Man's futile rebellion responded to by God's grace - Psalm 2:1-12

Psalm 2 Man’s futile rebellion responded to by God’s grace I believe there are few things which we ourselves have control over that bear such a great influential significance upon an outcome than that of our response to any given situation. Our response..To varying degrees this hits us on a daily basis. As a parent, in how we respond to our children’s behavior...good behavior or bad behavior. We certainly don’t want to stroke their ego unnecessarily and to then bolster arrogance within them.....NOR is sending a thunderbolt down on them harshly and crushing their spirit a desirable outcome. My response to either case, good obedient behavior or sinful rebellious behavior has significant sway to whether I inflict further harm OR bring about the proper care and godly training into their lives I desire to see. I may even have the right words but my posture, my tone, even the ‘frequency’ of my words...(blah blah blah...I’ve heard this a 1,000x’s dad) ALL of these forms of responses, with the right words and intent could be of no effect...or even worse..of ill effect. This goes far beyond a parent/child relationship. Between brothers and sisters in the faith. How we respond to one another bears significance. So it does also in our marriages...amen?......We could bring this conversation into the work place..it’s there to. It’s everywhere to one degree or another. My response to the representative on the phone....whom I am getting very frustrated with...whom I don’t know what they even look like, where they live, I know nothing about them...a complete stranger to me...YET, my response or responses to them in our conversation has influence upon the outcome. One thing in how these all relate to one another, though positions of authority and rank are certainly at play. One irrefutable common ground we all stand on, however, is that we are all image bearers of God and as fellow image bearers we are to show equal respect and dignity to one another. Now that is between each other.... How about between US and God...our creator? That’s different...and not just a little. The eternal God who “made all things and by whom and through whom all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17)...owes us nothing. Owes us nothing. “We are less than nothingness” (Isaiah 40:17) compared to Him. And worse yet, we rebel against Him. HIM who deserves our reverence and respect and worship is opposed by us. Mankind fights against Him. How is He ‘GOD’ going to respond to this? Our futile rebellion to reject God and RULE self. God who is Holy and Just and Judges Righteously would be Forever the same if He were to simply wipe us all off the face of the earth once and for all. That would be a Holy and Just response from an infinitely Holy and Just God. Case closed.........but it isn’t the response. He responds with the unexpected, the unthinkable...He responds with grace, the gospel of His Son. Psalm 2 lays this out nicely for our learning this morning. Man’s futile rebellion responded to by God’s grace. There will be 5 points we will draw from the text this morning to expound on this marvelous truth. We’ll begin by Man’s futile rebellion Our First point - Man’s self rule, a futile rebellion BODY 1) FIRST POINT - (Psalm 2:1-3). MAN’S SELF RULE, a futile rebellion King David, who penned this poem while likely looking back on his coronation when God endorsed and enthroned him as His chosen king, he sets the tone here of the futility of man’s rebellion against God to rule self. He starts with ‘Why’ like “why even try?” “Do you not see the vanity of it all?” The emptiness of opposing God. To fight against God’s Kingdom and work towards establishing your own. King David, under the rule and reign of God begins wetting the pages with ink asking ‘why?’ (verses 1-3) - take a look “Why do the nations rage and the people 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 away their cords from us.” In other words, how can we be free from God’s grip. He who made all things... WE want to reject...reject His rule and authority over us and establish our own. King David, standing on the covenant of grace between he and God,... made back in (2 Samuel 7: 12-13) where God promised David that “When your days are fulfilled and you 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.” FOREVER.... David, standing on this promise of God, asks the obvious question. “Why oppose?” “Why rebel against God the creator of heaven and earth?” Plot you may, work together, combine forces, rage on and on against God...but in the end...is still the same...it’s futile. We see the same efforts today in the world we live. Nations raging, rulers taking counsel together, peoples plotting, all set on the same trajectory as the kings ‘little k’ kings of the earth who oppose, go against the Lord and His anointed. Plainly evident on topics such as the sanctity of life, whether it be suicide bombers, genocide, human trafficking, oppressive government, to the unborn child in the womb being murdered OR the elderly patient determining their time of death, we see it in GOD’S institution of marriage between a man and a woman - the rebellious world rejects it and perverts it to include those of the same sex. OUR public educational system - eroded and has altogether removed God from the class rooms, even our fundamental biological make up of being born either a male or female is rejected...disregarding that which is determined by God alone. STRONG, relentless opposing forces of darkness against the Lord but ultimately, ultimately...in the end...FUTILE. God is God. He rules and reigns...period. And lest we think only outwardly of this matter. Look closely within. On an individual level, our sinful rebellion is abundantly clear. As children, our parents didn’t need to instruct us in how to lie, cheat and steal. Training disobedience was not a chapter in a book, entitled ‘Raising them wrong’ That rebellion was deeply rooted even at conception (Psalm 51:5) “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” It’s been there all along since conception. We just lacked the physical ability to carry it out....but Oooh, BOY. Once we gained strength in our bodies from infancy to toddlerhood and onward...sin away we do...sin away we do and thus began a parent’s relentless work of training up a child in the way he should go..bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord...that even when he is old he will not depart from it.”... (Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 22:6). A glorious promise christian moms and dads hold tightly to. Fighting against that sinful rebellion bound up in the heart of a child from the very gate. And this sinful rebellion.... it doesn’t depart after being born again into God’s family by faith in Jesus Christ. Indwelling sin is abundantly clear to a child of God. A born again christian feels the Spirit waging war against the flesh and the flesh waging war against the Spirit. (Galatians 5:17) “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” There it is. Opposed to each other. That Cosmic battle is now also within the heart of a christian who has these two natures present....the old and the new and they are opposed to each other. Warfare type opposition. It is what Paul rambles on about in (Romans 7) where he says... “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have a desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”....“Oh wretched man that I am!” Paul laments.... about this christian warfare experienced within whose only hope of rescue is Jesus Christ...same as us. You’ve experienced this along with me christian. The peoples plotting in vain, the rulers within taking counsel together (me, myself and reason)? You’ve had those conversations within oneself, haven’t you? Course you have. Conversations diligently working to justify ones actions. Suggestions from the enemy come...rousing the flesh..that it may feast on the cesspool of self justification and we give ear them at times. We can admit it. I know you have along with me. To appease our own conscience with logic and reason though it doesn’t necessarily align with scripture...OR perhaps it’s not TOO clear whether God’s truth is being acted against or not. I’ve been there... Have you? You know...knowing....that.. (Romans 8:2) “I’ve been set free in Jesus Christ” (Romans 14:22). and..... “....Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” I’m free in Christ, no longer under the law. I approve of this thing for in Christ I know that... (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23) “All things are lawful”...but Seth...right along side that verse it says... “but not all things are helpful.” hmmph. God’s word goes on further saying.... “All things are lawful,...yes... but not all things build up.”. Well, how do I discern? How do I discern if that which I approve is also approved of by God? God’s word has an answer for you Oh feeble one. Is doubt present? Is doubt present? Following close behind the verse in (Romans 14) stating “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” The very next verse (23) says “But whoever has doubt is condemned if he eats, (eats - signifying the partaking of that which you approve, despite the existing doubt you have about doing so), whoever has doubt is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” If a speck of doubt resides at all...don’t approve, don’t follow the guidance of reason and logic to justify self when doubt is present. The Holy Spirit graciously provides such guidance according to His word...don’t be foolish and go against it. Resist such self rule and futile rebellion. If a true christian...it’s the very thing God is saving you from. Sovereign God who sits enthroned in the heaven’s. “God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,” (Acts 4:24). How does He respond to man’s futile rebellion against Him? Considering those of the earth whom he formed and gave the breath of life to, who plot and take counsel together with attempts to remove GOD from his position as GOD having absolute dominion and authority OVER ALL His creation.... Of whom it is written regarding his created image bearers. (Psalm 8:4) “what is man that you ‘God’ are mindful of him,”.... let alone make a way of salvation for him. So for man to oppose God’s rule over them is utterly ridiculous and expressed so by God laughing here and holding them at a place of ridicule for their disrespect and disregard for Him who sustains the very beat of their heart in them who are opposing God’s rule and reign. Look at (verse 4) It is asinine to think of it....when broken down as such,...YET how that is the case with mankind. This is the case with you...and with me before Christ (Psalm 107:14) “brought us out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst our bonds apart” as slaves to sin....setting us free from such futile rebellion. How could such mindless rebellion not be ridiculed? It is empty thinking. Absolute delusion. And God deals with it. How does His response in dealing with this begin? By letting us know how he feels about it. Our 2nd point 2) SECOND POINT - (Psalm 2:5) - God is angry against man’s rebellion read v5 God has something to say about this rebellion. He begins His response of grace by making clear that He is angry, He is angry against mankind’s sinful rebellion and addresses it in the fullness of His Righteous wrath and dreadful fury. Make no mistake about it. GOD HATES SIN. He is angry at sinners. He doesn’t look away and do nothing. Judgement is coming. There will be justice, there will be absolute order in God’s Kingdom. Chaos and mayhem will NOT continue. He will set things right once and for all. This is grace, this is grace in that justice is good and order is right. It’s the only way in which a civilization will survive and we have the assurance of God’s word that “He who practices Steadfast love, Righteousness and Justice, on the face of the earth” (Jeremiah ) will set things right once and forevermore, never again to be challenged. God is angry at man’s rebellion against Him and doesn’t sit idly by. He deals with it. We know from God’s word that...(Jeremiah 17:9). “The heart (the heart of man) is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” We know the outcome of this condition of man if left alone, unchecked, if NOT dealt with. (Genesis 6:5) “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” What a dark and despairing statement. “every intention...of the thoughts of his heart (deceitful above all things, and desperately sick) heart was...only...only evil...continually.”.......It is good to put and end to that. How would you like to live in a society where this goes on unchecked continually without end. No thank you...... Truth be told, though. Apart from Christ’s saving work...You yourself, and me included, would be caught up in the rage, contributing to the chaos and abominable wickedness along with the rest of mankind. This is deplorable to the fullest extent and God is angry about it and deals with it. How? You ask?....our 3rd 3) THIRD POINT - (Psalm 2:6-9) God has appointed His King “As for me.”... God begins speaking in His wrath and fury (v6-9) - read. God has made clear, as spoken through the mouth of David by the Holy Spirit, of who His King is. No one can contend with God’s anointed King, pictured here as set on Zion, God’s holy hill. A place referenced several times in scripture, (161) times to be exact. ZION was originally a Canaanite city conquered by David as first mentioned in the Bible in (2 Samuel 5:7). After capturing this Canaanite city by defeating the Jebusites, David called Zion “the City of David.” His son Solomon, who ruled as king after David died, built the temple on Mount Moriah (a hill distinct and separate from Mount Zion), to there he moved the Ark of the Covenant,...the word ‘Zion’ in short time though, expanded in meaning to include also the temple and the temple area. It wasn’t long until the city of Jerusalem itself, the surrounding area and even the people of Israel as a whole ascribed to the name Zion. Eventually, the word ‘Zion’ had come to mean the entire nation of Israel figuratively. The place where Yahweh, the God of Israel dwells. The spiritual meaning of the word ‘ZION’ continued in the New Testament, where it is given the christian meaning of God’s spiritual kingdom, the church of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. God promised King David (2 Samuel 7: 12-13) “When your days are fulfilled and you 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.” Where king David ruled and reigned from and his offspring after him till the nation Israel was taken captive to Babylon, God holds true to the covenant He made with David...that God will raise up an offspring, an heir of David, whose Kingdom God will establish and of whose throne will last forever. GOD has enthroned His King, His Son, His only begotten Son. Not made as man is, ....fashioned by the hands of God...a created being, but begotten.....God the Son...eternal. (John 1:1-18), as the apostle John describes testifying to the incarnate Christ “.... who is at the Father’s side from the beginning. Jesus, the word that became flesh, who was in the beginning with God,...through whom all things were made and without him was not anything made that was made. Jesus who dwelt among us...saints of old bear witness that they have seen His glory, the glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth from whom’s fullness we have ALL received grace upon grace.” KING Jesus, the messianic heir of king David. The only begotten Son of God the Father, the exact imprint of His nature who conquered Satan, Sin and Death and who rose from the grave, ascended to heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God as triumphant KING. Of His Kingdom, AND HIS ALONE, there will be no end. He rules and reigns all nations for all time. Whose wrath is severe and utterly definite - symbolized by His rule with a rod of iron and a potter’s vessel. The King of Righteousness executing God’s Righteous Judgment against all rebellion. The Prince of Peace. God has set His King on mount Zion. A King who laid down His life as a ransom for many, bearing upon himself the very Judgement of God for the rebellion of those who belong to Him by faith. The sacrificial Lamb of God King, who the apostle John again testifies seeing, while in the Spirit on the island of Patmos, (Rev 14:1) “Behold, on Mount Zion stood The Lamb... capital ‘L’ (Lamb of God)”. the heir of king David, as promised by God, set on His eternal throne. The promise of a Perfect - Benevolent - Righteous and Just King is how God deals with it. And then He does something rather shocking. In light of all this, man’s futile rebellion of which God is angry about and will judge in the fullness of His wrath and fury through His only begotten Son whom He has set as His anointed KING, He shockingly provides a warning. Shocking because, He is in every right NOT to do so. The fact that He does is GRACE. IT’S a response of grace to provide warning. 4) FOURTH POINT - (Psalm 2:10) God provides a warning - read Man is able to repent, All this is made known and God gives warning....space is given for man to repent, to turn from a life of self rule, a life of rebellion against God and turn to a life lived for Him...for Him...in which one does’t live to make much of oneself,....but rather,... lives to make much of God....Applying all their efforts toward the work of God’s Kingdom in which lies their treasure where neither rust nor thief can take away. Anointed Sovereign KING JESUS has come, He is alive and ruling now. He defeated man’s great foe on the cross at Calvary. He paid the penalty for sin by which the follower of Christ, by faith, can escape the wrath of God. The fullness of God’s fury was poured out on him in our place. He lived the life we are unable to live because of the weakness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3). Jesus earned our righteousness in our place. We failed...He succeeded. We rebelled....He submitted. Repentance....the gift of repentance is possible. To have your status changed from one under God’s Just wrath to be in Christ by faith. Standing before a Holy God, the one and only God,...whom we rebelled against in all futility, WE, once his enemies, because of Jesus Christ, can now stand before him no longer condemned but rather set free to worship Him as ones holy, righteous and REDEEMED...clothed in the righteousness of Christ... “the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:9) The fact that we are able to repent is a response of grace. God is amazing. And then His closing response, get this, His closing response....is grace upon grace, it’s grace upon grace in that He provides those who repent clear instructions of how to live a holy life of faith pleasing to Him. Our fitting response to Creator God. Our 5th and final point. 5) FITH POINT - (Psalm 2:11-12) God instructs holy living by faith What is our fitting response? - read Do you remember earlier when I referenced the apostle John testifying of JESUS, the only begotten of the Father?...saying, “we have seen His glory, the glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth from whom’s fullness we have ALL received grace upon grace.” Grace upon Grace...Jesus Received God’s wrath in our place....Grace. He Earned salvation for His faithful by living a righteous, sinless life.....Grace. By faith in Christ, we stand in this grace...our double cure...saved from wrath and makes us pure. ‘Rock of Ages’...To whom we tremble and rejoice over. God, who doesn’t trifle over sin. He takes it seriously. His wrath is quickly kindled...slow to anger but once anger is roused...his wrath is quickly kindled. Don’t presume upon God’s grace. His glorious grace and mercy is equally balanced by His fury and wrath. I think often we tend to give more emphasis on the first part of what God proclaimed before Moses who asked to see God’s glory... (Exodus 34:6-7) Remember that verse? “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,...Hmmm, it’s beautiful...Anyone recall the second portion? It’s no less of who God is than the first part... it begins with ‘but’.. “But who (God almighty) will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” WHOA.. can you say staggering. Put that on a coffee mug. Merciful and gracious YES. Slow to anger YES. But once anger is roused...his wrath is quickly kindled. A God who is to be feared. Check out the very next verse (8) in that Exodus passage. “And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” Quickly, bowed his head toward the earth and worship. $5 Dollars says Moses was trembling and rejoicing in that moment. This is what a life lived for God looks like. A beautiful balanced blend of the greatest reverence ever, absolute awestruck and weak kneed dreadfulness in the presence of a Consuming FIRE God, along with the deepest possible affection imaginable for Him whose anointed King, JESUS, the very begotten of the Father, who received the fullness of God’s wrath in place of those who believe in Him, sent by the Father as a refuge for those who repent and place their faith and hope in HIM.....joyfully, from the heart, coming under His rule and reign over their lives. Our fitting response to Creator God. A holy life of faith. CONCLUSION A good picture of this response from God’s rescued children, rescued from their own rebellion, is presented well in the 12th chapter of Hebrews. (verses 18-29) of which we will close with this morning. Calling back to that awesome scene when God descended upon Mount Sinai to give Moses the 10 Commandments. The author of Hebrews takes off from that account... starting in verse (18) - read…….pray. y l i m Fa 23-25 Table Talk May 19, 2019 GOD’S TRUTH Family Discussion 1. Consider today’s interactions you’ve had with others. How did you respond to questions asked or actions done? 2. Did you laugh? Get angry? Become defensive? Felt hurt? Sorrowful? Other? 3. Share each other’s answer(s) and see how they were similar, or different. Were any between one another? Any surprises? 4. Now consider whether or not you responded as God would have you. 5. If you could do it over again, would you have responded differently to any of the examples shared? 6. Now consider how God responds to our rebellion against Him. He responds with Justice and Grace. 7. Look up the following verses of the Bible that speak of his response of Justice and Grace. Justice - Hebrews 10:31 - 2 Timothy 4:1 - Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5 - Romans 2:8, Revelations 19:15 Enthroned King Jesus rules with Supreme justice and grace. Key Verse “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son.” John 5:22, ESV TABLE READING Lead your kids into God’s Word... 1. Psalm 1:1-6 2. Psalm 1:1-2, Jeremiah 17:5-10 3. Psalm 1:1-2, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 19:14, Psalm 119:148, Ephesians 5:15-21, Colossians 3:12-17 Grace - 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 - Romans 5:6-11 - Ephesians 2:1-7 - Colossians 1:9-14 Scripture Memory: Psalm 1:1-2 The same living God that executes Righteous Justice is a shield to those who place their faith in Christ. As a fitting response to this grace, live out your life in worshipful obedience to him with trembling and rejoicing! “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (ESV)