In this sermon, David Capoccia examines the Psalmist’s teaching on God’s holy derision of the futile rebellion of the world against Yahweh and His Messiah, who is God’s Son. The Psalmist teaches that all must give fealty and joyful worship to the Son in holy fear, since the Son will reign victoriously on the earth. Sinners, then, must stop their senseless rebellion and embrace God’s Son while they can, while believers can take heart that, when Messiah’s kingdom comes, believers will reign with Him.
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thank you Pastor it’s been a joy to be serving at Calvary and I look forward to continuing to serve even though I’ll be physically removed but of course my heart will still be here let’s go to the Lord in prayer before we hear from his word our great God what beautiful music we’ve heard and sung regarding you and regarding your son’s coming to the earth wow what wonderful what a wonderful truth that he came and became humbly and he came bringing peace and he had what glory God though your son is the is the the inheritor of the universe he deserves all glory and will receive all glory everything will be subjected to him Oh Lord cause us now to understand this glorious to truth from the psalm from Psalm to just how great your Messiah your son is give me the ability to explain it Holy Spirit please work in the congregation and those who hear Lord that they might be impacted and they would bow and submit and rejoice and your great son in Jesus name Amen okay well it’s almost Christmas but really Christmas is a surprisingly popular holiday no holiday in America is more widely galore extravagantly celebrated in some ways this is not surprising most Americans still identify themselves as Christians of one sect or another our culture features a large and ancient set of nostalgic Christmas traditions and songs and if you’re a business owner Christmas is great for making money but in a more fundamental way Christmas popularity is very surprising Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus considering who Jesus claimed and demonstrated himself to be what Jesus taught concerning sin and salvation and what the Bible teaches regarding Jesus returned to the earth if they knew most in America and the world would not like Jesus at all and they would not want to celebrate his birth too many the full truth regarding Jesus has passed over on Christmas for the image of the baby in the manger on Christmas Jesus is just a well-behaved baby boy born on a sleepy and peaceful night in Bethlehem Jesus is not demanding or threatening it’s just a baby and after all he came to bring peace and happiness to the earth there is nothing to fear from Jesus but this is a dangerously incomplete picture of Jesus the Jesus of the Bible that Jesus who actually is deserves and as we sung demands your full obedience those who refuse to worship Jesus with all of their hearts will suffer dire consequences truly if you miss understand who Jesus is this Christmas your soul is in great peril to better fill out our understanding of Jesus then let’s examine the prophetic word of the psalmist in Psalm 2 if you haven’t turned there yet please open your Bibles to psalm 2 if you’re using the Bible provided in the pew it’s on page 552 that’s where we find Psalm 2 we’re going to be looking at the whole song I’ll let me give you some brief background before we look at it the Psalms are a Holy Spirit inspired set of worship songs poems and prayers use during the days of the Kingdom of Israel and afterwards the author of Psalm 2 while some of the Psalms give the author and in the very first part this author of Psalm 2 is not stated but in the New Testament book of Acts chapter 4 verse 25 identifies the author of this Psalm as David the one-time sheep tending youth whom God raised up and anointed to be the king of Israel Psalm 2 is about one’s attitude to God’s king the Messiah Messiah by the way it means Anointed One and it refers to the anointing with whole oil that the kings of Israel received before they became king so in that sense there there was more than one Messiah but while aspects of this Psalm applied to David an anointed king and even to David’s son Solomon who was also an anointed king this Psalm is ultimately about the King to come a messiah the final Messiah Jesus is the only one who fully fulfills the words of Psalm 2 so this is a prophetic word given many hundreds of years before Jesus came to the earth before God’s true Messiah came and the book of Acts the book of Hebrews in the book of Revelation they all confirm this when they quote this song but let’s hear what David prophesied regarding the coming Messiah regarding Jesus please follow along as I read why are the nations in an uproar and the people’s devising a vain thing the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us he who sits in the heavens laughs the Lord scoffs at them then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury saying but as for me I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain I will surely tell 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 now therefore o Kings show discernment take warning o judges of the earth worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling do homage to the son that he not become angry and you perish in the way for his wrath may soon be kindled how blessed are all who take refuge in him this song is an exhortation to submit to serve and rejoice in God’s Messiah King who is Jesus the psalmist says those who persist in rebellion against the Messiah will be utterly destroyed all those who repent and submit to Messiah be saved will be happy will be protected I summed up the message of the psalm in my sermon title giving the more literal rendering at the beginning of verse 12 it’s this kiss the son lest he be angry in this song David led by the Holy Spirit presents three reasons why any other action besides loving and making peace with God’s Messiah is foolish and dangerous i’ll give you the three reasons and then we’ll explore each by looking at the text why should you this morning run to and kiss God’s Son the Messiah well the first reason the world is in rebellion against God’s good Messiah second reason the father easily confounds man’s rebellious plans and the third reason the Sun testifies that he will surely rule all after we look at these points will explore the application given by the author to kiss or do homage to the Sun let’s look at David’s first point I’ll repeat it the first point is the world is in rebellion against God’s good Messiah the world is in rebellion against God God’s good Messiah let’s reread vs. 1 2 3 why are the nations in an uproar and the people’s devising a vain thing the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us notice the terms nations and peoples the saw mama says whole nations vast amounts of people are in uproar they are in tumult they are raging they are frantically trying to find a solution to an extremely irritating problem and what’s the problem the Lord’s anointed we must find a way to be rid of the rule of God’s Messiah this is what they say they cannot rest or be at peace until they achieve their aim they are in uproar notice they are also devising the idea of devising is thinking meditating plotting they are scheming to find a way to successfully nullify or overthrow the rule of God’s King the psalmist soever notes these actions in question form why are they doing these things do they not realize that they’re raging efforts are senseless and vain but the rebel horde pays no heed they believe that through their raging and scheming they will find a way to overcome God’s King it’s not just the common people however verse 2 says that the kings and rulers are also standing against the messiah the anointed of God great men those with power and influence take counsel plot consult together and determined to stand as one against Messiah and verse 2 says they not only stand against God’s Messiah but against the Lord Himself and the word for Lord there is Yahweh I am the eternally self-existent one they will stand against Messiah and Yahweh King and commoner then are united in purpose ruler and ruled strong and weak determined together to rebel we hear their rallying cry in verse 3 let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords we don’t want the rule of God or his Messiah let us cast off their yoke let us gain independence we will no longer subject ourselves to their rule or their direction these are quite brazen acts and words to oppose not only the Messiah but also Yahweh himself one has to ask why why did the nation’s want to do this why do they resent the rule of God and Messiah so much why does anyone ever desire rebellion against a ruler is it not because they hate the way the ruler rules we hate this King they say for his burdensome laws in his harsh commands he is an oppressor and a tyrant he does not desire are good he wants to take from us all that we love we therefore went to throw off his shackles and be free to enjoy our lives without him yet how can one say such things of God or his Messiah the scripture demonstrates God’s works and God’s character just not God create the world and deserve the obedience of his creations to whom he gave the very breath of life did not God make the world very good when he created it does not God sustain all men and give them the things they need for life every day God provides all the earth with food he sends the rain he causes the Sun to continue to warm mankind he gives companionship it gives meaningful work he gives marriage he gives many other gifts to men he even gives men the opportunity to have a relationship with him more than this God’s heart is good he loves justice and hates evil he will not let evildoers go unpunished but in acts vengeance for the righteous he protects and saved it saves the oppressed he’s only ever truthful he is eternal glorious faithful compassionate merciful and wise there is no fault in God and every good thing has its source in him and his son the Messiah shares his exact nature in essence God’s King is also perfect in glory in righteousness in kindness injustice in knowledge and in truth he is as the father is so why why do the people’s and the kings of the earth despise Yahweh at messiah as they do there can only be one answer because men all men are evil they are sons of the devil and not sons of God and they love darkness and hate light as John 319 says they practice lawlessness and don’t want their evil deeds reproved or exposed it is actually the very goodness of God that man cannot stand therefore they hate God and they hate his King mankind would rather continue in slavery to sin and continue to suffer sins curse then embrace God or his King as master some men rebels angrily frantically openly with constant scheming constant taking of counsel united in the goal to oppose and overthrow God in His Messiah what you say surely this is not the case I know many kind and good people in the world how can you say they are rebelling Oh to this I answer not every rebel is an open one many are secret rebels putting up a front of loyalty and righteousness when truly their deeds are corrupt they are corrupted with pride love of man’s opinion and love of self some hope to do enough good works to placate God to get God off their backs so that they can then live their own way but this too is rebellion such persons still do not want to acknowledge God’s Messiah as the rightful ruler of every aspect of their lives they still love idols instead of God so they are rebels all men are rebels unless once to west wish to protest God categorically in his Bible declares all men to be evil doers listen to Psalm 14 verses two to three myths in in the same book Yahweh has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand who seek after God they have all turned aside together they have become corrupt there is no one who does good not even one Isaiah 56 three the first part of it also says all of us like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way we don’t want God’s King we want our own way we may try to hide this but all of us do this man has always rebelled against God and His King the psalmist says they continue to do so and they will do so even in the last days of the earth the book of Revelation tell us they will still rebel against God and his Messiah man’s rebellion seems strong they have made careful plans they have banded together they have enlisted the support of the great men as well as myriads of people for a moment their rebellion looks like it might succeed this is the first truth that God would have us realize the world is indeed in rebellion against God’s Messiah God’s good Messiah while the nation’s rage against God they feel they have a good chance of success but the psalmist has already hinted that such rebellion is doomed folly why is this well the psalmist is going to show us in the next two points here’s the second point the father the father easily confounds man’s rebellious plans the father easily confounds man’s rebellious plans looking for is four to six again he who sits in the heavens laughs the Lord scoffs at them then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury saying but as for me I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain notice the laughter and scoffing of God as he notices the raging rebellious machinations of mankind you may find the surprising but the only thing that the Bible records as making god laughs is man’s ridiculous pride and sinful plans God laughs God laughs at that we see this in Psalm 37 Psalm 59 and also this song why does God laugh at these things why does he show contempt for man’s rebellious plans well we see a number of reasons right here notice the first part of verse for location God is in heaven man is on the earth man is a finite creature God is transcended and powerful how can man who can’t even enter Heaven hope to overcome the God of heaven what a silly plan furthermore man plots thinking he can outwit God and that God will not see or know the rebellious scheme that he has concocted but God is in heaven he sees it all he says I know everything that you’re doing I know you’re a rebellion I know your pretense and hypocrisy you think you could deceive me I see it all plainly also notice it says God sits in heaven as a contrast here man is raging and rushing and scheming and trying to find a way to defeat God’s purpose God just sits enthroned calm confident not worried at all about what man has planned God doesn’t even need to react right away he sits a man takes gods in action as a sign of impending success aha see I told you we get away with it God’s not doing anything no this is totally wrong it’s just that God is completely confident in his own power and is waiting for the perfect time to act speaking of power the difference in power between man and God is so vast that any kind of rebellion even rebellion led by kings or consisting of every nation on the earth is yet laughable look at verse 5 again God sends confidently in heaven because notice what is it that God has already purposed to do God says in verse 5 he will speak to the rebels he will simply speak to them in his anger what will God declare he tells us I have installed my king on Mount Zion Mount Zion that is Jerusalem the prophesied place of messiahs rule that’s where David set up his capital the I in verse 5 verse 6 is emphatic and that’s why in the new American Standard you have the phrase but as for me God is saying I just me myself i have already firmly established that my son jesus will be installed on Mount Zion notice the result of God’s simple declaration to mankind abject terror verse 5 says he will terrify them in his fury just by making this declaration the word of Adonai the Lord and Master paralyzes mankind with fear God’s Word is enough to make all their plans useless God simply declares I’ve set up my king and that’s it man has no recourse man is stupefied the rebellious plans come to a screeching halt this shouldn’t surprise us we already know from Genesis God spoke the earth into creation God can speak the earth out of creation God can cause creation to do whatever he wants a simple word or command Isaiah says God’s Word never goes out and comes back void indeed God’s Word is terrifyingly powerful it never fails to be obeyed whatever he commands happens be made be unmade be prosperous be ruined be alive be destroyed if just the mere announcement of messiahs kingship in Zion is enough to send all rebels in panicked flight how can one not laugh at the supposedly ingenious plans of mankind to oppose and depose God’s Christ oh Christ just means Messiah so this is the second truth for us to realize God easily confounds the father easily confounds man’s rebellious plans but it’s not simply that God will make an announcement God has already made an announcement that further guarantees the total submission of the world the gods Christ and we see this in the Third Point here’s a third point the Sun testifies that he will surely rule all the Sun testifies that he will surely rule all this comes from the next set of verses look at verse 27 29 I was surely tell 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 notice the shift and speaker here now it’s the Messiah himself who speaks he declares a decree an unchangeable proclamation from Yahweh himself what is the decree it has three parts he alway first declares the Messiah is his son you are my son today I have begotten you wait a second does this mean that the Messiah God’s Son had a beginning today he was begotten not at all this decree is not given at messiahs coronation in fact the timing of this decree is not stated here at all it was just some time in the past based on other scriptures the best understanding of the timing of this decree from God is not a specific point in history but eternally from the past though the decree did become manifest to the world at a specific point or specific points in history just as Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world so this decree of inheritance was given by the father to the son before the world began in the unfathomable space of eternity past the Sun is eternally begotten did not suddenly become begotten he is of the same essence of the Father he is one with the father yet distinct he is fully God and his eternal as God what is significant then about this announcement of sonship and begotten asst well it affirms that Jesus is the same as the father it affirms that because God is the Messiah’s father then the Messiah is also God the Jews of Jesus day understood this this is why when Jesus declared himself to be the Son of God they wanted to put him to death for blasphemy John 10 33 and 36 show us this after Jesus had spoken the Jews answered him for a good work we do not stone you but for blasphemy and because you being a man make yourself out to be God but Jesus responded a couple verses later do you save him whom the father sanctified and sent into the world you are blaspheming because i said i am the son of god and john 19-7 similarly shows us this when the Jews bring Jesus before Pilate and they want him to be crucified the Jews answered pilot we have a law and by that law he ought to die because he made himself out to be the Son of God they understood to be the Son of God means to also be God so this decree from the father affirms the Messiah will be God the decree from the father also affirms the fitness of the Messiah to inherit total rule of the world as he is the son of God sons receive whatever belongs to their fathers especially at that time all the universe belongs to the Father therefore total rule of the universe is the sons right by inheritance but how will this rule be bestowed on the Sun well not simply by right but by request this is the second part of the father’s decree the father tells the son asked me for the kingdom and I will freely bestow it all on you notice the great boundaries of messiahs rule Messiah will have dominion of the nation’s not just Israel but all the gentile nations even to the ends of the earth it won’t not be a part of earth that he doesn’t have dominion over messiahs Kingdom inheritance will be over the entire world meaning all people and all nations will be subjected to him but as we’ve seen the nations have rejected messiahs kingship over them they rebel what is to be done God is not thwarted in the slightest nor is the Messiah the least bit worried and verses 4 to 6 the word of the Father terrified the rebels but verse 9 says Messiah himself will break his enemies with a rod of iron this is the third part of the father’s decree the Messiah scepter of rule when he comes to inherit his kingdom will smash down upon his enemies like hard iron the Rebels will be broken to pieces shattered just as iron pulverized as a clay pot there will be no underground resistance to Messiah there will be no guerilla warfare there will be no army to continually make battle against him Christ will find out his enemies and destroy every one of them but you say but Jesus is the gentle lamb surely he will not act with such violence it’s true Jesus is the Lamb of God and he came meekly to suffer and to save sinners but it’s also true that Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and he will come one day not to suffer but to rule and when he comes that second time there will be no mercy for his adversaries when the kingdom of God’s Messiah comes there will be no more patience there will be no more mercy there be no more the gentle leading or prodding staff of the Shepherd instead there will be the iron scepter of absolute sovereignty all enemies of Messiah will be suddenly and totally crushed but perhaps you still say surely I will escape surely I will escape the wrath of Messiah surely my rebellion will go unnoticed and unpunished I heard you consider the examples given to us in Scripture in the days of Noah God brought a sudden catastrophic flood on the unsuspecting yet fully rebellious world and only eight people were saved in the days of lot God brought fire from heaven down upon a naive and licentious City actually a set of cities a whole valley Sodom in other cities only three were spared from the judgment in the days of Moses Joshua David Hezekiah and others the gentile nations fought against israel with massive armies and withstood sieges and seemingly impregnable fortresses refusing to submit to God or his king yet the heathen armies were annihilated and their strongholds overthrown it was easy for God to do that as pastor read earlier in the days of Jesus when he was born Wiley Herod he could discover Christ birthplace and then murdered the baby Messiah keep the rule for himself and though Herod massacred many innocent boys God protected his Messiah Herod was thwarted and Herod perished in paranoia at the end of Jesus ministry the Jews and Gentiles United together to put god’s son to death and it seems like they were successful they did defeat God’s King no it only momentarily seemed like a victory their triumph was turned into a humiliating defeat because Jesus rose from the grave and he ascended to the right place of God but the ultimate example for us to consider to show us you will not escape is provided by prophecy of the future not just from Psalms but revelation please hold your place in Psalm 2 and turn to Revelation chapter 19 if you’re using the Pew Bible you can find the page on 1239 Revelation 19 in this passage we see the most literal manifestation of man’s rebellion against God’s Messiah and the plains of Armageddon the rulers and armies of the earth gather to do literal battle with God’s Christ how does it go look at verses 11 to 21 this is revelation 19 verses 11 to 21 and I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he who sat on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and wages war his eyes are flame of fire and on his head are many diadem’s and he has a name written on him which no one knows except himself he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called the word of god and the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen white and clean were following him on white horses from his mouth comes a sharp sword so so that with it he may strike down the nation’s and he will rule them with a rod of iron and he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty and on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written king of kings and Lord of lords then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in Midheaven come assembled for the great supper of God so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men both freemen and slaves and small and great I saw the Beast that is the Antichrist the future evil ruler of the world 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 and the beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence but which he deceived those who’d receive the mark of the beast and those who worshipped His image these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone and the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh what is the result of this future outright war against Messiah its slaughter its slaughter for messiahs enemies the dead are not even buried their flesh is food for birds this is sobering if you remain a rebel against God and against his Messiah either openly or secretly such is your fate you will be destroyed you’ll be destroyed by the command of Messiah and then your words you’ll be judged at the great white throne for your sin all of your sins will be recounted you’ll be condemned and then you will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented forever as the price of rebellion God has irreversibly decreed that messiahs rule will be established totally when it comes to the earth God has declared it Messiah testifies of it Philippians 2 10 echoes it is what Philippians 2 10 says at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father so we see a third critical truth from this song The Sun testifies that he will surely rule all so let’s review the three truths the Holy Spirit has declared to us from this song first the world is in rebellion against God’s good Messiah second the father easily confounds man’s rebellious plans and third the Sun testifies that he will surely rule all what does this mean well if you do not know Christ as your true master and Savior today then you have great reason to fear you have joined with the rebels of the world against the great I am and his good Messiah you have sought to throw off God’s yoke you have insisted that you will rule yourself and that you will have your own way you have blaspheme God in your heart by declaring to God that he is an evil tyrant and his rule is unjust and oppressive do you think God does not notice do you think God will not act against your wicked rebellion and if you insist that you’re not a rebel and that you’re safe look at your life do your action oh that you love Jesus more than anyone or anything do you actually do what Jesus commanded God already declares to you that he laughs at all evil plans in a moment he could simply speak to you and undo you make no mistake if you are indeed a rebel you will not succeed against God or his Messiah God has already a replica Blee established his Messiah on Zion furthermore the Son of God the Messiah the one who was of the same essence of the Father and has full right of inheritance he will rule the entire Earth every nation and people will be subjected to him Messiah will make requests and the father will gladly bestow upon the Sun total rule Jesus will come as the conquering King to obtain his kingdom and if you have not bowed to him already you will be shattered by his iron rod but there is hope there is hope because God’s wrath has not yet been poured out on you he has given you a chance to stop your rebellion and make peace therefore make peace with God come under his yoke again embrace his Messiah as friend and King and you will not be destroyed as an enemy for this is exactly what the psalmist urges let’s now look at the application section of Psalm 2 verses 10 to 12 so back in Psalm 2 again that’s page 552 in the pew Bible look at verses 10 to 12 of Psalm 2 now therefore o Kings show discernment take warning o judges of the earth worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling do homage to the son that he not become angry and you perish in the way for his wrath may soon be kindled how blessed are all who take refuge in him notice deeds these words are addressed to the world’s kings and judges if their most powerful and influential people in the world are instructed to humble themselves to surrender to God while they can and surely the common people must as well I noticed the word discernment in verse 10 David urges the rulers of the world to act with the sermon show understanding embrace wisdom embrace reality the fact that God’s Messiah cannot be successfully opposed stop your rebellion it’s the only wise thing to do what does it mean to stop rebellion verse 11 and 12 tell us more it means to worship and rejoice in Yahweh God is great and God has done great things give him the praise and honor that he deserves let him be your treasure not the things or the idols of the world love the Lord for he is good seek out his commands and do them serve the Lord repent of every evil way and commit yourself to following god’s way in everything and this is to be done with reverence and trembling the word for reverence can actually simply be translated as fear worship and serve God with fear now this is not the fear that God might smite you at any time or that Craven trembling that even after you’ve repented and followed god you’re still not safe no no no that’s not what we’re talking about this is the holy fear that realizes this is the transcendent eternal and mighty god I’m dealing with there is no one like him he is a consuming fire I must take his words seriously furthermore ending rebellion means to do homage to the Sun the phrase in verse 12 was literally kiss the Sun though the new American Standard translators translators have sought to give you the sense do hamed show fealty show respect show loyalty show honor kissing a sovereign can indeed be a sign of loyalty and allegiance but a kiss can also be a sign of other things making peace worship and showing affection you must embrace each of these attitudes towards God’s Messiah God’s Son give your full loyalty and devotion to Jesus make peace with him give him the praise and worship and adoration he deserves and love him for the Holy and loving King that he is but truly there is no King like King Jesus a king who temporarily laid aside the glory of God to become a man even a baby to save men from their sins King Jesus grew up lived a perfectly righteous life and allowed himself to suffer rejection from his rebellious people he died a humiliating death on the cross so that he might rescue rebels those that believe in him from the wrath of God you see for any men to be saved their blasphemous heinous rebellion must be paid for it is a terrible crime God’s justice demands satisfaction Jesus willingly offered this satisfaction he gave the just payment by suffering God’s full wrath against himself Jesus suffered the penalty of those who believe in him so that they might have their sins paid for once and for all they might be forever clothed in the righteousness of Jesus and they might inherit eternal life with Jesus Jesus sacrifice was accepted by the Father and Jesus rose from the dead sent it to heaven where he now waits until God bestows upon him all the nations of the world as his inheritance no king in history has been so good so compassionate so humble so holy as King Jesus God’s Messiah is today Jesus invites you to be saved and to have peace with him and with the father you know the gentle invitation of Jesus from Matthew Matthew 11 28 to 30 come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light Jesus says stop your rebellion stop your senseless raging and striving stop trying to earn peace with God or trying to secure salvation for yourself by your own good deeds come to the Sun take him as your substitute give up your own way take upon yourself the gracious yoke of Jesus first John 53 says the commandments of Jesus are not burdensome and it’s true Jesus commandments are good and wise and life-giving if you know who Jesus is if you believe in him you want to follow his commands it’s not that keeping Jesus command save you saves you rather keeping Jesus words is the proof of whether you’ve really come to know him as Lord and Savior as the apostles begged so I urge you today on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God Yahweh has given you the opportunity to kiss the son take advantage before it’s too late because there will come a time when God’s patience runs out look at verse 12 again if you do not kiss the son he will become angry and his anger will eventually flash forth and you will perish you do not know when this will be it says his wrath may soon be kindled his patients may run out for you today Christ may come back this very hour to begin his judgment on the world tonight you may die God demanding your soul from you it’s happened others could happen to you don’t wait till it’s too late to make peace don’t delay any longer come and kiss the son come and make peace by doing so you not only protect yourself from wrath but you also secure for yourself the highest happiness look at verse 13 are not first 13 Universe 12 how blessed are all who take refuge and him who’s the him why Jesus the Messiah Jesus is the only mediator between God and man he’s the only one who can rescue you from the wrath of God those who come to Jesus have him as their refuge and they become blessed what is blessed mean it means happy or fortunate it is as the other scripture writers declare taste and see that the Lord is good rejoice in the Lord always he is joy when you stop being a rebel and make Jesus your King Jesus is not only no longer your enemy but he is your advocate your Savior your provider your protector your help your rest your friend he is so good and when you make peace with him he intimately discloses himself to you truly there is no greater joy in life and to know Jesus behold it is as romans 11 22 says there is a great difference between God’s attitude toward the rebels and toward the reconciled those who stubbornly follow sin who persist and insist on their own way they experienced God’s severity they will be destroyed utterly but those who repent those who are reconciled to God they experience God’s love they get to experience God’s astounding kindness it’s true that God came humbly and gently on the first Christmas night to bring peace on earth but only in this sense God was providing the world with a way to be reconciled to him if that way is rejected if you reject King Jesus Christmas is not an announcement of your salvation and joy it isn’t instead an announcement of your destruction and damnation so for the sake of wisdom for the sake of happiness for the sake of fellowship with Jesus God the Son of God kiss the son do not risk any more delay if you do belong to Christ this morning notice the great comfort the teaching of the psalmist provides you you have been made reconciled to God you need not fear the iron scepter of the Messiah it’s your comfort you have kissed the Sun and you’ve been made his beloved and protect citizen moreover know the world’s rebellions against Messiah will not succeed we see this all around us do we not we see the church persecuted all over the world we see Jesus opposed and blaspheme we see the world raising against the commands of God and repudiating all of his good ordinances one by one it is disheartening to see this evil and injustice take comfort friends this rebellion will not succeed the Messiah will not be overcome all evil will be recommenced and God’s own will be vindicated Christ will come to establish his kingdom and every knee will bow to him the nation’s truly rage in vain also remember this when Christ reigns when he receives his kingdom and reigns so will you this is what Jesus has declared revelation 20 verse 4 says that when Christ destroys his enemies at Armageddon the dead in Christ will be raised up and they will rule with Christ for a thousand years even in the eternal state God’s people will reign with Christ forever into the future eternity they will rain they will be on the throne with him for this is what revelation 22 verses 3 to 5 declares describing the New Jerusalem there will no longer be any curse and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his bondservants will serve Him and they will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads and they were no longer be any night and they will not have the need or they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the Sun because the Lord God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever what incredible grace that we should not only be spared by the Sun but that we should be with him we should serve Him we should rule with him forever praise God this Christmas for sending such a great King into the world may he come back soon let’s pray what an overwhelmingly beautiful word oh god you are great you deserve all honor you deserve all worship you deserve all service it is wicked for any to rebel against you yet God we know that this is what we have done we have rebelled against your goodness we have hated you we have hated your rule we have wanted to live our own way even though it was senseless and destructive you had mercy on us you sent Oh father you sent a way for us to be reconciled or Jesus you came and willingly suffered in our place so that we might be at peace with God and that we might be with you forever what incredible kindness thank you for showing your kindness god I pray that no one listening today would fail to take advantage would fail to come and kiss you Jesus to love you to declare their rebellion over to follow you the Lord we’re also we also take comfort today that evil will not get away with with itself that you will rule our reign on the earth that you will establish perfect justice that you will repay each man according to his deeds you are good thank you for coming into the world Lord Jesus thank you Father for sending him Thank You Holy Spirit for regenerating us so that we could know Jesus and Jesus name Amen