Title: Sealed with a Kiss
Text: Psalm 2
Introduction
Before I heard the doctors tell
the dangers of a kiss,
I had considered kissing you
the nearest thing to bliss.
But now I know biology
and sit and sigh and moan;
Six million mad bacteria,
and I thought we were alone.
1. If you want to be happy, healthy, successful, and live longer,
A. give your spouse a kiss before you go to work each day.
B. A study was conducted by a group of doctors and psychologists.
C. According to Dr. Arthur Sazbo, the study found that those who kiss their spouse each morning:
i. Miss less work because of illness than those who do not.
ii. They also have fewer auto accidents on the way to work.
iii. They earn 20 to 30 percent more money per month
iv. and they live an average of five years longer than those who don’t kiss their spouse in the morning.
D. The reason for this, according to Dr. Sazbo,
i. is that the kissers begin the day with a positive attitude.
E. That makes you just want to kiss someone, doesn’t it?
2. Well, you are probably wondering what all this kissing has to do with a sermon.
A. You will find kissing mentioned throughout scripture.
B. I found the word “kiss” and its forms in Scripture almost 50 times.
C. Some of the more famous kisses are:
i. The father in the story of the Prodigal son saw his son afar off and ran to him and showered him with kisses.
ii. Judas used a kiss to betray Jesus.
iii. Some churches still practice kissing, as found in various places in the New Testament, “greet one another with a holy kiss”.
3. As we read Psalm 2, you will notice the reference to kissing.
4. Read Psalm 2:1-12
5. This is a great Psalm.
A. It is one of the Messianic Psalms,
i. which means that it provides a description of Jesus,
ii. way before He was ever born.
B. This Psalm paints 4 pictures,
i. and each picture is made up of 3 verses each.
ii. In the Hebrew language,
iii. each verse has an equal number of words.
Body
1. The first picture is one of revolt
A. From the very beginning of time, people and nations have:
i. Rebelled
ii. and Revolted
iii. The KJV says “Why do the heathen Rage?”
B. Verse 2 is actually a reference to Jesus Christ as the Anointed One.
i. People still rebel against Jesus Christ today.
ii. We, in the 21st Century are just as guilty as anyone of
a. rebellion
b. and revolting.
iii. Our country has a total disregard for things that are spiritual.
iv. Christianity is attacked on every side.
v. You might wonder what God must think of all this.
2. Well, the 2nd picture, is a picture of the Lord’s response.
A. So the view shifts from earth to heaven where the Lord sits on His throne.
i. and you see Him laughing at the ineffectiveness of man’s efforts to destroy God.
ii. You see Him respond with rebuke and anger.
iii. You see Him respond by installing His Son, as the King.
B. So,
i. in spite of the raging of the heathen
ii. in spite of their plot to squash Christianity
iii. God’s plan goes marching on.
a. He still plans to send His Son into the world.
b. He still plans to provide a way out for those that are lost.
c. He still plans for His Son to provide salvation for many.
3. The 3rd picture is a picture of Jesus Christ, the King.
A. Here we see Jesus establishing His sovereignty and authority.
i. By virtue of being God’s Son, He has power.
B. We also see Him establishing the importance of missions.
i. In verse 8, we see the plan to have Jesus’ Name spread to the ends of the earth,
ii. and in Acts 1, Jesus begins to carry out the plan when He said,
iii. “you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
C. We also see Jesus ruling with an iron scepter.
i. This phrase is referred to 3 different times in the book of Revelations.
ii. The scepter paints a picture of a king holding an ornamental rod or staff that symbolizes his authority.
iii. Jesus has authority over all people.
iv. And those who continue to refuse to give their lives to Him,
a. will ultimately be judged
b. and verse 9 says that they will be “dashed to pieces like pottery”.
D. So:
i. these people who are so stuck on their own importance,
ii. the same one’s who ridiculed Christianity,
iii. will one day become totally destroyed
iv. and be as insignificant as broken pieces of a vase.
4. The 4th picture is a picture of our response.
A. We are commanded to serve the Lord.
B. We are commanded to fear the Lord.
i. The Scripture often speaks about fearing the Lord.
ii. We are quick to point out that fearing the Lord simply means to stand in awe and wonder of the Lord.
iii. And I agree with that.
C. But I also think that many Christians today have lost the attitude of a healthy fear and deep respect for the Lord.
i. Henry Blackaby says, in his book “The Man God Uses”; “The presence of God in His people put fear in the nations surrounding them. The nations were not afraid of the Israelites. They were afraid of the God of the Israelites. How many people tremble before the God that churches serve in their communities? The fear of God will not come upon the people outside the church before it comes upon the people inside the church. Every time anyone in the Bible of any significance met God, great fear, awe, and trembling came upon them. We talk about standing in the presence of a Holy God, yet our response to Him is unlike anyone who stood before Him in the Scriptures. We must ask ourselves if we are confronting God in such a way that a holy sense of trembling comes over us. How can Christians proclaim a message of urgency while living a lifestyle of complacency? People will believe the message when it is delivered by a messenger whose life demonstrates that he knows God and takes God seriously.”
ii. In Jeremiah 5:22 God says, “Should you not fear me? Declares the Lord. Should you not tremble in my presence?”
D. Obviously,
i. the sinner has much to fear, because of his destination.
ii. But as Christians, we need to fear the Lord, we should approach Him:
a. with trembling
b. and with awe
c. and respect
d. And yes, even fear.
iii. Perhaps some of us need to repent of the casualness with which we approach God.
E. And then we come to the kissing part.
i. The Scripture says to “Kiss the Son”.
ii. The idea of kissing the Son carries the idea of submission.
iii. When we kiss the Son,
a. we submit to Him.
iv. When people meet royalty,
a. sometimes they will bow or curtsy.
b. In some societies, they will even kiss their feet,
c. or kiss the ground in front of them.
v. This kind of kiss signified an attitude of surrender to a higher authority.
a. It is a kiss of loyalty.
b. It is a kiss of honor and allegiance.
c. It is an outward manifestation of what has already taken place inside one’s heart.
d. It is the kiss of surrendering our life to His.
F. As we kiss the Son in a sense of surrender.
i. He kisses us with a kiss:
a. of salvation,
b. of healing,
c. of forgiveness
d. and acceptance.
Conclusion
1. A woman prisoner was being taken from one prison to another.
A. She was bound with chains on her hands and feet.
B. She was so rebellious and combative,
i. that they refused to transport her without the chains in place.
C. The administrator of the prison where she was being sent refused to admit her unless the chains were removed.
D. The police officers removed the chains,
i. and the administrator of the women’s prison kissed the prisoner in welcome and friendship.
E. This act was so unexpected by the prisoner,
i. it was so tender and kind,
ii. that she broke down in tears
iii. and began a transformation
iv. that completely turned her life around.
v. She ultimately became a Christian
vi. and worked to spread the Gospel in prison.
2. I encourage you to “kiss the Son”.
A. Submit to His authority and leadership in your life.
B. Join in a relationship of deep fellowship with Him.
C. That is quite a contrast from the world,
i. the world rebels and revolts;
ii. and crucifies Him.
3. There is a story in the New Testament about a sinful woman, who had the right attitude about Jesus.
A. Luke 7:37-38 says, “a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. The she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them”
B. The Scripture says because this woman had been forgiven much
i. and that accounted for her actions.
C. We have been forgiven much.
i. At one time, we lived contrary to Jesus Christ.
ii. But because of His love, sacrifice and faithfulness to us;
iii. we should approach Him with an attitude of love, respect, fear, and awe.
4. So tonight, I want to ask you,
A. have you kissed the Son?
B. Have you submitted to Him?
C. Have you given Him the proper attitude of
i. awe,
ii. fear,
iii. wonder,
iv. worship
v. and amazement?
Note: I got the idea for this sermon from one of my dad’s sermons (his name is also Larry Brincefield). I’ve tried to give credit where I know the source (i.e. the Henry Blackaby quote, etc). Any others I’ve missed, please let me know and I will edit them into the sermon.
