COUNSEL AGAINST THE LORD AND HIS ANOINTED [Psalm 2a]

1. “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2. The kings of the earth set themselves, AND THE RULERS TAKE COUNSEL TOGETHER, AGAINST the LORD AND AGAINST HIS ANOINTED, saying.”
   Psalm 2:1-2

• When you are on the Lord’s side the people of the world will hate you.

18 “IF THE WORLD HATES YOU, YOU KNOW THAT IT HATED ME BEFORE IT HATED YOU.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATES YOU."
John 15:18,19 (NKJV)

• The more you love God and His Kingdom, the more the enemies you have.
• Nations rage and they plot a vain thing against the Lord and against His anointed—Jesus the Messiah.

• Note: Anointing attracts attacks.

• If you are called of God, expect serious opposition from the kingdom of darkness.
• The devil who is the accuser of brethren, our adversary, will move people against you and your God-given vision (Revelation 12:9-11).

• The Psalmist says their plot is a vain thing that will never materialize.

• If you are genuinely called of God and you know, then be sure that the wicked one will never prevail over your life.
• Whoever is born of God overcomes the world even by faith: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4).
• People might set themselves against you, they may take counsel together, but they will not succeed.
  THEIR counsel will not stand (Acts 4:25).
  NO ONE can fight against God!

• “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3).

• Their counsel is to break the bonds of God and cast away His cords.
• They would not want to be under His rulership.
  THEY did NOT want God and His anointed to control their lives.
  THEY wanted to be independent.
  THEY wanted to free themselves from God’s and His anointed's rule and wanted to throw off God and would not want His control.

• God does not want us to live independently of Him.

• Psalm 2 is a Messianic Psalm, the Anointed, that is, Jesus Christ was being talked about—which connotes many in the world would not want to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father.
  WITHOUT Jesus Christ we cannot Access God the Father: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
• The minds of those who rejected the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ have been blinded by the god of this world, the devil.

1. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
2. WHOSE MINDS THE god OF THIS AGE HAS BLINDED, WHO DO NOT BELIEVE, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them”
   2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NKJV)

ANYONE who does not believe in Jesus Christ is condemned already: “He who believes in Him is not condemned; BUT HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

• The rulers, elders and scribes took counsel together to stop the apostles from preaching the gospel (Acts 4:5-6).

1. “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
2. SO THEY CALLED THEM AND COMMANDED THEM NOT TO SPEAK AT ALL NOR TEACH IN THE NAME OF JESUS.”
   Acts 4:17-18 (NKJV)

• The counsel of people cannot stand and cannot stop the preaching of the Gospel.
• Know that persecutions did not kill the early Church, it rather enlarged it.
  YOUR ministry or assignment cannot be stopped, if it was born of God.

1. “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
2. “FOR WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK THE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.” ”
   Acts 4:19,20 (NKJV)

• In the city or area where you operate your Ministry, the devil may move the people there against you or your work; DO not be afraid, all you need to do is prayer.
THE Lord will defeat their plans.

1. “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
2. SO WHEN THEY HEARD THAT, THEY RAISED THEIR VOICE TO GOD WITH ONE ACCORD AND SAID: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
3. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,”
   Acts 4:23,24,29 (NKJV)

• Note: You cannot be established where God wanted you to operate your ministry without fasting and prayer!

• You take the land through prayer warfare.
• Those who are against your ministry are not the real culprits, BUT the devil.
• The devil usually masterminds people to fight against the Kingdom work, Or the move of God in a place.
• If you are facing opposition where your ministry is located, then take it up in prayer and fasting.
  Mobilize your people to fast and pray together.
  THOSE who ganged up will surely be scattered.
  THEY will never prevail.
• Know that it is not new; it is common, the devil did the same thing against the early church.
  PERSECUTION cannot kill a Church, it will rather enlarge it.

• "He who sits in heaven shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision" (Psalm 2:4).

• The Lord will laugh at the enemies of the Church.
  GOD knows they cannot prevail.
• The effort of the rulers, elders and the Sanhedrin to stop the early Church proved abortive AND instead of stopping or killing the Church, it rather spreads abroad.
• When PERSECUTIONS arose against the early CHURCH, they spread to other places.
• Jesus had earlier told them that they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the world (Acts 1:8).
• They were increasing numerically, but they did not spread to OTHER parts of the earth as commanded by Jesus Christ.
• Through the persecution, killing of Stephen, the Church did spread to Philippi and other part of the Earth (Acts 8:1-5).
• God may allow your comfort to be touched, if you are not moving as you OUGHT.
• You must not rest on your oars, you must keep moving and spreading the work of the Gospel.
• If you stop spreading the Gospel, God MAY allow PERSECUTION, and it is always not palatable.

• As the Church started spreading, you need to have faithful men who will go and represent you—take the vision to other places.

• You cannot have network of Churches without faithful men.
• You need to have qualified hands in the Ministry.
  YOU need to have committed people.

• For people to be qualified and competent for the work, you must train them.

• Somebody you are sending out should not be a novice, a new convert, but a mature person: “not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
• If God wanted you to have network of Churches, He will give you faithful and committed people.
• To get faithful and committed people might be difficult if God has not given you such an assignment.
  SO, be sure you are commanded by God to plant network of Churches.
• Also you pray that God should give you people that will run with the VISION (Habakkuk 2:2)..
• Another thing you do is that you must give attention to trainings.
  Aimee Semple McPherson the founder of Foursquare Gospel Church trained a lot of ministers and send them out as missionaries to different parts of the world.
  Four Square Gospel Church is found in many Nations of the world today because the founder gave attention to the training of men.
  So to have network of Churches, train the people and send them out to represent the CHURCH.
• As you send them let your heart be with them.
  PRAY for them. Take them to God in prayer.
  TAKE spiritual oversight of them.
  IT means that you watch over them in PRAYERS.

“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, FOR THEY WATCH OUT FOR YOUR SOULS, AS THOSE WHO MUST GIVE ACCOUNT. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED