Lesson:
Psalm 2
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INTRODUCTION:
I. There are two questions that haunt us
and need to be answered.
A. Who am I
Mistaken
Identity[1]
A man was
chosen for jury duty who very much wanted to be dismissed from serving. He
tried every excuse he could think of but none of them worked. On the day of the
trial he decided to give it one more shot. As the trial was about to begin he
asked if he could approach the bench.
“Your
Honor,” he said, “ I must be excused from this trial because I am prejudiced
against the defendant. I took one look at the man in his blue suit with those
beady eyes and that dishonest face and I said “He’s a crook! He’s guilty, guilty,
guilty!’ So your Honor, I can not possibly stay on this jury!”
With a
tired annoyance, the judge replied, “Get back in the jury box. That man is his
lawyer.”
1. I have a name.
2. I have a family of origin.
3. Both of these resources help to
answer the question.
4. Is it enough?
B. What am I
A Likely
Story[2]
One of
my students could not take my college seminar final exam because of a funeral.
“No problem,” I told him. “Make it up the following week.”
That
week came, and again he couldn’t take the test due to another funeral.
“You’ll
have to take the test early next week,” I insisted. “I can’t keep postponing
it.”
“I’ll
take the test next week if no one dies,” he told me.
By now I
was suspicious. “How can you have so many people you know pass away in three
weeks?” I asked.
“I don’t
know any of these people,” he said. “I’m the only gravedigger in town.”
1. I have a profession or an occupation.
2. I have a reputation.
3. Both of these resources help to
answer the question.
4. But is it enough?
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MAIN
BODY
I. We need to know who and what he is!
A. He knows who he is.
1. Who he is was confirmed at his
baptism.
a. Luke 3.22.
22And the
Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from
heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22 (NRSVA)
(1) He is the Son.
(2) He is the beloved.
b. He is the One whom the Father is
well-pleased.
2. Who he is was confirmed at his transfiguration
when he was transformed into a person of brilliant light.
a. Matthew 17.5.
5While he
was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the
cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased;
listen to him!” Matthew 17:5 (NRSVA)
(1) Again he is the Son.
(2) Again he is the Beloved.
(3) Again he is the one with whom the Father
is well-pleased.
b. Listen to him.
3. Who he is was affirmed at his
glorification.
a. Glory is honor, Glorification is
honoring, Honor, Honoring is to revere; to prize; fix a valuation on.
b. He will not glorify himself.
54Jesus
answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who
glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ John 8:54 (NRSVA)
c. He will be glorified by the Father.
14He will
glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:14
(NRSVA)
1After
Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the
hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, John 17:1
(NRSVA)
B. So he knows who and what he is.
1. He is the Son of God.
2. He is the Messiah, the Redeemer.
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II. The question that always needs to be answered
is who do you believe he is?
A. To help us answer this question, we
look at some of the questions Jesus asked; and some of the statements that
Jesus made.
1. Jesus asks his disciples who do they
say I am?
18Once when Jesus was
praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the
crowds say that I am?”
19They answered, “John the Baptist; but
others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
20He said to them, “But who do you say
that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” Luke 9:18 through Luke 9:20
(NRSVA)
a. In
Matthew 16.17 is an additional statement that is very important.
13Now when
Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who
do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say
John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17And
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in
heaven. Matthew 16:13 through Matthew 16:17 (NRSVA)
b. Who
he is revealed not by flesh and blood, but by Father in heaven.
B. The
disciples have some idea, but what about the Jewish leadership.
1. He
is having trouble convincing them that he is who he says he is.
a. This
is like an old story about a small girl who approached Senator Hecht's daughter
and asked her name.
She replied, Senator Hecht's daughter.
Her mother became concerned that her daughter was developing some
kind of an identity crisis. "When someone asks you your name, you are
Lori--not Senator Hecht's daughter."
A few minutes later a camerman saw cards that Lori was handing out
and said: "Hey your Senator Hecht's daughter?"
Lori burst into tears: "I thought I was, but my Mama just
told me I'm not."
b. Jesus
does not burst into tears.
c. Jesus
uses the scriptures to help the Jewish leadership know who he is.
2. Jesus
reminds them that they search the scriptures seeking eternal life.
30“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear,
I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the
will of him who sent me. 31“If I testify about myself, my testimony is
not true. 32There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know
that his testimony to me is true. 33You sent messengers to John, and
he testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept such human testimony,
but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35He was a burning
and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36But
I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me
to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the
Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself
testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38and
you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he
has sent. 39“You search the scriptures because you think that in
them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40Yet
you refuse to come to me to have life. 41I do not accept glory from
human beings. 42But I know that you do not have the love of God in
you. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if
another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you
believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that
comes from the one who alone is God? John 5:30 through John 5:44 (NRSVA)
3. The
scriptures testify of Jesus.
a. On
the road to Emmaus Jesus spoke with two of his followers Cleopas and one other.
b. You
can read about the incident in Luke 24.
13Now on that same day two of them were
going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things
that had happened. 15While they were talking
and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with
each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered
him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that
have taken place there in these days?” 19He
asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over
to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But
we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this,
it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They
were at the tomb early this morning, 23and
when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had
indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and
found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and
how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer
these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then
beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things
about himself in all the scriptures. Luke 24:13 through Luke 24:27 (NRSVA)
c. He
explains to them all that must happen from the scriptures.
4. What
did he use?
a. The
scriptures are the writings of what we call the Old Testament.
b. The
Thompson chain Reference Bible has a section The Christ of Prophecy in which
there are 33 citations that Jesus might have used from Genesis to Malachi
(1) Perhaps
he quoted Genesis 3.15
15I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you
will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NRSVA)
(2) Psalm
16.10.
10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or
let your faithful one see the Pit. Psalm 16:10 (NRSVA)
(3) Psalm
118.22
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. Psalm 118:22 (NRSVA)
(4) Isaiah
7.14
14Therefore the Lord himself will give
you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall
name him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NRSVA)
(5) Isaiah
9.6
(6) Isaiah
28.16
(7) Isaiah
53:1-12
1Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For
he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he
had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance
that we should desire him. 3He was despised and
rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as
one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no
account. 4Surely he has borne our
infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck
down by God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for
our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment
that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD
has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He
was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb
that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is
silent,
so he did not open his mouth. 8By
a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression
of my people. 9They made his grave with the
wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there
was no deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it was the will of
the LORD to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he
shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of
the LORD shall prosper. 11Out of his anguish he
shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The
righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their
iniquities. 12Therefore I will allot him a
portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because
he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he
bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:1
through Isaiah 53:12 (NRSVA)
16He saw that there was no one, and was
appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him
victory, and his righteousness upheld him. Isaiah 59:16 (NRSVA)
(8) Micah
5.2
2But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who
are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who
is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2
(NRSVA)
(9) Zechariah
9.9; 11.12; 12.10
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout
aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and
victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a
donkey. Zechariah 9:9 (NRSVA)
12I then said to them, “If it seems right
to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out as my
wages thirty shekels of silver. Zechariah 11:12 (NRSVA)
10And I will pour out a spirit of
compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they
shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over
him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10 (NRSVA)
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III. If
all this is true than we ought to pay very serious attention to Psalm 2.
1Why do the nations conspire,
and the peoples plot in
vain?
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel
together,
against the LORD and his
anointed, saying,
3“Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from
us.”
4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the LORD has them in
derision.
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his
fury, saying,
6“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7I will tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth
your possession.
9You shall break them with a rod of iron,
and dash them in pieces
like a potter’s vessel.”
10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the
earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear,
with trembling 12kiss
his feet,or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
for his wrath is quickly
kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him, (Psalm 2:1-12, NRSVA).
A. Herein
lies a contrast between the false and the true.
1. The
false is characterized by self-seeking; the true by self-sacrifice.
a. The
false begin and end with self. They act from and for themselves.
b. The
true have regard to others, and are always ready to sacrifice for the good of
others.
2. The
false rules by force; the true by righteousness.
a. The
false want to throw off the bonds and cast the cords from them.
b. The
true are animated by a spirit of grace, mercy, and true justice.
3. The
false is marked by corruption and misery; the true is productive of the highest
good.
a. The
false is an example of power wrongly and wickedly used for personal gain.
b. The
true use their power for the development of the skills and abilities, physical
and spiritual, of others.
4. The
false is doomed to failure; the true to victory and immortal honor.
a. The
rule of the false leads inevitably to ruin.
b. The
true have lives that is founded in righteousness that secures for them the
confidence of other and the respectful support of others. Their love
contributes to the good of all who are willing to accept it.
B. The
end result of the false and the true is contrasted by Psalm 2, verses 10-12.
10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O
rulers of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear,
with trembling
12kiss his feet,
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
for his wrath
is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him, (Psalm 2:10-12, NRSVA).
C. Kiss
his feet means to show honor and respect to the One who is king of kings and
lord of lords.
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CONCLUSION:
I. The
One who came is to come again.
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, Titus 2:13 (NASB-U)
so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who
eagerly await Him. Hebrews 9:28 (NASB-U)
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him,
even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over
Him. So it is to be. Amen. Rev. 1:7 (NASB-U)
Coming again
One Sunday after church Mom asked her very young daughter what the
lesson was about.
Her daughter answered "Don't be scared, you'll get your
quilts."
Needless to say, mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the Pastor
stopped by for tea. Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was
about. He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."
II. Now
we know who and what he is.
A. Now
we know who and what we are and are to be.
B. I
am A Child of the King, Harriet F. Buell
1.
My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.
Refrain
I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior,
I’m a child of the King.
2.
My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high,
That we may be His when He comes by and by.
Refrain
3.
I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.
Refrain
4.
A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there;
Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing:
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.
Refrain
Amen
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