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October 16, 2021 8:00 am
Welcome to through the songs a weekend ministry of the truth.
Pulpit overtime will study all 150 Psalms with pastor Don Greene from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms that as we join our teacher in the truthful. One of the glories of salvation is is that we can face death and we can face eternal life with out fear with the confidence that in this great Savior, of whom we have been singing. We have a full and complete redemption that secures us and secures our blessing forever and ever and ever, without fail without exception, that in Christ there is no threat to our soul and we will we will celebrate the remembrance of that full and complete redemption in just a little while as we go to the communion table together and remember the body and blood of our Lord. And so we look forward to eternity without fear that is essential to being a Christian. What I would have you see today as we continue in our systematic study of the Psalms is that that confidence that we have in Christ for eternity is also to define a sense of confidence in which we live life here on earth. And I realize that adversity and I realize the trials and uncertainty whether it's on a national or worldwide level or whether it's in your own personal life that that there is often an element of temptation to fear and uncertainty. What lies ahead. And I don't know what's going to happen and it brings that familiar not of discouragement and and pain in your stomach blood. I want to say to you based on the authority of God's word that a true Christian should never panic in adversity. The great Martin Lloyd Jones once said that faith is a refusal to panic. I didn't mean that as a comprehensive definition of faith. What he means is that you and I as Christians should live in a way that no matter what happens in our lives.
We should be so confident in the character and the power and the promise of God that we refuse to panic in the face of adversity in the face of setback in the face of the worst things that life could bring to us and you know this from Scripture, perhaps the most familiar passage of Scripture is Psalm 23 and then batted in Psalm 23 is a verse that I will often send out to people as are going through hard times. Psalm 23 verse four David said I fear no evil for you are with me and David is basing that statement of confidence on the fact that the Lord is his Shepherd that God deals with us deals with his people as a shepherd cares for their were there.
She and he provides for us and he leads us and he guides us in a in a way that is that is infallibly designed to secure our ultimate blessing and you are intended to live life with that as your defining perspective and that that would become the prism through which you understood everything about what happens to you in life no matter what people may do against you. No matter how they may fail you, no matter how they may wrong you no matter what the external circumstances may be.
Your fundamental approach to life. The cornerstone in which you view life as I fear no evil for this God, whom I know in Christ is with me below but I want to tell you that Christians are meant to live courageously. Christians are meant to be men and women of courage men and women who do not blanch at adversity who do not flinch at danger because there is always this settled confidence that God as our shepherd is with us and so beloved. What that means.
If courage comes from the presence of an immutable, unchanging God, who is always faithful to his people, then get this courage comes not from a lack of trouble. Courage does not come from the absence of threat or the absence of wrongdoing against you, beloved, courage is not found in an obsessive control over your circumstances are over the people that you love or the people around you and just controlling things so the threat never comes to you that is not the ultimate source of courage, no courage is found in a true knowledge of the God of the Bible and that alone is sufficient for you to live life without fear. No fear because of who God is not because we know what the future holds. That is a critical distinction and that's what were going to look at in Psalm 46 is our text, I invite you to turn to Psalm 46 I'm going to read it in its entirety and then will go through it today if you're visiting with us.
We've been teaching through the Psalm systematically, usually on our midweek study on Tuesday nights. Today we have the privilege of reading and teaching from Psalm 46 in preparation for communion.
Psalm 46 beginning in verse one. God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling, pride, selloff, there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the most high God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns the nations made an uproar. The kingdoms tottered. He raised his voice, the earth melted the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold selloff, behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolation's in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he burns the chariots with fire.
Cease striving, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
I want you to notice something as we begin just to give you a sense I like to give you a sense of the structure of a passage so that you can kinda go back and read it later on your own will notice that after verse three verse seven in verse 11 there is that familiar words selloff word indicating to pause here. Meditate. Perhaps if this was being played musically, was that it was a notation to for a musical interlude, but whatever it is it's designed to help you to pause to reflect back on the section that was just finished and to let that sink in a little bit deeper so there are three sections to this all all designed to do this, all designed to reinforce the primary statement found in verse two.
Therefore, look at verse two with me.
Therefore we will not fear. We will not fear the people of God, the church of Jesus in the New Testament era are meant to be a people who live life without fear now let me step back, beloved, and just as a little pastoral matter acknowledge the fact I understand that that many of you are prone to anxiety. You are prone to fear your prone to worry you. You chew your nails over what's about to happen in life or your concern over what might happen to you or to your loved ones. I understand that God's word comes to you this morning in two different ways we might say what it comes not to condemn you so much in that and to discourage you by holding up an unattainable standard, God comes to his people to bless us and help us but also God's word comes to you today not to affirm you and leave you in that condition of life and that approach to life, as if that were an acceptable way for a Christian to live. If that prevailing fighting concerning anxiety is a mark of the way that you live your life, what you need to do is you need to come to God's word and let it and let it sift you and let it change you, and let God's word show you why that condition of fear and anxiety is utterly unnecessary for you to live. You see, God has designed life. God is given us Christ. God is given us the indwelling spirit God has given his infallible word to us all, in part, to strengthen us so that we would be people of courage as we live our lives. It doesn't do much good does it doesn't really glorify and honor God.
Does it to say that you believe in this God that you believe in this Christ that you're trusting him for your eternal salvation. And yet, to live life in such a way that you present to everyone who knows you this fragile breaking, concerned, overwhelmed Prasanna that says I don't know what's going to happen next wall realize that there is a severe disconnect between that manner of living in the God that you claim that you know what you need to see is God's word comes to you today and says you cannot continue on living that way and gives us understanding to help us see why that is totally unnecessary. The question becomes if we know God like we say we do, and that has a powerful corrective has a powerful influence on the way that we approach all of life. God's word comes with authority to us today to lay these things out before us and it is our responsibility as the people of God to recognize his exalted nature, his power, his promises, his presence with us and say that's going to influence the way that I live life from now on. And so God comes to us today in his word to address us in our anxieties and say it's time for that change, and here's why. It can change the three sections of the Psalm all help us to understand and to reinforce the reality that a Christian can live with no fear. I realize that that's a high and lofty challenge, but in response to the nature of God.
It is the only appropriate response. Why can we live this way. How can we be certain that this is all right.
Point number one we can have this certainty, we have this confidence because point number one God prevails over nature, God prevails, God rules over all of nature and we see a theme verse as the Psalm opens up verse number one God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. The verse presupposes that you're going to have trouble Christian you know this from your own personal experience that trouble times the, the courage and the absence of fear is not from an absence of trouble, but the presence of God in the midst of it and that's what the Scripture is calling you to to recognize calling you to respond to this is a theme verse, verse number one lays out the theme and then everything else is just an unfolding of what the significance of that is for you as a believer. God is a refuge. The psalmist says. In other words God to his people is like a shelter that you can go into that protects you from the storm, a refuge in a time of danger. The whole idea is this is that the reality of your salvation.
The reality of God being your God means that you are meant to go to him in trust, you are to appeal to him to seek him as your help in the midst of the danger that assault you Christian in your times of threat in your times of helplessness. God is present with you in order to assist you to aid you to help you. That's the whole point of that verse in the sense of protection is reinforce. Look at verse one with me again is reinforced by saying that he is a strength Christian, your confidence, your power in your time of trouble is not failed again by manipulating people and circumstances, it is found by remembering that you serve, you belong to a God of might and power. Your ability to walk through danger without fear is found not in your personal resources your personal cleverness or your ability to manage things in a particular way. The arm of flesh will fail you without fail your my powers found in the God in whom you know the God in whom you trust and so beloved the strengthen the power of God comes to you like a like a mighty wind like a mighty wave over your soul and says this is designed to define your worldview. This is designed to determine the way that you think about everything else. And until you come to realize that this is the cornerstone. This is the foundation upon all of the rest of your life is built, you're going to struggle with fear and anxiety. You see, whenever we talk about the character of God, there is always real-life implication to it.
Sometimes I'm afraid that we missed that that we've we've been condition perhaps to think about God in the abstract to think about God and your belief in Christ as a a compartment of life that the spiritual stuff is stuck over here and I think about that and that's okay. But then there's real-life over here and you miss the fact that those two are interrelated and so when you are fear experiencing fear and anxiety. Beloved, I can promise you that you are not thinking about life through the prism of the strengthen refuge. That is your God, because if you were thinking about it from that perspective, these other things would not overwhelm you in such a way as they are tend to do and so I emphasize that simply to say this, that if you are prone to anxiety and you hear these things about the power and strength of God's have heard this before. I know this before. Well understand beloved that if you those two things are coexisting in your life.
I've heard this before, and boy am I worried about what comes next, then you've never really understood it in the first place. You see, becomes a spiritual issue that you say maybe I'm not as far advanced in the Christian life is. I think I am. If anxiety controls me to such an extent, see anxiety is like a physical disease. It's a spiritual symptom.
The points out that something is wrong. You have pain in your size something wrong here got to see a doctor if you're plagued by consuming ongoing anxiety, you should realize that that's telling you that there is a spiritual problem that there are there are aspects of spiritual life that you have not yet access that are designed to change the way that you think and live to see the sphere is is not something that is an expected tolerated part of genuine Christian living. No, no.
Verse two verse two. Therefore, therefore, being a connection with what we just saw, because God is our refuge and strength, because God is a present help. He is ever ready to assist his people in their difficulty. Therefore, based on that this follows. This is connected like an engine to the rest of the train. They are linked together.
Therefore, what therefore we will not fear because our God is like this because he is a strength and a help.
Therefore we will not fear. We will not tremble at circumstances, we will not be afraid of the future, no matter what happens in the next election.
No matter what happens in the world no matter what happens in life.
We look forward to the future without fear. Why not because we know what's going to happen. Not because were necessarily going to experience earthly prosperity and success has nothing to do with that has nothing to do with that shifting sand has nothing to do with that collapsible house of cards when we don't know what our lives would be like tomorrow know we live without fear because this God is our refuge and strength, let me state this in a positive way.
Beloved, the power, the promises of God call forth a responsive worship we worship God, we recognize his greatness and be in the presence of someone infinitely superior to us. We bow in worship to him. Worship is a response to the character of God.
What I want you to see is this is that in the language of Psalm 46 trust then becomes a responsive worship to him trust a confidence trust and an absence of fear is the only appropriate response to making this declaration of faith that this God of the Bible is our refuge and strength, the only appropriate way to respond to him the nature of your God should inform the way that your heart responds to the inevitable challenges of life see when the when the trials come when the sorrows flood over your soul. When the uncertainty starts to overwhelm you.
You have to step back and say but where's my help in this. Who is my help in this. My help is in my God, and the question then becomes okay.
You just kinda walk through this and what is this godlike who is this God that I say is my strength and refuge. What you find as you go through the rest of Psalm 46 is that this song calls you to unlimited confidence, unqualified trust in him because of who he is, to the point that even if the earth collapses still go forward without fear. Look at verse two.
Therefore we will not fear, and then perhaps with a measure of hyperbole. The psalmist says will not fear even if this and this and this and this happens we won't give in to controlling anxiety, even if verse two, the earth should change, while Psalm 46 verse two just did away with the whole climate change hysteria in one little bit of work we won't fear if the earth should change the mountain slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at swelling, pride, you know, we presuppose something in life. Those of you who have lived in California. Maybe not so much the rest of you probably so you presuppose that the ground on which you walk is going to be solid and stable. You presuppose that you don't even think about it, you just get up and you just start walking around and everything saw because that's just the way that things are that is woven into the fabric of your existence that life is like that the earth stands firm.
What this verse is saying is, is that if that should be shaken up. If all of a sudden the whole earth should start to tremble to the point where you cannot even walk straight.
That doesn't change your perspective, you realize that God is your refuge and strength, God is God of power and might, and the fact that the earth is changing and shaking hasn't change the nature of God.
God is our refuge and strength, that hasn't changed.
Therefore, I am still without fear, though this tremble underneath me. I can speak to them from a measure of personal experience. We lived through the Northridge earthquake of 1994, 6.8 on the Richter scale woken up at about 430 in the morning with the sound of this rumbling.
I'm not saying I wasn't scared at that time. Now I wouldn't be, but this low roaring Womble wakes us out of a solid sleep and all of a sudden our houses literally violently shaking windows or breaking out this awful train war of noise. I'm walking down I'm not walking down the hallway. I'm trying to go down to the hallway were three young children were located in the thought in my mind was, I am going back there so that I can die with them and as I was going down the hallway before so that earthquake was literally throwing me and bouncing me off the walls. The earth was shaking in the midst of now, I don't mind telling you the time I was frightened. That was a terrifying event. I know something about the earth shaking and what that's like and what the Scripture says is is that even if things are overthrown.
To that extent, there should be a settled confidence in your God no matter what is happening in nature around you.
You are confident why because God rules even over the over nature. He prevails over that is the God of the storm. He's the God of the quake is the God of the flood and if you know him than you know the one who is directing all of that to accomplish is in, and therefore there is no reason to hear because God our strength does not change. And when you belong to him. Beloved it doesn't matter if there's a tornado roaring down on you. It doesn't matter if the floodwaters are rising. It doesn't matter if the earth is shaking it doesn't matter if the earth is is collapsing before your eyes, and melting into some unrecognizable mass and everything that defines your life is fluid and changing without warning. Scripture says even in that no fear because there is a transcendent God that you know that is your strength and refuge even in a time like that, God prevails over nature. Now here's the thing. The time to find that strength and that courage is not found in the middle of the collapsing of the elements what you are designed to do is to develop your convictions now to develop them when there is stability in your life when you do have time to think about these things.
You reflect on the character of God, the nature of God and you say yes I do believe that yes this is true. Yes, this is the heart conviction that will define my approach to life, and therefore, even if these things happen in the future I will remain unmoved for my position of confidence and that's why beloved. It is so vital for you to be here this morning.
I thank God that you're here it is so vital for you to be a persistent reader and student of God's word because it is only in the midst of times of relative calm where you're developing these heart convictions that prepare you for those times to come. If you are spiritually careless. Now in different to the claims of God in different to to a love for God's word, you're vulnerable.
When those times so you are meant to develop these convictions and as you go through a song like Psalm 46 you say to yourself in the quiet of your heart. That is what I believe in you say, by the grace of God.
That's where I'm going to stand and I'm not going to move off of it and then when you're tested when the ground starts to shake when life starts to collapse, then you fall back on the convictions that you developed before rather than falling down in the midst of the trial so beloved. Here's what you have to answer for yourself here today. Do you believe that God prevails over nature. Do you believe that he is God over all, is that the conviction of your heart will if it is, then you're in a position of stability and you say, therefore we will not fear no matter what comes with verse three there at the end with me so it causes you to pause and meditate beloved. What, that's a lot. Is telling you to do is to clear your mind of the distractions and meditate on this God you say to yourself is my refuge and strength, he is my shelter he is my stronghold. He is where I go, and he rules and he prevails overall and he knows my name and he carries me and I trust him no matter what happens, nothing can alter that fundamental relationship with him that defines the very nature of my existence and guarantees the future outcome to me.
You say therefore my commitment is no fear because I will trust him as a worshipful response to who he is God, then, is a transcendent source of stability transcendent in the sense that it is not. He is not defined by or controlled by the changes in your circumstances, even the changes in the ground in which you walk is not threatened by that. It does not change him. He still rules over all evidence, so you go to him and you rest in him and you received that certain confidence that comes from believing that what you believe in your heart defines what the way that you respond to life beloved that answers fear you trust this God even when upheaval threatens you at the core, not just nature life. We know from the New Testament.
Don't we did our Lord Jesus manifested that control over nature. You remember him walking on the waves. You remember that that the raging sea and he just looks at him and says how much he still and a hurricane as it were, turns to glass in response to the powerful demonstration of our Lord Jesus power over nature. Let me ask you, do you know him. Do you know Christ and you say yes I do. I have received him, I do believe in him will do you realize what that means, then it means that you belong to the Lord, the Lord, who is over nature like that is the one who said you belong to me and I'll keep you for which you say that I can rest without fear because my board prevails over nature, sometimes for those of you that don't know Christ.
Sometimes the threats of life. Sometimes the, the, the threats of nature and you say on your really gripped by the fear that may simply be a manifestation of the fact that you don't know Christ at all that you don't have any solace in Christ is an indication that you are separate from him and you need to come to him for salvation.
In the first instance to be born again to be saved at all because the truly redeemed heart response to the truth of God's word and says I do believe that no I fall short. Yes I five forgotten that.
But that is true of me.
I do believe that about Christ, he is my strength. He is my refuge. Therefore I will not fear no matter what happens.
Secondly, not just the God prevails over nature.
Secondly, God prevails over nations. God prevails over nations. The psalmist turns from an upheaval in nature to an upheaval in the nations look at verses four and five with me. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the most high God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns and look at verse six versus four and five being a reference to the earthly Jerusalem were God dwelt in the temple at the time that the song was written. God was in the midst of the city in his holy dwelling place in the temple were uniquely manifested is presence and he says in verse five the psalmist as God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns. God is in the midst.
Therefore, what could be the threat against this marvelous city where his presence is dwelling verse six the nations made an uproar threat came against Jerusalem, the kingdoms tottered they were they were vulnerable. What did God do verse six he raised his voice and the earth melt God merely elevated his voice and the threat was turned away at the beginning of the day. You know it happened twice in Israel's history, at least it was at daybreak when God drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea as the people of Israel were leaving Egypt heading into the promised land. It was at daybreak. Exodus 14 verse 27 says the God drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. When they tried to pursue them.
It was at daybreak when Israel found the Assyrian army destroyed after the siege of Jerusalem and 185,000 Syrian soldiers, their finest men were dead and one night it was a daybreak that they found that verse five there, God will help her when morning dawns with saying here is that from the very start of the day the people of God are safe even when nations rise up against them. Why Weiser's the sense of safety.
Verse six the nations made an uproar.
The kingdoms tottered. He raised his voice, the earth melted Scripture tells us that the God is so sovereign over nations that they cannot successfully rise up against him.
Now follow the logic of the song in this see where that leads us. You have this God over nature, you have this God over the nations who protects his people and lives in the midst of them. In verse seven says the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of armies, God of the armies of Israel, the God of Angel armies always by my side. Verse seven, the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Jacob being another name for Israel, the God of Israel is our stronghold.
Jacob, who was weak and faltering. Even a deceiver in his early years as a man. The man from whom the nation of Israel came from his lines that wavering, weak, deceitful man became one who belong to the God of the nation and that God is the one the psalmist says who is our stronghold. He is the fortress that we run into and we are safe from all who would attack what you meant to do as you hear that as you read through that is to say who is this God, the God of hosts, the Lord of hosts Lord being that the covenant name the promise keeping God of Israel, the one who has made Israel his people and he is there God, what about him. Well nations cannot stand before him nature is under his control. What the psalmist saying is that's our God. That's the God who is with us he's over nations.
He's over nature. What does that mean go back to verse two. Therefore we will not fear. 11. The United States is not the people of God, never has been. There will be in New Testament times.
It's the church that are the people of God, we belong to him in that way, but do you see what this means. Do you see that in the midst of everything that is designed in an election cycle to stir you up to fear and being unsettled about the future of government, the future of the world and what's going to happen.
Do you realize, as a humble believer in Christ as a member of the true universal church of of Christ. Do you realize that the Lord who is over nations is with you. Do you realize that the God who is sovereign over all is beside you and with you and committed to your well-being and guarantees it by the this surer precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, you realize that you realize then that that empties all of this cycle of fear for you. Looking to the future what defines your future. What defines your perspective on life is not who the next elected official is beloved defined by your God is in the nations may make an uproar and they may come after the church and they may do this and that and we look at all of that and say I know I know and on. I know something more important. I know who my God, it's in my God is a refuge, my God is a strength. My God is over nature.
My God is over nations and he is with me. I'm not afraid. I long to see the people of God go through an election cycle like that rather than engaging in the fear that politics brings you should want to at least be a person like that because your God is worthy of that trust your God will care for you through whatever comes because he is who he is because he is over nature because he is over nations. Then you should worship him and you should worship him with trust with confidence says no fear not afraid. How can you not be afraid, Bob Loblaw, but I know something more important. I know that the Lord of hosts is with me. I know that the God of Jacob. I know that the father of my Lord Jesus Christ is my strong are you trying to scare me. I trust him.
I know I will not be afraid no fear why because of who God is, because what Christ is done at Calvary for muscle. I'm not living for this world. And so verse seven look at it again with me.
This is really a refrain for the Psalm.
It's the course that which is repeated again at the end, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold selloff.
Clear your mind and think on this beloved.
There is no limit to the power of God.
There is no limit to the promise of God to defend and help his people not therefore we respond with a vertical sense of trust that says God, you're with me.
Therefore, the response of my heart is no fear I will offer you a courageous heart in response to the God that you are to me. God, whether it's a personal trial of great physical magnitude family matter that shatters you to the core financial reversal things to go on around you no fear because God is who is the final aspect of it that the psalmist brings us to point number three is that this is a God prevails over judgment. God prevails over judgment.
The psalmist now in this final section is going to call you to examine God think about God contemplate God in light of final oval in light of final judgment and let me and let me just say this and back up for a little bit. I realize that Psalm 46 is is one of the more familiar Psalms and you know I've often gone to Psalm 46 in times of personal crisis concerns and things like that. What I would have you see to appreciate an appropriate Psalm 46 more deeply in your heart is that it is dealing with the power and supremacy of God at a level that is far beyond your earthly individual life. This is not a song that is about your personal circumstances, and if you approach it, simply through through the prism of I need help today in this immediate particular problem, you're really going to miss the defining impact that it has on your life. This song present such an elevated and glorified view of God. God over nature got over nations got over judgment. As we'll see in a moment to realize that it's talking about God. It's such a great transcendent level that spans the eons of time. This is not this is not a song isolated into our personal life circumstance. This is about who God is over over eternity. God in his sovereign, my God, and his powerful Majesty, you're supposed to leave yourself behind as it were, and look up at the greatness of God and see him there on the throne, high and lofty and exalted, like Isaiah did in Isaiah 6. Say wow to God is and then bring that in. Bring that down to earthly life after you've already contemplated everything else see some of the Psalms come to you not to give you an immediate answer to the circumstances. The trouble your heart so actually what the Psalms call you to is is to forget the circumstances of trouble, your heart, look up full and the full glory of God. The troubles diminished by comparison, the Psalm is like that in verses eight and nine. He calls us to think about God. In light of his coming judgment. Look at verse eight with me come behold the works of the Lord.
Behold, here being a term not so much to see it with your physical eyes but but to see it with your inner understanding grasp this in your heart. Now, like you, you see the answer to a math problem.
Well, you're not.
You're not literally seeing it with your physical eyes your understanding it with your mind so this is the first to understand, to think about the contemplate to meditate on the fact of who God is and what does God do verse eight. Nine. Again, all this is cool I mean this is really cool come behold the works of the Lord who is wrought desolation's in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth.
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he burns the chariots with fire speaking to the. The elements of warfare as they existed at that time nation against nation, warring against one another. How great is God. God intervenes and imposes his will on the outcome.
God is a divine warrior. Scripture shows us. I want you to see something I want you to understand something and I want you to write this down because we needed so much in the day in which we live in an era in an age which has has denied absolute truth in an age of of false tolerance that just says everybody should get along with everybody else. We should coexist with one another. People believe that so much that they stick it as a bumper sticker on the back of their car boys that ever conviction for you.
Good grief in all of these were were in an were in an era of just of of all tolerance and compromise and negotiation, no matter what the implications for righteousness might be. I want you to see something in this passage when it says in verse nine God makes wars to cease to the end of the earth.
He is Lord of hosts, who is with us this God of Jacob who is our stronghold. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear into he burns the chariots with fire.
What is this saying about the nature of God. You know how God wins wars. You know how God brings conflict to cease. It's not true compromise. It's through conquest. It's through victory God defeats his enemies. God subjects them to his power that is the way that God prevails in judgment not to negotiate with Satan.
To some kind of outworking that where each side gives no God in the fullness of his righteousness, the fullness of his power imposes his will to absolute outcome of righteousness and the complete fulfillment of his purpose and everything that is opposed to him will eventually bow and defeat an acknowledgment of who is Lord God is the covert second Peter chapter 3 this is the this is the outcome of the ages. Second Peter chapter 3, just before first John which we read earlier in the service. Second Peter chapter 3 will start in verse 10. What's his world headed to those who are concerned about climate change. The Lord's going to change the climate all right. Second Peter three verse 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. God is going to con is going to judge his enemies and is going to judge this wicked world and bring it all to an end in judgment.
Verse 11. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat.
God is going to prevail in judgment and it will be decisive, it will be complete, it will be the end of everything evil that has opposed him, not because of some compromise that he negotiates with supposedly equal powers know by an exercise of his sovereign indomitable will, he will accomplish everything that he wants. That's our God. What does the certain outcome of his judgment.
What does that have on our effect does it have on our heart.
Verse 13, according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Know what that saying it, saying that God is wars going to have his people in the palm of his hand safely covering them as he exercises his judgment and what is he going to do except carry us through all of that safely, so that on the other side. We will be in an era of righteousness and peace.
That's how great his care is for his people's while God prevails over in judgment. He keeps his people through the process and brings them safely out on the other side.
That is what God does now go back to Psalm 46.
With that in mind this God who prevails in war. This God who prevails in judgment no one to contest him no one to successfully oppose him now in verse 10 he calls for surrender to all the nations, including his own people. He says cease striving stop the opposition to me and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. This God who is over nature. This God who is over nations. This God who prevails in judgment he is still yet to be fully exalted in earth one day Christ will be raining on earth, and the fullness of his glory will be on display and he will be exalted and that is the certain outcome of history is the return and reign of Jesus Christ and so resistance is futile.
Cease striving stop the sin stop the opposition and simply recognize who this God is no him bow before him bow before the certain conquests that he will have. While there's still time because God prevails even in final judgment, the earth can collapse, God still reigns the nations make war, even against his people, God still reigns judgment is coming.
God will reign. That's who God is. Now what you're meant to do with all of that is to come to this refrain again in verse 11. Look at it with me that is the God who is with us. Verse 11 the Lord of hosts is with us this God of power is with us and on our side.
This God of Jacob is our stronghold.
When we go to God we don't go to a week effeminate deity who is not able to do anything about it. When you trust in God. When you appeal to him you are going to the God who is over all and therefore fear the final selloff calls you to bring it all in your mind, and contemplated and filtered through your mind until it changes your perspective on life. He is with us to prevail for us. You know what 11, we come to the communion table in just a moment he's with us in that macro sense, and he is with you to prevail for you, even in the depth of the sin of your own heart. The covert Matthew chapter 1 Matthew chapter 1. Time goes so quick to lease it does to me.
What's the very name of Jesus.
Matthew chapter 1 verse 21 Angel speaking to Joseph, telling him about the child in his patrol's womb. Verse 21. Mary will bear a son will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins off all you mean you mean is not over, not only over nature is not only over nations and judgment, but he can even be Lord over my sin and do away with my sin as easily as he does away with with nations. Verse 22 now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means what God with us, God with us in Christ God is with us in Christ at the cross Christ in the tomb with Christ and the resurrection with Christ and the ascension, God with us, staring not even his own blood in order to defend his people despising even his life for the sake of obedience to the father in order to accomplish redemption for his people, God with us, God with us over nature over nations over judgment. As we see them in the cross, even over arson over your son. What a magnificent God, what a God to trust you see how your fear in life is a denial of these great truths of which we speak. If your God is who Scripture says he is and you know him, then the outcome is assured.
No matter what the variations and circumstances might be from time to time so blood let's leave it here is your life being ruined by fear by anxiety by that knot in your stomach as you look to the future with gloom. I ask it sympathetically.
Beloved, I asked getting care for your soul.
I ask it to help you. Why are you like that don't you know your God, don't you know that you can completely trust him with everything with an assurance that he will bring you safe. On the other side is pretty good. My friend, if you have not trusted Christ for salvation. He offers you free forgiveness of sin, I invite you to come and rest in his blood atonement for your salvation are God, we do recognize your greatness in response to Psalm 46. We respond with the worship of trust in you rule over nature rule over nations rule over judgment. Certainly care for us.
We trust you to do so over and thank you for joining us for through the Psalms, a weekly ministry of the truth. Pulpit and if you have the opportunity. We would love to invite you to join us on Sundays at 9 AM Eastern and Tuesdays 7 PM Eastern for our live stream from truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can find the link@thetruthpulpit.com. Thanks, Don and Fred.
Be sure to join us each weekend as we continue through the Psalms with pastor Don Greene, a ministry of the truth. You can find church information God's complete sermon library and other helpful materials@thetruthonthe.com this message is copyrighted by don't drink all rights reserved