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Postmillennialism for Such a Time as This

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INTRODUCTION

It would not be surprising for someone to look around at the present state of things and ask the cheery Postmillennialist, “Oh, so you think things are getting better, do you?” Many things could be said in reply. But the chief response would be, “Yes, there are giants in the land. They are very big. Too big to miss.” We are with David selecting stones by faith. We are with Esther going before the king given the bad news that Haman wants to destroy us.

You can find us alongside Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, not bowing to false gods, knowing we will soon take a fire bath; the Son of God will be with us in the flames. We are with Israel in Egypt right up against the Red Sea before it moves out of the way—”And Moses said unto the people, Fear yet not, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13). Why are we cheerful, confident, and laboring in a time like this? Well, the battle belongs to the LORD and we have seen this story before.

THE TEXT

Psalm 110

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

David says that the LORD said to his Lord, “Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (v. 1). Jesus cites this verse when tying the Pharisees up in knots, establishing that he is David’s Lord who will soon ascend to heaven and sit down at the right hand of the LORD. He will remain there until all of his enemies are placed beneath His feet (v. 1).

Even so, while seated there, the LORD will send the rod of his strength out of Zion. He will rule on earth from heaven (v. 2). This can be accomplished because this seated Christ will have people on earth who offer themselves freely in the day of His power (v. 3). The earthly reign of Christ through His people is not something up for grabs for the LORD has sworn that Christ is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (v. 4). Kings will be struck through by Him, kings over the whole wide earth (v. 5-6). He will not break off His pursuit of the fleeing enemy. He will drink from the brook by the way and rise up to advance His reign (v. 7).

THE MILLENNIUM

Generally speaking, there are three views of the “thousand years” John speaks of in Revelation 20:1-6. Premillennialism teaches that Christ will return to earth and then comes an unprecedented “thousand years” of blessing for the church. Amillennialism teaches that Revelation 20 speaks to the spiritual or heavenly reign of Christ now resulting in the parallel growth of good and evil. Postmillennialism teaches that the millennium is a present reality for Christians now, as Christ reigns on earth from heaven; and Christ will return at the end of the millennium once the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

The rule and reign of Christ announced in Psalm 110 is something we are in the midst of. Kings are falling all around us. We offer ourselves freely in the day of his power. And when the conquest of Christ has reached the ends of the earth, He will stand up from His throne, and return bodily.

HEAVEN AND EARTH

How you conceive of the interplay between heaven and earth is more important than it may first appear. Christ our Head is seated in heaven and we are his body on earth. Christ is our Great High Priest in heaven, in the true tent. And we are a kingdom of priests, as was promised in the Mosaic Covenant, who announce good news on earth saying, “Be reconciled to God.”

The Amillennialist position can be charged with leaving Christ’s reign up in heaven and neglecting the kingdom of God coming on earth. When Postmillennialism goes wrong, it could begin to neglect heaven in the attempt to see the kingdom come on earth. The goal is to live in the flesh by faith. As the old phrase puts it, we must be in the world but not of the world; we must be in the world and of the heaven. Our prayer is not, “Thy kingdom come in heaven as it is on earth.” It is, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” and that prayer is addressed to our Father in heaven.

DOMINION

Postmillennialism highlights the need for Christians to do Christianity and not merely think it. It has a special place for blisters and callouses. One temptation we want to avoid is living in the cloud, where all of our music, documents, and text messages are stored. As Christ approached his Calvary—Tomb—Mount of Olives Exodus, He prayed to the Father saying, “Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee” (John 17:11). He went on, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world” (John 17:15).

As John Newton was making his way to glory he said, “I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon.” That day will come for us all. But while we remain in the land of the dying, we must die well. While in this body, we use it, spend it, lose it for Christ and His kingdom.

THE MELCHIZEDEKIAN PRIEST

The only way to spend and be spent for Christ is to come to Christ. We want to fill the earth and subdue it, pressing the crown rights of King Jesus into the four corners of the earth. And the only way to get there is to look by faith to one spot, the place where the Priest offered Himself as the sacrifice.

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Unto You I Lift Up My Eyes (King’s Cross)

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THE TEXT

 Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.

3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud (Ps. 123).

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Thirst for God (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

This is a beloved Psalm which demonstrates the maturing faith of David in his later years and trials. This Psalm is vivid. Surprising. It is memorable, and it is a wonderfully balm to the aching heart.

THE TEXT

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
Psalm 63:1-11

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This is a Psalm for the wilderness. Despite physical deprivation, David longs for God with both his soul & body (v1). His longing centers on seeing God’s power & glory as displayed in the sanctuary (v2). Because God’s lovingkindness is superior to life itself, praise will arise from David’s parched lips (v3). Though physically feeble, his arms will be raised in praise (v4).
His inner man will be strengthened, as with hearty victuals, and his lips will break forth in praise as after a delicious covenant meal (v5); this all will be the case even when upon his desert bed during the midnight watch (v6). Meditating upon God’s past deliverances secures a present peace to rest under the shadow of Jehovah’s wings (v7, Cf. Rt. 2:12).
Despite being hunted by his enemies, David hunts after God and he sees that even in this it is God’s right hand which holds him up (v8). Then David turns to his companions and rouses them to courage & loyalty. Those pursuing him for destruction would themselves be destroyed (v9). Either the sword or the desert scavengers would be their demise (v10). King David would remain joyful in God, and those who would share in that glory must renew their vows of fealty to David (v11). However, any traitors will meet with a sudden end, their lying lips will be stopped (v11).

IN FAMINE OR FEAST

David provides a sharp contrast to his ancestors here. Whereas Israel’s wilderness wanderings were marked by complaining, fear of foes, compromise with idolaters, pining for Egypts leeks & onions. Here David longs for “my God.” This is the beating heart of the evangelical faith. To call God your God is the sum of true piety.
Notice the orientation of David’s longing. He longs for God, as a night-watcher for the dawn, like a desert plant sends forth its tendrils to reach the smallest droplet of moisture, like a parched & famished man searches for food & drink. But this longing has a reference point: the power and glory of God. But David is more specific than that, it is God’s power & glory as displayed in the Sanctuary of saints which fills David’s mind.
God, of course, is not confined to the tabernacle. So, although there is great glory in the congregation of saints, true piety is sustained even in times of dryness, exile, and misery. It is false piety which deludes itself into thinking it can sustain spiritual life apart from the glory of God in the midst of His people, or if it thinks that mere emotional enthusiasm is enough to sustain Christian vibrancy. Individualism and mere enthusiasm are insufficient to sustain the spiritual life of the saint.

DELIGHTING IN GOD

In our emotionally stunted age, in many respects we must relearn how to feel. On one hand there is a tendency towards embracing emotional expressiveness as emotional maturity. But it is the one who has their emotions well in hand who truly has maturity. On the other hand, the stoic approach treats any emotional feeling with suspicion.

This and many other Psalms are full of godly emotions. This sets before us how to feel rightly about God. Many well-meaning Christians try to manufacture what they perceive to be vibrant “holy feelings”. Conferences. Summer camps. The right combination of books. Trying to obtain the right posture during their morning devotionals so that the Angel Choirs are forced to break forth in the Hallelujah Chorus. All of this is missing the focal point of our piety: God is your God.

You don’t have to persuade a starving man of his hunger. Nor do you awake each morning panicked with concern that maybe you’re not hungry enough for breakfast. By being human, you are in need of God. You need Him in your rising, sleeping, in the glory of the congregation, in the sorrow of the desert. You need Him more than life, more than breath, more than food, or water, or sunshine.

This is just the way things are. Spiritually maturity does not mean the deadening of emotions, it means the ripening of them. It means to aim for the object of those desires not the feeling of desire itself. Immature emotions are like a toddler trying to the hold fourteen leashes of untrained Great Danes after a cat runs by. By delighting in God for His own sake, and despite your circumstances, your emotions are brought to heel.

MORE THAN LIFE

But God is your God because His lovingkindness has been great towards you. Indeed, until you see that God’s hesed has been great towards you, you will chase after this life as if it is the point. But David says otherwise.

The Lord’s lovingkindness is better than “lives”. In other words, group together all variety of lives which could be lived––monarchs, drunkards, business tycoons, desert monks, those who live to a ripe old age and those who are cut off in childhood. The Lord’s tender mercy to you is better than any of them whether individually or in totality. His lovingkindness is like a strong hand beneath you. You seek hard after God, all to discover that God’s lovingkindness holds steadfast to you.

LET LIARS DIE

A striking thing about the Psalms is that they don’t follow the grooves of our nice and tidy sensibilities of what “godly emotions” should look like. This is particularly evident in this Psalm. Here is glorious lines of David rejoicing in the Lord. Here are glorious metaphors. And then, instead of a sweet ending, we have the clamor of threats and the swearing of oaths.

True longing for God fits us for battle with our enemies. While you remain on earth, your worship of the Living God is not intended to end with the sweet sighings of romantics. Rather, setting your affections of Christ above (Col. 3:1-5) is how you bring about the downfall of those hunting you down.

They shall fall by the sword. They shall be left to be devoured by desert beasts. Because God is your God. David resolves, as the lawful head of Israel, to rejoice in God. He then summons those with him to either join the cause or fall in silence.

You are beset with enemies. Both inward and outward. What is that to you? God is your God. Have you been feeling parched spiritually? Go to your God, both here amongst His people and in the solitary night watches. Seek after God, and find, that all along, at every turn, it is He who has sought after you, and will deliver you from all your enemies.

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Herod (Profiles in Christmas #2)

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THE TEXT

Psalm 2

HEROD THE GREAT

The story begins with Herod the Great in Matthew 2. Herod, who is not really Jewish, is appointed King of the Jews in 40 BC. He is famous for his building projects, but even more so for his blood-thirsty greed. Herod dies in 4 BC and his kingdom is divided between three sons.
Herod has at least 10 wives, the more important are listed here.

Mariamne 1 – Is married for her family connections. She has several children, but her first son is Aristobulus, who Herod kills in 7 BC.
Mariamne 2 – Is the daughter of one of the High Priests. She has Herod Phillip, who is the unfortunate first husband of Herodias.
Doris – Herod’s first wife, who is let go. She has Antipater, killed by Herod in 4 BC.

Malthace – A Samaritan woman who has Antipas and Archelaus. They take over Galilee and Judea respectively after Herod’s death.
Cleopatra (of Jerusalem) – She has Phillip the tetrarch who takes over Herod’s northern lands after his death.

HEROD ANTIPAS

The curses on unfaithfulness last for three to four generations and we see them do this with Herod. Herod’s kingdom was divided between three sons. One of whom we hear about in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 6:14-29). We meet this same Herod a little bit later in the Book of Luke as Pontius Pilate learns that Jesus was from Galilee (Luke 23:6-12).

HEROD AGRIPPA

Antipas later has his kingdom stripped from him and his territory is given to Herod Agrippa, his nephew and the son of Aristobulus, Mariamne’s son killed by Herod the Great in 7 BC. We first hear from Agrippa in Acts 12

DRUSILLA, BERNICE, AND AGRIPPA II

Herod Agrippa had three children who we hear more from later on. In Acts 24:24 we run into Drusilla, Agrippa’s daughter, Herod the Great’s great grand daughter. Paul is handed over to Festus who needs help writing the charges against Paul and requests the aid of Agrippa, the previous Agrippa’s son. This new Agrippa shows up with Bernice, Acts 25 & 26, his sister and hears Paul out. Agrippa, though rattled by Paul’s testimony, remains hard hearted and helps Festus send Paul off to Ceasar (Nero) where he eventually will be martyred.

CONCLUSION

Herod’s story offers us a perfect example of what the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent really looks like. This story is going on all around us right now, but must be seen with the eye of faith.

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How to Fight Sin (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

The title of this message is “How to Fight Sin,” but maybe the more complete title would be something like “How to fight that sin that keeps coming back and scaring you.” I’m thinking here about the occasional angry outburst, a significant lustful collapse, drunkenness, or emotional meltdowns. Where do those sins come from and what can be done to actually defeat them?

THE TEXT

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:12-14).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The psalmist asks a very relevant question for all times: Who can understand why we sin (Ps. 19:12)? Why do we do those things that in our sane moments we really don’t want to do? What follows is David’s answer to that question, and his answer is that generally speaking there is a three step process that consists of secret faults, presumptuous sins, and great transgressions (Ps. 19:12-13). The psalm ends asking for particular deliverance for the first two: secret sins of the heart and presumptuous sins of the mouth, looking to the Lord as His rock and redeemer (Ps. 19:14).

GREAT TRANSGRESSIONS

People do not generally get up one more when the sky is blue and the birds are singing and decide to ruin their lives. Great transgressions do not come out of nowhere. Adultery, murder, grand theft auto all generally take some warming up to. And David says that the warm up is secret faults and presumptuous sins. If great transgressions are the overgrown garden, it takes some diligent ignoring of secret faults and presumptuous sins to get there. In Romans 1 it says that God gives people over to uncleanness and vile affections because they were not thankful for God their Creator (secret faults) and began worshiping parts of creation rather than the Creator (presumptuous sins). Likewise, it says in Proverbs 22:14: “The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.” Putting this together: it is not the case that a man can be walking faithfully with God and one day (out of the blue) fall into adultery. Nor is it merely the case that you shouldn’t commit adultery merely because then you would likely fall under God’s judgment; rather, you fall into great transgressions because you are already under God’s judgment. Adultery and homosexuality are the judgments of God.

But many Christians find themselves sometimes coming right up to what seems like the very precipice of great transgressions. Maybe you struggle with angry outbursts from time to time, or drunkenness, or lust, or lies, or emotional melt down, and by God’s grace you are caught or you are convicted and repent, but then you look at yourself in the mirror and you wonder: how did I get here (again)? And you really hate the sin and you do well for a while and then (what feels like) out of the blue, you stumble and fall into it again. Where does that come from? The Bible says it comes from being lax about your secret faults and presumptuous sins.

SECRET FAULTS & PRESUMPTUOUS SINS

Secret faults may be sins you are sincerely completely unaware of: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). We are sinful people, and even after conversion, it’s still in our flesh and we need to ask God to continue cleansing us. But secret faults are also more commonly secret in the sense that they are in our heart and mind and virtually unnoticeable to anyone else. These may be wrathful thoughts or feelings or words under our breath, envy or covetousness or lust, resentment or bitterness, or anxiety or worry or fear. And the key thing here is these thoughts going unconfessed.

Presumptuous sins are words or actions that are sinful that you make peace with. Usually you make peace with these sins because they are socially acceptable (everyone does it), or at least they are common enough for people to assume the best. This may be complaining about homework or inflation or your kids or your parents. This may be biting or harsh criticism or correction of family members. This may be foul language or cursing or lax entertainment standards (music, movies, shows). And David’s prayer is specifically that these presumptuous sins might not have dominion over him. When they begin to rule in a person’s life – that is, go unconfessed, you are walking in pride, and that kind of pride goes before a fall (Prov. 16:18).

CONCLUSIONS & APPLICATIONS

The Bible is extremely clear that the way to kill sin is by confessing it: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). And one of the most wonderful parts of that promise is the word “all.” We confess the sins we know about, and God cleanses us from all unrighteousness, including all the secret faults we don’t know about. But this confession must be to God and to whomever else we have sinned against. This is how you kill sin.

The message of these verses in Ps. 19 is that if you want to stop coming up to the edge of great transgressions, kill the secret faults and presumptuous sins when they are little and rare. If you want a clean garden and clean heart, confess your sins when they are tiny specks of green poking out of the ground, rather than waiting for them to be giant spikey poison weeds.

It’s striking that David closes this meditation with a prayer that God would make his words and meditations pleasing in God’s sight in the name of the Lord His “rock and redeemer.” Rock is clear enough: it refers to strength, a foundation, a fortress, a defense. But you should not miss that the word here for “redeemer” is the same word used for the redeemer who would avenge murder or who might buy a relative’s freedom who had been sold into slavery for debts, or who most famously, like Boaz, married and provided for Ruth, her kinsman-redeemer.

David’s ultimate trust is in God who is both our rock and nearest relative, closest friend. And we who know Jesus have come to know this even more truly. Jesus, what a friend for sinners.

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