I just want to read Psalm 46, verses 1 to 11, and then we'll make four observations on the passage this morning. To the chief musician, a psalm of the sons of Korah, a song for Alamoth, God is our refuge and strength, very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling, Selah. There is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the break of dawn. The nations rage.
The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob. is our refuge, Selah. Come behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two.
He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still 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 refuge. Selah. Well, let us pray.
Father, thank you for this psalm. Thank you for the comfort it affords us. We pray that now the Spirit would guide us and help us as we study this passage of Scripture. We pray that it would have a good impact, a good effect upon our lives.
And we pray, Father, this morning for Derek and Allison. We just commit them to you and to the word of your grace. We pray that they would be looking unto Christ. the author and finisher of faith. We also pray for that new church plant in the Antelope Valley.
We pray that those saints would know the presence of God as they gather for worship. We pray for all of your churches, that you would fill them with your spirit, and that God would be glorified and magnified, and that the work of Christ would be celebrated and would be proclaimed. And we ask these things in Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Well,
Introduction
I hope that Psalm 46 is a familiar psalm to you. I hope that you have read it. I hope that you have committed its theology to your heart. I believe it's one of those passages of scripture that affords the people of God with great encouragement and with great strength.
As we just sang, the soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes. That soul, though all hell, should endeavor to shake. I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake. I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake.
That is comforting for the people of God. Matthew Henry says of Martin Luther that when he heard any discouraging news, he would say, let us sing the 46th Psalm. I think that's a good way for us to approach life. When any discouraging news comes, we ought to sing the forty six song.
So I said, we're going to look at this under four broad categories or four sections. The first is a statement to comfort us, a statement to comfort us. Secondly, a contrast to instruct us. Thirdly, an invitation addressed to us.
And fourthly, and finally, a command to be obeyed by us. So, we have a statement, a contrast, an invitation, and a command in this particular psalm. Again, all designed, all calculated to bring great comfort and encouragement to the people of God. To those who, by grace alone, have looked to Christ alone, in faith alone, for the salvation of their lives, of their soul, of their body.
It is designed to promote in us a steady confidence in the rock-solid God of heaven and earth.
Statement of Comfort
Let's look at this statement to comfort us. It is stated three times, verse one, God is our refuge and strength. Verse seven, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Verse eleven, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. This song, along with songs, forty seven and forty eight are songs of triumph. and are therefore called the songs of Zion. We are to boast in God alone and look to him alone.
The psalmist does not say our armies are our confidence. Our military prowess, our strategy, is our confidence. No, it is the God of heaven and earth that is our refuge and our strength. It is the Lord of hosts.
It is the God of Jacob. We are to boast in him and in him alone.
God as Impenetrable Refuge
He is an impenetrable refuge. In other words, when we are in him, We are safe and secure. There is no one who can pluck us out of the hand of the triune God, according to Jesus in John 10. I mean, have you ever stopped to consider that?
When you hold your child's hand as you're crossing the street, nobody's going to come along and take that child from your hand. You've got a firm grip on him or her. You want to make sure that he or she follows you across the street so they don't get hit by a car. If somebody came along and tried to wrench them out of your hand, You would tighten that grip, and you might even begin to become a bit obnoxious to the person who was the aggressor.
That's the imagery that Jesus uses. When you are in the hand of my Father, there is none who can pluck you out of the hand of God. He is our refuge and our strength. Realize that He is omnipotent strength as well.
He is not bound. He is not governed by others. He is not one who reports to the counsel of men, but He is sovereign God. He is the one, according to the soldier. who is in the heavens and does whatever he pleases.
This is a statement to comfort the people of God.
God as Well-Proved Help
Notice as well that he is well-proved. Spurgeon has said, or Spurgeon wrote, pray as people who have tried and proven their God. Pray as people who have tried and proven their God. When God answers your request, what should it do?
Paralyze you from further prayer? No, hopefully you say, I'm coming back. I'm going to keep asking. I'm going to keep seeking.
I'm going to keep talking, because the Lord has shown himself faithful. The Lord has shown himself kind. And this is precisely what the psalmist says in verse one. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
He is well-proved. The trouble here could be both inward and outward. John Gill comments this way. He says, whether inward or outward trouble of soul or body, the Lord helps his people under it to bear it, and he helps them out of it in the most proper and seasonable time.
They are poor, helpless creatures in themselves, nor can any other help them but the Lord, who made heaven and earth, and he helps presently Keep that in mind. This wasn't theory in the mind of the psalmist. This wasn't just out there in the mind of the psalmist. I suspect you all believe this.
I suspect that doctrinally you're all on board, but it must be practical. It must be held to. It must be that encouragement when trials do come because they most certainly will as we investigate further in this particular song. The Christian life isn't one of the absence of trial.
It isn't the absence of difficulty. It isn't the absence of hardship. It is rather the presence of those things, but a sovereign, omnipotent, impenetrable God holding us up in the midst of it. This is what the psalmist says in Psalm 23.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Notice he says that. He doesn't say there's no valley of the shadow of death in the life of the Christian. Health, wealth, and prosperity, that's all we ever get.
You live in the nicest houses, you drive the nicest cars, you have the best vacation property. You know, the psalmist said, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Notice the faith of the psalmist. He knows he's going through it.
He's not going to bog down. He's not going to be stopped. He's not going to be devastated. The valley isn't going to crumble upon it.
He knows of a truth that he is going to walk through that valley of the shadow of death. How does he know that thou art with me? My rod and my staff, they comfort me. He doesn't just snap his fingers and out you go from the valley.
He's with you in the midst of the fire. He's there with you in the midst of trial. I know I've shared this before. It bears sharing again.
The martyr Thomas Hawkes was going to be burned on the stake for his commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. His brethren, his friends realized that they too were facing certain extermination for their faith commitment in the Lord. So while Thomas is in a prison cell, they come to him and they say, Thomas, when you're in the flames, give us a sign how long you can bear up. Good request, isn't it?
You knew you were going to be burned to death. I think there's a bit of curiosity that all of us would have in that sort of an instance or that sort of a scenario. Thomas, let us know when you're in the midst of the fire, how long you can bear up under that. Thomas says, OK, sure, yeah, I'll agree.
I'm sure he didn't say it just like that, putting it into the 21st century here. So Thomas goes to the stake. They tie him to the stake. They put the fire on around him.
He's not making any noise, no statements, no proclamation. There is no evidence given to his friends who are watching how long he can take this particular punishment, this particular torture. John Fox says that the skin started to melt. As it would do if you were in the fire, the skin begins to melt on his body.
His face begins to get distorted. Things aren't where they're supposed to be due to the flames. The biographer goes on to say that in the midst of the fiery trial toward the end of this ordeal, Thomas raises up his stumps and slaps them together three times and is able to say Christ is Lord of the fire. That's the grace of God.
See, don't celebrate Thomas Hawks in that account. Yes, good brother, but to thank the Lord for such men. It's God who is a present help and strength in times of trial. The God of Thomas Hawks is our God in the midst of the fires, in the midst of the trials.
When you sing hymn number 80, I hope your hearts are leaping out of your chest cavity. I know never ever will ever forsake you. How many more times could God say it? This is what the psalmist is rejoicing in.
This wasn't a wish. It wasn't a theory. It wasn't. I have heard this to be the case.
God is our refuge and strength of very present help and trouble. He is with us. He is present in trouble. Twice we read the Lord of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
God as Divine Warrior and Covenant Lord
He is described as the divine warrior. The Divine Warrior, do you realize that sovereign power is on your side? Do you realize that the Divine Warrior fights on your behalf? Spurgeon said it this way, this is the reason for all Zion security.
Zion is the church, brethren. Do not think this is confined to the Jews in the 46th Psalm. Zion in the New Covenant is the church, the bride of Jesus Christ the Lord. So, when you read Zion in the Psalter, you read Zion in the promises of God in the Old Testament, those promises are yea and amen in our blessed Lord Jesus and by virtue of our union with Him, they are promises to us.
We are the Zion of God Most High. He is the divine warrior. Spurgeon says this is the reason for all Zion's security and for the overthrow of her foes. The Lord rules the angels, the stars, the elements, and all the hosts of heaven, and the heaven of heavens are under his sway.
This is why Paul, when he is highlighting the position of Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1, 20 to 23, he says, whom God has highly exalted and seated at his right hand. and has given him that position over all principalities and powers and dominions and thrones. And he has given him the name which is above every name, both in this age and in the age to come. See, it's easy for the Christian to realize this for the age to come. It's easy for the Christian to see Christ ruling in glory.
We fail to see him ruling now. We fail with the eyes of faith to lay hold of the fact that Jesus currently is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And he is the divine warrior whose task is to protect his people, to defend his people, to rule over his people. This is that threefold office of Christ.
He is prophet, priest and king. The Shorter Catechism asks, why do we need a prophet? And it answers. It asks, why do we need a priest?
And it answers. It asks, why do we need a king? And it answers. We need one to subdue our enemies.
We need one to rule over us. We need one to defend us. We need one to protect us and to govern us and to watch out for us. And that one is being celebrated here in the 46th Psalm.
This secured the presence of God fighting for his people, secured victory for Joshua, David over Goliath. I mean, remember that spectacle with David and Goliath. What does David do? He takes off the armor.
These aren't tried and proven. My God has tried and proven. All I need is my sling and five smooth stones from that brook. And that enemy of the Lord of hosts will drop dead.
God is with David. God is with the people of God. God is the Lord in whom we trust. This is the source of blessing and protection.
According to Paul in Romans chapter eight, who shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus? Nothing is the answer, either height or depth. Principalities, powers, angels, nothing from here, nothing from there, nothing from there, nothing can separate us. Any other created thing shall separate us from the love of Christ or love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
So, he's not only called the divine warrior, but the fact that he's referred to here as the God of Jacob. Hopefully, you're thinking biblically. His covenant, right? Covenant.
Not only the divine warrior protecting his people, he is the covenant God watching out for his beloved. God of Jacob tells us, puts in the sharp focus what we're dealing with here. This is Israel's God. This is the covenant community's God.
This is Zion's God. The nations of the earth have their idols. They have ears that can't hear. They have eyes that can't see.
They have mouths that can't speak. They have hands that don't function. They have feet that don't carry them. But our God is in the heavens.
He does whatever he pleases, and he has covenanted himself to the good of his people. This is a statement to comfort us. Be encouraged, brethren. You can look around and be discouraged, can't you?
Oh no, not me, brother. Yes, you. You can be discouraged when you look at yourself. You can be discouraged when you look at Ottawa.
You can be discouraged when you look at Washington, D.C. You may discourage when you look at the nations under the heavens. You can be discouraged when you see men engaged in all manner of wickedness and evil. You need to be encouraged because our God is a God of refuge and strength.
He is a very present help in trouble. Never forget that. Do not just suppose for a moment that he's out there. He isn't concerned.
He isn't going to help us. And then on that final day, that's when he intervenes on behalf of his people. That's not the case. Christ is with his people.
Christ is in the midst of the fire. Christ walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Be encouraged. Be comforted.
Be strengthened. Make the psalmist chant your own. God is our refuge and our strength of very present health and trouble. So there is that statement.
Contrast to Instruct
But notice the contrast to instruct us. He wants us to understand something here. Notice in verse two, it begins with. Therefore, there's an implication drawn.
Based on the reality that we have the divine warrior and the covenant God, what does he say in verse 2? Therefore, we will not fear. Right? We will not fear.
We're not going to be paralyzed by the, to use a good Puritan word, the machinations of men. We're not going to be paralyzed when we look at what appears to be foolishness in Ottawa and in D.C. We're not going to fear to the point where we're paralyzed and we're retreating and we're not going to engage the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He says, based on this truth, God is our refuge and a strength of very present health and trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear. It's not going to happen. We're not going to be paralyzed. You're not going to keep us down.
The man throws us in prison camps, we'll preach the gospel in the prison camps. The reality of God engenders faith, not fear. The foolishness of men under the sway of a sovereign God should engender faith, not fear. We should be those advancing, not retreating.
Chaos on Earth, Sovereignty of God
Notice the chaos on Earth. The psalmist doesn't say, therefore, we will not fear because we live in a utopia where there's no problems. God snaps his fingers and ushers us right up into the presence of the Lord. No, look at what he says.
Verse two, therefore, we will not fear even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. If you looked out your window one morning and saw Mount Sham, being dragged by unforeseen or unseen forces and drop right into the ocean. Fear is not the response. Well, fear of God is the response, but not a paralysis, not a bunker mentality.
This is what he says. Therefore, we will not fear even though the earth be removed. and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Verse 3, "...though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling." Sounds like tsunamis and floods and earthquakes. Not calling for a careless, cavalier attitude. Oh, well, you know, that's great, our house just got destroyed and we lost children.
That's not what the psalmist envisages here. But what he is saying is that in the midst of tsunamis, in the midst of flooding, in the midst of earthquakes, this does not remove or does not speak of God's removal from His throne. Our God is in the heavens, He does whatever He pleases. And as a result, we will not fear.
Notice in verse 6, the nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted. It's not just the natural forces of tsunamis and floods and earthquakes, but it's the godlessness of man. It is the folly and madness of man.
Are you paralyzed by that? He reduced to a crying mass of weakness. Now again, crying is good. Rivers of water run down from my eyes because men do not keep their law, the psalmist says.
But what he is showing us here is a steady and sturdy confidence in our steady and sturdy God. He is our rock.
Calvin on Confidence Under Trial
Calvin says it is an easy matter to manifest the appearance of great confidence so long as we are not in a place of imminent danger. Let's read that again. It speaks to us in the West. It is an easy matter to manifest the appearance of great confidence so long as we are not in a place of imminent danger.
In other words, when you're sitting in that first class coach, I don't know if anybody does, but if you're sitting in that first class coach reading your Bible, it's easy to manifest confidence. Calvin goes on to say, but when you're sitting in coach and the plane starts to make a nose dive, that's where the rubber meets the road. But if, in the midst of a general clash of the whole world, our minds continue undisturbed and free of trouble, this is an evident proof that we attribute to the power of God the honor which belongs to Him. So when you're plummeting to the earth, you're still reading your Bible, you're still confident in the God of heaven and earth, Calvin says that's a good proof.
Notice the contrast that we find here. The psalmist is not a health, wealth, and prosperity teacher. There's never problems in this world for God's people. Zion's never affected with difficulties.
Tsunamis and floods and tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes never affect Zion. Nations never attack Zion. The godless just leave Zion alone. No, that's not what he's saying.
He's saying in the midst of those perplexities, in the midst of those trials, in the midst of those difficulties, in the midst of that pressure, our God is a refuge. Our God is a place of safety. The God of Jacob, the Lord of hosts, is on our side. This is a theme that is carried throughout the Bible.
Where though the folly of man is prevalent, it does not un-God God. Jesus says this in the upper room. These things I have spoken to you. These things I have spoken to you that you might have peace.
The text doesn't stop there. We like that. We like the peace. We like the, you know, the first class coach.
We like to be unmolested. We don't like tornadoes. We don't like, and unmolested I mean by circumstances. We don't like tornadoes and floods and earthquakes.
We don't like the thought of poverty. We don't like the thought of famine. I'm not suggesting we should necessarily. But Jesus goes on to say, in John 16, 33, in this world, you will have tribulation.
So if you're not a Christian here this morning, may I remind you, Jesus says, when you come to me, you get everlasting life. When you believe on the Lord Jesus, you have everlasting life. When you eat the bread of heaven, you will never hunger again. You are safe and secure.
You are blessed. You are privileged. But if you're looking simply for an easy life in this world, the Master Himself has promised otherwise. He says, in this world you will have tribulation.
That's the statement. That's what the psalmist highlights. That's what the psalmist is saying. When we see mountains go to the sea, when we see the nations of men in folly and madness, when we see these things perplexing us, it doesn't change the reality that our God is in the heavens, that our God is a present hope, that our God is a refuge, that our God is the covenant Lord.
Jesus goes on to say, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Isn't that what Psalm 46 is telling us? Be of good cheer. Why?
Because I have overcome the world. It's interesting to me. Jesus says that John records it in the upper room discourse. And in many respects, John weaves that theme into the book of Revelation.
What do you keep seeing in the book of Revelation? Madness, folly, wickedness, rebellion, and then the dignity of God's throne room. What happens in Revelation chapters 2 and 3? Letters to the churches.
Overcome. Persevere. Fight onward. Be strong.
Don't submit. Don't give in. There is travail to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. There are challenges, there are difficulties, there are tribulations.
Jesus says that Satan is going to test you. It's going to be persecution inflicted upon the churches. Revelation 2 and 3, Psalm 46, though mountains go into the sea, though the nations rage and madness ensues. Yet, what did we read in Revelation 4?
It's the throne room, isn't it? It's the divine response to what the church on earth faces. John is saying to the people of God in Revelation two and three. Don't stop at your tribulation.
Look heavenward. Look into the throne room. And he depicts for us God, the creator and revelation for God, the Redeemer and Revelation five. That's where we go.
That's why we can say God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Byrne Poitras comments on this shift from Revelation 2 and 3 to chapters 4 and 5. He says, when God's people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God's character and glory is the best remedy. Please get that.
I mentioned last Sunday night, sometimes we focus on doctrine and people think, oh, you just want all that doctrine because you don't want to put it into practice. If you don't have that doctrine, there's going to be no practice. There's no theology, there's going to be no godliness. Listen to what the man says.
When God's people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God's character and glory is the best remedy. You see what he says? We want to have seminars on how to cope with your trials. I'm not saying those are all necessarily evil, brethren.
They're wrong if we miss the best seminar. They're wrong if we bypass theology. They're wrong if we do not stop to gaze at the character and glory of God. What's the best help through grief?
What's the best help through loss? What's the best help? But I agree with what Poitras says here. A revelation of God's character and glory is the best remedy.
Next time trials come, or difficulties hinder, or problems affect you, study God. If you've got the Spirit of God and you're a genuine believer, that's going to boo your soul. When you get the God of Psalm 46 in your focus and in your sight, there's nothing you can't do. Nothing you can't go through.
Again, it's going to be difficult. There's trial. He's not saying there isn't any problems. He's just saying this is the way through the problems.
Be a theologian. Poitras goes on to say his power guarantees the final victory. His justice guarantees vindication of the right, and his goodness and magnificence guarantee blessing and comfort. The blood of the Lamb demonstrates that solid redemption has already been accomplished, even in the midst of trials and persecution.
God is still the ruler. He controls everything. This isn't confined to chapters 2 to 5. What do we find in Revelation chapter 6?
Judgment. The land is under a curse. People are suffering. There is devastation.
There is turmoil. And then in Revelation 7, what happens? God's people are sealed. God's people are carved out.
God's people are protected. God's people are safe and secure in the midst of earthly trial. What happens in Revelation chapter 13? Probably the most popular chapter in the entirety of the book of Revelation.
Why? Because the beast is there. People get intrigued about this beast, so they pick up the book of Revelation. Christians ought to be intrigued by the Lord Jesus, so they pick up the book of Revelation.
But Revelation chapter 13, what do we find? We find a beast from the sea and a beast from the land, and they're beastly characters to be sure. Scary, vicious, conniving, wretched, ungodly personages. It says that the world follows them.
If we just stopped in Revelation 13, we could be very sad. We could be very depressed. We could have hearts filled with fear and paralysis and turmoil. But it doesn't stop there.
What's the very first scene in Revelation 14? The Lamb is standing on Mount Zion. What's the point of the apostle? Though the beasts wreak havoc, though the beasts have their followers, though the beasts are ungodly personages, Don't forget, the Lamb stands on Mount Zion with his fair army, with the multitudes of his people.
What's John's point? In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for Christ has overcome the world.
Revelation and the Lamb on Zion
That contrast should instruct us that whatever our earthly foes are, whatever our difficulties are, whatever our temptations and tendencies are, whatever our problems are, God is bigger. God is greater. God is sovereign. God is glorious.
And to use the language of Poitras again, the blood of the Lamb demonstrates that solid redemption has already been accomplished, even in the midst of trials and persecution. Still, the ruler. You see what the psalmist's point in Psalm 46 is. Lift up your heads, Zion.
Lift up your hearts, Zion. God is our refuge. God is our strength. He is a very present help in times of trial and difficulty.
Do you live that way? I don't want to lambast anybody. I don't want to beat anybody up this morning. I want to encourage you.
Take to Psalm 46. Be like Luther. When he heard any discouraging news, he would say, let us sing the 46th Psalm. Let us promote this theology among Zion.
Let us promote this confidence in our sovereign God among Zion. Let us promote this understanding of who he is and how he is related or how he is over rather our difficulties in our trials. So we've seen the statement of comfort, a contrast to instruct.
Invitation to Behold God's Works
Note thirdly, an invitation addressed to us. Verses eight and nine. Verses eight and nine, he says, Come behold the works of the Lord. You might be saying this morning, I want some of this comfort.
I want some of this steadiness. I want some of this confidence. I want to be buoyed up. I want to weather the storms.
I want to know what it is to be protected in these times of trial. What's the psalmist say? Come on, let's go. Let's behold his works.
Get to the Bible. Get to preaching. Get to theology. Get to learning who God is and what he does.
Read the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. See him as the one who didn't have a place to lay his head. See him as the one who went about doing good. See him as the one who healed the sick, who raised the dead, who gave sight to the blind.
Let's behold the works of the Lord. And then he goes on in verse eight to say, who has made desolations in the earth, He makes war cease to the end of the Earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire.
You saw the headlines recently. There's a talk about withdrawing the troops from Iraq. Let me just tell you something. That ultimately isn't Barack Obama's decision.
We could praise God that it isn't. It belongs to our Father. It belongs to our Lord. Come, behold the works of the Lord, the psalmist says.
He's inviting you. He wants you to understand. He wants you to be schooled. He wants you to know theology.
He wants you to get this in your heart. Because when you have this in your heart, you can weather the storms of life. That's what he is saying here. Again, Spurgeon says the joyful citizens of Jerusalem are invited to go forth and view the remains of their enemies, that they may mark the prowess of Jehovah and the spoil which his right hand hath won for his people.
It were well if we also carefully noted the providential dealings of our covenant God and were quick to perceive his hand in the battles of his church. See, this wasn't just for Zion back then. It's for Zion right now. Come behold the works of the Lord.
If I were to ask you this morning, what's the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament? If you've been with us for any time, I hope you'd get it right. It isn't a quiz. It isn't a test.
I'm going to tell you here. The most quoted or most alluded to an illusion means that it's not not an illusion, but an illusion. Means it may not be quoted verbatim, but it's certainly what it is. Think about the church in the early first century.
Think about what they were facing. You think we've got it bad, right? Oh yeah, they're wicked. Let me just tell you, Nero was no paragon of virtue.
Nero was the guy that would light Christians on fire so that they would be human torches for his garden parties. John Fox refers to Nero as a beast. Some of us suspect that's who John was writing about in the book of Revelation as well. Nero was no paragon of virtue.
We had a problem today with sodomy, homosexuality, profligate, open, and I'm suggesting we should continue to pray, we should write our congressmen or our representatives, we can use those means to oppose that. You think this was foreign to the church in the first century? We've got a problem today with abortion, and most certainly we cry out to the Lord God Most High on behalf of those babies. I had a problem with abortion in the first century church too.
They didn't go to clinics, pay three or four hundred dollars and have somebody with sterile instruments do the wickedness. They would just put the baby out with the trash heap. Neighborhood dogs would come and get them. You think, what text, what Old Testament passage did the early church keep near and dear to their hearts?
The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I make all your enemies, your footstool. It was the battle cry of the early church, or one of them. I shouldn't say it was the. But judging how many times it's quoted, judging how many times it's alluded to, it certainly was prevailing in the minds of the New Testament authors.
Remember when those brethren went to Thessalonica. Why were they opposed? What was their crime? They're preaching another king, Jesus.
You see, this was a polytheistic society. That means you could have a plurality of gods. You could have any god you wanted, except one sole, solitary Lord and Savior. You know, the early Christians were accused of atheism.
Kind of an interesting turn of events, isn't it? What was the crime of the first century Christians? Atheoid. They denied the Pantheon.
They denied this plurality. They denied all these gods in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.
Christ's Lordship and the Early Church
Do you realize that every time you read in the New Testament that phrase, Lord and Savior, do you realize how that was used on the street in the Roman Empire? Do you realize that the emperor took for himself the title Kurios, Lord, and Soter, Savior? Do you realize there was an emperor cult? That people worshiped their Caesars?
And yet, with that as the backdrop, with that as the context, the early church didn't just whine and snivel and lick their wounds. They preached Jesus. They preach the gospel, they preach them as prophet, they preach them as priest, and they preach them as king. They didn't let those difficulties and trials and calamities restrict them and paralyze them, but they understood that Christ was on his throne.
Brethren, we can learn from the early church. People say, oh, we need to go back to the early church. Yeah, we do. And learn this lesson, that Jesus is prophet, priest, and king. and then come back to this century and preach the same thing.
Command: Be Still and Know God
Fourthly and finally, a command to be obeyed by us. Now, go out and pull your bootstraps up. That's how we usually get the commands. We think commands just mean go, do this, or go, don't do that.
What's the command in verse 10? Be still. and know that I am God. That's a good command, isn't it? The gods of the nations command you to offer up your children.
The gods of the nations command you to give everything. The gods of the nations command you to do things that are undoable. You know what our God calls us to do in Psalm 46 is to be still and know that He is God. John Gill describes for us what this means, this be still.
It means not that they should be like sticks and stones, stupid, indolent, and unconcerned at the commotions that were in the earth. That's not right. The people of God ought to be a feeling people. The people of God ought to be a weeping people.
The people of God ought to be a mindful people. The people of God ought to be a prayerful people. This is what Gill is highlighting. He says, not that they should be like sticks and stones, stupid, indolent and unconcerned of the commotions that were in the earth and be unaffected with the judgments of God and be wholly silent and inactive, but that they should not be fearful nor fretful and impatient or restless and tumultuous.
But be quiet and easy, resign to the will of God, and live in an assured expectation of the appearance of divine providence in their land. Be still and know that God is God. He has it under control. He has it under His sway.
Have you ever read the Old Testament and been amazed at the reign of wicked kings? Manasseh reigned for 55 years. Praise the Lord for term limits. Right?
Praise the Lord for federal elections. Imagine getting someone in there for 55 years. Again, we struggle with 55 minutes. Fifty-five days and we think we should get awards.
Be still and know that I am God. Theology proper is necessary in chaos. Theology proper steadies the soul in turmoil. Theology proper gives confidence to the tried saint.
Again, John Gill, he hits the nail right on the head. And know own and acknowledge that he is God, a sovereign being that does whatsoever he pleases, that he is unchangeable in his nature, purposes, promises and covenant, that he is omnipotent, able to help them and deliver them at the last extremity, that he is omniscient, knows their persons, cases and troubles. It's another thing when you read through the Revelation chapters two and three, what does Jesus keep saying to these churches? I know your trials.
I know your difficulties. Do you ever feel all alone? No one knows what you're going through? Jesus Christ does.
Jesus Christ is in the midst of the fire. See, Gil is setting forth theology proper, that he is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles, and how and where to hide them till the storm is over, that he is the all-wise God and does all things after the counsel of his own will and makes all things work together for good to them, and that he is faithful to his word and promise and will not suffer them to be overpressed and bore down with their troubles. and know that God is God. That's the command today. Go home and be still.
Someone's going to take a nap and say, Pastor Butler said I've got to be still. Be still and know that God is God. Yes, there's chaos in the earth. Yes, there's trial in the air.
Yes, there's tribulation. Yes, there's difficulty. Yes, there's hardship. And not just out there, but in here as well.
God says to be still and know that he is God. What a blessed command. What a great command. Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Don't worry about it. Don't fret over it.
Yes, pray. Yes, live. Yes, act. Yes, do.
Yes, be involved. Yes, be salt. Yes, be light. Do all those things.
But don't be fearful that the wicked are going to overtake God. It can't happen. I will be exalted among the nations. The Lord says, I will be exalted in the earth.
Application
Well, brethren, in summary and in conclusion, we learn first the necessity of the knowledge of God. If you haven't got that, please get it. Study your Bible. Next time something bad happens to you, search the scriptures concerning God.
Study, as Gil points out, His omniscience, His immutability. That means He doesn't change. Study covenant theology and see the rock-solid, steady hand of God carrying out His plan from age to age. You study God, and that will see you through, or boo you up, or help you through your trials and your difficulties.
Secondly, study and learn from this psalm the comfort that we possess. We sang this this morning. We sang, though troubles assail us, and dangers affright, though friends should all fail us, and foes all unite, yet one thing secures us. Whatever be tied, the promise assures us. the Lord will provide.
See, the biblical authors are my go-to guys, men, first and foremost, for honesty. The psalmist doesn't hide that his soul is downcast. See, a lot of times, we as Christians, we want everybody to know that we're always good. The rest of us ain't buying it.
You struggle. You have difficulty. You tried. You're perplexed.
Right? Everything's great. Everything's great. Everything's great.
Everything's great. Really? Everything's not always great for me. Sometimes you read some of the old books, and you just get, man, I'm not Ryle.
I'm not Spurgeon. I'm going to go to the Psalms. I see the psalmist saying to himself, why are you downcast, O my soul? Hope thou in God.
You get honesty from the scripture. You get honesty from the old hymn writers, too. This isn't a case for only hymns and everything contemporary is bad. There's not something penetrating and deep about Jesus is my boyfriend recited a thousand times.
But when a hymn writer tells me, though troubles assail us and dangers of fright, though friends should all fail us and foes all unite. There's something in my soul that resonates with that, and I'm not suggesting all my friends here have failed me. You know, the best of men are men at best, right? The best of men are men at best.
You will be let down. You will be let down by the people of God. Yet one thing secures us. Whatever betide, the promise assures us the Lord will provide.
That's something you can take to the bank. That's something you can rest your soul on. That's something that will never fail you. I already repeated this.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes. That soul, though all hell, should endeavor to shake. I'll never, no never, no never forsake. Though all hell shall try to shake.
God says, I'll never. No, never. No, never. No, never forsake.
So that's just the writing of a hymn, a hymn writer. Where do you think he got that? Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah, the prophet, chapter 41, verse 10.
We studied something very interesting on Wednesday night, our Bible study of Deuteronomy 2. You would think the record of a people wandering through the wilderness wouldn't be that exciting. We see God, through Moses, lead the people first through Esau, the people of Edom. Then they go through Ammon and Moab, and then they mix it up with Sihon, king of Heshbon.
But it's very intriguing, after the encounter with Edom, after the encounter with the people of Seir that lived there, God says this to the people. For the Lord, your God, has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows you're trudging through this great wilderness. Isn't that beautiful?
He knows you're trudging through this great wilderness. These 40 years the Lord, your God, has been with you, you have lacked nothing. Now you read that and you go, that's amazing. That's beautiful.
That's wonderful. And then when you step inside the context, it's even more amazing. It's even more beautiful and it's more wonderful. Why were they wandering in the wilderness for 40 years?
Because of their faithlessness. Because of their sin. Because of their refusal to enter the promised land. because they listened to ten grumbling spies who turned them off of the idea of going into this land that's filled with big people and we could never, ever seek to occupy. Even in the midst of that, it says there, the Lord has blessed you, the Lord knows your trudgings through this wilderness, the Lord has been present with you even in the midst of your trials.
That's God. That's whom Psalm 46 is about. Thirdly, we learn something here with reference to the missionary enterprise. Notice the text, not only a command in verse 10, but a statement as well, a command and an indicative.
An imperative, or what we're supposed to do, be still and know that I am God, and then a reason why He gives us this command. This ought to provide fuel for the missionary enterprise. This ought to provide fuel for why we pray for the heathen, why we pray for the nations, why we evangelize, why we witness, why we send out missionaries, why we pray for missionaries. Look at what the Lord says.
I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Sounds just like Jesus in Matthew sixty, I will build my church in the gates of hell, shall not prevail against it, so just like Jesus in Matthew twenty eight and low. I am with you always, even to the end of the age again.
Spurgeon comments. I will be exalted among the heathen. They forget God. They worship idols, but Jehovah will yet be honored by them.
Reader, the prospects of missions are bright, bright as the promises of God. Let no man's faith fail him. The solemn declarations of this verse must be fulfilled. I will be exalted in the earth among all people.
Whatever may have been their wickedness or their degradation, either by terror or love, God will subdue all hearts to himself. The whole round earth shall yet reflect the light of his majesty. All the more, because of the sin and obstinacy and pride of man, shall God be glorified when grace reigns unto eternal life in all corners of the world." That's a good perspective. Be still.
Know that God is God. He will be exalted among the heathen. He will be exalted in the earth. Pray.
Pray expectantly. Pray believingly. Pray earnestly. for the knowledge of God the Lord to spread through the earth as the waters cover the sea. And if you don't know this God today, I hope you're jealous.
I hope you want this God. I hope you want this comfort. I hope you want to know that in the midst of trial, in the midst of chaos, in the midst of turmoil, in the midst of difficulty, there is one who is a refuge for you. There is one who is a very present help in time of trial.
The access, the way by which we come into saving contact with this God is through his son, Jesus Christ. You believe on him, you look to him, you trust in him, and you will have everlasting life and comfort, comfort that we can't even begin to speak about. We've only touched the surface of what God affords to his people. Don't tarry, don't delay, don't stay away, but come. to Christ, believe his gospel, and you will be saved.
Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this psalm and the comfort that it affords us, and I pray that all my brothers and sisters today would know what this psalmist is conveying, that all of us, God, would look beyond the trials and look beyond the difficulties and the challenges of our own lives Even look beyond the temptations and the sin that oftentimes so easily besets us. Grant us grace to look heavenward. Grant us grace to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grant us grace to persevere, Lord God, and to feed our souls with theology like we find in the Psalms. Just pray now that you would watch over your people here, that you would encourage your We pray that you would save those, God, who have not come to Christ. Do that work which is impossible with us, and draw men, women, and boys and girls unto your dear Son. And we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.