Kiss the Son — Aaron Dunlop

The Rebellion of the Nations Against God's Authority

He's enraged and the people imagine the same thing. This is a general observation. This is a universal perennial problem. He's enraged the people are imagining the same thing, but the authority of God is set over the earth.

Because God is Unperturbed and undisturbed in heaven it says he that sitteth in heaven. And contrary to popular opinion God is not frantically running about wondering what to do with earth. God is sitting in heaven content.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. He will have them in derision. The word derision there simply means mocking. He will have them mock themselves. He will have them deride themselves. He will have them in confusion.

In the end of the age at the end of the world, he will have his authority recognized. He will have his authority recognized. He has given that authority to another On this earth. He has given it to Christ.

And it says in verse 6 yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. God the Father has set in motion a plan to redeem men from sin and to put in derision. Those who reject that king and that plan have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Christ's Inheritance Among the Nations

Then Christ comes in in verse 7. He says I will declare the decree. I will declare that which Jehovah has Already said to me thou art my son this day have I begotten thee ask of me the father said. Ask of me verse 8 and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.

And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Here We see that the heathen that are raging in the first verse God has given them to Christ those who will be given to Christ out of the heathen for Christ's inheritance.

The rebellion of the heathen against the authority of God is phenomenal. It is universal it is unfathomable. The depths and magnitude that the world and the ungodly can and will go to in order to deride the name of Christ and in order to undermine the cause of Christ.

Thousands if not millions have been spent days in London in a campaign against the God of heaven the heathen rage. And the people imagine a vain Thing but imagine in the verse 1 there is the same word that is mentioned in verse 2 of chapter 1 of psalm 1.

Meditate this is what they meditate on. This is what preoccupies their mind. This is what they're thinking about. They imagine vanity against God. Many and mighty are those who have stood against God in the world.

But not only Mighty are they? We see from verse 12 and indeed the tenor of the entire psalm that it is the entire world Has stood against God because the invitation is to all them that put their trust in him.

The Futility of Sin and the Call to Repentance

Sin is a universal problem. It's a universal problem. It is not only those in high places. It is not only those who have the money to go in this tirade and this campaign against God. Who are to be judged by God as is those in the common Privates of the people the grassroots of the people who have rebelled against God the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing the futility of this continued rebellion against God is seen.

So it's time, but right the first word the question why? Why do you meditate against God? Why if I can make it more poignant to you unbeliever in this meeting? Why do you reject God? Why do you reject Christ for what gain?

And for what purpose and to what end? And that is the thought that is the thrust behind this question right in the first line. Why do the heathen rage? To what end is it? For what purpose is it? Because at the end of the day and at the end of the psalm the psalmist says you will perish from the way.

You will be taken out of the way. You will be led to destruction. Because you have raged against God because you have imagined and meditated. Validate because your mind has not been taken up with the great of heaven.

But your mind has been taken up with the trinkets of the world. Why? The psalmist says why do you father says the God the father says here? As he has set his king that the for the remedy and the redemption of sinners no our duty To Christ is expressed.

Then in the latter part of the of the psalm. What is our duty? It's to hear Christ. It's to come to Christ. Be wise. Verse 10 therefore o ye kings be instructed he judges of the earth. Serve the world with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the son. Lest he be angry and he perished from the way where his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in Him. Our duty is expressed here in a lot of part of this psalm with figurative expression in order to highlight the nature of that duty and how we are to Act upon that duty how we are to tolerate that duty.

Verse 12 kiss the son the son. Those three words. I want us to pick up on this morning. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish from the way. What does it mean to kiss the son? Why is this figurative language used?

Why does it not just say come to Christ. There is a general in modern evangelicalism That invites men to come to Christ. Come to Jesus. If you have a problem in life come to Jesus and Christ is received as some sort of a talisman.

Some sort of a fetish some sort of superstition that Christ is going to solve all of the problems of life. And you can go on living as you please you can have fire insurance from hell, but you can live as you please.

But the world uses figurative language like this to illustrate for us the nature of Our coming to Christ the nature of our relationship to Christ the nature of our obligation to Christ. It is not enough.

It is not enough listen. Not enough to say some simple Meaningless being prayer and think that you have settled your account with God to be a deep and seer Intelligent informed Relationship. Thomas says kiss the use of the kiss in Eastern and Middle East.

Middle Eastern Was used for different things. And the language of Scripture gives us different ideas. Concerning this kiss what does it mean to kiss the first thing? I want us to look at is the kiss of worship the kiss of worship.

The Kiss of Worship

Because kissing in the Middle Near Eastern countries was a sign of worship and adoration. We read in first Kings chapter 19 the verse 18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto Beal and every mouth which hath not kissed him Elijah.

Thought that he was the only one left on the earth and the Lord says there will be a friends in Elijah's mind. That there are more Elijah. They have not by the need to be all. There are those in the country who have not kissed Beal.

Well those who are not worshipping deal. You're not the only one who's worshipping the true God. There are others who have not kissed Beal. So here we see this idea of worship. It is our duty to come to God in worship, it is our duty otherwise you would not be here today to worship him to adore him.

In Job chapter 31 verse 24 to 27 we read if I had made gold my hope. I have said to find gold thou art my confidence if I rejoiced because my wealth was great at mine. Because mine hands had gotten much if I beheld the Sun when it shined or the moon Walking in brightness and my heart hath been secretly enticed or my mouth Kissed my hand.

Job is saying here in his argument against those Would-be friends. He says I have not made gold my confidence. I Have not made fine gold my hope or confidence my hand. My mouth has not kissed my hand.

In other words My mouth has not kissed the lips of my hand. My mouth has not kissed what my hand has it has Attained and here we see both the worship of another deity so-called deity Beal or the worship of that which we possess the worship of that which we Interact with every day.

Job says I have not Worshipped this life. I have not worshipped my material gain. I have not made my material gain my confidence if I were to lose it all as I have done. Job says My hope is still in God my confidence is still in God.

Why. Because I didn't make that my hope. I Did not worship gold or silver. I worship God. What Job is saying here that he did kiss the Sun. He did not kiss the deities of the other nations. He did not kiss his own Attainments he said.

I know that my Redeemer liveth that in the midst of an economic downturn. That in the midst of a depression as far as Job was concerned not seen him not received the promises. But having seen him afar off and sojourners on this earth as it may be with those some here today To have a form of worship gather here in this room and worship In form with the Church of Christ.

The Israelites did this for centuries. The Israelites carried the ark of God into the battlefield. Against the Philistines in some be in hope and superstitious hope that the presence of God would go with the ark.

Whereas if they had kept the ark where it was meant to be in the temple or in the tabernacle. Then the Lord would have been with them and if they had have been sincere towards the ark in its proper place.

But the Israelites took God As it were and then worship that he had given to them and they perverted it. They had a form of worship. Don't say that they worship such and such a God in reality. They didn't they didn't.

Why they have the God of heaven as their God as their deity. They were not obedient to him. This leads us to to the next point not only the kiss of worship. There is the kiss of allegiance of allegiance.

The Kiss of Allegiance and Obedience

Because it is not enough to say this is my God. I Have the God of Christianity. It is not enough to say that I have the God of the Bible and I hold to every Jot and tittle of the Bible. I take it all literally and I'm as orthodox as the next man.

It is not enough to say that the orthodoxy of Scripture as your God without allegiance without allegiance. Thomas Watson says he will not have God's law to rule him will not have God's blood Christ's blood.

To cleanse him he will. Who will not have God's law Christ's law To rule him will not have Christ's blood to cleanse him cannot. You cannot have a form of worship and Rebel against God. This is what the heathen were doing.

They were rebelling against God. They had a form of religion, but in works they denied him. St. Apostle tells us 1st Samuel chapter 10 verse 1. We see an illustration of this used as far as the allegiance is concerned.

And Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head that Saul's head and kissed him. And said it is is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance. Here we have Samuel Paying allegiance the anointing was part of that ritual that God had ordained.

For the anointing of a king that was as far as God was concerned. That was the anointing of Samuel the anointing that Samuel poured upon Saul was Samuel working in his prophetic office. That was him in his prophetic office, that was him by way of office what he had to do for God.

But when he kissed him That was him as an individual the same Samuel or Saul. I have anointed you as king over Israel and now I kiss you. And I pay allegiance to you. Why? Because he said is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance.

Here we have Samuel the prophet paying allegiance to Saul the king because God had anointed him. Yet, I have set my king the Lord says upon my holy hill. I Have set my king upon my holy hill. God says.

The duty of man today is to kiss the son in allegiance to him. Not only to worship him to obey him of the form of worship. But the heart of worship to obey. To seek as far as lies within you. To obey every commandment of God as he reveals it to you and to go to the scripture in order that he might reveal it To you not to both not to obey against the commands of God not to rationalize the commands of God.

But to obey them. To obey them anything less is not enough. It's not enough. Kiss the son the son was said lest he be angry. He perished from the way because there are those Who do worship in form there are those perhaps who do?

Pay allegiance as far as the law of God is concerned. Yet, they have no heart. They have no heart and religion. And Hosea chapter 13 in the verse 2 We have the prophet Saying and now they send more and more speaking of the of the adultery of the nations of the nation of Israel.

And now they send more and more and have made them molten images of their silver and idols according to their Old understanding all of it the works of the craftsmen. They say to them let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.

Let the man that sacrifice kiss the calf. I want you to be aware of what's happening here. These here these people here have built up calves of worship not of their own imagining. Their own imagination their own understanding.

They have crafted out of silver and gold. These calves to worship, but there are those who are worshipping there who have not yet paid allegiance to them. They're there worshipping. They're giving a time of worship.

They're giving the idea that there was you mean, but they have not yet paid allegiance. I'm the wicked say let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Because that will reveal. That will reveal the heart of those who are sacrificing.

There are those in the body who are Jews and who will not kiss the calf. They're there among the body. They're going along with this. But this command this Exhortation to kiss in allegiance. Expose them for who they are ie the true children of God.

They will not pay allegiance to these cows. And there are those in that body who will Today your allegiance to him be earnest in your walk with God heartedly half of your life not. Making this dichotomy between Sunday life on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest of the week life.

Not this dichotomy between my church family and the rest of the world's family demands allegiance to the son. And the Simon says kiss the son not to worship him if you have no allegiance to him that leads us to the last allegiance.

The Kiss of Love and Affection

There's a kiss finally of love. Brings us a step further someone your allegiance without your love and affection still stop short. And it's possible it is possible To give someone or something your allegiance affection and love many a child allegiance to the commands of the house.

And obey the rules of the house, but they're rebellious and hard. Thomas says here kiss the son. Lest he be angry and you perish in the way. What is true Christianity true? Christianity is a love for God.

It is not mere worship of the external. It is not mere allegiance to the law of God through Christianity is a love for God love an emotion for God an affection for God an affiliation to God. And it is interesting that this kiss The summer says kiss the son in love.

This kiss that will be reciprocated by God kiss the son in love and affection. Tade that that kiss will be or version it tells us. Here is a kiss not only speaks of a worship. Here is a kiss not only speaks of allegiance and obedience.

Here is a kiss that speaks of a drawing near. Here is a kiss that speaks of a closeness. Here is a kiss that speaks of affection and one. Toward the one test. Here's a kiss that is reciprocated. If you read the song of Solomon repeatedly.

You'll find the language of the lover. I'm right off the bat in the first chapter. The bride the Shulamite bride says let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. His love is better than wine. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.

For his love is better than wine if I could tie in what he said about Job. The Job did not did not put hope in all of the joys of the money and the possessions and the flocks and the servants. And family that he had he had no confidence.

He had no hope in that. But he had hope in God. He had hope in Christ. And the Shulamite bride says that the kisses of Christ Are better than wine. In other words the kisses of Christ are better than all of the earth can give me to keep me happy.

Wine in the scripture speaks of merriment and happiness and contentment and lightness of heart you may attach to yourself and you might buy and Accumulate all the trinkets of this world and sign what we call today retail therapy.

Try and keep your life stable by retail therapy. But if that is what your foot is if that is what your confidence is if that is what your life is built on. My friend it is not enough. Kiss the son and you'll find that if you kiss him in love He will kiss you with the kisses of his life and his world.

For you will be better than wine. Will be better than all of the trinkets on materialism of this world kiss the son. The psalmist said lest he be angry perish by the way from the heart of Christ reciprocate that kiss.

The Means of Grace and Drawing Near to Christ

If we'd run here to him and kiss him in love, how does he reciprocate that. How do we receive that kiss? I can speak very practically the kisses of God. They are the ordinances of God. They are the means of grace.

They are those things that God has given to us. Whereby he conveys to us his grace as it is promised. What are the means of grace. What are those means. What are those conduits. Whereby God gives us grace whereby God kisses us.

They are the scriptures to speak on a personal level. They are this personal private study of Scripture. Kiss the son. And he will kiss you as you read the scripture. You will feel his affection. You will feel you will receive his kisses.

As you read the scripture kiss the son and you will know his affection as you come to him in prayer. The evidence is the means of grace. Are those things were by we receive the affectionate kiss of the Son of God?

And I assured of his continued grace. There's a public reading the scripture the public preaching the public meeting for prayer as a means of grace. As a means of encouraging as a means of strengthening as a means of knowing the presence of God.

And the application of Christ to the heart the public means of grace. Kiss the son you see now what I meant when I said earlier. But it's not enough simply just to come and worship. And it's not enough simply just to keep the commandments of God and pay a lip service allegiance and obedience to God.

Part is your heart at the heart of this. At the essence of Christianity is the heart the life of God in the soul of man. Thomas says kiss the son. Solomon chapter 8 verse 1. You know that I work my brother.

That sucked the breasts of my mother. When I should find thee without I would kiss thee they yay. I should not be despised. I want you to understand what she's saying here. Here's one of my bride. What she not do that her lover lover was her brother.

So that when she meets him in the street she can kiss him. She can show her affection without question without reserve. Without being scrutinized without being looked upon. And she is what she's praying here is all that I could kiss him without being despised.

All that I could kiss Christ without feeling shame. Without feeling scrutinized. All that I could kiss Christ. Without feeling the eyes of the world upon me. And understands here the application of that to our hearts in this world today.

Public Confession, Gospel Power, and Gratitude for Forgiveness

Where Christians are bird-mouthed and ashamed to mention Christ. All that we could kiss him today in the street. All that we could speak of him today in the street all that we could talk of him to our friends our family our Acquaintances those in our circle without feeling the shame.

Paul said I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Why. Because it's a power of God of the salvation. And until you understand of the power of the gospel. Until you have an experience of the power of the gospel in your own heart.

Until you have an understanding and an apprehension of the power of the gospel in the life of an individual you will be ashamed to speak of Christ. Because you don't have an understanding of what the power of it is of what it can accomplish.

We need a vision of the power of the gospel. We need a vision we need an understanding of what the gospel time and does accomplish to our people who are wholly given. Wholly given unto God let him be your see your sin for what it is.

He is done as the Lord says in Luke 7 verse 38 and following to him who has been forgiven much woman washing his feet and kissing the Lord's feet and the disciples and Pharisees and So forth criticizing her for kissing the feet of Christ.

But she had been forgiven much before. She was not ashamed to kiss him in public. She was not ashamed to show her affection to Christ in public. Why. Because she had been forgiven much a friend when you see your sin for what it is.

You see your life for what it is. You see your your thought processes for what they are in the heinousness of their sin. You come to Christ you will be thankful for a Savior that forgives much for Christ the son.

Rejecting the False Kiss of Judas

Lest he be angry and we close by saying and we ought not and we ought to go guard against this. We ought not to kiss Christ never kiss of Judas. Perhaps there's someone here today. Who's here to worship?

You've come today to worship come today to gather with the people of God. As far as the world is concerned and as far as others in this congregation are concerned. You're kissing Christ. If the kiss is a worship reality is the kiss of Judas you betray your soul.

Yes, we perish died from the way we're cut off from our destination. We're cut off from and what this is what the text means cut off from that intended destination cut off from that assumed destination for three and a half years outward.

Assimilation to the ways of God. Man, even in a total closer circle could be and say the son because he is the way. The truth and the life because he is the only one whom the father has put in your place your stead to bear the sacrifice for sin.

He Has been set as my king upon my holy hill. None other the exhortation is to you.