Why do the nations conspire and the people plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers hand together
against the Lord and against his anointed saying,
let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.
The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying,
I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.
I will proclaim the Lord's decree. He said to me,
you are my son. Today I have become your father.
Ask me and I will make the nations your inheritance.
The ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron
and you will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore ye kings be wise.
Be warned, ye rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son
or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction
for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blast to all who take refuge in him.
Morning again everyone. It's great to be together on this
lovely warm morning reflecting on the eternal words of our Father in Heaven.
So before we do that, before we're in Psalm 2, if you want to have that in front of you,
let's pray to our Father and ask him for his help this morning.
Father God, we are indeed so thankful to be here. We are so thankful that we're in a nation where
we can have open windows and praise and worship you so openly and publicly.
Lord we so thank you for the time that we live in where we can have air conditioning
and that we can stay rather cool. But this morning we ask for your spirit
to help us understand these words this morning and that we would see your Son
ever that much more clearly. We ask for this in your name, amen.
So if you've been with us for the past couple of weeks you may have noticed
that we've been in the book of Psalms and we've been in the book of Psalms because
as the Christmas season is upon us we thought that it would be a great opportunity
to look at a few different Psalms as a way of getting a deeper understanding of the first
advent of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the reason for the season as they say.
So far this month we've reflected on our Lord's life in Psalm 16 and then last week on his suffering
and death in Psalm 22. This morning we turn our attention to the most frequently recited and quoted
Psalm in the New Testament, Psalm 2, where we're going to focus in on our Lord's identity
and mission in this world. And let me say from the get-go, though we do live in a dark world with a
lot of what-ifs flying around us at the moment with wars and rumors of wars and political unrest
among the nations and what seems like a real hatred towards the gospel, the hope of this season
that we are reflecting on is really bought out in this Psalm. Psalm 2 doesn't get us to deny what
we see around us nor does it urge us to bury our heads in the so-called sand, no far from it. In fact,
it gives us a framework in which to both understand and face the challenges of living in what seems
like a hopeless world with an incredible amount of hope. In other words, Psalm 2 is both realistic
and hopeful at the very same time, bringing glad tidings to us in the chaotic world in which we
find ourselves. Now, before we jump into the passage that we have before us this morning and
look at these wonderful things, I just want to mention something about how our Psalm has been
structured because as many great preachers throughout the history of the church have commented on,
there's four sections that each feature what seems to be a different speaker giving their voice.
In verses 1 to 3, we have the voice of the raging world, snarling and sneering at God and His anointed
one. In verses 4 to 6, we have the voice of God Himself who is laughing at their feeble efforts.
In verses 7 to 9, we have the voice of the Son of God who declares the decree that has been given
to Him. And last of all, in verses 10 to 12, we have the psalmist Himself sounding loads like an
evangelist, if I might say, bringing glad tidings of hope to some and warnings to bear on others.
So that's the structure in which we're going to explore the passage that we have before us this
morning. Our psalmist, he's going to bring us four different voices, first from the raging world,
second from our laughing God, third from the Son of God and fourth from the preacher Himself.
So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, look with me at the first three verses there.
We read, why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, let's break their chains
and throw off their shackles. Right, so the first thing that I want you to notice here is that our
psalmist, he starts with a rhetorical question and he does that because he wants us to be thinking
the same thing that he is. How ridiculous is it to set yourself up against God Almighty?
That's what our psalmist wants us to be thinking here. How on earth can people think that they can
topple the rule of God? It's an absolute absurd thing to think, let alone plan and utter out loud.
And I want you to see that because so much of the time when we look at the news, when we listen to
political commentary, when we flick through people's comments on Instagram, we can be tempted to feel
like it's all so hopeless as we listen to the chorus of the muddled minds that all sing from the
same hymn book called, Rage Against God. But notice what our psalmist does. He doesn't get down,
he doesn't fret. No, he's actually astounded because he sees this whole thing from the perspective
of the one who is ruling all peoples and nations. And from that point of view, he says to himself,
can you think of anything more ludicrous? People plot, plan and play out their various schemes to
cast God aside. But it's absolutely laughable. And though the chorus is loud, our psalmist,
he stays quite calm in the midst of it all. And it's quite simple how he gets to this place.
In what seems like a hopeless world with hopeless situations with people's anger and hatred towards
God being rather vocal, our psalmist doesn't become overwhelmed. But he holds onto the stone, cold,
hard facts of scripture. God is sovereign over all peoples and the nations of the world.
And thus to think of even setting yourself against him and casting him off is completely futile.
It's laughable. It's comedic even. That's how our psalmist stays calm in the midst of the storm.
He approaches what he's hearing around him with what he knows to be the reality of the situation.
And it causes him to think, why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
So we might ask, what is he seeing and hearing around him? Well, pretty much what we see in our
own time and place. Those in great authority over the nations, they're together and they're agreed
on one thing. Let's cast God off and his anointed from us. Now anointed here is English for the
Hebrew word, Mashiach, where we get our word Messiah or Christ from. And though we're looking at
something written thousands of years before Jesus Christ was even born, this scene that our psalmist,
the one that he puts before us of people enraged by Jesus, well, it's all too familiar.
Just the other day I was reading an article on ChristianPost.com about Ryan Skiavo,
an American born evangelist who was recently arrested for preaching the gospel in Canterbury,
England. In Canterbury, England, Skiavo told CP.com that he and a friend went to Canterbury just to
share the gospel. And while preaching from Romans one on God, judging society because of wickedness
and the need for repentance and faith in Jesus, police officers told him to be quiet
as they were disturbing the peace. I love this reply. Skiavo then said the people he's sharing
the gospel with, they have no real peace in which the next moment he recalled that he was handcuffed,
thrown in the back of a paddy wagon and taken away. Why the anger with a couple of guys going out
to share the gospel of Jesus, you might wonder. Well, some too gives us the answer. The people say
of God and his anointed one of the Christ of the Messiah, let's break their chains and throw off
their shackles. Now for Ryan and his mate, this was pretty light persecution compared to what the
ancient church experienced. For one example, in Acts 4, the evangelist Luke reports that the
Christians as they were starting to fill the wrath of those who were in authority, that they actually
of all the passages in the Bible turned to Psalm 2 to help them understand what they were going
through. And in response to what they were experiencing, they lifted their voices in prayer
reciting these very first three verses only to say, for truly in this city, they were gathered
together against your servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the
nations which is translated Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and
purpose predestined to occur. Amazing, not only did the early church see Psalm 2 as being fulfilled
in their very midst, they were also able like our psalmist here to find real hope and comfort in
their suffering as they understood the age-old battle of kings and peoples and rulers rising
up against God and his anointed one. And thus they were able to understand their persecution
within a certain framework. Kings, rulers, nations, peoples, they would do all sorts of things to cast
God from them, to unshackle themselves from his anointed one. Herod tried to kill Jesus as a
little baby boy and when he grew up they crucified him. But all their efforts to cast off God and
his anointed one were absolutely futile. That's still the case today church. Peoples, leaders,
presidents, prime ministers, they still set themselves up against God and his rule and authority
through King Jesus. But we have a framework to cling to as we hear the chorus of rage against
our God. Scripture reveals that it's absolute folly to set yourself up against God Almighty.
And so though we may go through suffering and persecution and slander on this side of Kingdom
come, let us be encouraged this morning. Let us turn down the social commentary and let Scripture
be a lamp unto our feet in this dark world. God rules and he is sovereign over the world
and all things in it. And at the end of the day when all is said and done, those plans to rebel
against God and his planned purposes through his anointed one will be shown for what they were.
Absolute folly and stupidity. 17th century pastor Richard Baxter Puritan in England puts it well.
Why do the heathen rage? Why do they conspire against God? Well in this way they only show their
ignorance of the power and the wisdom of God. The kings of the earth and their rulers may plot
against Christ but in the end it'll all be for their own ruin. For the Lord has set his king on
the throne and will not allow his purposes to fail. Brothers and sisters as we trust what we are told
here that instead of being crushed under what feels like the weight of a hopeless scary world
that we will be emboldened to share the gospel. Strengthen to show the message and share the
message of peace with those who have no real peace. As we remind ourselves of how God has revealed
himself in this in his word that instead of burying our heads in the sand that we will face this
world with realism and honesty about how hard things may really get for us. But we will do it
with hope and that's because the word of God provides us with a framework in which to understand
the things that we hear and see. The world will rage but to no avail and our king is still on
his throne. That's first we live in a raging world but take heart dear ones no matter how
loud the chorus gets our God is sovereign. He won't be toppled and all his plans and purposes
through Jesus Christ will come to fruition. Next our psalmist takes us to God's response in all of
this in verses four to six saying the one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them he rebukes
them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying I have installed my king on Zion my holy
mountain. Again what fuel is injected into the psalmist's hope here? What caused the ancient world
to lift their voice and praise and adoration in the midst of very real persecution? What can help you
and me not fret and freak out over today's trials and tomorrow's troubles? Well again it is by reminding
ourselves of exactly who God is and what position he holds and as we see here how not fazed he is
by the world's screams and shouts of rebellion at him. I have always absolutely hated flying
absolutely hated it and in my younger days as a traveling musician I would do anything to avoid
flights because turbulence is one of the most terrifying things that I have ever experienced.
Now for the experienced flyer turbulence doesn't become something that they might look forward to
but something that they've learnt to deal with and so as I was on a flight to Norway ages ago and we
were in the midst of a terrible time of turbulence I asked the guy next to me who was as calm as a
farm why he wasn't fazed and he simply said in his thick Norwegian accent I just keep my eyes on the
airline host if they're not freaking out neither am I. It's no secret brothers and sisters the world
has set itself up in opposition to God and the things of God and much of the time it feels like
we're going to be in for a bumpy ride and go through some terrifying turbulence and so in light
of all of that the church we sort of retreat back into ourselves because we don't want to make things
worse for ourselves than they might already be. Now I'm not saying that we should all go out and be
an absolute minister society and start picking fights with everyone who doesn't agree with us
but what I am saying is that we have a calling and that calling is on each and every single one of us
a commission from the king to take his glad tidings to those around us and so as we go either
individually or as a church as a whole well when not if when they kick back when they threaten when
they taunt we must remember that we have a God in heaven who is absolutely amused by their plans
to cast him off and throw him away and so as we keep our eyes on him through the most worst
of turbulences whatever they might be we will find enormous reassurance that it's all going to be
okay in the end. I love that old hymn in which Helene Lemell reminds the church to turn our eyes
upon Jesus to look full in his wonderful face as the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace and we have this blessed assurance that it will all be okay
in the end because of what we see in verse six which is really what we are celebrating this
Christmas season. Of course Christmas is is about reflecting on the birth of Jesus because he would
grow up and be crucified for the sin of his people but what we sometimes lose sight of is that with
the first advent with the coming of the Messiah the world had an answer to its scheming plotting
and raging. They tried to cast the anointed one off they crucified the Messiah but he raised to life
and is now seated on his throne reigning over the world that tried to be rid of God and his
anointed one once and for all and God still laughs at their feeble efforts to break their chains
and throw off their shackles. That's first a raging world second a laughing God third the
son who reigns. Read with me verses seven to nine. I'll proclaim the Lord's decree. He said to me
you're my son and today I've become your father. Ask me and I will make the nations your inheritance
the ends of the earth your possession. You'll break them with a rod of iron you'll dash them to
pieces like pottery. And so here we hear this third voice and that is the voice of the anointed one
himself the Messiah who tells us of the royal decree that has been given to him. First in
verse seven he tells us that he's God's son. This is picked up in Hebrews chapter one where the
writer says that this was said of Jesus in eternity past which he goes on to clarify for us that the
son was never created but has always been which is to say there was never a time when he was not.
That's why the apostle John could clearly articulate in the first chapter of his gospel no one has
ever seen God but the only one son who is himself God and in the closest relationship with the father
has made him known. Now time escapes us this morning to go on a massive big tour of our new
testaments but some too is either quoted or alluded to time and time and time again to
clarify the identity and mission of Jesus. We see it in his baptism in his transfiguration in
Peter's confession and at his trial before the high priest. He is God's eternal son. He is the
anointed one. He is the Christ. He is the one who is spoken of in this psalm and he has been
appointed and anointed to rule and reign over this world. Second he tells us of the scope there in
verse eight of his rule. It's universal which is to say there's no place no people group no tribe no
nation where the son's dominion will not one day be seen and felt in its fullness. I might ask a
question this morning what is Christmas really all about? Well we're reminded something about
Christmas in our text this morning. It's about being reminded of our king who came. It's about
being reminded to lift up our eyes past the tsunami of sludge that comes out of the world
and to turn down the volume of blasphemous hatred by looking past those who have set themselves up
as trend setters internet influencers presidents and politicians to the one who is really and truly
shaping the things to come. This psalm it reminds us to look heavenward to our true king who has come
and where there's no place no people no ruler no nation that is beyond his power and that will
escape his dominion. Brothers and sisters let's all be reminded of this this Christmas and rejoice.
The true king has come. He was crucified by the world but raised victorious by God and is now
and forever alive and our Lord reigns forevermore. And before we move on quickly third verse 9 the
reign of the Messiah it is not feeble or fractured in any way but incredibly powerful to the point
that when he tears something down it will never be built up again. I'm not sure how many of you
remember the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. Of course you do. But after he fell you could correct me
if I get this wrong but after he fell off that wall and smashed to pieces whoever tried to put
him together again no matter how hard they tried no matter who they got in they simply couldn't
put poor Humpty Dumpty back together again. And that's the idea that sits behind the imagery here
of verse 9. Once the Messiah dashes and smashes those that have tried to stand up against him
once those nations have been judged and torn down once people have felt the wrath of the Messiah
like obliterated pottery there is no possibility of ever rebuilding or putting back together
again what has been destroyed. And thus in a sober warning our psalmist says in verses 10 to 12
therefore you kings be wise be warned you rulers of the earth serve the Lord with fear and celebrate
his rule with trembling kiss the sun or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction
for his wrath can flare up in a moment but blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
Maybe you'll hear this morning and you're like thanks Mike Christmas for me is all about little
baby Jesus with little baby rosy cheeks in a manger surrounded by people with halos and somehow
there's a little drummer boy there and talking reindeer and though Christmas is indeed been made
into a holiday with turkey and mistletoe and Neil Diamond's greatest Christmas hits for the
hallmark experience well maybe we need to be encouraged by the truth of what that little
king born all those years ago came to do in his first advent he came to die for the sin of his
people and provide eternal refuge as one day he will come again in his second advent to bring
judgment and justice on all those who have set themselves up against him and his precious bride
and he will dash all the horrid torturous wickedness of rotten evil it'll be utterly dashed to
smithereens the world doesn't need a fairy tale this Christmas season it needs the truth it needs
salvation and justice and that is exactly what the gospel provides this world it is the good news
of what God has achieved in his son the anointed one Jesus Christ and so our psalmist he applies the
text and he says kings rulers nations people while there is still breath in your lungs repent
turn to the sun and honor and trust and submit to his rule nobody need perish under the judgment
that is to come there is an offer available to anyone from anywhere if you adjust turn to Jesus
Christ as blessed are all those who take refuge in him brothers and sisters what will you do with
Jesus this Christmas season let's pray father god we are so thankful for the gospel we are so thankful
for the lord Jesus Christ we are so thankful that we are not in this world alone that you love your
church and that you love us individually and father as we face the various valleys as we face the
various darknesses of this world we thank you that you are the light of this world and that we have a
hope like no other we ask father this Christmas season that you would provide us with opportunity
around those who have no real peace to share the good news and the peace of your beloved son
father we also ask that you would use this church this congregation this pulpit for the purposes
of the gospel that we would be a light here in armadale that you would provide us with opportunity
to continually point to the one who is king of kings and lord of lords and we ask for this for
the sake of christ and in your name amen