This morning when I was preaching
from sanctification out of Genesis chapter 12 verse 3, I made the
comment that if people mean by progressive sanctification, growth
and grace, I have no problem with it. And that really was
not a good statement. I've heard from three different
people. Progressive sanctification is a denial of what sanctification
means in the first place. So that's never a good term,
even if people use it in the right way. So that is a word
that should be struck from our vocabulary as far as the gospel. I've entitled this message, The
Messiah King. Verse two. The kings of the earth
set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed. Now that same word is translated
Messiah. It's translated in Greek, Christ,
the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God. And then in
verse six, God says, yet have I set my king upon my holy hill
of Zion, the Messiah King. Now this particular psalm is
quoted 10 times in the New Testament. I think that gives us some idea
of the significance of this psalm. They're all significant, I realize
that. But this is quoted 10 times in the New Testament. It's found
in the book of Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Hebrews, and Revelation. Now David begins this psalm with
a question. Why do the heathen rage? Why are they so angry? Why are
they so furious? Why do the heathen rage? and the people imagine a vain
thing. Now, such insolent stupidity
is amazing, is what he is saying. The heathen raging against God. The heathen raging against Christ
the King. Now, this statement was contemporary. It's always been that way, but
it was also prophetic. This was prophesied in Acts chapter
4 that this is what would say. Turn with me to Acts chapter
4 for a moment. Verse 25, this is the early church,
quoting Psalm 2, just a few days after the church began, a week,
at any rate, after Pentecost. I mean, this is the early church,
and they had this God-given understanding of the Scriptures at this point.
And they say in verse 25, Who by the mouth of thy servant David
hath 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 of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
just like Psalm 2 said they would, for to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be done. Now, what David is
speaking of is the natural man's rage against God. Now the God, and I use that small
g, the small g God that is preached from most pulpits is the God,
as one man said, nobody is mad at. Nobody rages against this
God. You see, the God that is preached
in our day cannot do anything unless we let him. we have a
free will. And that means our will can trump
God's will. His will cannot be done if we
don't permit it to. He might want to save us, but
he can't unless we allow him to, unless we, as an act of our
free will, decide to let him do that. Now, a God like that,
nobody's mad at. You see, a God like that doesn't
actually exercise control. He's controlled. He's in our hands. We're not
in His hands. Now, nobody will get mad at a
God like that. But the God of the Bible, the
God who is absolutely sovereign, who rules and reigns and controls
everything, the God who, as to whether or not me or you are
saved, it's up to Him. It's not up to you. It's up to
Him. That is the God men get mad at. That is the God that provokes
men's rage. Why do the heathen rage? Well,
I won't have a God like that. I won't bow before a God like
that, a God that's in absolute control of everything, that controls
everything and everybody, and nothing is independent of Him.
I won't worship a God like that. I declare independence from a
God like that. Not gonna let Him reign over
me. The cry. Verse two, the kings of the earth
set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed. Now that is prophesied of being
directly against Christ in Acts chapter four. I just read that. They get together and hold this
counsel and here's what their rage is against. Look in verse
three and let me say this, is divided into four stanzas, three
verses each stanza. So this is a poem with four stanzas
and this is the end of the first stanza. This is what these raging
heathens say with regard to God, let us break their bands asunder
and cast away their cords from us. Now here's the vain thing
they imagine. This is their objection to the
God who is absolutely, immutably sovereign. Now to say God is
sovereign is to say His will is always done. That's exactly what that means.
That's who He is. Creation is a demonstration of
that. God willed the universe into
existence. Everything that happens in time,
everything that happens in providence is God's will being done. Everything. Well, aren't men
responsible for their evil actions? Yes, they are. But God is absolutely
sovereign over the wicked actions of men. And the proof of that
is the cross. Remember what those men were
doing, how evil it was? And they said, they're doing
whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Now, does anything else need to be said? Even the evil actions
of men are under the sovereign control of God and he's using
them for his glory and the glory of his son and the good of his
people, everything. I'm so thankful it's that way.
And he's most especially sovereign, if you can say that. I don't
think he's just sovereign, but his sovereignty is demonstrated
in salvation. If you're saved, if I'm saved,
it is because he willed our salvation. And every believer knows that
that is so. These people are saying, we'll
not have this man reign over us. Away with his bands, away
with his cords, away with his sovereign control. This is our
declaration of independence. We're independent of this God. We will not worship this God.
We don't like it. How crazy. A God who is all powerful. a
God who is absolutely sovereign, a God who is omniscient, a God
who is immutable, a God who is independent, the God of glory. And you're going to dictate,
I'm not gonna let him throw his cords around me. He says, I've
got my hook in your nose. And everything everybody does
is according to his will. Now, it's true, we do what we
wanna do. It's not like some kind of unforeseen,
unseen, force causes us to do anything against our will. We
do what we want to do. And when we sin, the reason we
sin is because we wanted to. We can't blame God. We do what
we want to do. But thank God, he is completely
sovereign over the free and uncoerced actions of men. And everybody
does his will at all times for his glory. Now that could be
called the first stanza. Now let's look at the second
stanza, beginning in verse four. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh. He's going to laugh at this opposition. One thing's for sure, he's not
disturbed by this opposition, is he? He's not wringing his
hands and walking back and forth saying, what am I gonna do? No,
he that sits in the heavens shall laugh. His ring is in their nose
and they are simply doing what he predestinated them to do. I love saying that. I love thinking
it. You see, he laughs at them. He
said in Proverbs 1 26, I will also laugh at your calamity and
mock when your fear cometh. to rage against and to imagine
vain things against him, to take counsel together against him,
who is absolutely sovereign, who is all powerful. What could
possibly be more insane? Talking about biting off more
than you can chew for someone to declare independence from
God. Well, you can do that, but it
ain't gonna happen. He that sits in the heavens shall
laugh. And that's kind of an eerie language,
isn't it? To think of God, the God of glory, laughing at somebody.
But we have this in the scriptures. He that sits in the heaven shall
laugh. Verse 4, the second line. The
Lord shall have them in derision. He will mock and deride them
in their laughable position of assured to be defeated defiance. he will deride them. Oh, so you're
going to declare independence from me? So you're going to cast
my cords from you and break my bands asunder? Oh, so you're
gonna do that? Verse five, then shall he speak
unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure,
his fury. Now there is such a thing as
the wrath of God. It's not like my wrath, it's
not like your wrath, and we get mad when we perceive we've been
slighted in some way and made to look bad, and we get mad at
somebody for doing it. His wrath is a holy wrath. His wrath is a just wrath. It's a good wrath. It's a faithful wrath. Then shall I speak to them in
my wrath. Now these men have wanted to
take God's place. Remember Satan? I'll exalt my
throne above the heavens. I'll be above God. I'll be like
God. I won't have him controlling
me. I'm going to break his bands asunder and cast his cords from
me. What about Our first parent's in the garden. Why? If you eat this fruit, you'll
be like God. You won't be under his thumb anymore. You'll be
as God's, knowing good and evil. You'll be equal to him. You won't
be under his thumb anymore. You can cast aside his cords
and break his bands asunder. Now that's what's going on here.
The Lord says with regard to that, then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. You know, He's going to deal
with all of those who hate Him. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. And remember this, with the Lord,
the punishment always fits the crime. This is who He is. And then He says in verse 6,
Yet, yet, have I set my King, the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, now unto the King eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only wise God. He's called by Paul
that blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords, who only hath immortality, who dwelleth in the life that
no man can approach to. And no man hath seen nor can
see to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. To the Son,
God saith. To the Son, he saith. To the
Son, the Father saith. Thy throne, O God, is forever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy Thou hast loved righteousness and hated
iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Yet have I set my king. This is no elected office. God
has set him as king on his holy hill of Zion. What is this holy
hill of Zion? Well, we know it was a hill in
Jerusalem. It's called the city of David. But it is used to typify
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 12. Verse 18. For ye are not come unto the
mouth that might be touched. Talking about Sinai. You remember
if an animal touched the mount, they were to thrust a spear through
it. This mountain could not be touched. Smoking the place where
the law was given. You are not come unto the mount
that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor into blackness,
and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of trumpet, and the
voice of words which voiced They that heard entreated that the
word should not be spoken to them anymore, for they could
not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched
the mountain, it should be stoned or thrust through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake. You've not come to that mountain,
but you are coming to Mount Zion. That's the holy hill that God
has set his king on. You have come unto Mount Zion,
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church
of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. I love
that description of believers, just men made perfect, and to
Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant into the blood of sprinkling
that speaketh better things than that of April." Now, this is
the church and he calls the church his holy hill. This is every
believer. He's called the king of saints.
That word saint means holy ones, sanctified ones. He's the king
and God has set him on this holy hill of Zion. Now we come to
the third stanza. Look back in our text in verse
7. Now this is the Messiah speaking. This is the king speaking. And
he says, I will declare the decree. God has won. He didn't say, I'll declare one
of the decrees. He said, I will declare the decree. And this one decree comprehends
all things. This is referred to in Revelation
chapter five as a book written front side and backside. No room
for any additions. There will be no subtractions.
This is the decree of God that covers everything. Now, this decree is unconditional. You know what that means? It's
not dependent upon outside influences. God never has to have a plan
B. He never has to say, well, this happened, I need to respond.
This decree is unconditional. This decree is eternal. It's
always been. And it will never be anything
than what it is. It's eternal. How do I understand
that? I don't. I just believe it. God's
decree is eternal. God's decree is effectual. It's always done. He says, my
counsel shall stand and I will do all of my Pleasure. This decree is immutable. It
can't be changed. It cannot be changed, just like
God does not change. This decree cannot be changed. It even, listen to this, it even
ordains sin and controls the effects of sin for God's glory.
And the only example I need to give is the cross. The cross
is the decree of God, the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. It's God's purpose, and it's
for the glory of God. Now, what is that decree? This
is the one decree of God that everything is in. Here it is. Look in verse 7. I will declare
the decree the Lord has sent unto me. Thou art my Son. This day have I begotten thee. Now there is the decree of God. This is the decree that's eternal,
effectual, unconditional, immutable, God's purpose for God's glory.
Thou art my son. Everything is in that. Thou art my Son. This day have I begotten Thee."
Now what that's a reference to is the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That talks about the fact that
He was raised, talks about the absolute success of His work.
Listen, when He was raised from the dead, all your salvation
was done. It was finished. Our trust is
in an empty tomb, a resurrected Christ who accomplished that
which the Father gave Him to do. Now, He came to save His
people from their sins. He saved His people from their
sins when He was raised from the dead and lets us know God
is infinitely satisfied with what His Son has done. I will
declare the decree. Thou art my Son. This is my beloved Son. in whom
I am well pleased. I will declare the decree the
Lord has said to me, thou art my son this day. Now, this was a thousand years
before it took place, but it still says this day, this day
have I begotten thee. You see, this begetting, this
raising from the dead that he's speaking of is not talking about
an event. It's talking about the fact of
the decree of God taking place. He's always the only begotten. He's always the well-beloved
Son of God. There's not an event and this
begetting, well, just as surely as he was the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, he's the lamb raised from the
foundation of the world. And this is a, this begetting,
this resurrection, That's the glory of God, that
He actually is satisfied with what His Son has done. That's
the object. This is the stuff of faith. If
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in
thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. Here's the decree. Thou art my
Son this day. Have I begotten thee? It's just an eternal resurrection.
It's an eternal, you know, Let us come boldly, or let us have
boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new,
and that word new means, it's the only time this word's used
in the New Testament, freshly slaughtered. That's the blood
of Christ. You think, how can I come into
God's presence when I've committed the same sin over and over? That blood is the freshly slaughtered
blood of Christ. It's new, but it's not the offering
of a dead animal. It's the living way, the Lord
Jesus Christ who lives at all times. He is the only begotten
and well beloved son of God. That's God's decree. I will declare
the decree. The Lord has said unto me, Thou
art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Now I want to read verse
8 and look at the words that are in italics. They weren't
there and they were supplied by the translators. And as usual,
they do more to muddy the waters than make them clear. So let's
read this verse of scripture and skip over. these italicized
words and we'll get more of the meaning. Ask of me and I shall give the heathen
thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth thy possession. Now this is who he is. Everything
is his inheritance and his possession. And when he says, ask of me,
You see, anything the son asks the father for, he has. You know
why? Now, what if I said, father,
I will that you do this. What would that be? Blasphemous,
arrogant, blind, wicked, utterly ignorant. No knowledge of the
living God. Proud, presumptuous, I could
go on. If I said, Father, I will, that you'd know. Lord, if it
be thy will. If it be thy will. I'm too stupid
to know what's right. If it be thy will. But the son
says to the father, Father, I will, that they whom you have given me, be with
me where I am, that they may behold my glory, for thou lovest
me from the foundation of the earth. You know, he's speaking
as equal to the Father. Father, I will. What about when
he took the book? He didn't ask for the book. He
didn't say, can I have the book? He came up and took the book
from the right hand of him who sat on the throne as his equal,
as his fellow, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, ask of me
and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. Whatever
Christ asked for, he has. Father, forgive them. You know
what they were forgiven? Peter, I prayed for you that
your faith failed not. You know what? Peter's faith
didn't fail, did it? You see, if he prays for you, All the
Father must hear him. Ask of me and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Verse nine, thou shalt break
them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. Now this is the end of those
described in verses one through three who says, let us cast aside
their bands cast their cords from us. We'll not have this
man reign over us. Here is their end. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel. There's no contest. God never
struggles with his enemies. You know, for some reason this
came to my mind. I hope it's the Lord that brought
it to my mind. I believe it was. I was thinking of this and I
thought of Elijah on Mount Carmel. He's watching the prophets of
Baal leap on the altar through pagan rituals, calling for their
God to bring fire down from heaven. And we read, and it came to pass
at noon, Elijah mocked them. Now that's not nice. Elijah mocked
them. Cry aloud. He's a God. Either
he's talking or he's pursuing. You know what that means? Maybe
he's gone to the bathroom and he can't hear you. Or he's in
a journey. Or peradventure, he sleepeth
and needeth to be woken up. Now, that's the way Elijah dealt
with this false god. Somebody says, well, that's Harsh?
I don't think so. Matter of fact, I know it's not.
And this was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Now, verse 10, we
have our fourth stanza, our last stanza. In light of the raging
of the heathen. In light of the laughing of the
Lord. in light of the decree of the
Father. Be wise, now therefore, O ye
kings. What a blessing that he says
that to these same kings. Be wise, now therefore, O ye
kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. What you've been thinking and
planning is pure madness. To think that you can throw aside
the sovereign God of heaven and declare independence from him.
Be wise. Be instructed with regarding
to this absolute insanity that's going on in your mind. And then he says in verse 11,
serve the Lord. Now this is a very sobering fact. We're either serving the Lord
or we're serving the devil. Everybody in here. Everybody
outside of here. We're either serving the Lord
or we're serving the devil. Now let me show you what these
people are like who serve the Lord. I want to be one of these
people, don't you? He says, serve the Lord with fear. Now, the fear he's talking about is
not the fear of committing some kind of sin and he's going to
bring some kind of great trial in your life or take something
from you or harm somebody that you love because of what you've
done or punish you in some way. That is not the fear of God. It's fear. It's a slavish fear. It's the fear of mistrust. It's
the fear of unbelief. But it's not the fear of God. The fear of God is that reverential
awe of God, you love him as he's revealed
in his word, you love every attribute, and you demonstrate the fear
of God when you look only to Christ. Anything else is no fear. Anything else is no respect. Anything else is a denial of
his holiness. You fear God when you look only
to the Lord Jesus Christ as all that God requires of you. That, my dear friends, is the
fear of God. Serve the Lord with fear and
rejoice. You know everything I've said
I rejoice in? I do. I'm so thankful He is who
He is. I'm so thankful for His gospel.
I'm so thankful for His decree. I'm so thankful for the Lord
Jesus Christ, the King and the Messiah that's presented in this
psalm, this glorious psalm. Rejoice with trembling. With trembling. Not some kind
of cocksure attitude. Rejoice with This is the God
of glory. You know, it bothers me the way
men refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's Jesus this and Jesus
that. That just troubles me. I don't
like it. You never hear the apostles,
one time when they were addressing him, address him as Jesus. He
said, you call me Master and Lord. And you say, well, For
so I am. Rejoice with trembling. Verse 12. Kiss the son lest he be angry. And you perish from the way when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Kiss the son. Do you know that
in the New Testament, the word for worship, The word used with
regard to the leper, when there came a leper and worshipped him. When the Syro-Phoenician woman
came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. The word worship
means to kiss like a dog licks its master's hand. Now that's the kissing of the
son. You know, when a dog licks its master's hand, that dog knows
this is his master. And this dog knows this one is
utterly superior, my master. I'm just his dog. Kiss the son. Now, Judas fell okay to kiss
him in the cheek. Judas, betrayest thou the son
of man with a kiss? But oh, what about that woman
who was a sinner? She kissed his feet. Kiss the
son. Any other posture, what's going
to happen? Kiss the son, lest he be angry,
and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Now, we read of the wrath of the Lamb in the scripture. Kiss
the son, lest he be angry. intolerant of anything other
than this kiss of worship. Kiss the Son. Oh, what a glorious
thing to be His. What a glorious thing to know
Him. What a glorious thing to know
something of His beauty and His glory and be awed by the greatness
of His person. Kiss the Son. And then David
closes with these words, blessed. And this is God's blessing. You
know, just this week, I saw someone driving a brand new car. Can't
remember what kind it was, but it was a really nice car. And
it had on the front license plate, blessed, blessed. You know what I thought? I doubt
it. I doubt it. If you're trying to advertise
to people how you're blessed, I can't help but be very skeptical
of that. But there are those who are blessed. Blessed of God. And you know
who they are? Well, it tells us blessed are
all they that put their trust in Him. Here's what that looks
like. Paul said in Philippians chapter
three, verses eight and nine, he said, oh, that I may win Christ
and be found in Him. Blessed are all they who put
their trust in Him. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in Him, not having my own righteousness. Now, if you
want to be found in Him, you know what you don't want to have
anything to do with? Your own righteousness. You don't want
to have anything to do with that. You don't want that to have anything
to do with your standing before God. You know that's bad news
because you know what your own righteousness is. You know your
own righteousness is as filthy rags before God. That's the best
stuff. The bad stuff, the good stuff,
it's all filthy rags. You know that. Oh, that I'll
be in Christ and Him, not having my own righteousness, which is
of the law, which has something to do with what I've done, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in Him. Paul put it this way, in 2 Timothy
1.12, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded, he persuaded
me. This is why I'm persuaded. If
you're ever persuaded of something, it's because he persuaded you.
And that's how you know it's so. If I persuade you of something,
somebody else can persuade you out of it. But if he persuades
you, you're persuaded. He said, I know whom I have believed,
And I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have
committed to Him, that which I have entrusted to Him. Now, here's what Paul means,
and here's what I mean. I've entrusted the salvation
of my soul to Him. And if He doesn't do it all,
I won't be saved. I have entrusted all of my salvation
to Him. I've burned my bridges. I'm not
looking to my works. If any part of my salvation depended
upon me doing anything, I'm a goner. There's no hope for me. I have
committed the salvation of my soul to him. Blessed, oh, how blessed of God
are all they that put their trust in him. What a beautiful, wonderful
song. Let's pray together. Lord, how we only through Him, pleading only
His merits, His righteousness, His intercession, His precious
blood, only through Him. We know our praise is sin apart
from Him presenting it to you and it being a sweet-smelling
savor through Him. But Lord, how we stand in awe
of the greatness, the majesty, the power of Thy Son to save.
And Lord, how we thank You that He says, Come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. Oh Lord, enable us
to do that. Enable us to Put all of our trust
in Him, the Messiah King. In His name
we pray. Amen.