Michael Youssef - Looking Forward to The Promised Messiah
One of America's most respected professor of law by the name of Jonathan Turley, he was testifying before Congress, and he said something to the effect, "Everyone in America is angry. Politicians are angry. People are angry. My family is angry. My kids are angry. Even my dog is angry, and I'm angry," and I thought about this long and hard and realize that it's not only in America that there's anger and outrage, not only in America. From Paris, France, to Hong Kong, and everywhere in between, there is an outrage. There's a anger.
Outrage dominates the news night after night after night, and yet the amazing thing: that in the midst of all this, we have a word of prophecy about this outrage, which I'm gonna share with you this morning, because a thousand years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, Psalm 2 prophesied of the coming of God's Messiah. One thousand years before the birth of Jesus, David said and invited people to believe in the Son of God. He's not born for another thousand years, and yet back, a thousand years before he was born, David said, "Come. Believe in the Son lest the Father be angry". Thousand years before Christ's birth, the Bible prophesied of the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
In a day when even 60% say there are many ways to God, God could not only have one way, God said through the... his psalmist that when Jesus comes that his Son who co-existed with him before eternity is the only one. He's the only way, and you say to me, "Michael, how do you know that Psalm 2 is really fulfilled in the New Testament, in Jesus Christ"? Very simply. You know, in this church, we interpret the Scripture by the Scripture, and in the book of Acts chapter 4, verse 24, those of you taking notes, I'll repeat it again. Acts 4:24 says that Psalm 2 was written a thousand years before Christ was born, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 5, it says that Psalm 2 found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation chapter 2, verse 27, and in chapter 12, verse 5, proclaim that Psalm 2 is a prophecy regarding the coming of the Christ of God. The amazing thing about this psalm is that it divides itself into four segments, and it's very clear. As we go through it, you will see it with clarity. Four segments. The first segment, you see it in verses 1 to 3, and it's about man's defiance of God. I call it angry defiance. Then in verses 4 to 6, you see the Father's astounding derision toward that defiance. And then, thirdly, you see it in verses 7 to 9. You see the Son absolute dominion. And then, finally, verses 10 to 12 you see the Holy Spirit's ability to deliver.
Now, here's the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is in this psalm. Man's angry defiance, as I already told you, it's going everywhere. I'm gonna say more about this in a minute, but the psalm ask, "Why"? Why the nations rage? Why do they plot and conspire? Why do they conspire against the Lord? Why the whole world in is a state of outrage? And why is this? Well, the answer is found here in Psalm 2. Here it comes: because they believe that God's moral absolutes is like a chain around their necks, that they want to try to remove it because it's stopping them from promoting their perversion, so they try to get rid of it, but sadly, for those of us who love Jesus, those of us who love God, sadly for us, we long for them to come and know how loving God is.
We long for them to come and know how good God is. We long for them to come and know how beautiful and enlightening his absolutes are. We long for them to come to know his Son, who loved them and died on a cross for their sins, but instead of gratitude to God for common graces, 'cause the Bible said the sun shines for the righteous and the unrighteousness, and if you look at material blessings in this country, the material blessings is coming on the righteous and the unrighteous, that instead of being grateful to God, they're angry. They're angry. They rebel against God, they revolt against his love, and they reject his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:25 says they knew the truth, but they preferred to believe a lie. "For they exchanged the truth of the Word of God for a lie, and they worship and they served the creature rather than the Creator".
This rage and this outrage is gonna reach its climax the closer we come to the return of Christ. It may have been in certain parts of the world. Now it's all over the world, and it's gonna grow in intensity the closer we get to the return of Christ. Are you surprised? Are you surprised? Here is the fallacy that so many people really bought into. It's very sad. They convince themselves that they can live in freedom without submitting to God. Secondly, you find here in this psalm, the second section, is the Father's astounding derision over their defiance. Derision.
Now, some people, church people, don't want to think of God as having a derision. They really don't, 'cause they wanna think of him as Santa Claus. Ho, ho, ho, you know? It's kind of, yeah, he's a benign kind of God. Toothless, powerless, milquetoast God who just should give them everything they ask for, and if they don't get it, they get angry with him. Beloved, this is a totally false view of God. To be sure, God's love is expressed in his grace, not in his weakness. God's love is expressed in his benevolence, not in his powerlessness and helplessness, but when God's haters, I call 'em God's haters, defy God, what does God do? What does God do? The Bible said, I'm not making this stuff up, okay?
The Bible said that he laughs. He laughs. Here it is, verse 4, "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them". Why? Because God is a God of power and might. Because God exercises his authority over the universe whether they like it or not. Because God rules the universe whether they acknowledge it or not. Because God controls every event in history whether they believe it or not. Because God is not sitting in heaven drinking Mylanta, or antacid, and saying, "I have a heartburn. I don't know what to do with these foolish people who would..." He's not wringing his hands. "Ooh, what I'm gonna do? They're rejecting me". No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The Bible said he laughs. He laughs at them, but beloved, listen carefully because this is very important. This is not a pleasant laughter. It's not a joyful laughter, and I like to laugh as much as anybody, okay? This is a laughter of derision. Look at verse 5. "Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 'I have installed my king on Zion, on my holy hill.'"
You see, man's angry defiance to God, the Father's astounding derision over their defiance, and thirdly, the Son's absolute dominion. Verses 7 to 9. Absolute dominion. The Son of God was prophesied about. Of course, starts all the way back to Genesis 3:15 and throughout the Old Testament pages, and that's why these people will say, "You know, ditch the Old Testament". That is foolishness, because every page of the Old Testament prophesied of Jesus. And here, a thousand years before his incarnation, here a thousand years before the first Christmas and the pre-incarnate Christ, he says, "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; and dash them to pieces like pottery.'"
You know and I know today the name of Jesus is a free-for-all. Free for all to abuse, to defame, to deface, to belittle. A free-for-all to outlaw from the land and to outlaw from public life and reject and despise him, yet thousand years before Christ was born God said of his Son, "He is my anointed one for everyone's salvation, not for some, everyone. He is the only choice, my choice, for forgiveness of sins. He is your only way to me. He's your only way to my heaven. He's your only way who will judge every human being". Why? Because the whole earth belongs to him. He bought the earth by his blood, was shed on Calvary. He paid for it with his blood. He took ownership of the earth from Satan, who was lost to Satan by Adam when he blew it, because God initially handed those Earth deeds to Adam, and when Adam rebelled against God and disobeyed God, he inadvertently handed the deeds to Satan, but now Jesus owns it.
I have news for you. Jesus owns the earth. Jesus owns everything on the earth. Jesus owns everyone on the earth and one day, sooner or later, I think it's more sooner than later, at least that's my personal opinion, he's gonna show up. What a glorious day that's gonna be, and those who have rejected him will weep. Those who have received him will rejoice, will rejoice. Exceedingly glad. Those who have rejected him, they'll be in a terrible state of terror and fear. Beloved, it is the will of the Father for the Son to inherit the earth. It is the will of the Father, so let me ask you a question. Do you think Satan knows that? 'Cause he knows the Old Testament. He knows the Bible. The Bible said, here's the thing.
Now we have people rejecting the Bible. The Bible said Satan actually believed the Scripture, and he trembles. That's a lot more than some church folks. They don't tremble. Satan does. Why else do you think that in the wilderness Satan tried to offer Jesus a shortcut? A shortcut. He said, "I'll give you this earth. I'll give it to you. You know that I took it from Adam. I give it to you, but I'm gonna give you a shortcut. Why don't you take it now? Just bow to me. Just bow to me. I'll give it to you". I think if Jesus spoken English, he would've said to Satan, "Buzz off, Satan. Buzz off. No shortcuts. It's mine. The earth is mine. The earth deeds belong to me, which you took from Adam when he blew it in the garden, but I'm gonna take it back by shedding my blood on the cross of Calvary. I'm gonna take it back by my full obedience to the plan of the Father".
Listen to me. Satan is making the same offer today to millions of people around the world. He is. He's offering shortcuts. He's offering daily, daily shortcuts. Why? To make them avoid responding to the love of God in Christ Jesus. But the Father said, the Father said, "Ask me, and I will make the nations to be your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possessions," and he did on the cross. I don't mind telling you that this verse causes me spending every waking moment, every one of my waking moments thinking, planning, working on how to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the end of the earth. This motivates me. Finally, the Holy Spirit's able deliverance.
The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity, is equal with the Father and the Son. There is no inequality, and that's why these people wanna fight over, you know, husband, wife, and I said it's just like in eternity. There's equality. The husband and wife are equal. In the sight of God, they're equal in every way. They just fulfill different roles, and the same thing in the Trinity. The Father fulfill certain role, the Son fulfill certain role, the Holy Spirit fulfill certain role, and his task is to call people and say to them, "Turn to the Son". He's forever calling people, "Believe in the Son. Turn to the Son so that the Father may accept you. Turn to the Son so that the Father may receive you. Turn to the Son so that the Father may bless you".
Look at verses 10 to 12. "Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all", How many? "Blessed are all who take refuge in him". Have you taken refuge in him? If you haven't you can today. God the Holy Spirit takes no pleasure in sending people to judgment. The Holy Spirit of God longs for men and women, boys and girls to come and turn to God the Son. That's his greatest joy. God the Holy Spirit would rather save people than condemn them into a Christless eternity. Verse 12 can read just as well, in fact, more accurately, "Kiss the Son, lest the Father be angry".
Kiss the Son, lest the Father be angry. In fact, here the Holy Spirit makes three appeals, three appeals. First, he appeals to the mind. Be wise. Then he appeals to the will. Serve the Lord with fear. And thirdly, he appeals to the heart. Kiss the Son. Kiss the Son. Give up your pride. Give up your pride lest you perish. Give up your indifference before it's too late. Kiss the Son, for after all he kissed you when he hung on that cross. Beloved, today, God's Holy Spirit speaks with grace and speaks in grace, but on the final day he will speak in wrath, or wroth, as they say in England. Don't judge things by their temporary appearance. Today you can elevate your vision to see beyond this veil and begin to live with eternity in mind. I promise you it will make your life not just meaningful, but extremely meaningful.