Pastor: Well, we have the privilege again to consider the word of God. It's weird not saying we're turning to Acts this morning, isn't it? We're going to be looking at Psalm 2.
Pastor: My goal is we'll look at a psalm this week and then next, and then I'll actually be away for a couple weeks with the Air Force, but when I return from that, we're going to do a little series in Malachi, which is the last book in the Old Testament.
Pastor: I'll talk about it more when we get to it, but Malachi is a people in transition, they hear from God, but then there's a long period of time, a long period of time when they do, they don't hear anything else, they are waiting essentially for the promises of the New Testament to happen. I think that's very relevant for us, because we are a people in that kind of time, aren't we? But we know God has spoken, but it's been a long time. We are a people that are waiting for some promises that are still yet to be filled, and that is the one last thing to come, that is Christ's final return, where He is coming to judge the living and the dead. But before we get there, Psalm two for today, before we read God's word, let us go again to the Lord in prayer.
Pastor: Our Father, we thank you that you are gracious, that you are merciful to us, Lord. We thank you that why we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, that in eternity you devised a plan to save sinners, to save rebels like us, and that could only be accomplished by the giving of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would take on flesh to die for us and pay for an eternal debt that we could never pay. Lord, I pray as we come to your word, that we would recognize who you are, the Creator God, the Redeemer God, that you will help us to submit our lives, every part of it, to you, Lord. I thank you for your mercy to us in Christ, and I do pray that by the power of your Spirit again you would open up our blind eyes to see Christ, to behold Him by faith, to unstop our deaf ears, that we might be able to put distractions aside and hear of Christ crucified for sinners like us. Lord, soften our hardened hearts to receive Christ, to rest in Him, Lord, be merciful to your people, comfort your people, and it's in Jesus's name we pray. Amen.
Pastor: [1] Why did the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? [2] The kings of earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, [3] "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.
Pastor: [4] He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. [5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, [6]"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." People of God, hear God's word for us the ends of the earth your possession. [9] You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash him in pieces like a potter's vessel."[10] Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Pastor: He who has ears, let him hear God's word. You may be seated.
Pastor: We live in an age and in a culture where it seems that everywhere you look there is outrage. Every day we are confronted with, as it appears, another crisis, another controversy, another reason you are told that you should be afraid, that you should be angry, that you should be anxious. Wars are continuing in Ukraine and in the Middle East, cultural battles are waging over sexuality, gender, race, immigration.
Pastor: Every election is presented to you as a defining moment in history, and every political opponent is an enemy who is a is a threat now. People spend their days on social media consuming an endless amount of a stream of conflict that results in anxiety, and anxiety for youth has skyrocketed. We live in a culture that promotes fear, worry, and anxiety, and it's fascinating, how as we turn to Psalm two, even though it was written nearly 3000 years ago, yet it can read as if it was written for us today. In fact, it has, because that is God's word. It is for us today. The psalmist is able to look around the world, and he asks a question that remains just as relevant for us today. Why do the nations rage? Why do the people plot in vain in the day of ours, and the psalmist rulers have changed, faces have changed, technology has changed, but the human heart has not Psalm two, it pulls back the curtain and shows us what is really happening beneath all the turmoil that you see around the world, and even in your own life, behind the wars, behind the political struggles, behind cultural conflicts behind personal anxieties lies a deeper reality. Humanity's rebellion against God and against His king. This psalm reminds us that the fundamental problem that we see in the world is not fixed by politics, it is not an economic problem, it is not a social problem. The problem is that mankind, that we refuse to submit to God and His rule.
Pastor: Psalm two confronts every person with a choice, and indeed it will confront you with this choice. Will you continue in rebellion or will you submit and bow to the king? Will you resist him or will you rest in him? The psalm final command is also its central message. If you look at the last verse, don't worry, this isn't the last part of the sermon. This is still the introduction, but this is the central theme of this text. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way. But blessed are all who take refuge in him. The psalm unfolds really in in four movements, we see the rebellion of the nations in verses one through three, we see the response of God in verses four through six, we see the reign of the son and actually the king step up and speak for himself in verses seven through nine, and then we see the refuge of the gospel in verses 10 through 12. First, let's consider the rebellion of the nations in verses one through three. The psalm begins with a question, Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? This is painting, the psalmist is beginning to paint a picture for us of a restless mob, a restless rebellious mob, and the hostility is only growing in its number, and what is the mob restless and angry about they are angry at God.
Pastor: They are restless against Him.
Pastor: David, in the Psalms, makes it very clear that we are not born neutral towards God. Psalm 51 David says, "Behold, I was born, brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. You see, sin is not just a choice people make later in life, but it's also an inherent condition that we are born in since the fall of Adam. All of mankind is naturally in rebellion and resistance against God. Paul will also say this in Ephesians chapter two, "You were dead in the trespasses and sins, and once, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. By nature, humanity is spiritually dead and naturally opposed to God, and that's how the psalm is starting us. Humanity and its rebellion against God. Verse two of our psalm then says, the kings of earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed. Notice the unity here, kings, rulers, peoples, nations.
Pastor: What is the one cause that has the ability to unite the world?
Pastor: When you think of a cause. Any calls, and yet you will find people on the other side of that cause, but here is a cause that has the ability to unite the world, kings and rulers, peoples and nations, and that cause is not ethnicity, it is not economics, it is not politics.
Pastor: The one thing fallen humanity universally shares in common is rebellion and hatred towards God and His Christ. And verse three gives us the reason. This is their protest chant. If you think about the mob, and they have picketing signs, and they are chanting something, this is their chant. This is what their
sign reads: Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us, and you can just imagine the chant is on repeat.
sign reads: Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. Well, what does that mean?
sign reads: The picture here is one of an oxen with a yoke. The yoke would be used on the oxen to control it, to guide it as it seeks to plow the field, and they are saying, we want this yoke gone.
sign reads: We do not want to be controlled, we not want to be guided, we not want to be ruled. They are saying, we do not want God to rule over us. We want autonomy, we want to live, move, and have our being on our terms, not God's. My kingdom come, my will be done, not God's. They want the kingdom, but they don't want the king. This is a no king protest. They are fine with people being spiritual, fine being religious up to a point, but what is hated here and what the world hates and refuses is submission to a king who has authority over every aspect of your life, who has authority over everything you do, over everything you say, over everything you think. Who has authority over every breath that you take? It belongs to God. And this is what they are rejecting.
sign reads: No more, no more. But this protest is also the great lie of sin, the lie that is, if you are able somehow to live autonomously from God. It then produces freedom and joy, but the lie that is the lie, because what it actually does, it produces slavery, it produces pain, it produces misery. Titus will say we were slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, and hated by others, and hating one another. That is what rejection of God brings. We may have some temporary pleasures, but it will not bring joy, it will not bring life, it will not bring peace. Jesus, in fact, says, "Come to me, my yoke is easy, my burden is light. But the world keeps telling you and keeps chanting, "No yoke, no authority, no king. And we look around and we ask, why so much anxiety, why so much outrage?
sign reads: Why so much fear? Why so much instability? You know it's not happening because we look around the world and there are just so many people, just so many people who are submitting to God and His commands, and because there are so many people just submitting to God and His role now look at the world, it's the exact opposite, isn't it? The psalmist is reminding us that what we see is happening around us is happening because we are made to live under the gracious rule of God, and until we rest in Him, as Augustine said, we remain restless now. How does God respond to all of this in verses four through six? Verse four, he who sits in the heavens laughs. You see, God is not pacing in heaven, wringing his hands and worry what is going to happen down there. I thought I was in control, but I just don't know anymore. It's no, it says he sits, he's calm, he is at peace. Why the earth is in a manic mode, and he laughs, and he laughs not because evil is amusing, but because rebellion against the one true and living God is absurd, it's illogical, it is irrational. You know, we just got back from the beach, and imagine you see me at the beach, and I wade out into the water, and I wade out into the water, maybe about to my waist, and as I'm looking out. Into the ocean, a wave is about to come, and as it approaches, I say stop, and then it crashes over me, and another wave, its approach, and I say stop, and I keep doing that, and it's kind of laughable, isn't it? And if I kept doing that, you think, well, something's not quite right with him.
sign reads: It's not rational, it's not logical. At what point will I realize me standing out and telling the waves to stop isn't going to work? And yet, that is the picture that is given to us about humanity's rebellion against God. It is laughable, it is illogical, it is, it's irrational. The cre, the creature somehow rising against the creator did man lay the foundation of the earth? Did you command the sun to rise this morning? Can kings hold oceans in place? Can you sustain your own heartbeat? Shall man contend with the Almighty? It is laughable. Every empire thinks it will finally be the one who's going to be permanent. Every culture thinks it's finally going to be the one that's able to define morality forever.
sign reads: Every generation thinks it is the generation that is now smart enough, that is advanced enough to finally throw off God's rule.
sign reads: Stop, it's laughable, it's laughable, and yet the waves are keep coming. Christ advances his rule and keeps building his church. Was that not a central theme of the book of Acts? What was stopping Christ and his rule? What was stopping Christ and his advancement of his kingdom? Was it shipwrecks? Was it storms? Was it the empire of Rome? What was stopping Christ in his rule? Nothing, nothing, nothing. And that is Psalms' message. Nothing is stopping Christ. Nothing is stopping his rule. And if you think that you can somehow live without it, it is laughable. The sovereignty that terrifies rebels is also, as we looked in Acts, the very sovereignty that comforts us, Christ rules. We don't remember what's your only comfort in life and in death, that I don't belong to myself, I belong to Christ, who rules, and in that I take comfort. But now the tone changes in the text. Look at verse five. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury. There's a dangerous misconception about God today that people imagine God as soft, indifferent, unconcerned with sin. God is maybe just he's grateful, thankful that if you haven't killed anyone, and he's really, he's really grateful for that, but Psalm 2 does not allow us to forget the holy character of God, any rebellion against him, any rebellion against him, any rebellion against him in your thoughts, words, and deeds demands just judgment, that is death. The wages of sin is death. Second Thessalonians also paints a picture for us of Christ and His return. It says in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel, that is, if you reject the true and living Lord. If you reject God and His rule, you have every reason to be afraid. You should be anxious right now. You should be terrified. You should be worried if you are not living your life in submission to the true and living King. If you look at verse nine, we're skipping down a little bit further. It says,"You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Again, that's the imagery of God's judgment, just throwing down his enemies, and they are being smashed and dashed to a million billion pieces. Verse six says, As for me, I've set my king on Zion, my holy hill. God has chosen his king, and it is not you. He has chosen his king who sits on his throne. And again, it is not you, it is the Lord.
sign reads: Jesus Christ, the world does not vote on him. He reigns. He doesn't campaign for authority.
sign reads: He is not hoping that somehow the nations will recognize his claims. He has all authority in heaven on earth has been given to him. He has it already. It is his, and every moment of history is unfolding underneath his sovereign and perfect hand, and now the king himself speaks in verses seven through nine, and he speaks, telling us something that the Father has said to him.
sign reads: He says, I will tell a decree the Lord said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you.
sign reads: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. This is the Father promising the Son a people, a people from every tribe, a people from every tongue, a people from every nation.
sign reads: But the psalmist has already told us, but every tribe, every tongue, every nation is in sin, it's in rebellion, and this is the gospel, because this is why Jesus came to save sinners.
sign reads: Jesus doesn't come to earth to simply make salvation possible, he purchases a particular people for his kingdom with his own blood, taking the penalty of death on the cross that is deserved for rebellious sinners, and he takes upon himself that he might purchase and redeem a people from every tribe, nation, and tongue for himself, Revelation five will say, Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You know, going back to Acts, if I can, the people in Acts, they knew this too, back in chapter four.
sign reads: I know that was a long time ago, but Acts chapter four actually quotes this psalm, Psalm chapter two, because Herod and Pilate, who hated each other, guess what, they, they worked together for a particular cause, the Jews and Gentiles who hated each other, they began to work together for a particular cause, and what was that cause? It was the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, hatred against God and against His anointed, but even there they are only accomplishing what God's hand and God's plan had predestined to take place, the redemption and purchase of a people through the blood of the Messiah, through the Christ. The cross itself was God's plan. The resurrection was then the declaration that there is no ruler, no nation, no power of hell that can overthrow the king. Now the psalm ends not with judgment, but with mercy.
sign reads: It says, Now therefore, O kings, be wise and be warned. It's an invitation to lay down your rebellion. Stop resisting the king. Verse 12: kiss the son that is bow before him, submit to him, love him, trust him. And what's the an astonishing command here is that this is the king who possesses the rod to smash the nations as inviting you as rebels to draw near to find mercy now before there's judgment. The very king who we have sinned against is the very king who went to the cross to die for us. The hands of the king still bear the marks of what it cost him to save his enemies. The other wonderful thing about our king is when you bow down to kiss his feet, you see the marks on his feet where he was crucified for you and for me. The question of Psalm 2.
sign reads: Also, I think we can, we can walk away from Psalm Two, and the temptation to be is, I hope those nations start submitting out there. I hope they get their act together, you know, those news people, they no more fear, no more anxiety, and they better do what's right now, but the question is, are you submitting to Christ? Am I resisting Christ's rule in any aspect of my life? Where am I demanding my own way? My own will over the will of God in your life. Where am I clinging to my own little kingdom rather than seeking to advance His? The call of Psalm two comes to every one of us.
sign reads: Kiss the sun, but not merely once. This is not simply, you know, I said the prayer, and now I'm good. This is every day. Bow before Him every day, trust Him every day. Follow your gracious and good King every day. Take refuge in Him. The only refuge from the Messiah is the Messiah.
sign reads: Listen, how the psalm ends.
sign reads: Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. You notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say blessed are some who take refuge in Him. It doesn't say blessed are all who are morally impressive. It doesn't say blessed are those who have cleaned themselves up and take refuge in Him. All, all who take refuge in Him are blessed. That is you.
sign reads: If you rest in the Lord Jesus Christ, allow the anxieties and fears to wash away, because you can know that you are forgiven before the true and living God, who rules over all things, that all of your sins are washed away, that you've been adopted into His family, that you are heirs with Christ, that you have peace with God, you have everlasting life and an inheritance that will never perish. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. The world says safety is found in power and wealth and politics and control, and the psalmist is reminding us, your place of peace and your place of safety is Christ. Rest in Him, put your refuge in Him.
sign reads: Do not trust the kingdoms of this world. Do not build your hope on that which is passing away. Kiss the Son, rest in Him, and find peace for your weak and weary soul. Let's pray.
sign reads: Our heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us your word, Lord. We often are rebellious people and we want our own way.
sign reads: We want to be God and not you.
sign reads: We want to control our lives as we see fit, and we don't trust your rule, Lord. I pray that you will forgive us, that you will help us to repent and turn from our sin and turn to you and turn to the Son, where we will find rest and peace, Lord. For any of us who have heard this sermon and have heard the gospel, even at some point, but have rejected it, Lord, I do pray that you would put the fear of God in their heart, and that they will be restless until they find rest in Christ. Would be merciful to your people, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.