Son of David is a sermon examining Bible scriptures explaining the Davidic Covenant and Jesus as Messiah fulfilling that covenant.

Key verses:
2 Samuel 7:16

I’m going to ask you to take your Bible now and turn with me to 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel chapter 7, and we’ll be reading there in just a moment. Before we read, I want to say that if you have been in our Wednesday night services recently or you have been listening to the Wednesday night services recently, you know that we’ve been going through the Book of Hebrews.

We’ve said a great deal about Melchizedek and how Melchizedek, some people believe, was a Christophany or theophany, the pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. If He was not that, He was a type or a picture of Christ, and that Jesus is our high priest but not after the order of Aaron. All of the priests under the law of Moses were descendants of Levi, and not all descendants of Levi were priests.

But all the priests were descendants of Levi, and Jesus was not. He was of the tribe of Judah, and we talked about that last Sunday, how He was of the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49. He’s of the tribe of Judah, the royal line. Then, we also talked last Wednesday night about the Davidic Covenant, the covenant that the Lord made with David.

Tonight, I want to talk to you about Jesus who is the Son of David. Now, we’re not going to turn to these portions tonight, but let me tell you, if you read the genealogies of the Lord Jesus in Matthew and Luke, you’ll see that the genealogy is of Joseph, of course. Jesus is not the physical son of Joseph, but the genealogy of Joseph goes back to David.

The genealogy of Mary also goes back to David. So, in that sense, on both sides. But there’s another sense in which Jesus is the Son of David, and we’re going to talk about that tonight.

The Davidic Covenant

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “covenant” means a written agreement or promise, usually under seal. What does that mean? It means to seal. Important documents use it under seal between two or more parties, especially for the performance of some action. What does that last part mean? It means something is expected to happen as a result of this covenant, and that’s just exactly what the Davidic Covenant is like.

There are seven covenants that God set forth. Eight covenants we said Wednesday night. God set forth with human beings: the Edenic Covenant, the covenant God made with people, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden; the Adamic Covenant, the covenant God made with Adam as they left the garden; the Noahic Covenant, the covenant God made with Noah and part of that is that he would not flood the Earth again; the Abrahamic Covenant, the promise of a great nation, the promise that through Abraham’s seed, there would be not only a great nation, but all the world should be blessed; the Land Covenant, the covenant that the land belongs to the descendants of Abraham, more particularly, the descendants of Isaac and Jacob, or Israel, forever; the Mosaic Covenant that would be the law made under in the time of Moses.

The Davidic Covenant we’re going to look at tonight and the New Covenant. That’d be worthwhile to go through all those and explore what God has done through them. But because it is December, I wanted to spend a little time looking again at the Davidic Covenant. So, to begin with, read 2 Samuel 7 and verse 16. You’ll get a summary of it and then we’ll go back and look at verses 8 to 17, and some other scriptures tonight. 2 Samuel 7:16, the Lord says:

2 Samuel 7:16: “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

So, the house, or the family of David, the kingdom of David, shall be established forever and the throne of David shall be established forever. Now, let’s think about that for a little bit. I was reading just yesterday that in the vicinity of the old City of David, where David’s home would have been when he was king in Jerusalem, they found a new artifact, a new old artifact, I guess I could say an ancient artifact but newly discovered, that gives evidence of the kingdom of David and David actually being there.

Now, why is that significant? Well, there are people who always want to criticize the Bible and deny the Bible, and so forth. And for many years, people said, “Well, there’s no hard evidence that David ever even existed. Well, that’s absolutely not true, I’m telling you. What was recently found is not the first time any evidence of David archaeological evidence has been discovered and this whole area called the old City of David is within the modern city of Jerusalem. But it is where David would have lived.

Now, if you’re wondering if they found his mailbox, no they didn’t. It’s not like that. It’s not that evident but there’s more and more evidence that shows that David did not only live but lived in that area.

The Shepherd Turned King

2 Samuel chapter 7 and verse 8. What’s going on here is this: David is now the king. Under David, the nation has been united into one. Under King Saul, King Saul was never king over the entire nation. He was king over most of it, but some of the tribes didn’t follow him, and when David first became king that was still true. But David united Israel into one nation.

But the Lord spoke to David on more than one occasion through Nathan, the prophet. My wife and I were talking a little bit about Nathan this afternoon, and what we know about him and what we don’t know about him. But the Lord sent a message if you look back at verse four:

2 Samuel 7:4: “And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,”

2 Samuel 7:5: “Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?”

“Thus saith the Lord,” – and He’s talking, the Lord is talking to David about David’s desire to build a house not for himself. He did build a house for himself. He wanted to build a house for the Lord. It was David’s desire to build a temple in Jerusalem. He was not allowed to do that. He was not allowed to do that. The Lord said that David would not build the house for Him because David was a man of war, and he was.

Solomon, his son, would build the temple. Solomon was a man of peace. Solomon’s name means peace. So, you’re going to see, as we look at these verses tonight, I think some reference to Solomon. But there’s a greater reference than that. So, the Lord used Nathan to deliver this message. And here’s what we have to understand. Part of what the Lord is saying to him is in verse eight. Come down to verse eight if you will.

2 Samuel 7:8: “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:”

You know the story of David. You know that he started out as a shepherd working for his father, Jesse, keeping the sheep. Where would David have kept his sheep in Bethlehem? Why? That’s where they lived. Do you suppose that David worked that same field out there with his sheep that the shepherds were in the night that the angels that we just sang about a little bit ago announced the birth of Jesus? I think it’s a good chance. I don’t know that beyond a shadow of a doubt and I’m not going to proclaim it to you as absolute fact. But I think it’s a very good chance that they worked in the same fields. If not, it would have been close by that.

But the Lord said He took Him from being a shepherd to being a king. Can I interject something here? You give your heart and your life to following the Lord, and you don’t know where He’s going to take you. You don’t know what He’ll use you to do or how you will influence other people. You may think, “I’ve worked and worked and worked, and I never accomplished much for the Lord. I’ve tried, I’ve been faithful as I could be, but I’ve never seen much fruit.” You don’t know that. You don’t know what the Lord is going to do through you. You don’t know what He has done through you.

I’m going to tell you; I was in high school. I was not saved. I was not yet saved, and I had a big burden on my heart and mind. Right down the street from the high school, I knew there was a church. So, one day during a lunch break I walked down to that church. I didn’t know anybody at that church, didn’t know anybody associated with that church, as far as I knew. I walked up, and the door was open.

Now, can I share something with you? Back in that day, I don’t remember in South Florida here, any church ever being locked. They just were always open. You could walk in anytime. Times have changed. Nowadays, if you’re here, and this speaks of us as well, if you want it, you better lock it. If you don’t, it’ll be gone. But that wasn’t true back then. Why? Because I’ll tell you something else. I grew up around some rough fellas, and some of them did some things that had they been caught, they’d have gone to jail for it. Let’s just put it that way. Even they wouldn’t have stolen from a church. Some things were just off-limits. Some things you just did not do and that was one of them. People don’t think that way anymore.

But I walked down to this church, and I was going to go inside, and I just wanted to go in and pray. A man stopped me just outside the door in the churchyard there and spoke to me just for a minute. I do not know to this day who he was. Just a man and he talked to me a little bit. He said to me, “I hope to see you in the pulpit someday.” I thought, “No way, buddy. That’s not going to happen.” Understand, I wasn’t saved. I didn’t even know the Lord.

You say, “Do you think he was a prophet or an angel?” I don’t know. Folks, I’m not saying that. I’m telling you what the man said. I’m telling you what happened. I told you that story to tell you, you don’t know if you’ll surrender your life to the Lord. You don’t know what He’s going to do with you, and He may use you in ways you never imagined. Whoever that man was, I’m pretty sure he never knew that what he said came to pass. Do you understand what I’m telling you? So, I’m not crediting that man with anything, and I’m not trying to take anything away from him. I’m just sharing with you the facts. But the Lord uses us, and the Lord took David the shepherd and made him the king.

The Great Man of Earth

Now, go to verse nine, the Lord says:

2 Samuel 7:9: “And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.”

We’ll say more about that in a moment. But David has this covenant that the Lord makes with him, that is exclusive for David and his descendants. It does not apply to anyone else. David is of the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe. All the kings of Judah, all of them, were descendants of David. They were not all good kings, but they were all descendants of David.

There are conditional and unconditional covenants. We talked about that on Wednesday night. A conditional covenant is one in which God says if you will do this then I will do that. An unconditional covenant is when God tells you what He’s going to do, and He will whether you do anything or not.

The Lord speaks to David back in verse eight and says, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts.” Whenever you read the “LORD of hosts” in the Bible, “host” refers to armies. That’s what He’s talking about. The LORD of hosts is the Lord of armies. Not just any armies, but the armies of the Lord. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts.” David was a soldier. In verse eight, He says, “I took you from being a shepherd to being a soldier.”

Verse nine, He says, “I was with you wherever you went, I cut you off your enemies.” We were talking about this in Sunday School this morning. Whenever you read in the Bible that somebody is cut off, it means they died. That was the end of them. That’s what it means when it says they’re cut off. And the Lord says to David, “I cut off all your enemies.” He said, “I’ve made your name great like the great men of earth.”

I heard a good comment on the radio this week. I heard a lot of good comments on the radio this week. But that was one of them, and it was this, you listen carefully, this was the comment, “Western society did not build Christianity. Christianity built Western society.” You need to take that and meditate on it a little while because that’s fact. Western society did not build Christianity. Christianity built Western society.

There was a world leader, a very famous world leader. If I said his name, I’m sure everybody in this room and everybody listening would recognize this person’s name. He said recently that the end of Western society is at hand.

So, verse 10. David, a great man, the great man of the earth. You go out in Western society, this is where I was going with that, you go out in Western society and you talk about David and you just say, “David” and you don’t put any other name with it, hardly anybody’s going to say, “David who? Don’t know who you are talking about.”

I was speaking to a group of people in Boynton a few years ago, and I talked about David. I noticed two people in the audience. There were more than two people in the audience, but two I noticed in particular: one was a man, and one was a lady. When I talked about David, the man perked up, and he had a smile on his face, and when I talked about David the lady had a big frown on her face. She had a whole different point of view. But neither one of them wondered who I was talking about. Do you understand what I’m telling you? They both knew who I was talking about.

Israel Will Live in Peace

So, in verse 10 the Lord says:

2 Samuel 7:10: “Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,”

If you take a potted plant, as long as it’s in the pot, you can take it up and move it anywhere you want to. Can’t you? But once you plant that plant you put it in the ground. It’s not so easy to move, is it? That’s exactly what God’s saying about the people of Israel.  I’m going to plant them, they’re not like a pot that can be easily moved, I’m putting them there. It’s permanent.

“Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own.” Whose own? Israel’s own. They can live “in a place of their own and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,”

Their land. Their land forever. This is part of the Land Covenant that we talked about earlier and which is related to the Abrahamic Covenant and is now related to the Davidic Covenant. “Neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them anymore as beforetime.” There’s coming a time, God says, when the people of Israel will live in their land and live in peace. That didn’t happen in David’s time. It did happen under the reign of Solomon, but once Solomon passed off the scene, things went back the way they did before, and this is not what the Lord’s saying here. He didn’t say they’d have peace under one king and not under others. He’s saying there’s coming a time when the people will live there, and they’ll live there in peace. That time is yet to come under another king.

2 Samuel 7:11: “And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.”

“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel,” – now that is the period that we read about in the book that’s called the Book of Judges when there was no king in Israel, and so every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

What would happen during the period of Judges was that the people turned away from God. They would be oppressed by some other nation. They’d be in deep trouble. They’d cry out to God. God would send a judge who would be a deliverer to get rid of the attackers. The people would turn back to God, and things would be well for a while, usually until that judge passed off the scene, maybe for a little time after that. Then they go right back to where they were, and that cycle repeated over and over and over throughout the period of Judges.

We Want a King

So, at the end of the period of the Judges, and when Samuel comes on the scene, the people say, “We want a king,” and they say this, “We want to be a king so we can be like all the other nations.” They didn’t need to be like all the other nations. They were one nation. They literally were one nation under God. That’s a theocracy. They were one nation under God. God was their King. They said, “We want a king like other nations. We want to be like everybody else.”

This isn’t in my notes tonight, but let me interject this. That’s our problem today. We’re not content to be one nation under God. We’re not content to be one family under God. We want to be like everybody else. What’s wrong with that? I’m going to put it bluntly. This was true with the people of Israel and in Samuel’s time. It’s true with the people today. Everybody else is going one way, and those who follow the Lord are going the other way.

Can I be more blunt? Everybody else is going to Hell. That’s pretty blunt, isn’t it? That’s the truth. Those who follow the Lord are going to be with Him. That’s what’s wrong with that. That’s what’s wrong with wanting to be like everybody else. Even God’s people who know the Lord, who love the Lord, and I don’t argue that point, sometimes live like people who are going to Hell and act like people who are going to Hell, they’re not going to Hell. Don’t misunderstand me. But you look at them and you can’t tell the difference in them and those who are, that’s not God’s will for your life, not God’s will for any of our lives.

Building Houses

So, verse 11 again:

2 Samuel 7:11: “And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.”

“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies,” – The time of peace in David’s reign. Didn’t always have peace, but he had peace at this point. “Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.” What does that mean? David wants to build a house to the Lord, and the Lord now says He’s going to make David a house—two different things. David wants to build a building where people can come and worship the Lord, where the presence of the Lord will dwell, and where people can come and worship Him, that’s the temple.

When the Lord says He’s going to make David a house, He’s not saying that He’s going to make David a building. He’s not saying He’s going to build a house for David. David built his own building to live in. What He’s saying is He’s going to establish the family of David, and the family of David is going to last forever. Well, how does that work? I don’t see anybody in the family of David walking around today.

You know another thing my wife said? This came up in her Sunday School class this morning. One of the young people asked if Jesus had brothers and sisters. Yeah. Did any of them have children, and could any of their descendants be alive today? So, my wife said to me this afternoon, “What do you think about that?” I said, “I don’t know.” I don’t have evidence to say one way or another, but it’s certainly in the realm of possibility that, yes, some of them could have had children, and some of their descendants could be walking around today. Yeah, that’s very possible. Well, who are they, those people? Where do we find them? I don’t have a clue, but it’s possible.

Jesus, the Lord Jesus, didn’t have any physical children. We know that regardless of what the Gnostics and others say. He didn’t, but those brothers and sisters could have, and I would say very likely did have. So, where are they today? I don’t know, folks. Maybe one day you’ll meet them. But David, do you know any descendants of David? I can’t say that I do. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist and yet there’s something greater that the Lord’s talking about here.

Establishing the Kingdom

2 Samuel 7:12: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.”

“Thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,” – David’s life will come to an end. Now, the next thing that we’re going to read here, many people see as a prophecy of Solomon, and it can apply to Solomon. Let me tell you something about Old Testament prophecy. Oftentimes, it has a dual fulfillment. There is a near fulfillment, and there’s a distant fulfillment. So, in near fulfillment, this could be talking about Solomon, and it very well may be talking about Solomon. But there’s a distant fulfillment that goes far beyond Solomon. Don’t miss that. Let’s read verse 12 again:

2 Samuel 7:12: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.”

2 Samuel 7:13: “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

“He shall build an house for my name,” – a descendant of David is going to build a house for the Lord, for the name of the Lord. Solomon built the first temple, and it was a magnificent structure from what we read. Is that what it’s talking about? Yes, in near fulfillment. It could be talking about that, but again there’s something bigger here. If you focus only on Solomon, you’re going to miss the main point.

2 Samuel 7:13: “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

For how long? Forever. Solomon was the most successful king in the history of Israel. Under the reign of Solomon, there were no wars. He literally was a prince of peace. And Israel became a very rich country, a very powerful country, and larger in land area than it ever was before or has been since.

Can I share something with you? Solomon’s kingdom is gone. It’s been gone. It’s been gone for thousands of years. So, that’s not Solomon’s throne being established forever. Look at 14, the Lord says:

2 Samuel 7:14: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”

“I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” – that’s important. The house, the family lineage of David, is established by God and will become the royal family in Israel. As we said, all the kings of Judah, all the kings who reigned in Jerusalem, were the descendants of David. After David’s death, David will be established as the kingdom, but there’s more to this covenant.

In verse 13, we just read He’ll build a house for me. That sounds like Solomon, but it cannot only be Solomon. Why not? Well, look at it again:

2 Samuel 7:13: “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

Again, Solomon’s kingdom’s gone, and in verse 14, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” Now, later on, the Lord’s going to say to the people of Israel, “They shall be my children, I will be their father.” And you know what? He says that to believers, He’ll be our Father. That’s why, when you pray, it is right to pray and say our Heavenly Father. There’s nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, it’s very right.

One Greater Than Solomon

But there’s something bigger happening here, even bigger than that because this covenant speaks of one greater than Solomon. Verse 14 again:

2 Samuel 7:14: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”

Now, let’s talk about that for just a moment. When the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, more particularly, when they strayed from the Lord as many of them did, many of them turned to idol worship and did wicked things. When that happened, did God chasten them? He did, and He used men to do it. So, is it talking about that? I think so.

But there’s, again, a bigger picture. You find that big, bigger picture, we’re not going to turn there, but you might want to note the reference to Isaiah 53:5, that’s where it says of the Lord Jesus, “With his stripes, we are healed.” You know, the Lord Jesus was beaten with a rod. They put that crown of thorns on His head, and they beat Him with a rod, probably driving that crown of thorns in deeper, and then they beat Him with the cat o’ nine tails. Isaiah wouldn’t live until many years after David, but he writes in, again, 53:5, with his stripes we are healed, “I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.”

Now, it says, “If he commit iniquity.” We know the Lord Jesus didn’t commit iniquity. Do you remember what Paul wrote about Him?

2 Corinthians 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

He bore our sins. He was, Isaiah, again:

Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

So, what iniquity is there? Ours.

2 Samuel 7:15: “But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.”

Now, that’s another interesting phrase, “put away” in the Bible. As you read the Bible, if somebody’s cut off, they are killed. That’s the end of them. In the Bible, when you read of somebody being put away, that is the concept of being divorced. God is in essence saying, “I divorced myself from Saul being King.” Really, that’s what He’s saying, that’s really what He’s saying, “I divorced myself from Saul being King.” He took away the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David. That’s exactly what the Lord is saying here, and what He’s teaching us.

2 Samuel 7:16: “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

Now, David’s throne, as we said earlier, is gone. It’s been gone. I talked about how they found the area where David’s house was, and they have, but they haven’t found a throne there. I don’t think they’re likely to find a throne there. It’s not likely. What do you suppose happened to the throne? I think it was destroyed thousands of years ago, is what I think. I don’t think they’re going to find it. That’s not what this prophecy is talking about. It’s not talking about finding the physical throne of David. Now, if I’m wrong and they find it one day, you can just say, “Well, he was wrong about that too.”

But what it is saying is so very important. What does all this have to do with us today in the 21st century living on the other side of the world? And what does it have to do with Christmas? We’ve been talking about Christmas. Simply this: the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior, must be a descendant of David, and He must rule from Jerusalem in the position where David would have been. Why must that be? Because God said so.

Jesus, Son of David

Look at verse 17:

2 Samuel 7:17: “According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.”

Remember back in verse 8 says, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts.” This is the Word of God. This is God speaking. So, the birth, life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment, the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, the Covenant that God made with David.

Matthew wrote to the people of Israel to tell them that Messiah had come and that His name was Jesus of Nazareth. I want you to listen to the Word of God. We’re not going to turn to it. We’ll do some page turning in a minute, but not yet.

Matthew 1:1, Matthew opens the Gospel with these words. Listen to it. First words of Matthew chapter one, verse one:

Matthew 1:1: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,” next phrase, “the son of David.” Isn’t that something? “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Then, he gives you the genealogy to support that statement. But the first thing Matthew writes, and the Gospel of Matthew was written to the people of Jerusalem and the people of Israel to show them that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed their Messiah, that’s the whole purpose of the Book of Matthew. And the first thing Matthew says is “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” He’s establishing Jesus as a descendant of David and, therefore, rightful heir to the throne, the Messiah. That’s chapter 1, verse 20. Chapter 9, verse 27:

Matthew 9:27: “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.”

Why did they call Him that? Why did they call Him the Son of David? Because they recognized that He was the long-promised Messiah, the one they’d been looking for.

Matthew 15:22: “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”

Why’d she call Him, Son of David?

Matthew 20:30: “And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.”

Matthew 20:31: “And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.”

They were putting their faith in Him. They were trusting in Him, that He was the long-promised Savior.

Matthew 21:9: “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna [oh save us] to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

Matthew 21:15: “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased.”

Isn’t that something? Everybody’s proclaiming Him to be the Messiah. Everybody’s proclaiming Him to be the Savior. Everybody’s proclaiming Him to be the Son of David, and the priests don’t like it. Isn’t that just like today?

Matthew 22:42, matter of fact, let’s turn to that one if you will. Take your Bible, it won’t be on the screen, but turn to Matthew 22, and look at verse 42. I think it’ll help you to see it. Actually, let’s start at verse 41:

Matthew 22:41: “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,”

Matthew 22:42: “Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.”

Jesus asked, “What think you of Christ?” or He probably said it this way, “What think you of the Messiah?” “What think ye of Christ? whose Son is He?” And they didn’t debate. They didn’t say, “Well, let’s talk about that a while, see if we can figure it out.” Instantly, they answered, “They say unto him, The Son of David.” No question about it, clear statement. They knew that; they expected it. They knew that the Messiah, the Savior, would be the Son of David. So, verse 43:

Matthew 22:43: “He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,”

Matthew 22:44: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?”

Matthew 22:45: “If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”

Matthew 22:46: “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.”

They had questioned Him and questioned Him. They didn’t ask anymore after He said that because they knew. They knew what He was saying, and they couldn’t debate it. They couldn’t argue about it. If David called the Messiah, Lord, then the Messiah lives before David does. And Jesus is saying that the Christ, or the Messiah, is eternal. He’s quoting, the Lord Jesus, there from Psalm 110.

David’s Prophecy of Messiah

I just want to read that to you. Turn if you want, but I’m going to go fairly quickly. Psalm 110, would you listen to it?

Psalm 110:1: “(A Psalm of David.) The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Psalm 110:2: “The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.”

“The people” always refer to the people of Israel.

Psalm 110:3: “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.”

Psalm 110:4: “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Remember our studies in Hebrews, “Thou art a priest forever after [under] the order of Melchizedek.” He’s a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Psalm 110:5: “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.”

Psalm 110:6: “He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.”

Psalm 110:7: “He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.”

Who’s this talking about? The Messiah. And Jesus referred to that passage. He’s quoting from Psalm 110. The entire psalm is a psalm of who? David. David wrote that, and it’s a prophecy of Messiah. So, we have these truths. Jesus is the Christ the Messiah, the Savior. Jesus is the Son of David, the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. Jesus is the Eternal Son of God. And faith in Jesus is absolutely essential to knowing God. Being forgiven, being able to live the Christian life here and now, and being able to live with Him for eternity.

Let me go back to the story I told you earlier, that day that I was carrying a burden, and I went to a church just to pray because I didn’t know what else to do and that man stopped me and talked to me. I’ve never seen him before or never seen him since. I don’t imagine he’s still on the Earth. But what I’m telling you is this: the only way to know God is through Jesus. At that point, I did not know God because I did not know Jesus. So, even though that man said those kind words to me, if I died that day, I would have gone straight to Hell, no doubt about it.

Messiah’s Reign in Jerusalem

One of the many titles that belong to Jesus is the Son of David, and the promise is that He shall reign upon the throne of David, and He shall for a thousand years in Jerusalem. I was talking to people this week about the fact that the temple could be built in very short order. All the preparations have already been made and the materials are all there. The people are there, they’re willing. The workmen are ready. They’re all ready. All they need is the deed to the real estate. Once they get that, they’ll have it up in a very short time, much faster than most construction projects, because they’ve got everything together. They’re ready to build.

Years ago, 30-plus years ago now, I was there at the Temple Studies Institute. I was talking to a man. I don’t know who he was, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t know who I was. But we were talking, and we were about as far away as from here to that [pointing to a door]. We were there, and he pointed to a door about like that one, not white like that, but about like that, that was embedded in the side of the Temple Mount. He said, “You see that door right there?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “In there is the Ark of the Covenant.” I said, “Really?” He said, “Yeah.” I said, “Can I see it?” He said, “No.” So, is it in there? I don’t know, folks. He said it was, I don’t know if it’s really in there or not.

I had this discussion with somebody this week, and they said, “Do you think it’s really there?” I said, “I couldn’t say.” But I’m telling you, they could have built another one, and that may have been what was behind that door. I don’t know the answer to that question, folks. I’m just telling you what the man told me. But I am saying that they are ready to build. They’re not looking for the ark. They either have made one, they have the original, they have a replica, they’ve made one. They’re ready.

So, as Son of David, the Lord will reign in the millennium for a thousand years. He’ll reign upon His throne, also in the new Jerusalem, forever. And He’ll reign in your heart and your mind and your life if you’ll only allow Him to do so. In the last book of the Bible, chapter 3:20, Jesus says:

Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

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Father, thank you so much for the time we’ve had together here this evening. Lord, we pray that you’ll bless us and help us to rejoice in the fact that at Christmas time, we celebrate your coming into this world. Oh, Lord, it’s been said that in your Word, we’re not commanded to celebrate your birth, and that is true, but Lord, why wouldn’t we celebrate your birth? Why wouldn’t we celebrate the fact that you came into this world, lived for 33+ years a sinless life, went to the cross at the hands of sinful men, and there, paid for our sins, were buried, and rose again, and proclaimed, “He that believes on me has everlasting life.” Lord, we accept the prophecies of your first coming and the prophecies of your return.

Heads are bowed, and eyes are closed. Don’t have any strangers here tonight, but we’re going to sing a hymn of invitation. There’s a spiritual need in your life, you need prayer, you come while we sing.

Father, bless and move now in this invitation time. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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