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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

THE GOOD NAME OF OUR SAVIOUR

Introduction

We’ve seen in the past two weeks how that the Child that the LORD God prophesied to Isaiah would be born, would be called both Wonderful and Counselor. This prophesy is clearly pointing forward to the time when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would be born into this world. He is the Child that is spoken of! He is the Son that was given!

But we need to understand that this passage also points to Christ’s millennial reign on earth after His Second Coming.

It says, “. . .and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called. . .” The government shall be upon His shoulder when He rules and reigns for a literal 1000 year period on this earth. That is when He will be fully known by these five descriptive titles. Verse 7 also shows us that this refers primarily to His millennial reign.

We know that He showed Himself as Wonderful at His first coming!

And, even now, to us who are saved He is Wonderful! Amen! But by and large most of those living on the earth today have not known the glory of His wonder!

But during His millennial reign, all those living on earth will be able to see and know that He is truly Wonderful!

We know that He showed Himself as the great Counselor at His first coming!

And, even now, to us who are saved He is Counselor! Amen! But by and large most of those living on th earth today have not known of His wise counsel!

But during His millennial reign, all those living on earth will be able to see and know that He is the great Counselor!

But now we come to this third title that is given to Him–that of “The Mighty God.” Not a mighty god but “The Mighty God!”

At first glance, we might think that this relates to such things as Him showing Himself mighty in His creation.

After all, He is shown to be the mighty God of creation, Psalm 19:1-4–“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”

John 1:1-3–“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Colossians 1:16-17–“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Or, we might even think that this refers to Christ’s revelation of Himself as the Almighty God as He performed miracles on the earth that only God could do!

When Jesus was about to heal the blind man in John 9:3, His disciples asked Him “Master who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind.”

John 9:3–“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

And the works of God were made manifest as Jesus healed him!

When Lazarus was sick, some folks came and told Jesus about it:

John 11:4–“When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

And we know that Jesus showed Himself as the Mighty God with power over death as He raised Lazarus from the dead!

And even as Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was buried, three days later He showed Himself as the Mighty God in an open show of power over sin, death, hell, and the grave as He arose from the grave!

But that is not what this passage is pointing to either.

The word “mighty” used here in Isaiah 9 is different than the words referring to the Lord as being “God Almighty” or the places referring to His omnipotence.

Yes, this word speaks of Christ as being powerful, but it shows Him primarily as a powerful warrior. This word is also translated in other places as champion, chief, giant, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man.

It points to the Christ that we see in Revelation 19:11-21, at the close of the Tribulation period when Christ comes in power and great glory at His Second Coming! (Let’s turn there and read it!)

Now turn to Psalm 2 which predicts what we see here in Revelation 19.

Psalms 2 is about the world system that has shown nothing but rebellion against God since the day that sin entered the world!

This rebellion has gotten worse and worse, but it will not be seen in its fullness until its final form during the Tribulation Period.

Here in Psalm 2 we see the world is presented exactly as it is. Then, we see that God’s viewpoint is presented and how God will successfully set Christ on the throne as the ruler of this world, despite all of the heathen conniving and planning against God!

It will all work out in the end just as God has planned! Amen! It will work out that Christ (The Anointed One) will show Himself to be “The Mighty God!”

I.            THE REBELLION AGAINST GOD BY MAN! (PSALM 2:1-3)

Here we see that the Psalmist is amazed that the world would plot to overthrow the very authority of God by rebelling against God!

               This rebellion is marked by three things:

               A.         We See The Strong Emotion In Their Efforts Against God.

                            “Why do the heathen rage. . .”

                            The word “rage” means to be “violent and tumultuous.”

It speaks of those that are furious with anger to the point that they cause a commotion or stir up a crowd.

Let’s take into account the war against God that is taking place in our day and time.

                            There is a continual emotional push to legitimize sin.

We are constantly being pressed on every hand to be accepting of things that are wicked and vile in the sight of God!

                            1.          Think of the rage today against those who dare to speak against homosexuality or as the Bible calls it, sodomy!

                                         In some countries it is illegal to speak out against it!

                                         It is considered “hate” speech by many in our own land!

                            2.          Think of the rage today against those who oppose abortion.

Any attempt to stop the slaughter of babies is met with rage by women’s rights groups.

                            3.          Think of the rage today against anything to do with Christianity. (e.g. The efforts by many in authority to eradicate Christian displays of every kind.)

                            We See The Strong Emotion In Their Efforts Against God.

               B.         We See The Futility Of Their Efforts Against God.

                            “Why do. . .the people imagine a vain thing”

Romans 1:21–“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Psalms 4:2–“O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.”

Isaiah 40:17–“All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.”

                            1.          The public display of the Ten Commandments may be outlawed, but they cannot destroy the reality of them or the fact that they will be judged by them! The Ten Commandments remain God’s law and are as sure as God Himself!

                            2.          All kinds of depravity may be popularized and glorified by the media outlets day and night, but they can’t stop the reality of God’s truth that says “be sure your sin will find you out.” 

                            3.          The vast majority of society may be deceived into thinking that evil is good and good is evil, but they cannot escape the judgment of God that is to come unless they repent!

                            We See The Strong Emotion In Their Efforts Against God.

We See The Futility Of Their Efforts Against God.

               C.         We See The Organization Of Their Efforts Against God.

                            They “. . .set themselves. . .and. . .take counsel together. . .”

All through the ages many in places of authority have set themselves against God or have taken counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed. It is still happening today!

                            1.          The Tower Of Babel.

Genesis 11:4–“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

But God judged them, by confounding their language and scattering them anyway!

                            2.          The Egyptians.

Exodus 14:5–“And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”

But God judged Pharaoh’s army in the midst of the Red Sea!

                            3.          In Jesus Day.

The Chief Priests, Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and the elders of the people sought counsel against the Lord Jesus Christ at His first coming.

They thought they had Him! They killed Him and thought that they were rid of Him!

But on the third day Jesus arose from the grave and empowered His disciples to such an extent that they turned the world of their time upside down for Christ!

                            4.          Today.

There are a myriad of lawyers at every turn ready to blot the very name of God from every aspect of our society.

The godless ACLU seems bent on erasing the very name of God and Jesus Christ from our land.

Everything that is anti-God, anti-good, anti-American, and anti-family is being elevated and promoted by highly funded and highly organized people in high places.

While diversity and tolerance are promoted and preached in the classrooms and media, God-fearing people are made to look like bigots and hate-mongers.

All of this rebellion is against God in Heaven and against His Anointed representative on earth.

All around us we see that God has been re-defined to be what He is not! God has been re-made into the image that man wants Him to be, not the image that the Bible reveals Him to be!

Romans 1:21-32 speaks of this degrading of God and what results from it!

This passage speaks about those who didn’t like what they knew about God, so they perverted the truth and changed God to be in an image more to their liking.

                            The goal of all this effort is to overthrow the authority of God!

Many think that by getting rid of the commandments of God and as well as the God who gave them, and by redefining morality and right, then they would be happy and free!

However, that only brings the disintegration and denigration of society! Unbounded sin does not make for a good social life!

THE REBELLION AGAINST GOD BY MAN!

II.           THE REACTION OF GOD TO MAN! (PSALM 2:4-9)

                A.         God Laughs! (Vs 4)

He is laughing, not at man’s sin, but at how little, insignificant man thinks that he can win a war against God!

Daniel told Belshazzar in Daniel 5:23–“But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”

                            God is the one who holds the very universe together!

Colossians 1:17–“. . .by him all things consist.”

Acts 17:28–“For in him we live, and move, and have our being”

Hebrews 1:3 says that He upholds all things by the word of His power.

                            God Laughs!

               B.         God Decrees! (Vs 5-7)

God will set His Son as king in Zion! The Promised Messiah will come, as He said, and destroy the armies of the earth!

The resistance of man will be broken and shattered! All of their wicked counsels against God will be brought to nothing!

Their rage will be turned to howling and the bands that man sought to cast away will crush the very ones who fought them.

                            God’s decrees are unstoppable!

Isaiah 14:27–“For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

God has decreed that Jesus, His Son, will triumph over His adversaries!

God has decreed that when Jesus comes again, all the people of the earth, every nation, will be under His rule!

                            Some may ask, “How sure is it that this will come to pass?”

Matthew 24:35–“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

                            There is nothing more sure than God’s Word!

               THE REBELLION AGAINST GOD BY MAN!      

               THE REACTION OF GOD TO MAN!

III.         THE RIGHT REACTION OF MAN EXPECTED BY GOD!

               (PSALM 2:10-12)         

               Simply Put–Repent And Believe The Gospel–Now!

               A.         Be Wise Now–Be Instructed!   (i.e. Get Smart!)

                            Not wise in their own conceit, but wise to the Truth!

Proverbs 22:3–“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

The right thing for men to do is to see the folly of their sin and rebellion! (i.e. See the destruction coming and turn from it!)

               B.         Serve The Lord With Fear And Rejoice With Trembling!

One problem with sinful man is that “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18)

Some say it is not right to use fear as a motivator, but fear can be a powerful motivator.

                            Nebuchadnezzar found that out by experience:

Daniel 4:37–“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”

But Belshazzar, his grandson didn’t learn from his grandfather’s experience.

Daniel 5:22-23–“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven;. . .and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:”

It’s not hard to stand against the wicked tide of this world when you know that a greater force is coming in the person of God’s own Son!

               C.         Surrender And Worship The Lord To Be Blessed!

                            The phrase “Kiss the Son” is an act of surrender and worship.

You need to make things right with God while His anger is still contained! There is a time element there in verse 12. Mercy is extended now, but it won’t be forever!

2 Peter 3:9–“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

After a person dies, there are no second chances; there is no mercy; there is no reincarnation; there is no purgatory!

               The time to Kiss the Son and acknowledge Him is now!

               For those who trust Him and believe on Him, there is blessedness!

               Peace is made with God and God’s anger is passed!

Conclusion

Where do you stand with the Son of God today?

Are you with those who scorn God and His grace that is found through His Son?

Maybe you are straddling the fence! You are not really for Christ (you’ve not trusted Him as your Lord and Saviour), but you don’t see yourself as against Him either! But listen to the words of Jesus:

Luke 11:23–“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.”

If you are not with Him, in His eyes you are against Him! In the words of the prophet Elijah:

1 Kings 18:21–“How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal [a heathen god of their own making], then follow him,”

Be wise now and be instructed while you can! Repent of your sin, then serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling!

Surrender to Him today and worship Him so that you can be blessed both now and throughout all eternity!

If you have been saved, are you ready to stand before Him and give an account of your life as a Christian? Or are there some things in your life that you would be ashamed of at His coming?

The altars are open, let’s do business with God today!

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!