Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Son! – Psalm 2 – part 3
Psalm 2v7-9 “ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, ‘You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with a iron sceptre;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’”
Where does our confidence lie?
The prophetic and Messianic nature of this Psalm becomes clearer at this point: the New Testament frequently echoes these verses with regards to Jesus, the Son of God, who has come and is coming to rule the earth. For the Jew, the land of Israel was their inheritance, for Jesus, the nations are his inheritance. It is astounding the rate at which the rule of Jesus has reached more and more people groups over the last 200 years. See: “ The-church-is-bigger-than-you-think”. As we submit to Christ, we are part of this inheritance!
Verse 9 may not be the sort of verse we stick on our walls (!), but this speaks of Jesus’ decisive intervention and the world’s fragility. We hear echoes of this at the transfiguration when the Father instructs the disciples to obey, “This is my Son … Listen to him!” (e.g. Matthew 17v5). We see reflections as Jesus clears the temple to the horror of the authorities (e.g. Matthew 21v12). We see it as he conquers evil in such a surprising yet decisive way in his road to the cross and the resurrection. We will see it when he returns and every knee will bow before him. We see it in our own time as people are called out from their nation and moulded into the nation of God (1 Peter 2v9). And we see it in our history as nations and civilisations rise and fall.
In a democracy, the government is accountable to the electorate and will need to return to the electorate for power every so often (!!). Each time, some “pottery” is broken. Ultimately, however, this earth is under a theocracy: the nations and their rulers are accountable to God and his Son Jesus. Jesus is both Saviour and Judge: all who respond to him are saved, but those who do not will be judged and his judgement is final.
As the government is accountable to us, so we, as we vote, are accountable to God. As we go to the polls this next week, may we each commit our way to the Lord, know his direction, and know his peace.
Where does our confidence lie? As the US dollar bill says, “In God we trust.”
With much blessing,
Roland
News/Prayer
- Magazines – Thank you to all who have helped distribute these! It was wonderful at the prayer meeting on Monday to hear stories of positive interactions with local residents during delivery!
- Devoted – The next price break for Devoted is 31st January – this is a one month warning.
- Books – What is the relationship between work, business and God’s mission? Nick Priggis, leader of Hope Church Shrewsbury, has written a book on this subject. “Establish the Work of our Hands” which is available on Amazon.
- Christmas Party – Saturday 28th December from 6pm at the Wests. There are invitations available at Admaston House. Please let Sue know if you are coming.
- Christmas Carol Service – please use the magazines to invite people to the Carol Service on Sunday 22nd.
- Have you ever seen the Christian People’s Alliance’s manifesto? Nor had I until this last week, but I found their policies thought-provoking. You can’t vote for them in Telford, so I feel able to share a link for your interest and reflection (This is Roland, not “Hope Community Church” typing!).
- Prayer
– Let’s pray especially for those for whom we prayed healing last Sunday. May the Lord complete his work.
– Let’s pray for our country and the election next week. May God bring shalom.
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