Psalm 2: When the Nations Rage – Finding Refuge in the Son

[Music] [Laughter] well hey there welcome back to the pastor Patrick Podcast I'm Patrick Dy and I'm the pastor of Ontario community church and I'm really glad that you have been able to tune in whether you're watching or you're listening to the first time I want to let you know that you are welcomed here and I'm really glad that you're here we have been going through the Psalms together we last week we started our pilot episode going over Psalm 1 and today we're going to go over Psalm 2 we've been using the NIV version and Psalm 2 is a powerful Psalm where it's talking about God's Reign and his authority and his power and the psalm is asking this question here is what happens when people reject God's Rule and Reign and so um we're going to go ahead and open in prayer and we'll just go ahead and get started I have my Bible right here and we'll just uh um we'll pray together we'll read the psalm and we'll get right to it uh dear Lord and Heavenly Father we thank you for this opportunity and this time for us to gather together um using um podcast uh technology uh distribution and we're just grateful for everyone who is watching um no matter where they're at on life's journey we I certainly pray that they may come to know who your son is Jesus Christ uh develop v a relationship with him grow in him and be moved to do good in His holy name I pray that you bless this time together as we continue our study and really just going through the Psalms together in Jesus name we pray amen and so Psalm 2 it starts off by this 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 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 and I will proclaim the Lord's decree he said to me you are my son and 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 you Kings be wise be warned your you 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 blessed are all who take refuge in him and so this is Psalm 2 once again I'm reading from The New International Version here and so when we're thinking of this this has to do again with a Authority um whether or not you are resisting or you are uh surrendering or you're following basically following the will and the plan that God has for you we start off with those first three verses where why do the Nations right we're talking about specific Nations conspire and the people plot in vain and when we think about it this is one of those things that uh when we think of Ecclesiastes that there's nothing new Under the Sun we can understand this um from Ecclesiastes and even into Psalms here that there are are a lot of patterns that we see not only in human behavior um but how how people are um when it is regarding people groups or um specific choices that people make and so people who rebel against God or they are uh conspiring or they're plotting in vain is actually something that is not new and that's something that um it may kind of be a shock for us but something that is just well it's a pattern that we find in scripture and it's a pattern that we can certainly find here today um in the the world that we live in and so when we're looking at this Psalm 2 especially in that first verse it's talking about people groups and Nations so we can think of those in Authority Kings and rulers who are rising up against the Lord and it's really just about people who um they're wanting to do it their own way they basically feel that they don't need God um I'm reminded how in judges where it says in those days um there was no King right and people did what was right in their own eyes and there's kind of this EB and flow as it were kind of the pendulum that swings to and fro when it comes to people or even people groups who are following the Lord or or they're searching for truth right they're searching for that Which is higher um I even think of sometimes how there's uh spiritual dryness right when we think of um being in the desert sometimes we think of the physical desert but there's also the spiritual desert that exists where people might be rebelling or they might be um going against the presence of the Lord or God's Will and plan for their life and so when we think about this it goes into that um that verse three right well um verse two right the kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord right so it's one of those things that can certainly be challenging when we hear about people who are um conspiring or they're going against God but that is something that we can see and in verse three where it's saying let us break their chains and throw off their shackles is kind of this idea that um they see that God is restrictive right that it's just a rigidity and rules and and that um going against God is actually something that would be more freeing to them and it's kind of an echo that we see in culture today when we think of people saying that I don't need the rules of of religion so to speak I even think of how in this uh day and age that we live in we have people that are uh spiritual but they're not religious kind of thing it's something that's very common when we think of patterns and that's a very big thing that I like to mention to people is that there there are um we look at the context of the word of God we also look at the connections within the word of God but we also want to look at how does that how does that give the word of God consistency and Clarity for our lives where in the same way we look at connections and patterns in scripture we actually look at how the word of God applies into our own life and we can see here that this is something where there are people that feel throughout history or even in Scripture that they don't need God kind of thing that they can do it on their own and they believe that they are free from God kind of thing um and so as as a pastor and as a man as a Christian one of the things that I think about is how um unfortunately when we do think of religion as opposed to relationship when we have a relationship with Jesus Christ it is freeing we're talking about spiritual transformation that exists in our life we think about how God is going to take that which is broken and mend it and make it more valuable than what it once was before um if you think of the um the book of philimon that's a wonderful example of onimus who went from um being useless to useful right as the text is saying um we can also think of um one example I love to give people is the kugi right a broken plate that is mended together and has gold fillings in it making it more valuable than it once was before and we can think about that's how God actually works instead of this idea and it's not to say that that doesn't exist because there are um unfortunately there are there is religion out there that imposes rules and restrictions and R um rigid beliefs to people um and these people they're saying that to break free from God is free and unfortunately that does exist even today and maybe you can think of a time where um you've resisted God's will for your life or maybe you felt a time that um being away from God was in the best interest of your life and so this is something that we can see within in the text here um and and certainly we certainly have the tendency to have a rebellious Spirit at times I know for me there have been times where I've been very um not wanting to go where God wants me to lead or where God's leading my life and I don't want to go um but we can certainly uh check ourselves and think of well maybe if you are a Christian what is an area you might be resisting God or if you're not a Christian have you been pushing back against uh the Lord who's lifegiving Maybe been turned off by religion but you don't you haven't seen that Christ is The Giver of of life he provides all that we need and a spiritual transformation the ability to love to seek things that are higher not the things that are lower and divide us but rather um the greater things kind of thing and so that leads us in then into verses 4-6 right where it says here the one enthroned in heaven laughs and when we think about that right the it even goes further on further to say that the Lord scoffs at them well that's kind of a very interesting imagery that we can see of that um number one God is not um he's not intimidated by us right the choices that we make um we can think of it's not going to um it's not going to shake his throne so to speak it's not really going to you know okay he's not intimidated by your choices right because God remains Supreme he remains in charge and Sovereign and in control and he rules and Reigns and so you choosing to rebel against him that's a choice that you you have to make I I I Believe In The Free Will and respon human responsibility but I also believe in the um Divine Providence and the sovereignty of God there's somehow a balance between the two and so it's saying here um the one enthroned in heaven right so God who's reigning on the throne he laughs and he scoffs at them right where he's saying um because really um the choices that you make isn't going to change the authority that he has the ruling and reigning in here and so goes on um he rebukes them in anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying I have installed my king on Zion my my Holy Mountain and so what what's very powerful about God from even a spiritual aspect is the fact that when we look at the observable universe the stars in the sky or uh the microscopic organisms that happen um just within the observable universe um you know for me personally I I I think that there there has to be someone or something that creates it and I I believe that that is uh the Lord Almighty that created the heavens and the Earth and created every single one of us as well and all of that to say that the plan that God has set into motion by creating the heavens and the Earth the Universe um by speaking it into existence kind of thing um it can't be stopped and I know for us as humans that can be very intimidating to us and uh there's some people out there that outright reject that they're like well I am I am the king I am the the um in charge I'm the one that rules and Reigns but um for us as human beings we have a limited amount of time and capacity that we have here on the earth and we can't change the plans of God right we can't cheat death uh we're only here on the earth for a certain amount of time so we don't have this unlimited power so to speak and that's something that is uh um we have to certainly take to heart and it's also the reminder then that Jesus is also he is the Lord he is the king and um just as I've been saying with God ruling and reigning the Lord right Jesus Christ whether we acknowledge it or not he's still going to remain Supreme and so it's kind of this uh notion that we get a lot of times in in Christianity it's are you going to do things without the Lord or are you going to do things in the Lord or with the Lord kind of thing um you'll hear a lot of people say like oh are you going to do it on your own or are you going to do it with God and and that certainly is is appropriate um but I I like to frame it more as the idea are you going to do it with with the Lord or without the Lord right uh just as I mentioned I mentioned last week about how there's the Jewish understanding of the presence of God and the idea of when you were sinning you were outside of the presence of the Lord right so when we find um Adam and Eve for example or um Jonah running away from the presence of the Lord right when you see that kind of language it's a representation it's the language of I am sinning or I'm going against God and I'm no longer going to be in his presence kind of thing and we can think about that nowadays that um when we try to do things on our own kind of thing it's more of we are not going to be in the presence we're going to go into darkness rather instead of light and I I just use that kind of language um a little bit differently but it's still something that um we can think and consider and so when we are living our life every single day whether you're a Christian or not it's really the question of if you're going to go into the life of Christ into light right the um the kingdom of heaven so to speak um where um Jesus is ruling and reigning or if you're going to go into the domain of darkness and so when we go from there we go into verses 7 right I will proclaim the Lord's decree right um and I love when it says he said to me you are my son and today I have become your father and so this is a a verse that actually um just is very powerful when we think of um in scripture when the Lord is saying this is my son whom I am well pleased that's something that really sticks out um in there and it's the Lord giving um the Lord ruling and reigning and having all authority over all nations and that's something that um is is very powerful I'm going to go ahead and turn to a verse here real quick um if I can find it real quick and so let's see here in in in the book of Acts here it is there's the reference of this exact Psalm where um so it's Acts chapter 13 I'll read from verses 32 through 33 um we tell you the good news what God has promised our ancestors the Jewish people um he has fulfilled for us their children by raising up Jesus right um as it is written in the second Psalm you are my son today I have become your father so it is a basically a fulfillment of what was written in the psalm text um and it just goes on in there even in verse 34 God raised him from the dead so that he will um never be subject to Decay as God said I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to Davids now that's obviously another uh reference that happens but it's still to show um just this fulfillment and interconnectedness of scripture and so it's showing again that God is giving Jesus all authority over Nations right that you are my son and I I am your father kind of thing and so that's something that's just um absolutely wonderful um when we think about when we uh consider these things and so going back to Psalm 2 I'm going to go ahead and turn there real quick um let's see job going back to Psalm 2 then when it says here in um in verse 10 well we'll go to verse 8 ask me and I will make the Nations your in inheritance right uh the ends of the Earth your possession you will break them with a rod of iron you will Dash them like pieces like Pottery again this is showing the authority that Christ has um that the Lord has the Triune God over the Earth and so when it goes into that verse 10 then therefore you Kings be wise be warn you rulers of the earth serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling and it's this idea that um Kings or those in Authority much like it was back then right when we think of the Old Testament time those um ruling over Nations right we can think of that very easily today um that kings are those in Authority those in political office they need to be wise and be uh warned right they just as it's saying in the verse that to serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his Rule and one of the things that um I don't like to have this to be too political but one thing I do tell people whether you're a democrat or a republican is that certainly it's very important for us to pray for those who are in Authority there's a scripture that mentions that we should pray pray um we should pray for each other we should constantly be in prayer right the scripture says to pray without ceasing but it's also very important for us as Christians to pray for those who are in political office whether you agree with them or not and I'm not just talking about the president of the United States I'm talking about those in local office or if you're listening in another country it could be your prime minister or um an ambassador to a different Nation those kind of things certainly keeping them in prayer that um God will stir their hearts that God will work in and through them so that they will make good and godly decisions kind of things so that's something to um when we think of those who are in Authority so here the message is saying you Kings though the text is specifically speaking to those who are in authority to be wise right to um acknowledge that they are accountable they're accountable to God and that's something that's very powerful because uh very often we have people who think that if you're at the top if you're the king or the president or the prime minister or whatever it is um that there's that you're really not accountable to anyone well that's not necessarily accurate not only are you accountable to different systems within the government or uh other countries kind of thing there's that sense of accountability but more importantly Kings do uh report to God as it were and acknowledging that God rules and Reign He reigns over all and kings and and and um pastors Prime Ministers whatever it is is we still are accountable to God and so that that's something that's very powerful right serve the Lord with fear and trembling it's this idea um it the awe and wonder of God right when we talk a lot of times about for example the fear of the Lord it's very important for us to recognize that the fear of the Lord is being in awe and wonder of who God is and the only time you should really be afraid is when you don't know who the Lord is and so this idea if you are in a position of power you are to serve the Lord in reverence acknowledging that God um rules and Reigns over you but also it's following the leadership and the guidance of the Lord and um certainly um there's a lot of verses that talk about if if you lack wisdom you need to seek it right you need to um pray for divine intervention or Divine guidance for your life and um even to ask the Lord to transform your heart and your life so that you because you got to think every single one of us have been given different gifts and uh talents and abilities that we can use for the glory of God um what my gifting is might be very is is certainly different than your gifting um whoever is watching or listening to this that's something uh to keep in mind um but it's all about stewardship it's all about what you're going to do with what God has given to you and certainly if you are a king or you have some sort of influence or power you should use that for the glory of God you should use that um in excellence right you should use it for good um building people up instead of tearing people down and unfortunately that's something that happens let's face it happened back then right there's a lot of uh Wicked Kings right there's a lot of wicked rulers that existed in scripture um much as there have been um good and bad people right good and bad people in the word of God much like as there's good and bad people in the world that we live in today and so it's certainly um do you are you reverent towards the Lord or not that's a question for you and then finally when it's saying um let's see here celebrate his rule with trembling right serve the Lord with fear as I mentioned the fear of the Lord right um it's basically just trusting in God and just allowing him to lead and guide you and so uh certainly um I don't believe this podcast all of the listeners are Kings but it's certainly um a call for us to take inventory and to really think well what is an area that I need to listen to God's call for my life or his Direction have I been resistant in certain areas of of my life maybe maybe not and um certainly it it's good to be mindful of those things and so um in this Psalm 2 it's basically 12 verses um that is talking about that and so that's the observation of the text and the next step that I like to do right observation interpretation and application and so the interpretation the lessons right what does this mean for us today whether you're a Christian or even not a Christian is that there's basically two paths that you can live right you can live your life um going away from the presence of the Lord or going towards the presence of the Lord right um whether you're going into the light life and truth of the Lord or of Jesus Christ right who is the way truth and the life or you're going into darkness right which is going away from instead of truth it's going into lies instead of life it's going into death right um and it's going a different way that is going away from God so all of these things are connected here um in in other words are you running away are you rebelling from the Lord or are you um it it could be the language of surrendering but are you pursuing the Lord right are you um following the plan that he has I think sometimes surrender has a very negative connotation but certainly submitting surrendering following God's lead in your life is a big thing right um and in following the Lord um yes it's the idea of submission yes it is the idea of surrender but it more importantly it's um living your life in the Lord right like I I mentioned I think I mentioned it earlier but I'll mention it here that certainly for many of us there's a lot of us who are seeking truth or we're seeking life right or we're seeking meaning to our own existence and it's so important for us for a lot of people who don't know Christ to be on a spiritual journey to find that and it's it's my prayer if you are not a Christian if you're spiritual but not religious um that you find the truth in Christ um that gives everlasting life that um that that gives purpose and and and meaning and and uh spiritual transformation that comes from him that that's so important so if you don't know the Lord may you be on a journey a a spiritual journey to know who Jesus Christ is to believe in him and to be saved just as it says in John 3:16 that whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting or eternal life depending on your translation that you use and so that's the idea here right when we're thinking of um surrendering it's recognizing that you need Jesus Christ in your life and so when we think of this idea of rebellion or resistance or running away from the Lord that's the idea of rebellion but when we're thinking of this idea of surrender or submitting to the lord it's recognizing I want to grow in you I need you in my life I need you as my Savior and Lord or I'm acknowledging that you're the king and the Lord of all and that um I'm here for a limited amount of time but you're the one that made it all and I want to go to the light I want to go to the truth that exists in you that's so important and so it's a question for you in the interpretation here um we all must choose what path we're going to go on are we going to go on a path towards light or Darkness are we going to go on a path of living in Rebellion or not and you can ask ask yourself are you resisting God or have you found even found the Lord right um and certainly may you be on a path to him and in him right a path doing life um walking alongside with the Lord that's a big thing and taking refuge in him recognizing that uh the world may constantly change and um certainly um there's just so many things that happen in our society but knowing that God is constant he is Everlasting to Everlasting he Remains the Same and he doesn't change and so in all of this then it's finally the question right observation what does the text say interpretation what is the lesson that we can learn as we learn and grow and then finally the application is how do we live this out and so the first thing that we have to think about is um are you rebelling right that's one thing right or where are you rebelling right and that's a question that you have to think about all right um this is how you can act through self-reflection is um maybe I'm rebelling in a certain area or maybe I'm just completely outright uh resisting God and resisting his call for my life it could certainly be like that it really depends from person to person and maybe you're not um resistant to the Lord maybe you're following his path and his way and but it's just that that's the other thing it's recognizing right are you rebelling against the Lord the second thing then would be um are you acknowledging the um sufficiency right that Jesus Christ is all that we need and inner transformation um eternal life exists in in him um and it's recognizing the significance of Christ the significance of the Triune God who made the heavens and the Earth and when we're thinking about this right the one that is enthroned in heaven recognizing who God is and when we're looking at all of these um verses it's things that are written in in the Old Testament right so long ago are are fulfilled and they're even referenced as hey this was a fulfillment of Prophecy or this is what it meant we may not have understood it back then but we certainly understand it now and so um yeah do you acknowledge um Christ's Rule and Reign and especially if you're someone who's in a position of power and authority uh do you recognize excuse me that Jesus Christ is you you are to give an account to him even as a leader even as someone who's in political office that's something for us to think about and then finally it's um taking a step right in and sh sharing in the The Gospel message right letting people know about um the importance and the power of who God is right um that could be another thing that we can apply to our lives living out by Not only living and loving like Jesus right living in the surrender right following in the footsteps of Christ but also it is about the actions right what we say and what we do to others one of the big things I like to always tell at when I give sermons is this idea we are saved by grace through faith right so that no one will boast and because of this because we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ and being saved we are then called to go out and do and so the final thing here would be um in living in Christ right and recognizing um his Rule and his Reign and no longer resisting um this is a call for you to grow in Christ and to go out into the world being a representative of Christ what that means is um living your life in such a way whether that's just working in secular uh Workforce or a Christian uh Workforce or being a student live your life in excellence right um trust in the Lord and and and let go there's nothing to worry about and I think that's one of the great things in knowing the Lord is that um in knowing him there's nothing for us to um be anxious over the word of God talks so much about um not being anxious of anything and even when we think of um I I love how it's in the Gospel of Luke when it says consider the Ravens right they um God still takes care of them and yet us as humans have more value than the Ravens do and God will take care of us in even in an even greater capacity than the Ravens it's not to say that the um God will look God will take care of the Ravens much like he will take care of us and so let this be a call for you to go out and share in the gospel message but also if you can't certainly it's in what you say and what you do how you live your life it's not about being you know all rigid and being um um uptight it's about loving living and loving like the Lord that's the the the power that's in that and in this Psalm too let us recognize that Psalm 2 reminds us that God Reigns do you acknowledge that or do you not do you acknowledge that it is God no matter what whether you resist him or you go towards him right whether you go away from the presence of the Lord or towards him he still remains in in control so are you going to acknowledge that are you going to recognize that you need Jesus Christ in your life and so I want you to think for a moment are you living for the Lord or are you not are you still holding on to your own control or are you allowing God to work in through you and so this is Patrick Daily at the um at the pastor Patrick Podcast I'm going to go ahead and close in prayer and we'll go from there father we thank you for this time and this opportunity to go through Psalm 2 this time we just pray that today we will recognize that uh you are sovereign you are in control and yet somehow you give us um the human responsibility to respond with ability by believing in your son Jesus Christ who is is the way the truth and the life and so we just thank you for this time in Jesus name we pray amen and so thanks for tuning in to the pastor Patrick Podcast um I hope that this uh podcast encourag you and feel free to share it with your friends and family and until next time let's live and love like Jesus [Music] [Laughter]