Why Being Godless Is a Dead End
Text: Psalm 2
Proposition: When man tries to throw off the borders of God he becomes lost to his own thirsts for power and propriety and ends in a ruin greater than imagined.
Introduction: There is a rise in popularity today that the view of being godless leads to greater freedoms, morally, socially and financially. It is presented as being more inclusive, more scientific and even more beneficial to the world as a whole. Godlessness has the belief that it is an advanced system of thought which is part of the evolution of mankind. The oversight that that it is slow to grasp is that it is far from being a new phenomenon. Godlessness was part of the failed Communist Revolution and before that part of the failed French Revolution and before that part of the failed Roman Empire. In each case God was proclaimed as being defeated and the rise of unbelief was heralded as the new way. In almost every case there was a loss of culture, a descent into tyranny and aberrations of sexuality and morality. Life in all cases became very cheap, power became toxic in the hands of dictators and the result was the creation of a vacuum of despair that eventually imploded each system. This morning we are going to go back before the times of the Romans as we hear the voice of David speaking about the futility of godless thinking. In these ancient words we see how mankind has again and again repeated the same mistakes that arise from underestimating the living Almighty God and the power of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to Psalm 2.
I. The Pursuit of Godlessness Underestimates the Battle.
The nations rage, the peoples plot, the kings prepare for battle, the rulers plan together…from the peasant to the king, from nations to the various rulers of those nations there is this seeming unity to gather together under the cause of godlessness. What is not seen is that they are doing the bidding of another power that is ruthless in its objective. It is manipulative by using vanity as the driving force for why the people plot against God. It is tempting causing the kings to put it all on the line. It’s cloaked in the appearance of being light, of being that which is ultimately good so the rulers counsel together. The pursuit of godlessness in David’s day as in ours is at it’s root a spiritual deception that leads millions into causes that seems enlightened…the destruction of the unborn, the redefinition of family, the re education against creation, the rewriting of history, the revision of morality, the reinventing of truth without absolutes. As powerful as each of these causes are they are not what the war is about, they are not the main battlefield. The main battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual enemies which are directed and empowered by their fallen angelic leader Satan. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Those who take the side of godlessness are in a dead end battle because their commander in chief does not care one bit for their self righteous causes nor for their very well being. Satan has no special affection for the ungodly, he will use their misdirection and then he will destroy them. Godlessness is a dead end pursuit because it doesn’t recognize the existence of a spiritual battle and it misses the truth that they are under a power that will confuse, use and abuse even them.
II. The Pursuit of Godlessness Sees Boundary As Bad.   
They gather, “Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’" The bonds or chains that bind them like cords are seen as being too heavy, too restrictive, too imposing. Don’t miss the fact that this action is against the LORD, or Jehovah and His Annointed, Jesus Christ. They know of Jesus they just don’t agree that Jesus is the only safe way through this life to the life that comes after death. The chains and cords are like boundary markers, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t covet, don’t steal, don’t commit idolatry, honor your father and mother, remember the Sabbath. They are like the chain that mark the edge of a cliff, it creates a boundary for good reason. If you go beyond it you will get hurt, you will hurt others and you will be held accountable. David’s culture and our culture see boundary as bad even though we live by it every day. A traffic light is a boundary maker and we know that to ignore it is to put our life at risk. There is boundary in gender, male and female, there is boundary in relationships, in property and in morality. Godlessness sees boundary as bad because it is interpreted as that which takes away our freedom. It’s freedom, sometimes masked as inclusivity, that is the prime value of the godless, but it is a freedom that has no boundary. That kind of freedom pushes against the chains that guard them from the cliffs edge. Freedom in that case can quickly turn into freefall.
III. God’s Response Is To Give Man What He Needs Most.    
It says that God laughs and shakes His head. It’s like watching a blindfolded child swinging at a piñata filled with the sweetest of treats except that the piñata is made of stainless steel. They can assail that all day long and never make the slightest dent. Then God speaks, and even with the blindfold on, we hear what He has to say, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” What does man need most? It’s someone who will love mankind dearly and yet rule over him with a nature untouched by sin and with a plan more perfect than we could ever imagine. God the Father speaks and when He speaks He acts, it is exactly what He has done, He has set His King upon Zion, or Jerusalem. It is a holy point of geography as well as a political one. Listen what happens next.
Previously it was God the Father who spoke, now another voice speaks.  "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” When you see the name spelt LORD all in capitals know that it is translated Jehovah. So God the Father says to God the Son, ‘Today I have begotten You.’ The sense here is that this King that will rule from Zion will be brought forth from God, made evident by God, revealed to all by God. Remember that this is David writing this Psalm ( see Acts 4:25,26)  about 1000 years before Christ was born. It is a prophecy of the first coming of Christ the King. But then look at what He says next, “Ask of Me, {Jehovah} and I will give You {Jesus} the nations for Your {Jesus} inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your {Jesus} possession.  You {Jesus}shall break them with a rod of iron; You {Jesus} shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.' " These verses apply to the Second Coming of Christ, it’s when Jesus will return as not just the King of all believers in Christ but also as the King over all kings and kingdoms. The way of the godless is a dead end because not only does the one they are presently serving intend them harm but the One they ultimately oppose is undefeatable and will overrule all opposition in the same way that a bar of iron overrules the strength of a pottery jar. Above this the One they oppose intends the very best for them. Godlessness is a triple dead end.
IV. Since Godlessness Is a Dead End Way, Take the Way To Life.
So the Father speaks again, “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.” In other words God has not done these things in secret, they are not hidden from you, so be wise, be instructed. General revelation is the evidence that God is Sovereign as seen in all of creation, from the stars in the sky to the intricacies of the human body, all have incredible design and evidence the truth of who God is. Special Revelation is what we have in Scripture revealing in even greater detail yet just Who God is and Who Jesus Christ is and Who the Holy Spirit is what They will do. So with this readily available knowledge in General and Special Revelation, be wise. With the truth set before you, be instructed. There are three last things that we are to bear in mind.
1. Serve the LORD with fear. When John the Apostle saw Jesus in Revelation 1 the very sight of Him unveiled in His glory made John fall at His feet like a dead man. We serve an Almighty God and we have a faithful High Priest, Jesus Christ. Move before Him carefully, with deep reverence and a holy fear. This is a great antidote to godlessness in our world,
2. Rejoice with trembling. The rejoicing is in what God has done and will do, it leaves the celebration of self behind and stands amazed in the presence of Jesus.
3. Kiss the Son. The idea behind this is to openly acknowledge that Jesus is your King, to agree with His rule over you and to welcome that rule. It also implies the affection that God seeks from us to His Son, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength. To neglect to do so is to spite God, to treat Him with contempt.                                                                            It closes by saying that the wrath of God in the smallest portion is enough to completely end us so trust in Him and blessed are you if you do.