Kiss the Son

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 25 JANUARY 2026 pm - MR CRAIG DENNISON

PSALM 2 - key phrase verse 12 "kiss the Son"

The whole conclusion of the psalm falls on the responsibility of man to kiss the son. Psalm 2 is a beautiful psalm that God has given to show us the glory of God's kingdom. Many people today don't speak of it as a glorious kingdom. Rather they speak of it as in wreck and ruin, battered by Satan. A kingdom that is on the losing side. A kingdom that is wasting away and falling away to nothing. That is not how the bible describes Christ's kingdom. And it is certainly now how Psalm 2 describes Christ's kingdom. There are 3 people who are speaking in this psalm ...

First we have the prophet narrating the psalm verses 1 to 6

Then we have God the Father speaking in verse 6

In verses 7 to 9 the king is speaking

The author concludes in verses 10 to 12

Who is the prophet? Who is the author of this psalm? Many psalms will have a title above them - look at Psalms 3, 4 and 5. Psalm 2 does not have a title. We do know who it is that has written this psalm - king David. We know that with certainty because Acts 4 verse 25 the apostle quotes Psalm 2 verse 1. Just because he is the author does not mean the Psalm is all about him. David was the human author. But If we apply this psalm primarily to David and his life we do it with a terrible injustice. In fact we would be guilty of misunderstanding scripture. Because the primary application of Psalm 2 is not to David but it is to Christ and it is to Christ's kingdom. David Dixon, the Scottish Divine said this psalm does not bear David's name as it's appropriate to Christ. So that's why the title "a psalm of David" was left off because it's not too much to do with David but everything to do with Christ. Now that we have identified that Christ is in this psalm we have to ask the question what is the psalm teaching us about Christ's kingdom? There are only 2 kingdoms in this world. There are not many kingdoms. The kingdom of Christ is a glorious kingdom and there's the kingdom of the devil, the prince of the power of the air. The bible says we are either in one or the other kingdom. We are all born in sin and shapen in iniquity. The bible says there is none that doeth good, none seeketh after God. The bible says every man does that which is right in his own eyes. The bible says "All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every man to his own way." By birth we are born in sin, in practice we live in sin. We fight against God. We resist his overtures to us in the gospel. We stubbornly refuse to come to God. We consider religion and faith to be a drudgery, a chore and a hassle. That is the natural estate and condition of our heart. That is the condition of the hearts of all those who are in the devil's kingdom. What do we need?  We need a new heart. To take away out stony heart. We need to receive a heart of flesh as Ezekiel speaks about. We need to be lifted from the kingdom of Satan and brought into the kingdom of God. But there's a problem. We cannot do that ourselves. God had to deal with our sin. If he didn't deal with our sin he wouldn't be a just God. He dealt with our sin by sending his son into the world to redeem sinners, to purchase salvation, to secure them as members of his kingdom. We can leave the kingdom of Satan and come into Christ's kingdom but there's only way to do it. The Lord Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh to the father but by me." "I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved." Christ came into the world, died on the cross of Calvary to translate sinners from the kingdom of Satan to his. What kingdom are you in this evening? There is no middle ground, no mans land. We might not like to think of ourselves of being in the devils kingdom but by default we are in it. There are 3 things to think about in Christ's kingdom.

Firstly, the war against his kingdom. In verse 2 we read of the people who war against the kingdom. "The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and against his anointed." There is a war against the Father and the Son. The ungodly gather themselves together. They start their own religion. They start the religion of Islam and they amass massive armies and they take over countries in large swathes. They continue to do so today.  And they think they will advance their own kingdom by military power and by violence. And they say "Look at us. There are so many of us and we must be the right religion." We must be correct. Therefore we will resist the kingdom of Christ. We will fight against the kingdom of Christ. We will persecute those who are in his kingdom. But there's not just those who follow a religion. There are also those who are religious with a non-religion. Think of the atheists for instance. Many hundreds of millions of people declare themselves to be atheist. They gather together in atheistic societies, their humanistic societies and they comfort themselves that there is no God. And they go on campaigns to stop people believing in God. They get their celebrities and TV to try and pedal the notion that there is no God. What are they doing? They are warring against the Lord and against his anointed. They are trying to turn people from the kingdom of Christ and keep them in the kingdom of Satan. They war against the kingdom of God. But for their strength and numbers they forget who they're standing against. They are standing against the Lord. They are standing against the One who has called all things into being by the word of his power. They are standing against the one who holds our next breath in his hands. Think of all the kingdoms in history that have stood against God. Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Turks, French under Napolean, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini. They lived in defiance of word of God. They tried to set up their own kingdom. Not realising this was a little kingdom in the kingdom of Satan. Any man who sets up his own kingdom, he's not creating a third kingdom. He just has a little empire in the kingdom of Satan. As we look at the bible we can see how Pilate and Herod did this. Pilate had the king of glory standing in front of him. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke to him, declared himself to be the king. He had the opportunity to bow down before Jesus, to plead for mercy, to plead for repentance, to ask for entrance into Christ's kingdom. He had a glorious opportunity but then he thought about everything. Even his wife came to him and said "have nothing to do with that just man. I have suffered many things in a dream because of him. So Pilate had a decision to make. He even asked the question "what shall I do with this Jesus who is called the Christ?" He himself was perplexed I believe by this question. But then Pilate having thought of it all, do I take Jesus as my king or do I continue to climb the ladder with Caesar? He chose the Roman Empire. He chose that little kingdom in the  kingdom of Satan. Then we think of King Herod and how he wanted to meet Jesus many times. Now he had Jesus before him. What do he do? He mocked him. He rejected him. He didn't seek entrance into Christ's kingdom. He continued in Satan's kingdom. Pilate represented the Roman empire and Herod represented the ancient Jews in rejecting Christ's kingdom. Many today still war against Christ's kingdom, they do it as individuals whenever somebody says "I don't want to believe the teaching of the bible." They are really saying "I am rejecting Christ's kingdom." They are rejecting Christ as king. They are rejecting the teaching of the bible. And they will follow it up by saying something like "This is what I believe."  And then they will tell you about the religion they are following. They have created it in their head and following it in their heart. Whenever somebody says "this is what I believe" and its not in the bible they are really following another kingdom in the devil's kingdom. There are thousands of religions in the devils kingdom. He doesn't care which one you believe in as long as you are in those religions in his kingdom and you don't go into Christ's kingdom. Many today are trying to disprove Christianity and they take great offence at the notion that this book is true. They don't want it to be true. If it is true it means they are living a lie, they are living outside the kingdom of Christ. It means they are not in Christ's kingdom. they are in the devil's kingdom. They do not know that there is an awful eternity awaiting them without God. What do they do? War against his anointed. Many today reject Christ. They don't want it to be true. They make every effort they can not to believe the gospel. They do not attend church. Many spend their life fleeing from the presence of God, living outside God's kingdom with no desire to be in it.

The plan of those who war against the kingdom. Verse 3 "Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us." What are the bands? They represent the laws of God. These people who are saying we don't just want to break the laws of God but we want to completely abandon them. Casting away the cords is the ordinances of the church. The bands are the laws of God, the ten commandments for example. The cords are the ordinance of the church, the preaching of the gospel, public worship, prayer, the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and baptism. So these people have a plan and the plan is "let us break the bands and cast them away, the cords, let us break the laws of God. We don't need to live by the 10 Commandments any more," They say "we don't need religion, we don't need to follow the instructions of the bible. Let's break them." Whenever we break God's law, it's a sign that we are in the kingdom of Satan. But these people blaspheme the name of Christ. Taking the Lord's name in vain. They create idols in their heart. It might be the idol of money. It might be the idol of entertainment or of sport or of family or even the idol of work. It could be many different idols. Many people even have statues they worship. In India people are building shrines for their God. They don't even see the foolishness of their religion. But this is what men are doing and they are casting away. And we even see this happening within professing Christianity and evangelicalism. "We don't need an evening service. It's not the Lord's day any more, it is only the Lord's morning. We don't need the preaching anymore, it is so old fashioned. Let's get an entertaining group up, let's get many musical instruments to entertain people and fill the church that way." They are despising the ordinance of God. That isn't the work of God's kingdom. Those in his kingdom will love the preaching of God's word. They will love the worship of God. They will love to be gathered with the saints. Those who despise preaching are in the devil's kingdom. But they are even found in the professing church today. When sinners reject scripture they are not only rejecting it but they are seeking to abolish from their own conscience. They might comfort themselves by saying "well God won't send me to hell." They give themselves a pat on the back and say "well I'm a good person. God won't send me to hell." They are effectively saying "I reject the doctrine of eternal punishment. I don't believe the bible that God would punish me for being in the devils kingdom." We are not to live like that. We are to humbly submit to the word of God.

The purpose of those who war against the kingdom. Verse 1. "Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain thing?" The word rage could also be translated tumultuously assemble. Why do these people assemble themselves together and shake their fist at God? Why are they insensed and mad against the kingdom of Christ? Why do they consider the kingdom of God an offence? Why are they not delighted at his kingdom? Why do they not rejoice in his kingdom? Why are they not jumping up and down with thanksgiving that there is a kingdom rather than us being left in the kingdom of Satan for all eternity? Why are they not happy? The psalmist cannot understand why these people are so angry that God has provided a kingdom and a king, They rage because strangers to God. They don't want to know God. They want autonomy. They want to be their own God. They want to be masters of their own destiny. They want liberty to live however they please without any restraints at all. They want to live without instruction, without judgment, without any punishment for their sin. They also rage because they hate God as a person. They don't just hate the laws of God but hate God himself. Because if you hate anything about God, like one of his commandments, you hate God himself. Because everything that God has said in his word is the divine breath of God. So to say that you hate the words of God you are effectively saying you hate the being of God because God's word and God's being are inextricably linked together. To hate God is to hate his holiness. And that is what men do whenever they reject the laws of God. They are effectively saying "I hate God." Now they might not be just as blunt as that but if they are not in Christ's kingdom, if they are refusing his kingdom that is ultimately the sentiment of their heart.

Secondly, the authority of the kingdom - verse 4. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh." He is not pacing back and forth in heaven biting his nails. These people won't believe in me. These people will not come to me. No he's sitting in the heavens. He is not afraid because he laughs against them. Who is the man to think he can fight against God and win? The foolishness of the sinner to think they can stand against God. The bible says when Christ returns men will flee to the rocks, praying for the rocks to fall on saying "Who can abide the day of his wrath?" God is not afraid. All the conspiracies of men, all the religions of men are foolish in the eyes of God. He laughs. He laughs at them. But we also have to say that God will not ignore such behavior as well. He will disappoint their hopes. But he has also, the Bible says, appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. So all the foolishness of men that God laughs at now, he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world. That's a very solemn day. We are told that everyone will be gathered before the great white throne of Christ, the living and the dead. The sea itself will give up the dead. We will all be there. And the Bible says that Christ will divide people into two camps because there are only two classes of people. He will say to the believers on his right hand, "Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom." The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world and they will go into everlasting life. But to those on his left, he will say, "Depart from me, ye cursed. I never knew ye." Now, we all want to know the future. This is the future. This is what God says has happened. We will all be there. We'll be separated. There will be Christ's kingdom. There will be the devil's kingdom. And the devil's kingdom, we're told, will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. Today is the day of salvation. Today, we are told, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. This is the attitude of God against his enemies, there will be that day of judgment. But the Lord has appointed Christ. In verse two, Christ is called his anointed. Here, Christ is distinguished. He is anointed and he's anointed for a certain role to be a mediator. Now, you know what a mediator does? They mediate between two parties that have fallen out. And so, whenever Adam rebelled against God, there was a separation. But Christ came to be the mediator between God and man and to make that way of salvation for us. And how did he do it? Well, he did it, dear friend. By coming into this world to do what you and I could not do. Make full atonement for our sin. And Christ did that on the cross of Calvary. the infinite eternal son of God, took our sin upon his body and soul on the cross of Calvary. He bore the wrath of the father on that cross and shed his blood to redeem so we could be saved. So we could be in Christ's kingdom. Verse six, the father says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." These are the words of the father vine that his son and his church will be glorified and exalted above all other kingdoms in the world. No other kingdom compares to the kingdom of Christ. And then in verse 7, Christ himself says "I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, thou art my son. This day have I begotten thee." So this is the Lord Jesus Christ taking up the role to be the mediator between God and men to be the king and head of his church. So the father takes part with the son to establish the kingdom. This is what we call the covenant of redemption where father and son made that covenant in eternity that the son would come and save sinners and establish his kingdom. But notice also the power of Christ's kingdom. This isn't a a dead kingdom. It's not a powerless kingdom. There's many people are are are kings. You've no doubt heard of the uprisings in Iran. Well, there's an exiled prince from Iran who is who is claiming the kingship there. But Christ's kingdom isn't lacking power. It's full of power. Verse eight, we're told that Christ will have the heathen for his inheritance. the heathen, those outside of of the the nation of Israel, those uncircumcised Philistines, they will be his inheritance. They will be in his kingdom. They won't merely be his subjects. They'll be his brothers and sisters. He is our elder brother. We're adopted into the family of God. Christ is our elder brother. He is our king. And we're told that the heathen will be his inheritance. We're told that they will come from east and west to sit down at the table of Abraham. We're told that they will be from every kindred and nation and people and tongue, that means language groups. So, we're told that the various nations of the world will have people who will join the kingdom of Christ. Verse 8 goes on to say, the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Not just a little plot of land over there in the Middle East, but the uttermost parts of the earth, Christ's kingdom will extend beyond the boundaries of the Middle East. And do we not see that? Has the gospel not gone forth in starting up in Canada and Alaska all the way down to Peru and Argentina? It's the gospel not gone to those places. Is it not continued to go to those places today? Come into Europe and we see the gospel up in countries like Norway and Denmark go down to the bottom of Africa and has the gospel not gone forth to uh all the nations in between go over to the east? Do we not see in Russia that the gospel has gone there and continues to go there? And in countries like China and India, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the gospel still going out to those places today and men and women are believing. So what's happening? Those uttermost parts of the earth are are coming to Christ. They're coming into the kingdom of Christ. He has them for his possession. So the saint can rest entirely in Christ and knowing that he is safe in his kingdom. But very quickly we'll think finally of the call to the kingdom because Christ's kingdom issues a call to those who are in the kingdom of darkness. And in verse 12 we see that the call is to kiss the sun. That is what Christ is saying to those in the kingdom of Satan. Kiss the son. Embrace the son. This is what David is saying. Kiss the son. Embrace the son. This is what David is telling us to do. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Turn from your wicked ways. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. This is the gospel message that has thundered throughout the earth for thousands of years. It's the same gospel message that continues to thunder throughout the earth. And I say that gospel message will continue to thunder until Christ comes and calls his people to himself. It is a call that has gone forward in Coleraine for many, many years. And it's a call that is issued to you again tonight to kiss the sun, to embrace the sun, to leave your sin and worldliness and carnality behind, your love and your own ideas and vanities and come to Christ. Kiss him. Embrace him. Take him to be your Lord and Savior this very night. And notice the direction of the call. Who is the Lord directing this to? He's not directing it to those who are already in the kingdom. He's directing it to those outside the kingdom. He's directing it effectively to his enemies. To those who persecuted him, to those who cried out, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" That's who it's directed to. So even though we might spend a whole life living in rebellion against God, he still says the same words to us from we are one day old till we are 101 days old. The message is the same. Kiss the sun. But can I say that invitation to kiss the sun, it's time limited. There's only a certain period you can do it and it's your lifetime. Now that might seem like an awful long time, but dear friend, it expires when you expire. Whenever you breathe your last breath, the invitation's over and it's too late. The call to kiss the son is now. We are not guaranteed our next breath, our next heartbeat. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. The invitation to kiss the sun is now. What is the consequence if we reject this call to kiss Christ? Verse 12, lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. There are consequences in resisting Christ, in refusing Christ. You will face his wrath for all eternity. But notice also the comfort of the call. Verse 12, blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Blessed, happy are all they that put their trust in him. Notice how encompassing that is. All they that put their trust in him are happy because those who are in Christ's kingdom have no regrets. There's nobody in their deathbed ever says, "I regret becoming a Christian. I regret for so many years being a follower of Jesus Christ." No, it's the opposite. Those from the kingdom of Satan, they have the regrets. They are the ones who are heading out into eternity, unknown and unsure. But those who put their trust in him, blessed are all they that put their trust in him. That's what the Lord wants us to do. Put our trust in him. We don't need to memorize the Bible, understand it fully. Be great if we did. God simply says, "Kiss the son and trust in him. This is a psalm which is which encourages men to submit to Christ. It shows us that there are two kingdoms and we need to be in the kingdom of Christ. So the gospel invitation to us is to leave the kingdom of Satan and come to the kingdom of Christ. So I ask you one last time, what kingdom are you in? And what kingdom will you be in when the Lord comes? Make your calling, Peter says, and election sure.