What I Learned in Church Today...

Today, I attended Westminster Presbyterian (PCA) with Rose and Lauren, and Lauren's mother and sister Karen came to visit, so they came too. I love Westminster, first because the Christ exalting worship, and also because of the sound preaching. Good reasons to like a church!

I liked the order of the service, this is how it goes: there's a greeting time, congregational reading (today it was from 1 Chronicles 29:11-13), two hymns, prayer, Psalm reading, more hymns, offering, and then the message. After the sermon, the congregation repeated a catechism that was in the bulletin (Q: How does Christ execute the office of a king? A: Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.), and then sings another hymn.

The church just started a study in the Psalms, and last week was Psalm 1. This week, Pastor Johnson preached on Psalm 2. One of my favorite things to listen to is how Christ is revealed through the Old Testament, so this was really good to hear this morning when I was a little tired, sore, and mad because of the rain.

Psalm 2:1-12
Why do the nations rage and the peoples 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." 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 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."
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 all who take refuge in him.

This psalm was written by David, as Paul tells us in Acts 4:25, when his kingdom was being plotted against. But Paul tells us that this Psalm also refers to the nations plotting against Jesus, the Anointed One. (Little sidenote: David is seen as the type, Jesus the antitype. David was the temporal king, Jesus the eternal king.)

Psalm 2 speaks of the people's revolt against God. Rebellion against God first occured in Genesis 3, and human nature hasn't changed since. The people were tired of submitting to God because they thought they had a better solution to their problems. This is seen in the world today, when the world tries to solve the problem by education, or politics. Rebels don't want God telling them how to live their own lives. They refuse to obey.

But in verse 4, the Psalm says that God laughs at their folly and scoffs at man's rebellion. He is not threatened by a weak man's rebellion, and he doesn't ignore it either. Verse 6 says that he has set his king on the hill. These humans are rebelling against the God who made the heavens and earth, and who destroyed the earth with a flood! In verses 7-9, God gives the nations to his Son, gives him the earth for his possession. All authority on earth and in heaven is given to Jesus. Verse 9 says he will break the rebellious with a rod of iron and smash them to pieces like a pot.

Then we're given a warning to be wise, and to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. Also, it says that those who take refuge in him are blessed. Whew! So there is hope for those rebels that have turned their backs on God. That's quite humbling to know that even though we are rotten rebels, Christ, who rules in heaven, still loves us and came on the earth in the midst of all this mess to die for us and redeem us.

What I love about this Psalm, is that it clearly portrays God's character of a righteous judge that hates sin, and loving savior. Jesus, who was given all the earth as a possession, is the manifestation of the love of God for a world in rebellion. Pastor Johnson said, "the only safe place from God's wrath is in Him." If we see the world in reality, we find that it wants no part of Jesus. The world scoffs at holiness and Christlikeness. The world is still rebelling against God, and will always be in rebellion until God destroys evil. But we have a hope to look to Christ and follow him, and here we will be saved from the world and all the sin and rebellion that is so deadly.

Have the heart of the psalmist, see the world in reality, and implore the world to embrace Christ!