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Well, please turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 2. Psalm 2. I'll read Psalm 2 and then we'll pray and then we'll look at this in some detail. So beginning in verse 1, why do the nations rage and the people plot 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 bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure.

Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore, be wise, O kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. Amen. Well, let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank you that the heavens declare your righteousness. We see your handiwork in the created order. We thank you as well for the Lord's Day and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.

We know that we see in that grace and mercy and the forgiveness of sins and an imputed righteousness received by faith alone. God, as your people, may these things cause us to rejoice, may they cause us to celebrate, may they cause us to express our gratitude and our thankful hearts to you as we gather for public worship. And God, for any and all who are dead in their trespasses and sins, we pray that today would be the day of salvation. that they would hear the voice of the psalmist in this wonderful passage, that they should kiss the Son, that they should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and know the joy of being found in Him. And even now, Lord, forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and guide us by your Holy Spirit. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Well, last week when we looked at Psalm 1, I tried to show that Psalm 1 is not just a general description of a godly man, but a specific description of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the subject, the object, the author, the composer, the singer, and the prayer of the entirety of the Psalms. And so Psalms 1 and 2 go together as a bit of an introduction to the actual book of the Psalms itself. Remember that in terms of a connection between Psalms 1 and 2, both lack a superscription. That means it doesn't say, of David, though Psalm 2 is ascribed to David in Acts chapter 4. As well, the use of blessed. Notice in 1.1, blessed is the man, and in 2.12, blessed are all those who put their trust in him. Notice, as well, there is a way with reference to both Psalms.

In 1.6, a way that perishes.

Psalm 2.12, a way that perishes.

As well, the godly man prospers in all that he does, according to 1.3, and the anointed king of Psalm 2 conquers with worldwide power and authority. Notice, what we have is that the Psalm 2 king is the Psalm 1 man. So Psalms 1 and 2 introduce the entirety of the Psalter. And so when we come now, after the blessed man in Psalm 1, we now see that blessed king of Psalm 2. And basically what we have is four sections in Psalm 2. There's a lot of material to try and get through this morning. I will hopefully not go too fast, but not too slow either, because I don't want to extend us past your lunch.

First, the insurrection against God in verses one to three. Secondly, the installation of the Son of God in verses four to six. The revelation of the decree of God in verses seven to nine. And then finally, the exhortation to kiss the Son of God in verses 10 to 12. But first, notice this insurrection against God.

Have you ever looked around at the world and wondered what's going on? Well, Psalm 2 verses 1 to 3 explains that. Psalm 2 verses 1 to 3 shows us the rebellion of man against a holy God. So note first in terms of the identification of the rebels in verses 1 and 2a, the general population. all men everywhere, under heaven, those dead in their trespasses and sins." Notice what the psalmist says, why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?

And I think this question why is legitimate. It's as if the psalmist is saying, Why in the world would you try to oppose the supreme authority of God Most High? Why in the world would you mount up opposition to the One who has all power and all authority? Why would you raise up in such a way as to set yourselves against the divine God, against the glorious God? And with reference to the question, why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing, it is sort of axiomatic that the creature should fear God, the creature should honor God, the creature should obey God.

In fact, in the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 10, verse 7, he says, who would not fear you, O king of the nations? For this is your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like you. Now we know why. Ultimately, it's sin, it's rebellion, it's transgression, it's death in Adam. As well, in Revelation 15, 4, who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy, for all nations shall come and worship before you, for your judgments have been manifested.

So in Psalm 2, 1, we see why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing. Again, it's a question concerning the futility of such an endeavor, but it's a question as well that reflects and demonstrates and evidences and shows to us what Scripture everywhere teaches, that all we like sheep have gone astray, that God made us upright, but behold, we've sought out many devices. The fact that in Adam all died.

And with reference to this particular psalm, the psalmist is setting forth the context, the framework for the revelation of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now it's not only the general population, but notice in verse 2a it's political leadership. David, remember, who authors this psalm, is the king of Israel.

He sees the rebellion, he sees the tumult, he sees the machinations, the rising up against the covenant God of Israel. He understands this all too well. So with reference to this particular statement in verse 2, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together. So the kings of the earth, they set themselves, they take a position of settled opposition against God.

In fact, if you look back at Psalm 1, the blessed man is seen in what he doesn't do. Notice in Psalm 1, 1b. Psalm 1, 1b. Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. That's what marks man in rebellion. That's what evidences man as a sinner before a holy God. And so when we come to verses 1 and 2 in Psalm 2, we see that settled opposition. We see it in the general population. We see it as well in the political leadership. Now this is a universal problem to be sure.

Mankind in Adam, dead in him, totally depraved, totally unable to merit God's favor in himself, is settled in his opposition against God. He rages against God. He wants to cast off the cords. He wants to cast off the bonds. He wants to shirk that responsibility given to him by his creator as a creature.

And with reference to the specific application, the apostles of our Lord apply this to the specific opposition to Jesus in his first advent. In fact, in Acts chapter 4, there's an apostolic prayer meeting, and in Acts 4, verses 27 and 28, they say, for truly against your holy servant Jesus, this is after citing Psalm 2, they say, for truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done. So invoking Psalm 2, recognizing the general population, but specifically political and even religious leaders with reference to the Sanhedrin, they apply specifically Psalm 2, verses 1 and 2 to the Lord's first coming. The reality that Jesus came into this world, sinners to save, and the very sinners that he comes to the context of, they oppose him, they reject him, they resist him, and you see that all throughout his earthly ministry.

John won, he came to his own, his own received him not. Who did Jesus have more struggle with, and I don't mean him struggling in the sense of it was not that he was winning, But whom did he face or confront more often than not with reference to our study in John's gospel?

It was the religious leadership. It was the Jewish Sanhedrin. It was the unbelieving, godless Jews. And I want to just alert you to something. When you see this particular psalm, Psalm 2, it identifies the Messiah as one who would be a son of God and one who would be a king. When Jesus comes to his own, what does he say? He says, I'm the Christ, I'm the son of the Father who sent me, and I am a king. So when we get to the gospel records, there was a messianic expectation that Messiah would be a son of God, that Messiah would be a king.

So it wasn't that their expectation was wrong in terms of the framework. It was that their expectation concerning Jesus was filled with enmity, with resistance, and with rage. And the apostles, as I said in Acts chapter 4, invoked this psalm to demonstrate or validate or evidence or corroborate what was happening in that first century scenario.

So all of these men oppose Christ, the general population, the political leadership. Note the specifics with reference to their opposition, the objects of their hatred. Verse 2, be against the Lord and against His anointed, against Yahweh and against His Christ. against the Father and against the Son. That's the opposition.

And the reality is that the close connection between Yahweh and the Anointed here points us to a unity in the divine essence. Yes, persons, but also the unity of the divine essence. And in terms of the nature of their rebellion, The psalmist lets us in. What's the general population? What's the political leadership? What's the Jewish Sanhedrin in first century old covenant Israel? What is it that bugs them about Yahweh and about his Christ?

I mean, because this is the rub, right? Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? It's a good question. Why would we do that against the God of love? Why would we do that against the God who makes the sun shine like he does today? Why would we do that when this God gives us food? This God gives us water. This God gives us family. This God gives us friends. This God gives us everything.

You see the nature of the psalmist's question? Why do the nations rage? Why do the people plot a vain thing? Why do these political powers and these political leaders set themselves in settled opposition against Yahweh and against His Christ? Well, verse 3 answers that very clearly for us. Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. It is a rejection of God's law. It is a rejection of that which is good, definitionally. God gives us the law to have no other gods before him, to not blaspheme his name, to not destroy his day or hold it with contempt, to not be insubordinate, to not murder, to not commit adultery, to not steal, to not lie, to not covet.

Those things are good, right? But for sinners, those things are fetters. For sinners, those things are handcuffs. For sinners, those things are restrictive. For sinners, those things must be shirked. Those things must be cast off. Those things must be escaped from. And that's the nature of the opposition. Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.

If you've never considered how wicked man really is, let David take you on a tour in Psalm 2. It's bad for God to say, don't kill each other? It's bad for God to say, don't be insubordinate? It's bad for God to say, don't commit adultery with another man's wife? Well, it's bad if you're a wretched sinner and you want to engage in adultery, you want to engage in murder, you want to engage in all manner of transgression. And when God gives us these bonds, when God puts these cords upon us, it's not for restriction.

I don't ever remember a time when our children were little, when somebody ever chastised me for telling my child not to run out and play in the traffic. Why wouldn't you let him go out and play in the traffic? Because he's not gonna win? Fun fact, my dad used to say that to me. Why don't you run out and play in the traffic? If you ever wonder how I got so messed up, that might be part of it. He was kidding, of course, and I knew he was kidding. When you're parenting children and you don't let them run around the house with scissors, do friends say, oh, just let them run with scissors? or watching them lick their fingers and going over to the electrical outlet to light up. Nobody says, just go ahead, let them express themselves.

This is the problem with sin. We take God, who is glorious, God who is infinite wisdom, God who is love, and God who knows exactly what is best always for all of his creatures. And we say, no, we will not have this one to rule over us. We want to run with the scissors. We want to put our mouths on electrical sockets. We really want to go out and play in traffic.

Do you see the nature of the opposition mounted up against our God? It makes no sense. Again, that's why I think the psalmist says, why do the nations rage and the people plot vain things? So with reference to this opposition, make no mistake about it, it's against Yahweh and against Christ. That's why in his first advent, specifically in the upper room in John 15, Jesus upbraids the Jewish leaders of his day by saying very candidly, very clearly, and without any equivocation, if they hate me, they hate the one who sent me. That's not difficult to understand. If they hate me, they resist and reject me, then they resist and reject the one who sent me.

Where does Jesus get that kind of thinking? Well, the unity of the divine essence. the trinity of persons in the divine being, the fact that they're a compound object of the animosity and the rage of the nations in terms of the general population, and then specifically political leadership. Psalm 2 verses 1 to 3 is the best explanation of the mess that we see all around us. Why is it that these people do these things? Why is it that these people continue to mount up this opposition? Why is it that people don't just embrace the leadership and government of God? Because they're sinners. And that might be you here this morning. You might say, well, you know, I think at least in principle or on, you know, theoretically, yeah, it makes sense.

I shouldn't commit adultery. I shouldn't steal. I shouldn't lie. I shouldn't cheat. I shouldn't do all that. But there's something about it that just really attracts me to it. There's something about it that's really enamoring. There's something about it that just really entices me to participate in those things.

I'm just going to head you off at the pass and tell you to listen to verse 12. Kiss the son. That's language that has to do with homage, reverence, obedience. But I think Bonar's right when he says it is to believe on the son. It is to look to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that's the beauty of this psalm. Verses one to three shows us the mutiny of man against the high king of heaven. God could, in all reality, give us a verse four that says, that's it, they're done, it's over. I'm just gonna send fire down, I'm gonna destroy it, I'm gonna obliterate it, and I'm gonna start over again, or I don't need to start over again. The fact that the psalm moves on and the fact that the psalm addresses the problem, perhaps not in the way that the problem makers wanted to address, but nevertheless it does, is beautiful.

Again, like Psalm 1, it's a gospel psalm. Like Psalm 1, it's a gospel psalm in terms of what God does to redress the sinful condition of mankind. Notice then, secondly, the installation of the Son of God. You've got insurrection, verses 1 to 3, now you've got the installation of the Son of God. What's the divine remedy for the problem of verses 1 to 3?

In other words, how does God deal with the condition of the general population and leadership, both political and religious, that has risen up in vanity to oppose the God of heaven and earth and his Christ? What does he do? Well, first, verse four, he who sits in the heavens shall laugh. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. Don't miss verse one. Why do the nations rage. And the people plot. Notice a vain thing. So you're tipped off right at the bat. They don't win. They can't win. Everything they do in their opposition against Yahweh and his Christ is destined to fail.

It's sort of like when King David went to battle in the Valley of Elah against Goliath. Now, we know David as a man filled with the Spirit of God. We know from, you know, our knowledge of 1 Samuel and our knowledge of David and our knowledge, hopefully, of Old Covenant history and our knowledge of the world, that David's gonna win. But when David first walks out on that field of battle, how does the giant respond? How does Goliath respond? Does he, you know, clutch his pearls and say, oh no, I'm gonna get a sound beating?

He mocks him. He holds him in derision. What's this ruddy kid coming out to do with the Philistine giant? Imagine your two-year-old rising up and fist-raising defiance of you. Nope, not gonna go to my room. And as an aside, brethren, if you capitulate to that, you deserve whatever's coming your way. But the authority in that illustration crushes, and I don't mean you crush your little two-year-old. You crush the opposition. Right? I think I used Shane's illustration. He told me he heard a sermon from Psalm 2 or by Albert N. Martin.

When you got a string of ants kind of, you know, making their way into your house and you go out there to oppose them, they don't mount a counter opposition and say, come on and bring it. You hold them in derision. So the worst that man can do in verses one to three, God laughs at it. For those who perhaps aren't converted or aren't believers, haven't looked to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Psalm 212 tells you to, to kiss the sun, to believe on him, you gotta understand you're not going to win. Just as candid as I can possibly be, you may rage, you may plot, you may set yourself, you may say, nope, it's only ever gonna be my way. You're going to lose. It's inevitable. The divine response to man's rebellion according to verse 4a is that he who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision.

In Proverbs 1.26, I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your terror comes. Listen to Spurgeon, mark the quiet dignity of the omnipotent one and the contempt which he pours upon the princes and their raging people. He has not taken the trouble to rise up and do battle with them, he despises them. He knows how absurd, how irrational, how futile are their attempts against him.

He therefore laughs at them. You don't fear the ants that are mounting up to enter into your house. You crush them. You get the raid. You don't reason with your two-year-old. Here's 15 reasons, son or daughter, why you should obey mommy. You say, get in your room. You crush the opposition.

So man, at his worst, in verses one to three, does not upset the divine majesty. God's not saying, oh, there's a problem in the matrix now. Oh, there's some uppity-ness over in these nations. Oh, there's an uprising over in this sector of society. No, no, no. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.

The Lord shall hold them in derision. Notice as well in verse five, then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure. The concept of reciprocating wrath is involved in the psalm. Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing against Yahweh and against His Christ? We will not have this God to rule over us. Why? Because we can't stand Him. Why? Because we are wrathful towards him.

Well, with reference to God, he holds them in contempt. He speaks to them with derision. He speaks to them in his wrath, and he will distress them in his deep displeasure. This is how Paul starts his gospel presentation in the book of Romans. Paul doesn't start in Romans 1, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. That's not where he begins. He gets there. But where does he start?

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Romans 118. Before he ever gets to 326 or 321, but now the righteousness of God is revealed, it's first his wrath. Again, gospel psalm. There ain't no good news without the bad news.

There ain't no kiss the sun and find blessedness in him without here's why you should, because you're a mess. Here's why you should, because God has spoken to you in his wrath. Because God is your enemy, but I don't want to shatter anybody's delicate psyche here. You're his enemy.

I think this is much of the emphasis in Romans chapter 5. It's not that we contemn God and treat Him as our enemy, though we do, and I think that's clear in Romans 1 to 3, but it's that God condemns us and treats us like an enemy. This whole idea of reconciliation, one of those gospel terms that we like to use, what's reconciliation? It's about bringing two parties who are at odds with each other together in peace. See, it's not just us that hates God and opposes God. According to the psalmist here, God opposes us. when we're shaking the fist. And this is contra modern sentimental thought that unfortunately is often rampant in churches today.

Well, you know, God's only ever love. God is love, definitionally, 1 John chapter 4. But God is all his perfections. All that is in God is God, his righteousness and his justice. I think wrath is what we call in theology an improper predication. That means it teaches us true things, but in a human sort of way. Because wrath seems to demonstrate the movement from one state to the other. There's no movement in states with reference to God. So the foundational perfection principle or attribute is God's righteousness and justice.

In other words, what does God do when He sees the rebellion of man? He responds in kind, with justice, with righteousness. He speaks to them in His wrath. He distresses them in His deep displeasure. But then notice, He appoints the very remedy. Their opposition is to Yahweh and His Christ, so what does Yahweh do? He appoints the Christ in order to deal with the situation.

Verse six, yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. The laughter and the wrath of God are true. So is the appointment of his son to deal with the rebel nations, to deal with the rebel sinners. to deal with the mutiny of man. Again, God could have ended the psalm at Psalm 2-4 with a simple, that's it, you're done, it's over, you shouldn't have raised up in opposition against me. But it's a gospel presentation. There's redemptive history built in. There's the advent of the Messiah, the incarnation of the Messiah. Because the Psalm 2 king, son of God, is the blessed man of Psalm 1.

The only way we make heads or tails out of that is that John 1.1 in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

And John 1.14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. So God deals with man's sin in a most excellent and glorious way.

So the king is appointed according to verse 6. That brings us then to the revelation of the decree of God. So the wrath, the derision, the laughter, and the installation of his king in verse 6. Now notice the revelation of the decree of God in verses 7 and 9.

Notice that in verse 7 we have a new speaker. I mentioned last week introducing the book of Psalms, that what we have in the book of Psalms is a record of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw that in Hebrews 2, we saw that in Hebrews 4, you can see that all over the place in the New Testament. But as well what we have in the book of Psalms is a record of conversations between the Father and the Son.

Beautiful. We get to, as it were, put our ear against the door and listen to the Father and the Son speaking to each other. We don't even have to put our ears against the door. We just have to read our Bibles, show up at church. We get to hear divine conversation, divine dialogue, father to son, son to father. And this is a record in the Psalter of one of those conversations.

So notice, well Spurgeon I think says, we have looked into the council chamber of the wicked and to the throne of God and now we behold the anointed declaring his rights of sovereignty and warning the traitors of their doom. That's the revelation of the decree just to get at it quick. But notice specifically in verses seven and nine, we have the revelation.

The son is appointed according to verse six. And now the son says that he's going to relate for us the decree given him by his father. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today, I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. It's the revelation of the decree of God, the content of that decree, specifically first the relation of the Son to the Father. So the opposers oppose Yahweh and His Christ. We ask the question, who's this Christ? Who's this anointed? Who's this Messiah?

Well, it's the Son of verse 7. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are my Son. So there was a promise by God made specifically to David, the author of Psalm 2, that a son of God would ultimately assume the throne of God and reign over the kingdom of God. In fact, in Luke's gospel, in the birth narrative, in chapter 1, we read this. How could Luke do this? Well, because of Psalm 2. How can we have a Matthew 1 or a John 1? Because it's Psalm 2.

In other words, God announced prophetically His purpose and plan to redress the sinful condition of mankind. It was announced in Genesis 3.15 in the promise of the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent. That one that would deal the death blow to the devil himself.

Genesis 3.15, as redemptive history moves on, we've got types, we've got shadows, we've got prefigurement, we've got promises and prophecies. We've got all that.

Until the fullness of the time when God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law. And so we've got the revelation of this decree, and the first emphasis is on the relation of the son to the father. And notice the language there in verse 7, it's intriguing. I will declare the decree, the Lord has said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you. I think we've been somewhat caught up with that language of begotten.

Those who have been around long enough to have gone through John's gospel notice that John refers to Jesus as the only begotten Son. So Jesus is the Son of God. He's not the Son of God the way we are. He's the Son of God by nature. Not the Son of God by creation, and not the Son of God by adoption, but the Son of God by nature. God from God, light from light, true God from true God. Begotten, not made. One in being with the Father, through whom all things are made.

That's what the psalmist is referring unto. The fact that he uses today, I think kind of catches us up. or twists us up. Well, if there's a today, that must mean that Arius was right, there was a time when the sun was not. The better interpreters in the Christian church say that today points to eternity. In eternity, everything's today. In eternity, everything's right now.

We talk about eternity past and eternity future. You get that that's a human sort of an approach to a concept that we just don't get. We're time bound, we're temporal, we're creature. We're always limited in that particular way. So when we talk about eternity, I mean, we get it conceptually, without beginning, without end, but we still try to locate things in that continuum.

You know, eternity past is over there, and eternity future is over here. I like the way Gil explains it. The date of it, this reference to today I have begotten you, designs eternity as in Isaiah 43, 13, which is one continued day, an everlasting now. That's right, an everlasting now. I quite like that. How do you describe eternity? It's an everlasting now. What does that mean? I don't know, but Gil said it, and I sure like it.

And this may be applied to any time and case in which Christ is declared to be the Son of God, as at His incarnation, His baptism, and transfiguration upon the mount, and His resurrection from the dead, as it is in Acts 13.33, because then He was declared to be the Son of God with power, Romans 1.4.

And to His ascension into heaven, where He was made Lord and Christ, and His divine Sonship more manifestly appeared. which seems to be the time and case more especially referred to here if it be compared with Hebrews 1.3. So basically it's eternity.

Now Paul does invoke Psalm 2 in Acts 13.33 and he predicates it specifically to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

And interpreters typically go like this, well you know if in Acts 13.33 he tells us that Psalm 2.7 only refers to the resurrection, then it only refers to the resurrection. Well, it refers to the resurrection, but undergirding, under, you know, foundational for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the eternally begottenness of the son from the father. In other words, the one doesn't cancel out the other, the one assumes the other.

In other words, he is the resurrected one from the dead, as a revelation or demonstration or confirmation that He is the eternally begotten Son of the Father. In fact, that's how Paul seems to invoke it in Romans 1 concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. He was declared, not made to be. Well, based on your resurrection, Jesus, I'm gonna declare you now to be the son of God with power. No, it was a manifestation of what was always true.

And that empty tomb comes as a result of the Psalm 2, 7 emphasis, of the John 1, 1, 1, 14 emphasis. In other words, what we have here is the eternal generation of the Son of God as the anointed of God who will reign as the King appointed by God to redress the sinful nature of sinners against His rule. But then notice, it's not just the relation of the Father and the Son, but it's also the pleasure of the Father in the Son. Notice in verse 8, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.

Remember the blessedness of the man in Psalm 1? Blessed is the man who does what? He walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. He doesn't stand in the path of sinners. He doesn't sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law he meditates day and night.

So what's the result of that? Verse 3, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. As I mentioned last week, if that's a general vague description of men trying the best they can be to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, we typically think that verse three in Psalm 1 guarantees some sort of earthly prosperity for us. We'll get job promotions, we'll have better situations in our work, we'll have better, that's not the prosperity of the blessed man in Psalm 1 3. The prosperity of the blessed man in Psalm 1-3 is universal, comprehensive rule, reign, and conquest.

And it's to the pleasure of the Father to convey this upon the Son for His having taken to Himself our humanity, living for us, dying for us, rising for us. Note the pleasure of the Father in the Son. Verse 8, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. Again, just with a view to verses one to three, would have been very consistent for him to say, that's it, it's over, it's done.

But that's not the emphasis. The emphasis is, son, let's go get them. Let's go conquer. Let's go make friends. Let's through sovereign grace, according to the decree of election and the glory of the gospel of free and sovereign grace and the effectual power of the Holy Spirit, let's take this group of confederate enemies and make them servants of the Most High. That's the good pleasure of the Father with reference to the Son.

You see it in New Testament passages. After speaking about Christ's humiliation in Philippians chapter 2, where does Paul end up? Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name." In other words, based on what Christ, according to His humanity, as a mediator of the New Covenant, based on what He's done, What comes as a result?

Exaltation to the right hand of the Father, installation at the right hand to be this King of Kings, to be this Lord of Lords, and to glorify the Most High, the pleasure of the Father in the Son. You see it in the prophet as well, Isaiah, the servant songs of Yahweh, both in 42 and 49, 49.6 specifically. When the son there, the servant of Yahweh says, Lord, in fact, turn there, Isaiah 49. I think this is a great illustration of what's in view here. Isaiah 49, specifically at verse six. It's a servant song of Yahweh.

A servant song is what we see the prophet under inspiration of the spirit showing us various glorious things concerning Jesus our Lord. Notice in 49.5, and now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, so that Israel is gathered to him, for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

Indeed, he says, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be my salvation at the ends of the earth. It's too small for you to just go after this one small people, group. I'm gonna give you to the entirety of the world.

That's the blessing of Yahweh upon the doing and the dying and the rising of our blessed Savior. Look at the last servant song in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, again, this notion of prosperity in Psalm 1-3 doesn't mean a new car, doesn't mean a summer home. It means the conquest of guilty sinners by the power of Jesus' gospel through the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. Notice in Isaiah 53 verse 10, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.

He has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoiled with the strong. Because He poured out His soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sin of many and He made intercession for the transgressors.

That's what the decree, the revelation of the decree is indicating to us. The Son bears relation to the Father. The Father is pleased with reference to the Son. And just before we move on here, brethren, this is some in substance of Christ's commission to the Church. Matthew 28 isn't happenstance. It isn't, wow, I can't believe that same sort of language is being used.

How come Jesus says, go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And then he promises, and lo, I am with you always, even at the end of the age. Was Jesus just being an innovative religious founder?

I want you to go out and do this. He's doing this as one rewarded by the Father for his work as covenant mediator. In other words, go therefore and make donations. Why? Because the Father gave them to me for my inheritance. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Why? Because that's part of this covenant arrangement with my father, this eternal transaction.

Notice again, verse eight, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. I'm not gonna stand up here and tell you that universalism is biblical. I'm not gonna tell you that every man without exception is going to be saved. I think that's a heresy, I think it's false, I think it's wrong. But I'm also not gonna tell you there's gonna be a handful of us that just sort of hobble our way into heaven.

Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, the outermost parts of the earth for your possession. Praise God the early church believed that. Praise God that the very outline of the book of Acts is founded squarely on that. You'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and then where? to the uttermost parts of the earth. How could Jesus say that?

Because of what was given him by the Father according to Psalm 2.8. And isn't that the flow of the book of Acts? Yeah. Chapters one to seven, ministry in Jerusalem. Chapters eight to 11-ish, well eight and nine, Judea Samaria. And what happens with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus? The gospel goes to the uttermost parts of the earth. In other words, the early church took the Psalter seriously. The early church understood that when Messiah says, go make disciples of all the nations, he's not sending us on an empty exercise, but rather he's sending us to collect what's already his.

Yeah, Psalm 2.8.

And then notice finally with Psalm 2.9, the judgment of the Son over the nations. Ask of me, verse 8, I will give you the nations for your inheritance, the ends of the earth for your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Of course, he saves sinners by his grace and for his glory through his cross, through his life, his suffering, his death, his resurrection. Those who oppose, those rebels, those confederates of verses 1 to 3 that continue to mount up that opposition, guess what's in your future? A rod of iron. This comes up in the book of Revelation on several occasions as well.

But notice the means by which ungodly ones perish. 1.6, the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Well, how do they perish? Well, they fall subject to the conquering rod of iron with which Jesus dashes them to pieces like a potter's vessel.

It's the justice of Christ. His government is right. His government is just. His government, it's gracious, it's merciful. He takes, you know, hardened sinners and He conquers them by His Spirit. He gives them new hearts. He gives them the graces of faith and repentance such that they come willingly to Him, confessing His glory, confessing His saviorhood, receiving His forgiveness and righteousness.

But for those who continue impenitent, those who continue unbelieving, and this is a good bit of news in the Psalm as well. The wicked lose, brethren. I think we all need that, don't we? Do you ever just watch the news or stay up with the news and say, man, wouldn't a win be nice once in a while? Things in Canada have been rough, man. I mean, just a glimmer of a win We get more of a glimmer in Psalm 2.

King Jesus is not messed with. King Jesus does not shirk his responsibilities to reign in justice and in righteousness. King Jesus dashes the nations with a rod of iron like so much pottery under his sway. As Davis says, with reference to 7 to 9, the appointed king with worldwide sway to be established an overwhelming force, that is the decree that is controlling history. He's right. He's absolutely right. Whether you and I always acknowledge that or not, it's happening. It's true.

Jesus is on the throne. According to Acts 2, when did Jesus take his position on the throne of David? At the resurrection. According to Revelation, which that book is set up to address the difficulties of people suffering in the Roman Empire, suffering under a persecuting religious system and Judaism. When we're met at the very beginning in Revelation chapter one, the apostle tells us that Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth. So if you get to Revelation 13 and you start to lose your lunch, you get to Revelation 13 and you start to, you know, gnaw your fingers down to the third knuckle, or your knees are knocking, or your feet are, you know, your legs are wobbly, you need to go back to Revelation 1. He is the king over, or he is the ruler over the kings of the earth. The beast from the sea, the beast from the land. They're subject to the reign and the glory of our Lord Jesus. What's a refrain in the book of Revelation? Not, it's only ever miserable and we're only gonna suffer. The Lord God omnipotent reigns.

The book of Revelation is one of those misunderstood books, right? People don't read it because it's so terrifying. People should read it because it's terrifying in the best way. It produces reverence for the exalted and enthroned Christ because the emphasis in the book of Revelation is upon his crown as the one who lived, who died, and who was raised again the third day. Revelation steals the soul of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's not something that should just promote endless curiosities about every political figure that's ever populated the face of the earth. No, let it speak its comfort into your hearts because it sets forth the kingly rule of our blessed Savior. And that brings us then finally to the exhortation to kiss the sock. Notice in verses 10 to 12, the audience, David predicates this with, now therefore be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth.

It's wisdom to come to Jesus. I know we're taught just the opposite. If you preach Jesus in an academic setting, devoid of any Christian tethering, you're a nut. You're a weirdo. That's not wisdom. That's fable. That's religious myth. That's story time. That's Sunday school. True wisdom is to seek God. Colossians 2 tells us that in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I would suggest that the only true philosopher, lover of wisdom, is a Christian. The only true philosopher is a Christian. Why? Because we love Jesus and in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. But David has a concern. And notice that David's concern isn't just for, you know, a guy here, a guy there, a family here, a family there. He goes at the macro level.

If the nations are confederate against God, if the political leaders, you know, gather themselves together to set themselves against the Lord Jesus, well, He calls upon the judges, or be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth. And then the specific exhortation, verse 11, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Always a good exhortation. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Those things seem like they're not mingled well in this particular context, but I think they are. Spurgeon says there must ever be a holy fear mixed with the Christian's joy. This is a sacred compound, yielding a sweet smell, and we must see to it that we burn no other upon the altar. Fear without joy is torment, and joy without holy fear would be presumption. They go hand in hand in the Christian profession.

So essentially what the psalmist is saying here, specifically at verse 11, is to repent. Lay down your arms. Lay down your opposition. Don't try and mount up this insurrection against the High King of Heaven. First of all, it's in vain. Second of all, He's going to laugh at you, hold you in derision. He's going to speak to you in His wrath and distress. David says, don't do that. In other words, he says, be wise, O kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

In other words, come to the one that you're opposing. It seems so counterintuitive, doesn't it? I come into this pulpit all the time, or every Sunday, and Cam does as well. We call upon sinners to come to the one they hate. You get that that's probably not the most bright thing in the world, right? Let's see, as sinners, you don't understand that what Pastor Cam and I have in terms of an ace in the hole is the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't mean to denigrate and speak of the Spirit that way. It's just an analogy.

Yeah, we come to tell sinners who oppose the Lord of glory that they should come to the Lord of glory and serve him. So what seems counterintuitive and is, is not when you look at the entirety of the Bible. Because God, according to Psalm 110, makes men willing in the day of his power. And another ace in the hole, maybe a king, maybe for us an eight. We know what it's like to oppose this God. We know what it's like to have no fear of this God. We know what it's like to be running from this God and then affectionately called by Him. Ask Pastor Kim sometime, how'd you come to know the Savior?

Because I'm smarter than everybody else here. I'm brighter than everybody else here. I'm wiser than, that's not what he's gonna say. He's going to say I'm a guilty, hell-bound sinner and God in His infinite mercy and grace sought me. It's my testimony too. I didn't grow up in Sunday school with my Al Martin tape and my weird glasses and let's just do catechism. It wasn't that way.

The glory of the Christian gospel is not that we accept Jesus. The glory of the Christian gospel is that God is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. So when we preach, we understand the power of the Holy Spirit, but also we've experienced it in conquering our own hearts, such that those confederates we were, raising our fists in opposition to God, have been conquered by grace. and I want to worship, and I want to glorify, and I want to preach. So when we come to this particular psalm, and then it finds its crescendo in verse 12, kiss the sun. Again, metaphorical for worship, speaks to respect and homage, but I think Andrew Bonner's right. This is saving faith. Kiss the sun. Believe on the sun. Look to the sun. Receive the benefits of the sun. How do you do that? By believing in him.

Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in him. So basically you've got a command in there, kiss the son or believe on the son. You've got an argument, lest he be angry and you perish in his way when his wrath is kindled but a little. And then you have a promise or a benediction in verse 12. Blessed are all those who put their trust in him.

Talk about a gospel psalm. David preaches the gospel in Psalm 2 probably better than anybody's ever preached it. It's wonderful. It is powerful. It is salvific. That means it will save you. So in conclusion, I think the psalm depicts or shows or demonstrates very clearly the problem of sin.

If you're not a believer here this morning, your problem is verses one to three. However, you may want to try to explain yourself out of it. Well, you just don't understand. You don't get me. I had this upbringing. You know what, I'm not denouncing or denying that some of us people in general, everybody, everybody has had a messed up upbringing. Unless you were parented by the holy, harmless, and undefiled couple, you've been somehow affected negatively. I do get this much, though.

God calls you to live in a particular way. God says, don't murder. You're not supposed to murder. God says don't commit adultery. You're not supposed to commit adultery or even have a lustful thought. God says don't steal. So whatever your environment, whatever your context, whatever, you know, me getting you is lacking, your problem is a problem of Psalm 2, 1 to 3. I don't want him to reign over me. I don't want him to rule over me. I don't want his bonds. I don't want his courts. I don't want to be restricted.

Just admit it, own it, confess it. Its nature is to be a rebel against God, to transgress His law or not do what God says. You're gonna love this. You know that you can break every command in two ways, right? By transgressing it, doing what He tells you not to do, or by not doing it in the way that he tells you to. Sins of omission and sins of commission. Not only should you not murder people, you should do everything you can to promote your own health and the health of everybody around you. Well, that seems a bit much. Hey, those are those bonds and cords that you don't like. I think it's pretty nice for a society of people to try to help each other. I think it's great. Your problem is sin, it's rebellion, it's transgression, it's joining this confederacy in Psalm 2 verses 1 to 3.

As I said earlier, and I want you to get this, it's futile, you're gonna lose. There's no A for effort in this one. You're going to lose. I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but I know what verse nine says, and I know what the rest of the Bible says. You're going to lose. You're not gonna get a pep talk from Jim the father saying, yeah, give it your best shot to disobey, transgress, and not conform to God's law. And let's see if it works out good for you. It never will. Solomon tells us all too clearly, the way of the transgressor is what? It's hard. It's hard. It's miserable. Secondly, the glory of the Savior, I think, shines forth in Psalm 2. We see the person of Christ.

Again, in terms of identification, the Christ or Messiah or anointed, Christ is the Greek, Messiah is the Hebrew, both translating that word anointed, the one anointed by God for a specific task, the one anointed by God for a specific purpose. So the Christ, according to Psalm 2, is the only begotten son of the Father and who is a king. Again, how the Jews missed that when Jesus came to deal with them shows what Paul will later say, they got a veil over their eyes. They crucified the Lord of glory is what they did.

So it wasn't like Jesus was claiming to be the son and claiming to be a king without any tap roots in scripture. I've heard that before. I've heard a Jewish apologist say, well, we never have any scripture, the idea that Messiah would be divine. Really?

You mean the everlasting father of Isaiah 9 didn't tip your hand? whose goings forth are from of old, even from everlasting in Micah 5.2. The reality is that Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.

There is divinity predicated of our Lord Jesus all throughout the Old Testament. And Psalm 2 is a wonderful testimony and witness to that and exacerbates the wretchedness of those who rejected Him and resisted Him in His first advent. It wasn't for lack of understanding. It was a hatred and contempt for his person. You've got the person of the Lord. You've got the work of the Lord. Remember in Psalm 1, I mentioned that our eternal destiny, our future bliss or condemnation is associated with that blessed man of Psalm 1? Well, it's the same thing in Psalm 2.

Notice in verse 11, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling, kiss the Son lest He be angry. Isn't that the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as mediator? How do we serve the Lord? We do so by kissing the Son. How do we come to the Father? We do so by believing on the Son. The blessings of eternal life are mediated by the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a most conspicuous emphasis that you find there. Again, Luke 1, 31 to 33, he didn't just make this up. It comes right out of Psalm 2, the reign of the righteous son of the Most High is glorious. It is wondrous. It is efficacious. It is powerful. And end with that verse 12. And I stole this from Spurgeon. I guess I'm not stealing it if I'm accrediting it to him. But basically, he preaches a gospel message based on verse 12.

The command, kiss the son, the argument, lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little, and the benediction. That means the good word. Blessed are all those who put their trust in him. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the psalm and for what it does in terms of all of redemptive history. It tells us of a Christ, the Christ of God, that would be the Son of God, that would be the King that reigns over the entirety of the cosmos. And we rejoice that when we get to the New Testament, we see all these things fulfilled and applied and brought to fruition by the Lord Jesus Christ. We bless you. for that gospel. We pray for the preaching of it all throughout the earth, that it would run swiftly and that it would be glorified. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.