The world is in crazy turmoil right now, isn’t it? Sometimes I wonder if Solomon would still write, “There is nothing new under the sun,” if he were alive today. Honestly, I believe he would. We wonder why Jesus isn’t dealing with the oppression and turmoil present in our world today. A friend of mine recently answered that question when it was posed to her like this: the Jews asked the same of Jesus when He walked the earth. The Jews were expecting a warrior King to come and rescue them from Roman oppression. We expect deliverance from persecution, poverty, racism, and much more. But Jesus’ mission is so much bigger than all those things combined! He came to deliver the world from sin! Let that sink in for a minute.
You may question why the Lord is allowing you to suffer…why
He is delaying in His second coming, because just when you think things can’t
get any worse, they do. Scripture says
He is not tarrying. He is waiting
patiently for people to come to repentance because He wants no one to
perish. And I believe that, in the end,
we will be glad for His patience. After
all, there was probably someone praying for Jesus to return before you gave
your heart to Him, and that might not have worked out too well for you. Right?
Yes, the world is in crazy turmoil. No, there is nothing new under the sun. The Internet just tells us about all of it,
so it seems overwhelming. Yet, if you
really think about it, there is no doubt that the Lord Jesus is sovereign over
all things.
Today, we’re looking at Psalm 2. These 12 verses are about God’s sovereignty. In this passage, we see The Lord warns conspiring nations to take refuge in Him.
When we walk away from our time together today, I want
you to know The safest (and happiest)
place to be is in submission to Christ.
Holy Father, clear
our hearts and minds of distraction to hear your teaching today. Draw us close to you. Give us something to chew on in this chapter
of Scripture. Amen.
Our text is divided into three parts, today:
1. The nations conspire against the Lord and His anointed
(Psalm 2:1-3)
2. The One enthroned in heaven rebukes them (Psalm 2:4-9)
3. Be warned, rulers of the earth (Psalm 2:10-12)
Let’s dive right in to this enlightening chapter of
Scripture.
Read Psalm 2:1-3.
Conspire. There’s
a word! Plot. There’s another word! The Hebrew word for “plot” in Psalm 2 is the
same word translated “meditate” in Psalm 1!
Interesting. These terms imply
deliberate, intentional action. There is
a methodical dwelling on this thought.
Have you ever noticed that, if you dwell on the negative, your thinking
becomes negative? Conversely, if you
dwell on the positive, your thinking becomes more positive. And I will tell you from experience, it takes
longer to develop a habit of thinking more positively than it does to sink your
thoughts into a pit! Get to work on
that.
The kings of the earth and its rulers rise up and band
together against the Lord and His anointed!
Verse 3 says, “Let us break their shackles…” I suppose to a non-believer, the Christian
life would seem like shackles…like rule-keeping…like no fun! How wrong they are!!! Sure, the Christian life is challenging. We are called to deny ourselves, take up our
cross, and follow Jesus everyday. The
world would rather live for today’s pleasure.
It’s a tough choice. But the
Christian life is so rewarding! Not just
for the promise of eternity, but for today!
Here is our first principle:
The world bands
together against Jesus.
In what areas are you currently clinging to the world
rather than to Jesus? What steps will
you take to break the world’s hold on you and sell out more completely to
Christ?
Just an FYI to believers…don’t be afraid. Though the world bands together against the
Lord, the size of the opposing army doesn’t matter! Jesus has already won the war!
Now let’s look at things from God’s perspective.
Read Psalm 2:4-9.
God is not intimidated by worldly kings and rulers
banding against Him. Conspiracies don’t
frighten Him. Scripture says He laughs. He knows Who is in charge. We’re actually the ones who have a problem
with this. We doubt God despite His
perfect past track record. We fear even
though we’ve read in the Scriptures that “if God is for me, who can be against
me?” Jesus is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. When you belong to Him, He
will never leave you or forsake you.
Life may be painful sometimes, but you are not alone in those
moments. He is right by your side,
strengthening you.
God also loves those who are conspiring against Him! He rebukes and warns the world about what is
to come. He made a way for everyone to
spend eternity in heaven. It breaks His
heart that these rulers are plotting! It
upsets God that they are hurting themselves.
They’re signing their own eternal death sentences! Does that put a different spin on it for you?
The world is going to do what the world wants to do. But whatever the world does doesn’t change
that Jesus is totally in charge! He has
not lost control.
That brings us to our second principle:
Jesus is sovereign
over all things.
Where does it appear that Jesus is not in control? How will you pray for God’s perspective where
you are struggling to believe in Christ’s sovereignty?
Again…don’t be afraid.
It may look like everything in the world is in complete chaos, but Jesus
has everything under control!
Now let’s continue with a final warning for non-believers
and an encouragement for believers.
Read Psalm 2:10-12.
Jesus paid the price for all the sins ever committed by
the whole world! He wants no one to
perish, but all to come to repentance!
He knows what will bring each person to repentance, and allows those circumstances
to play out, painful as they may be. He also gave us a choice. Free will.
And He knows that not everyone will choose Him! Yet, He warns. He instructs.
He uses every means to draw people to Himself. But He won’t force anyone to accept Him.
The final words of this Psalm are an encouragement to
believers regarding blessing for those who take refuge in Him. We will be spared eternal banishment from His
presence. But those who deny Him is this
life will also get their heart’s desire: eternity without Him. Who are you praying for, that God will open
their eyes and hearts to the truth of the Gospel?
And here is our final principle:
Jesus has the last
word, and His followers are safe.
Who is the Holy Spirit bringing to mind who needs to hear
about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What
common ground has God given you with this person that you can use to build a
bridge between them and Jesus? What
action will you take to begin that bridge-building conversation with them
today?
Chaos.
Conspiracy. Plotting. Pain. So
temporary though it doesn’t feel that way all the time. Just remember: the safest place to be – now and
for eternity – is in Christ’s service.
Father, draw your
people to yourself. Strengthen us to
endure suffering, persecution, pain.
Make us shining examples of Jesus’ love so others are drawn to accept
His free gift of salvation. In Christ’s
precious name. Amen.
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