For our Ascension Day service, beloved, let us turn to the Book of Psalms, Psalm 2. The Book of Psalms, Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord. and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, Be instructed ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Thus far the reading of the word of our God. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, If a person only watched or listened to state-financed media, he might think that everything is more or less fine here in Canada. And yes, there would be this issue pointed out at a certain time or another issue at another time, but for the most part, we would be told, not many big problems. But as alternate media begins to break through, to more and more people and as we see first this law enacted and then that issue beginning to surface, it becomes apparent that these are hardly normal times. Things are changing at a quick pace and certainly we would say not for the better. But when leaders become suspect, when societal norms begin to radically change, when globalist tendencies seem to be on the rise, is there anything about Ascension Day that appears relevant to these many and rapid developments? Does God, in fact, address the trends that we're seeing? If he does, What would he have us think? How would he have us respond to our times? A well-known psalm, beloved, is one of his answers. Psalm 2. And I would encourage you, if it's not your habit, to have your Bible open in front of you tonight, as we'll be considering the psalm in its entirety. But let me just read verse 12 at this time. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Tonight we want to consider, with God's help, God's confidence in his ascended son. In the first place, we want to see him scoff at his opposition. Secondly, extol his greatness. And finally, God exhorts us to worship him, his son. The order in which we find the Psalms is no accident. And though we may not specifically know always what God had in mind when he placed, let's say, this psalm before another psalm or a psalm between two others, we do know there is a definite grouping of psalms within the Book of Psalms. In fact, the Jewish people refer to the parts of the psalm book as books. Book 1, as it were, begins with the description of the godly man in Psalm 1, contrasting him with the wicked, both in character and in deeds. Now, Psalm 1 is very simply put, and it shows us, it makes plain that there are really only two kinds of people in this world. There are the righteous and there are the wicked. Now, we might not have expected, after that simple contrast, to find the very next Psalm describing the whole world in turmoil. And yet, that is exactly how Psalm 2 begins. Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? And if you just think a moment about this, Psalm 2 is simply an expansion, a global expansion of Psalm 1. This time we have a multitude of the wicked setting themselves against the righteous one and his anointed, Jesus Christ. And though the writer of Psalm 2 isn't mentioned here, When the apostles preach about this psalm in the book of Acts, they identify this psalm with David, who was, of course, no stranger of facing multitudes of hostile enemies, he and the people of Israel. And though this psalm might be ever so familiar, I trust that with God's help, it's going to afford the godly great comfort For we are going to see that even in the midst of times that are unsettling, unpredictable, and very evil, days as Jesus would describe like the days prior to the flood, there is a great deal that we can gain from this psalm to encourage us. But, as so often is the case, for those of us not safely in Christ Jesus, There is plenty in this psalm to alarm us and to call us to abandon our ways and to turn to the Savior. So in the first place, we want to consider God scoffs at his son's opposition. Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? First off, this question seems a bit unusual. After all, isn't it the heart of man by nature to do exactly this? Isn't this a description of every person apart from the grace of God? In other words, we might sooner ask, why do the heathen not rage? But then when we read the words, the heathen and then the people, it is very likely that if we put ourselves in David's shoes, in his day, he was thinking of the Gentile world, often referred to in these terms. And if you think of that, that's the world that doesn't have the word of God. They serve idols. And yet there's something insidious in this verse, couched in these words, because these people must have known enough about God and His ways to stir up in them tremendous opposition to Him, such as we find in verse three. And that, beloved, is what we are seeing today. Because the percentage of our fellow citizens who attend church regularly or read the Bible is declining, and the ongoing influx of people from other countries by means of immigration is increasing, we might have thought that the memory of Christianity would simply begin to fade away. But that's not the case at all. We are not simply seeing people ignore Christianity. What we're seeing today is a growing hostility toward the Christian faith, an increasing intolerance against Christianity, and particularly underneath it is the exclusive claim of the Christian faith that only through Jesus Christ can a man be right with God. And yet that's not nearly the extent of what we're seeing today. Look at every institution. Look at everything that God, every ordinance that God has made. The biblical family structure is being attacked. Marriage is being undermined or vilified or ignored. Life is being cheapened through the murder of the unborn, through the planned death of the elderly and soon perhaps the vulnerable and others. Even gender, which is reflected in every cell in our body, is denied or it's intentionally confused to the point where young people are being persuaded at ever younger ages to deny whom God made them to be and taking actions that would alter their bodies for the rest of their lives. On top of that, both transhumanism, through transhumanism, I should say, billionaires, scientists, they're striving to find some kind of immortality. And they may even try to create an alternative deity through the means of artificial intelligence. So great is the rage of the peoples against these against the Lord and his anointed, that if we should say anything publicly, if we should write anything publicly, then that saying, that writing is either illegal or it is censorable by the various communication platforms. And yet look closely at verse one. Already in the words of verse 1, we begin to see God's perspective on what the people are doing. He calls it vain. The people imagine a vain thing. It is empty, he says. The thought of opposing God himself is the height of vanity. And this has been since the beginning, hasn't it? Ye shall be as gods. And I'm confident this will continue to the very end of time. Now in line with verse 2, we also are seeing not individual rebellion, but we're seeing widespread opposition. It used to be that world leaders would do what they believed was best for their own countries. But we see an ever-increasing self-serving, self-enriching, even globalist aspirations as leaders band together. And yet, let's not be fooled. This isn't just a power grab about some heads of state against other heads of state, one nation against another nation. No, verse 2 makes plain what is really happening. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together. For what purpose? Against the Lord and against his anointed. So to put it plainly, what we're seeing today are people who, if they could, they would eliminate God and His Son and their service from the face of the earth. But just as Satan knows that he can't attack God directly, and so he turns his venom against the people of God, so will these leaders. Now you may ask, what exactly do these leaders want? What are they after? Verse 3, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. Simply put, no restraints, no commandments no limits, no absolute truths. Erase everything that we believe oppresses or hinders our desire to sin. So break their bands means all constraints removed. Break through them all that limit my desires from being fulfilled. Cast away their cords, every scriptural prohibition, away with it. We will determine what is right and wrong ourselves. And that, beloved, can be summarized in one simple word, rebellion. This isn't just ignoring God and what he says through the means of scripture. These rebels recognize the constraints. They understand these laws. They are aware of God's commandments. And they want them removed. They want them banned. They want them denounced. And that publicly. Now historically, what we're seeing today has roots over a century deep. Evolutionary thinking, masked as science, sought to convince those who are created in the image of God that we are mere animals. And when you think about that, if we are indeed mere animals, then we are expendable, just like a pet that needs to be put down. And that thinking leads to the denial of the human soul. Add to that Freudian psychology, which over time began to replace the church as the caretaker of souls, the place where troubled souls turn to for help, but now More and more people believe that ministers and mature Christians are no longer capable of providing help. They don't have the skill that the so-called experts have. And in the wake of these and other seismic ideological shifts, we now are witnessing an all-out war against everything God has ordained, the family, marriage, intimacy, gender, creation and so on. Now you might be sitting here thinking that what I'm saying is exaggerated or perhaps extreme. And that would be my conclusion if I was somewhat out of touch whether intentionally or not with recent cultural developments. And to be sure, the leaders of this world, at least they used to, do what they were doing as subtly as possible. They didn't want to cause alarm or expose their intentions. And that's to be expected because the evil one is the same way. He sets the bait with something attractive. And then he sets the hook once he has us. But now it appears in recent years that these globalist tendencies no longer are reluctant to be publicized. But now they put forward their agendas to transform the world openly if one would want to see them. And that transformation begins, beloved, with the wholesale dismembering of the Christian West. if you are wondering if this is happening, has it ever made you pause? What's being taught in our public schools? What's being shown in our public lives? What's being promoted and demonstrated in our streets, cities and towns of our land? These changes didn't come from nowhere. And they're not just a fringe ideology promoted by a few, destined to disappear again. The rulers take counsel together. In other words, the trends that we are seeing are part of an agenda. Now to prove this point from the Word of God, which is the ultimate authority, God has already told us to expect what we're seeing. For example, Luke 17, 26, Jesus warned, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man. In 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, Paul wrote now, the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. 2 Timothy 3.1, this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 Timothy 4.3, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. And you may recall when we were studying the book of Revelation, chapter 13 of that book, it described an apparent total world domination of Antichrist. which included the military, the political and economic and religious aspects of life. Now, are we living in these times? Only God the Father knows for sure. But if they're not, these times they are certainly preparatory stages for this time. Because one sign after another that he foretold is being fulfilled. Now beloved, it might be easy for us to sit in church comfortably and hear about rebellion against God by world leaders, by masses of mankind, but now what about you and me? Could it be your desire to be free of restraint? And perhaps if that desire lives within you, you've been able to mask it by still attending church or living at least publicly a respectable life. But privately, in your heart of hearts, is it your desire still to indulge in sin? The sins that so easily beset you? Sins that perhaps you actually delight in. Let me ask it this way. If there was no punishment for sin, would you still desire to be holy? Now keep in mind, beloved, our rebellion against God is actually no different from theirs. It's the same hard attitude in us that is written here, unless God exposes our heart of sin and turns us by His Spirit in repentance to Christ. Now there may be others here or listening in, and your experience is more something like a tug of war spiritually. At times there is this desire to be one of God's believing people. You may at times see something of their blessed condition, something of their future prospects. There may be times when you see something of the beauty of the Lord and of His Christ, and you want to love Him and you want to serve Him, but then you fall back again into sin. You become indifferent. Your former resolve to change weakens again by temptation, by worldly pursuits, and the desires after godliness fade a way like the dew. How many times must this cycle repeat itself? How long do we believe that the Spirit of Lord will continue to strive with you, will continue to give these desires in you? Because your turning back to sin and to worldliness tempts God. It is provoking to him. And that is very dangerous. Will you not turn once and for all to end this pattern? Now, despite this cumulative opposition of world leaders, the assembled masses, every heart that is determined to live apart from God, God's response to this is overwhelmingly reassuring to the godly and overwhelmingly threatening to the wicked and indifferent. Verse four, he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in division. He that sitteth in the heavens. Did you notice that the Lord doesn't even bother to stand? The assembled leaders and masses of the world do not furrow his brow, cause him no anxiety. And there's only a handful of times in the Bible And we read that God laughs. Every one of them is about the wicked. So it is not the laughter of amusement. It is the laughter of derision. Have them in derision means he views such with contempt. He derides their vain effort. He despises all that they stand for. And so if every creature on earth would unite together, if they were armed with the most formidable weapons ever invented, if those weapons were guided by advanced artificial intelligence, all of that would be as nothing in God's sight. God laughs with contempt at man's dreams of immortality, and omnipotence. The creature rises against his creator. And yet the Lord will do more than laugh. He also speaks, verse 5, then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure. Now you may not see much mercy in these words, but think of this, instead of just sweeping them into eternal damnation, he now addresses them. And he makes plain in no uncertain terms his response to their vain attempts at defying him and trying to usurp his worldwide reign. God extols his son's greatness. In verse six we read, yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. From here to the end of the psalm, I want you to pay particular attention to who is speaking each verse. Here we have God the Father speaking, And the king to which he is referring is his son, Jesus. The holy hill of Zion is God's church. And he calls it, my holy hill of Zion. But that may make us wonder, is Jesus only the king of the church? Well, what may not be perfectly clear here in the psalm is most assuredly clear in the New Testament. Ephesians 1.22, God says, he hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things. And then he says to the church. Meaning the power and authority that belongs to Christ, that was given to Christ, is exercised on behalf of the church. So that means everything is under the reign of this King. But he exercises that authority for the church's benefit. And Jesus recognized this. In Matthew 28, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And that is why he could say in John 10, 28, that those who are in his hand are safe. But now if you look closely, the one speaking shifts from God the Father in verse six, to God the Son in verse seven. Notice the Son saying, I will declare the decree. The Lord, referring to his Father, hath said unto me, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. So the Son is speaking now. The Son is declaring the decree of the Father concerning him. But now was the Father speaking about Jesus' conception or Jesus being born? We might think so, except when the apostles quoted this, when Paul, by the inspiration of the Spirit, preached about this psalm, quoted this psalm, he said, begotten here refers to Christ's resurrection. So if you think of it in those terms, the eternal Son was rejoicing already from the stillness of eternity past, that His Father would one day raise Him from the dead, that He would ascend on high, that He would take His place in glory and reign over all. And that, beloved, is what we celebrate tonight together. In Hebrews 10 verses 12 to 13, we read, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. The father's decree concerning his son continues in verse 8. It is as though the father turns to his son at his right hand to ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Simply put, the whole world is his. He has but to ask, and his father will give him it all. to reign over all. It's the son's inheritance. It is his rightful due as the heir of glory. It is also his wages because of his perfect obedience and inestimably great sacrifice. And so this song is saying not only does God view this present worldwide rebellion with contempt deriding his adversaries but he has done better he has set over his enemies none less than his only begotten all-powerful son and if you are a believer here tonight you may rejoice in this reality. All those who array themselves against us will be dashed to pieces. For He is over them all. He controls them all. They are under His domain, under His control. They cannot so much as say a word against us without His express will. But, and this is important, if you are not with this king, if you are not enlisted under his banner, if you are not following him truly, if your allegiance is not to him alone, then you are the opposition, then you are the enemy. For Jesus said in Matthew 12 verse 30, he that is not with me is against me. He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. No middle ground, no neutrality in this conflict. Either you're a believer or you are an unbeliever. You are either a saint or you are a sinner. That doesn't mean that saints never sin. Sadly, we still do too often. But outside of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are part of this rebellious mass arrayed against Jesus. And according to John 3, 36, if you believe not the Son by faith, you shall not see life. But the wrath of God abideth on you even now. And what shall Jesus do to these rebels? What shall he do to you if you persist in serving other gods? Verse nine, thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Boys and girls, if you pretend for a minute that I was holding a steel or an iron rod, and now picture up here on this pulpit a clay pot. How do you think that pot will do if I take that iron rod and smash it against that pot with full force. Well, that's just a little picture of how successful you would be if you were exposed to the wrath of God upon you. You will be dashed to pieces. And worse than that, a clay pot would just splinter into a hundred pieces. But we would be facing an eternity in hell And if you would look at the hubris of globalist leaders today, you would think they believe they have it all wrapped up. They have the utmost confidence in the success of their plans. But that simply testifies, beloved, to their utter blindness that God has cursed them with. Second Thessalonians 2.11. For this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. And that's exactly what we do by nature. That's exactly how we live our lives, apart from God's grace. That blindness. And I shudder to think if any of us are sitting here tonight and we're just kind of brushing all this aside, because that just proves that you are part of this blindness, just like them. Do you carry yourself through life as if the Word of God is a fable, is a story to which you need to pay little attention? Are you not arrogant, deluded into thinking you don't need God every moment? and maybe you'll leave this place and never remember a word I say tonight but this much I will tell you in God's name you will remember his word he shall break them with a rod of iron dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel and that will be you if you repent not of your wicked ways now it would be just if God would end the song right there but our God beloved is a gracious God. Still, after all of this opposition, parading itself as if it were God, he's going to continue addressing now his adversaries with one last overture of mercy and grace, as it were a final warning, before he lets loose his judgment. A confirmation actually, of the words of Ezekiel 33, 11, where he says to the wicked, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die? And that leads us to our third thought. God exhorts his worship, meaning the worship of his son. In verses 10 and 11 we read, Now picture the scene. The rebellion is in full swing. The leaders are consulting with each other how they can be done with God in His ways. And yet here, God calls to them to repent, to be wise, to be instructed. And notice the names he uses, kings and judges, the very people who are charged by him to administer justice, and yet who in this psalm are the ringleaders of injustice. And it would appear that now, in this verse, it is God the Son who is addressing them, at least in this first verse. How do we know? He says, serve the Lord, and you'll notice Lord is in capital letters, just like it was previously, referring to his Father. So also now in verse, in this verse. And that only makes sense. because it was the Son who was sent into this world to reconcile enemies, to reconcile the world to God. And so it is fitting for the Son to call through the voice of his servants today. What Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we are ambassadors for Christ. as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you. In other words, we plead with you. In Christ's stead, as if he were standing here, speaking, be ye reconciled to God. So in other words, Psalm 2 is saying that even in this 11th hour, when rebellion is breaking out everywhere, the Lord continues to bring rebels into submission under the reign of his exalted son, his ascended son, Jesus. And he does so even here, even now, tonight. Be wise, he said. And how many times in the scripture didn't he say that? Think particularly of the book of Proverbs. It is filled with that admonition, which is why that and other books like it are called wisdom literature. And then he says, be instructed. In other words, it's not too late to learn, even after all of your rebellion. He is still teaching. What's the lesson he would have them learn? Serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling. The truly wise learn that the service of the Lord is hardly slavery. That's what Satan would have you believe. That if I'm saved, if I'm converted, I'd have to give up this, and I'd have to give up that, and I'd have to give up something else, and my life would be miserable and destitute of joy. That's what Satan would suggest. But beloved, God's service brings rejoicing. And yes, we tremble because we recognize the august majesty of the one we are called to serve. We recognize our sin even after grace received. And yet we worship him, we serve him, we rejoice in trembling. And those of you who know something about this joy, the joy that is found in serving the Lord, serving others in the Lord's name, talk about it. Tell others about it. We can be sometimes so backwards about this very thing. Maybe it's the fear of man. What will people think of me? Or maybe we have a kind of a false sense of humility. So not speaking so much about the goodness of the Lord or how the Lord has been so merciful to us, but beloved, we ought to. How good it is to serve this King. How His instructed, planted by His Word into our hearts, by the operation of the Spirit, has altogether changed our lives. And it's changing them still. It is wisdom to serve the Lord. It is folly to oppose Him. And the final verse is the Father turning the focus back to His Son. Verse 12, This instruction is plain, beloved. Love the Son. Honor the Son. Serve Him always. lest he be angry. It's as though the Father is saying, if I have sent my only begotten Son, if I have given you my very best, if he's done everything that's necessary to enable a sinner to come to me on my terms, and you don't, if he be angry, the Son will perish from the way. It just tells us the Son is watching us. He's watching us every moment. He's looking into our heart of hearts, into our motives, even though He's way in His lofty throne above. And boys and girls, when the Father says, lest ye be angry, that iron rod is still in the hand of the Son. He will come in judgment. He will either do so privately when we die or publicly when he returns in the clouds with great power and glory in the last day. Serve him now while you still can. Lest... And notice the words, and ye perish from the way." These closing words are obviously now not directed to the world. The world cannot be said to be in the way, the way of the Lord. Perishing from the way means leaving the way, leaving God's ways. How many have started out so privileged? born into the church, brought up in a Christian home, with the Word of God opened before us, and yet departing from the way. And sadly, some already have perished. God forbid how many more will eternally. When His wrath is kindled, but a little. The Lord Jesus is, boys and girls, very patient, very long-suffering. We see that in the Gospels, but he will not withhold his judgment forever. As merciful a Savior as he is, he is also a righteous judge. And Jesus did not hesitate to tell the ungodly, unbelieving Jewish leaders in his day that they would die in their sins. And what will it be to face him the moment you die? A whole life of callings and invitations and promises and warnings wasted because of your sin. What will you say when instead of well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord, you will hear instead, depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. And I want to narrow in on those last words, but a little. How close are some of us to crossing that line, the line of no return? You know, we fancy ourselves to think we have plenty of time. I'll change later, we say. But haven't we seen enough proof in the last year that later may be today. There's very few people who wake up in the morning thinking before the day is over, I'm going to be standing face to face before Jesus Christ as judge. And yet it happens all the time. The closing words of this psalm are simple. and wonderful. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him. Simple, because all it says of us is that we trust, trust in Him. Trust in his perfect life of obedience to the law of God. Trust in his immeasurable, invaluable suffering and sacrifice. Trust that he is risen indeed. Trust that he is ascended indeed. Trust that he is empowered indeed, that he's broken the bands of death, that he's conquered sin, death, and hell. Trust that. And that he is, in fact, as his psalm states, reigning over all. And those who trust, they're blessed. And you know blessed not only means favored, it also means happy. Blessed are those upon whom the king smiles. He's well pleased. And that stands to reason. Because when we trust in His Son, that's a mark that we are one of His adopted children, part of the family. Do you trust Him? And children of God, rejoice in your ascended Savior. He who obeyed for you, He who suffered for you, He who died for you, He who was buried for you, He who was raised for you, He who ascended for you, He who reigns for you, He who prays for you, prays that your faith would not fail. And because He prays, it will not. And remember, He's reigning for you. And so you may rest in this exalted Savior. If He be for you, who can be against you? Let kings and rulers do their worst. All they can do is hasten our homeward way. Our Savior is sovereign over all. The most that earthly rulers can do is nothing compared to what He will do. And just remember, they can't do anything. They can do nothing without His express decree. You believe in God? Believe also in Him. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.