Opposition to God’s Promises

Transcript

GRM 1022
12/28/2008
Opposition to God's Promises
Psalm 2
Gil Rugh


We see our world in great turmoil, we see our own country caught up in times of uncertainty. Amazing days. We see great fortunes being lost quickly both for individuals and corporations. And some people's greatest hopes have been crushed and dashed and there is some confusion in people's thinking. Yet for us as believers there is certainty. We have an understanding and appreciation that the God who has created all things rules sovereignly over all. And the times of greatest confusion, greatest turmoil, greatest uncertainty God's purposes and plans are being accomplished in all the details, not only in our lives individually but in all the details of all the peoples of all the nations of the earth. Awesome to consider the greatness of our God.

I want you to turn to Isaiah 40 as we begin. Just a reminder of some verses that we come to periodically to remind ourselves of the character of our God and His sovereignty in all things. Isaiah 40 opens up with prophecies that would be fulfilled with the coming of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ in His birth at Bethlehem. Pick up with verse 6, a voice says call out. Then he answered, what shall I call out? All flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. A reminder that life is transitory, that the people of this world come and go. Great and small, they come and go. Rich and poor, they come and go. You'll note the sovereignty of God in it. The wind blows upon the flowers of the field and their beauty is gone, they pass away. God blows, in the breath of God man is gone. But there is something enduring. The Word of our God stands forever. Nations have come and gone, the Word of God is sure and true.

Come down to verse 13, who has directed the Spirit of the Lord as his counselor has informed him. You understand, God takes counsel from no one. The triune God counsels with Himself—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But He does not seek help or counsel or input from anyone. Verse 15, behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Verse 17, all the nations are as nothing before Him. They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless, void, empty. You see we look at nations and their power and authority and abilities to impact the world. And we say, if only that nation would do this or that. God looks at them and says they are nothing, they are not like a speck of dust on a scale, they have no weight. They are empty, they are meaningless. I am the One who determines, I am the One who sovereignly directs and controls.

Continue on down to verse 23, He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. We look at the great men, the powerful men, we get concerned. Who is going to rule this country? Who is going to rule that country? What will happen if this person rules? It is He who reduces rulers to nothing, makes the judges of the earth meaningless because they are not ultimately in control. The sovereign God has set them up and He takes them down. Verse 28, do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is in inscrutable. Our sovereign God rules over all. It is His purposes that are being accomplished in the tragedies that overtake nations, that overtake individuals and in the great times. He is the One sovereignly working His plan. And His plan for this earth focuses in one people, the nation Israel and the Messiah who will rule over the nation Israel, the One who was born in Bethlehem to be King and rules over the nations of the earth.

Come back to II Samuel 7. There was a biography written a few years ago on the life of Jonathon Edwards by George Barneston. It's a substantial work of some 600 pages, I guess, so everything you want to know about Jonathon Edwards and more. There are many interesting things about him, but he was confused on future things. He was a post millennialist. He believed that God was going to work in such a way through the preaching of His Word and so on that eventually the world would get better and better, much of the world would be converted and the millennial kingdom would come into existence. Jonathon Edwards was part of the Great Awakening, both the first and the second awakenings in New England. And he began to think after the second Great Awakening that perhaps this work of God would begin in New England, and that's what was happening. And from there revival would spread the world and there would be opposition and conflict, but the Word of God would eventually prevail and the King would .......... The problem is New England isn't the center of what God is doing. In fact, the United States is not the center of what God is doing, and Russia is not the center, and Europe is not the center, and China is not the center. It's that little nothing of a place, Israel, the land of Palestine as we now know it, where Israel resides, the city of Jerusalem. That is the focal point of God's work in the world. And everything going on around the world is subject to what God is doing for Israel. It all is taking place so that what God has said would happen with Israel and Jerusalem would take place.

In II Samuel 7 we have what is called the Davidic Covenant, which is simply the covenant that God made with David who was king of the Jews at this time. Verse 8, now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. He comes from being nobody to being the ruler of the nation. Even his own family didn't see him as having potential like that. But God took him from being a little nobody taking care of the sheep to being the king of the nation. I've been with you wherever you've gone, I've cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name like the names of the great men who are on the earth. Few kings are as well known as King David. He didn't rule an empire like some ruled, but King David is pretty well known. He has a great name and his name is great in a particular way for us as believers.

I will also appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them anymore as formerly. Great promise, not happening today. You read today's paper you find out that there is still conflict and battle going on there. But there is a promise here that has to do with the physical Jews on this physical earth, and there will come a time when they won't have any problems with enemies. The end of verse 11, the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you, a dynasty. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, when you die, David, I will raise up your descendant after you who will come forth from you. And I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, by the strokes of the sons of men. But my lovingkindness will not depart from him as I took it away from Saul whom I removed before you.

Tremendous promise here that some people have failed to appreciate. Saul was the first king of Israel. When he sinned, God cut off the line of Saul. There would be no dynasty, no house of Saul. God would change to a different line, he would establish the line of David. Why? Because Saul sinned. Now you'll note the promise here to David. Even if your son, descendant, sins, Solomon was David's son who succeeded him. He sinned greatly against the Lord. But you'll note what God has promised, I will not cut off the line of David even if your descendants sin. Verse 16, your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever. Your throne shall be established forever. Here you see God's sovereign intervention, not only in the affairs of the nation Israel, but in the affairs of the nations of the world, that He's going to establish a kingdom here that will endure forever. And there is nothing that can be done to hinder the establishing of this kingdom. Now keep that in mind because some people think that because the Jews crucified their Messiah Jesus Christ when He came and offered them a kingdom, that God is done with the Jews. But you understand what God said here. This covenant cannot be broken simply because of the sin of the Jews. He's guaranteed ........ Remember what we read in Isaiah? The word of our God stands forever. The fulfillment of this covenant does not depend upon man, it depends upon God. It's guaranteed. So here we are 3000 years after David. But you know what? What God is doing is working in all that is going on in the world, the nations of the world, the economies of the nations, the rulers of the nations, the maneuvering of the nations to move them all toward His appointed destiny.

Now he does not say there will not be a break in the line of those who rule on the throne of David. He simply guarantees that there will be an eternal kingdom with one sitting eternally on the throne. We are in a time now, there is no one sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem. But there will come a time when there will be a king on the throne in Jerusalem.

Look at Psalm 89. And this reiterates the covenant God made with David. Verse 3, I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn to David my servant. I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations. Look at verse 11, the heavens are yours, the earth also is yours, the world and all it contains. You have founded them. A reminder, and David acknowledges this and the writer of this psalm acknowledges this, that God is sovereign over all. And the whole earth and everything in it belongs to God because He created it. That's key to understand His power and authority to set up the ruler according to His will who will reign for eternity.

Come on down to verse 20, I have found David my servant, with my holy oil I have anointed him, with whom My hand will be established, My arm will strengthen him. He will have enemies, but they will be crushed. This promise to David, remember, carries on to his descendants, because God has already told us in the covenant He made with David that David is going to die and be buried. And your son will reign after you, your descendants. Then verse 26, he will cry to Me, you are my father, my God, the rock of my salvation. I will make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. There you get the idea of the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth, one who has preeminence and sovereignty. So this one going to sit on the throne of David is going to rule not only over Israel, but over all the world. And all the kings of all the nations will be subject to Him.

You must come to Luke 1. This is all the introduction. And when Gabriel the angel came and spoke to Mary regarding the fact that she would supernaturally conceive a son, he said to her in verse 31, behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and His kingdom will have no end. You understand, when Jesus was born the promises concerning Him were fulfilled literally. Where was He born? Where the prophet Micah said He would be born, in Bethlehem. What His physical lineage? Read the opening portion of Luke's gospel, you have the genealogy there. Read the opening portion of Matthew's gospel, you have the genealogy there establishing that Jesus Christ is indeed the physical descendant that can fulfill the promises to David to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and rule over the world. Some people have come in their minds that this is some kind of spiritual kingdom that Jesus now sits enthroned in the heavens and He is ruling over the earth. That's not what we're talking about. Jesus Christ reigned in heaven enthroned before He was born at Bethlehem. Read Isaiah 6. Isaiah says I beheld the Lord, He was sitting on His throne and the train of His robe filled the temple. And the seraphim cried holy, holy, holy. And John 12 tells us that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus Christ before He was born at Bethlehem. He was always enthroned.

What we're talking about is the specific fulfillment of the promises that a physical seed of David would sit on the physical throne and rule over the physical nations of the earth. And that's not happening today. But it will happen because the word of our God stands forever. You can't say we don't have to have a literal fulfillment that Jesus is the king and He rules in the hearts........... David would have never accepted that, the Jews could not accept it. That's not how the Bible fulfills its prophecies, they were all fulfilled literally. When Jesus Christ said He would be the Savior, what did He have to do? He had to die, just like Isaiah said He would die. And He was buried in a rich man's tomb just like Isaiah said He was buried. You just can't wash away these promises by saying, they are spiritual. No, they are actual literal prophecies and promises that will be fulfilled. Jesus Christ must sit on the throne of David.

Come back to Psalm 2. All this is the background for Psalm 2 which we are just going to highlight some of the key points of, where God speaks of the opposition of the nations to the covenantal promises that He has given to David, that His anointed would sit on the throne and rule over all the nations. And the nations are in a rage in opposition against God and His plan and His anointed ruler. But God always wins. And so He'll call to all to submit to the One that He has appointed, the One He has anointed, the One in whom is life.

Look how the chapter opens up, Psalm 2, and there are really four stanzas, if you will, to this psalm and they are broken down into three verses each. In my particular Bible, I don't know why we don't have the same space between verses 9 and 10 because there is the fourth break there and you have three verses in each of these four, where you have the peoples of the world expressing their opposition to God, God the Father expressing Himself, God the Son's position being established, and then the call of the Spirit of God to all to bow before the Son that the Father has anointed. You have the triune God at work in accomplishing the sovereign purpose and plan that God in the counsel with Himself has established from eternity.

Note how the chapter begins. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, the rulers counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. The time that God anointed David, the peoples of this world have been in opposition to the ruler that God has established, and unwilling to submit to Him and His authority. This is true beginning with David, subsequent descendants, but of course the climax of it and the full focus of it is on Jesus Christ.

Come to the New Testament, Acts 4. This psalm is quoted a number of times in the New Testament. Acts 4. Peter is preaching. Remember Peter preached the first sermon with the establishing of the church in Acts 2, preaching to the nation Israel. The church did not replace Israel, nothing can replace Israel because remember God's promises. We just looked at the Davidic Covenant, but you have to look at the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17. He firmly committed Himself, His Word which is eternal. Peter preached in Acts 2 what God is doing with the death of His Son. In Acts 3 Peter and John go into the temple and they heal on the way in a man who is lame, couldn't walk. He sat there begging. Of course that causes a great stir. The people knew this man. Every Jew who came to the temple passed him every day as he sought alms from them, he was a beggar. And now he is jumping around, leaping, dancing around. He didn't even have to learn to walk. It was a full, complete miracle. They want to know what happened and Peter preaches in Acts 3 and says, note the directness of it. Verse 14, you, speaking to these Jews, disowned the holy and righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you. You put to death the prince of life, the One whom God raised from the dead, a fact of which we are witnesses.

Then a call to repent, verse 19. Therefore repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away in order that the times and refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, that He may send Jesus the Christ, appointed for you. You need to repent as a nation because when you repent as a nation and call upon the Lord, then it will be time for the Messiah to come. That's the prophecy of Zechariah. Peter calls now on the nation to bow so that the Lord can come again and establish His kingdom, the time of refreshings will come. We're not in the kingdom. Peter knew he wasn't in the kingdom. He calls the nation to repentance, to God's salvation. They would not.

You come down to chapter 4, this is a continuation of the same events. The Sanhedrin that ruled Israel at the time, all this commotion and the preaching about Jesus has them upset. So they call Peter and John in and want to know what happened. You see the same boldness. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, explained to them. I didn't heal this man, this is done by the power of Jesus Christ. Verse 10, let it be known to all of you, to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. You see the opposition? You crucified Him, God raised Him from the dead. You're fighting and trying to frustrate the purpose and plan of God. You can't win. God overruled you, you killed Him, God raised Him alive. By this name this man stands before you in good health. There is salvation, verse 12, in no one else. There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Come down to verse 18. The summoned them together, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John say, we have to obey the Lord, not men. Verse 24, they came and reported to their friends what had happened when they were released. They heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord and said, oh Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. You see you start by recognizing He is the sovereign Creator and thus He has authority over everyone. We noted before, people fight against the idea that God created everything as the Bible says He did because they don't want to acknowledge His authority over them. It's not a scientific issue, it's a theological issue. It's an issue of man's opposition to God.

Who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David your servant said, and here we have, it was the Holy Spirit speaking through David who penned Psalm 2. Why did the Gentiles rage and the people devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. Peter says there is the full manifestation of what David was writing about. As the opposition against the Lord's anointed was so great they crucified Him. Jews and Gentiles alike. The Jews in concert with the Romans, they joined together and crucified Him. They took their stand against the Lord and against His Christ, the anointed One, the One that God had anointed to be king of the Jews. You did whatever, verse 28, your hand and your purpose, referring to God, predestined to occur. You see God is sovereign in this process. Because remember the One born at Bethlehem was the Savior. You shall call His name Jesus, He will save His people from their sins. To be a Savior He had to die in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. But He also has to be a king and rule and reign. He shall rule on the throne of David forever. First He's a Savior, then He's a king. At His first coming He did the work necessary to provide salvation so that at His Second Coming He could establish a kingdom for the redeemed, over which He will rule and reign.
I want you to note the context here before we leave this passage. Peter sees the continuing opposition to the preaching of the message of Jesus Christ as part of the hostility of the nations of the world toward God and toward His Christ. You crucified Him. And what's happening? They are continuing to reject Him, the don't want the message of Christ to be proclaimed. It just manifests that continuing hostility. It's the same attitude that was displayed when they showed their rage and crucified Him. Do you think there is not that attitude today? When you leave here today, stop and talk to someone at the restaurant or on the street and tell them that their sin necessitated the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, they are guilty before God and under His condemnation and on their way to hell. And there is only one Savior. Back in Acts 4:12, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And see what kind of hostility you can stir up. There still is that hostility manifested. They rage against Him. You can go out and talk to people, talk to people coming out of church that you may bump into today and say, isn't God a God of love and they won't be offended a bit. Speak to them about the guilt of their sin, their guilt before God and it was their sin that necessitated the death of Christ and they are on their way to hell. See if they have the same gentle response. There is the attitude of hostility toward Jesus Christ manifested particularly in His crucifixion. But God overruled.

It will culminate in events associated with Armageddon. Come over to Revelation 16:14. You have demonic beings that are sent throughout the whole world and we are here at a yet future time, at the end of the 70th week of Daniel. That seven-year period draws to a close, which will be climaxed with the return of Jesus Christ to earth to destroy His enemies and establish His kingdom. And these demonic spirits go out to all the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. And then that reminder, Jesus Christ is coming. I am coming like a thief, blessed is the one who is ready. Look at verse 16, they gathered them to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-mageddon. Armageddon as we call it, the mount of Megiddo where Armageddon will take place as the nations of the earth gather to opposed Christ.

Come to Revelation 19:19, and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. You see nothing has changed. When He came to earth the first time, the nations of the earth joined together and He was crucified. When He comes to earth the second time the nations of the earth will join together to oppose Him, to attempt to prevent Him from coming to establish His kingdom. But they will be destroyed. There will be one other great time, and that is after He reigns for a thousand years the devil will go throughout the kingdom, gather people in opposition to Christ. And Revelation 20:7, when the thousand years are completed satan will be released from his prison, come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. They came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, the beloved city. They are coming up to surround Jerusalem where Jesus Christ is king. And fire comes down from heaven to destroy them. You see right up until the end the nations of the earth rage against the Lord and against His anointed. They do all they can to keep Him from reigning. But man cannot frustrate the plan of God.

Come back to Psalm 2. You'll note the attitude of the Lord who sits enthroned in heaven, God the Father. Verses 4-6, He who sits in the heavens laughs. Not because He's amused. It's that awful laugh of scorn, the ridiculousness of it, that man, nations are like a mere speck of dust. What is mere man that he should oppose the living God and think that he can frustrate the plan and work of God. He who sits in the heavens laughs. Do you think He's sitting there consulting with the angels saying, what are we going to do? All the nations are against us, the nations that aren't a drop in a bucket, the nations that aren't a speck of dust, the nations that in the sight of God are nothing, meaningless. He laughs. The ridiculousness of it.

I often tell you, sin makes you stupid. And here you have the stupidity of stupidity. The nations of the earth thinking that they can fight against the God who created them and win. He who sits in the heavens will laugh. Psalm 37:13, 59:8, other verses in the psalms tell you He laughs. And that's a fearful thing, that men are opposing God and attempting to frustrate His plan and God laughs. The ridiculousness of it.

The Lord scoffs at them, He will speak to them in His anger, terrify them in His fury, saying, but as for Me I have installed My king upon Zion, My holy mountain. Do you think that God was frustrated and had to make some adjustments when Christ was crucified? Let me tell you, the plan of God is settled. There is nothing frustrating the plan of God. You'll note verse 6 says, as for Me I have installed My king upon Zion, My holy mountain. Often in the Old Testament when the prophets gave a prophecy about a future event, they gave it in the past tense. We call it the prophetic past. You know why? When God said something it's as good as done, when He says something will happen it doesn't matter whether that will happen tomorrow, next month, next year or thousands of years from now. It's done. And there is not even the smallest possible chance that over several thousand years ........... You understand it was 3000 years ago when David wrote this psalm. I have installed My kingdom upon Zion, My holy mountain. Not only who it will be, where it will be. It will be in Jerusalem, it's as good as done. He's not sitting on the throne in Jerusalem right now, but you can .......... I was going to say take it to the bank, but that's not a good analogy anymore. It is settled, nothing is dependable in this world except the Word of God. That's sure, it's settled. Three thousand years later, well you know a lot has changed, David had a different perspective on things. The eternal God has spoken. Jesus Christ will rule on a throne on this earth in Jerusalem.

That's why I say everything going on in the world, the focal point of it is not the United States or any other earthly nation except Israel. The other nations play a role because God is working His purposes to bring all things to its appointed conclusion.

Look at verse 7, the next section here has to do with the rule of the Son. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me, you are My son, today I have begotten you. Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance and the very ends of the earth as your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall shatter them like earthenware. He said to me, verse 7, you are my son, today I have begotten you. This verse is quoted several times in the New Testament. We'll just turn to the first one and I'll refer to the other. Acts 13. Paul is the speaker here, he is on his first missionary journey. He is in a synagogue in a Gentile part of the world but as is his practice, he has gone into a synagogue and is addressing Jews. That was his starting point because he could pick up the Jews because they had the Old Testament, and show how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. And in Acts 13 he reiterates, verse 29. When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him. You'll note that prophecy was fulfilled. How literally? Everything that was prophesied, that had been written in the Old Testament about Him, about His death, about His being pierced, about all His joints being out of place, all the details. They took Him down from the cross, they laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. It goes on with that message.

Come down to verse 33, we preach to you the good news, the promise made to the fathers that God has fulfilled the promise to our children and that He raised up Jesus as it is written in the second Psalm, you are my Son, today I have begotten you. As with the fact that He raised Him from the dead no longer to return to decay, He has spoken this way, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David. Another psalm, you will not allow Your holy One to undergo decay. You see how all these are fulfilled literally, exactly as you would expect if you just took it at face value? He wouldn't undergo decay. Well that means He would have a spiritual life. No, it meant His physical body would not undergo decay because He would experience physical resurrection.

We're here for Psalm 2, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verse 33 says, it's the fulfillment of the second Psalm, you are My Son, today I have begotten you. Now you understand Jesus Christ was eternally the Son of God, just like He was eternally enthroned in the heavens. Remember He prayed in John 17 to the Father, restore to Me the glory which I had with you before the world was. But we're talking about the role He would play as the One who was not only God but man through His birth at Bethlehem. And not would fulfill the promises, not just as God, but as man, the physical descendant of Abraham, the physical descendant of David sitting on the physical throne. And the descendant of David ruling the world from Jerusalem. How are you going to do that? The resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. So today you are My Son, I have begotten you. In a sense now He has established Him in the position to fulfill the promises to David. It had to be a physical descendant of David who could reign forever. That's not just as God, God has reigned always. We looked at the eternal reign of God, the eternal kingdom of God. We're talking about the specific promises now of what we call the mediatorial reign where God exercises His rule through the mediator that He has anointed. This line started with David but it reaches its climax in Christ. So Psalm 2.

Now we go to Hebrews 1:5, there it connects it with the birth of Christ and quotes Psalm 2, today I have begotten you. Because you see this is a package and Jesus Christ had to be born into the human race to fulfill the promises. Otherwise He wouldn't be in the lineage. That's why you have Matthew's genealogy and Luke's genealogy to show He is a physical descendant. So for Him to be the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, He had to be born at Bethlehem into the human race. He had to be raised from the dead so He could reign eternally and not suffer decay. And Hebrews 5 quotes Psalm 2 and says He has an eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek and quotes Psalm 2, today I have begotten you. Because the high priestly ministry of Christ, which makes Him our Savior, is inseparably associated with that. So here a work of God in bringing His Son, having Him born into this world, crucified and raised from the dead and established as the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. He brings about our eternal redemption, for He ever lives to make intercession for us with the sacrifice He has made. Today I have begotten you and brought you into this position to fulfill the Messianic promises.

Come back to Psalm 2. I want you to note, the very ends of the earth will be His possession, at the end of verse 8. And you will break them with a rod of iron, you will shatter them like earthenware. There is nothing like the terror of the Lord. I was watching as they review the past year, the newsman giving his report was there when an earthquake occurred. He is there as a reporter and he gets caught up in an earthquake. And he said, I've never experienced such terror. There's just something about when the earth under you is shaking, there is nothing to do, no place to go. There is abject terror. When we get to Revelation 6, the mighty men of the earth cry out in fear to the rocks to fall on them, hide us from the fury of the wrath of the living God. You know, God is a God of love, but He is a God of wrath. And when Jesus Christ rules on the earth, even in the millennium, you understand He'll rule with a rod of iron. And anyone who rebels against Him will immediately be judged and executed. So one who dies at a hundred will be thought to be a child, Isaiah tells us. Because you'll note in the judgment of the One who rules with a rod of iron, so there will be enforced submission during that millennium, thousand-year reign.

So we close with five commands given to us by the Spirit of God. Now therefore oh king, show discernment. Secondly, take warning oh judges of the earth. Third, worship the Lord with reverence. Rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son that He may not become angry and you perish in the way. For His wrath may soon be kindled, quickly kindled. We don't think of God as a God of wrath, but you understand it's going to be quickly ________. You don't play around with sin, you don't fool around.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him. Show discernment, the first command. Use your head, be wise. Why will you try to oppose the living God and His ruler? Don't be stupid. Show discernment. What an opportunity. There is grace, there is mercy, but there is anger and wrath. Use your head. Take warning, take the scripture seriously. We say, we'd think they would. People don't today do that, 2000 years after Christ has come, been crucified, been raised from the dead, the message of Christ has been proclaimed. There are people sitting in this auditorium, they never take it seriously, don't take the warning. People in the world go on their way, don't take the warning. They say God is a God of love. But you understand, don't get His anger stirred.

Worship the Lord with reverence. You'll note important connections we have here. Rejoice with trembling, worship the Lord with reverence, with fear. You rejoice. We have joy in Him and in knowing Him and this king is our Savior as well as our king. But you rejoice with trembling Don't ever reduce the worship of God and our joy in Him to a casual good buddy, good friend kind of thing. He is the sovereign God, He is the Lord of all. I worship Him with fear and reverence, I have full joy and rejoice. But I go with trembling. We're just not good buddies. He is the sovereign Lord. That doesn't take away from my joy at all, but we need to be careful. Sometimes we just think it's an expression of our intimacy with the Lord, we can just be casual. You understand, you come before the Lord with fear. And even in your great rejoicing and the salvation we have in Him, the joy of knowing this One who is king and will rule over all is our Savior. You do it with trembling. And awesome thing to be in the presence of the living God. Don't reduce it to just part of everyday mundane existence in life. And we live day by day in that presence, that desire to please Him.

Do homage to the Son, kiss the Son literally. You bow down before Him, you kiss the ground, you kiss His feet, you adore Him, you give Him your worship, your honor. Why? That He may not become angry and you perish from the way. Now these are calls. When Jesus Christ sits enthroned in the kingdom He'll establish on the earth, the millennium, that will be true. You understand these calls go out now, time of _____________. We honor the Lord, anybody who doesn't bow before Him now. He's not sitting enthroned in Jerusalem, He's not sitting on the throne of David. We have a little minipicture of that, we have a President-elect. And there is a recognition of the power that he will soon exercise. And he has a certain position and authority and power that comes with the position he's going to have. But he's not there yet, the picture is not complete with Christ, of course. You understand, He's not on the throne of David, He's not ruling it. But He will. But He is the One anointed king who will rule and reign. And He is the Savior.

How blessed are all those who take refuge in Him. That starts today. What a privilege to be in a day of grace and a day of salvation. How foolish, show discernment, use your head, take the warning. Come and worship the Lord, rejoice in Him, bow before Him. He is the Savior, He came to provide salvation so when He comes to establish His kingdom we could be part of that kingdom. There is no other way to go. But a foolish thing that you should fight against the living God, resist Him, oppose Him. You cannot win. Why would you want to reject His offer of grace, His invitation to come and be forgiven, be cleansed, be My child and enter into all the good things I've promised to those who love Me.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for your Son, the One in whom all our hopes are focused. But, Lord, these are hopes that are sure and settled because You, the eternal God, have given your Word. You have promised, made promises to us fallen, sinful, hell-deserving sinners, and yet you have promised us forgiveness. You have promised us cleansing, you have promised us new life, you have promised us the eternal glory of your presence in the kingdom of your Son. Lord, what great salvation you offer as a free gift to all who will turn from their sin and believe in your Son. But, Lord, we would also, as we close, be reminded you have promised death and destruction, you have promised torment in hell for all who do not bow before you and your Son. Lord, we would take the promises to heart, turn from our sin, turn from your wrath and place our faith and our hope in your Son who loved us and died for us. We pray in His name, amen.