Turn in your Bibles again with
me to Psalm 149. And we'll do the second half of our psalm.
Let's pray first. Heavenly Father, thank you for
your amazing grace in our lives and in our souls. We thank you,
as we've heard this morning, for the wonders of your grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that all things
necessary for our salvation are provided for in him, have been
provided for from eternity. And we pray, Father, as we look
into your word today, that you will fulfill that promise to
feed us, to draw alongside us and hold our hands and walk us
through your scriptures, and to make them real, to make them
spirit and life within us, Heavenly Father, and to grow us in the
grace and knowledge of our great King. Father, we think of your
church throughout the world, our brothers and sisters. And
in these troubled times, we have it so good here, haven't we,
Father? And we know that there's many that suffer much more than
we do. So we pray that even if they can't meet together, and
even if different circumstances, they can't hear your gospel preached
this morning, but you would visit them and you would preach the
gospel to them and in them and cause it to be effective. So Father, no matter how difficult
trials are, you sit above them all and you use them all for
the good of your people. You use them to turn us back
to you, Heavenly Father. So please this morning, in your
amazing grace, Okay, Psalm 149. We saw last
week that Psalm 149 makes it clear that the Gospel is not
a work of man. It's not a theory. or a formula that can be taught
by men, and it's not something to be manipulated by men. Last week, we also looked at
the nature of the gospel, that it's entirely a work of our God,
which begins with a creative command, that it's a saving work
that our God does within us, a work which then flows from
within us as praise to our holy God. This praise is our gospel
declaration as we witness of the goodness of our God in our
Lord Jesus Christ. This is how men are saved. This
is how we talk of the gospel. This is how we come to praise
our great God. And this is how we declare his
name amongst men. All of it is the work of our
gracious God, and all of it is centred upon our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ and Him crucified. So let's read our psalm again
before we start. Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto
the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of
saints. Let Israel rejoice in Him that
made Him. Let the children of Zion be joyful
in their King. Let them praise His name in the
dance. Let them sing praises unto Him
with the timbrel and the harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure
in His people. He will beautify the meek with
salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their
beds. And now the verses that we're
going to look at today, starting with verse six. Let the high
praises of our God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in
their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments
upon the people, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles
with fetters of iron, to execute upon them the judgment written. As I said last week, the Gospel
is simply a personal testimony of the grace of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's a testimony of laudiness
by God through a very real experience of salvation. The Gospel is that
new song of praise to our God. It's a song that resounds eternally
in heaven. Evangelism is just a continuation
of that witness, as it resonates throughout this world and throughout
time. See, this is the purpose of gospel
churches as they gather together to worship God, the furtherance
of this testimony. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians
2.2, determines not to know anything among us save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. which according to Acts 20 is
all the counsel of God. This is the mission statement
that the Lord gave his church in Acts 1, and it's a work that
continues even to this day. Amazingly, it's by this continued
testimony that our Lord provides all things necessary for his
people here on earth. However, as we'll see in this
psalm, this gospel, the genuine testimony of the goodness of
God in the Lord Jesus Christ, has a twofold impact. Not only
does it nourish and grow the saints in their faith, it also
protects and defends us from the many enemies of the church
and of our souls. So let's continue with Psalm
149, verse six. Let the high praises of God be
in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand. The saints are called to simply
praise our God for his grace towards us in his psalm. But
we need to understand that this witness goes forth accompanied
by the power of God. In Psalm 22.3, we're told that
our God inhabits the praises of Israel, which means when people
hear our testimonies, in some way, they actually come face
to face with God Himself. In Luke 10 verse 9, our witnessing
is likened by the Lord to the kingdom of heaven coming near. I'll never forget when the Lord
taught me the gospel and he caused me to realize that the gospel
wasn't some lighthearted trickery that you could drop an instruction
in a man's lap and run back to the church and brag about how
good you did it and how many you were able to do that to. The Lord taught me that sharing
the gospel was delivering God's judgment upon me. And for me,
and for all of us, I would think it should, it is, it was, and
it should be a sobering reality. In Isaiah 55, 11, the Lord says
of his word that it shall not return under the void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in a thing
where to I sent it. effectively on those exposed
to it. Brothers and sisters, these high
praises of our God are in fact that two-edged sword of our God. It's a sword which has a powerful
impact on all humanity, wherever our God sends it. The Apostle Paul tells us in
Romans 1.16 that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation
to everyone who believes. However, in Romans 2.16, he says
that this same gospel is also a declaration of God's judgment
upon men. Our high praises of God are declarations
of that gospel. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ
that we're talking about. And in Matthew 10, the Lord says
to his disciples, think not that I've come to send peace on the
earth. I came not to send peace, but
a sword. Just turn in your Bibles to Revelation
19. Revelation 19, if you want to
follow along. We've seen, as we've studied
the first chapter of John, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the
Word of God, which, according to Hebrews 4, is quick and powerful
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is
a discernment Okay, Revelation 9, and I just
wanna read verses 11 through to 16, and I want you to listen
to the description of our Lord here, and particularly of his
activities here on earth. And I saw heaven open, and behold,
a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make law. His
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns,
and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and
he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now just turn back in your Bibles
a few pages to Revelation 14. I want to read the whole of this
chapter, because much like Psalm 149, this passage details both
the nature and the impact of the gospel. Verse 1, And I looked, and lo,
a lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred and forty
and four thousand having his father's name written in their
foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven
as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder.
And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps and
they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before
the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song
but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed
from the earth. These are they which were not
defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb wheresoever He goeth. These were redeemed from
among men, being the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. And
in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before
the throne of God. What a beautiful picture of the
Lord in union with his bride and church. And I saw another
angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. And to every nation
and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice, fear
God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment has
come. and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea
and the fountains and waters." This is the testimony of the
church here on earth. Verse 8, and they followed another
angel saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because
she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication. And the third angel followed
them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast
and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his
hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.
And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. and the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they
have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." This is the nature
of our gospel, isn't it? Our gospel speaks of the defeat
of Satan by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. And it also stands
as a warning to anyone who would follow Satan. Verse 12, here
is the patience of the saints. Here are they that kept the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus. And I've heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, right, blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their Primarily the gospel is the comfort
of the saints in this wilderness world of opposition. And let's
read on. Verse 14. And I looked, and behold,
a white cloud, and upon the cloud sat one sap, like unto the son
of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp
sickle. And another angel came out of
the temple, crying with a loud voice unto him that sat on the
cloud, thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the times come for
thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he
that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, Verse 17 And another angel came
out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp
sickle. And another angel came out of
the altar which had power over the fire, and cried with a loud
cry unto him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in my
sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth,
for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle
into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast
it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress
was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress,
even under the horses' bridles, by the space of a thousand and
six hundred furlongs." See, while this gospel is the comfort of
the saints, it also is the judgment of God upon the wicked. The first thing we need to realise
here is that declaring the gospel is simply praising our God for
salvation. We don't go forward with intentions
of vengeance. We don't go forward with intentions
of ill will towards others. We go in humility. We go in love
for lost souls. And we go trusting that both
our witness and the opportunities presented before us are all the
work of our God. Our God sends his word into this
world to achieve his own purposes. Our witnessing is the act of
our God seeking his lost sheep. But at the same time as that
sharp two-edged sword in our text it also pronounces judgment
on all the rest. See, our witnessing cuts both
ways. It either cuts in the heart of
those being saved, as we've seen before in Acts 2, causing them
to cry for salvation, or it only cuts to the heart
of all the rest, as we saw in Acts 5, revealing their hatred
of God and of His witnesses. This is why the Apostle Paul
likens our witness in 2 Corinthians 2 to the sweet savour of Christ
in them that are saved and in them that perish. To the one
he says, we are the savour of death unto death, and to the
other, the savour of life unto life. The two-edged sword of our witness
doesn't go forth void in this world. It goes forth impacting
everyone who's exposed to it. We might not see it, but we're
promised it in the scriptures. It goes forth as our God harvests
humanity, some to glory and sadly, some to judgment. In regard to the elect, those
hidden with Christ in God, Colossians 3.3, it cuts down our flesh and
it nourishes the new man within us. However, in regard to those
who, according to John 3.18, are condemned already, they meet
God face-to-face and experience something of His eternal judgment
upon them. Look at verse 7, to execute vengeance
upon the heathen and punishments upon the people. We have here before us a summary
of all the enemies of God in the human race, the heathen and
the people. The heathen are those who, from
the revelation of God in nature, Romans 1, have rejected him and
have chosen not to retain God in their knowledge. They openly
set themselves against God and his church. They put his people
to shame and they profane his holy name. When these people
are exposed to the gospel, they're confronted by God himself. They
experience something of his vengeance towards them. And an entity which
is often hidden is exposed. And while these people, these
heathen, are responsible for their own rebellion against God,
there's also another reason given in Romans 2.24 that God's name
is blasphemed amongst them. It's the people of God. We're
talking here of those that would claim to worship the one true
God, the Holy One of Israel. These are people that claim to
faithfully declare God's way of salvation, and yet, In the
way of the religion of the natural man, these people pervert the
gospel and they present God as a weak servant of man. See, they claim that salvation
is as man submits himself to the holy law of God, and by his
wisdom and his work, he puts God in obligation to save him
and to reward him. They make much of the ability
of men while at the very same time they tread underfoot the
Son of God, they count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing,
and they do despite to the Spirit of grace. Hebrews 10.28. According
to the Apostle Paul in Romans 2.12, because these people sin
in the law, they shall be judged by the law. When these people
are exposed to the true gospel, they experience something of
the punishments of God upon their sins. their true enmity against God
is revealed. So while verse 7 of our text
addresses individual members of the human race, our next verse,
verse 8, addresses those who sit in authority over our enemies,
those who have an active influence over the majorities. those responsible
for leading and guiding the masses in their rebellion against God
and His Church. So verse 8, to bind their kings
with chains and their nobles with feathers of iron. Again,
we can see this comprehensive just of the leaders of men. The
heathen had kings to rule over them, while the nobles is a term
often used in the scriptures to represent religious leaders,
especially in regard to nation Israel. It's true that with leadership
comes responsibility, and whether it's on a small scale or a large
scale, all of us have some responsibility for the influence we have upon
others. These kings and nobles, they have a great responsibility
and therefore they're held more accountable by God for the influences
they have regarding the nations they rule over. Now there's a
good example of this accountability in Acts 20 verse 27 where Paul
refers to Ezekiel 33 and the responsibility of the watchman And why? Because he's been a
faithful witness. For the same reason James in
James 3.1 says that leaders or masters shall receive greater
condemnation. But I suppose what I found most
interesting in this verse is that by a witness, that two-edged sword of the gospel,
we actually bind these leaders of men. For the leaders of men
who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,
they're taken captive to Christ and made slaves of righteousness,
Romans 6.18. However, for all others, to bind
is to lock up. It's to reserve or restrain from
judgment, much like in Jude 6, where the angels which kept not
their first estate, but left their own habitation, are reserved
in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of
the great day. I was also amazed when I looked
at Matthew 13 30, where the Lord speaks of the parable of the
sower. You know, where a guy sows good seed and then as he's
swept an enemy, he sows tears. What amazed me was that the Lord,
speaking of the same harvest that we read in Revelation 14,
says to his reapers, gather ye together first the tears and
bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather the wheat into
my barn. You notice that when the wheat's
gathered, It's gathered straight into the barn, and it's the Lord's
barn, isn't it? But it's the tears that are gathered
first, and they're bound, ready to be destroyed. Our Lord gives
physical examples to convey spiritual realities to us. This binding
of the tears is similar to the binding in our verse. As we declare
the praises of our God, These same praises, like a two-edged
sword, reveal the destiny of all men according to the Word
of God, which stands forever. Isaiah 40 verse 8. So we come to our last verse,
and there's three separate statements in our last verse, so I'd like
us to just consider them individually. The first is to execute upon
them judgment written. See, this judgment is the result
of that everlasting covenant that we read about last week
in Revelation 5. The book that's written within
and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. This is the judgment
of our God who declares the end from the beginning. And from
ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel It's the judgment of our sovereign
God, whose word is true from the beginning, and every one
of his righteous judgments endureth forever. Psalm 119 verse 160. See, we're talking about an eternal
judgment. It's hard to think that by the
simplicity of declaring praises to our God, that this world is
actually being judged. In Philippians 1.28, we're told
that our standing for the gospel is an evident token of perdition
to our enemies. We need to remember that as we
declare the gospel, both individually and collectively in church, It's
actually the Holy Spirit that goes forth, pronouncing the judgment
of God on all rebellion. We need to remind ourselves constantly
that although we wield this sword, it's our God who both sends it
and makes it effective. When we put the armor on, the
armor of Ephesians 6, there's just one element of that armor
that's offensive. It's a sword. but it's the sword
of the Spirit, which we're told is the Word of God. Our intentions
are simply to praise our God and to see His saints revealed. But again, it's not by our power,
but our God's power that this work continues in the world.
The fact of the matter is, we're just sinners like all the rest.
And yet by the mercy of our God, he's been pleased to raise up
a witness of himself in our earthen vessels. Brothers and sisters, how sobering
is it to realize that by these same witnesses, our God reveals
himself to this fallen world as he has done from the beginning.
How humbling is it to know that every part of this great work
from our testimony to the judgment is all completely the work of
our God. This is a work which right now
works powerfully and effectively amongst humanity. It's a work
which will continue until the very last thing is revealed. That brings us to the second
statement in our last verse. This honour have all his saints. Every converted soul who's ever
walked this earth, or whoever will for that matter, has no
choice but to sing this song. After all, it's a work of God
in them. We're also promised in the early
chapters of Revelation that we'll sit with our Saviour on the throne
of God, and having power over the nations, we'll rule them
with the right of iron. Do you believe that? You know, Ephesians 2.6 says
that right now we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. What an incredible privilege
it is to think that we're ambassadors of the Most High God. It should
cause every one of us to ask the same question that Paul asked
in 2 Corinthians 2 when he declared that we're the sweet saviour
of Christ in this world. for these things. It should also
cause us to be reminded again, as Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians
3, that our sufficiency is of God, which is the reason we praise
our God. And that brings us to the last
statement in our verse and the end of our psalm. Praise ye the
Lord. Brothers and sisters, much like
that eternal scene in heaven, as we began, so we end, simply
praising our God for His salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. How
amazing that by this work of God in us and through these praises,
our precious faith is revealed. How incredible is it that in
this world, as weak as we are, We are more than conquerors through
Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. How different is this
to the teaching of the religious men throughout the world? How
contradictory is it to the witness of modern day Christianity? How amazing is it to think that
the Lord continues not only to reveal Himself but to impact
people in this world, and yet most of them are completely unaware. Declaring the gospel or evangelism
is a much bigger deal than men give a credit for. We have a
great responsibility as the gospel church to be faithful, faithful
to our God and faithful to men's souls. Well, thankfully, it's
our God who makes us faithful. Remember, our sufficiency is
of Him. We have often in the history
of our church been accused of making too much of the gospel.
I'm sure it was meant as a criticism, but what a wonderful compliment. The truth is, though, that when
we read Psalms like 149, I can't help but think that we
still don't make enough of it. After all, all our eternal salvation
rests in this one place, Jesus Christ and him crucified. May our gracious God cause us
to be filled with gladness at the way he's dealt with us, both
individually and as a church. We have a rich history of God's
fingerprints on our lives. May He continue to strengthen
that witness within us, and may He continue to bring forth that
witness from amongst us, that we might honour Him in His dear
Son, our great Saviour and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.