Opening Prayer and Reading

Take your copy of scriptures if you would still in hand and turn to Psalm chapter two. Psalm two. I’ll be reading for us before we hear the word read and preached and received. Let’s ask his blessing once more upon those very things. Let’s pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, we come again once before you and at this time we ask that as we do so, as we hear your word go out, Lord, as we receive it, as we believe what you tell us therein, we do ask, Lord, that the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight and that we would sit under that word that that word would indeed change us and challenge us and refresh us and console us, Lord, in the ways of truth and those very challenges set before us within. And so we do confess once more, our dear heavenly Father, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from your mouth. And we ask, Father, give us a great appetite, a hunger for this, your word, that it may nourish our souls this morning and always in the ways of eternal life, all to your glory. It is through the bread of heaven, Jesus Christ, that we ask all these things. And all God’s people said together, amen.

I’m in Psalm chapter two. Please give your attention once more. This is the word of God. Psalm chapter two.

Why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us burst apart their bonds and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in heaven laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel. Now therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in your way, where his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

So far the reading of God’s word, may he indeed add his blessing upon it now as it goes forth in his name with his spirit.

Connection to the Gospel of Mark

The place we’re in our preaching through the gospel of Mark is about to turn towards Jesus telling what is to come, telling of his death, telling of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem’s destruction, telling what is to come regarding the coming of the Son of Man and his own suffering and death, indeed, the road to the cross. And because we’re in the churn in Christ’s controversies with the leaders there at the end of chapter 12 of Mark, as I mentioned a number of times, we see there the leaders, the kings of the earth taking counsel against the Lord and against his anointed, right? These very themes of Psalm chapter two. So I wanted to look back at the psalm, this psalm chapter two, and focus on what’s being said there and its connection to the New Testament in general and about this dynamic between Christ and the kings of the earth in particular.

Psalm 2’s Dual Horizons

We come to psalm two, therefore, and we notice when we look at psalm two that it’s one of those texts that has meaning on multiple horizons, right, multiple layers. Psalm 2 is one of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament, and so we have an inspired commentary to tell us more fully what this psalm means, what it is getting at, what it is saying, how it is fulfilled in the use of the New Testament authors.

Original Context

As we look at this psalm, we see that there are four stanzas, right, of this psalm, three verses each, right, four in total stanzas, and we’ll look as we come to this at those two layers or horizons this morning. The first layer is, of course, in its original context, right? The original context of the psalm. What was the meaning of the psalm originally? What is it that David meant when he wrote this?

Divine Commentary

And the second horizon or layer is the divine commentary, right? We have the original context and then the divine commentary. And that is as Christians, as we read this Psalm through the lens of the New Testament, how is it used? How is it being used? What is it explaining? What is it elaborating for us? How is it fulfilled? What is its fuller meaning as we understand it today, especially in light of the coming of Christ?

Stanza 1: The Nations’ Rebellion (Verses 1-3)

As you can see from that first stanza, verses one to three, the nations and the kings are taking their stand against the Lord, God Almighty, and against his appointed anointed servant, his anointed one, all right, the nation’s rage. And so David begins and he is amazed and dumbfounded at this. This rejection of God and his rule is absurd and insane and senseless. David thinks about this and he ponders the kings, the peoples of the earth, the nations, and he sees that these rulers are coming together for what purpose? They’re gathering and conspiring against God to resist him and saying to themselves, it says, let us break off these chains. Let us throw off these things, which bind us.

The Absurdity of Rebellion

David says, why, why this hostility? This is not wise. This is utterly verse one is vain. It is vanity. These nations, these kings should acknowledge God for who he is, the true and the living God, the creator of all thing, mighty and powerful and holy and just. It should be a no brainer, right? He is sovereign. They should submit and subject themselves to his universal reign.

Historical Examples

And like Egypt had to learn this lesson, he is not a God to be trifled with. He is almighty, he is all powerful, and he’s demonstrated that throughout history. So they should learn this lesson like Egypt learned this lesson, like nation after nation after nation had to learn this lesson, like Jericho or the Amorites or the Philistines all had to learn this lesson. And David is amazed that these nations act so violently against Israel and against its kings and therefore against God.

Rebellion Against the Anointed

But notice in verse two, this rebellion is not only against the Lord, right? Not merely against the Lord, but it’s against, it says, his anointed, his anointed. And this word is one of those handful of words that we all probably know and are familiar with in Hebrew. We know the word, it’s Mashiach, it’s Messiah is what it means, his anointed. And you know the word in Greek as well, right? It’s the word Christ.

The Meaning of “Anointed”

It’s that word that refers to this one who’s been dedicated by God to God, consecrated by God for God, the one who is to serve God, the one who is to serve for God. And remember, as we think upon this, it’s not just the kings who were anointed and set apart by and for God, but it’s also the prophets and the priests, too. They were anointed symbolically with oil by referring to the fact that the person is set apart from the world, set apart, blessed by God’s spirit. And this was God’s presence and his favor and his blessing were poured out upon this chosen one for that chosen task.

Rebelling Against God’s Chosen

This was what’s being rebelled against, right? To rebel against the Lord’s chosen one is to rebel against the Lord himself. And so these neighboring nations are not just resisting other nations or another geopolitical identity, Israel, and they’re not merely resisting God’s people or Israel’s king, but God himself. They’re resisting the Lord himself, the true and the living God. And David, his mind is blown by this.

Stanza 2: God’s Response (Verses 4-6)

But how does the king of heaven respond, right? We have the nation’s rage in the first stanza, And in the second stanza, verses four to six, we have the Lord responds. He responds to these rebellious lesser kings in a couple of ways.

God’s Mocking Laughter

First, he laughs at them. He scoffs at them. Now, we laugh for a number of different reasons. Ourselves, we laugh because we find something humorous, funny. Sometimes we laugh because we’re nervous, right? If we’re uncomfortable and we don’t know what to say or how to respond, we might laugh, right? An anxious laughter, a nervous laughter. There’s other times that we laugh because somebody has said something that is utterly incomprehensible. Something is totally ridiculous. We might laugh reflexively at that, and that’s why God laughs here. That laugh is mockery, but here it is no joke. God doesn’t find this funny. He’s not nervous. He’s not at loss for things to say. What these nations are saying is so outlandish and preposterous and offensive, and in His response, God laughs. He mocks their mockery. He scorns their scorn.

God’s Declaration of Sovereignty

And secondly, we see that he responds in this way. It says, in his wrath and fury, he says, I have set my king in Zion, my holy hill. Remember, this is his very special place depicted in a physical, earthly way, his special place. It’s there where we have the temple, and he has crowned his king, David, the city of David, on Mount Zion. And then he is angry with anyone who would resist and defy and deride him, all of which is going on here.

Stanza 3: The King’s Rule (Verses 7-9)

But what does that mean? The nation is raged, the Lord responds, and then the third stanza is the king’s rule. We’re told in verses 7 to 9 that the adopted, appointed king’s rule is real and is not to be scoffed at. This enthroned king speaks, and he tells us things that God revealed to him and told to him.

The King’s Adoption

And we find out this enthronement, right, this regal ceremony, this coronation of the king, is actually a form of adoption. Verse 7, “‘You are my son, and today I have become your father.'” Right? David is set apart as a son of God. All of his family line in all of it, God will see them as his sons. And so David and his children were seen as sons to God and enthroned sons, endeared sons, if they would obey the covenant.

Blessings and Authority

This king is not just some kind of formal positioning. This king enters into this special relationship with God, and he receives many blessings because of this special relationship which he has. And these very nations that are resisting him will eventually become what? His inheritance. They belong to him, ultimately. And the ends of the earth will become his possessions, and he will rule them with authority and finality. And he will dash them to pieces if they continue in their rebellion and in their resistance of him.

Expansion of God’s Kingdom

And David is saying that God will continue to expand his territory. And in David’s day, that’s exactly what we see going forth. That’s what happens to Israel’s farthest limits.

Stanza 4: Warning and Invitation (Verses 10-12)

And so what of this? What of this, these stanzas so far, this lesson that’s being told? Well, we’re told in the last stanza, the fourth, we come to the conclusion, and we see in verses 10 to 12, The conclusion that the Lord summons the kings and these rulers, and he says two things to them. The fourth stanza, the Lord gives them a warning and an invitation.

A Call to Wisdom

In verse 10, he says, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Why is that? It’s because they’re gathering together to conspire, to plot against the Lord and against his anointed. And if they continue to resist, he will rule them with an iron scepter. He will rule them and dash them to pieces and he will destroy them if they are to continue in their way. That is a warning.

An Invitation to Worship

It’s a warning, but there’s also a solution given. And that solution comes by way of invitation, right? He says in verse 11, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling, with trembling, bow before him, come to this one true and living God, while there is still time, and come in the right attitude, come with the right posture as you come. Come in fear and trembling and rejoicing and reverence. And then he says there, you see it in the text, kiss the son, kiss the son. The son here is the anointed about whom he was speaking earlier. And to kiss the son is an act of worship. One version of this verse in the English says, do homage to the son. Do homage, kiss the son. It’s the same thing. To kiss somebody is an act of adoration.

Homage to the Son

And we see this, we’re familiar with this in English royalty, if you will. We’ve all seen it or read about it in books. When you greet the king and queen, you kiss the ring of that sovereign, of that royalty, that royal. Same thing that’s going on, it’s a warning and there’s an invitation.

Blessing for Those Who Take Refuge

Cursed are the nations that refuse this refuge, that scorn this God and this king of kings. But blessing upon blessing and blessing and promises of protection and care for those who take refuge in him. That’s the invitation.

New Testament Fulfillment

Now that’s something of the original meaning of how this is unfolding in Psalm 2 there, what’s going on in that context. But now let’s look at, secondly, the divine commentary, the New Testament divine commentary on the Old, on the Psalms, on Psalm chapter 2.

Psalm 2 in the New Testament

And when we do so, when we look at the New Testament, we see regarding this particular Psalm, And we see that there’s so much there. Where is it that the authors go to, to make a point, to prove a point, to show fulfillment, to show how all that foreshadowing pointed to something else, an ultimate final layer or horizon? There’s much there that describes and anticipates and forecasts the work of Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

A Summary of Christ’s Work

The New Testament shows that Psalm 2 gives us a summary. It lays out the work of Christ from his humiliation to his exaltation. Right? And Psalm 2 is a verse that they go to, is a chapter that they go to, to unfold all of this summary, from humiliation to exaltation. It shows, the New Testament does, in Psalm 2, we have a compacted outline there, again, in just 12 verses that shows a brief outline of the work of Christ foreshadowed and pictured and proclaimed and then fulfilled.

Christ’s Humiliation

And basically, the New Testament takes Psalm 2, and he uses it in two main ways, again, to depict showing Christ’s humiliation and then his exaltation, right? So let’s look at a handful of texts that I’ll give you the citations for, and we see this commentary on Psalm 2 that we have in the New Testament, the divine commentary on the Psalm.

Psalm 2 and the Cross

First, when we look at the New Testament, we see it uses Psalm 2 to talk about the peak of the Lord’s humiliation. When we look at Acts chapter 4, Acts 4, starting at verse 28, we see this very thing. Acts 4, 23, I believe, it’s 28. Yes, Acts chapter 23 to 28 looks to Psalm chapter 2 to understand what took place on the cross of Christ.

Acts 4:23-28

In Acts, Peter and John are praying together, and they pray, speaking of God, and it says this, Acts 4.23. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they had heard it, they lifted their voices together to God, and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, right? David said it and he’s inspired, the Holy Spirit inspired it. David said it, God sent it. Why did the Gentiles rage and the people’s plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, the ruler and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined take place.

Applying Psalm 2 to Jesus

Right, and so we have those dual realities affirmed, given by Scripture. They did it, God planned it, God appointed it. But clearly we see Psalm 2 here by Peter and John are taking this psalm and applying it to the Lord Jesus explicitly. He is the anointed of the king. He is the Lord’s anointed chosen one. He is the Christ. And they’re saying that the kings and rulers talked about it against the anointed one. And they’re saying that those kings and rulers are Herod and Pilate. And notice also Acts 4 says it’s the nations and the peoples, all the Gentiles and Israel who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. And what they’re saying is that together they came and united against the Lord and against his anointed, the Christ, is anointed one.

The Mockery of Jesus

And this is exactly what took place, right? As we look at the history of redemption, as we look at the Gospels as they unfold and what took place afterwards in the Acts of the Apostles. And we see in Acts, rather in Matthew 20, Jesus said that he would be delivered over to the Gentiles to be what? To be mocked, to be mocked and flogged and scorned and ridiculed and to be crucified. And when we look elsewhere in the gospels, what do we find there? We find Herod, the religious leaders, and the soldiers, what? They mock Jesus Christ.

Specific Instances of Mockery

In places like Luke 23, verse 11, it says that Herod, with all of the soldiers, treated Christ with contempt and mocked him. Matthew 27, verse 29. Matthew 27, 29 says that the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and put a reed in his hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews, while he’s beaten and bloodied, the thorns tearing into his flesh. In Mark 15, it says the chief priests and the scribes mocked him as he hung from the crossing. He saved others, but he can’t save himself. And as he’s hanging on the cross, we read in Luke 23, 36, that the soldiers there mocked him and offered him sour wine in that mockery.

The Dark Hour of the Cross

And as we look at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ on the right, on the one hand, it is certainly a dark hour. It is a somber scene indeed. Here’s the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, throughout his earthly ministry, by and large, having his teaching rejected. Miracles are dismissed by those who should have recognized and accepted them. And we have these people and these groups coming together, conspiring against Jesus because of their envy and their hatred of him. And it is those religious leaders who out of great bitterness and envy, put an end to this anointed one, or so they thought.

Israel’s Rejection

And remember that greatly offensive manner in which Jesus began his ministry, right? So, so outlandish, right? He said, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. And he has appointed me to preach good news, good news. He brought them good news. He brings good news, the gospel to them. And it’s Israel who refuses to adore God’s King. They refuse to accept and receive God’s anointed. And at the low point of their great rejection, in the high point of their affront and their offense to God, they said what? These people, these great monotheistic Shema, Deuteronomy 6 reciting people, hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one and all throughout, he is our king, he is our sovereign, he is our leader. We have one king, Yahweh himself. And in that high point or low point, if you will, of that offense and affront, they say what? The cross, rather, their reply, right? When Pilate says to them, behold, your king, in and of itself should have been so utterly offensive to them. Behold, Israel, your king. And they shockingly replied, these great monotheistic people, they say, we have no king but Caesar, no king but Caesar.

Satan’s False Victory

And there at the cross, Satan believes he has finally broken the chains of God. He has defeated him. He’s finally cast off this greater one, this son of God. But how does the Lord respond? How does he respond to this rejection of his anointed one? At the cross, at the pinnacle of our Savior’s humiliation, What does God do but he scoffs at evil’s brief scorn of the humbled anointed one?

God’s Sovereign Plan

Because even the cross is not so much the triumph of evil as it is the plan of God, right? These people did what your hand prepared beforehand that they should do. These things are coming exactly together as God had determined. And again, if we look at verses 27 and 28 of Acts 4, they gather together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Ephesians 1:11, right? It’s all carried out by the plan, a definite plan and foreknowledge of God. He decreed it. And all these parties come together and conspire against God. But there’s something deeper taking place here, something wider taking place. They are simply pawns in the hands of God carrying out exactly what he plans to take place in his sovereign providential ordering of redemptive history. The Christ is not the binding of God. Rather, it’s the plan of God that cannot be broken, the plan of God that cannot be thwarted. Satan thought he had outmaneuvered God, but was only doing what God had planned.

Illustration from C.S. Lewis

And you’ll remember this if you’ve read to your children or read it yourself, or you children, remember the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, right? The white witch, the bad guy of the story, thought she was defeating Aslan, right, the Christ figure. Thought she had got him, and it was victory for her. But there was a deeper, something deeper going on, a deeper wisdom that she didn’t know and she did not see. And of course, that story is but an illustration, drawing from the actual history of redemption, depicted in a children’s book. This is what we see here in the text.

God’s Triumph at the Cross

Satan and all of the emissaries of darkness, they think they’re carrying out this great triumph over God. Their raging has been successful. But no, they are truly carrying out only what God himself had determined to take place. And these leaders and these peoples and these nations are simply doing what God decreed beforehand would happen. So it is through the cross that God is mocking and he laughs at the power of Satan and all those who conspire against his son, who resist his will. Colossians 2:15 says this very explicitly, Colossians 2:15. It says, and having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by the cross. The cross is not defeat, the cross is victory, you see. And in the cross of Christ, God embarrasses the powers of darkness, mocking their scorn and their vain resistance against him. He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. The cross is God’s moment of triumph. The cross is God’s winning and defeating and conquering and saving for his people, for you and for me.

Christ’s Exaltation

So we see Psalm 2 in the New Testament regarding Christ’s humiliation. This is where they go to and they point to Psalm 2. But notice next, the son of his, this anointed one, who dies in humiliation, not the end of the story, he’s raised in exaltation. And the New Testament takes Psalm 2 to highlight that very exaltation, Christ’s exaltation. And that exaltation takes us from his resurrection to his return. And these are the two distinct aspects of that exaltation in Psalm 2 that it highlights according to the New Testament, resurrection and return, right?

Resurrection

As part of his exaltation, Psalm 2 has gone to, to make this point. First, the resurrection of Christ, right? It’s the resurrection of Christ that manifests the unequaled greatness of God’s plan and his power issued forth in his son. And notice how this is given to us. Throughout the life of Christ, right, we see it bracketed, bookended all through.

Divine Affirmation

At the beginning, a voice from heaven, you’ll recall, you are my son with whom I am well pleased. That is baptism. The voice comes to him from heaven. You are my son. At the Mount Transfiguration, the voice that comes, this is my son whom I love. Listen to him.

Acts 13:32-33

And notice what scripture says as it looks back upon the resurrection and reflects on Psalm 2. It uses Psalm 2. Acts 13, starting in verse 32, does this. It says, Acts 13, 32. That what God promised our fathers, this he has fulfilled for us by raising up Jesus as it is written in the second Psalm, you are my son, today I have begotten you, right? We go to Psalm chapter two and they quote it, speaking directly of Christ.

Hebrews 1:3-5

Or Hebrews one, verse three to five, the glorious opening of the book of Hebrews, after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. So he became so much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to whom of the angels did he ever say, you are my son, today I have begotten you.

Sonship and Resurrection

And you see what the New Testament is saying. It looks at Psalm 2, and it says, this enthronement, this exaltation to glory at the right hand of God, it’s actually, it’s adoption. It is this new phase of sonship unto which Christ enters. Now, for sure, we know, and we must affirm, and we trust, and we confess that Christ has always been the Son, always. He is the eternal begotten Son of God. We must affirm it because Scripture teaches it. And though Jesus is the eternal and divine son of God, the declaration of redemptive sonship prophesied in Psalm chapter two, verse seven, was conferred on him in time when he completed his messianic work, earning our salvation, right? So the father with pride and love in his heart is looking at him and saying, this is my son. And Paul even tells us in Romans 1, Christ is declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

Return of Christ

And so you see the New Testament sees Psalm 2 as telling of Christ’s exaltation in his resurrection. But the New Testament also shows Psalm 2 speaking to Christ’s return, his coming again, right? And Psalm 2 anticipates the end of the end. And it shows that this King of kings who rules with all authority and power not just now, but ultimately will be manifest when he returns on the great day of the Lord. And it’s on the great day of the Lord at the judgment to come when Christ will show his absolute rule and his absolute sovereignty.

Revelation’s Use of Psalm 2

When we look at the book of Revelation, right at the end of our canon, the closing of God’s word given to us, preserved, handed down through time, and how it shows when we look at Revelation, the greatness of that exalted Christ, the glory of Christ, who will come and rule and judge. And where do you think the author goes to do that? Where do you think John, as he’s inspired in his writing, it goes back to Psalm chapter 2, of course. Places like Revelation 12 and Revelation 21, it says that Christ will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and the kingdoms of the earth will become the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will bring their glory into that great city, that heavenly Mount Zion.

Judgment and Sovereignty

And as it looks upon the judgment in Revelation 19, it says that Christ will judge. And remember how it depicts this. It says, out of his mouth, will come a sharp sword which will strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter, the rod of iron. He treads the winepress with the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and thigh he has the name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Application: Do Not Resist the Lord

So brothers and sisters, when we look at Psalm chapter two, these things in Psalm chapter two from Psalm chapter two, things that are instructive and glorious, things that are also severe and serious, we see that this Psalm, Psalm two expresses so clearly, not just the humiliation of Christ, but the exaltation of the Lord himself. And we look and we need to be mindful of how these things press into our lives as His people, right? This isn’t just grand and high theology. It’s not just lofty descriptions for the sake of argument’s sake. No, these are matters of truth, of which there is no greater importance or significance, even in our own lives.

The Futility of Resistance

So as we conclude, I want us to take away a number of things from this as we look at all that’s been unfolded for us in Psalm 2 and in the New Testament’s divine commentary on Psalm 2. And the first is so critical and obvious that it hardly bears mentioning, but it does bear mentioning. And that first and critical and obvious point is, do not resist the Lord. Do not resist him. Do not scorn, do not gather against, do not reject this anointed one. Do not try to break the chains of God Almighty’s sovereignty. Do not try to throw off the Lord or throw off the Lord’s ways. Psalm 2 is boldly declaring to you that it is senseless, it is futile, it is vain to resist this king, his power, his glory, his wisdom, his truth.

Human Rebellion

But sadly in rebellion, Many resist and resent God’s commands and his call on their lives. They see them merely as burdens, right? The call and the love and the intention and his command on their lives they see as burdensome. We all know people like this, right? And it’s heartbreaking, terribly sad. They hear about scriptures and it tells us that we are to worship only this one true and living God, to honor and obey our parents, to be sexually pure, not to lie, not to steal, not to covet. And they were to put others ahead of ourselves. And they hear these things and how do they respond so often? They say, this is intolerable. This is ridiculous. This is oppressive actually.

Love of Darkness

And scripture teaches us why this is so. In John chapter three, It says the reason people hate the light of God’s truth is because what? Because they love darkness. They love darkness. They love the deeds of darkness. They don’t want to be exposed by the light. And so they hate it. They hate the light. The scripture talks about this. It tells about the way of the Father, the way to the Father, salvation. And it tells us that people want it my way. And they want to boast. And if they resist being saved by grace, they want to say, I did it, if they wanted it all. And people defy God, and they think little of God. And if they speak of God, it’s in defiance of Him and rebellion against His law and against, yes, His anointed one. They simply want Him to go away.

The Urgency of the Call

And to us, this is horrifying, especially all the loved ones that we have that stand in this way, because we know the truth and we know what Psalm 2 says. And though they want him to go away, he’s not going away. In fact, he’s coming again. And that is part of Psalm 2’s message. Don’t resist him. It’s not a game. It’s not a joke. It’s not of no consequence. And so if you’ve not pled his mercy and answered his call on your life, The call today is the same. Today is the day. It’s not a game, and it’s not a joke, and it’s not something that will go away. He will come again. It is truly life or death. It is blessing or judgment.

Flee to Christ

Kiss the Son is the command. Flee to Christ for your life. Flee to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the guilt of your sins and your failings and your weakness and your brokenness. Flee to Christ. Come to Him and taste the refreshing waters of the gospel of life, the water of life. And when you taste, you will see that it is good. It is truly good.

For Believers

And if you have submitted and fled to this anointed King, to Jesus, you flee to Him as well, again and again and again. He is your life and your peace and light in the world. Flee to Him and grow in Him as he feeds us in his word, as he feeds us in his supper. And praise him, brothers and sisters, praise him. Praise befits this great king in whom we have life.

Application: Come to the King

But secondly, come to him. That’s the second thing we should see as we look at Psalm 2, is that it’s a summons to come to him. It’s a summons to come to kiss this king, to adore and worship this anointed one of God.

God’s Precious Gift

God looks and he says, this is my son. This is my anointed one. This is my king, who is the king of all kings. He is not like any other king. And Psalm 2 makes it clear, the personal offense that God takes when people reject and scoff at this most wonderful gift. I’ve done everything. I’ve done everything that needed to be done. Don’t resist, but come, come and flee to this King.

The Rejected Stone

And Scripture tells us that this King is the stone that the builders rejected. Right. We read this. We’re familiar with this idea. This King is the stone rejected by the builders. But this stone is God’s precious cornerstone, and you don’t discard it without grave consequence. And yet the world, in all of its pretended false brilliance, looks at the cross and says what? Smugly. That’s weak. That’s pathetic. That is foolishness. The way to victory isn’t defeat, when in fact, God has made it clear that the cross is the wisdom and power of God.

The Invitation Persists

It’s amazing that people reject such a generous, glorious, and amazing gift. But you know, we would be among those people who rejected him were it not for God’s grace, right? We would be right there among them. And it’s astonishing that this summons is still one of an invitation and not simply one of ultimatum.

Pray for the Lost

For the sake of the lost people of God, pray, pray for them, praise God that he continues to be an invitation. Even today, if you love Jesus and if you committed your life to him, you still have loved ones who have not done so. Particularly in light of recent tragedy and losses and scares, we are stricken again and we are reminded again, even in this congregation, and we grieve again. The fact that death is a reality. Death is real. Life is a mist. And those whom we love may not love the Lord whom we serve. We praise God that he is long-suffering and that he holds out life for all those who will yet come to him.

Heart Transformation

We don’t know the secret plans of God, but, brothers and sisters, could I plead with you to pray for those lost loved ones, that they would come and that he would provide that oh-so-urgent surgery of heart replacement and take out the heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh that beats for Jesus. Will you make that a point of your regular prayer for them? Pray for them and pray that God would work in you to witness with your lips, yes, but with your lives of the love that you’ve been shown in Christ.

Application: Trust in Christ

And then all of it, trust him, brothers and sisters, trust him. We don’t know his secret plans, but we do know that he is, what, good, and that he is merciful, and that he is holy, and that he is just, and he will not compromise on any of those, but he’s made provision for all of them to be maintained in integrity in the outworking of redemption, won by Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit in time. Come and find refuge in this one chosen by God.

Christ Our Refuge

The day of judgment has not yet arrived. This is still a day of salvation. There’s nowhere else to go. There’s no one else in whom we can find shelter. It is in Christ, in Christ alone. He is our protector, brothers and sisters. He is our shield, our mighty fortress. He is our sanctuary.

Shelter at the Cross

What a glorious comfort and assurance for all of those who name the name of Christ. We who have trusted in Christ of all people understand full well that we deserve the just wrath of God. But it is in Christ that we find our refuge. Christ does this at Calvary, where he shelters us from the consuming fire of God’s wrath as he bears that guilt and the shame of our sins and all that it deserves. And why? Why? It’s that we would be the very righteousness of God and live with him in glory forever, freed from sin, freed from tears, freed from pain, and all the rest of it forever.

Christ’s Protection

When the day of the Lord comes, he will come and deliver us from that wrath to come because he has already taken it. As we think about how all of our lives we are constantly besieged and attacked by the world, the flesh, and the devil, remember, brothers and sisters, it is Christ, our great King, who defends us. It is Jesus, whoever lives to intercede for each of you who claim him as your own and belong to him and our sons and daughters of the king.

Strength in Weakness

We undergo many temptations in this life. We are weak and we are feeble and we’re yet free from that weakness in those sins, but we know that he is faithful and that he protects us from temptation, that it’s too great for us. And you and I know ourselves that we are weak and we are sick and we grieve and ache in so many ways. But Scripture tells us what about our weakness and our sickness and our aching, grieving hearts. Scripture tells us that his grace is sufficient for you and that His power is made perfect through such weakness.

Flee to Christ Afresh

So let us flee to Christ. For the first time, let us flee to Him afresh and again. Let us go to the Savior, this Lord of all lords, the King of kings. When you’re mocked and scorned and weak and in suffering and in disbelief and in doubt, when your world is turning in on you and against you, come and find shelter under the shadow of these wings of unfailing love for you, his people. Let us trust in his faithfulness and in his promise to guard us again and again and again and again.

Conclusion: The Wisdom of Trusting Christ

Psalm 2 tells us without equivocation, it is vain to reject and deny and defy God. It is foolish to mock Him. Praise Him that He’s given you to answer that summons, to kiss this glorious Son for your lives, for yourselves. It is foolish to mock Him, but oh, how wise it is to trust Him. And we praise Him that He has given us to do so. Our trust is in Him, in Him alone, and we eagerly await for him. And this is not in vain, because in that great day of the Lord, there will be no refuge from him, only refuge in him. And so as the people of God, let us continue to trust and rest and live our lives in adoration and the security in this son. And let us delight as we go with fear and trembling in this anointed one, in whom alone we have life.

Closing Prayer

Amen. Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you for this word to us. We thank you, Lord, of the great magnitude and the depth and the weight of what you tell us here. And we pray, Lord, that you would give us the faith and the trust to believe what you say. We thank you for your providence in our lives and for our beloved Savior who gave his life for our sins and rose again for our justification, for accomplishing our redemption. We pray, Lord, that you would continue to strengthen us and protect us. Let us know and believe and trust in you. Submit to your ways, Lord, for our good and for your glory. Help us to know that you are our sure refuge of protection and that you are working in your people, your perfect will, and that you are by the gospel conforming us to the image of your son. So we ask, Lord, that you would continue to bless this church. Help us to be thoughtful and faithful as we begin to Take action on as we have pursued your guidance for our future and for your glory. Give us hearts that long for that glory. We ask this all in Jesus name, amen.