what do the scriptures say about those things and I can talk about those things all day but that's not the primary focus today but our primary focus is the return of Jesus the establish men of his kingdom and this is our inheritance we're Christians right why are we here what are we here for this morning we're here to worship Jesus but it's ultimately because we gather together on a regular basis to encourage one another why because we share a common future and a common hope look I gave up drugs for a reason it's because I exchanged it for something much better right we forsake the pleasures of this world because we have a common future inheritance and so we gather together to encourage one another concerning that which we are laying down our lives and embracing and cross for every day because that's what we're looking forward to right and then we leave we go out and the world does everything it can to discourage us and say that stuff is just a bunch of nonsense and so we gather together on a regular basis to remind ourselves that look how many how many of you are like me I know the world's changed it used to be the Pink Floyd song you know every day the paperboy brings more you know here comes little Jeffy on his huffy with bad news but now coming down the driveway now it goes like this you wake up in the morning you open your laptop and you go alright I mean how many people like are walking around with a grown every day how many people just feel like alright there's like a lot of bad news there's like a lot of really discouraging things in the world and the nation on the news it's just like I mean if you'd like even approached social media it's just it's depressing but things are not always going to be this way we're not always going to continue to get old and sick there's not always going to be bad news there is a completely new system coming and everything out there the entire system is structured to discourage us right amen there's a very new world coming so the purpose of gathering together is to gather together and encourage one another and so it's important that we understand the nature of inheritance the the nature of the things that are coming and listen eschatology is confusing there are a lot of voices and messages within the church that can be pretty confusing you have some in the church to say no God has done with Israel you know we're the new Israel and you have others that say no God's not done with Israel he's going to fulfill all of his good promises to Israel some people say Jesus is coming back to literally rule and reign on the earth others say no someday when we die we become ghosts forever in the clouds you go that's a pretty different story what is it that we're laying down our lives for I want some clarity here and so I think one of the best ways to do that one of the best ways that I like to do that is just to step back and review the big story so that's what we're gonna do this morning I just want to look at a whole bunch of Scripture and I just want to look at the story of Jesus because as we do that as we trace this this sort of thread that is that goes all the way through the Scriptures we look at some of these basic threads these common themes and we see how they're inter woven we see the largest story that the Bible is telling us about Jesus and then that settles some of these these controversies and some of these questions so the first verse is Genesis 3 verse 15 this is sometimes called by theologians the proto evangelii on the the first gospel this is the first time in the Bible that the gospel is sort of introduced the good news is introduced so Adam and Eve they're in the garden the fall has happened and as soon as corruption has entered the system the Lord immediately introduces the solution and it's very vague it's it's it's kind of nebulous it's not real clear but he just says this he says to the serpent he says listen serpent you know you succeeded in deceiving and leading Adam and Eve astray he says but I'm going to put em natee conflict between you and the woman and between your seed your offspring and her seed and it's singular so it's a singular seed and then it says and he is gonna crush your head who's the he it's mysterious it's vague but whoever he is the serpents like I don't think I like the sound of this he's gonna screw showerhead you're going to bruise you're gonna merely strike at his heel you're gonna get a little in yourself but then he is going to crush your head this is the introduction as soon as sin and death and corruption entered the system the Lord says by the way I have a solution we don't know who he is but it's he that's all we know so far okay then we skip forward we're following this thread through the scriptures we're still in Torah we're still in the books of Moses we're still back in the first few books and this is the story of Balaam and Balak okay Balak was the king of the Moabites this was a kingdom to the east of Israel in roughly modern-day Jordan southern central modern-day Jordan and the Israelites were now coming up out of the desert out of Egypt coming up from what would be the area today of northwest Saudi Arabia they're coming up into Jordan and they're encroaching upon Moabite territory so Balak was all upset he's like who are all these people coming into my land so he hires this guy named Balaam to curse the Hebrews and Balaam he's kind of this strange character because he's a prophet but yet he was corrupt and you know it's kind of a interesting case study but Balaam goes hey I'm only gonna speak what the Holy Spirit speaks to me what God speaks I'll speak you can pay me I'll take the money but I'm only gonna speak what the Holy Spirit speaks so they're up on this high mountain and they're looking down at the Hebrews who are encamped down in this vast plain below and the Spirit of the Lord comes on Balaam and he begins to prophesy concerning the Hebrews and he says this numbers 24 17 through 19 he says I see him there is who is it it's vague it's the him all we know is it's the one that's gonna crush the head of Satan he says I see him but not now I behold him but not near so it's it's it's distant but I see him and then he says a star I shall come up out of Jacob Jacob is another name a synonym for the heat for the Hebrews that was the other name of Jacob was Israel and then he says a scepter shall rise out of Israel so now the Lord begins to expand upon this original deposit of the crushing one and he says he is going to be a ruler that's gonna come up out of Israel and what does this ruler gonna do you know of all the things early on that the Lord could have talked about he's gonna heal the sick he's gonna die for the sins you know all the different things that Jesus would do he emphasizes this he will crush the foreheads of Moab this is the crushing one remember back in genesis 3:15 the one that's gonna crush the head of Satan now the Lord starts naming names and he goes you guys who are hostile to my people you Harbor this everlasting hatred of my people and my plan one who is coming he's gonna be a ruler of Israel and he's gonna crush the heads of Moab now for clarity this is not a racial issue the Lord doesn't hate Moabites he hates those who allow their hearts to be containers of hatred the Lord has a plan to redeem all of creation to end this current wicked system and when people allow themselves to be conduits of satanic hatred the Lord says I hate that okay it's not about it's not about the race although sometimes the the language of the prophets can almost sound that way and people can twist the scriptures to their own to distort them so it says he shall crush the foreheads of Moab break down all the sons of chef's this is what we do by the way good students of the Old Testament we go moab chef's eat them i don't know moving on doot-doot doot-doot it you know like we don't stop they go what is it talking about here chef is basically interpreted variously as like the sons of tumult well the sons of violence some translations say the sons of the east but it was those that had this this violence this hatred Edom which was a sister or brother kingdom to Moab shall be dispossessed sierre which was the prominent mountain in Edom and which is and then it's Laurence's his enemies shall be dispossessed so anyway here's the point is we have the deposit the introduction someone who is coming is going to crush the head of Satan now we know that the crushing one is going to be a ruler of Israel and in the right time in the fullness of time at the appointed time he is going to crush the enemies of God's people this is part of the prophecy where's the next deposit we get to second Samuel this is what is called the Davidic covenant this is where the Lord makes a promise to King David and he's expanding upon some previous promises that he had made to Abraham he goes I'm gonna give you guys this land this piece of property so now he says to King David in chapter 7 verses 11 through 16 he says the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you when your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers then I will raise up your seed your descendant your offspring after you who will come forth from you and I will establish his kingdom some people say well that Solomon no this is much more than just Solomon why because it says he will build a house for my name I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever there is a kingdom coming now we know that it's not just the crushing one who's gonna crush the head of Satan it's not just a ruler of Israel he's gonna come from the tribe of Judah from the offspring of David he's gonna be the son of David now the Lord begins to get more specific and these threads begin to be interwoven and then the story continues throughout the scriptures the Lord is telling a very simple clear story but we can track with it your house David and your kingdom shall endure before me forever your throne shall be established forever Psalm 110 verses 1 through 2 and then skipping forward to 5 through 6 it's a short Psalm this is one of the classic most classic messianic Psalms one of the most important messianic Psalms Jesus himself actually quoted it to the scribes and the Pharisees and applied it to himself now this the funny thing about this is you know you come in to church and you know out there in the entrance hallway there'll be a picture of Jesus and he's always sort of this slightly glowing long-haired caucasian hippie and he's he's kind of got this sheep over shoulders and he's like hey guys what's going on in the sheep's leg I'm with Jesus it's cool and that's a that's a facet of you know the shepherd who leads me because I mean that's a facet of who Jesus is I don't mean the hippie part but you know he he is the the shepherd but there's another facet of Jesus that you never see the painting in the in the entrance hallway of the church and that's Psalm 110 the Lord says sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet what does that mean until your enemies are crushed under your feet it's not just like they become an ottoman it's not like hey like hey kneel right here put your feet no it's their crushed under your feet the Lord will stretch forth your strong scepter your rod of authority from Zion now the ruler the son of David is going to rule on the throne of his father David which is where it's a very specific geographic location you can go there today it's called Jerusalem Zion that is the actual city that God has chosen from where his son will rule over the earth from Zion that's the spot that the Lord will establish the sceptre of the son of David saying rule in the midst of or over your enemies now get this the Lord is at your right hand he will crush Kings on the day of his wrath when Jesus comes back or I just like to put this in very common language the Bible says the day is coming when a Jewish man is coming back to engage in a very violent and hostile takeover of the entire earth I imagine I could be completely wrong that he's about three inches taller than me I don't know I have no idea how tall he was I just assume he's taller than I am he will engage in a hostile takeover of the earth it says he will crush Kings on the day of his wrath this Jesus is coming back to kill unrighteous self-serving corrupt politicians and dictators this is not just pie in the sky this is reality as real as this moment right now as real as real as you can hear my voice in our bodies with eyeballs in their sockets not these bodies because it's going to be different but yet there's a correlation the Bible says that in the resurrection we will have glorified resurrected eternal bodies I like to emphasize that guys after we die we still get to eat and smell not we won't smell anymore if that makes sense something's wrong with my nose it smells waiting for the laughter on that one get it we get to experience because God created us to have bodies because in the beginning he created the heavens and the earth and it was all good right so in our flesh in our glorified resurrected bodies we will see the king on his throne that day is coming that day is real he will crush Kings on the day of his wrath he will judge the nation's heaping up the dead crushing the rulers of the whole earth look guys that's uncomfortable it's not part of the Gospel story that's talked about frequently but it is a very common theme throughout the good news throughout the good news of the scriptures there is something in us that burns for justice that yearns for justice how many people I'll do it how many people feel as all the world is fundamentally unjust and corrupt we live in a very unjust system now look the Bible says hate the world it doesn't right when I first got saved I didn't understand that I go but I like the trees it's not about hating the planet it's about hating the system the system is currently governed by wickedness by wicked men and by wicked principalities and there is one coming back who is going to crush the goodness and he's going to replace the unrighteous leadership with humble servant leadership that's good news we were created to yearn for this why do we get excited about it because we were made - we were made for this why do we get excited when I say we get to eat because we were made to have bodies we were made to have bodies just not bodies with aging corruption and all of these things Isaiah 9 verse 6 through 7 another classic messianic prophecy we talk about it usually around Christmas for unto us a child is born a child will be born to us a son will be given to us the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God Eternal Father Prince of Peace there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace his government will increase and then it says in on the throne of his father David and over his kingdom to establish it what will be the essence of the kingdom that's coming to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore that day is coming that Kingdom is coming the zeal the passion the burning zeal of the Father heart of God will accomplish this it's not just us that are burning it's not we're not the only ones who are groaning trust me guys there is there's more corruption in the earth today there's more there are more slaves in the earth right now than at any time in human history you think God's heart is not yearning for the day of the Lord he wants it he's burning for it much more than we are you know sometimes there can be sort of a morbid approach to the end times I joke you know clapping about the end times but guys when we're clapping it's not because we're clapping for plagues and pestilences we're not clapping for the birth pains we're clapping for the birth we're clapping for the kingdom that's coming we're clapping because we're excited about the end of this current system of wickedness we're clapping because we're we're looking forward to the end of sickness the end of death the end of struggling with sin sugar addiction whatever it might be and then you have Christians especially seminarians that just got out of seminary and they're like Joel that's all good and fine but that's all in the Old Testament you see the Apostles came along and they reimagined they they reinterpreted all of those things and they reinterpreted them spiritually when it's talking about a kingdom it's talking about the blessings that we have in Christ now this is it and I go if this is it guys then I'm really let down don't get me wrong but if this is all there is if this is the fullness of what Jesus died for I might just try something else I mean if I can just be frank with you I mean don't get me wrong I'm happy to not be a drug addict anymore or not to be this or that but if this is it then I'm really I'm failing I'm failing at this Christian thing because I'm still struggling I'm still tired I'm still sad all of these things however if there's a kingdom coming if the Scriptures are true that there is glory after suffering then I have something that I'm looking forward to that I'm eagerly expecting and eagerly awaiting but here's the thing guys the New Testament does not reinterpret all of these things spiritually it does not reimagine them in fact the New Testament picks up on all of the Old Testament promises it reiterates them it expands upon them it trumpets them it celebrates them but it doesn't change any of them all of God's promises are still yes and amen so we get to Luke chapter 1 verses 30 through 33 and here you have a little merry little Miriam a little Jewish girl I don't know how old she was and she was very devout she was zealous she grew up in the synagogue she knew the scripture she knew all of the scriptures that we just read she had heard them read she had them memorized in her heart and all of a sudden this angel shows up his name is Gabriel and Gabriel says to little Mary says Mary don't be afraid you have found favor with God and behold you will conceive wait what you will conceive in your womb and you will bear a son right because she's going hold on you know this is the first kind of just shock that she receives but I am in Alma I'm a virgin how can such be and you shall name his name Jesus he will be great and he will be called the son of the Most High okay Muslims he is not just a prophet he is the son of the Most High let's be very clear the the the angel from heaven declared this is the son of the Most High now get this the angel says and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end okay so little Mary knew the Scriptures the angel just declares to her guess what first of all brace yourself you're gonna be pregnant even though you're a virgin okay that's just the ball and then he goes but that's not it and then he goes and here's who he's gonna be now again Mary knew the Scriptures so the first thing she goes she goes hold on hold on hold on let me just first I'm still getting over the whole I'm gonna be pregnant thing and then she goes and now you're telling me that I am gonna be the mother of the one who's gonna sit on the throne of my father David and he goes yeah that's the one she goes so you're saying the one back there in Isaiah 9 unto us a child is born unto us a son is given the government will be on his shoulders he will be called everlasting father Prince of Peace yeah Mary you're gonna be his mother she's going alright wait hold on I'm still processing this so you're saying all the way back when you swore to my father David that he would have a son the same one that Isaiah yep that's the one okay so back when Balaam was talking to Balak and he said one who's gonna come and he's gonna crush the enemies of God and the enemies of the people of God yeah that's the one she goes so what you're saying is all the way back there in Genesis 15 at the beginning of the fall when the Lord showed up and said to the serpent one who is coming who was gonna crush your head Satan Gabriel is like you're gonna be his mother I mean think about this Mary I guarantee you Mary understood what the angel was saying she was not Old Testament illiterate and she's piecing this together and going you're kidding me like what just happened I just saw an angel with my eyes and he told me that I'm gonna be the mother of the one that's gonna put an end to Satan and sin corruption and death and sickness and all of these things I'm gonna be his mother I mean you know like that actually happened to a real little girl this is not just Sunday school stories that actually happened to a real person and then she went home and she treasured these things up in her heart Jesus is presently what is he presently doing right now at this moment what is he doing he is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven he's interceding right we know that but is that all there is or is there more to the story okay so he is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God but here in Matthew 19 verse 28 Jesus tells the rest of the story jesus said to them truly I say to you that you have followed me speaking to his disciples he says in the regeneration that's a word referring to the age of the resurrection the age of the restoration the age of the renewal of all things behold I make all things new it's like a glorified Garden of Eden combined with a glorified kingdom of David or Solomon mix them together pour a whole bunch of glory syrup all over it and you're just beginning to get a picture of the age to come it's on the earth it's like Garden of Eden but it's way better it's like the kingdom of David but it's way better and Jesus calls it the regeneration in the regeneration when the Son of Man will come back and sit on his glorious throne some translations say on his throne of glory so here's the thing Jesus has not yet come back because we're not in the regeneration we're not in the renewal yet this is most certainly not all there is he's coming back and then he says to his disciples you guys are gonna sit on 12 Thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel well that's impossible Joel because God has done with Israel Jesus made it very clear this is a very Jewish language the disciples will judge the 12 tribes of Israel but the point is this Jesus is not yet sitting on his glorious throne he is sitting at the right hand of the Father and he is waiting to come back to sit on the restored throne of his father David to fulfill that which all the prophets declared in Matthew 25 this is the end of the Olivet discourse Jesus again reiterated the same point he says when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all of the angels with him that hasn't happened yet he has not come back in all of his glory with all of his angels that then he will sit on his glorious throne I'm the yearning for that day I'm longing for that day and all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats this is essentially the the judgment the scriptures say there is a day that's been appointed when a man that's Jesus will come back and he will judge the living in the dead and he will judge the nation's and then the king will say to those on his right come you who are blessed of my father inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from before the foundation of the very world and then to the to the goats to those that are on his left he says away away from me into the into essentially the everlasting fire okay so this is this is where the rubber meets the road this is where the tread meets the road you who have been blessed of my father come inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you but to those on his left away from me I never knew you and he and it so it's either eternal bliss eternal blessing or into the lake of destruction into the lake of fire I mean this is this is the day of judgment skip forward to the second to the last slide it's Hebrews 10 again Jesus is currently sitting at the right hand of the Father whenever I say what is Jesus doing right now everyone usually says he's interceding that's true he is making intercession for us Satan is the one that stands there before the throne accusing the Brethren day and night lashing out making accusations most of which are true and but just reminding you know this is how they're falling short this is what they're doing wrong and Jesus is interceding but he is also doing something else Hebrews 10 12 through 13 says this it says he Jesus having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time he sat down at the right hand of God and from that time forward it says that he has been waiting waiting waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet again the heart of the Father the Heart of Jesus is yearning and burning and groaning to put an end to the sighing and the groaning that we have I sometimes out you know as I alluded to I sometimes I wrestle with sadness it's not depression but I wrestle with sadness and I used to sort of be like in church it used to be like sometimes the message that I would get is almost like well hey brother you know like the joy of the Lord is your strength like just get over it sort of thing and I was like well yeah yeah I get that but by the same token Romans 8 says that all of creation right now is groaning it says the Holy Spirit in us is groaning I guarantee you the fact that the Father's heart is groaning because things are not the way they're supposed to be things are broken when your kids are sick it bothers you when your kids are struggling it bothers you and suddenly I realize you know something there's a groan in me there's a groan in all of us that we're not supposed to silence the cry of the early church it was not just hallelujah it was Maranatha come Lord Jesus they were in touch with the groan they were in touch with the cry that all of creation feels yearning for that day and if you have sadness because of the current circumstances of the world again that's different than depression but if you have that groan that's okay God Himself feels that groan and it says that Jesus right now feels the groan he is waiting he is waiting he's burning to come back to where he can crush his enemies like grapes under his feet the final passage I want to look at his revelations so now we began all the way back in Jennings we began in Genesis we come full circle all the way to the end of the Bible again we could have looked at dozens of other verses but you know we kind of follow that thread who is Jesus he's the crushing one he's the king of Israel he's the one that's gonna crush Satan he's the one that was born through Mary he's the one that the Apostles declared he's the one that they laid down their lives for he's coming back in Revelation 19 11 through 16 this is the one verse that almost all Christians know with regard to the return of Jesus then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse the one sitting on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war he is clothed in a robe dipped in blood and the name by which he is called as the Word of God and the armies of heaven are with him arrayed in fine linen white and pure they're following him on white horses out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nation's the corrupt wicked nations the dictators throughout the earth the corrupt politicians that are called to be servant leaders but instead they they put themselves in power for their own wealth their own glory and they don't serve the people he's coming back to strike them down he will tread the winepress of the fury the passion of the wrath of God Almighty he will crush his enemies and Satan and our sin nature like grapes he will stomp them like grapes he will put end to this current system that day is coming that day is real amen [Applause] I want to just take a minute for ministry time the day is coming when Jesus is coming back as we said to judge the living and the dead I have this picture in my head I think we can all relate to it where you know you have and I think the Lord actually gives us these as pictures remember the whole thing with Dolly Madison the web site where couples could sign up to have affairs and then it was um a couple prominent like the Duggars son I mean you know lord have mercy but a very prominent Christian figure who was part of the American Family Council you know his info was there and all sorts of other people I think there are even some pastors there are some people that committed suicide this sort of thing that little event is kind of like a little picture of the day of judgment the Scriptures say that the deeds done in darkness will be shouted from the rooftops okay so the day is coming when Jesus is going to hack Google in the internet histories and thought histories and everything of everyone is going to be shouted from the rooftops there's not a single one of us that can stand before him on that day no one can stand apart from the blood of Jesus apart from being cleansed and washed by the mercy of God and the blood of the Lamb no one can stand before the great and terrible day of the Lord but that day is coming and we will give an account for the deeds done in this body whether good or bad now I know that most in the room are Christians at some point in your life you've committed your life to Jesus you've repented of your sins and you've said yes but I'm sure there are some that haven't and there are some that are wandering there are some that are far from God right now I want everyone to bow your heads if you know that at this moment in your life you need the Lord's mercy and that's all of us but if it's if this is touching you you say Lord I want to enjoy the fruits and the blessings of the kingdom to come I want to partake of that which you provided he you purchase for me but I know that my sin has wrapped its tentacles around me and I need your mercy and I need freedom I want you to raise your hand right now and we're gonna pray for you if you've never given your life to Jesus if you've never repented of your sins if that's something you've never put a stake in the ground then I want you to cast fear aside and say lord I don't want to inherit the lake of fire I want to inherit that which you created me for I want you to raise your hand if you're a Christian that's just hungry for this and excited and you go man this just made me come alive I want to live for the age to come I want to live for the good things that you provided for me I want to run with abandon I want to run with zeal I want to feel the passion God that you have for the purity in my life and for zeal in my life that I want you to raise your hand so father I ask that you would touch hungry hearts hearts that say yes throughout the room you look you go throughout the earth looking to and fro for those that you can use vessels Lord we ask that by your spirit you would come right now and that you would extend mercy and grace to everyone in the room let this house let this body become a shining light in the community that we would be a people who live for the age to come that we would have the joy of the kingdom to come in our eyes and it would be contagious and we would be zealous and hungry and excited to proclaim this good news to those around us help this people help this house to become a an invitational house a house that invites those on the highways and the byways to come to bid them to come to the wedding feast we commit ourselves to you for these purposes we say yes use us Lord we thank you for all of these things in the name of your son Jesus amen

Channel: ResLife Church

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Keywords: Resurrection Life Church, Series, Church, Grandville, Michigan, RLC, ResLife, LINC, Joel Richardson, ResLife Church, Joel's Trumpet, The Underground

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Length: 38min 2sec (2282 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 14 2018