“10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
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Open letters have a long and distinguished history. They are written to a particular audience but published for everyone to read.
Siegfried Sassoon wrote one such letter to his commanding officer during the First World War. Sassoon had been wounded in action and decorated for bravery. He served admirably, but he was troubled by what he saw happening. He refused to return to the front and he wrote a letter to his commanding officer explaining why. The newspapers carried it as well. It was even read in Parliament. He wrote “I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that the war upon which I entered as a war of defense and liberation has now become a war of aggression and conquest… I believe that [this war] is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.”
If you know much about the First World War, you know about the senseless slaughter that was trench warfare. The powers-that-be needed to listen for the sake of the soldiers, their families, and all of Europe. Most of the governments of Europe fell rather than listen.
Something more senseless and even more tragic than trench warfare and the destruction of nations has been occurring for some time now. It has destroyed more nations and brought far more heartache to more families than that Great War.
This evening’s Scripture is something of an open letter to the world about this senseless tragedy. The rulers of this world have been and are acting foolishly and we are all paying the cost. They have been warned and they need to listen. The world would have been better off if it listened when this letter was first published. The world would be better off it would listen tonight.
The world has been warned. It must listen. That’s the claim of this sermon: the world has been warned. It must listen.
We will see this in three points. First: speaking truth to power. Second: serve the Lord with fear. Third: rejoice with trembling. We see the Psalmist speaking truth to power in verse 10. We see the need to serve the Lord with fear in the first half of verse 11. We see the need to rejoice with trembling in the second half of verse 11.
First: speaking truth to power. Tonight’s words begin the culmination of this Psalm. We’ve seen God laugh at the arrogance of this pompous world. We’ve seen that God has a far better plan than the world could ever concoct. His plan for human history, in which we all live, is revealed in His Son, Jesus of Nazareth. God’s king has been installed and nothing this arrogant world can do will change God’s plan.
Since God’s plan is set, the world needs to be wise. That’s verse 10, “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.”
Wisdom is living in line with reality. You farmers probably do not like the fact that it rained so much this past week, but you can’t change it. You must live in line with what happened. You can’t change the weather, so you make changes. You act wisely as you adjust to fit what you can’t change.
The powers-that-be can’t change God’s plan for human history. Whether they like it or not, Jesus of Nazareth is the king. They would be wise to change their plans to fit God’s plan.
The powers-that-be rarely do that. That’s why the Psalmist pleads with them, “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.” The kings and rulers in the Psalmist’s day were not acting wisely. They were not adjusting their plans to fit God’s plan.
The same is true today. Does anyone here think that God’s plan for human history is a decisive factor in determining what comes before the United States Senate? Does anyone here believe for a moment that the fact that the nations are Jesus’ for the asking has the slightest significance for the State Department?
You might be thinking, ‘that’s not the business of government.’ Psalm 2 says that it is, “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” That is the business of the government. They are to adjust their plans to fit God’s plan for human history.
The fact that this sounds so strange to us is a sign of how very successful the world has been among us. The fact that we can hardly imagine our government making decisions based on God’s plan for human history is verse 1 in action, “the nations conspire and the peoples plot.”
This world belongs to God whether the world acknowledges it or not. I’m afraid that many of us are confused on this matter. We have come to believe that only those who willingly submit to God owe Him anything. We have come to believe that God is somehow real for believers and unreal for unbelievers. We have come to believe that Christ is the king of the church and yet has no right to the world. That’s not the way God sees it. God tells us how He sees it, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Those who do not bow are rebelling. Christ has a claim on them and they are ignoring that claim. He has instructions for them which they are defying. Some know it. Others don’t.
This Psalm is a warning to start living wisely. “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.”
This warning tells us that we as a church must warn. The church has a prophetic responsibility to warn the rulers that they stand before Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr. saw that. He wrote an open letter of his own from a jail cell in Birmingham after being arrested for peaceful protest. He wrote, “there was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent—and often even vocal—sanction of things as they are.”
The powers of this world do not want to hear that God will hold them accountable for their decisions. They don’t want to hear that the measure they use to judge will be used against them. We can’t let that discourage us. We can’t repent on their behalf. Our role is to proclaim Christ. “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way.” The rulers must bend the knee before Christ. The fact that such change seems doubtful isn’t a sign of our naivety. It is a sign of how very lost this world is.
The rulers must respond. What sort of response does the Lord desire? He wants them to serve Him with fear. That’s our second point.
The world has been warned to be wise. What must it do? Imagine that you are called into your supervisors office and he says, “I have some concerns about your performance. Consider this a warning. Be wise.” You would want to know what you must do. You would want to know exactly what your boss expects from you.
By and large, the rulers of this world have no idea what God expects from them. They have already received a warning. “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.” They’ve been warned but they still have no idea what God expects.
Here you see the arrogance of this world. They have no idea what God expects but they are pushing forward, full steam ahead.
So, what does God expect? Verse 11, “Serve the Lord with fear.” God expects the influential to serve Him with fear, but the influential in this world are not used to showing reverence. They are used to receiving reverence. Jesus was clear, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” That is true in this nation and all nations. Rulers tend to think they are more important than the people they serve.
They need to cut that out. They need to, “serve the Lord with fear.” Proverbs is right, of course that, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Until the leaders of this nation of all stripes learn the fear of the Lord, they will guide this land into further foolishness.
When you fear the Lord, you reckon with Him. John McCain passed away a month ago. He was a power player in the Senate. Wise legislators took him into account when they were making their plans. Whether they agreed with him or not, they reckoned with John McCain. Similarly, wise humans take the Lord into account when they make their plans. They know they must reckon with Him. One of the tragedies that is inescapable today is that our leaders knew they must reckon with John McCain. They don’t know they must reckon with the Lord. They have no fear of the Lord.
They have no sense that they must serve the Lord. God commands the influential to serve Him. How can the kings and rulers serve the Lord? They serve Him by adjusting their plans to fit His plan. Whether they knew it or not, whether they cared or not, every man who has served as the President of the United States has had a responsibility to serve the Father of Jesus Christ in the Oval Office by governing rightly. God expects the president to follow His blueprint for governing people. “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear.”
The same is true for you. You have a responsibility to serve the Lord in your area of influence. Please do not think of serving the Lord as something you do in addition to your job, family, and community responsibilities. You need to think of your job, family, and community responsibilities as the contexts in which you serve God. You farmers serve God by cultivating and stewarding the land. You mothers serve God raising your children in the fear of the Lord. You employers serve God by providing jobs for others, so they work doing something useful with their hands to have something to share with those in need.
God commands everyone to serve Him in every part of life. This shouldn’t surprise us. God has made us for Himself. “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
What is so very sad about the world today is how few leaders serve God this way. A man like Francis Collins is rare. Collins is currently the director of the National Institutes for Health. He spent fifteen years as the director of the Human Genome Project. He serves the Lord in his area of influence. “The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome,” he writes. “God can be found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God’s majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.”
We think that Collins is unusual. We think he is extraordinary. We think he is going above and beyond. Francis Collins’s lord thinks he is just doing his duty. ‘“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep,” said Jesus. “Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”’
God expects the influential to serve Him. Every king will stand before Christ on judgment day. He will ask them, ‘how did you serve me in your reign as king?’ President Trump will have to answer that question. President Obama will have to answer that question. Caesar Augustus will have to answer that question. Pontius Pilate will have to answer that question.
The same question will be asked of all of us in our areas of influence. ‘How did you serve me as an accountant?’ ‘How did you serve me as a plumber?’ ‘How did you serve me as a nurse?’ Live your life to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Everyone must serve the Lord. As we all serve, we must rejoice with trembling. That’s our third point: rejoice with trembling.
It is one thing to accept that you are not the center of the universe. It is another thing to be joyful that you are not the center of the universe. It is one thing to acknowledge that God is God and that you are not. It is another thing to be thankful that’s the way it is. It is one thing to serve the Lord. It is another thing to be happy about it; “rejoice with trembling.”
We see two emotions at work here at the same time—joy and fear. Charles Spurgeon describes the combination this way, “There must ever be a holy fear mixed with the Christian’s joy. This is a sacred compound, yielding a sweet smell, and we must see to it that we burn no other upon the altar. Fear, without joy, is torment; and joy, without holy fear, would be presumption.”
There are some Christians who serve the Lord because they know they must, but their service is joyless. Their serve the Lord to justify themselves. They seem to think that God will love them more and perhaps make their lives a bit easier if they help with Cadets. They are not resting in what Christ did on the cross. They are not ministering out of the grace they’ve received. They are serving because God demands it and they still have a slavish fear of God. “Fear, without joy, is torment.” That is not a Christian’s service. A Christian is called to “rejoice with trembling.”
There are other Christians who serve flippantly as if God is pleased with work that would please no human boss. One wonders why these men agreed to serve as elder or deacon. One wonders why these women agreed to serve on their committee. There is no trembling in their service. They treat the church as if it is theirs to do with what they wish, even if it is nothing at all. They serve as if Christ should be pleased that they bothered to show his bride any attention at all. “Joy, without holy fear, would be presumption.” That is not a Christian’s service. A Christian is called to “rejoice with trembling.”
It isn’t just Christians who are called to serve that way; kings and rulers are called to serve with joy and trembling.
Imagine that the leaders of this nation—business leaders, politicians, media moguls—imagine they served God gladly. Imagine they served Him reverently. Imagine they were reading the gospels and coming up with all sorts of creative ways to put Jesus’ words into action at every level of society. Can you imagine that?
That is what God expects; “you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
I hope you can see how far our world has fallen. You don’t need to look at the gun violence in Chicago or the STD rates. You don’t need to look at the number of children growing up without a father or the breakdown in government. Just consider how few influencers in our culture serve the Lord with joy and trembling. With that number as low as it is, we shouldn’t expect anything other than what we find at every level of society.
The people suffer when the leaders don’t serve the Lord with joy and trembling. “When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding,” Proverbs 28:28. Imagine for a moment how we the people would benefit if our leaders, “served the Lord with fear and rejoiced with trembling.” Mourn for a moment that they do not. It directly impacts your life.
Since you are living with their failure to obey, consider for a moment why they don’t obey. Despite the abundant evidence that their plans are a disaster, why won’t our leaders adjust their plans to fit God’s plan? Why are these finite leaders refusing to embrace the wisdom of an infinite God?
They can offer all manner of excuses and rationalizations, but it isn’t that complex. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The Psalmist isn’t asking for anything strange when he calls humans to obey the God who made them. What is strange is that they don’t. What is strange is that they think they don’t need to. Satan is behind that strangeness.
We humans have every reason to rejoice with trembling. God Himself has taken on flesh and lived among us. He not only showed us how to live, he has already done what all that was necessary to save our sorry selves. He is willing to go so far as to put His own Spirit in us so that we can finally change at a fundamental, heart level. I cannot imagine better news. Why not rejoice? Why not tremble?
If the powers of this world grasped that, they would govern with fresh vigor knowing that they were servants rather than masters. The weight of their office would lift; they would rejoice that they were asked to serve; they would tremble that God asked them to serve.
There are any number of leaders in this nation who would tremble for joy if they truly listened when Christ said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I imagine that you’ve seen photographs of presidents at the beginning and end of their term. These men look weary and burdened by the end. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” as Shakespeare said.
If only they would follow the elders in Revelation 4 who, ‘lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.”’ If only they would find rest. If only they would listen. Some have. Some will. Many never will.
Is your hope still in this world? Do you think this world can fix itself? It has been trying since the dawn of civilization and look how poorly it has done. The world’s plans for itself were laughable when it built the tower of Babel and these plans are laughable today.
God laughs because He has something far better. “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
Have you jumped from the sinking ship of this world? If you are ready to do so, serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling. Soon and very soon we are going to meet the king. Amen.