The Politically Incorrect Guide To God's War On The Wicked

You have your bibles where you open them to Psalm number two, Psalm too, and we'll look at this war between God and the nations, this war between God and sinful men. The psalmistrits, why do the nations rage and the prophets or the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed ones, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me. You are my son. Today I have forgotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rot of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Now, therefore, O kings, be wise be warned. O rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are those who take refuge in him. This is a beautiful psalm. There are four stanzas of three verses each. It's incredibly symmetrical, and there is a progression here that is very clear. But the question is what does this Old Testament text? But what does this psalm from the song Book of Israel have to do with a militant and triumphant church. Well, I'm glad you asked. In order to answer this question, we need to remember something that we looked at on last night. We talked about Peter's words and one Peter too. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. That is who we are. And it's significant to keep in mind that that's who we are in order to understand the significance of this psalm as it relates to us as the Church. We are the people of God. We are a chosen race, and the royal priesthood and the Holy Nation. We are a people for God's own possession. And it's because that's who we are that this relates to us. When the nations rage against God, it's not as though they can ascend his holy hell and fight with him. When the nations rage against God, it's not as though they can lay hold of him. The old folks used to say, your arms are too short to box with God. How do the nations fight God? The answer is they can't fight God per se. So what they do is they fight God's people. They go to war with the Church. If you are at war with God, who is a spirit and doesn't have a body like man, all the catechised children said, Amen, then what do you do? You go to war with those who represent him. You go to war with those who speak his words. You go to war with those who bear the marks of identifying with Him. And we see this, do we not? We see this war spiritually and ideologically. We see it even in our own surroundings. And when I talk about this I'm not talking about in atheistic nations that we're at war with the idea of Christianity. That's not what I mean. I don't mean in Islamic nations that are obviously at war with the idea of Christianity, or Hindu nations or Buddhist nations. I'm talking about in the Christian West. We're seeing this war beginning to rage as the biblical understanding of manhood and womanhood and human sexuality is referred to in legislation as mythology. We are at war. Our mission is also a direct affront to man's quest for independence and his own sovereignty. What is our mission? Jesus gave it to us. He says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. There's problem number one. Man is seeking after authority, and there's none to be found, because it all belongs to Christ. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. He doesn't just say go and baptize people, and bring people into the church where they do church things and leave it there. No, he says, go and baptize them in the name of the Father's Son and the Holy Spirit. And then teach them to observe, teach who the nations, Teach them that they don't get to call their own shots. Teach them that there is a God in Zion and that they have an obligation to bow before him and to obey him. And when we do that, it's clear to see why Psalm too would be relevant to a militant and triumphant church. Let's look at these four movements in the Psalm again, each of them three verses, this perfect symmetry, and the first three verses we see that sinful man is at war with God. Sinful man is at war with God. And if you don't believe this, you are incredibly naive. If you think that sinful man can just coexist with God. If you think that sinful man can just wink and nod and watch God's people go and do and be who they are and proclaim the gospel and win and gain ground and be okay with it, you are sorely mistaken. Look of those first three verses again, why do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. We don't want them to control us. It's like a child looking up defiantly and saying, you're not the boss of me. Nations rage, people's plot, kings set themselves, rulers take counsel together. There is a sense in which the whole world, and yes it is the whole world, the whole world outside of this people of God is at war with God. Notice the word picture here. There's a picture of the peoples of the world assembling against God, amassing their armies, if you will, against God, preparing all the fire power they have to go to war against God, and actually believing that if enough of them a mass, that they can stamp him out. This would have been significant for the nation of Israel as they thought about that tiny strip of land that has been fought over for generation after generation after generation, fighting with the Philistines and the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and again and again and again nations amassing against the people of God. In this case, however, the armies are finite men coming to fight against God himself. This is a fool's errand because it's not possible to win, their armies have no chance. Nevertheless, less they amass for war. We see it all the time, don't we. You look at people's lives, and sometimes I look at people's lives and I watch them war with God, and you just want to look at him and say, stay down, man. But why why does si man insist on warring with God? As crazy as that sounds, John gives us a glimpse in John three point nineteen. This is the judgment. The light has come into the world, and people love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. They can't help it. They love darkness, and they're infuriated by light, by anything that exposes their darkness and their enemies of God. Ephesians Chapter two, verses one through three. We know these verses, don't we. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air of the spirit that is now at work in the suns of disobedience, among whom we once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, enemies of God, children of wrath, who love the darkness and hate the light. And therefore all we can do is continue to go to war with God. It's kind of like the classic story about the frog and the scorpion. Y'all know this story. Scorpions trying to get across the river and he needs some help. He talks to the frog and says, man, why don't you give me a ride? The frog says, I'm not gonna do that. You'll sting me and kill us both. He said, no, I don't want to do that. I got to get to the other side. Just give a brother a ride, I promise. Halfway across, the frog feels the sting in his back, and before he succumbs and sings. He looks up to this scorpion and but why, to which the scorpion responds, It's just my nature that's fallen. Man, It's just his nature to be at war with God. And it will always be his nature until the bitter end Revelation sixteen thirteen to sixteen. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs, speaking of frogs, for they are demonic spirits performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Behold, I'm coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed. And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew was called Armageddon. Sinful men go to war with God to the bitter end, because it is in their very nature to do so. But not only was this relevant to the nation of Israel. Not only was this Psalm a hymn that Israel could sing and relate to, but we know from the New Testament writers that Israel didn't even have the full picture. We didn't fully understand Psalm too until the Coming of Christ. Listen to Acts chapter four, beginning of verse twenty six, the kings of the earth set themselves and rulers gather together against the Lord and against his anointed, again quoting this Psalm. For truly, in this city there were gathered together against your Holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed both herod and ponscious Pilot, along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. That's not the only place where we see the New Testament writers pointing to the fact that Psalm too is about the Lord Jesus Christ that ultimately, in this war, it is a war against God, it is a war against Christ, and it is a war against the body of Christ. Not only is that first movement pertinent this war between sinful man and God, but the second movement in this hymn is incredibly important as well, because God responds, but not the way you would think. You imagine the picture of massive armies amassing for war. What's the response supposed to look like? Imagine it on a personal level. Two opponents face off and one puts up his hands. What is the other going to do? Put up his hands? Yet normally not here he who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, now, please, please don't miss this. Okay. We start with the Lord laughing, which again is pretty terrifying. I bring my armies and I'm ready to go to war. I've got a huge army amassed, and I'm ready to go to war. You ready to fight while you laughing, But then notice the second part. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, again, what's the terrifying thing that God says to sinful man in his wrath? He says, I've set my king on Zion, my holy hill. There it is. That's the terrifying thing. We bring massive armies, we bring everything that man can think or imagine or invent to bring, and we come to fight with God. And he laughs and says, my kings and Zion and that's it, and it's terrifying. God is not threatened by the armies of men. He laughs at them seven thirteen. But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. Psalm fifty nine to eight. But you, o Lord, laugh at them. You hold all the nations in derision, all of them rebellion of God. Rebelling against God is folly because men will ultimately obey God, either willingly or unwillingly. There is no winning this war, which is why God laughs and holds them in derision. God is not threatened by sinful men Psalm forty six. Ten. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. He will be is not optional. There is no question. This thing is not in doubt Philippians two nine and ten, speaking of Jesus. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every nie shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father, every knee, every tongue. It's not in doubt. And yet it doesn't matter how loudly we proclaim this, and how consistently we proclaim this. Sinful man believes that he can win, and God laughs, and God holds him in deition, and all of this is accomplished, and all of this will be accomplished by his king who was on Zion. The contrast is stark, not only the visual contrast. The armies of the nations of the world gathering against God. That's the picture, coming to his holy hill and God saying, you'll fight my king and just him. And it's not that the king is somehow going to, you know, deploy some weapon that destroys all of these armies in a physical sense. That's not the picture, because this battle is a spiritual battle. But the way that the king on Zion wins the war is ironic as the idea of God laughing and holding them in derision Colossians two thirteen to fifteen. And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us, with its legal demands, this he set aside, kneeling it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them. In him. It is the cross. That's how the king wins this battle on Zion. It is through the cross, Paul says in One Garrinthians when eighteen for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us, who are being saved, it is the power of God. It makes no sense we come to you to go to war with you, and you win the war with us by your king dying on your hill. That's exactly right Verse twenty of that same chapter. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? As I said, it's a fool's errand going to war with God. Not only is it a fool's errand because you cannot defeat God, but it's a fool's errand because here you are going to war with the one who is actually your only hope. It reminds me of Genesis three after the Fall, when God comes says Adam, where are you? And Adam responds with the most ridiculous answer, imaginable. I heard you coming, so I ran and hid, which immediately raises the question where does one run and hide from God? It's not only foolish because you can't hide from God, but it's foolish because at that moment, after you've eaten, you have one hope and one hope only, and that is that God would be merciful to you. So you're actually running and hiding from the only one who can save you. And in this instance in Psalm too, the nations are actually amassing and going to war with the one who is their only hope. Again, it's a fool's errand but it's appropriate because sinful man is a fool. We need to be mindful of this because our tendency when we see the armies amassed against the Church, because that's the way that the world goes to war with God, our knee jerk reaction is to say, well, we just need to get a bigger army than they have. How many times have we said this, Right, something goes awry and all of a sudden, you know, the world is against us, and it seems like it seems like we're losing ground. It seems like they've been successful, and we say something like, well, see, they know how to organize for their cause. If we just organized as well as they do. If you can't say. Amen, you ought to say out. If we could just scheme like them, then we could rule the day, and we would have the big army and they would have to bow to us. Wrong answer. Our answer is the king who's on Zion's hill. That's our answer. That's always been our answer, and it will always be our answer. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're powerful. They destroy fortresses. Why would we trade them in? Again? The weapons of their warfare cannot be successful against our God and against his anointed one. So why when we think the battle is not going well for us, why instead of us saying that our God is in control and whatever comes to pass does not threaten him, why do we then say, well, maybe we should pick up their weapons and fight like them. We only say that because we don't understand the third movement in this all, and that is this that the reason that God smiles and holds them in derision is because the outcome was never in doubt. The outcome was never in doubt. It's not the Church militant and hopefully triumphant. Amen, it's not the Church militant and Lord willing triumphant. No, we will triumph. In verse seven, the king who's been identified on Zion speaks, I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. There's the frightening word. The reference here is again a reference to Christ. Don't take my word for it. Hebrews Chapter one, verses three through five. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the power, by the word of his power. After making purifications for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels, as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say you are my son today I have begotten you. Or again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. In other words, according to the author of Hebrews as well, Psalm too is about Jesus. It finds its ultimate fulfillment, fulfillment in the person and work of Christ. Jesus presented himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. The nations are his birthright, they are his inheritance, and we are the means through which he claims this inheritance. As we preach the gospel, and men are saved, as they're snatched out of the kingdom of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of light. Imagine again, here's the picture. The picture is that the armies of the world are amassed against God and against his anointed. And here's the King on his holy hill, and here's this massive army. And as the Gospel is preached by the people of God, people lay down their weapons, leave their post and run to the King on his hill. That's how we fight. That's how we fight. That's the picture. And let me just pause and say this. This is what gives us confidence in evangelism and missions. Amen, this is what gives us confidence because there's never a question and the outcome is never in doubt. God will have his victory. Christ will have the fullness of the reward for which he died. We can know that we can rest assured, and we can preach the Gospel in faith, knowing that God will save his people through the foolishness of our preaching. And so we preach the Gospel and press the claims of Christ in a hostile world. But we also remind men of the judgment that is to come. That is just as much our duty. That's what we do as the church militant. We preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And part of that truth is warning men of the coming judgment Revelation to twenty seven. He will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my father Revelation twelve five. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was caught up to God and to his throne Revelation in nineteen fifteen. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. We warn men of the judgment to come, and that net leaves us with the final movement, And the final movement is this sinful man has only one hope, and that is repentance. That's it is repentance. He can't win the war with God. His war with God will end in him being smashed by a rod of iron. The nations that rage against God will bow before God and will be ruled by God. So they have no hope of victory. Their only hope is repentance Verses ten through twelve. That last movement. Now, therefore, because what we've seen here, sinful man's going to war with God. God laughs, because the outcome is never in doubt. Therefore, oh kings, be wise be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. What a turn of phrase. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. What a beautiful picture. Our God is awesome and terrible, and yet we rejoice in him. I love the way. Yes Lewis captures this in the Narnia series, speaking of Aasiland. He's not a tame lion, but he's good. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the sun, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are those who take refuge in Him. We begin in the exact opposite place, or we end in the exact opposite place from where we began. We begin with the nations raging and trying to break themselves free from His bonds, and we end with Blessed are those who take refuge in Him. There's only two choices. We can amass ourselves with the armies that are at war with God, or we can take refuge in the King on this holy hill. Folks, if God did not spare his beloved Israel, but instead allowed them to be defeated in battle and carried off into exile, then we know enemies. We'll face sure and swift and unimaginable judgment. And yet he calls them to repentance. When you and I came to faith in Christ, this wasn't the picture. It wasn't sinful man and the enemies of God arrayed against God, ready to go to war with him. And here is God and his anointed, here is his King on Zion, on that holy hill. And before the war breaks out, he says, wait, stop, there's someone who's neutral. No, you weren't neutral in this battle. Before you came to faith in Christ. You were driving a tank, going to take the hill, when the power of the Gospel reached in and rescued you. Listen to this from Kidnaper. The final beatitude leaves no doubt of the grace that inspires the call of verse ten. In following what fear and pride interpret as bondage there in verse three is in fact security and bliss, and there is no refuge from Him, only in Him. How many of us resisted coming to Christ because we believed that we would be robbed of something, that he wanted to take joy away from us, that he wanted to take freedom and liberty away from us, that he wanted to take rest and peace away from us. Only to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and look back on the men we were and say, I thought he was going to take my liberty and I was actually a slave. I thought he was going to take my peace and my rest, and I was actually at war within and without. I thought he was going to take my liberty and my freedom. I thought he was going to take my joy but I was miserable before I found Christ. I didn't even know what joy was. I was a fool on a fool's errand going to war for something that I could only get from the one that I was trying to destroy. All end with this revelation eleven eighteen sort of sums it up for us. The nations raged, But your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judg'd. And for rewarding your servants, the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth, the dust will settle, the battle will be won, and God will rescue and save his people through the person and work of his anointed one, that King on Zion's Holy Hill. And he will utterly destroy his enemies, And in both things he will be glorified. Be still and know that he is God. He will be exalted among the nations, he will be exalted in the earth. Amen.