[0:00] Before the preaching of God's word, Psalm 2. This is the amazing word of God.
[0:11] Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?! The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord! and against his anointed one.
[0:23] Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. The one enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.
[0:40] I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to me, you are my son, today I have become your father. Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
[0:53] You will rule them with an iron scepter. You will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore you kings, be wise. Be warned, you rulers of the earth.
[1:04] Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way. For his wrath can flare up in a moment.
[1:15] Take refuge. Take refuge.
[1:37] Take refuge. open our eyes, open our hearts, and help us that we will behold wondrous things from your word this morning.
[1:55] In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. It's good to be in your presence this morning, and I want to thank the leadership for the privilege to bring God's word to you this morning.
[2:11] And the title of our psalm on this morning is Kiss the Son. Kiss the Son. And we're going to be looking at the same text that was just read, Psalm 2, and we're going to look at that this morning and trust the Lord to bless His word in our hearts this morning.
[2:33] Quickly, I want to tell you a story that will help us understand what we are looking at this morning, and just an illustration. There were two men who walked together in the workplace, and one of them, he believes that he knows everything and he can do anything, and no one has ever warned him in a debate.
[2:54] He's liberal, and he hates Christians. He believes Christians are bigots, and he can't stand them. Then he had another colleague that walked with him who is a Christian, and he respects his colleague because his work was well, he does his work very well.
[3:13] But one day they got into a discussion, and he told his colleague, don't cross that line because if you bring anything about the Bible here, I'm going to trash you because you guys are bigots.
[3:29] I don't like you. And his colleague told him, he said, oh, so we can have a civil discussion? Let us talk. Bring your claim, and let us talk.
[3:43] He said, okay, you ready for it? He said, yes. He said, why would you say someone does not have a right to do anything with his body?
[3:58] Why would you say who gives you the right to tell someone that he cannot be a man if he chooses to, he cannot be a woman if he chooses to?
[4:11] And his colleague, being a black man, said, okay, no worries. I identify as a white man.
[4:24] And he said, no, you're not. And his colleague replied to him, I identify as a white man. He said, no, you're not.
[4:37] The colleague did not get what he's getting at. He's trying to help him to see the foolishness of his argument. And his colleague said, exactly. You cannot accept me being the color of my skin, being black, as I define as a white man, but you want me to accept a man claiming to be a woman.
[5:01] He said, don't you see it? You and I have no right here. Why did I tell us this story? By the way, it's a true story that happened. Why did I bring this story here?
[5:16] That's what we see here in Psalm 2. We see a rebellious people who think they have the right to tell the king of kings how they should live their life.
[5:30] But prior to Psalm 1, in Psalm 2, we see a contrast between a righteous man and a wicked man.
[5:41] We're told that we saw how the way of life of a righteous man he doesn't walk the ways in which the sinners walk. He doesn't do the things they do.
[5:52] Their lifestyle is different. Now, but at the very foundation of these two personas that we have been introduced to, the righteous man, his source of joy is the word of God.
[6:10] He delights in it. But the wicked does not delight in God's word. We're told in Psalm 1 that the righteous man is like a tree. But not just any tree planted to the source where he gets all his nutrients.
[6:29] We're told that the wicked man is like a shark. Another way I put it is that the wicked man is like a flag on the pole. The wind blows it in any direction he goes.
[6:43] It has no mind of his own. And we're told into Psalm 1, David said, the righteous man prospers, the wicked one perishes.
[6:55] Now in Psalm 2, David now brings us to a point to help us understand who are these righteous, who is this righteous person, who is, who are these wicked people, and why are they wicked?
[7:13] So four things we're going to consider this morning, quickly. The first thing we're going to look at in verse 1 to 3 of Psalm 2 is the rebellion. rebellion. We see the rebellion there.
[7:26] In verse 4, we see the father's response, God's response to the rebellion.
[7:39] In verse 7 to 9, there we see the son's response to rebellion. So in verse 4 to 6, we see the father's response.
[7:50] In verse 7 to 9, we see the son's response. And finally, in verse 10 to 12, we see David's counsel, which is very important that we need to pay attention to this morning.
[8:06] Verse 1 to 3, we see the father, the rebellion there. David described them as nations, the kingdom.
[8:23] He said here that the nations, he asked a question, why do the nations rage? It's like saying, wait a minute, what is going on? Why are these people raging?
[8:35] Why are they plotting? Why are the kings of the earth and the peoples, what are they, what, it doesn't make sense. Why are they doing what they are doing? Now, David used three things that I want to pay attention to.
[8:50] And I want to see how it connects with someone. They are plotting, they are taking counsel together, they are setting themselves.
[9:02] So, this is not something that is spontaneous, it is an intentional. They are devising, they are coming together, they are planning.
[9:14] So, it's a careful planning. It's something that involves their heart and their mouth. They are thinking through it and putting all the plans together.
[9:29] Is that all we do in meditation? In meditation, what do we do? Our mind, our will and desires are brought together to focus on one thing.
[9:42] So, what is this wicked people doing? They brought their will, their mind, their desires to focus on an attack against God.
[9:57] Instead of them meditating on the law of God as the righteous man in someone, they are meditating on an attack against God.
[10:09] the good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces what?
[10:22] Good fruits. But the evil man out of the evil treasures of his heart will produce what? Evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak.
[10:36] So, when you hear someone spill out evil, it is not a mistake. It is a function of the heart. And so, instead of these nations trusting and meditating on God's law, they are conniving together against God.
[11:01] This rebellion is not new. It's an old rebellion we saw in Genesis. Instead of Adam meditating on God's instruction for him, Adam delighted in the fruit of the tree.
[11:20] So, it's not a new thing. We are not different in the sense of who we are. We all humans are falling. Fall of sin and fallen short of the glory of God.
[11:35] God so whether you live in Africa, Asia, or America, you are human. And we are children of Adam. And so, that's one of the reasons why David's question was not a question in which he was asking an answer.
[11:53] It was a rhetorical question. Are you guys out of your mind? Do you do you know what you're doing? You want to take on the king of kings?
[12:07] You want to take on your creator? Not only these people are going thus far of taking on that, they are planning to destroy the king of kings.
[12:22] But we see a context in the New Testament that helps us understand what the rebellion is about. In Acts chapter 4, when John and Peter were arrested and they stood before the council and they proclaimed the gospel of God, and they told them, don't do that again.
[12:49] They were spanked. children, it's a good thing to be spanked for the Lord. They were spanked and said, don't do that again. And they told the people, who should we obey, man or God?
[13:05] And they went back to the people, the disciples. The Bible said in Acts 14, and when they heard this report, they prayed to God. And you know what they prayed?
[13:16] They quoted Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage? So look at the picture here. They saw what the council of elders have done to John and Peter, that these people are not beating, they're not spanking John and Peter, they are actually raging against God.
[13:46] So what does this mean? when we reject the gospel, you're not rejecting the preacher, you're rejecting God.
[13:59] When you say no to the gospel of God, you are not rejecting the man who is standing before you, you are rejecting the God who has sent the word of God to you.
[14:10] God and so their disciples prayed in Acts 4, that Lord, look at what these people are doing and grant us boldness to continue to preach that gospel.
[14:24] in Psalm 2, verse 2 and 3, we see that plan being worked out. They said, let us bust their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.
[14:40] Now, they were raging against the Lord and against his anointed. So this is what we're going to do. We're going to bust their bonds and cast their cords from us.
[14:54] You know what they're saying? They're saying, God is a wicked God. He has put shackles in our hands. He has put shackles in our feet. He doesn't want us to do what we love to do.
[15:06] Remember the story I said that way? The guy was angry with Christians because they would not let him identify as a woman. And these wicked people, they are angry with God because God would not let them to identify as who they want to identify as.
[15:24] us. And so what we're going to do is God has put shackles in our hands. They see the law of God as shackles, as bonds.
[15:37] The law that the righteous man delights it in, they see that as shackles and bonds. We don't want the sovereignty of God. We don't want the king of creation to rule over us.
[15:50] We reject the eternal decree and the will of God. we're not going to submit to his son because that's what he wants us to do. We're not doing that. I want to live at that place.
[16:06] It's about me, my body, my choice. Have you heard that? My body, my choice.
[16:17] It is my life. God, the word of God limits me, so I don't want it. God, you're a wicked ruler, so we're going to deal with you.
[16:34] That's all these kings were saying. And that's why David asked that question. what is wrong with you guys?
[16:48] Why? Don't you know who you are addressing? And let's look at God's response to them. Now, we've seen how these wicked kings are behaving.
[17:05] We've seen, they say, their allegiance is not to God. They've rejected the sovereignty of God. that God is sovereign over them. They see God's law as shackles in their hands and feet.
[17:22] And sometimes we hear that around us, our neighbors, in our workplace, or family members. When we present the gospel to them, they say, you just want to bind me.
[17:36] You don't want me to be free. I don't like going to church. you guys, all the things you guys talk about just keeps us, it doesn't make me free. But what they make, what they don't know is this, true freedom is in Christ Jesus.
[17:57] And the king of kings answered them in verse 4. How did he answer? He laughed. He laughed.
[18:10] like David. This is a suicide mission. How can the clay tell the porter how he should leave?
[18:24] Are you out of your mind? This is a suicide mission. You are dead already. The clay cannot tell the porter what to do.
[18:38] God laughs. And God scoffs at the scoffers. God responds to the scoffers by scoffing at them.
[18:56] And you look at them, what are you doing? is above all. The Bible says he who sits in the heavens. Now David used this to help us understand that God is above all.
[19:14] He who sits in the heavens. And look at that position. The one who is below is planning to come after the one who is above.
[19:27] that's the stupidity. Mind my language. Sorry for the language. That's the stupidity of what they want to do. And David said he who sits in the heavens above them laughs at them and he holds them in derision.
[19:49] And how did he respond to them? He responds to them in his holy wrath. he terrifies them in fury.
[20:02] Why? Because these are scoffers, these are sinners who are raging against God and God responds to them in his holy wrath. He spoke to them.
[20:15] The same God who spoke in the beginning, the same God who is speaking here in Psalm 2, that same God is speaking this morning. God is going to them.
[20:28] And those who delight in his law will receive grace. And if you do not delight in his law, if you think that God is a wicked God, what you will hear is his fury.
[20:46] It will be terrifying. God is going to die now. But what did God say to them? God did not say, die now.
[20:58] No. What did God say? He says, behold my king. God's response to the raging of wicked men is what?
[21:12] Christ the king. king. Now, let's step back and think about that. That is mercy. That is mercy.
[21:26] Even in their wickedness, God was still gracious. gracious. They spoke at him. They spill out their fury.
[21:39] They want to come after their king. Yet, God said, behold my king. He was still gracious to these wicked people.
[21:53] And he said, behold my king. I have established him on holy hill. Christ, the anointed one, the son.
[22:05] He said, behold the anointed one. This is my response to your rebellion. And God presented the son to them as a response to their rebellion.
[22:21] And you know what the son did? We see God, the son's response in verse 7 to 9. The son says, Father, I will do your will.
[22:36] Father, I will proclaim your decree because I love your decree. Your decree is not shackles, is not bones.
[22:47] Unlike these kings of this earth, I will love your law. Your law does not enslave. your law sets free.
[23:00] And the father said, you are my only begotten son. And the father rejoices over the son. And what we see is this, the son proclaimed, we see the proclamation of the dominion of the son in verse 8.
[23:22] in verse 8, he says that acts of me, look at it, the father said, acts of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession.
[23:37] So the father is saying, my son will be the one who we will have dominion over all things. This is my will.
[23:52] but not only will he have dominion, this same son will destroy the wicked.
[24:06] It is by this son the righteous will stand. It is by the son the wicked will fall. So when we speak of the exclusivity of Christ, we are not making a claim of our own self, but we are making a claim that God made.
[24:29] When Jesus walked on earth, when he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, he's making a claim that the father has made already made of him.
[24:48] By the son, all that are righteous will stand, and by the son, all who are wicked will fall. The righteous will reign with Christ in dominion, and the wicked will receive what they deserve, because they hate God.
[25:13] They hate God, and they will receive what they deserve. And brothers and sisters, what does this teach us here this morning?
[25:27] As believers, we should rejoice in the fact that in Christ, we have dominion. Our dominion is not defined by this wicked world.
[25:40] Our dominion is in Christ Jesus. Our salvation salvation is in the son. And if you're here, you're not saved, you're not born again.
[26:00] This should make you think about your life. God's I'm not here to scare you. I'm just proclaiming the truth of God. If you reject God, the end is destruction.
[26:14] That's what the scripture says. But there is hope. There is hope. This hope is seen in David's counsel, which it brings us, which brings us to the final point as we examine verse 10 to 12.
[26:33] David now said, you know what kings? From a king to a king. Come. Come. Let me give you advice. I'll give you three counsels.
[26:47] This is a king speaking to a king. Hey, come. You are foolish. So be wise. You're foolish to think that you have authority and control.
[27:02] So I tell you, counsel number one, be wise. You want to be wise? This is the answer. You can only be wise by meditating on the law of God.
[27:18] How do we know that? Psalm 19 verse 7 tells us, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
[27:34] And so David said, the first thing here, you wicked people, you who have rejected God, be wise. And that wisdom comes from the law of God.
[27:49] The second, he said, be warned. The Lord has set his rock, Christ, high above all things. If you don't turn to him, destruction is inevitable.
[28:04] So be warned, the Lord is merciful and gracious. He's slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
[28:16] He keeps his steadfast love for thousands. He forgives iniquities and transgressions. This is the part that people don't like hearing. but he will by no means clear the guilty.
[28:32] He is gracious, but he will by no means clear the guilty. What does it mean when we say God is just? It means that he must punish sin.
[28:47] And so, be warned. Be warned. The author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12, therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
[29:04] And then, let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. He said, remember, for God is a consuming fire.
[29:15] fire. And if you're wondering, where did Pastor John get this pastor who is talking about fire and fire and destruction?
[29:29] Like David, I'm saying, be warned. then he said to them, O kings, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
[29:49] Or you cannot serve the Lord with fear and trembling if you are not wise. So David started first by saying, be wise. Then, serve the Lord with fear and trembling.
[30:01] And the wisdom comes from the law of God, from his scripture, by meditating on God's law. We're back to Samuel, meditating on that law. As you meditate on it, then you will be able to fear the Lord.
[30:17] The reason you don't fear the Lord is because you don't delight in his law. Finally, his last counsel to them.
[30:29] He said, kiss the song. What does that mean? He said, submit to the song.
[30:40] Acknowledge the song's authority. And you ask, who is the song? Who is that song that David is saying we should kiss?
[30:54] That song is the image of the invisible God. The firstborn of all creation. It's by him that all things is created in heaven and on earth.
[31:11] Everything visible and visible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all are created through him and for him.
[31:25] Colossians 1 tells us that. Verse 15, 16. And verse 17 he said, and he is before all things and in him all things hold together.
[31:37] Look at the picture. The kings and the people who are plotting against the anointed, they are plotting against the one who created them.
[31:49] the one who is holding them together. He said, look at the foolishness of that. When you say, I have a right over my body, what I should do with my life, what you're saying is that, Jesus, you're not the one holding me together.
[32:11] Jesus, you're not the one that created me. God. But Paul is saying, all things were created through the Son.
[32:22] It was by him all things came to be. And that's why John boldly said, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
[32:36] All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. That is who the Son. So what is David saying by saying, kiss the Son.
[32:49] Kiss your maker. Submit to your creator. Oh, clay, embrace your potter. He said, kiss the Son.
[33:09] Lest he be angry. And you perish in the way. For his wrath is quickly kindled. His wrath is quickly kindled against rebels and sinners.
[33:24] Against those who do not love him, and those who doesn't want anything to do with him. But at the same time, those who have kissed the Son, said, blessed are all who take refuge in him.
[33:41] those who have kissed the Son, he has saved them from the wrath of the Father. They are blessed. They are not just, they are not, in a sense, they are not like, oh, they are happy, going people.
[33:58] No, that's not what it means. The ones who have kissed the Son are eternally secure in the Son. God, it doesn't matter what happens to their life on earth.
[34:14] It doesn't matter the rejection here on earth. They are blessed in the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit forever. Brothers and sisters, for those of you who have kissed the Son, I hold you this morning to set your mind and desire and your will on him always.
[34:35] set it on the one who has loved you and washed you from your sin. Don't lose sight of him. In the midst of this persecution all around us, the pressure for you to conform to this war, I urge you to set your mind on the Son whom the Father has exalted high.
[34:58] Remember the words of Paul in Romans 8. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
[35:24] Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Brothers, sisters, those of you who are saved, God has justified you.
[35:38] No one can bring any charge against you. They will try, but it will not prosper. Who will condemn you?
[35:52] Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us? And Paul said in Romans 8 there, who shall separate us from the love of God?
[36:12] Look at that. Paul is not asking that question to get an answer. He's telling you that, come on, look at this. The same way David was saying, why do the nations rage?
[36:25] Paul is saying here, who will dare separate us from the love of God? Nothing. So rejoice this morning, not because you worked out your salvation yourself, because the Son has justified you.
[36:47] And here is my counsel to those of us here who are not saved. For those of you here who do not know Christ, here's my counsel. Fly to the cross.
[37:02] Like David, I say, kiss the Son, and you will find refuge for your soul. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
[37:19] Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? God will receive so listen to me this morning. Even children, listen to me.
[37:31] You're able to articulate and receive that gospel. Listen to me this morning. If you're not saved, I'm asking you to lose what you cannot keep.
[37:43] That's what I'm asking you to do. You cannot keep your soul. You cannot keep your earthly possession. For if you die, you're not taken anywhere. where? So all I'm asking, I'm pleading with you this morning is to lose what you cannot keep so that you can gain what you will never lose.
[38:06] I'm asking you to lose what you cannot keep so that you can gain what you will never never lose. I'm not making a deal with you.
[38:18] It's not a business. It's a matter of life and death. run to the cross. Call on his name and he will save you right there.
[38:32] If you want to kneel down, kneel down and call on his name and he will save you. And when you do, please reach out to one of the elders.
[38:43] Reach out to someone here. Let them know the struggles within you. I close with this. I teach Bible study in our county prison in Georgia, FM County.
[38:58] And one day I was teaching and I was done teaching. And this inmate walked up to me and his eyes was full of tears and he was shaking.
[39:12] He said, how do I repent? I want to repent, but how do I repent? And I prayed with him.
[39:27] I said, brother, all you need to do, he was surprised I called him brother. I said, the reason I call you brother is because the spirit of the Lord is already at work in you.
[39:40] And I want to be the first person to welcome you to God's household. I called you brother and he was in tears. And to know that the spirit of God was working in him, the next thing he asked, that same day was, how can I be baptized?
[40:00] And so you're here, you're wondering, I want to repent. I want to I want to I want to you don't know how. You can reach out to one of the elders here and they will pray with you. It's the word of God is I walk in you.
[40:16] So that you can give up what you cannot keep to gain what you will never lose. The son.
[40:29] Kiss the son. And you will find refuge in him. Let us pray. Lord a lot to unpack in one chapter yet you have graciously fed us this morning oh Lord I thank you we thank you for reminding us Lord God that nothing can separate us from you those of us who have kissed you I thank you for those who right now are calling your name for salvation oh Lord as you've promised save may they rejoice in the sun oh Lord receive our thanksgiving and our prayer this morning in Jesus name
[41:44] Amen