Morning everybody. Would you
turn to the second psalm. Psalm 2. This psalm is quoted on seven
different occasions in the New Testament, and that gives us
some idea of the importance of this psalm. And I probably should
not say the importance of this psalm because they're all equally
important. Psalm 2, why did the heathen rage? And
the people imagine a vain thing. The kings 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. Well, that's a almost disconcerting
thing, isn't it, to think of God laughing? He that sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them,
in his wrath and vex them in his sword displeasure. Yet have
I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said unto me, thou
art my son. This day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. Be wise now, therefore, O ye
kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord
with fear. and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry
and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that we might be
by your spirit, by your grace enabled to kiss the son. We ask that we might be of that
number that put their trust in him. We pray that we might not hear
from a man, but that we might hear your voice. We pray that
we might be found in Christ. We pray that his name might be
exalted, that we'd be enabled to worship him. We pray for the
forgiveness of our many sins in him. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. Bless us for the Lord's sake,
in his name we pray, amen. Now this psalm, can be divided
into four three-verse stanzas. And number one, we have the voice
of the heathen. Number two, we have the voice
of the father. Number three, we have the voice
of the son. And number four, we have the
voice of the spirit of God. Some have called this the voice
of the preacher, but it may be through the words of the preacher,
but it's the voice of the Spirit of God in the preaching of the
gospel. Four speakers, each divided in
these three verse sections. The voice of the heathen, verse
one. Why do the heathen rage in anger? And the people imagine a vain
thing. Now, this is the voice of defiance.
Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain
thing. Now, who are these people designated heathen? Well, generally,
when we look at the scriptures, we think of the Jews as the people
of God and everybody else as heathen, the Gentiles. But turn
with me for a moment to Acts chapter 4, and we're going to
see exactly who these heathen are. This is how the Holy Spirit
uses this in the New Testament, Acts chapter 4. Verse 25, who by the mouth of
thy servant David, Acts chapter four, verse 25 said, why did
the heathen rage? And the people imagined vain
things. The kings of the earth stood
up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and
against his Christ for the truth against thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed Now here's the heathen, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered
together. And you know what that tells
me? Me and you were included in that heathen. The heathen
is everybody. That's who he's referring to
when he's talking about the heathen raging. and the people imagining
a vain thing. Now notice how it says in verse
two, the kings of the earth set themselves, they stationed themselves
for this. This was their purpose. This
is the direction they want to go. This is what's in their heart.
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together. They're united in this desire. They took counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed, saying, now here's what the heathen
have to say. Let us break their bands asunder
and cast away their cords from us. Now, he's talking about the
bands and cords of the Father, the bands and cords of the Son,
and the bands and cords of the Spirit of God. This is the voice
of the heathen. They rage in defiance at this. Now, there's a God, small g,
that nobody's mad at. A God we can control. Now, a
God you can control in any way is no God at all. The God that nobody's mad at
There's a God preach that not too many people get upset with
him because he can be controlled. He can be manipulated. You can
get him to respond to something you do. But here is the God people
become angry with. They rage and they imagine a
vain things. This is their unified objection. It's to the sovereignty of God. his bands and his cords. Let us break them. Let's throw
off his reign. Let's throw off his bands. Let's
throw off his control. We will not have this. This is the rage against his
supreme power and authority. God is a God of purpose. a God of purpose. He has a purpose, he has the
power to bring that purpose to pass, and he always does, without
any exception to this rule, he always does bring his purpose
to pass. You see, he's God. He's in absolute
sovereign control over everything and everybody and every event. He's God. Anything less than
this is no God at all. And this is the objection of
the heathen. Let's cast off his bands. Let's
cast off his cords. We will not have this. This is a despising God's authority. I love where David said in another
place, our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. Now this is who God is, the God
of absolute, uncontested authority. The God of the Bible, the living
God, the sovereign God. Now let's go back to Acts chapter
4 and let me show you how complete that authority is. Go back to
Acts chapter 4 because I didn't finish reading that passage. Verse 26, the kings of the earth
stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the
Lord and against his Christ for the truth against thy holy child
Jesus whom thou has anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together.
What's verse 28 say? For to do, everything they did,
everything. And before I go on reading that
passage of scripture, this is a reminder to us that God is
in complete control over the free and uncoerced actions of
men. Somebody says, explain that to
me. Well, that's the explanation. God is in complete control over
the free and uncoerced actions of men. Now, what we do, we do
because we want to. We're not impelled to do what
we do. We do it because we want to do
it. We're free in that sense. We're doing what we want to do.
And that's why men are responsible for their actions. I mean, just
because God's sovereign doesn't mean you and I are not responsible
for our actions. We are. Yes, we believe in absolute sovereignty,
and we believe in responsibility as well. We're not victims. You
know, I hate this victim mentality, people. I'm a victim. No, you're
not. Now I realize there are people
who are victims of terrible abuse and so on, and I'm not discounting
that. But I am saying this, we do what
we want to do. But thank God, God is in complete
control, sovereign control over all of that. And this is what
this, look what it says in verse 28. when they were driving the
nails in the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, when they
put the spear through his side, when they pressed the crown of
thorns on his head, when they mocked him and ridiculed him
and hated him, what does it say? For to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be done. absolute sovereignty
over all. This is who God is. And the heathen
rage about this. We don't like this. And they
come up with all kinds of objections to it. And they imagine a vain,
a vain thing. You think you can throw off God's
sovereignty? He can't be done. God is God. He's all-powerful. He's omnipresent. He's omnip... Oh, this glorious
God, you can't cast His bands off of you. Can't be done. God, He's the creator. He's the absolute sovereign of
the universe. He's all-powerful. He's good.
He's good. This God that men are raging
at is the good God. He's the holy God. He's the righteous
God. He's the sovereign God. He's
good. How wicked are men to want to
cast off his bands from them? You ought to be saying, I ought
to be saying, oh, I want his bands to control me completely.
You know, I've heard people say, well, you're making men into
robots if you make God absolutely sovereign. Well, no, we're not,
but I'm not so sure that's not a good thing. Wouldn't you like
to be God's robot, programmed to do his will, caused to do
his will at all times? I like that very much. Now, but
here's the voice of the heathen. Let us break their bands. asunder
and cast their cords from us." Now, that's the voice of the
heathen. Here's the voice of the Father. He that sitteth in
the heavens shall laugh. What could be more laughable? What could be more ridiculous?
What could be more patently stupid than this? You think you can
break His bands? You think you can cast off his
cords? He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh. Now that's speaking of God. I
think of that proverb where he says, I'll mock when your fear
cometh. God says that to men. I'll mock. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh. And then it says, the Lord shall
have them in derision. in contempt. Now this is God. Somebody says, can God feel that
way? Sure he does. He's God. And don't question
him. You say, well, that seems cruel.
God's good. You're bad. I'm bad. God's good.
That's just true across the board. God's good. Everything he does
is good. And when he laughs and holds
them in derision, it's good because he did it. He shall have them
in derision, verse five, then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. Don't think that
this desire to break off his bands and cast off his cords
goes unnoticed by him. He sees. He hears, He knows,
and He's gonna speak. He's gonna speak in His wrath. There is such a thing as the
wrath of God. He's just, He's holy, and He
hates sin. He shall speak to them in His
wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure. Verse six, yet,
this is still the Father speaking, yet have I set my King He's God's king. Yet have I set
my king on my holy hill of Zion. Now, the kingship of the Lord
Jesus Christ, why did they crucify him? What was the objection?
Did they crucify him for healing people? Did they crucify him
for performing miracles? No, they, what was the accusation
written over his head? And the word is actually the
accusation. This is Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. This is what men hated, his kingship. The one whose will is always
done. The kingship of the Lord Jesus
Christ. They said, we're gonna cast that
off. No, you're not. God said, I've set my king on
my holy hill of Zion. He's God's king. God said that,
didn't he? He's God's king. But you know
who else's king he is? He's the king of every one of
his people. Willingly. Thy people shall be
willing in the day of thy power. We love his kingship. We love his absolute sovereignty. And you know who else he's king
of? Everybody else. He's everybody's Lord. Somebody
says, He's not my Lord. Yeah, He is. Well, I won't let
Him. You're so ridiculous thinking something like that. He is your
Lord. He is the Lord. He is the King. He's everybody's
King. He's Caesar's King. You know
Caesar, you had to say Caesar's Lord. I love that when there
in Acts chapter 17 or 18 or wherever it is, there's another king.
Caesar's king. He's Caesar's king. Caesar's
just pawn doing his will just like everybody else is. He's
Caesar's king. He's king of kings. He's lord
of lords. God says, yet have I set my king
on my holy hill of Zion. Now thirdly, the son speaks. He says in verse seven, I will
declare the decree. Now the heathen has spoken, the
father has spoken, now the son speaks. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said unto me, thou
art my son this day. Have I begotten thee? That can't
be spoken of anybody but the son. He says in verse eight, ask of
me. This is what the father had said
to the son. The son's letting us know. Ask of me and I shall
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost
parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. Now, I love the way he says,
I will declare the decree. I love that word. God speaks
by decree. Now, what is a decree? Well,
it's what God says is going to come to pass. There's one decree. This is the decree, and everything
else comes out of that, this one decree. I have no doubt that's
what is spoken of in Revelation chapter 5 with that book written
inside and outside. You can't add anything to it,
is what that means. Nothing can be added or taken.
Sealed with seven seals, that is the decree of God. Everything
that takes place by his decree, by his divine enactment. by His will. This is the way
the Son speaks. He speaks by decree. He said,
I will declare the decree. Can't, isn't God the only one
who can do that? Yes. Yes. The Son says, I would
declare the decree. And what is it? The Lord said
unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Now that is mentioned five times
by the apostle John, where the Lord is called the only begotten
son. The only begotten son. Now, what is this? beginning
about. Well first let's talk about this
day. I will declare the decree the
Lord has said unto me thou art my son this day. This day have
I begotten thee. What day? The eternal day. This is not an event of time. This is the eternal fact irrespective
of time. Every day, all day, eternally,
before time and after time, he is the only begotten son. God said, thou art my son. And this is something we believe
because it's what the Bible teaches. God has a son. And His Son is
God. In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God as a distinct person from the Father. And the
Word was God. And this beginning is not talking
about the day of His birth. If it's talking about anything,
it's talking about when God raised him from the dead, this eternal
begetting, he was dead and God raised him from the dead. And
yes, that happened at a point in time, but it's eternal, isn't
it? Christ is called the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. That means he's a lamb raised from the foundation of
the world, eternally. And this begetting is a declaration
of the character and being of God. His resurrection says everything
concerning God's character. It speaks of His holiness, His
justice, His faithfulness, His power. Every attribute of God
is displayed in the cross, in the death of Christ, in the resurrection
of Christ, and it's eternal. This day have I begotten thee,
the eternal begetting of the Son of God is a continual display
of the character and being of God. Now Jesus Christ is the
sole being, the sole representative being. He's not really a representative
being. He is the being. But all you're ever going to
know about God is Jesus Christ. Let me repeat that. All you're
ever going to know about the living God is Jesus Christ, his
son. He is the only begotten, the
well beloved of the father. I love to think of the father
saying to son, thou art my son. This day, Have I begotten thee? Now because of his work, verse
eight, this is what the father says to the son, ask of me, whatever
it is, I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession, whatever
the son desires he has. The father gave him a people,
his brethren, his bride. I desire eternity with them. You've got it. You've got it. Whatever the son asked for, he
has. I think the best example of that
is when he said, Father, forgive them. That's what he's asking
his father. Father, forgive them. They know
not what they do. Do you know everybody he prayed
for was forgiven? This is not some kind of generic
prayer. The son doesn't offer generic prayers. Everybody he
prayed for at that time was forgiven. Verse nine, this speaks of his
rule. This is the people who are in opposition to him. Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron and shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. Now we've heard the heathen speak.
We've heard the father speak. We've heard the son speak. And
now we hear the spirit of God speak. Now, like I said, some
have said this is the voice of the preacher. Somehow, no, no. The preacher may preach what
the Spirit gives him to say, but this is the voice of the
Spirit. This is the voice of the Spirit of God. You know,
the Spirit and the bride say, come. The Spirit, God the Holy
Spirit, and the bride, the church, has the same message. Come to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't make yourself ready. Don't do something to make yourself
fit. Come right now. And then next it says, let him
that heareth say come. And that's the preacher. He hears
what the Spirit says, what the church says, and he repeats it.
Let him that heareth say come. But this is the voice of God
the Holy Spirit. Now look what he says in verse
10. Be wise. Now, therefore, O ye
kings, be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Now, he didn't
say you need to be wise. He said, be wise. And the only
way you can be wise, if you are wise. And the only way you are
wise is if Christ is your wisdom. Be wise. You know what he says?
Be holy. The only way you can be holy
is if you are holy. You don't do something to become
holy. You don't do something to become wise. When God the
Holy Spirit says be wise, you know what you're wise. And you
know what wise men do? They look to Christ only. Every wise man looks to Christ
only. If you look anywhere else, you're
a fool. You're a fool. The truly wise man trusts Christ
only as everything in his salvation. Now that's being instructed by
the Holy Spirit. Be ye instructed, O ye judges
of the earth. Now look what he says in verse
11, and this is so important. Serve the Lord. How? With fear. and rejoice with trembling. What's that say about casual
worship? People talk about casual worship. There ain't no such
thing. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Joy without fear, is arrogant
presumption. Fear without joy is torment. Serve the Lord with fear and
rejoice with trembling. And look what he says next. And
that's the only way to serve the Lord is with the fear, that
fear that's the beginning of wisdom, that fear that's afraid
to look anywhere but Christ. Rejoice with trembling at the
awesome majesty of his person. I repeat, there's no such thing
as casual worship. You know, I think of a lot of,
they're not really churches, they're religious institutions.
They'll have a contemporary worship for those who want that, and
then traditional worship. They have both kinds, you know.
That is so offensive. Serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice
with trembling, and look what he says. This is what God the
Holy Spirit says, kiss the son. Kiss the son. Now, before I go
on, who kissed his cheek? You remember? Judas. Who kissed his feet? The woman that was a sinner.
And you know something that I think is awesome to think about is
the fact that someone was kissing his feet and he accepted that
worship. You know, if you ask me to kiss your feet,
no. If I wanted someone to kiss my
feet, you'd think, how? Who do you think you are? Are
you arrogant? Are you that? But when someone
kissed his feet and washed his feet with tears and wiped his
feet with the hairs of her head, he accepted that. That gives
us some idea of the glory of his person. Kiss the son in, here's another help in what that
means. You know what worship means?
The word worship means literally to kiss like a dog licks its
master's hand. That's worship. Kiss the son
lest he be angry. And you know, in the original,
it goes like this. Kiss the son lest his nostrils
flare. You know, when people get mad,
their nostrils flare. Kiss the son, lest he be angry. His nostrils flare and you perish
from the way when his wrath is kindled, but a little, but a
little when his nostrils flare. And then the last statement the
Spirit makes is blessed. Oh, how supremely blessed of
God. Blessed, oh how blessed. If God blesses you, you're blessed. I don't know, I guess I know
what people mean, but when people say, I'm blessed, I think, and
are you? You know, I have people say that
to me all the time. I guess particularly because
when they know I'm a preacher, they're going to let me know,
you know, I'm a blessed person. Well, I hope you are. But I know
who are blessed, the ones God has blessed. Blessed, oh, how
supremely blessed are all they that put their trust in Him. Now, what does that look like,
to put your trust in Him? Well, Paul put it this way, oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes
looking for me, there's only one place I want to be found,
in Him. so that all God sees is Him. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith.