Why Do the Nations Rage
First B Jackson
2023-05-21

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Packaging up $50 that

were for twenty minutes. Oh my God. That's twenty seven hours.

I mean, 27 times as long as recommended. But it was the best my hands have felt in weeks. Oh my goodness. Good. Morning everybody, how are you?

All right, would you stand with me and let's sing about that heart that's ringing with a melody here. Hymn five zero two, if you ever want a hymnal, they're sitting up here up front. You're welcome to grab them if you wanna see the notes, but we're just gonna sing off the wall. Alright? That will that do?

Whatever comes up there, that's gonna happen. Yep.

I have a song that Jesus gave me. It was sent from heaven above. There never was a sweeter melody. Tis a melody of love. In my heart, there rings a melody.

There rings a melody with heaven's harmony. In my heart, there rings a melody. There rings a melody of love. I love the Christ who died on Calvary for he washed my sins away. He put within my heart a melody, and I know it's there to stay.

In my heart, there rings a melody. There rings a melody with heaven's harmony. In my heart, there rings a melody. There rings a melody love. 'Twil be my endless theme in glory.

With the angels, I will sing. 'Twould be a song with glorious harmony. When the courts of heaven ring, in my heart there rings a melody. There rings a melody with heaven's harmony. In my heart there rings a melody.

There rings

Amen. How about we go from that one straight into this on the next page of the hymnal since Jesus came into my heart.

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. I have light in my soul for which long I had sought since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came in, came into my heart since Jesus came in, came into my heart. Floods of joy o'er my soul like the Sea Billows Row. Since Jesus came into my heart, I have seized from my wandering and going astray since Jesus came into my heart.

And my sins, which were many, are all washed away since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came in, came into my heart. Since Jesus came in, came into my heart. Floods of joy o'er my soul. Sea billows rose since Jesus came into my heart.

And on the last, I shall go there to dwell in that city I know since Jesus came into my heart. And I'm happy, so happy as onward I go, since Jesus came into my heart, since

Jesus came in, came into my heart. Since Jesus came in, came into my heart. Floods of

joy for my soul. See, Billows rose since Jesus came into my heart. Amen. Isn't that a cheery one?

That's good. That's that's full of joy. Y'all can have a seat. I've got couple of announcements. We have no matter what this slide says, we have Monday night this week.

We really do have it. It says not this week, but it doesn't mean it. We are having Monday night. It's happening. Carl is gonna be preaching on blind Bartimaeus calling out to Jesus and that healing.

So it is happening. There we go. Thank you very much, Blake. He's right on top of it. Monday night's happening.

Tomorrow night, 06:00, meal music and a message down the hall in the fellowship hall. I will say this, it's Joni. We're gonna celebrate Joni at the end of the service today and tomorrow. She's an original Monday nighter, and she's going to be taking her leave. She's going to go and live in Washington here soon.

So I just want to say thank you, Joni, first of all, during the announcement. So we'll call you up in a bit, or actually, I'll come down to you. How about that? And we'll pray for you at the end of the service but also tomorrow night, we want to kind of celebrate Joni a bit there too. Monday nights at first be, it's good.

Meal, music, and a message. Monday night next that's tomorrow. We will not be having Awana at the same time. Usually, do during the school year, but Awana has finished two weeks ago, so no Awana tomorrow night. What a friend we have in Jesus.

There aren't any other announcements? Oh, there's that. So this past Thursday, the Christian Life and Witness Course, we wrapped up the three Thursday night meetings from seven to nine. Those happened already, and it was a good time. For those who were here, it was a fantastic time.

Christian Life and Witness Course. But that all of that was in anticipation of an event that's happening in Idaho Falls, September the twenty third and twenty fourth. Twenty third is for kids and teenagers, and the twenty fourth is for everybody, all age groups included. It's going to be a big rally, sort of like the old Billy Graham rallies, crusades. We're going to be a part of that.

We had quite a few people that volunteered to be counselors to help out with anybody who might come forward at this event where Will Graham will be preaching. My Sister's Closet is happening here June 3. That's a couple weeks away. We could use a volunteer or two to help with the setting up of My Sister's Closet on the Friday before, but that will be a women's clothing exchange, new and gently used items. If you bring them from home and bring them here and KC McCooey and a couple of volunteers will set the store up, it'll be right here in the sanctuary on Saturday, and then anything that's left over will be gone before Sunday morning.

Okay? So one time opportunity, June 3, plan on being here. It'll be starting in the morning. It'll go most of the morning. Vacation Bible school.

This is the first Sunday we've announced this. It's coming June 26 through the twenty eighth, 9AM to noon. Liz Owings is in charge, and if you have questions, you can direct them to her. If you'd like to be a volunteer, please let her know. But Pets Unleashed, where Jesus cares for you.

That's the first I've heard of that, but I think it's wonderful. So Vacation Bible School is always a fun time. VBS week, June twenty sixth to twenty eighth. I think that is the the last slide. Does anybody have another announcement to make?

Testimony? No? Suggestions? Complaints? Anything?

Nothing. Would you stand with me and we'll sing what a friend we have in Jesus. I'm glad to be here this morning. I'm glad y'all are here too.

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry we're going

to

Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden comfort with the Lord of care. Savior's still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer thy friends despise forsake take it to the Lord in prayer his arms he'll take and shield thee will find a soulless there Amen. Y'all can have a seat.

I'm going invite the ushers to come forward and and it's and we'll pray. I think, yeah, Russ, you can join them. God almighty, we're thankful to be here this morning. I I am thankful to be gathered with your people, gathered in your name to worship your son. Lord God almighty, it's a beautiful, beautiful place to be.

We ask lord that you'd use those of us who are assembled here and the families lord that we represent, that you'd use us to carry forward and proclaim the message of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Lord, would you just be using us to share this word? It is the hope. It is the hope. Lord God Almighty, I'm I'm overwhelmed by that sometimes.

Thank you that plan a is that your obedient and humble servants would be living out under the spirit's direction, the call of God to proclaim the gospel with their lives, with their words. Lord, I ask that you'd be doing that right here this morning, that you'd fill us up. And then when we go out into the field, that we would be reflecting your glory. In Jesus' name, Lord, we ask that you would do your will and your way among us right here this morning. But Lord, all week long, as we go, as we are going, that we would be teaching to obey all that you've commanded us.

In Jesus name, we thank you that your commandments are not burdensome. Lord, we want to give back some of what you've given to us just to see your gospel keep on going forward. In Jesus' name, amen. Wow. My tribute, that's beautiful, Judy.

Wow. I have been in a New Testament study. I'm going move this before I step on it. I have been in a New Testament study here. Y'all have too.

Most of you have been for eleven straight years. Alright? We've been going forward in the New Testament because I generally I am a Greek guy. I I know more Greek than I do Hebrew. I know very little Hebrew, so I don't spend a whole lot of time in the Old Testament.

I have to study a lot harder and a lot further if I'm gonna do that. One guy, the first time I was here, a guy who's here today actually, I said, the Shema. You know the Shema? Shema? I said it over and over, the Shema.

And then after it was over, he came forward and says, I'm of a Jewish background. That's the Shema. It's like, yeah. Let me get back to the New Testament. So I actually, I was in my own personal study this past week.

So after last week, which was Mother's Day, and I preached, of course, what you do on Mother's Day, long sermon on hell. And usually just stick to the text. Right? Just stay right in order. And this week, the very next thing that Jesus mentions is the cost of discipleship.

So following up a Mother's Day sermon on hell, I was gonna lead off with the first line says, you must hate your mother and father, and I just couldn't do that. So I have thrown up the white flag this week in surrender and said, Lord, I need something else. So Psalm two is what I'm going to. Psalm two, if you're wondering where we're gonna get there. Actually, this week, I read something early in the week last week, and it was from Psalm 18.

I think it's eighteen twenty nine. And it said, with you, Lord, I feel like I could run at the warriors. You know, it's David. And he's he's been in a battle or two. He says, with you, Lord, with you on my side, I feel like I could run at the warriors.

I feel like I could jump over a wall. And I thought, man, that's a good feeling. This says, this is when David had word that he had finally gotten away from all of the enemies. And he was on a real spiritual mountaintop. But we see throughout the Psalms, we see him at low points, and we see him in the middle, and we often see him feeling like, how am I gonna keep on going forward?

But I trust in your unfailing love. Right? So I just decided eighteen twenty nine, I can read 17 psalms. I can get up to 18. I'm gonna just jump in.

It's on my own personal thing. And so Psalm one, this is my summation of Psalm one, and I'll get to Psalm two because that's what I'm preaching. But Psalm one struck me as listen up, exclamation point. Listen up, it's emphatic. Meditate.

Don't be cynical. Don't be cynical. Don't be cynical. I think it's real easy to be cynical. In the world today, it's real easy.

We got constant sources of bad news coming at us all the time. And it's really easy to just kinda be cynical like everybody else. Listen up, meditate, don't be cynical. There's no future in anything else. Just seek righteousness by seeking God earnestly.

He says, if we seek him, we'll find him. Practicing what he says. That's Psalm one. Psalm two is about the Lord and his anointed. And if you've ever done any study of the Psalms from our perspective, this is Psalm one and Psalm two, they used to be one thing.

Psalm one and Psalm two used to be one thing. So I'll come back to Psalm one towards the end. I also realized that I skipped a song, and that's okay because I went long in the first service. Alright? Didn't do it on purpose, but I saw the usher's face when he was like, oh, it's already time.

Psalm two starts off like this. Right out of the box. Why do the nations rage? Why do the Goyim Goyim is all of the other peoples, not the chosen people of God, not Israel, not his beloved at the time the psalm was written down. It was, why do all the heathen, the rest of the peoples plot in vain?

Why do the nations rage, and why do the peoples plot a vain thing? Wow. That's a good question. If we're talking about nations, usually in the Christian tradition and the Protestant church, certainly, we have a leaning forward to the nations. Right?

To every tribe, tongue, and nation, that's who the gospel is for, and we need to be getting after it. It was even in the prayer I just prayed just a minute ago because it should be a conscious thought for us. It's like, we are plan a and there's no plan b. We should be reaching out. But this says, why is it that the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing?

The kings of the earth small k, that's all of the rulers of the earth. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together. They get together and talk about it and encourage one another in being against the Lord and against his anointed. Oh my goodness. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointing. Now, this before the time of Christ, this was often used as a coronation psalm when there was a kingdom in Israel. You know, David, probably the height of the kingdom. Right? David, Solomon, all of the richness.

But anytime that there was a king, they would use this. This is probably why they split it apart. First and second psalm. Why do the nations rage? There is a way to take this as a nationalistic thing.

Why does everybody else rage against God and all the rest of the peoples plot in vain against us? The kings of the earth all set themselves against us, and the rulers take counsel together against us. There's a way to read it nationalistically. There's even a a way for the church to read it as triumphal, right, against us. But it's saying the nations in general and the peoples, all of them, the kings and the rulers all set themselves against the Lord and against his anointed.

And if we're honest, it has gone all the way back to our federal head, Adam, in the garden. Right? We all have the capacity for doing this. Listen up. Meditate.

Don't be cynical. The king's against the king. Why is it that it's vain? It's vain because he's almighty God. Almighty God.

If you set yourself up against Almighty God, who do you think's gonna win? Right? Of The the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, what? Let's break their bonds in pieces. I wanna break the shackles off that God and his anointed have put on me and cast away their cords from us.

I don't want for God to rule. I want to rule. If we're honest, all of us have had that. We're all sinful people to begin with. It's our bent and wanting freedom, free to do as we choose.

Now, I will say this, when God said, here's this beautiful garden, Eden. Absolutely wonderful thing you may have of all of this, and it's wonderful. I'll walk with you in the cool of the day. You can have a relationship with me, Adam. And since it's kind of a almighty God and man made out of dirt, that's kind of an unequal relationship.

I'll give you a helper that's suitable for you so that you can have relationship together, and it'll be great. All of this you have. There's one thing. Avoid that. It's not good for you.

Avoid that. Don't eat of that fruit of that tree. There's one tree, middle of the garden. Everything else is yours. He didn't put a fence around it.

He didn't keep them away from it, physically keep them away from it. He gave them choice. He gives us choice. But we do just like they did. What is it that I don't need?

What is it that he says is bad for me? Ugh. I wanna break those bonds. The devil wants to convince us. Is that what God said?

Really? Well, God just knows that you'd be like him if you ate that. Let's break their bonds. Just let's break let's let's break those rules. Let's cast their cords away.

The kings and the rulers, I think it it goes for individuals too, but definitely small k, small r, kings and rulers. I wanna go these cords. We have been going through and first being the Bible, a lot of y'all are reading the Bible together a chapter at a time each morning. It's sent to your inbox, emailed to your inbox, and somebody we've had about 40 something people in the congregation who've been writing one. You know, my next one's coming up fairly soon.

But Mike wrote one on Hosea 10 on Friday. It's really, really, really good. Hosea has been a tough book. Hosea is a picture and God says this to the prophet Hosea, go and marry a woman who will be unfaithful to you. Your relationship is gonna be a symbol of the way my relationship with Israel is going.

When she strays, you go after her. When she commits adultery and goes away from you, you pursue her. You pay full price to get her back. That's an amazing picture of the way God loves his people. Hosea 11, this reminded me of that.

Hosea 11 says this. This is New King James Version this morning. I like it because they capitalize the the names of God. So that's why I went there this morning. Hosea eleven four says, I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck.

I'm taking the burden off of them. And I stooped and fed them. Now you get the sense that there's gonna be some resistance. But he's saying, I drew them with gentle cords. What God has told us, his commandments are not burdensome.

They're not onerous. They feel like they are because we wanna do what we wanna do. Right? I wanna have my way. I don't wanna have his way.

But it's gentle cords and bands of love. If you look at it in the New American standards, I pulled them along with the cords of a man. I've got more power than I'm using. But I'm pulling them along with cords of a man with ropes of love. I even like the NIV's on this.

When I led them with cords of human kindness. I'm in business these days, they just say best practices. Right? I'm sharing best practices with them. It will go well with you, if you will.

Trust me. I led them accords of human kindness with tithes of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child up to their cheek. Isn't that sweet? This is what God is saying he would do.

I bent down to feed them. His provision is available. But what do we want to do? We want to tear off the bonds and cast away those cords of love, those cords of compassion. So once more, reading it all the way.

Why do the nations rage? That comes right out of the box. Why is it that this is true? And the peoples plot a vain thing. They're setting themselves up against the almighty.

The kings of the earth set themselves. The rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his annoyance saying, let's break those bonds in pieces. Let's cast away. Nobody could tell us what to do. We make our own decisions.

It says, he who sits in the heavens laughs shall laugh. That to me, it's not a maniacal laugh of a God going, I've got them right where I want them. He doesn't. If you're trying to throw off the shackles of the cords of love, he doesn't have you right where he wants you. I think to me actually, Psalm two, my notes say, in the name of freedom, people rebel against the Lord and his anointed, and this makes God laugh.

They have all that they need resting in him, but the enemy has convinced them that they'd be better off on their own. Isn't that sad? He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. I see God's laugh kinda like this. Can you get a load of this?

This is ridiculous. All the whole garden, really? The whole garden for Adam and Eve. And then for us, I've given you propositional truth in the form of a book. It's not that hard, people.

You know, it can be known. We can go through this and we can submit to it. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. It says, and the Lord shall hold them in derision. I I still, out of all the goodness, I'm doing all that I can to provide for them, lifting them up like a little kid for kiss on the cheek, and they don't want it.

Last week, I discussed Isaiah thirty fifteen briefly that it's in repentance and rest is your reward and quietness is your strength but you would have none of it. Lord God almighty, forgive us. Forgive us when we buck up against you. Lord, I pray that you'd draw us to you and we'd have humble hearts to listen to this word. Amen.

The Lord shall hold them in derision, then he shall speak to them in his wrath. And you see how the he who sits in love and shall laugh is a little forward looking, and he shall hold them in derision. Yeah. He's doing everything that he can, and he shall speak to them eventually in his wrath. Last week's message really was, at some point, it will become too late when the door closes.

And distress them in his deep displeasure. When you have the moment of the scales falling from your eyes, when that happens, when you have that moment of, oh, no. I have been blind to my own stuff, Lord. I have walked away from you. I wasn't thinking about it.

I made a lot of excuses and justification. And Lord, I am completely in distress. Actually, that's the first step out of the 12 steps. Right? That's the very first step is I have a problem I can't do anything about.

There's distress at the deep displeasure of God. I gave you everything necessary for you to know that I love you and for you to be able to walk it out. Not because you're afraid of me, but because I love you. Distress them in his deep displeasure. And this is his answer right here.

God says, yet I have set my king on my holy hill in Zion. I have a plan. I have a plan. Because all of us, like sheep, have gone astray, he's got a plan. And it involves this king, capital k, king, on my holy hill of Zion.

I'm going use some color coding going forward. And I want to close with this is another reason. I'm glad I skipped that song I didn't mean to skip. I want to close with That's My King at the very end. I'm going use some color coding here.

I try to be consistent. But I will declare the decree. This is from the Lord's anointed. And that color is actually wrong, but I will declare the decree. I will declare the decree.

The anointed one. Anointed Mashiach, Messiah, translated into Greek Christos, English Christ. The anointed is Christ. I will declare the decree. This is from the perspective of Christ.

I will declare the decree. The Lord God the Father has said to me, the Son, you are my son. Today, I have begotten you. Now, this might sound really familiar. Even though I've been preaching from the New Testament all the time, and we haven't hit Psalm two together very often, it comes up a lot.

In Matthew, and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is at Jesus' baptism. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Mark. Mark just starts off right out of the box too. This is the opening line for the book of Mark.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, Christ, anointed one, the son of God. Then a voice came from heaven. This is Mark's version. You are my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. Luke's version.

And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven which said, you're my beloved son. In you, I'm well pleased. John. So that's all the gospels.

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, begotten, not made as the creed says, who is in the bosom of the father has he has declared him. How did this psalm lead off? I will declare the decree. Acts thirteen thirty three.

God has fulfilled this for us, their children, and that he raised up Jesus as it is also written in the second Psalm. You're my son. Today, I begotten you. This is the king. Now, they used to use this as a coronation psalm for any new king coming on, but it had to be bigger than just an earthly king.

It was pointing towards the king.

So here we go.

I will declare the decree, Jesus says. The Lord has said to me, you are my son. Today, I have begotten you. Ask it of me, God the father, and I will give you the Son, the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of earth for your possession. Now, this is an interesting thing right there because when we usually see nations and the ends of the earth, it's when we're preaching on the great commission to go you therefore into all the nations and I will be with you always even to the end of the age.

Go to the very ends. You'll be my witnesses from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth to the uttermost parts. Hebrews. So also Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest. Philippians says, he took on the nature of a servant, not the highest religious official, but a servant and a lowly servant.

And he died a death, not just death, but a cruel, sacrificial, humiliating death on a cross. He didn't glorify himself to become high priest, but it was he who said to him, it was the father who said to the son, you're my son. Today, I've begotten you. Christ walked it out. Father and son there is important.

Hebrews is making the argument that Jesus is better than. He's better than everything, but he's better than the angels. Which one of the angels did he ever say? You're my son. Today, I've begotten you.

And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. This is a pretty big hinge point in the argument of the New Testament for submitting to the plan of God by accepting it. Accepting Christ's sacrificial death. For the nations and for your inheritance. That's the way that this closes out in verse eight.

And then it seems to take a harsh tone. Since we're used to seeing, go to the nations, go to the ends of the earth in a missionary sense. We're looking at them and going, they're far from you, Lord, and we wanna help them. We wanna introduce them too. So we're thinking of every tribe, tongue, and nation standing around the throne, singing together as one voice, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

So we're used to thinking that. The very next thing can be jarring if that's your your manner of thinking. Because Psalm two nine says, and you shall break them with a rod of iron. Wow. That doesn't sound like gentle Jesus, meek and mild.

The invitation is open for everybody to the uttermost parts and for those who accept the plan of God instead of plotting in vain against him, instead of raging and shaking their fist at the plan that he has. For all of those who will take him, they will be in the family of God. But this happens to the ones who are dead set against. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.

So who is the them? That is the nations that are raging and the peoples that are plotting in vain. So I'm going to use the message version. When I I don't know Hebrew like I know Greek the the same way. So I trust the sources for one thing, so I'd use a whole lot of different translations of the Bible.

Eugene Peterson, admittedly, he's a pastor, and he says he's not a scholar, which he is a scholar too. But he's a pastor, and he does a dynamic translation. It's not word for word. It's not the way that I would translate it, but it's good. Okay?

It's thought for thought, not word for word. So this is the message version of the past three verses that I just went through. Let me tell you what God said next. I will declare I will declare the decree of the Lord. Okay.

Let me tell you what God said next. He said, you're my son, and today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it. Nations as a present, continents as a prize.

You can command them all to dance for you or throw them out with the Mars trash. It's up to you. That's pretty harsh too. For Eugene Peterson, it's really harsh. He's saying that Christ really is all in all.

And the cool thing is Christ says he's on a mercy mission. He came to seek and to save the ones who are lost. He gives over that mission to us to be constantly advancing the gospel so that people can be a part of the kingdom, so that they will quit raging against and plotting in vain. Now therefore, be wise, o kings. This is an invitation too.

Now therefore, be wise, o kings. If you're setting yourself up against Almighty God, who's going to lose? Be wise. Consider your way. Be instructed, all of you judges of the earth.

Now that stands for judges, but hey, how many of us are judges? Oh, we're judging all the time, are we not? Yeah. We're pretty judgmental. People are pretty judgmental.

Well, that's not the way I would have known that. He instructed you judges of the earth. Mike used something in his blurb about Hosea this week that said Einstein. I don't know if Einstein said it or not. It's a good quote though.

It says, we don't get out of a problem that we cause with the same thinking that got us into the problem in the first place. The step one of the 12 is, I've got a problem I can't do anything about. Step two is, There is a God who can restore me to sanity. Step three is I'm gonna let him. Right?

So that's good. That's all good advice. This is a call. Therefore, be wise, o kings. Consider your way.

Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Comes down right here. Serve the Lord with fear. Serve him with reverence. Give him the honor that he is due.

If he's almighty, and he is, universally proclaimed throughout the scriptures as God is almighty. He does not lack. Is his arm too short? No, it's not. He can do it.

Serve the Lord with reverence, serve him with fear, and rejoice with trembling. So that's a real invitation. It's a real invitation to accept the way that God has provided. The good way, the cords of compassion, the ties of love. It's the way.

Serve him with reverence and rejoice with trembling knowing that you don't deserve it. You don't deserve the mercy of God. You don't deserve the grace of God. None of us do. We all start out sinful.

We all start out shaking our fist. Even the ones who grew up in church. I say that as one who grew up in church. Nine months before I was born, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, I was there. Right?

So we still don't deserve it. But we can rejoice, and it should cause us to tremble a little bit that we missed what we deserved, right? Closes out with two twelve, kiss the son. I think of those cords of compassion, those loving bonds, and it says, as one who lifted you up to the cheek, it says, kiss the son. Kiss the son, lest he, father God, be angry.

He's made a way. And if you have a problem with the exclusivity of the gospel, I'm afraid that you're picking up something that the world is saying that God should have done it a different way. He's on a rescue mission. If he makes any way, it's his terms. Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way when God's wrath is kindled but a little.

And he ends with this, blessed are all of those who put their trust in him. Him who? The son. God has made a way. Now, they couldn't have known this when this psalm originally came out.

Yeah. It's beautiful coronation psalm. It's what it sounds like. Our king's better than their king. But it points towards this universal king, Jesus.

And I said second Psalm. If you ever try to do any study from of the Psalms and you look at Jewish sources, they're off by one number. Have you noticed that? Like, if you're looking and you say, well, Psalm one eighteen is supposed to say so and so, and you go to Psalm one eighteen and you go, that's not what it says. How did where what happened?

Well, in the New Testament in Acts, first of all, in Acts four, it says this is a Psalm of David. But in Acts 13, it says, as it is written in the second Psalm. In Jewish sources, Jewish Bibles, this is included in Psalm one. So it's a continuation of the thoughts in Psalm one. So I want to go back and pick up Psalm one.

More time in this service than I had last. This is a description of the two ways. Now, it's gonna give both. When I was preparing this week, I felt like everything I read was harsh. Honestly, just everything I was like, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news.

But I do want to be the bearer of good news. And that goes with it, right? There is some bad news. And the bad news is the way to be avoided. The good news is the loving way that God has provided.

And so there are two ways. Here they are. Blessed. Happy is the person. This is the new American standard.

Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. I don't know about y'all. Have you ever heard any wicked counsel lately? It's all around us all the time. Now, it's not just from this ditch over here of licentiousness.

Go ahead, what's the big deal? God doesn't care about that stuff, if he even exists, for crying out loud. We'll just use him when he's convenient. It's not just from here. It's from this other side too.

Like legalism is itself wicked, right? Self righteousness is not God's righteousness. When I mention that, I feel like I can go after the warriors. I feel like I can leap over a That's not cocky. That's not arrogant.

That is saying, with you, Lord. That's God confidence. That's not self confidence. With you, Lord, I can run at those worries. With you Lord, I can leap over a wall.

With you, I can get to the ends of earth sharing the love. I know some people are gonna reject it, but that's gonna be on them. I'm gonna share it and some will accept it. Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. You will get a lot of bad advice.

Don't go by it. Okay? Nor stand in the path of sinners. This is not saying don't stand in the path like you're the goalie and you're trying to keep them from passing. Okay?

Standing in the path of sinners is an active role of walking in sin. Okay? Don't walk in the counsel of the wicked. Don't even stand in the path of sinners and consider that way. Just avoid it.

God is saying avoid it because there's more bondage there than you can imagine. Don't do that. Blessed is the person who does not stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. I kind of alluded to this a little earlier. Sitting in the seat of scoffers is not an active role.

It is a spectator sport like this guy. That's not the way I would have done it. Scoffing. You can scoff from either side. And you see it in the New Testament.

It's like, oh, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us. Know? That's a scoffer right there. It says that the Roman soldiers were scoffing. It says that there were lots of people who were scoffing.

It says we will be surrounded by people who were scoffing. You still believe that stuff? My goodness, man, grow up. You're the preacher at a church? I thought you were smarter than that.

I had somebody tell me that. Took you being smarter than that. That's a scoff. But there's also the scoffing that we can do from the legalistic side, which looks like, well, God's not gonna save any of them. That's just a group that he's they're outside his will.

There's nothing. He's not even reaching out for them. They have gone beyond the pale. They're gonna bust hell wide open if they keep acting like that. That's scoffing from this side.

Okay? God is calling all of us into repentance. Right? Our benediction last week was he's not slack concerning his promise. He's working so that we will have the opportunity to repent.

Blessed is the one who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of the sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But this blessed person's delight is in the law of the Lord. Thank you God for showing me the way that would work, for the way that would go well with me so that we have a good relationship. Lord God Almighty, thank you that you've made a way, that I can be right with you, that I can walk with you in the cool of the day, that I can have your spirit within me, and that I can walk this path of righteousness. Thank you.

Any righteousness we actually have is is foreign to us. Self righteousness is not righteousness. Self confidence should be replaced with God confidence and God's righteousness. On his law, he meditates day and night. When I called a previous pastor from when I was a little kid, right before we moved to the mission field, he said, Psalm 100, and he said, and Psalm one.

He said to meditate on the law of the Lord. Meditate on God's word day and night. And I thought at the time, but I'm going to build schools for the deaf in Mexico. Isn't that something? Yeah, it is something.

Don't stop doing this. You don't have to choose between the two. He says meditate on God's word. Meditate on the law day and night. Blessed is the person who will.

And I'll tell you what, you'll have an answer for the advice of the wicked if you have your heart filled with the word of God. So, Owana. The whole reason that we do Owana is to pour scripture into the minds of the kids to reach the hearts of the next generation. Right? On his law, he meditates day and night.

Now he will be. This is future looking, forward looking. He will be what? He will be like a tree that's planted by streams of water. Isn't that a beautiful sight?

Just in your mind's eye to think, wow, if I concentrate on the nutrition that God is providing in his word, I can be like a tree that's planted by water. Not in the desert, which yields its fruit in its season. Oh. Oh. That's so good.

A fruit tree planted by the water. Nourished, has everything that it needs in order to be able to produce. And in the New Testament, flash forward to Galatians, this is the fruit that God's spirit produces. And it's not fruits of the spirit, it's fruit of the spirit. Okay?

All of this stuff comes as a package deal. We struggle with some more than others probably, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. Some translations say long suffering. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. I love how he closes it out, And against such things there is no law.

People the world over will recognize this fruit. And it's winsome, and it's attractive. And if we if our job is to go to the very ends of the earth and to the nations and to teach them to obey all that he has commanded. This has got to be the fruit to draw people into a relationship with God. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

And its leaf does not wither. That's good. And then whatever he does, he prospers. Now I know you can think of exceptions. You think, well, did everything right.

He did everything by God's book. He did everything and he was martyred. Yeah. But where is he now? This will go well with you for eternity.

This life is a blip and he's given us a way to be at peace with him. Blake, will you look up Philippians four? I know that when you're doing that, I can't click this, but I think I'm near the end. Can you advance one slide for me too? No, I'll get to that at the end.

Four is the other way. All right. Psalm one:four is the other way. The wicked are not so. They're like chaff, which the wind blows away.

They're all over the place. They don't have a firm root like that tree planted by the water. And therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment. They're just not going to. There are only two ways.

One of them is the path that I've set for you and I want for you to be on. Courts of compassion and love, they're not burdensome. Please, trust me. I love you dearly. The other is rage against, plot in vain, it doesn't go well.

The wicked won't stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Your identity changes from sinner to righteous one based on the one that God has provided. His anointed who is set on that holy hill. You trust in him. You belong to his kingdom.

God's removed you from the kingdom of darkness, moved you into the kingdom of marvelous light. And that brings you there won't be sinners in the assembly of the righteous. There are but two ways you can go by. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. He knows it.

He's the one who laid it out in front of them, but the way of the wicked will actually perish. So I told you I was gonna come back to that's my king too. Alright? That's my king. I think his name is Sam Lockridge.

Is that right? Samuel Lockridge. Why do the nations rage and the people's plot a vain thing? When it gets to that I have set my king on his holy hill, that's my king. I wanted to come back and let him end this.

I hope that the words will come up on the screen. Is everything good for that, Blake? If the guitar or something gets to be too loud, read the words because this is I told the first service that I like to fly this airplane up here, but I don't like takeoffs and landings, honestly. I wouldn't make a good pilot. I'll let Sam Lockridge or Doctor.

Lockridge close.

The Bible says my king is the king of the Jews. He's the king of Israel. He's the king of righteousness. He's the king of the ages. He's the king of heaven.

He's the king of glory. He's the king of kings, and he's the Lord of lords. That's my king. I I wonder, do you know him? My king is a sovereign king.

No means of measure can define his limitless love. He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful.

Merciful. Do you know him? He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's son. He's a sinner's savior.

He's the centerpiece of civilization. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in philosophy.

He's the fundamental only world. One who who is the available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and he saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and he guides.

He heals the sick. He cleanses the

I wish you could've heard the last part of that. Sorry. He says, I wish I could describe him to you. The next line is, he's indescribable. He's incomprehensible.

It is the plan of God though. Jesus Christ, Jesus, the anointed one. He is the way, the truth, the life. He is available. Would you stand with me?

And I'm gonna invite Judy to come forward. And we're gonna sing a hymn of invitation, where he leads me, I will follow. Where he leads me, I'll follow, and then we'll close with a a benediction. But Lord God Almighty, would you show us the way? And would you allow us the confidence, the God confidence to walk in it by your spirit?

Amen.

I can hear my savior calling I can hear my savior calling. I can hear my savior calling. Take thy cross and follow. Follow me. Where he leads me, I will follow.

Where he leads me, I will follow. Where he leads me, I will follow. I'll go with him, with him on the way. I'll go with him through the judgment. I'll go with him through the judgment.

I'll go with him through the judgment. I'll go with him with him all the way. Where he leads me, I will follow. Where he leads me, I will follow. Where he leads me, I will follow.

I will with you, with you, all the way. On the last, He will give me grace and glory. He will give me grace and glory. He will give me grace and glory and go with me with me all the way. Where he leads me, I will follow.

Where he leads me, I will follow.

So, I'm going to come down and I'd ask the elders present. Once an elder, always an elder, come around and we're going to just ask a blessing on Joni as she heads out. And she may be around another Sunday, but we wanted to catch her this time.

Here

you go. Come on in, Dave. God almighty, we're so thankful for Joni. Get choked up, Lord. What a blessing this lady has been to me in the thirteen years I have associated with this church.

She's been an encouragement and a blessing. Lord, her poetry has been an encouragement even when she's not around. Her walking out this life has been just a beautiful, beautiful thing. I'm thankful for Jean and for Joni, for the ministry that they have had towards one another and towards this church. I thank you for all of the volunteer hours that they have spent here together.

I thank you for the effort that she makes to be a light in this community. And I pray that she will continue that in her new community. Lord, I also thank her for all of it says, Lord, that nothing that we do for the Lord is ever in vain. It's the opposite of setting yourself up against the anointed one. She is absolutely fallen into the steps behind Jesus.

Where she struggles and where she strains, Lord, she looks to you for you to lead the way. In Jesus' name, I pray that you would be a blessing to her and that you'd use her as a blessing to others. And Lord, for us who will struggle without her, for us to be able to cope well knowing that she's going out. It's not absolutely the uttermost parts, but it's not close by either. So in Jesus' name, Lord, we ask that you would strengthen Joni to minister where she goes.

Thank you for Joe, her brother. I ask you to bless him through her. In Jesus' name, amen. And for the rest of y'all. May the Lord bless and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, and give you peace.

Amen. Goodness, John.