We're in Psalm 2 today.
So, Psalm 2.
College students, you're going to get some backlash from last semester when we went over this.
!
It's either just an opportunity to pick up where we are or a chance just to be prayerful and mindful
and pick something that you think would really minister to what we know is going on in our congregation,
what's going on in our world, etc.
So, whenever I'm anxious, wherever I'm, my soul is troubled, like the song just said,
I tend to run to the idea of kingly imagery in Scripture
because I need to put my trust in something stronger and more powerful than what I am afraid of around me.
And so, Psalm 2 is where we'll be today, right at the beginning of the book of Psalms.
So, let's read that together, Psalm 2.
Why do the nations rage in the people's plot and vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves and their rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed,
saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.
He who sits in the heavens laughs.
The Lord holds them in derision.
Then He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury,
saying, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
I will tell the decree.
The Lord said to me, You are my son.
Today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage
and the ends of the earth your possessions.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel.
Now, therefore, O kings, be wise.
Be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
and you perish in the way.
For His wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are those who take refuge in Him.
Let's pray with me.
Lord, we offer this time to You,
just as an act of worship in our listening,
with our ears and hearing in our hearts.
We ask that it would just be pleasing to You.
I pray that no matter where we are this morning,
in a state of joy, sorrow, rebellion,
wherever we are today,
that You would meet us and speak to us
as Your Word so powerfully does.
And just ask that in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So I'll give you the outline really quickly
of what we're going to do.
But first will be,
number one will be the theme of the psalm.
Number one is the theme of the psalm.
Number two,
the sinful world rebels.
Number two, the sinful world rebels.
Number three,
God the Father responds.
Number four,
God the Son decrees.
And then, fifthly and lastly,
God the Spirit commands.
So, what is the theme of the psalm?
Well, this is what you would call a royal psalm.
Since God is the King of the universe,
and He is the King of all things,
visible and invisible,
the reality of sovereignty and kingship
is a huge theme in the psalms.
We've read about some of that this morning already.
But,
the King of God's choosing
is celebrated
because He is the channel of blessing
to God's people.
When God's people sang Psalm 2,
they were reminding themselves
of how God
made David
and His descendants
to be kings
over all the earth,
specifically Israel.
But,
also,
that they would eventually
rule,
and that rule was spread
throughout other lands
around them,
and that
blessing
that Israel had
of knowing the true God
would extend
to even the pagan nations
that were around them.
So,
God appointed
a line of kings
beginning with David
to lead His people
in His ways.
And,
God promised
that through that kingly line
would come
His greatest blessing.
So,
faithful saints
inside the nation of Israel
understood
that that blessing,
the hope of that blessing,
was irrevocably tied
to the house of David.
They knew it was going to come
through David's line.
So,
there's only a handful
of places for you to turn.
I'd like to kind of
give you a heads up.
I think there's just three
outside our main text.
But,
flip over to 2 Samuel,
if you'll hold your hand,
Psalm 2.
But,
2 Samuel,
chapter 7.
2 Samuel 7,
verse 11.
And,
this is where
God
makes this promise
to David.
And so,
verse 11.
It says,
Moreover,
the Lord declares to you,
this is speaking
through the prophet Nathan
to David.
the Lord declares to you
that the Lord
will make a house,
make you a house.
When your days are fulfilled,
you will lie down
with your fathers.
I will raise up
your offspring after you
who shall 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 to him
a father
and he shall be
to me as a son.
So you see this idea
that the descendants
of David
forever will be
referred to as sons.
So that's the connection here.
All the descendants
will be referred to
as sons.
When he commits iniquity,
I will discipline him
with the rod of men,
with the stripes
of the sons of men.
But my steadfast love
will not depart from him.
As I took it
from Saul
whom I put away
before you.
And your house
and your kingdom
shall be made sure
forever before me.
Your throne
shall be established
forever.
In accordance
with all these words,
in accordance
with all this vision,
Nathan spoke to David.
So there's this idea
that like the descendants
of David
are going to rule forever.
Like God's steadfast love
will not depart from that.
So back to Psalm 2,
this is your background.
When Psalm 2
was read,
it was read
a coronation
of a new king
in Israel.
So when kings
served God faithfully,
when they were
trustworthy
and honored God,
the people
were blessed.
But ultimately,
as we all know,
all those monarchs,
all those kings
failed.
They failed to be faithful
in the bigger picture.
And so consequently,
when that happened,
all the people suffered.
All the people
suffered around them.
So even songs
like this one
of rejoicing
about a king
leads us to conclude
that despite
all those royal failures,
people still
had a hope
deep down
of a perfect ruler
who was to come one day.
There was still that
in their hearts,
still echoing.
And God never fails
to keep His promise,
right?
He will fulfill
His promise.
And later in the New Testament,
Peter,
preaching at Pentecost,
he quotes this psalm,
he quotes Psalm 2,
and he says that David
was actually a prophet
foretelling of the perfect king
who was to come
through his line.
In Acts 2,
verse 30,
Peter says,
being therefore a prophet,
David that is,
knowing that God
has sworn with an oath
to him
that he would set
one of his descendants
on the throne,
he foresaw and spoke
about the resurrection
of Christ.
It's amazing.
So David knew somehow
that God had sworn
that he was going
to install
one of his descendants
forever to rule.
He didn't know
how it was going
to come about,
but he just knew
that God had promised.
And Jesus,
as we know,
was the direct,
direct descendant
of King David.
He was the Messiah
who would one day
rule eternally,
and Christ was raised
from the power
of the dead,
right?
So now,
Jesus is seated
at the right hand of God,
ruling and reigning,
and David recognizes
God's good
and sovereign supremacy
over all things
in this psalm.
If you're back in Psalm 2,
just go back there.
But he also penned
this psalm
probably during a time
of much political
and national unrest
when the nation,
much like ours,
is sort of morally bankrupt
in so many ways.
Political corruption,
unrest.
So this psalm
has a great undertone
of strong confidence
in God
despite of what's
going on
around you.
And so,
today,
especially just here
in the West,
we've kind of grown accustomed
to not having kings,
not having rulers,
at least for now,
right?
And we've kind of
marginalized that.
But there remains
this idea
that
we can't escape
that we were made
to be ruled
by the perfect ruler.
There's something in us
that kind of echoes
we were made
to be ruled
by something.
And the problem
is we
choose poor kings
in our lives.
We try to give it
to people.
We try to give it
to a cause
that's going to
eventually,
you know,
dwindle.
But there's something
deep down in our souls
that's telling us
that when the right king
comes,
we will prosper
under his rule.
Where no good
and righteous kings
will ever reign
forever on this earth.
But this is why
so many of us
like people
like C.S. Lewis
and J.R. Tolkien
because they captured
that kingly imagery
so well.
Kind of drawn to that.
One guy who was
speaking about Tolkien's,
you know,
Lord of the Rings
and The Hobbit
and the kingly imagery
that you see
in those stories,
he said this,
Though we do not
have kings in America
or want them,
our unconscious mind
both has them
and wants them.
We all know
what a true king is,
a real king,
an ideal king.
He is not
a mere politician
or soldier.
Something in us
longs to give
our loyalty
and fealty
and service
to this king.
He is lost
but longed for
and will someday
return like Arthur.
Some of you
know King Arthur.
So that this idea
that like
we have democracy
though because
sinful,
because mankind
is sinful.
No one man
has ever been
or woman,
whatever,
has not found
themselves fit
to rule over
all mankind.
Many have tried,
right?
But we need
a king.
We were built
for a king.
So all the old myths
and all the old legends
are drawing that
out of us
and echoing
that we
were meant
to be ruled
by this perfect king.
It's sort of
a memory trace
in our souls.
It's there.
But again,
the problem is
we give it
to so many things
that are not worthy.
But we want a king
who will rule
with power,
wisdom,
compassion,
justice,
and love us,
protect us.
And we know
that we were built
to submit to that king
and to stand before him.
And the Bible says
that there is a king
above all the kings
of the earth.
So in this psalm,
there is a king
behind the king
we're talking about.
There is something
beneath these legends
and tales
who are made
by a king
and to be ruled
by him.
And when the rightful
king reigns,
peace and joy
will once again
reign over the world.
So that's reflected
in this psalm.
But we get to
the second part
of this.
look at verses
1-3.
Psalm 2.
This sinful world
rebels.
Why do the nations
rage and the people's
plot in vain?
The kings of the earth
set themselves
and the rulers
take counsel together
against the Lord
and against His
anointed,
saying,
Let us burst
their bonds apart
and cast off
their cords from us.
So,
this is a picture
of human rebellion.
So,
in the context,
Gentile,
pagan kings
would plot a revolt.
Many times,
these other kingdoms
that were around Israel
would be subdued
and conquered
by Israel
and would have to
sort of be
like a vassal state
of Israel.
And there would be
a time when
they would get together
to try to rebel
against God's
anointed king
in Israel.
Like,
let's come together
and throw off
their rule.
Why do the nations
rage?
In other words,
why are they
in turmoil
in the peoples?
That name means
like nation-states.
Why do they plot
in vain?
Why do they
ponder
empty schemes?
The kings of the earth
set themselves
and the rulers,
this actually,
the ruler actually
means potentate,
those who
parade around
and pomp,
putting themselves
on display
for other people
to see.
they take
counsel together.
So several of these
pagan kings
have come together,
their officials,
their military,
their people,
their economies,
they all come together
to make a common cause.
So what is that cause?
Who are they
revolting against?
Well,
verse 2,
against the Lord,
that's Yahweh,
and against
His anointed one.
God had the prophet
Samuel anoint
with oil
both Saul
and David,
setting them apart
as the ones
who were going
to rule
over the nation
of Israel
and embody
covenant faithfulness.
But to summarize,
these wicked pagan kings
and their nations
desire to cast off
the rule
of David
and his descendants.
But there's a danger
in that.
The problem is
to rebel against David
or his descendants
is ultimately
to rebel
against Yahweh
Himself.
That's the danger.
And so,
such a rebellion
would be
to cut themselves
off of their
only hope
of knowing
the only true God,
the God that Israel
was meant to put
on display
to them.
So,
the purpose
of this rebellion,
you see it in verse 3.
Here's the goal,
the purpose.
Let us burst
their bonds apart.
That means
the restraints.
Cast away
their cords
from us.
Let's throw off
the bondage
that they put
on us.
So,
they hate Israel.
They hate David
and his descendants.
And they want
to be rid of them.
And sadly,
sinful,
wicked men
and women
see God's person,
God's rule,
God's character.
They look at Him
and they only see
bondage.
And that's so sad.
God.
So,
instead of recognizing
that having peace
with David
and with the people
of Israel
could lead to
the blessing
of knowing
the only true God,
instead,
they say,
let's come together,
combine all our
earthly power
we can muster
so that we might
free ourselves
from God
so that we may
commit all manner
of abominations
and sinful pleasure.
Let us be
our own gods.
So,
to cut themselves
off from David
and his people
was cutting themselves
off from their
only hope
of knowing
the true God.
That was the danger
in all of this.
Yet,
David says
when these kings
consulted together
and they poured
forth their utmost
fury
is still not really
going to be enough.
So,
today,
do you feel like
evil is winning
in your own life
and all around us
in our country,
in the U.S.,
in the world?
Do you feel like
evil ideologies
are prevailing
in our government,
in our schools,
our universities,
teaching we are
what the color
of our skin is
and no more?
Teaching boys
to be girls
and girls
to be boys?
Do we see
wicked men
and women
acting upon
sinful inclinations
without any shame,
without any kind
of restraint
at all?
Does it seem like
the church is losing
the cultural battle
that we've enjoyed
so long
here in America?
And you see evil
from atheistic
communist countries
kind of on the march
now
in different places
in the world.
And even that rebellion
in our own souls,
something that just
longs to cast off
God's law.
I want to do
what feels good
to me
and forget about God.
So on the surface
it may feel
like the church
and like the gospel
is losing ground.
No one
throughout history
of the church
has ever said
it looks like
capitalism is losing
and communism
is winning
so therefore
the church is losing.
No one in church history
would have ever thought that.
That's something
that we're tempted
to think.
They only knew
that the church grew
and would persevere
through persecution,
through suffering.
The church
has never grown
through political
or state power
as much as you may think.
It has not.
It's only grown
through persecution
and those willing
to go and proclaim
Christ to the nations.
So that's the purpose
and goal
of this rebellion
is to cast off
the law of God.
We hate God.
We hate his character
and we're going to do
what we want to do.
So let's cut ourselves off
and rebel
against God's chosen
anointed king.
So,
again,
in this psalm,
there's a king,
capital K,
behind the king,
small k.
The context here
is these pagan nations
desire to cast off
the divinic rule.
But,
however,
as David saw,
beyond his own time
to our time,
again,
look at verse 2.
It says,
who are they rebelling against?
Against the Lord,
against Yahweh,
against His anointed.
The word Messiah
translated Hebrew,
right,
for the anointed.
The Greek translation
is Christ.
Right?
So,
sorry to disappoint
some people
who think Jesus Christ,
Christ is His last name.
Like,
who are you?
I'm Jesus Christ.
Christ is actually
His title.
That's His identity.
He is the deliverer,
the Messiah,
the one who will rescue.
In a larger way,
from this psalm,
this revolt is still going on
all around the world.
It continues.
Men,
kings,
nations,
governments,
they persist,
even to this very day,
to try to cast off
the rule of God
from their lives.
And so,
the other place
you need to turn,
Acts 4.
Go to Acts 4
really quickly.
New Testament,
Acts 4.
Hold your hand
in Psalm 2.
But,
this is when Peter and John
were arrested
and they were released
from,
eventually,
released by the authorities.
But again,
he quotes Psalm 2.
Acts 4,
verse 23.
It says,
when they were released
from the authorities,
they went to their friends
and reported
what the chief priests
and the elders
had said to them.
And when they heard it,
they lifted their voices
together to God
and said,
Sovereign Lord,
who made the heavens
and the earth,
the sea,
and everything
that is in them,
who through the mouth
of our father David,
here it is,
your servant,
you said by the Holy Spirit,
why did the Gentiles
rage in the people's
plot in vain?
The kings of the earth
set themselves against
and the rulers
were gathered together
against the Lord
and against His anointed.
For truly in this city,
so he's about to tell you
what that projected,
what was David talking about
ultimately,
for in this city,
Jerusalem,
they were gathered together
against your holy servant,
Jesus,
whom you appointed
both Herod
and Pontius Pilate
along with the Gentiles
and the peoples of Israel
to do whatever your hand
and your plan
had predestined
to take place.
So early Christians
saw verse 2
from Psalm 2,
the Lord and His anointed
being the persecution
that they faced
at that time.
They saw this
as a fulfillment
of Christ
no matter what
they tried to do to Him.
They thought it was
the end of the Son of God,
but in fact,
it wasn't the end
of the Son of God.
What they designed
and plotted for evil,
God meant
for the greatest good.
God turned evil up
on its head
at the cross,
but all these people
came together
to stop it.
They raged against
the one
that the Lord
had appointed.
So even though
even today
dangers loom
over God's people
and evil leaders
are on the rise,
growing more powerful
it seems,
we live in a world
that's just wrecked
by sin
and the evil one
is really at work
all around us.
David's kingship,
his earthly kingdom
was a mere shadow
of a greater king
to come.
His eternal kingdom,
that is Jesus.
So let's turn from
the chamber council
of the wicked,
so to speak,
to heaven.
Like, what's going on
in heaven now?
That's on the earth.
Like, what is heaven's response
to what the earth is doing?
That's number three.
God the Father responds.
Back in Psalm 2,
it says,
He who sits in the heavens
laughs.
The Lord holds them
in derision
and He will speak to them
in His wrath
and terrify them
in His fury,
saying,
As for me,
I have set my king
on Zion,
my holy heel.
So here's
heaven's perspective
on the human revolt.
Luther once told Erasmus
during the Reformation,
Your thoughts about God
are way too human.
You think like God
is like us.
You think that He
is just like a man.
And that's your problem.
We think we can wage war
against Him and win
because we think
that He's just like
another puny,
earthly leader.
Like God said
in Psalm 50,
He's like,
You thought that I was
all together like you.
Right?
But notice
what God is not doing.
He is not fretting.
He is not worrying.
He's not shaking
in His boots
at this sinful rebellion.
First,
there's four things here.
First,
it says that He,
Yahweh,
sits enthroned.
That's a contrast
to verse 1.
Just look at verse 1.
The nations and the kings
are in turmoil.
They're in chaos.
They're all over the place.
And what is God doing?
He's sitting.
It doesn't bother Him,
in other words.
He is calm.
He is poised.
It's a picture
of His sovereign,
divine power.
He is not nervous at all.
He is calm.
That's where they are in chaos.
Secondly,
not only is He sitting
on His throne in heaven,
that is to say,
kind of this idea
above the earth,
at ease,
He actually laughs at them.
He mocks them.
He goes,
and actually,
I think the actual word
is goes on laughing.
That's like what,
so you can just see Him
just sort of
cutting up,
like,
are y'all serious?
Like,
just sort of laughing
at the revolt
that the earth
is staging against Him.
So,
but then,
that laugh
intensifies.
Okay?
I love the play
on words there.
It's just,
He just laughs.
He feels no threat
from sinful man
who is mortal
and will soon perish
like the grass of the field.
He doesn't fear them
at all.
So,
thirdly,
not only does He
just kind of sit there
and watch them,
their puny threats,
laughing,
it says,
the Lord,
the Sovereign One,
Adonai,
He holds them
in derision.
It means He mocks them
and ridicules them.
Picture Elijah
with the prophets of Baal.
Like,
does your God hear you?
Is that all you got?
Is He there?
That's sort of the same idea
that God is doing to them.
Is that all you can do?
To these wicked,
pagan kings and people?
It says,
then,
verse 5,
in other words,
that then is important
in verse 5.
Then,
meaning,
when His patience
and forbearance ends.
He will speak to them
in His wrath
and terrify them
in His fury.
So,
He goes from sitting
to laughing
to coming after them
in His fury.
And then,
fourthly,
God reasserts
His promise,
I have set
my king on Zion,
my holy hill.
So,
in declaring that,
God,
here's what's crazy,
God asserts
that He's already done.
He's already accomplished
what they're seeking to stop.
It's already done.
You're trying to stop it?
It's already done.
I've already accomplished
my purpose.
So,
the conclusion,
though,
is when wicked men,
evil leaders,
they may strut around
the earth for a while
with delusions
of control
and power,
but no scheme
devised against Yahweh
will ultimately succeed.
God is not
wetting His pants.
Or as the Highlanders
used to say,
God is not peeing
His kilt
before the battle.
He's just
taking it easy.
He's not afraid
of what is to come.
He laughs at them
at their puny
attempts to get rid of Him.
The Lord is not dismayed.
And so,
because He's not afraid,
we don't have to be afraid.
If we are His people
and we belong to Him,
we don't have to be afraid.
God laughs at them.
On a great commentary
written in the 1500s
on this psalm,
John Calvin wrote,
the other consolation,
the other consolation
which follows is,
that when the ungodly
have mustered
all their forces,
when depending
on their vast numbers,
their riches
as the means
of their defense,
they not only
pour forth
their proud blasphemies,
but ferociously
assault heaven itself.
When that happens,
we,
God's people,
may safely laugh
them to scorn,
relying on this
one consideration,
that He whom
they are assailing
is the God
who is in heaven.
Wicked men
may now conduct
themselves
as wickedly
as they please,
but they shall
at length feel
what it is
to make war
against heaven.
God signifies
that He is so far
exalted above
the men of this world
that the whole mass
of them could not
possibly
obscure His glory
in the least degree.
As often then
as the power of man
appears formidable
to us,
let us remember
how much
it is transcended
by the great power
of God.
That's good stuff.
Four.
Number four.
God the Son decrees.
That's in verse 7
through 9
of Psalm 2.
I will tell the decree.
The Lord said to me,
You are my Son.
Today I have begotten you.
Ask of me
and I will make
the nations
your heritage,
the ends of the earth
your possession.
You shall break them
with a rod of iron
and dash them
into pieces
like a potter's vessel.
So this is the
picture of the Son of God.
The Davidic king speaks.
I will tell the decree.
That's a divine oracle
that was spoken
by the prophet
over the king
at his coronation.
It was a foretelling.
So David referred to,
again,
these sons
whom God appointed.
It was customary
to give the new king
a gift
at his coronation.
So what is this gift?
He said,
Ask of me
and I will make
the nations
your own heritage.
Not just a little gift.
I will give you
the nations.
They will be yours.
So it looked forward,
I guess,
beyond David's time.
How do we know
this time has been fulfilled yet?
Because for nearly 400 years,
Israel didn't even have a king.
They were ruled by other people
and they still
are very much threatened,
you know,
even today.
So that king
has not come yet.
It looks forward
to the day
when the true king
descended from David
would come.
So it's a messianic picture.
An heir of David
who will lead
his people
bringing light
to not just Israel
but the nations
by making them subjects.
By making them
his subjects.
And that's how
the nations of the earth
will find blessing.
By coming to that king.
This king, again,
recalls what God
said at his,
you know,
the coronation.
The promise that
the line of David
will be sure forever.
The purpose of Abraham
to make
all the nations blessed
of coming through him.
This is a symbolic
of that promise.
It wraps up
at the end of that.
He shall break them
with a rod of iron
and dash them
into pieces
like a potter's vessel.
That's actually
not a symbol
of oppression
but of firmness
and strength.
That means he's not shaky.
He's calm.
And when he does this,
he'll bring it
to complete fulfillment.
God has the power
to bring all the nations
to this one king
which is Jesus Christ.
Christ.
And then lastly,
number five,
God the Spirit commands.
And why do we say
God the Spirit?
Because this is sort of
like a,
when we preach
the gospel message
to people
and plea with them
to be reconciled
to God
or perish
because of their sin,
whose job is that?
It's the Holy Spirit's job.
It doesn't give us
warm feelings.
He says,
Jesus says
he's going to come
to convict the world
of sin,
righteousness,
and of judgment.
That's what Jesus said.
So,
verse 10,
therefore,
O kings,
be wise,
be warned,
O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord
with fear
and rejoice
with trembling.
Kiss the son
lest he be angry
and you perish
in the way
where his wrath
is quickly kindled
and blessed are those
who take refuge
in him.
So,
David gives advice
to these pagan kings
and their people.
Be wise,
be warned.
Be wise,
be warned.
Some of you need
to hear that today.
You're foolishly
walking in rebellion.
You think it's fun.
You think it's cool
to rebel against
God and his laws,
his person,
to spit upon
everything good
he's given you
and say that it's yours.
Be wise
and be warned.
Lasting security
comes not
from your own health.
It doesn't come
from the government
or political might
or strength
or the economy
or even powerful leadership
or even a morally
upright society.
That's not
what brings security.
It only comes,
according to the scripture,
it only comes
by taking refuge
in Yahweh's
anointed king,
which is his son.
We need not fear
anyone
sitting on
this earth
on a puny
earthly throne
because Jesus Christ
sits enthroned
in heaven
forever.
So he gives them
an option.
Do this
or face this.
Option one,
kiss the son.
It's a gesture
of peace,
homage,
submission
to God's
appointed king
who is worthy
and deserving.
And Jesus said,
he who honors
not the son
honors not
the father
who sent him.
Kiss the son.
If you refuse
to make peace
with God's son,
his appointed king,
it says,
he will be angry
and you will perish
in the way
for his wrath
is quickly kindled.
He will perish
like wax
before the sun.
That's like
what's going on.
So make peace
with this king.
He is a good king.
He is a worthy king.
He will love you,
save you,
protect you,
give you eternal life.
You can trust him
or you can trust yourself
or trust some other
earthly thing
and fail.
Jesus will be
the instrument
by which God
carries out
this judgment.
He will send back
his appointed king,
his anointed son,
not to
bring peace
but to bring
the sword of judgment
but also to destroy
all evil out there.
and it's the last place
you've got to look
and we're done.
Turn to Revelation
chapter 19
and we're done.
This is a picture
of this.
We know
that Psalm 2
is not fulfilled
in David's lifetime.
We also know
that this wasn't
in the power
of any earthly successor
he had.
The son
that Yahweh
has appointed
will be
his instrument
of judgment.
The son
will come back.
Yeah,
so Revelation
19
verse 11,
right?
The apostle
John
on the island
of Patmos
given these
visions
of things
to come.
It says,
Then I saw
heaven open
and behold
a white horse.
So Jesus
isn't coming
on a donkey
this time.
Humble and meek,
he's coming back
on a war horse.
The one
sitting on it
is called
faithful and
true.
And in
righteousness
he judges
and makes
war.
His eyes
are like a flame
of fire
and on his
head are
many diadems.
And he has a name
written that no one
knows but himself.
He is clothed
in a robe
dipped in blood
and has a name
by which he is
called,
it's called
the word of God.
And the armies
of heaven
arrayed in fine
linen,
white and pure,
were following
him on the
white horses.
And from his
mouth comes a
sharp sword
with which he
will strike down
the nations.
You saw that in
Psalm 2,
didn't you?
And he will
rule them
with a rod
of iron.
That's a picture
of stability,
calmness,
order.
He will tread
the winepress
of the fury
of the wrath
of God Almighty.
And on his
robe and on
his thigh,
he has a name
written,
King of kings,
Lord of lords.
So this is the
king we all
long for.
He's not,
if you have
peace with this
king,
you're okay.
He's not coming
to make war
against you.
He's coming
to make the
enemies,
his enemies,
perish before
his eyes.
He's coming
to save us.
He's coming
to deliver us
from this
broken,
horrible world.
So that's it.
You can either
love and
serve that
king,
or you can
despise that
king.
It's your
choice.
Be enemies
with God
on your
terms,
or be friends
with him
on his
terms.
So the
scope of
such an
accomplishment
calls for a
ruler that
is not just
a man.
It calls for
someone who
is actually
divine.
The kings
and rulers
of the earth
must understand
the ruler
that we
reject is not
just another
human being,
but is God's
own chosen
anointed
king.
For the
sake of
this world.
He's coming
to bring
blessing.
So we
must embrace
him.
So love
this invincible
king,
trust him,
submit to
him,
and then
there's that
promise,
all those
who take
refuge in
him,
they will
be blessed.
They will
be blessed.
And so,
so much in
this psalm
can go on
and on,
but I
pray that
in the midst
of your
own life
and what
you see
around us
in our
own day
that this
brings some
calm to
you.
It does
to me.
To know
that our
king,
Jesus Christ,
is ruling
and reigning
even now
and his
kingdom is
advancing
despite of
what we
see.
Hearts are
being won
to Christ
from every
nation.
And even
here in
Dahlonega,
it's happening.
So let's
give him
praise and
let's just
take confidence
in him that
no matter
what we see
around us,
he is our
refuge.
Let's pray
together.