In a moment I will be reading
from Psalm 2, the second Psalm written by David, but truly the
Word of God. My purpose in preaching and teaching
by the grace of God is always to declare the truth, to exalt
and glorify the true God, the Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ. the sovereign ruler, the Lord
and Savior, that men may fear the Lord. As David wrote in Psalm
9 verse 20, put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may
know themselves to be but men. To put us in the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, saving wisdom. That men, women, and children
would bow the knee to the Sovereign Lord, Sovereign God, to call
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to repent, to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ that we might be saved. My hope in preaching is
that the Sovereign Lord, through His saving Word, His power, His
liberating word would free men and women and children from the
captivity they are in to sin, Satan, self, the world, and the
flesh, would free them from false religion, which is Satan's chief
seat, chief operation, which promises men and women and children
liberty, but is the worst form of bondage. I know this from
the word of God and from experience. If and when the Spirit of God,
the Holy Spirit of God, regenerates, that is, gives life to a dead
sinner, for truly all are dead in trespasses and sin. If and
when the Spirit of God does that and saves a man or a woman or
a young person and sets them free, calls them by the Gospel
and draws them, He does it through His Word. This is His power,
the Word of God. the preaching of his word. Yes,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, or that is, what
the world calls foolishness. But the preaching of Christ is
the wisdom of God and the power of God. May he be pleased this
morning to do just those things. I'm reading Psalm 2. And I read
verses one through four. Why do the heathen rage and the
people imagine a vain thing? The kings or rulers of the earth
set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands
asunder and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. Satan is in opposition to God,
in opposition to Christ and His people, in opposition to the
truth, to the true gospel. Mankind who is in captivity to
Satan, the God of this world, he is in opposition to God because
he's in captivity to Satan and his nature, his will, his mind,
his heart, is only evil continually. That's what God said about man
in Genesis 6, right before the flood. And man hasn't changed.
Why? Why do the heathen rage? And
he's speaking of unbelievers, the world, unbelievers, the agnostics,
the scoffers, the mockers who have no religion at all. They
say, the fool that says no God. And the people imagine a vain
thing. That's speaking of Those who
say they're the people of God, the religious, all are opposed
to the true God, to the truth of God, of man, of sin, of salvation. Why do they rage? Why do the
people imagine a vain thing? I'll tell you why. Because man
hates God. Man hates the true God who is
holy, who is just, who is sovereign. The true God who does as He will
with whom He will and none can stay His hand. The God who is
potter and we are clay in His hand. Man hates the true Christ. the Christ of Scripture, the
true Christ, who is himself holy, just, sovereign, creator, ruler,
controller of all things, with keys of hell and death in his
hand, with man's breath in his hands in all his way. Man hates
the truth. The truth condemns man. But someone
may argue, doesn't the truth make us free? Yes, it does, or
he does, but not until he first reveals that we're held captive. The truth leaves man guilty.
The law of God says we're guilty. The truth of God tells us we're
helpless, hopeless, condemned at the will and mercy of God. That man's life, his destiny
is in the hands of God. His destiny is up to God. In the hands of Christ. Man is
in the hands of Christ. that man's salvation is totally
and completely dependent on another. And man hates that. Verse 3 says,
they say, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their
cords from us. That is, the bands of God, the
cords of God. Meaning, His law. Bans actually
means, the word actually translates into a halter. A halter. A restraint. God's laws. God's chords or rules or restraints. God is holy. God is righteous.
But His commandments are holy, just, and good. And Christ says,
my yoke is easy, my burden is light. And yet men hate any restraints
to their sin, to their passion. They hate it. And they say, let
us cast their bands asunder. Let us cast their cords away
from us. Let's break their bands. Let's
break these restraints. We don't want under His rule. We will not have Him rule over
us, people. I've got news for you. God does
reign over us. They say, let us cast their bands
asunder. God made this earth. Christ made
this earth. He is God. He is owner. He is ruler. He is judge. He
does as He will. He's not a bystander in the affairs
of men. He does as He will with whom
He will. Absolutely, sovereignly reigns
and rules over everyone and everything. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. Ephesians 1.11. Man does not
have free will. It is not of Him that willeth.
Romans 9.16. Man does not have a free will. He is under the will of God. He is under the will of Satan. Man does according to God's will. Scripture says, the God in whose
hands our breath is and all our ways. The King's heart, Scripture
says, the King's heart, the ruler, the highest, most powerful man
on earth, president, the emperor, the tyrant, his heart is in the
hands of the Lord. As the rivers of water, God turneth
it, whithersoever he will. Man is like a grasshopper, and
the worm that he is, he shakes his fist, he shouts his opposition
to God. Do you know what the God of the
heavens does? You know what the Lord Jesus
Christ who sits in the heavens, who sits at the right hand of
the majesty on high, you know what God in heaven does? Verse
4, he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. the Lord shall have
them in derision." Oh my, God laughs at man's taunts, at man's
rebellion, at man's refusal to bow, all the while doing God's
will. Then, verse 5, It says, it reads,
He shall speak, God shall speak unto them in His wrath. Wrath,
most men and women think God is just love. No, God is angry
with the wicked every day. God hates all workers of iniquity,
Scripture said. He shall speak to them in His
wrath and becks them in His sore displeasure. And here's what
He said. And here is what vexes him, what man hates. Verse 6,
God says, I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion. He's
speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. False religion says this, make
Jesus your Lord. People, that's another Jesus. The Scriptures says, God says
of Christ, long before this world ever began, that God hath made
Him Lord, that He is Lord. You don't make Him Lord. If God
saves you, if God puts fear in your heart, if God gives you
this true saving faith, What He does is make you to know and
understand that He is your Lord. You don't make Him Lord. That
He makes you one of His people. He said, I've set my King upon
my holy hill of Zion. Christ reigns in His church. He reigns over all. But He is
the King over His church. And they delight to have it so.
They bow their knee to Him. Here's the decree. God says in
verse 7, I declare the decree. The Lord has said to His Son,
Thou art My Son. This day have I begotten Thee. Thou art my Son. Hebrews 1 says,
He says to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever. A scepter
of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. Yea, God hath
made Jesus Christ Lord over all flesh. All authority, Christ
said, is given unto me in heaven and earth. Power over all flesh. that he should give eternal life,
John 17, 2, to as many as thou hast given him, not to as many
as let him. No, sir, he wouldn't be Lord
if you must let him do anything. No, he gives eternal life to
as many as God sovereignly chose and gave to him in a covenant
of redemption and salvation before the world began. That's the Christ
of Scripture. That's the God of the Bible.
the truth of salvation. Do you bow to it? Do you bow
to Him? Do you bow the knee? He says
in verse 8, God is saying to His Son, ask of Me, I'll give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth
for thy possession. And that's exactly what I just
quoted to you from John 17. Christ has all power over all
flesh, over all people. to do with them as He will, according
to His will. In verse 9 He goes on. God says,
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. That's the word of His
mouth. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel, like the pot sherds that they are,
broken, fragmented vessels. Verse 10 and following says this,
Be wise now. Here's wisdom. Here's saving
wisdom. Be wise, O you kings. He begins with the highest and
most powerful of men on this earth. Be wise, you kings. Be
instructed, you judges of the earth. God's the judge. Christ
is the judge. He's the ruler. Those who've
been given a little bit of power and authority. Oh, he says, be
wise. Serve the Lord, verse 11. serve
his cause, serve his glory, serve him with fear, and rejoice with
trembling. Yea, rejoice in the Lord. If
you know yourself to be but man, helpless, hopeless, if you know
yourself to be a sinner, you will rejoice that Christ is the
Lord of your righteousness. And he says, kiss the son, verse
12, not like Judas on a cheek as an equal, but kiss his feet
like Mary Magdalene, lest he be angry and you perish from
the way when his wrath is kindled just a little. Oh, blessed, he
says, are all they that put their trust in him. He ends this psalm
of the glory and majesty and holy sovereign power of the Lord
with trust those that repent, those that bow, those that believe. Trust Him and He saves them.
It's all forgotten. It's all paid for. It's all covered
by the blood. Oh, don't rage against your Creator.
Don't rage against your Sovereign, but rage against the truth. Stack
your guns, bow your knee, cry for mercy. The same Lord who
laughs delights to show mercy. The same Lord, who will by no
means clear the guilty, but will punish sin and sinners, completely
and eternally forgives, forgets the sins and iniquities of all
who turn, all who call, all who come to Christ for mercy. May
the Lord bless His Word to the salvation of your soul. Amen.