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We're going to take a little 
break from our exposition of John's Gospel to look at Psalm 
2. In fact, as you read through John's Gospel, you get the sneaking 
suspicion that it's scripted. In other words, what we find 
in the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Son of Man 
is played out on the pages of the Gospel of John and Matthew, 
Mark, and Luke as well. And in fact, the early church, 
the apostolic church, prayed and cited this particular psalm 
in terms of Herod and Pilate and the Gentiles and the Israelites' 
opposition to and enmity against our Lord Jesus Christ. So it's 
a very fitting psalm in light of our studies in John's Gospel. 
So I'll read 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 and 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 gracious 
God and Father, we thank You for the Lord's Day, we thank 
You for the blessed privilege that is ours to gather together 
as the people of God to worship You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
We pray now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to guide our 
thoughts as we consider this psalm. We see it as a prophecy 
concerning the blessed Savior who had come to save His people 
from their sins. We ask that you would help us 
to find great encouragement and comfort at the fact that our 
Savior reigns and rules over all things for the good of His 
church. And as well, God, may sinners today hear the argument 
of the psalmist to come, to kiss the Son, to bow before Him in 
faith. We ask that you would forgive 
us for all sin and all unrighteousness and transgression. Cleanse us 
in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness. 
We thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your graciousness. 
We thank you for your mercy and your majesty and your glory. 
And we pray that you would be honored now. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we look at Psalms 
1 and 2, many see these two Psalms together as sort of the introduction 
to the entirety of the Psalter. There's certainly some overlap, 
and there's certainly a lot of connection going on in these 
first two Psalms. But specifically in terms of 
Psalm 2, it's four stanzas three verses each. So we're going to 
look at it in that particular manner. We'll look first at the 
rebellion against God in verses 1 to 3, secondly the appointment 
of the Son of God in verses 4 to 6, thirdly the revelation of 
the decree of God in verses 7 to 9, And then finally, the exhortation 
to kiss the Son of God in verses 10 to 12. So the psalmist does 
not leave us on our own. He not only gives us the truth, 
but he calls us to respond. He calls sinners to kiss the 
Son. He calls saints to marvel in the rain and in the rule of 
that Son. And with reference to its identification 
here, we see in Acts 13 that Paul the Apostle, preaching in 
Pisidian Antioch, calls it the Second Psalm. And it is, in fact, 
a psalm that David composed, but it doesn't concern David. 
There might be some similarities in terms of his earthly reign, 
but it points forward to David's greater son, that Messiah who 
would come forth to save his people from their sins. So let's 
look first at the rebellion against God. Not necessarily the most 
happy subject, but certainly a subject that we need to appreciate 
if the rest of the psalm makes sense. But notice the identification 
of the rebels, and then we'll look at the nature of the rebellion. 
Look at the rebels according to verse 1. Why do the nations 
rage and the people plot a vain thing? And I don't think that 
why is rhetorical. I think David, under inspiration 
of the Holy Spirit, is musing on the reality. Why? What kind 
of people do you think you are as finite creatures resisting 
the infinite God? The God who made you, the God 
who created, the God who sustains you, the God who gives you life 
and breath and sustenance and water. Why do people do this? Why do they mount their opposition 
against the living and the true God? In fact, the prophet Jeremiah 
asks this question in chapter 10, verse 7. 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. Revelation 15.4, John the 
Apostle says something very similar to Jeremiah. 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. Now certainly as God's people 
we would imitate this. Why? Why do the nations rage? Why do the people plot a vain 
thing? But it's not just the people, it's not just the nations 
collectively, but it's also the leadership, it's the political 
class, it's those who have charge over God's creation. Notice in 
verse 2, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers 
take counsel together. So the kings of the earth set 
themselves against God Most High. That's the issue. The psalmist 
here is depicting the mutiny of man against the living and 
the true God. So the kings of the earth, they 
set themselves, and then notice that the rulers, they take counsel 
together. And as I've mentioned, the New 
Testament applies this to the life and ministry of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Remember in Luke's Gospel, in 
chapter 23, when Pilate finds out that Jesus belonged to Herod's 
sort of constituency, he sends Jesus there. And you see that 
Herod and Pilate become friends, men that were normally or formally 
not friends. Luke's gospel tells us in chapter 
23 at verse 12, that very day Pilate and Herod became friends 
with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with 
each other. So whatever the differences might be in terms of political 
class, or in terms of rule, or in terms of government, in terms 
of legislation over nations, this one thing we see in common 
with the political class of our day. They remain in opposition 
to the living and the true God. In Acts 4, 27 and 28, 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. Now the apostles recognized this 
wasn't rogue, it wasn't renegade, it wasn't maverick, it wasn't 
the case that in the providence of God these men just happen 
to oppose the Lord Jesus Christ. No, this happens according to 
the sovereign plan of God, the decree of God, the controlling 
factor in all of the universe. Nevertheless, we see that application 
of Psalm 2 in the ministry of our Lord. So as we follow Him 
in teaching in the temple, as we follow Him resisted and opposed 
by the political slash religious leadership in terms of the Sanhedrin, 
we are to expect that. The Old Covenant, the Old Testament 
prophesied a man of sorrows and one acquainted with grief. In 
His first coming, it wouldn't be with absolute overwhelming 
power to subjugate the nations. That was an earthly sort of expectation 
on the part of the Jews. It's an earthly expectation on 
the part of some in the Christian church today. But we look forward 
to that imposition of overwhelming force at the second coming of 
our Savior. So in that first coming, He had 
no form, no comeliness. When we looked upon Him, there 
was nothing that drew our eye to Him. Again, He was a man of 
sorrows. He was acquainted with grief. 
But we know that that was the nature of His task. We know that 
He was sent from heaven. for us men and for our salvation, 
to live for us, to die for us, and to rise again. And so when 
you read Psalm 2, if you're not a believer here this morning, 
Psalm 2 prophesies, it testifies, it gives evidence to what we 
find in the New Covenant. God is in the business of saving 
sinners. God is about saving sinners. 
God is in Christ, according to Paul, reconciling the world to 
Himself. God so loved the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son. Not all men without exception, 
but all men without distinction. As our brother prayed, as he 
cites Revelation 5 and 7, every tribe, every tongue, every people, 
every nation, So we ought not to get this idea that he came 
down for us men and for our salvation and it was just a handful, just 
a small group. No, there is profuse grace to 
be had in our blessed God. Remember the apostle celebrates 
the riches of God's grace in Ephesians 1.7. He says, in him 
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins 
according to the riches of his grace. When we come to the end 
of this particular psalm, you'll see a benediction pronounced. 
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. If you're 
not a believer today, that's the exhortation, that's the encouragement 
to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Because you are 
part of these nations, you're part of these confederates that 
rage against God Most High. And notice that. That's the target 
of their opposition. If the nations rage and the people 
plot a vain thing and the kings of the earth set themselves and 
the rulers take counsel together, if there's this kind of solidarity 
upon the earth, their enemy must be menacing. It must be something 
bad. It must be something terrible 
and horrific. But it's not. It's just the opposite. 
It's against the Lord God Most High and His Christ. Man hates 
God. So when we ask the simple question 
with the psalmist, why do the nations rage and the people plot 
a vain thing? When we ask with Jeremiah and 
with John, who would not fear thee, O king of the nations? 
For indeed it is I do. We know why. It's sin. It's depravity. It's wretchedness. It's rebellion. 
It's transgression. It is the mutiny of man that 
is depicted here in verses 1 to 3. They rage against God. They 
rage against the Lord Christ. They despise His rule. They despise 
His reign. And look at the particular nature 
of that rebellion. So the target is the Lord and 
his anointed or his Christ or his Messiah. And then notice 
in verse three, let us break their bonds and pieces and cast 
away their cords from us. This is a rejection of the law 
of God most high. As the people of God, we imitate 
David in Psalm 119, 97. Oh, how I love your law. It is 
my meditation all the day. Or Jesus says in John 14, 15, 
if you love me, you will keep my commandments. We don't grimace 
against that. We don't hate that. We hate the 
fact that we don't comply as we ought. But in terms of compliance, 
we see the utility. We see the blessedness. We see 
that this is what God made us to do. Or John in 1 John 5, 3 
says, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, 
and His commandments are not burdensome. Compare the yoke 
of Christ in Matthew's gospel. Come to me, all you who are weary 
and heavy laden. Take my what? My yoke upon you. Well, see, here's the fundamental 
problem with mankind. It's not economics, it's not 
ethnicity, it's not anything other than rebellion against 
God. You know, when you watch the news, you read the internet 
news, and you see all of these pundits talking about all the 
problems going on in the world today, you can follow it back 
to one filthy fountain. Man is deceitful. His heart is 
wicked. He is a rebel and a transgressor 
against Yahweh and against his Christ. So notice this complaint, 
let us break their bonds and pieces and cast away their cords 
from us. The bonds and the cords reflect 
God's concern for his creatures, right? Why does he put these 
bonds and these cords upon the creature? to restrain them, to 
not harm them, to make sure they don't kill themselves. And yet 
man in sin wants to throw these things off. He rejects it. He 
resists it. There's no desire for the law 
of God in the hearts of man. The nations rage and the people 
plot a vain thing because they don't want to pursue sexual fidelity. The nations rage and the people 
plot a vain thing and they're assisted by the kings and the 
rulers because they don't want to esteem life. They resist God 
Most High at every step of the way. They engage in idolatry 
and in blasphemy. They don't care one bit about 
the Sabbath day. They're insubordinate in terms 
of his authority. They're murderers. They're adulterers. 
They're liars. They're thieves and covetous 
men. This is what marks the problem. 
So if somebody says, boy, the world is a mess, what do you 
think the problem is? Well, it's very simple. Psalm 
1, Psalm 2, 1 to 3, man is in rebellion against the living 
and the true God. And this whole idea that his 
bonds and his cords are somehow restrictive. Let me ask you, 
parents, do you tell your children to run around the house with 
scissors? Do you tell your children to lick their finger and put 
it in the socket? Do you tell your children, yeah, go ahead 
and shimmy over this fence and go play with that gorilla at 
the zoo? No, of course not. You put bonds over them. You 
put cords on them. You want to restrict them. If 
you're driving home from church today, to use an illustration 
from J. Adams, and you see a train off the track, wielding its way 
through the fields, a farmer's field, do you think that's good? 
Oh, no. The train needs to be on the 
track. God's creatures need restraint, and God provides that, but man 
despises it. He rejects it. He rebels against 
it. And then notice, not only is 
this a rejection of His law, but it's an attempt to escape 
from His rule. Let us break their bonds and 
pieces and cast away their cords from us so that we can be free, 
so that we can be independent, so that we can be autonomous. 
A moment's reflection shows you that this has been tried in the 
history of the world. What do Adam and Eve do when they sin 
against God? They run and try to hide in the trees that God 
made. How's that gonna work out? You think the God who made the 
trees isn't gonna see that you're hiding in the trees? Remember 
Achan, when he stole the loot, he coveted it, he stole it, he 
hid it underneath his tent. Or what about David? David figures 
or reckons that he could cover adultery with a conspiracy to 
commit murder. The wise man Solomon says, he 
who hides his transgression shall not prosper. Whoever confesses 
and forsakes it will find mercy. So you see, this confederacy 
of godless men that are resisting Yahweh and his Christ need Yahweh 
and his Christ in order to comply with God. And that's what we 
see as the scene shifts. So we move from the rebellion 
against God to the appointment of the Son of God in verses four 
to six. Notice first his wrath. That holy revulsion against that 
which is ungodly, that which is contrary to his perfect nature. Notice what it says in verse 
4. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. Now, that's kind 
of an interesting turn of phrase, and I'm reminded, I think Shane 
shared it with me, Pastor Albert N. Martin was sort of trying 
to illustrate this. I think it was in Revelation, 
but it certainly fits here. If you opened up your front door 
and you see a line of ants on your porch, and they're in rebellion 
against you, they're gonna take you down. They're gonna hurt 
you. They're gonna remove, they're 
gonna liquidate you. Are you shaken by that? Do you 
care about that? What's your response? You laugh 
at that. You hold them in derision. The 
ants don't have the wherewithal. They don't have the ability. 
They don't have the potential. But I would suggest those ants 
could take you down sooner than the creature could take down 
the creator. See, this response of laughter, 
it is paralleled in Proverbs 1. Wisdom laughs at the calamity 
of men who continue to reject and rebel against God Most High. I think Spurgeon speaks well 
to this. He says, mark the quiet dignity 
of the omnipotent one. So you've got this mutiny, you've 
got the nations raging, you've got the people plotting a vain 
thing, you've got this scene on earth, and then the scene 
shifts up into heaven. What do you see? You don't see 
a nail-biting God, you don't see a God with knees knocking, 
you don't see a God calling for a special counsel because I've 
got to be able to deal with this confederacy. No. He laughs at 
them. He shall hold them in derision. 
Spurgeon says, 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. That is the appropriate response 
from the omnipotent God to rebel sinners who think they're going 
to dethrone God, who want to transgress against Him, who want 
to despise Him and His Christ, who's stationed at His right 
hand. And then notice, we see that revelation of His wrath 
in verse 5. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress 
them in His deep displeasure. It's no accident that Romans 
begins with the revelation of God's wrath. In a book intended 
to reveal the righteousness of God in chapter 3, verse 21, it 
starts off with the bad news. It starts off with the wrath 
of God. It starts off with the wrath of God revealed against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth 
and unrighteousness. This is the righteous response 
of a holy God to rebel sinners. You know, we think about that. 
Everybody wants to celebrate the love of God, and well, we 
should. John defines God that way. God is love. Not God has 
love, God can love, God does love once in a while, but God's 
essence is love. He is his perfections. All that 
is in God is God. But we don't ever think about 
his wrath. We don't think about his righteousness. We don't think 
about his justice. We don't think about the reality 
that sinners who transgress his law are setting themselves up 
for a fall. Look at Psalm 1.6, for the Lord 
knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall 
perish. That's the reality of living 
in a moral universe. Your God is holy. Your God is 
righteous. Your God expresses mercy and 
grace in and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But if 
that mercy and grace is rejected, if it is despised, if it is resisted, 
there is wrath. There is punishment. There is 
hell. We like to celebrate and preach 
about heaven, but we don't typically warn about hell. But hell is 
the contrast to heaven. You continually despise the Son 
of God. You continually resist the Son 
of God. You continue to join the Confederate 
rebels. You will be the one who suffers. That's the intention of the psalmist 
here, is to underscore that. But then notice what we find 
in terms of the appointment of the son of God in verse six. Yet I have set my king on my 
holy hill of Zion. Think about the logic. The rebel 
sinners don't want Yahweh and they don't want his son. So what's 
Yahweh's response? I'm gonna set my son on my holy 
hill. I'm gonna put my son in the position 
of authority and power and universal reign. I'm gonna station my son 
over them. What's the implication? God knows 
us better than we know ourselves. We want no God, we want no Christ, 
so what does God do in terms of response? I'm going to set 
Christ over them. It's like in 2 Timothy chapter 
4. Preach the word. Convince, rebuke, 
and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. Why, Paul? Because 
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 
Wouldn't it be wise if they don't want sound doctrine to then entertain 
them? If they don't want sound doctrine, 
have therapy sessions? If they don't want sound doctrine, 
just kind of encourage each other? No, they don't know what they 
need, and we don't go based upon what they want. We go based upon 
God's holy will. So preach the word. Even though 
they don't want sound doctrine, what they desperately need is 
sound doctrine. Even though they don't want Yahweh's 
Christ, that is what they desperately need. So even in this, we see 
the response of God. Yes, wrath. Yes, justice. Yes, righteousness. But mercy. grace, loving kindness to needy 
sinners. The psalm that begins with this 
mutiny of man ends with the pronouncement of benediction upon all those 
who trust in him. So we might survey that David 
has an evangelistic thrust in view. Yes, he's going to tell 
us what's wrong with the world. Yes, he's going to tell us the 
response of Yahweh to that world. And yes, that God has wrath, 
but that God is full of mercy and grace. The fact that he installs 
his son on that holy hill of Zion underscores that reality. Yet I have set my king on my 
holy hill of Zion. Now, Zion there is not exclusive 
of everything else. I think J.A. Alexander describes 
it well. Distinguished from all other 
hills and other places as the seat of the theocracy, the royal 
residence, the capital city of the Lord and of his Christ. Oftentimes 
in the New Testament, church is referred to as Zion. We see 
that in Hebrews chapter 12. You've not come to Sinai, but 
you've come to Zion. And so what it underscores is 
the authority of King Jesus Christ at the right hand of God most 
high to execute not only the wrath of God upon these rebel 
sinners, but to execute mercy and kindness and grace upon those 
who by grace look to him in faith. Blessed are all those who put 
their trust in him. Now that brings us to the third 
scene, the third stanza. Notice it's the revelation of 
the decree of God. This is the third speaker that 
we have here. Notice we've got David speaking 
to us in verses 1 to 4. We have Yahweh speaking to us 
in verse 6. But intriguingly, in verses 7 
to 9, we have a third speaker. We have another one. We know 
who that is, and we'll see that in more detail. But again, Alexander 
says, as the first stanza, 1 to 3, closes with the words of the 
insurgents, and the second, verses 4 to 6, with the words of the 
Lord, so the third, verses 7 to 9, contains the language of the 
king described in the preceding verse, announcing with his own 
lips the law or constitution of his kingdom. So God's response 
is to laugh, God's response is to hold them in derision, God's 
response is the revelation of His wrath, but then God's response 
is the installation of His Son. I have set my King on my holy 
hill of Zion. That King, set by the Father 
on the holy hill of Zion, is now going to come and talk to 
us. And He indicates for us, or He describes divine dialogue. If you want the technical terminology 
to this, it's called prosopological exegesis. Prosopon is the Greek 
word for person. And you find this in the Old 
Testament. You find the Father and the Son 
speaking to one another. You find revelation from the 
Son about the Father, and it's given to us. We're the standers 
by that sort of get to peer in and see behind the scenes. So 
God the Father announces the installation of this king, and 
now this king steps up in verses 7 to 9 to reveal to us the decree 
behind it. Why is this happening? Is this 
haphazard? Is this plan B? Is this plan 
C? Is this just the best possible 
opportunity at this time? No, everything that is has been 
determined by our sovereign God. Listen to Spurgeon concerning 
this. He says, So verses 7 to 9 is the Son revealing 
to us this decree. Notice, I will declare the decree. He's letting us in. What happened? 
Between the Father and the Son that brings light to bear upon 
this mutiny of man and their rescue by this King. I will declare 
the decree. The Lord has said to me, you 
are my son. Today I have begotten you. I 
think this is a reference to what we call the covenant of 
redemption. The reality that the father gave to the son, a 
great multitude that no man can number. The son was then obligated 
to take on our humanity for whatever is not assumed is not redeemed. He lives for us, he dies for 
us, and he's raised again for us. Christ is not first and foremost 
an example. Christ is a substitutionary curse-bearer. Christ is an accomplisher of 
righteousness. Christ does everything we stand 
in need of. And so Christ, as I said, pulls 
back the veil and gives us this revelation concerning what the 
Father and the Son intend about the salvation of His elect. and 
say, notice what we have, the relation of the son to the father, 
you are my son, today I have begotten you. Turn back to the 
book of 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel chapter 7, the Davidic 
covenant promises a son of God who will build the house of God. 
Second Samuel chapter seven, you remember the scene. David 
is sitting in his palace. David is musing on his victories. 
David is rejoicing in his wealth. And then he says, I dwell in 
a house, a palace made with cedar and God lives in a tent. So David 
wants to build a house for the Lord. And of course he's discouraged 
from doing that. He's a man of war. He's got to 
set the stage for that man of peace, Solomon, to come in and 
to build that house for God. And that's what God tells him. 
I'm not going to have you build a house for me, David, but rather 
I'm going to build a house out of you. A dynasty, a succession 
of kings, and that king that comes from your loins is then 
going to build me a house. So notice in 2 Samuel 7, 7 at 
verse 12, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your 
fathers, I will set up your seat after you, who will come from 
your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a 
house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom 
forever. I will be his father and he shall 
be my son. Quoted in the book of Hebrews 
at chapter one, verse five, applied to the son to show his superiority, 
his super dignity, his excellence over those old covenant norms. 
But here specifically, we have this son of God that will build 
a house for God. It should remind us, if you've 
been with us any time, you've heard me make this connection, 
Matthew chapter 16. Who do men say that I, the son 
of man, am? Of course, the disciples give 
various answers about the things that were in vogue about this 
Jesus of Nazareth. And then Jesus presses them, 
the disciple group, but who do you say that I am? What does 
Simon Peter say? Thou art the Christ, the Son 
of the living God. And then Jesus says, well, good 
for you, you've stumbled on this truth. No, blessed are you, Simon 
Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this, but my Father 
who is in heaven. And then he says, you are Peter, 
and on this rock I will do what? I will build my church. We have 
a Son of God tasked with building the house of God realized in 
David's greater Son. So when we go back to Psalm 2, 
we see lots of biblical data sort of being pulled together 
in this wonderful depiction of the Messiah's reign. So I will 
declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, you 
are my son, today I have begotten you. As we've moved through John's 
gospel, we know that the only begotten Son is the Son not by 
creation, not by adoption, but by nature. He's only begotten. No one has seen God at any time, 
but the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father 
has declared Him. We see this language applied 
to Jesus, the only begotten. We see in the creedal history 
of the church, this is how you distinguish the persons of the 
Godhead. The Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten, and the 
Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This maintains the 
distinction between the three persons of our triune God. But 
with reference to this particular text, you are my son, today I 
have begotten you, Paul quotes this in Acts 13.33 and applies 
it to the resurrection. So which is it? Resurrection 
or the eternal generation of the Son? I think it's both. You 
know how Matthew Henry does that? You'll read Matthew Henry, you 
want answers, and he'll give you the two or three options, 
and then he doesn't tell you which one he takes. Or sometimes 
you say, it's both. That's what I'm doing right now. 
I think it's both. And I think the warrant for that 
is Romans 1, 3 to 4. 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. 
When Paul applies Psalm 27 to the resurrection of Jesus in 
Acts 13, Paul explains in Romans 1 how he does that. the only 
begotten Son of God, that one who is God from God, light from 
light, true God from true God, took on our humanity. And when 
he died in our stead, when he died in our place, when he was 
placed in that tomb, he rose again from the dead, and that 
declared that he was in fact the Son of God with power. So back to Psalm 2, notice we 
not only have the relation of the Son to the Father, but notice 
the pleasure of the Father in the Son. I said it was a dialogue. Jesus is rehearsing the decree. 
Jesus is telling us what happened in terms of the Father and the 
Son. Notice, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your 
inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. I 
think it's a legitimate application preaching say through Ephesians 
1 or Philippians 2 to see how the Father responds to the ministry 
of our Lord Jesus and then exhort the people of God to do likewise. In other words, the father is 
well-pleased with the son at the very baptism of Christ. This 
is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased. And then on the 
Mount of Transfiguration, same thing is repeated, and then hear 
him. Well, the father was so pleased 
with the work of the son that he exalted him to the right hand 
of the father. He gave him a name that is above 
every name. He gave him universal sovereignty 
and empire. He gave him that dominion. He 
gave him absolute unfettered authority. And that is precisely 
what is highlighted here. So ask of me and I will give 
you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for 
your possession. It's one of the parts of the covenant of 
redemption. The father gives a miserable lot of sinners to 
the son, the son covenants to go and rescue them, and as a 
reward, as a blessing, as the signal of exaltation, what does 
the father do? He raises him from the dead, 
he stations him at his right hand, and he gives him that absolute 
authority as the messianic king. It is a wonderful thing. Our 
brother read one of the servant songs at the outset of worship 
in Isaiah 42. There's another one in Isaiah 
49, verse six. 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 in 
the ends of the earth. What's the father saying? I'm 
gonna give you this band of sinners, but it's not gonna be confined 
to the lost tribes of Jacob. You're so glorious, so awesome, 
so wondrous, so majestic, and so blessed. I'm gonna give you 
as a light to the Gentiles as well. Isaiah 53, another servant 
song, verses 10 and 11. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise 
him. The father bruises the son. He 
was delivered up by lawless hands according to the predetermined 
plan of God Almighty. So Isaiah can say, 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. 
So you not only have this unique relation between the son to the 
father, but you have the father's delight in the son. You have 
the father's approval of the son, the father's approbation 
of the son, the fact that he is well pleased in the son, to 
the point where he says, ask of me and I will give you the 
nations. Ask of me and I will give you the uttermost parts 
of the earth. This is why in Revelation 5 and 7, we get men 
from every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation. This 
is why in Matthew 28, Jesus says, all authority in heaven and on 
earth has been given to me. Go therefore and do what? Make 
disciples of the tribes of Jacob, No, make disciples of all the 
nations. Baptize them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And then teach 
them to observe all that I have commanded you, and know that 
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So Jesus 
does that because the Father had given him the nations. The 
Father had given him the earth. You see that promise to Abraham, 
Genesis 12, Genesis 13, Genesis 15, Genesis 17, Genesis 22. You see it moved on to Isaac 
and to Jacob. What does it concern? It concerns 
the seed of Abraham who would bring blessing to the earth, 
who would bring blessing to the world. Genesis 13 specifically, 
Abraham is told to go out, look north, look south, look east, 
look west. What's he seeing? Is he just 
seeing the confines of Israel? Is he just seeing that ancient 
piece of dirt? No, according to Paul in Romans 
4.13, he received the promise that he would inherit the world. 
It is the worldwide mission of the church that we are engaged 
in. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. This isn't 
confined to the New Testament. We see the Old Testament tap 
roots. We see it all the way back to Genesis chapter 9 and 
the Oracle of Noah. that Jephthah would find comfort 
in the tents of Shem. Yeah, there would be that Gentile 
inclusion in the covenant of grace. You see that in Ephesians 
2 and 3. We've been rehearsing that in 
our evening services. So back to verse 8, ask of me, 
I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends 
of the earth for your possession. Now brethren, in terms of our 
tasks, our responsibility, our duty, we're just supposed to 
go. We're not supposed to question, oh, but Lord, the nations don't 
seem pleasant. The nations don't seem like they're 
receptive. The nations don't seem to want that. Again, it's 
not what the nations want, it's what God says they need. And 
so the church today simply needs to be obedient relative to the 
Great Commission. We need to make much of preaching 
Christ and Him crucified. We need to make much of teaching 
the people of God what they're supposed to do as His people. 
We're to encourage that shining as lights in a crooked and perverse 
generation, and encourage that holding forth the word of truth. 
We have the absolute authority of Jesus Christ calling upon 
the church not to entertain men, not to be a social place, not 
to simply be another club in a city, but to be that body in 
which evangelism and calling sinners to repentance and faith 
is one of the primary emphases. And of course, the worship of 
God on the part of the people of God is another primary emphasis. There's no at-odds here. It's 
not an either-or. We get to do both-and. preach 
justification by faith to needy sinners, and preach sanctification 
by the Spirit to the people of God who have been conquered, 
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and 
lo, I am with you even to the end of the age." So when we ask 
the question, what's our job as the church? Be faithful. What's 
our job as the church in light of government encroachment? Well, 
it's still Be faithful. What's our job in light of the 
fact that the church doesn't always want to do what the church 
is supposed to do? Be faithful. Steadfast. Persevering. Fighting. Going forward. And fighting, 
I'm not suggesting C4 vests in the local bank so we can send 
everybody to the other side. That's not what I mean. Spiritual 
fighting. The weapons of our warfare are 
not carnal. They're not C4 vests. They're 
not AR-15s. But they are mighty for the pulling 
down of strongholds and taking every thought captive to the 
obedience of Jesus Christ our Lord. So when it comes to the 
church's mission, the Lord Christ has said to go and make disciples 
of all the nations. Well, why would he say that? 
Because of this decree, ask of me and I will give you the nations 
for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. 
But then notice, we see that wrath element again in verse 
9. You shall break them with a rod 
of iron, you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. 
Turn back to Exodus chapter 34. Exodus chapter 34. We have that wonderful scene 
where Moses asks to see the glory of God Almighty. He does that 
in chapter 33 at verse 18. He said, please show me your 
glory. Then God says in verse 19, I 
will make all my goodness pass before you. Interesting. Wherein 
lies the glory of God? Certainly it's in his wrath, 
it's in his justice, it's in his righteousness, but It's in 
His goodness, and He says that. But He said, you cannot see my 
face, for no man shall see me and live. And the Lord said, here is a 
place by me and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be while 
my glory passes by that I will put you in the cleft of the rock 
and I will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I 
will take away my hand and you shall see my back, but my face 
shall not be seen. So then we skip to the revelation 
of God's glory, look at 34.5. Now the Lord descended in the 
cloud and stood within there, and proclaimed the name of the 
Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed. Again, this 
is a demonstration, a manifestation, a revelation of His glory slash 
goodness. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful 
and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and 
truth. Just so you know, this is the Old Testament. This is 
the book of Exodus. Lots of people think that the 
Old Testament is only filled with blood and wrath and fury 
and destruction. Look at the grace, look at the 
mercy, look at the patience, look at the goodness of God in 
terms of the revelation of His glory. So backing up just one 
more time, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering 
and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, 
forgiving. Notice the three terms here, 
iniquity and transgression and sin. That is beautiful. He doesn't come to save us from 
some of our sins, but he will save his people from their sins. 
And then notice, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but 
then by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity 
of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to 
the third and the fourth generation. I say this simply to say that 
God is not a pushover. There is grace. There is mercy. There is the installation of 
the Son of God at the right hand of God, wherein sinners can come 
for forgiveness and a righteousness that will avail with God. But 
again, God's not a pushover. The stability of the moral order 
depends on God's justice and righteousness. When you get to 
the book of Revelation, what happens in that New Jerusalem? The people of God are there. 
The people of God are basking in the glory of God. The people 
of God are there. They don't need sun and moon 
because the Lamb is its light. But who's outside? It's the cowardly, 
it's the idolater, it's the murderer, it's the abominable. They're 
in the lake that burns with fire. Why? Because a truly righteous 
place is only consummate when all the wicked is cast out. Never 
forget the moral government of our sovereign God. There is grace, 
there is mercy, but the son has an iron rod by which he shatters 
rebel nations. I think that should serve to 
encourage the people of God. We don't rejoice necessarily 
in the demise of our fellows, but we do rejoice in the execution 
of God's justice. We rejoice in the execution of 
God's righteousness. Remember, 2 Thessalonians 1, 
the apostle says, it's right with God to afflict those who 
have afflicted you. In other words, the righteous 
justice of God Most High is as wonderful to embrace as is His 
love and His mercy and His long-suffering and His forgiveness. But in Psalm 
2.9, we see that the response to the Confederate nations is 
the judgment of our blessed Savior. You shall break them with a rod 
of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. 
That phrase comes out in Revelation 2, Revelation 12, and then again 
in Revelation chapter 19. Told you before, Revelation isn't 
a book of dark foreboding and sorrow and misery. It's about 
Christ as King. So it seems legitimate and appropriate 
for the Apostle John to reach back to Psalm 2-7 and to apply 
that to the reigning Christ at the right hand of the Father. 
There are confederate nations in the book of Revelation, Revelation 
13, the beast from the sea, the beast from the land. What's gonna 
happen to them? Are they gonna overtake the world? 
No, the son of God, who's got the iron rod of God, is going 
to smash them and dash them into pieces. Davis, I think, summarizes 
this decree well. He says, the appointed king, 
verse seven, with worldwide sway, verse eight, to be established 
an overwhelming force, verse nine. That is the decree that 
is controlling history. And we may not see that, we may 
not see Confederate nations dashed down by the power of Jesus Christ, 
but we have the promise of God Most High that it's going to 
obtain. We have the promise of God Most High that it is going 
to happen. In the early church, in the New Testament era, what 
was the most quoted or alluded to Psalm? It was Psalm 110.1. 
The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make 
your enemies your footstool. Now brethren, we cite that and 
we reflect upon that basic truth that, you know, the early church 
was sort of animated by that promise that Yahweh said to my 
Lord Jesus, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your 
footstool. What was going on in the Roman Empire? Oh, it was 
just righteous and everybody loved each other and everybody 
cared for one another and they tended to one another. It was 
bloody. It was horrific. We bemoan abortion 
today. It was practiced in the Roman 
Empire. You take a girl baby out and throw it on the trash 
heap. If the dog's got it, the dog's got it. If a guy came and 
took her away to make her a sex slave, the guy took her away 
and made her a sex slave. There was an abandonment of the Sixth 
Commandment. There was an abandonment of the Seventh Commandment. You 
think our age is the first age that has seen this kind of promiscuity? 
That has seen this kind of perversion? That has seen this kind of lawlessness 
and wickedness? No! They saw it in the early 
Roman Empire. They saw it, the believers. And 
nevertheless, Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand 
till I make your enemies your footstool. See, brethren, we've 
lost something in terms of the kingly office of our blessed 
Savior. We need him as a prophet to speak to us because we're 
ignorant. We need him as a priest to die for us because we're wretched. But we need him as a king to 
rule over us, to defend us, to guide us, to protect us, and 
not to lose sight of the fact that he has all authority in 
heaven and on earth. And He will dash those nations 
down like a potter's vessel. And then that brings us to the 
exhortation to kiss the Son of God. I love the writers of the 
Bible. They don't just throw out this 
doctrine and say, okay, let's go home now or let's go have 
our coffee. There's buns up in the fellowship hall. Let's enjoy. 
That's not what they do. They get practical. that they 
get real, that they bring it to bear upon the hearer. And 
notice that David is just like that. He'd be a great preacher 
in the apostolic church. He does the same thing. He highlights 
the depravity of man, he highlights the sovereignty of God, and then 
he calls upon depraved man to come to that God through faith 
in Jesus Christ. So notice what David says. He 
addresses the audience in verse 10. We started off with the nations 
raging and the people plotting a vain thing, the kings of the 
earth setting themselves, and the rulers taking counsel together. 
So who does David address? He doesn't shun the political. 
He doesn't say, well, I can't make this application because 
if I do, then I'll be reprimanded. No, he addresses those kings 
that rule in the nations around him. Notice, now, therefore, 
be wise, O kings. What does that imply? It implies 
that they're not wise. It implies that they're filled 
with folly. It implies that to resist God 
and his Christ is not some sign of academic brilliance. It's not some sign of autonomous 
excellence. It's a sign that you're dumb. 
It's a sign that you're foolish. It's a sign that you've got bigger 
problems than you ever even imagined. You need to be wise. This could 
be applicable even to non-kings, non-rulers, could be applicable 
to children, could be applicable to young people, could be applicable 
to all of us. Be wise. Why would you live the 
way that you're living when you know that its end is death and 
destruction? Why would you live the way that 
you're living when you know the end is the wrath and fury of 
God? Westminster Shorter Catechism 
asks the question, what does every sin deserve? Every sin 
deserves God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which 
is to come. That's as clear as clear can 
be. And if you know that and you understand that, and yet 
you live in light of, you know, I just want to do my own thing. 
I don't want Jesus. I don't want religion. I'm only 
here because my parents make me. I'm only here because my 
wife or my husband makes me. I'm only here because that's 
what I'm sort of supposed to do culturally. I'm only here 
for those reasons. You need to be wise. And I think 
what's implied here is repentance. Stop the foolish thinking where 
you stand opposed to Yahweh and to Christ. You need to listen 
to King David. You need to listen to the Apostle 
Paul. You need to listen to those people who, by grace, have tasted 
and seen that the Lord is good. When you consider King David 
as he issues, as it were, this evangelistic appeal, understand 
that he wasn't a guy that was raised in Sunday school and he 
was blemish-free. He wasn't raised in such a way 
that he had no knowledge of sin, that he was just this spotless, 
pure fellow that, in the grand scheme of things, yes, it is 
wise to side with God. Later in Psalm 32, he'll rejoice 
in the fact of being one to whom the Lord has not imputed iniquity. 
He knew sin, but he also knew grace. Newton said, I'm a great 
sinner, but I have a great Savior. I don't think Newton was original 
in that thought. I think David had that thought. 
I think David codifies that thought. So when he tells you to be wise, 
he knows what he's talking about. When your parents tell you to 
be wise, they know what they're talking about. When your converted 
spouse tells you, unconverted spouse, to be wise, they know 
what they're talking about. In Him we have redemption through 
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches 
of His grace. By grace we have tasted and seen 
that He is good. By grace He has taught our hearts 
to fear. So David says to be wise, get 
rid of the folly, turn your back on that godless pseudo-wisdom. So he says, now therefore be 
wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth. And 
then he gives this exhortation, verse 11, serve Yahweh with fear 
and rejoice with trembling. Curious phrase, isn't it? The 
serve, again, I think has to do with repentance. We're going 
to see faith, justification by faith, specifically highlighted 
in verse 12. What's the other side of the 
coin of faith? It's repentance. We believingly 
repent and we repentingly believe. So he's highlighting those evangelical 
graces that are given by God. But he says specifically, now, 
therefore be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the 
earth, serve Yahweh with fear and rejoice with trembling. So 
don't oppose Yahweh. Don't hold your fist up against 
Him and His Christ. Don't say, no, God. I love the 
gloss that Edwards gives on Psalm 14. The fool says in his heart, 
no, God. We just take that as your garden variety expression 
of atheism. Edwards says, no. He says in 
his heart, no, God. He wants to cast off the bonds. 
He wants to cast off the cords. He wants to try to hide. He has 
no concern for the law of God. He has no concern for the providence 
of God. He wants to run from Him. But 
with reference to this, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice 
with trembling. Those two things are consistent 
in the people of God, aren't they? When we come into the presence 
of God, there ought to be reverence. There ought to be fear. We're 
not dealing with a fellow. We're not dealing with a creature. 
We're not dealing with a better version of ourselves. We're dealing 
with the Most High. There ought to be fear. There 
ought to be reverence. There ought to be that respect 
paid to God Most High. And that is perfectly consistent 
with joy. In Matthew 28, the women run 
from the empty tomb with fear and joy. In Acts 9.31, we get 
a summary statement concerning the churches in a particular 
region. I think it was Judea. They continued in the fear of 
the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. See, if we don't 
have that fear, we're treating God incorrectly. If we don't 
have that joy, we're not saved. Because if we come before this 
God, we're happy. Right? I hope there's an expectation 
for this afternoon when we meet our brethren from Surrey, and 
we have preaching, and we have fellowship, and we're in the 
presence of God. We're in the household of God. 
We're celebrating the pillar and ground of the truth. There's 
fear, there's joy, there's happiness. 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. And he's right, 
bang on, absolutely spot on. And I'm gonna lean on Spurgeon 
for verse 12. I don't think you can do better 
in terms of verse 12. There is a command, there is 
an argument, and there is a benediction. Notice the command, kiss the 
son lest he be angry. Well, kiss the son, that's the 
command. What's that suggest? Well, there's passages in the 
Old Testament that sort of bring together this kissing with worship. 
You see it with reference to idols. I've got 7,000 knees who 
haven't bowed to Baal or kissed him, 1 Kings chapter 19. You 
see a similar use of people kissing their idols in Hosea chapter 
13. You see it as a sign of respect 
and subjugation in 1 Samuel chapter 10 and verse 1. So you've got 
this, you know, serve the Lord with fear, this be wise, this 
repentance, but you've got this submission, this faith, this 
justification by faith alone. Kiss the son. It doesn't mean 
you take a plane up into heaven and you plant a big one on his 
cheek. It means to bow to him, to confess him as Lord. It is 
to see him as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. It is 
to see him as the righteous servant of God most high who saves his 
people from their sins. So that's the command, kiss the 
son. Notice the argument again. He 
always does this. This concept of wrath, this concept 
of judgment. We need to make sure gospel preaching 
today is not devoid of that reality. We don't want to terrify people 
into the kingdom of God. As long as they go into the kingdom 
of God, I'm not sure they care how they got there. The fear 
of the Lord is the beginning of life. As Bronkel says, there's 
a lot of different ways that sinners come to a saving knowledge 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some are wooed by love. Some 
are terrified by the concept of the wrath of God. So do we 
not go angling with that bait from time to time? Of course 
we do! especially with proud, arrogant men that are in a confederacy 
against God. You need to understand that this 
current path, in the language of Solomon, leads to destruction. 
The way of the transgressor is hard. The way of the treacherous 
is hard. The way of the unfaithful is 
hard. It doesn't benefit you to not be wise. It doesn't benefit 
you to be foolish. So notice, 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 then the benediction, 
blessed are all those who put their trust in him. Turn to Romans 
10, we're just about done. Romans chapter 10, where you 
see a similar concept. Blessed are all those who put 
their trust in him. Look at chapter 10 in Romans 
at verse 9, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus 
and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, 
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes 
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made 
unto salvation. For the scripture says, whoever 
believes on him will not be put to shame. Isn't that what David 
says to the rebel kings and the rebel judges surrounding Israel 
in that context? Blessed are all those who put 
their trust in him. Brethren, it's been well said 
that our people die well. Christians die well. That doesn't 
mean they don't get cancer, it doesn't mean they don't get bullets 
in the head, it doesn't mean they don't get hit by Mack trucks, 
but it does mean they die well in terms of anticipation, in 
terms of understanding what their future is. And whatever life 
they may have lived, with all the hardship, with all the woe, 
with all the affliction, with all the difficulty, you ask that 
dying saint in that 11th hour, do you ever regret having come 
to the Lord Jesus Christ? You know what you're not going 
to hear? Oh yeah, what a mess it made of my life, what ruination 
it brought to me, what horrible things I suffered. No, the people 
of God die well because their Savior died for them and was 
raised again and is going to receive them unto himself when 
they pass from physical death into life. Blessed are all those 
who put their trust in Him. For the scripture says, whoever 
believes on Him will not be put to shame. Goes on, for there 
is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord 
over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on 
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Well, for the believer, 
I hope you're encouraged at a survey of the righteous reign of the 
Son of God. He's got absolute authority. 
He has absolute control. He knows what the rebellion of 
man is. He knows what the nation's raging 
is. He knows the plotting of vain 
things. He knows that he is the target of their opposition. He's 
got this. He's in control. He's over all 
things to the church, according to Ephesians 1.23. So for the 
people of God, marvel afresh at the divine Son. The close 
sort of connection between Father and Son here underscore the divinity 
of the Savior. The eternal generation of the 
Son indicates the divinity of the Savior. Yes, He was man, 
but He was divine. The Word became flesh and dwelt 
among us. We beheld his glory, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
So Christian, be encouraged. Christian, march faithfully unto 
Zion. March faithfully and perseveringly 
in spite of the confederacy of man that opposes our God. He's 
got it, he's in control, and he is effecting his purposes 
in this world. And for the non-Christian, listen 
once again to David kiss the sun. kiss him, believe on him, 
look to him in faith. Whoever calls on the name of 
the Lord, Romans 10, shall be saved. Be wise, be instructed, 
and come to the blessed Savior. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the clarity 
of Psalm 2. We see it fleshed out in the 
pages of the New Testament. We see it in the Gospel of John. 
We see this mutiny. We see this rebellion. We see 
this rejection. But we see the purpose of God 
being fulfilled. We see the other sheep, not of 
this foal. We see the supremacy of our blessed 
Savior. God, may these things go forth 
today all over the earth, and may your Spirit attend, and may 
you save, and may you sanctify and strengthen. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, you can turn in your 
hymn books to 568. We'll stand and sing the doxology 
of praise to our triune God. ♪ Dearly loved ♪ ♪ Praise Him above 
ye heavenly hosts ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Lord, go with us now. Bless us. Cause your face to 
shine upon us and keep us by your grace and for your glory. 
And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, 
please be seated for a brief time of meditation.