Thursday, March 9, 2023

The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

 


 

 

Psalm 2

 

December 8, 2021

 

 

The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

Why do the nations rage and the people's 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.

 

The “why” in the first sentence is answered in Psalm 14:1, The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”   They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.”  Could it be that the fool has no moral or ethical standards and that he and the people who believe like him, do as they please with no fear of God?  Could it be said that in a nation that has killed 62 million-plus babies, God had said the following: to Jeremiah, God said; “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1;5)  Has God also spoken about those babies that have been slaughtered by the government of the United States of America?  You will find that answer in Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

 

But many Easter and Christmas Christians also have no fear of God, He is a God of convenience, good for business, social settings, weddings, and funerals.  They have chosen a foot in the world and a foot in the church.  If they had asked God of Creation His thoughts on their decision He would have directed them to Revelations 3:15-17, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  Those are the words of the God you say you believe in, and yes He loves and cares for you, but He also has told you that “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  He has also told you that the world and its desires that you put your trust in are passing away,  You will find that in 2 John 2:17,  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”  Many in the church who go by the title of Christian, have no understanding of the principle of Master/servant.  My friend and mentor Carroll Ray Jr. taught me the servant is not greater than the Master.  Servants don’t demand to meet their needs or insist on their rights.  A servant has only one goal to bring glory to his master.  Many who go by the title of Christian have joined the cult of self, and only God's word can show them the Master/servant way of living.

 

The United States of America has sown evil, it has made Sodom and Gomorrah look almost ok, and they were destroyed by God for being so wicked.  The Church has been very silent on many subjects as a whole, like homosexual marriage, but not God He has spoken very clearly about marriage, it is between a man and a woman, only.  In fact, God has spoken on the welfare system, If a man will not work and support his family, you will find that in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  It is very clear God is speaking to His Church in this scripture, but we live in a world where hard work has become a dirty word.

 

When a Scripture is overused, such as 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  Are you in Christ, if so God is speaking those words to you, when will you come to the realization that He is not saying wait for your pastor, nor your brother in Christ to do so, are for a leader that is in Christ to be your President, no, God is addressing you and me, His Church to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from looking elsewhere?  My prayer and hope are that you who are lukewarm will understand that this writer is a mess, but His eyes are fixed on the only hope for our nation.  It will not be found in giving more money to a politician, it will not be in conservatives getting the house, senate, and the President, it will only happen when we believe God’s word and do what He has said.

 

From The Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

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