WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.540 Let's read together the words of Psalm 2 from the Old Testament. 00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:07.660 ! I'm going to invite Anne to come and read for us. 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:12.519 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:18.339 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:22.219 against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:26.620 Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. 00:00:27.580 --> 00:00:32.260 He who sits in the heavens laughs, and the Lord holds them in derision. 00:00:33.159 --> 00:00:37.460 Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury. 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:44.140 Saying, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:47.019 I will tell of the decree. 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.579 The Lord said to me, You are my son. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:53.219 Today I have begotten you. 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:57.119 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, 00:00:57.599 --> 00:00:59.479 and the ends of the earth your possession. 00:01:00.239 --> 00:01:02.479 You shall break them with a rod of iron, 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:04.920 and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:09.379 Now, therefore, O kings, be wise. 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:11.700 Be warned, O rulers of the earth. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:16.180 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:21.000 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way. 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:24.079 For his wrath is quickly kindled. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:28.099 Blessed are all who take refuge in him. 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:29.359 Amen. 00:01:31.039 --> 00:01:34.099 We have read a psalm which begins about rebellion. 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:37.979 I wonder why it is that we love rebel stories so much. 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:42.539 We think about some of the most famous rebel stories that we've read, 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:43.899 or movies that we've watched. 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:48.000 Things like Star Wars and the rebel alliance against the evil empire. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:53.060 Or the Hunger Games, when Katniss becomes the symbol of rebellion against the capital. 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:59.460 Braveheart, when William Wallace stands up and rebels against Longshanks. 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.519 Or even Lord of the Rings, the fellowship, 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:05.819 and rebelling against the all-powerful Sauron. 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:09.379 There's so many stories about this, and we love them. 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.199 They make us clench our fists in camaraderie. 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:15.639 And we go, yes, we want to take part in this rebellion. 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:19.859 We live vicariously through the characters in these stories. 00:02:20.179 --> 00:02:22.159 We want to see the tyrant crushed. 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:24.299 We want to see the rebels win. 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:26.199 We want to see the all-powerful ruler, 00:02:26.559 --> 00:02:31.479 who is evil and oppressive, be overthrown. 00:02:33.319 --> 00:02:37.699 But Psalm 2 gives us something a little bit uncomfortable to think about. 00:02:38.399 --> 00:02:43.979 Because Psalm 2 switches that scenario a little bit. 00:02:43.979 --> 00:02:46.199 We see a rebel story, yes. 00:02:46.959 --> 00:02:51.979 But we see people rebelling against the king who's no tyrant at all. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:59.259 What if the rebels are rebelling against a king who is good and just and kind? 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:06.179 What if every good thing that we have that we're rebelling against comes from this king? 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:09.939 We still want him to be overthrown. 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:12.640 And that's uncomfortable for us to think about, I think, 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:18.659 because it shows an underlying fundamental problem with humanity. 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:24.760 It's not that we are strongly opposed to oppressive rulers, is it? 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:25.800 Of course we are. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.159 But there's also something much deeper. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:32.419 And I think the question we have to ask ourselves is, 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:37.579 am I rebelling against oppression, against tyranny, 00:03:38.079 --> 00:03:42.139 or is it simply that I don't want anyone to rule over me at all? 00:03:43.099 --> 00:03:45.379 We can think about the megalomaniacs, 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:48.979 the despots that we see on the news. 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:51.939 They're plotting and scheming to increase their own power. 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:54.939 And we rightly castigate them for their behavior. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:58.599 But the Bible tells us, 00:03:59.359 --> 00:04:01.780 fundamentally there's a problem in our hearts. 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:06.219 Our problem is that we don't want God's rule over us. 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:09.639 We don't want God to be our king. 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:14.539 But Psalm 2 doesn't just leave us there. 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:16.379 Psalm 2 takes it further. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.959 And this morning we're going to see something incredibly uplifting 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:21.959 and incredibly assuring. 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:24.879 There is a king on the throne. 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:26.139 A good king. 00:04:26.359 --> 00:04:27.219 A righteous king. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.739 A king completely in control of this world. 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:36.839 No matter how chaotic and violent and out of control we think it's becoming. 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:41.899 Because of this great king's mercy, 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:47.019 God invites even the most rebellious of rebels to come to him. 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:51.339 He offers refuge from the dangers of rebellion. 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:55.839 He doesn't stop merely at safety. 00:04:56.599 --> 00:04:58.519 But he offers blessing. 00:04:59.479 --> 00:05:02.120 I've got three headings for us as we work through this psalm together. 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:05.659 The rebellion, the decree, and the kiss. 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:07.259 So first of all, the rebellion. 00:05:07.979 --> 00:05:11.579 Psalm 2 opens and it thrusts us straight into the heat of battle. 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:13.639 Why do the heathens rage? 00:05:14.039 --> 00:05:15.500 The peoples plot in vain. 00:05:15.599 --> 00:05:17.519 The kings of the earth set themselves. 00:05:17.859 --> 00:05:19.800 And the rulers take counsel together. 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:23.639 We've got countries, cultures, royalty, governments. 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:25.860 All banding together. 00:05:26.219 --> 00:05:28.439 And there's a picture of a world in rebellion. 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:30.479 And notice the language. 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:31.899 The nations rage. 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:33.259 The peoples plot. 00:05:33.719 --> 00:05:35.079 The kings set themselves. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:37.000 The rulers take counsel together. 00:05:37.659 --> 00:05:39.099 This is war language. 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:43.020 This is a picture of a rebellious world in turmoil. 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:47.260 If you watch the news, it doesn't take very long to see 00:05:47.260 --> 00:05:50.700 that there's a real mirror of this in our world today. 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.939 Wars are grinding on all over the place. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:55.800 There's political instability. 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:57.000 Governments are collapsing. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:05:59.200 We see violence everywhere. 00:06:00.020 --> 00:06:03.040 Leaders make decisions that to us just seem absurd. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:05.840 Nations threaten nations. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:10.379 People fight over who gets to exercise real power. 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:16.259 Psalm 2 doesn't paper over the violence, the hatred, the instability, 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:19.979 the scheming that's the reality of our fallen world. 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:26.079 And it tells us where all this anger and plotting is ultimately directed towards. 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:26.859 Who it's against. 00:06:27.559 --> 00:06:29.319 It's against the Lord and his anointed. 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:32.359 Saying, let's burst their bonds apart. 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:35.319 Let's cast their cords from us. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:41.100 Well, this is extraordinary because here the people are not indiscriminately firing shots 00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:42.120 at one another. 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:43.840 It's not king fighting king. 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:48.060 It's not person fighting person. 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:54.840 What we're seeing here is human rebellion directed against God and his king. 00:06:54.839 --> 00:07:02.699 The word that we have in verse 1, plot, is the same word that is in Psalm 1 before. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:08.639 In Psalm 1, it's used to describe the way that a blessed person meditates on God's word. 00:07:09.159 --> 00:07:10.699 We looked at that a couple of weeks ago and we said, 00:07:10.779 --> 00:07:14.439 this is not a 10-minute meditation at the beginning of your day. 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:18.539 This is an all-encompassing posture by which we live our life. 00:07:18.659 --> 00:07:20.459 Thinking about God's word. 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:22.159 Living through God's law. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:23.199 Loving God's law. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:29.199 And so when we think about the same word being used here for how the evil rulers of the world 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:35.819 are plotting against the Lord, we see that this is a deep-rooted, premeditated, 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:39.899 a deliberate attack on God and his anointed king. 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.419 And notice the language that they use to describe the king's rule. 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.639 They call them bonds, cords, chains. 00:07:49.039 --> 00:07:51.319 So they look at God's rightful authority. 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:52.379 God made the world. 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:53.639 He rules over everyone. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:56.240 He's the ruler of the whole world. 00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:58.360 And they think, that's imprisonment. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:00.500 I don't want to be tied up. 00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:06.939 Let me break free from this bonds that are holding me back from being the person that I think I should be. 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:10.639 Let's decide for ourselves what's right and wrong. 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:13.500 I want to determine how I live. 00:08:15.419 --> 00:08:21.319 I mean, isn't this just exactly the same as what we see all across the world just now, even in Edinburgh? 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:29.240 We see people thinking about God's law as a way of restricting pleasure or enjoyment or fun, 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:36.879 rather than thinking about submitting to God's righteous and good rule designed for the good of our lives. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:46.500 We look at things like our money, our sexuality, our marriages, whatever it is that we're meditating on day to day, 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:49.840 and we think, this is not good. 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:51.159 This is restriction. 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:53.200 This is holding me back. 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:56.860 It's like I've got handcuffs on the life I want to live. 00:08:56.860 --> 00:09:02.379 But you see, this rebellion, it's not primarily a political issue. 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:03.899 It's a heart issue. 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.960 And it goes right back to the beginning of time, right back to the creation of the world, 00:09:09.060 --> 00:09:10.320 right back to the Garden of Eden. 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:15.560 When Adam was placed in the garden, and remember, Adam was in a paradise, 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:20.060 no evil influence around him, no sin to deal with. 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:24.180 And he was placed in the garden to rule over it, have authority over the garden, 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:25.759 to tend it and to care for it. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.879 But Adam was a king underneath the true king. 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:33.019 Of course, Adam rebelled. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:33.840 He didn't listen. 00:09:33.939 --> 00:09:34.960 He didn't trust God's word. 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:36.059 He rebelled against him. 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:39.840 And when he did, when Adam rejected God's word, 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:45.899 he undermined the goodness that God had for his people. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.860 He wanted to determine good and evil for himself. 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:54.559 And now all of us, deep down at our heart level, 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:56.539 we inherit this rebellion. 00:09:57.519 --> 00:09:58.679 We might not be a country. 00:09:58.779 --> 00:10:02.179 We might not have a lot of power at all outside our own homes. 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:04.559 We might not have a lot of power inside our own homes. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:09.779 But we all want to be king of something. 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:13.159 And the thing that we want to be king of more than anything else is our own hearts. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:15.199 We want to be king of ourselves. 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:19.819 We want to sit in the throne of our own person. 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:22.700 So we have to ask ourselves today. 00:10:22.940 --> 00:10:23.840 We're forced to, I think. 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:26.200 Where are the areas in your life? 00:10:26.540 --> 00:10:31.879 What are the things in your life over which you're happy for God to have rule? 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:37.080 And what are the things in your life, what are the areas in your life where you're not? 00:10:38.420 --> 00:10:41.740 Where are the places where you see God's law as bonds, 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:44.680 holding you back from the things you want to do? 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:47.939 The restrictions on who you're supposed to be. 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:53.239 Instead of seeing them as they really are, 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:55.979 God's bonds, these bonds, these chains, 00:10:56.599 --> 00:11:01.219 they're like a loving mother holding a toddler's hand beside a busy road. 00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:05.979 Not for harm, not for restriction, but from love. 00:11:07.439 --> 00:11:10.740 We can invite God to enter into those places in our hearts 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:14.120 where we feel we are holding back, we're pushing back, 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.019 rebelling against God, even this morning. 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:20.279 But then comes this great moment in Psalm 2. 00:11:21.060 --> 00:11:25.500 In verse 4, it tells us that he who sits in heaven laughs. 00:11:25.940 --> 00:11:28.000 The Lord holds him in derision. 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:29.419 Why? 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:30.779 Why is God laughing here? 00:11:30.899 --> 00:11:33.759 How can God laugh when it looks as though the whole world 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.720 has banded together against him? 00:11:36.560 --> 00:11:38.759 Well, we know it's not because God's indifferent. 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.419 God cares deeply about his creation, 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.439 about all the people that he made. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:47.600 And we know that he's not unmoved by this rebellion 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.879 because we read in verse 5 that God speaks and then he acts. 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.600 And in verse 6, he reminds them of the things that he's already done. 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:58.179 He's set his king on Zion, on Jerusalem, 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:00.659 the city of God, the city of David. 00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:05.860 So how is it that God laughs? 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:08.980 Well, I think the answer is about perspective. 00:12:09.480 --> 00:12:10.980 I've got a new perspective today. 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:12.940 I've not been up in this pulpit before. 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:15.639 But the perspective in Psalm 2, 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.580 we see the earth raging from the earth, 00:12:19.019 --> 00:12:21.600 but we see God who sits in heaven. 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:27.100 The rebels are like children swinging punches 00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:31.580 at a father who's got his hand on their forehead, 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:33.139 holding them back at a distance. 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:39.240 They're unable to impact him in any negative way. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.540 Completely impervious to the rebellion. 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:48.320 But it's not that God doesn't care. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:52.060 That's why David says that the nations plot in vain. 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:53.119 He says that in verse 1. 00:12:53.959 --> 00:12:56.939 The rebellion is emptiness, it's vanity, it's hopelessness. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:57.959 It's all for nothing. 00:12:58.979 --> 00:13:01.959 Because earthly kings only possess any authority 00:13:01.959 --> 00:13:04.019 that God allows them to have. 00:13:05.099 --> 00:13:07.279 And I think this is incredibly important for us. 00:13:07.699 --> 00:13:11.279 In 2026, when we look at the world around us, 00:13:11.739 --> 00:13:16.079 we see so many things that can terrify us, frighten us. 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:18.700 We've become hopeless and dismayed 00:13:18.700 --> 00:13:21.500 if we concentrate too much on the things that are happening 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:23.879 and not the one who's in control of it all. 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.460 We watch war, political instability, 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:30.860 Christians being pushed back to the margins of society. 00:13:31.660 --> 00:13:33.400 We look in our own city in Edinburgh, 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:34.420 the things that are happening here, 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:35.500 and we can despair. 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:37.960 Where's God in all of this? 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:40.580 But Psalm 2 is reminding us where to look. 00:13:40.660 --> 00:13:44.379 We look up, the world rages, but God reigns. 00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:47.980 People plot that God sits on his throne. 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:52.559 The world shakes, but God's throne doesn't. 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:53.939 We can look at the world, 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:58.519 see ourselves surrounded by rebellion and chaos, 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:01.919 and we can rest assured 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:04.679 that the safest place in the universe 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:07.980 is under the rule of the good king. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:10.980 So that's the rebellion. 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:13.200 Point two is the decree. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:16.300 Having set this scene of the world 00:14:16.300 --> 00:14:18.360 in rebellion against God, 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:19.820 David, who wrote the Psalm, 00:14:20.460 --> 00:14:22.660 he then gives us God's declaration. 00:14:23.900 --> 00:14:24.860 In verse seven it says, 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:26.920 I will tell of the decree, 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:28.660 the Lord said to me, 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:29.460 you're my son, 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:31.160 today I've begotten you. 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:32.300 Ask of me, 00:14:32.640 --> 00:14:34.379 and I'll make the nations your heritage, 00:14:34.540 --> 00:14:36.740 and the ends of the earth your possession. 00:14:37.780 --> 00:14:39.940 This is royal language being used here. 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:44.320 The king of Israel is God's anointed king, 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:47.340 and God speaks about him like a son. 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:49.640 To get the background to this, 00:14:49.900 --> 00:14:51.960 we can go to the Old Testament book of Samuel, 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:53.580 2 Samuel verse seven, 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:56.680 and the covenant that God makes with David, 00:14:56.820 --> 00:14:59.320 the binding commitment he makes with him. 00:15:00.040 --> 00:15:01.320 God promises David, 00:15:01.680 --> 00:15:05.480 I'll establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:07.139 And then just a little bit later, 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:07.980 a few verses later, 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:08.440 God says, 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:09.639 I will be to him a father, 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:12.060 he shall be to me a son. 00:15:13.320 --> 00:15:16.620 The Davidic kingdom was God's chosen representative. 00:15:18.180 --> 00:15:20.039 But there is a problem here, 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:20.759 if we stop there. 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:25.539 Because no Davidic king actually ruled all the nations. 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:27.100 Nobody possessed all the nations, 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:29.720 like Psalm 2 says. 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:30.799 David didn't, 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:33.080 and then his son who followed after him, 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:33.419 Solomon, 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:33.879 didn't, 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.419 and all the successes after them, 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:41.620 they didn't have the nations as their heritage either. 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:41.759 But there, 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:45.279 what does Psalm, 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:46.700 what does Psalm mean then? 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:47.860 Well, 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:51.919 it means that Psalm 2 can't be pointing just at David. 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:56.679 It's got to be pointing beyond this Davidic kingship, 00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:58.259 the immediate one in front of us. 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:01.299 And verse 2 helps us, 00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:01.700 I think, 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:02.460 to understand. 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:06.200 Because verse 2 identifies the Lord's anointed. 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.360 And that word anointed in Hebrew is Mashiach, 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:12.860 which is where we get the word Messiah, 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:15.019 or in Greek, 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.340 Christ. 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:18.039 So this Psalm, 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:19.460 written by King David, 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.879 is about the immediate Davidic kingship, 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:24.899 the things that are happening in David's life 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:26.000 as he writes this, 00:16:26.060 --> 00:16:27.480 or before he's written this. 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:30.700 But it's also about the ultimate fulfillment that's coming 00:16:30.700 --> 00:16:32.200 in Jesus Christ. 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:35.279 The New Testament makes this really clear for us. 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:37.680 So God quotes Psalm 2 from heaven 00:16:37.680 --> 00:16:38.899 when Jesus is baptized, 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:41.799 and then he quotes it again from heaven, 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:43.799 Jesus' transfiguration, 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.340 when he's shown in his glory on the mountain. 00:16:48.819 --> 00:16:50.899 Acts 4 quotes Psalm 2, 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:51.740 and it says that, 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:56.000 it applies it to Herod and Pilate and the Gentile nations, 00:16:56.779 --> 00:17:00.279 all the peoples gathered against Jesus. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.819 And then in the book of Hebrews, 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.240 Psalm 2 is quoted and applied directly to Jesus 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:07.099 in chapter 1 and in chapter 5. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:09.039 And then, 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:10.940 in Acts 13, 00:17:11.980 --> 00:17:13.160 so Paul is 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:16.200 talking about Jesus' resurrection, 00:17:16.380 --> 00:17:17.579 and he quotes again, 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:19.720 Psalm 2, verse 7. 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:20.559 And he says that, 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:21.019 this decree, 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:21.740 you're my son, 00:17:22.140 --> 00:17:23.400 today I begotten you, 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:25.519 is fulfilled at the raising 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.779 of Jesus from the dead. 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:29.660 So the resurrection then, 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:30.960 when Jesus is raised again, 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:34.759 it's not merely Jesus coming back from the dead. 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:38.519 It was the Father's declaration that this is my king. 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.379 This is the king that rules over all the earth. 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:44.160 Not that Jesus hasn't always reigned, 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:47.420 but that he's exalted at his resurrection. 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.720 Maybe we could say the resurrection is God's coronation 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:53.839 of the crucified king. 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.480 And then we look at verse 8, 00:17:56.939 --> 00:17:58.879 and God says to his son, 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:00.000 ask of me, 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:02.019 and I'll make the nations your heritage, 00:18:02.179 --> 00:18:03.559 and the ends of the world, 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:04.599 the ends of the earth, 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:06.139 your possession. 00:18:06.679 --> 00:18:08.339 And we can see this incredible movement 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:09.839 that's happened in the psalm. 00:18:10.399 --> 00:18:11.639 In verses 1 to 3, 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:14.679 the nations are rebelling against the king. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:17.059 But then in verse 8, 00:18:17.179 --> 00:18:18.879 the very nations that were rebelling 00:18:18.879 --> 00:18:20.959 are given to the king. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:24.380 The rebels have become the inheritance. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:28.340 When we think about the words used 00:18:28.340 --> 00:18:29.539 and we think about the implication, 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.880 it's got huge meaning for us 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:34.420 as we think about the mission of the church. 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.539 At the end of the book of Matthew, 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:37.759 Jesus speaks to his disciples, 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:38.400 and he says, 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:42.140 all authority in heaven and on earth 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:43.160 has been given to me. 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:46.319 That sounds very much like Psalm 2 language. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:47.500 And he says, 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.440 go therefore and make disciples of every nation. 00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:52.980 So why does the church go? 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:53.660 Why do we go? 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:55.140 Why do we tell people about Jesus? 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:58.740 Why do we put ourselves in those conversations 00:18:58.740 --> 00:18:59.960 that we don't want to put ourselves in 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:04.039 and tell people that Jesus wants them to come to him? 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:06.740 Well, we do it because Jesus has the authority 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:07.460 over the nations. 00:19:09.360 --> 00:19:10.500 Mission happens 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:12.680 because the king has been enthroned 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.779 and all the nations belong to him. 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:19.240 And that has to change the way that we talk about, 00:19:19.360 --> 00:19:21.240 or at least the way we talk internally 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.759 about how we speak to people who don't know Jesus 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:27.220 about what it means to become a believer. 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:29.519 When we speak to people about Jesus, 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:31.720 if we're really honest with ourselves, 00:19:31.820 --> 00:19:34.060 it's so much easier to talk about 00:19:34.060 --> 00:19:37.000 the benefits that we get from church 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:40.259 rather than the reason that we gather. 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:42.859 It's easy to say things like, 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:45.119 I love going to church 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.660 because I love the community. 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:47.819 I love going to church 00:19:47.819 --> 00:19:50.220 because I've got some really good friends there. 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:51.420 I love going to church 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:53.500 because it gives structure to my week. 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:55.019 Otherwise, I'd just be all over the place. 00:19:55.980 --> 00:19:57.019 I love going to church 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:58.900 because it's the only hour in the week 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:00.140 that I'm not checking my phone. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:02.420 Those things might be true. 00:20:02.619 --> 00:20:03.720 Those things might be good, 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.860 but they're not the heart of the Christian message. 00:20:08.860 --> 00:20:10.259 Because when we speak about Jesus, 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.759 we're announcing that the king has come. 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:17.120 So when we speak to our friends and our neighbors, 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:18.380 our colleagues, 00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:21.539 even people within our own families about Jesus, 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:23.860 we're not asking them, 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:26.440 would you like to come to church with me? 00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:28.120 Not really. 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:30.140 What we're saying is, 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:31.559 there's a king 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:35.559 and he has rightful authority over your life. 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:38.500 And as we're just about to see, 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:39.559 this king is not a tyrant. 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:43.039 He's a king who's come to save. 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:46.179 Our fixes thirdly, finally, 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:48.639 to our third point, the kiss. 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:51.700 So when you think about the rebel stories 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:53.119 that I listed at the beginning, 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:55.139 if we were in one of those, 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:57.039 if this was a Hollywood movie, 00:20:57.379 --> 00:20:59.460 we would end at verse nine. 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:01.720 The victor, 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:03.460 the victorious king would march. 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:05.900 Verse nine says, 00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:07.460 you'll break them with a rod of iron 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:09.980 and dash them like a potter's vessel. 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:11.360 That's what we would do. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.259 That's what we think of as human victory. 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:15.460 We would have the king marching 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:17.880 into his enemies, 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:18.940 take them captive 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:20.940 and smashing their armies to bits. 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:22.660 But our king, 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:23.400 the true king, 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:24.340 is not an earthly king. 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:27.940 And the psalm doesn't end in disaster, 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:29.059 even for rebels. 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:30.980 It ends with hope. 00:21:32.299 --> 00:21:33.620 Verse 10 and 12, 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:35.340 they're really a plea 00:21:35.340 --> 00:21:37.720 to anyone who's opposed to God. 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:39.740 It says, 00:21:39.860 --> 00:21:40.700 now therefore kings, 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:41.299 be wise, 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:42.080 be warned, 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:43.620 O rulers of the earth. 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:44.539 Yes, it's a warning, 00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:46.740 but this is also an invitation. 00:21:48.700 --> 00:21:49.880 And just think for a second 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:51.360 how extraordinary 00:21:51.360 --> 00:21:53.080 that invitation is. 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:54.460 This is the king 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:55.119 who's come 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:57.379 to rightly judge the nations, 00:21:57.579 --> 00:21:58.819 the rebellious nations 00:21:58.819 --> 00:21:59.579 who've been fighting 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:00.079 and warring 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.419 and plotting against them. 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:02.679 And he's saying to them, 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.039 come to me. 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:06.460 The king who'll judge the nations 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:08.159 is offering mercy 00:22:08.159 --> 00:22:09.399 to the nations. 00:22:11.159 --> 00:22:11.759 Our psalm says, 00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:13.099 serve the Lord with fear 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:14.759 and rejoice with trembling. 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:16.879 Rightful respect 00:22:16.879 --> 00:22:18.099 and joy, 00:22:18.199 --> 00:22:19.019 actual joy, 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:19.939 coming to the king 00:22:19.939 --> 00:22:21.159 you once rebelled against. 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:23.940 And then our psalm says, 00:22:24.060 --> 00:22:24.740 kiss the son. 00:22:25.800 --> 00:22:27.100 And this word kiss, 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:28.740 this is the language of homage. 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:31.320 It's the language of submission 00:22:31.320 --> 00:22:32.320 and allegiance. 00:22:34.600 --> 00:22:36.300 The rebellious rulers, 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:38.140 all the nations, 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:38.740 all the people, 00:22:38.840 --> 00:22:39.220 they're told, 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:40.960 stop fighting this king. 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:42.940 Bow before this king. 00:22:43.800 --> 00:22:44.340 Honor him. 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:47.180 And then this, 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:48.660 we get here, 00:22:49.800 --> 00:22:51.120 a glimpse of the gospel. 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:53.120 More than a glimpse of the gospel. 00:22:53.320 --> 00:22:54.279 A vision of the gospel. 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:56.019 And when we think about it 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:56.700 in these terms 00:22:56.700 --> 00:22:59.700 of rebels coming against the king 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:01.000 and being welcomed by him, 00:23:01.540 --> 00:23:02.779 it's actually breathtaking 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:04.259 what takes place. 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:06.740 Because at the cross, 00:23:06.779 --> 00:23:08.000 when Jesus goes to the cross, 00:23:08.100 --> 00:23:09.360 the nations do exactly 00:23:09.360 --> 00:23:12.640 what Psalm 2 predicts. 00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:15.440 The rulers plot against Jesus. 00:23:16.320 --> 00:23:17.360 Herod and Pilate, 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:19.240 they counsel together. 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:22.259 The religious leaders take counsel 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:24.140 and they decide that Jesus 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:25.680 has to be removed. 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:28.620 They reject the king's authority. 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:29.460 The king has come 00:23:29.460 --> 00:23:30.420 and they've rejected him. 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:32.620 And Jesus was betrayed 00:23:32.620 --> 00:23:34.620 by one of his closest followers, 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:35.180 Judas. 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:37.819 And when Jesus is arrested 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:39.039 before he's put to death, 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:40.819 he's arrested in a garden 00:23:40.819 --> 00:23:42.059 called Gethsemane. 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:45.759 And Judas had already prearranged 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.480 the signal of which person 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:49.700 Jesus was going to be 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:52.240 was going to be a kiss. 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:55.099 So Jesus is in the garden 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:56.339 and the men come to arrest him. 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:57.480 And Judas says, 00:23:57.879 --> 00:23:59.079 Rabbi, which means teacher. 00:23:59.879 --> 00:24:01.039 And then he kisses him. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:05.500 The king who invites the rebels 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:07.879 to come and kiss him 00:24:07.879 --> 00:24:10.180 is given a kiss of betrayal 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:13.500 just before he goes to his death. 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:16.200 And what does the ultimate king do? 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:18.740 He gives himself over, of course. 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:22.440 He doesn't call down an army of angels 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:24.099 from heaven to save him. 00:24:24.899 --> 00:24:26.720 He doesn't destroy his enemies. 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.740 Even though he's got the power, 00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:29.240 he's got the right to do so. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:31.539 He absorbs their violence. 00:24:32.359 --> 00:24:33.420 He absorbs their hatred. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:35.700 He absorbs their mocking, 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.279 their rejection. 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:39.599 And ultimately, 00:24:40.120 --> 00:24:42.240 he absorbs the judgment 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:43.180 that they deserve. 00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:46.480 This king, the righteous king, 00:24:46.579 --> 00:24:47.880 the good king, the true king, 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:50.019 this king is crucified. 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.099 But the God who created life 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:55.839 can't be held by death. 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:58.459 And so the king is raised. 00:24:59.439 --> 00:25:01.859 The crucified is crowned. 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:05.119 And the king who was executed 00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:06.500 is exalted. 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:09.500 And then we come to the crescendo 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:11.519 of Psalm 2. 00:25:12.939 --> 00:25:14.199 Blessed are all 00:25:14.199 --> 00:25:15.959 who take refuge in him. 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:18.599 And again, that's astonishing. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:20.299 Because the king, 00:25:20.459 --> 00:25:21.119 who's got every right 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:22.039 to destroy his enemies, 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:24.399 he came and he died 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:26.580 to be the refuge 00:25:26.580 --> 00:25:27.900 for his enemies. 00:25:28.540 --> 00:25:29.900 The rebels have been invited 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:30.840 to be refugees. 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:33.040 That's the gospel 00:25:33.040 --> 00:25:34.860 in microcosm. 00:25:36.080 --> 00:25:37.500 The king's not pretending 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:39.400 that rebellion doesn't matter. 00:25:39.580 --> 00:25:40.259 Judgment's real. 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:41.820 Verse 9 is real. 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.340 There's a day 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:44.420 when the king will come 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:45.340 and he will 00:25:45.340 --> 00:25:48.000 justly judge the world. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:50.940 But before that day comes, 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:52.779 the king extends 00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:53.539 this invitation. 00:25:54.859 --> 00:25:56.079 Stop fighting the king. 00:25:57.160 --> 00:25:58.160 Come, submit, 00:25:58.319 --> 00:25:59.059 take refuge. 00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:01.059 Be reconciled with God. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:04.460 You see, Psalm 2 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:05.220 shows us 00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:07.119 why rebel stories 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:09.039 resonate so strongly with us. 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:11.339 Because that's us. 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:13.359 We want to believe 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:14.299 that we're rebels 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:15.440 fighting injustice. 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:17.380 We imagine ourselves 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:18.840 standing up against oppression, 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:21.120 fighting for freedom. 00:26:22.320 --> 00:26:23.620 But Psalm 2 exposes 00:26:23.620 --> 00:26:24.840 that when we rebel 00:26:24.840 --> 00:26:25.680 against God 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:26.440 and his king, 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:27.900 we aren't rebelling 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:28.820 against a tyrant. 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:30.039 We're rebelling 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:31.519 against the king of goodness, 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:33.380 the king of justice 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:34.019 and mercy. 00:26:36.059 --> 00:26:37.000 So we read Psalm 2, 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:38.120 we can't simply read 00:26:38.120 --> 00:26:39.920 God's the good king 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:40.799 and one day 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:42.000 he'll defeat the bad guys. 00:26:42.620 --> 00:26:43.840 The truth of Psalm 2 00:26:43.840 --> 00:26:44.880 is so much thicker, 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:45.820 deeper than that. 00:26:47.060 --> 00:26:48.160 Far more beautiful. 00:26:49.580 --> 00:26:50.800 The rebel world 00:26:50.800 --> 00:26:52.620 rejects the rightful ruler 00:26:52.620 --> 00:26:55.240 and through that rebellion 00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:55.920 it puts itself 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:57.000 in mortal danger. 00:26:58.440 --> 00:26:59.540 But rather than coming 00:26:59.540 --> 00:27:00.840 to crush the rebels, 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:03.420 the king gives himself 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:03.920 for them. 00:27:04.320 --> 00:27:05.400 He absorbs the judgment. 00:27:06.120 --> 00:27:07.380 He rises from the grave. 00:27:07.540 --> 00:27:08.200 He's enthroned. 00:27:09.280 --> 00:27:09.980 And then he turns 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:10.580 to the rebels 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:11.699 and he says, 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:13.139 come home. 00:27:14.139 --> 00:27:15.220 Take refuge in me. 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:18.399 Maybe you feel like 00:27:18.399 --> 00:27:19.480 you've spent your whole life 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:21.240 sitting on the throne 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:22.379 of your own heart. 00:27:23.579 --> 00:27:24.579 Maybe you don't want 00:27:24.579 --> 00:27:25.659 anybody telling you 00:27:25.659 --> 00:27:26.579 how you should 00:27:26.579 --> 00:27:27.539 and shouldn't live your life. 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:30.559 Maybe you've resisted God 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:32.240 for a long time. 00:27:33.379 --> 00:27:34.220 Or maybe you think 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:34.960 that you've rebelled 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:35.619 so much 00:27:35.619 --> 00:27:36.279 and so hard 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:36.960 against God, 00:27:37.460 --> 00:27:38.480 against the rightful king, 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:39.700 that there's no way back 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.059 for you. 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:43.319 Maybe you've been trying 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:44.539 to run your own life 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:46.319 for so long 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:48.039 that you've discovered 00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:49.380 that sitting on the throne 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:49.960 of your own heart 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:51.220 is actually a lonely place 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:51.980 to be. 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:53.319 Well, 00:27:53.360 --> 00:27:54.539 Psalm 2 says to us, 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:56.799 come off your mini throne. 00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:58.360 Stop fighting. 00:27:59.579 --> 00:28:00.819 Take refuge in the king. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:02.819 Because the safest place 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:03.299 in the universe 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:04.279 is not outside 00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:05.019 the king's rule, 00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:07.079 but under the rule 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:07.519 of the king 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:09.039 that you once rebelled against. 00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:13.279 Blessed are all those 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:15.500 who take refuge in him. 00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:16.839 Rebels are invited 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:17.660 to become refugees 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:19.519 and refugees are welcomed 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:21.339 into a royal household. 00:28:22.259 --> 00:28:23.539 That's the astonishing mercy 00:28:23.539 --> 00:28:24.839 of this great king. 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.460 So while there's turmoil 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:28.119 in the world, 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:28.720 and there is, 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:29.759 while there's wars 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.460 and conflicts 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:31.460 and power struggles 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:33.200 all around us, 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:34.039 and there are, 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:35.319 while governments 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:36.400 rise and fall, 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:37.060 and we see that 00:28:37.060 --> 00:28:37.660 all the time, 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:39.740 even while cultures 00:28:39.740 --> 00:28:41.460 around us change, 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.860 while there's conflict 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:45.680 even inside our own hearts 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:47.340 as we fight 00:28:47.340 --> 00:28:48.180 for the right 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:48.820 to rule 00:28:48.820 --> 00:28:50.019 our own lives, 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:51.460 the temptation 00:28:51.460 --> 00:28:53.200 to reject God's good rule. 00:28:54.160 --> 00:28:54.980 Psalm 2 says, 00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:56.740 come to the king, 00:28:57.880 --> 00:28:58.600 kiss the king, 00:28:59.340 --> 00:29:00.420 take refuge in him, 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:02.000 and be blessed. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:03.779 Let's pray. 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:07.619 Lord God, 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:08.440 we confess 00:29:08.440 --> 00:29:09.680 that we are rebels 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:11.759 against your good 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:12.720 and holy rule. 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:13.799 Lord, 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:14.579 we want to be the kings 00:29:14.579 --> 00:29:15.339 of our own hearts 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:16.759 and show us, 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:17.839 Lord, 00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:18.599 for the first time, 00:29:18.900 --> 00:29:20.279 or show us anew today 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:22.359 that your rule 00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:22.819 is good 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:23.420 and just 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:24.039 and right, 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:25.759 that you are seated 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:26.279 on the throne 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:28.119 and nothing can remove 00:29:28.119 --> 00:29:29.099 your anointed king. 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:30.460 Lord, 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:31.519 we pray that you would help us 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:32.099 when we see 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:34.079 the state of the world, 00:29:34.180 --> 00:29:35.519 the nations fighting 00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:37.279 against one another 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:38.619 and rebelling against you. 00:29:39.379 --> 00:29:39.799 Lord, 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:41.339 don't let us succumb 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:42.099 to the fear, 00:29:43.139 --> 00:29:44.920 but let us take refuge 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:46.319 in the knowledge 00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:47.700 that you have set 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:48.599 your king on Zion, 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:49.759 on your holy hill, 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:51.480 over all your people. 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:53.019 And Lord, 00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:53.900 we ask that you would 00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:55.099 help us, 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:57.059 even in our stubbornness, 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:58.359 to come to the king, 00:29:58.599 --> 00:29:59.299 to kiss the king 00:29:59.299 --> 00:29:59.839 in submission, 00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:01.720 and to be blessed 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:02.899 by him. 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:03.939 And we pray this 00:30:03.939 --> 00:30:04.519 in Jesus' name. 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:05.399 Amen.