The title of the sermon today is The Ruler of
the Kings of the Earth. Our text is Psalm 2,
which we have just sung a versified or a made
-to -rhyme music about, Psalm 2. So now I'm going
to read Psalm 2 and then we're going to also
look at Acts chapter 1, verses 1 through 11.
Hear the word of the Lord from Psalm 2. This
is a prophecy about the Messiah to come. Why
do the nations rage and the people plot a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves
and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed saying, let
us break their bonds in pieces and cast away
their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens
shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then he shall speak to them in his wrath and
distress them in his deep displeasure. Yet I
have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will
declare the decree. The Lord has said to me,
you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask
of me. And I will give you the nations for your
inheritance and the ends of the earth for your
possession. You shall break them with a rod of
iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's
vessel. Now, therefore, be wise, O kings. Be
instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the
Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss
the son, lest he be angry. and you perish in
the way when his wrath has kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in
him. And now turning over to the book of Luke,
chapter, I'm sorry, the book of Acts, chapter
1. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of
all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the
day in which he was taken up, after he through
the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the
apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also
presented himself alive after his suffering by
many infallible proofs, being seen of them during
forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining
to the kingdom of God, and being assembled together
with them, he commanded them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the
father, which he said, you have heard it from
me for John truly baptized with water, but you
shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Not many
days from now. Therefore, when they had come
together, they asked him saying, Lord, will you
at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He
said to them. It is not for you to know times
or seasons which the Father has put in his own
authority. But you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall
be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea
and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Now
when he had spoken these things, while they watched,
he was taken up. And the cloud received him out
of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, who also said,
Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from
you into heaven, will so come in like manner
as you saw him go into heaven. Let's pray and
ask for God's blessing on this time. Our Father,
we thank you, Lord, for these rich truths contained
in these passages. Lord, there is so much here.
And we can only do a bit, Lord, in this time
allotted here before us. And so I pray, God,
that you would give us the strength and that
you would open up our minds and help us to understand
these truths, Lord. And through it all, Lord,
I pray for worship, that we might truly worship
you, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our sovereign
King. And ruler. We ask for your blessing on
this time. In the name of Jesus. Amen. John.
To the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace
to you and peace from him who is. And who was.
And who is to come. And from the seven spirits
who are before his throne. And from Jesus Christ.
the faithful witness, the firstborn from the
dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth,
to him who loved us and washed us from our sins
in his own blood, and has made us priests and
kings to his God and Father, to whom be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen. With these
resounding words of greeting from John to the
seven churches of Asia, the Apostle John begins
the Apocalypse, that great book of the revelation
of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to show
his servants things which must shortly come to
pass. I take the title of this sermon from this
most important description of Jesus and his mediatorial
reign. That is, that he is the ruler of the kings
of the earth, for he is the prince, the chief
ruler, the magistrate, the commander, and chief.
Today is Ascension Sunday. It's the first Sunday
after Ascension Day, which falls 40 days after
Easter. And on this day, the church rejoices
in the coronation of Jesus Christ as our mediatorial
king. So we remember and celebrate the moment
when our Lord Jesus, after he completed the redemptive
work on earth, he ascended from the Mount of
Olives into heaven. There he was received with
heavenly acclaim and worship and was seated at
the right hand of the majesty on high. This triumphant
reality is beautifully declared in the book of
Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1 to 4, which reads,
God, who at various times and in various ways
spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by his Son.
whom he has appointed heir of all things, through
whom also he made the world, who, being the brightness
of his glory and the express image of his person
and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down
at the right hand of the majesty on high. Having
become so much better than the angels as he has
by inheritance obtained a more excellent name
than they. While the eternal son of God has always
been king by virtue of his divine nature. In
his ascension, he is now enthroned as the mediatorial
king. That is the God. Who represents us. That
through his incarnation. And his sinless life.
His atoning death. His bodily resurrection. And
his ascension. He has become the true and perfect
mediator. Between God and man. And such as he
is then. He is our mediator and our king. Or
mediatorial king. This very scene. Of Jesus ascension.
And coming to the father. Was foreseen. It was
prophesied. Way back in the book of Daniel. The
prophet Daniel. Who had this vision. This was
centuries earlier. And Daniel records these words.
He says. I was watching in the night visions.
And behold. One like the son of man. coming with
the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient
of days, and they brought him near before him.
Then to him was given dominion and glory and
a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
the one which shall not be destroyed. This is
in Daniel 7, verse 13 and 14. So we celebrate
the ascension of Jesus Christ. He is our prince.
He is our king. He is the ruler of the kings
of the earth, as we read in Revelation 1, verse
5. He reigns and his kingdom will never end.
So today, we remember this great event, but there's
also more. So on this Sunday, We also join together
with many others in our nation who today are
reflecting on God's providence and giving thanks
and praise to God for these 250 years of his
guidance in our nation, his guidance and his
grace of our own nation, the United States of
America. And we pray that God would bless and
protect America for the next 250 years. and solemnly
rededicate our country as one nation under God.
There's a big rally in Washington, D .C., a service
being held today on this. There's also a rally
this evening at Boise on the Capitol steps, a
time of remembrance. I will not be able to be
there because we're traveling, but it is a time
of remembrance. And then on top of all of this,
if this were not enough, we are also privileged
to participate this week in an election. An election
for the governor of our state, for a United States
senator, a state senator, two state representatives,
as well as various judges and commissioners and
assessors and others. So in light of Christ being
the ruler of the rulers and of the ruler of the
civil leaders of our state, how should this affect
our thinking about them or our voting? And how
should Christ's church speak to them and instruct
them as our representatives? So in consideration
of all of these things, as we celebrate Christ
being seated as the mediatorial king, the time
of remembrance and praise to God for our own
nation, and the upcoming election, I've chosen
today to speak or to preach on Psalm 2. Psalm
2 is one of the greatest messianic psalms in
the Bible. It is a royal psalm. It is one of
the most frequently... quoted in the New Testament.
The only one, to my knowledge, that is quoted
more is Psalm 110, which is also about the kingship
of Christ. These two psalms compose a huge amount
of the quotations of the psalms in the New Testament.
The apostles in their preaching continually referred
to either Psalm 110 or Psalm 2. So it contrasts
the futile rebellion of earthly rulers against
God and of God's anointed king with his sovereign
response and ultimate victory. It then ends with
a clear call of warning and invitation to all
kings, all rulers, all judges, all magistrates,
instructing them to be wise and to serve Jesus
Christ, the anointed one. So we're going to break
this down into four different sections as we
look at Psalm 2. The first is the rebellion of
the nations, which is in verses 1 to 3. Why?
Why do the nations rage? and the people plot
a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together against
the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let
us break their bonds in pieces and cast away
their cords from us. This psalm begins with a
question. Why do the nations rage? Why are the
people plotting a vain thing? Why is there a
great foment and an uprising, a stirring against
the authority of the tribes? We are shown the
very great struggle between the kingdom of Christ
and the dominion of Satan. The prince of the
power of the air. The spirit which now works
in the sons of disobedience. As Paul says in
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 2. There is a rage
against the Lord and against his anointed Christ.
It is a despising of the authority that is wielded
by almighty God. The nations are in a tumult,
a commotion of rebellion, of conspiring and plotting
against the authority of Jehovah and of his anointed
one, Jesus Christ. This rebellion is held by
kings and rulers who do not fear God and obey
his commandments. Now in the apostolic age of
the early church, this describes both their Roman
overlords and the Jewish civic and... religious
leaders in Acts chapter 4 after the healing of
the lame man in the temple what did the chief
priest do did they rejoice about it no no they
threatened the church and they commanded them
not to speak in the name or to teach in the name
of Jesus so after they received the threat the
apostles were then left go and they gathered
together and what did they do they prayed from
Psalm 2 right here They prayed from this psalm
and they applied it directly to their situation.
So when they heard that, they raised their voice
to God with one accord and said, Lord. You are
God who made heaven and earth and the sea and
all that is in them, who by the mouth of your
servant David have said, Why did the nations
rage and the people plot vain things? The kings
of the earth took their stand and the rulers
were gathered together against the Lord and his
Christ. For truly against your holy servant Jesus,
whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate
with the Gentiles, And the people of Israel were
gathered together to do whatever your hand and
your purpose determined before to be done. Acts
chapter 4 verses 24 through 28. They saw this
as fulfilling this passage, fulfilling this psalm.
And it included both the Gentile leaders as well
as the Jewish leaders. They all were conspiring
together against God. Then a chapter later in
Acts we see it again when the high priest rose
up and all those who were with him and they were
filled with indignation at what was happening.
They put the apostles in prison, but God delivered
them by an angel who opened the prison doors.
The leaders brought them again into their council
and they commanded them not to speak in the name
of Jesus. You would think that by now they would
be learning this is a futile command because
they're just going to go out and do it again.
And indeed, Peter and the other apostles answered
them and said, we ought to obey God rather than
men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him,
God has exalted to his right hand to be a prince
and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness
of sins. And we are witnesses to these things.
And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has
given to those who obey him. Acts 5, verse 29
to 32. So when they heard this, Verse 33, they
were furious and plotted to kill them. Wicked
rulers hate the fact that Christ rules over them
and that they are accountable to God for their
actions. And so they fight against his people.
They hate him and fight against his people. people
they set themselves they took counsel together
they desire to break his bonds and cords that
overrule them they have not yet learned what
the great king Nebuchadnezzar did after his humiliation
when God took away his kingdom for a time and
he ate with the beasts of the field and so he
did for seven years and when and after his understanding
came back to him he said this is the testimony
of Nebuchadnezzar I blessed the Most High, and
I praised and honored Him who lives forever,
for His dominion is an everlasting dominion.
His kingdom is from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed
as nothing. He does according to his will and
the army of heaven and among all the inhabitants
of the earth. No one can restrain his hand or
say to him, what have you done? And then here's
Nebuchadnezzar's personal testimony in response.
He says, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol
and honor the king of heaven, all whose works
are truth and his ways justice and those who
walk in pride he is able to put down. Nebuchadnezzar
learned his lesson. And you would think that
others would look and see his example. But, alas,
the rulers of the Apostles' Day did not do so.
They continued in their rebellion against him,
both the Gentile and the Jewish rulers. Now,
whether it is the rage of the Empress at the
time of the Boxer Rebellion in the early 1900s,
then followed by Chairman Mao in China, or the
Roman emperors Nero or Decius or Diocletian,
Or the waves of Islamic conquest of Tamerlane
in the 14th century. Or the Ottoman Empire with
the millions killed. In the Armenian, the Assyrian,
and the Greek genocides. And they were genocides
of... Christians in the early 1900s, or the 20th
century communist regimes of the Soviet Union,
or China, North Korea, and Romania, or the current
day slaughter of Christian believers in Nigeria,
where they are being slaughtered by the dozens
and sometimes even hundreds. The forced conversions
in Pakistan or the Islamic extreme persecution
and violence in Somalia and Sudan and Eritrea
and others or the systematic removal of Christian
influence and authority in modern Western countries.
Indeed, the nations are raging against Christ.
They have raged and the people have plotted.
The kings and the rulers take counsel together
and they set themselves against Christ. They
rebel against him and they hate his people, the
church. This is the fact of the matter. And we
see this as prophesied in Psalm 2. They rage
and they take counsel together. Well, let's move
then to the next section, which is in verses
4 through 6. And in this, we see the response
from the Lord God. Before it was the Lord Jehovah,
but now here it is the Lord God Adonai. He who
sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall
hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to
them in his wrath and distress them in his deep
displeasure. Yet I have set my king on my holy
hill of Zion. The one who sits in the heavens
shall laugh. This is not a laugh of fun. This
is not a laugh of delight, of rejoicing at the
goodness of God. No, this is a laugh of derision.
A laugh of mockery and ridicule. It is the laugh
of the one who, as Isaiah says in chapter 40,
verse 22, he who sits above the circle of the
earth and its inhabitants. are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
He brings the princes to nothing. He makes the
judges of the earth useless. It is the laughter
of the one with that authority, that authority
right now who inhabits eternity. He inhabits
the heavens and he looks down on the earth and
the whole earth is but a speck and the inhabitants
are just like him. No matter what men, even kings,
rulers, and judges devise against him, they continually
run up against the authority and the power of
God. The last pagan Roman emperor, who was Flavius
Claudius Julianus, also known as Julian the Apostate,
he made a very determined effort. But it was
one that was unsuccessful. A determined effort
to eradicate Christianity. And to revive traditional
Roman and Hellenistic religions. But he was unable
to do so. And as he was fatally pierced by a
spear. During his campaign against the Persian
Empire. He shouted out. And so the story goes.
That he shouted out. That is thou has conquered.
O Galilean, referring to Jesus, the Galilean,
thou hast conquered. The conspiring of the atheistic
and communistic regimes throughout the world
were and are unable to stop the advance of the
Christian faith. Even in many Islamic totalitarian
states, there are many former Muslims who are
coming to faith and trusting in Christ. Some
of them come where they're getting the word of
God through radio or through the internet or
others. And there's this underground movement
even in Iran. There are many, many Christians
who have been coming to faith in the last while.
Just a few. A few days ago, I received a word,
I received an email about something that's happening
in the country of Uzbekistan. So Uzbekistan is
a Central Asian country. It's there north of
India and not too far from Afghanistan and south
of Russia. It used to be a former Soviet country.
I had actually spent a number of times in this
country as a Muslim state in doing some Christian
work there a good number of years ago. But I
received word from Pastor Garrett. that there
are now two churches in the capital city that
is Tashkent that are thriving and growing one
or two of them may be joining our communion and
the parishioners are nearly all converts to the
Christian faith from Muslim background this is
happening right now brothers and sisters we need
to be praying for these people not only here
but I'm hearing it from many different Muslim
countries The laughter of God is a terrifying
laughter that makes one fall to the ground in
fear and trembling. This is the kind of laughter
that the Lord has against these rulers and judges.
And it is a laughter that is followed by the
Lord God Almighty speaking to them in His wrath
and in His deep displeasure. What is it that
He says? What words will he utter that will strike
this terror into them and be the action that
follows his wrath? Will he simply annihilate
them, remove them from office, or slow down the
advance? What are these words that despots hate
to hear? It is this, I have set my king. I have
set my king on my holy hill of Zion. This is
the same wrath that Herod had when he heard that
another king was born and by the wise men and
so he wanted them to come back so that he might
destroy him. It's the same rage that he had when
the wise men went home by a different way and
so he ordered the slaughter of all of the baby
boys to years and under in Bethlehem. Imagine
the terror and the horror of that as mothers
would... cling to their children and they would
be torn away by the soldiers at Herod's command
and put to death right on the spot it is that
kind of rage that they have against Christ as
king this is also expressed in other passages
because this is what God speaks to the rebellious
ones In Psalm 110, verse 1 and 2, I already referred
to this. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my
right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.
Now, what would happen if one of you would come
to your enemy and say, I'm going to make you
my footstool? Well, that's quite a derogatory
thing. I mean, it's something that really is
to put down. It's designed to humble them. And
what they're basically saying is, not only are
you going to submit to me, but I'm going to put
my feet on you. I'm going to rule over you. And
that is what God is saying to those who hate
him. I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion
and the Lord, then Psalm 110 verse 2, the Lord
shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion,
rule in the midst of your enemies. Now Paul describes
this as happening at the resurrection and the
ascension of Christ. And he speaks about this
in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 17. He says, The
God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, showed the working of his
mighty power, which he worked in Christ when
he raised him from the dead and seated him at
his right hand in the heavenly places. Far above
all principality and power and might and dominion
in every name that is named, not only in this
age, but also in that which is to come. And he
has put all things under. His feet. This is why.
Because this happened. When you look in the scriptures.
It's the resurrection and the ascension. And
they are tight together. 40 days apart. Yes.
But they are tight together. The enthronement
of Christ. The authority comes to him. At his
resurrection and ascension. When he is seated
at the right hand of the Father. This is why
Jesus could say to his disciples right at the
time of that ascension, this is just before he
goes up, just before he goes to his father, he
says, all authority has been given to me in heaven
and on earth. In heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations. He is
king, and that word is to go throughout the whole
world to every nation, to every ruler, to every
king. And this is God's response to the connivers,
the plotters, the kings, and the rulers who rage
and take counsel against the Lord Jehovah and
his anointed one, Jesus. And we move on to the
third section, which is the decree. Of the anointed
king. Verses 7 through 9. I will declare the
decree. The Lord has said to me. You are my son.
Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will
give you the nations for your inheritance. And
the ends of the earth for your possession. You
shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall
dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now
in verse 7. There's a change in the person speaking.
The one who speaks, beginning in verse 7, is
now the anointed one who speaks. And he says,
I will declare the decree. And then he says,
the Lord, that is the Lord Jehovah, has said
to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten
you. So this is Jesus speaking, and he is speaking
that this is what the Father has said to him.
Jesus was begotten in his humanity. when conceived
by the Holy Spirit in Mary. But the New Testament
writers apply this verse to being begotten when
God publicly declared Jesus as the risen enthroned
son, when he was vindicated and installed as
the heir and the king at the time of his resurrection,
followed by his exaltation. So, for example,
Paul, when he's preaching to the Jews at Antioch
of Pisidia in Acts chapter 13, He says, God has
fulfilled for us their children. God has fulfilled
this for us, their children, in that he has raised
up Jesus as it is also written in the second
Psalm, you are my son, today I have begotten
you. So Paul takes this verse right here, this
being begotten, today I begotten you, as referring
right to the time of the resurrection and the
ascension. Romans 1, Paul says of Jesus that
he was born of the seed of David according to
the flesh and declared to be the son of God with
power according to the spirit of holiness. How?
By the resurrection of the dead. Through him,
we have received grace and apostleship for obedience
to the faith among all nations for his name's
sake. Romans 1, verse 1 to 5. Now the Lord Jehovah,
I'm sorry. Jesus is quoting here what God has
said to him, what the Lord Jehovah said to him.
And this is continued now in verse 8. So the
father says, ask of me and I will give you the
nations for your inheritance and the ends of
the earth for your possession. The word is clear.
Jesus is king, not only of the Jews, but of all
nations on earth. They belong to him. Again,
we consider Jesus' words in the Great Commission.
Jesus testifies that he has asked and received.
Consider the vastness and the comprehensiveness
of this statement. And Jesus came and spoke to
them, saying, All authority has been given to
me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you. And, lo,
I am with you even to the end of the age. Amen.
And thus ends. The book of Matthew. Matthew does
not specifically speak of his ascension, but
the other passages, the other books of the Bible
do, the other gospels. The claim of Jesus is
complete. It is full. He is an authority. And
all are called to recognize that authority and
to bow before him. This means then that all religions
are not equal. All religions do not lead to God.
Jesus' claim is fully and completely exclusive.
John 14, verse 6. Jesus said to him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me. You reject Jesus,
you don't have eternal life, and you don't have
the Father. Acts 4, verse 12. Nor is there salvation
in any other, for there is no name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved. And
1 John 2, verse 23. Whoever denies the Son does
not have the Father either. He who acknowledges
the Son... has the Father also. You want to worship
God. You want to get to God. You want to have
peace with God. It's got to be through the Son.
It must be through Jesus Christ. There is no
other way. Jehovah continues then in verse 9,
back in Psalm 2. He says, You, that is you my
son, you the king, you shall break them with
a rod of iron. you shall dash them to pieces
like a potter's vessel. Now Jesus says that he
is the good shepherd who will give his life for
his sheep and he will feed his flock. He is the
one that he says will not break a bruised reed
or quench the smoking flax, indicating his love
and his care for his servants. Jesus is the one
who says, cast all your cares upon me for I care
for you. But, as Isaiah says in chapter 43, verse
2, He shall also bring forth judgment unto truth.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he
has set judgment on the earth and the isles shall
wait for his law. See, Jesus is the one who is
both a tender shepherd. He's the one who gives
his life for the sheep and he feeds his flock.
But he is also the king. And he rules and he
reigns and he rides the horses described in Revelation
and carries out the judgments that belong to
the people to whom he judges. So he is both.
And here we see him described as the one who
has a scepter, a scepter of iron. It's a rod.
And with this, he will dash to pieces. the nations
and the kings and the rulers who rebel against
him. And he will do so like a potter's vessel.
You think of a clay pot and you take an iron
rod and you smash it and it breaks into smithereens.
That's exactly the way that this is described.
The judgment and the rule of Christ to those
who rebel is like one who wields an iron rod
against a clay pot. pot and smashes it to bits
the breaking with this rod of iron which is the
scepter of righteousness this speaks of the initial
context of this song it is against those who
rage and set themselves against the Lord and
his anointed it is the rebellious ones that Is
our Jesus. Not only is he meek and lowly in heart.
But he has been installed as king over all. All
nations. All peoples. All dominions. All powers.
All authorities. For he has all authority in
heaven and on earth. And those who rebel will
be put down. They will be smashed. And yes. This
includes the United States of America. If we
do not repent and embrace Christ. These are sobering.
sobering words. When we say that Christ is Lord
over all, that he is the King of kings and the
Lord of lords, so many times we in the modern
church have diminished these glorious statements
by saying he's Lord of our hearts. We only apply
it to our own hearts. And truly, he is Lord of
our hearts, but that's not it. That's not all.
We say that Christ is Lord of our hearts or of
our spiritual worship, which indeed He is, but
it does not stop there. Or perhaps we include
His Lordship as head over the church. And indeed,
He is Lord of the church, but it doesn't stop
there. We shorten and we truncate this grand
and glorious vision. Look over at Colossians
1, verse 15 through 18. Look at this world -changing
vision. comprehensive and expansive scope of
the reign of Christ. Paul says, He is the image
of the invisible God. He is the firstborn over
all creation. For by Him were all things created
that are in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers. All things were created through Him.
and get this, and for him, and for him. And he
is before all things, and in him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church, who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things, in all things, in everything,
he may have the preeminence. This is Christ.
There is not one square inch on earth where Jesus
does not say this is mine. There is nothing.
There's no principalities. There's no powers.
There's no nation. There's no king. There's no
ruler. There's no father or mother. There's no
judge where God does not say what you do belongs
to me and you belong to me and you need to serve
me. You need to bow before me. You need to humble
yourself before me and worship me alone. Christ
is Lord over all. Finally then, we come to the
last part and that is the warning and invitation
to the rulers, verses 10 through 12. Now therefore
be wise, O kings. In light of what was just said
here, in light of the rod, in light of the being
dashed to pieces, be wise, O kings. Be instructed,
you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with
fear. Rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest
he be angry and you perish in the way when his
wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all
those who trust in him. Who put their trust in
him. The psalmist now gives instruction to earthly
rulers and judges and this is just as applicable
today as to when it was originally written and
as in the apostles day. It is just. the same
way. He gives instruction to earthly rulers and
the judges. In light of the authority of the
anointed king, be wise, be instructed, you judges.
And then he gives the gospel to them so that
they do not anger the king and perish. What does
he tell them? Serve the Lord with fear, rejoice
with trembling, and kiss the sun. To kiss the
son is an expression of deep humility and obedience
and belief that one ruler or king would do to
another ruler or to a higher ruler or king. And
so he says to the rulers and the judges, bow
before the son. Kiss him. Say to him, you are
my lord and master. I will serve you. Forgive
me for my rebellion against you. I bow before
you. And I kiss you. These are acts of repentance,
of humility, and of subservience to the master,
the king, over all. And then he says, a blessing
will come on all those who in authority put their
trust in Christ. This is the way the apostles
thought. We see Paul standing before Felix in
Agrippa and then later Caesar. What does Paul
do when he stands before them? To Felix, he reasoned
about righteousness and self -control and the
judgment to come. And Felix was so afraid and
he answered, go away for now. When I have a convenient
time, I will call for you. To King Agrippa, Paul
appeals, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?
I know that you believe. And then Agrippa said
to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian.
And Paul said, I would to God that not only you,
but also all who hear me today might become both
almost and altogether such as I am, except for
these chains. Acts chapter 26, verse 27. We can
be sure that as he had opportunity, he did the
same. stood before Caesar, for we know that some
in Caesar's household believed. Paul writes to
the Philippians, all the saints greet you, but
especially those who are of Caesar's household.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
all. Amen. Philippians 4, 22 and 23. There is
no way that we can say, based on this Foundational
scripture. There's no way that we can say, well,
God doesn't really care about the political sphere.
We just need to focus on that which is spiritual.
We need to focus just on the church and obviously...
We need a faithful church. And it's out of faithful
worship that all of these other things flow.
We need to have the right order. But it doesn't
stop at the church doors. It doesn't stop just
with the Christian believers in their hearts
worshiping God. It flows out to the workplace.
It flows out to the various jobs that we have.
It flows out to... the rulers and the kings and
the judges and the legislators and the assessor's
office and the commissioner's office and all
of the other offices that exist in our form of
government. It flows out to them all. We cannot
say that politics is dirty and Christians should
stay away from it or that it is not appropriate
for a Christian to be a judge or a magistrate
or a ruler. This psalm shows the ascended Christ
in his glory and in his inheritance. And to him,
kings and rulers and judges and all nations must
bow and serve. And when they do so, they will
be blessed and they will be spared the rod of
iron and its judgment. Blessed are all those
who put their trust in him. Well, let's consider
just a few applications here at the end. So one
might ask them, well, how should we choose and
elect and vote for or elect our governor, our
legislators, our judges and leaders? By what
standard? Well, we're going to look here at what
the ideal is. And so that is what we strive for.
First of all, choose those who have bowed to
Christ, who love him and who serve him. Psalm,
Proverbs 29, two, when the righteous are in authority,
the people rejoice. But when a wicked man rules,
the people's grown. Secondly, look for those
who are just and rule in the fear of God. Second
Samuel 23 in verse three, the God of Israel said,
the rock of Israel spoke to me. He who rules
over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.
Also. Also, they should have the ability to serve
and lead well. It is not enough just to be a
Christian. When you come to the various tasks
of office, they must also have ability. This
is in Exodus 18, verse 21 and 22. Moreover, you
shall select from all the people able men. Such
as men who fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness,
and place such over them to be rulers of thousands,
rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifty, and rulers
of ten. In order to be faithful in greater situations,
a key principle that Jesus articulates in Luke
16 verse 10 is that they have proven themselves
to be faithful in little. He says, he who is
faithful in what is least. is faithful also in
much. And he who is unjust in what is least is
unjust also in much. So in other words, don't
just look for somebody who proclaims it, but
their life is a mess. They don't have their own
house in order. Well, no, then they're not fit
to be a leader either. So that's something else
to consider. Number four, they must not pervert
judgment or be partial or punish the innocent
and righteous. Exodus 23, verse 6, you shall
not pervert the judgment of your poor in his
dispute. Keep yourself far from a false matter.
Do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I
will not justify the wicked, and you shall take
no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and
perverts the words of the righteous. Number five,
they must understand the difference between good
and evil. Must understand the difference between
good and evil. Paul gives instructions in Romans
13. For rulers are not a terror to good works
but to evil. Do you want to not be afraid of
the authority? Do what is good and you will have
praise from the same. For he is God's minister
to you for good. But if you do evil. Be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he
is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath
on him who practices evil. Now this description,
this proscription here by Paul, this is how rulers
are to be. They must understand what good is
and what evil is. And they promote the good and
they bless the good and they punish the evil.
That's part of their duty. It's part of their
responsibility as a minister, a deacon of God.
Now, of course, the question comes up, what if
there are none like that on the ballot? And what
do we do? So, obviously, there are some who will
say, well, you need to... just do this and you
write somebody in somebody that's not on the
ballot but we we also know that on the ballot
there's always it's going to be one of these
that are chosen that's the way our system is
there's other types of systems but for here it's
one or the other so my counsel then is this and
this is a counsel more of wisdom uh as as i see
it it is to choose the one most likely to leave
us alone So that we can live a quiet and a peaceable
life in all godliness and reverence. And this
comes from 1 Timothy chapter 2. Paul says, therefore
I exhort first of all that supplications and
prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be
made for all men, for kings and all who are in
authority. For what? That we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
So there, even if the candidates don't meet nearly
all what I outlined before, then we can at least
seek to choose the one who will leave us alone
the best so that we can worship God and honor
him in every way. But at the same time, we should
pray for them, again, 1 Timothy 2, that they
would be saved and come to the knowledge of the
truth. And not only should we pray, but we should
also disciple. We should teach and prepare future
candidates who do fulfill these biblical standards.
It is my prayer that God will use some in this
congregation to serve our towns or our counties
and our state in this way, or perhaps even at
a national level. Pastor Kevin DeYoung, in his
excellent article, The Presbyterian Signers of
the Declaration of Independence, which he gives
a history of the amount of Presbyterians who
signed the Declaration. He gives some of their
story. So he writes about the founder and pastor,
John Witherspoon. I quote, as a local church
pastor in the Church of Scotland, Witherspoon
proved to be an effective evangelical preacher
and writer, often railing against the doctrinal
declension of the moderate wing of the Kirk.
His church in Paisley, which had to be expanded
to accommodate the growing congregation, could
seat 1 ,300 worshipers. And then he moved to
the United States, and he became president of
Princeton University. And I pick it up again.
As Princeton's president, Witherspoon set the
college on firm financial footing and established
it as one of the leading institutions in the
new republic. in the new republic. Witherspoon
personally instructed an entire generation of
educators, legislators, and statesmen. Of his
469 graduates, 114 became ministers, 14 became
college presidents, and 13 went on to serve as
governors. A list of his Princeton graduates
includes 12 members of the Continental Congress,
five delegates to the Constitutional Convention,
five of them, one U .S. president, James Madison,
one vice president, 49 representatives, 28 senators,
three Supreme Court justices, eight district
judges, one secretary of state, three attorneys
general, and two foreign ministers. From one
man's teaching, in a faithful way. Of what God
had laid on his heart. Regarding the principles
of Christian civil government. This is what is
needed today. Is pastors all over. And teachers.
To teach. To teach faithfully. To raise up candidates
all over the place. That will honor God in this
way. This is so urgently needed. Finally then.
Let us rejoice. In God's good providence. We
talked about the time today of rejoicing in God's
providence in our last 250 years. Now we know
that in the last 250 years of history, there
also has been a lot of sin. We know that. And
it's good and right to confess the sins of our
nation. But here's the thing. We must not let
the sins and the wrongs outweigh the fact of
the blessings and the goodness of God on our
nation. We have experienced an immeasurable amount
of God's goodness and grace and glory upon us.
I mean, think about it, that God would not destroy
Sodom in all of its wickedness if there were
just ten righteous there. And we think of in
percentage wise of how many faithful believers
are here. And it's a much greater percentage.
And for that we must rejoice. So whereas we can
weep and sorrow for the sins of our nation. We
can also rejoice in God's good and great providence.
And for the righteous rulers that we have had.
And give praise to him for it. But then. As we
thank God for his work in our nation, let us
call on our rulers to fear God and bow before
Christ and let us be a preparing ground for others
in the future. Let us then firmly resolve to
repent of our sins before a holy and just God
and before Jesus Christ, the ruler of the nations,
the ruler. Of the kings of the earth. Let us
beseech him for his mercy. On our nation. On
our state. And on our counties. And let us look
to him for wisdom. Let us reflect on God's providence
throughout the last 250 years and honor the faith
that inspired America's founders and has carried
us forward in every generation since. Let us
remember the testimonies of God's work and of
his healing in our lives and in our land and
of the many wonderful things that we have seen
throughout the course of our history. But then
let us pray and work for a new birth of faith.
and freedom. Expressing gratitude, yes, but let
us also rededicate our lives and our state and
our nation to God. Let us acknowledge our King
Jesus, the ruler of nations. Let us ask for his
blessing, his guidance, and his grace for the
next 250 years. In the name of the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. Let's pray.