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i'll begin reading in verse 1 and i saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back sealed with seven seals then i saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it so i wept much because no one was what was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it but one of the elders said to me do not weep behold the lion of the tribe of judah the root of david has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals and i looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of god sent out into all the earth then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne now when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints and they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scrolls and to open its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to god by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our god and we shall reign on the earth then i looked and i heard the voice of many angels around the throne the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who is slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them i heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the land forever and ever then the four living creatures said amen and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever well we have the great privilege of gathering in the presence of this god to worship him along with the just the spirits of just men made perfect who are presently in heaven glorifying the lamb who sits upon the throne so let us turn in our hymn books to psalm 93 psalm 93 we'll use a familiar tune and we'll stand together as we sing foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] well let us pray our blessed god and father what a joy it is to gather in your house on your day we come to the father through the son and the power of the holy spirit we confess that god is all in all we acknowledge that you are from everlasting too everlasting we acknowledge your perfections and your glory and your majesty we acknowledge that you are the god who made the world the god who governs the world and the one who has redeemed his elect from it and as we gather here today may we marvel at these works of god and in a special way to marvel at the redempt the redemption wrought by our lord jesus christ we praise you for his life of obedience his death as a substitute and atoning sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection again the third day and lord god we know that you are most high we know that you are over all things as the psalmist describes to you as well our god this gives us great comfort and encouragement as we consider a world that is in chaos help us to be still and to know that you are god and help us to draw an eye unto you and to know that comfort and that stability that you afford to your people and we ask that you would indeed rend the heavens today and come down and be found among your people as they gather for worship we ask that you would look with favor upon this local church she would bless and strengthen each and every one of us and grant us the help from on high that we may persevere and bring glory to you in this present evil age help us to shine his lights and help us to have the boldness and the courage to hold forth your glorious word of truth and father we pray as well that those who have come in among us this morning that are still dead in their trespasses and sins we pray that you would awaken them through the the preaching of your word through the presence and the power of the holy spirit we pray that you would give that conviction for sin such that people would see their great need for the lord jesus christ and may he be proclaimed here and elsewhere as the altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand savior that he is and may you be pleased god in heaven to bless from every tribe and tongue and people and nation we see that the work of the lord jesus wasn't simply for the the the nation of israel but we know that you gave him as a light unto the gentiles and in this new covenant era in this time when christ is enthroned at the right hand of the father where he has called his church to go there for and to make disciples of all the nations we do so understanding his comprehensive authority and power as well with that blessed promise that he is with us even to the end of the age so god may your church here on earth know that that boldness and know that that militancy that the old authors used to speak of concerning the church and may you grant us that peace of jesus christ that does surpass all understanding and bless and strengthen each one here do forgive us now for all of our sins and our transgressions we know that you have called us out of darkness into marvelous light so that we may proclaim your praises we know as well that the apostle tells us to let our conduct be worthy of that gospel of our salvation and yet father we know that there is that remaining corruption in our hearts and we confess that sin and transgression to you even now when we look at that holy law of god it shows us our waywardness and our proneness to wander and prone is to leave the god that we love so lord forgive us now and cleanse us in that precious blood of the lord jesus christ we are so encouraged at the scripture that gives us the reality that is in our own hearts as david said if you lord should mark iniquities o lord who could stand but thankfully he went on to say that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared and god may you promote in our own hearts that fear and that reverence and that trembling and mingle it and accompany it with joy and with thanksgiving and gratitude and may we praise you and may we honor you and may we adore you and may we live in a manner that is consistent with our high calling in our lord jesus to that end father we need the spirit the ministry of the holy spirit in public worship and in each and every day of our lives god supply that which is lacking in our own hearts and lives and build us up in our most holy faith again for any and all who do not know you as lord and savior we pray that today would be the day of salvation we thank specifically of our young people and our children we we long to see them confess the good confession of faith in our lord jesus we know that this is a world in in opposition to a holy god this world is an at enmity with a holy god we know there's a whole host of temptation and sanit at every everywhere around us and god we know and must be difficult for the young ones and we pray that you would look with favor upon them grant them mercy and grace and open their eyes and hearts to the truth as it is in jesus god look with favor upon the temporal needs in this local body we know there are several among us with ongoing illness and challenges in the physical and we commit each one to you into the word of your grace for all of us god we are battle weary at times it's been a long two years it's been a long couple of weeks there's a whole host of things going on in this world that gives us great concern and yet father we know that you are over all these things and in this we greatly rejoice so steady us and help us and enable us to rightly represent our blessed savior in this world we ask for your grace to be upon our churches our fellow churches we thank you for those in our community that have stood faithful we thank you for those brothers that are faithfully heralding the gospel of free and sovereign grace and we pray that you would prosper these men in their ministries and bless these churches with growth and with continual joy and thanksgiving in the presence of a great god we pray for the church in surrey and thank you for pastor mike pray that you would bless him this morning as he opens the word of god and continue to look with favor upon that church and their witness and testimony in that part of the world be with the saints in vernon we thank you for that local body we pray for them that you would continue to keep them together we pray father that your will would be done in our midst and with them in terms of ryan and the various things we consider god we pray that you would just guide us and direct us we know that the mind of man plans his way but ultimately it is the lord it directs the steps and in this we rejoice god bless the brothers in dryden thank you for them and pray that you would just continue to use their witness and testimony in that part of the world for the furtherance of the gospel of jesus christ our lord and god bless the work in honduras we thank you that the building is open we thank you that the gospel is going forth and we thank you that sinners are being saved and saints are being made more holy so lord continue to look with favor upon that work and as well god for the the evangelistic and missionary enterprise going on throughout the earth we know that you are in uh great great control over all the things that happen say for instance in myanmar and father we pray that in the midst of that calamity and tragedy those little ones would come to a saving knowledge of the lord jesus she would bless the preaching of peter and others and cause sinners to pass from death unto life we pray for the nation of china and the great needs there and we ask god that you would bless the underground church and use them to continue to promote the gospel of our lord jesus christ blessed believers in north korea blessed believers in the middle east and nations that are steeped in islam and god through the preaching of your word we pray that sinners would turn from their useless idols to the true and living god that your church would remain faithful and steadfast in the proclamation of your glorious word and god we ask you to be merciful to this nation we know there is great need spiritually we know father that the thing that is most necessary today is not just physical health or comfort or protection it is the gospel of jesus christ our lord it is the blood of the son of god that was shed for sinners and in which we have redemption and we pray that gospel would go forth today conquering and to conquer we pray for our civil government that you would put the fear of god in their hearts that you would give them ears to hear and hearts to receive king david's counsel to the nations around him at the time that he lived that they should be wise that they should be instructed that they should kiss the son lest he be angry and they perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little god be merciful to our prime minister to the various premiers to the very civil authority that is over us and we pray for some degree of return to a normal life without mandates and without intervention and without without a constant hassle from the government be merciful to your people be merciful to image bearers for no man deserves the oppression of a civil state over them and god in heaven we know that you are again over these things we trust in you and in your government and we ask that in the midst of these things we would have faithfulness and perseverance and that would be the earmarks of our our religion at this time and date and lord thank you for one another thank you for this church thank you for all of the brothers and the sisters here and we just pray now that you would be pleased to dwell in our midst as we see in revelation chapter one christ is found in the midst of the lamp stands and we rejoice in that and we pray these things through jesus christ our lord amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 246 246 we'll stand as we sing together foreign [Music] oh oh [Music] is [Music] is is is well you can turn with me in your bibles to first timothy chapter six for our scripture reading this morning first timothy chapter six remember first timothy chapter seeded what paul wrote what paul wrote and the things that follow so the entirety of first timothy is given by paul to timothy so that timothy knows how he ought to conduct himself in the church of the living and true god so picking up in first timothy chapter 6 he says let as many bond servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor so that the name of god and his doctrine may not be blasphemed and those who have believing masters let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved teach and exhort these things if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words even the words of our lord jesus christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness he is proud knowing nothing but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which come envy strife reviling evil suspicions useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain from such withdraw yourself now godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and clothing with these we shall be content but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and to snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows but you o man of god flee these things and pursue righteousness godliness faith love patience gentleness fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life to which you are also called and have confessed a good confession in the presence of many witnesses i urge you in the sight of god who gives life to all things and before christ jesus who witnessed the good confession before pontius pilate that you keep this commandment without spot blameless until our lord jesus christ appearing which he will manifest in his own time he who is the blessed and only potentate the king of kings and lord of lords who alone has immortality dwelling in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honor and everlasting power amen command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living god who gives us all thing gives us richly all things to enjoy let them do good that they may be rich in good works ready to give willing to share storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life oh timothy guard what was committed to your trust avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith grace be with you amen well paul continues his emphasis on interpersonal relationships in chapter six at verses one and two so he dealt with the various relations we find ourselves amongst in the church in first timothy chapter five there's widows there's there's single persons there's older men there's younger women all those sorts of things well in verses one and two he gives instruction to the slaves or the the bond servants that are under the yoke of their own masters he says to serve them if you find out your master is also a believer you don't sort of reckon this way well he's a believer too so we're going to just get along together no because he's a believer serve him with even more earnestness and even more dignity and with more love and affection that's the apostle's emphasis in terms of that relationship now he speaks in other contexts that masters have a responsibility to their to their slaves or their bond servants they're not to be abusive they're not to be tyrants they're not to be lords and and dictators so the apostle says that our christian profession our christian experience should affect us in every connection not just in the family not just in the church but as well in the workplace and then paul targets the false teachers notice in verse 3 if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words even the words of our lord jesus christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness this is one of the reasons why paul stations timothy in ephesus because there were false teachers there he says this in first timothy chapter one there are those who desired to be teachers of the law they didn't have a clue and therefore they shouldn't have been and so now he condemns these false teachers in words that would most likely get him kicked out of any church today if he had the gall to actually tell somebody that they were proud that they knew nothing that they were obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which come envy strife reviling evil suspicions useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain today we would take more offense at paul pointing out the existence of such persons than the existence of such persons in other words there is problems in the church today there are bad teachers there are proud men there are persons that couldn't preach their way out of a paper bag they don't know what justification is and yet they're tasked with preaching the word of god they can't explain the gospel they can't tell you about the life and the death and the resurrection of jesus paul doesn't say well you know they're just a bit deficient they're understanding they're just a little bit limited they're just dim bulbs just bear with them and be patient toward that no he says they're proud and they're arrogant and they have no business whatsoever being in the church of the lord jesus christ that is the reality and then notice what he says he says they suppose that godliness is a means of gain from such withdraw yourself and then he embarks on godliness with contentment as being great gain he says with reference to our lives in the temporal sphere as long as we have food and shelter with these things we will be content he gives us the undergirding reason for that verse 10 the love of money notice that not money money's not you know malicious money's not evil men are malicious men are evil men's hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked we can take good tools and we can use them in incorrect or ungodly ways so he condemns the love of money and it's a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierce themselves through with many sorrows so on the one hand it sounds like he's condemning having possessions or money but on the other hand in verses 17 to 19 he tells timothy to tell the rich among them not to get rid of all their money doesn't say this is the pathway to true spirituality and true holiness go ahead and divest yourself of all of your earthly goods get an orange sheet and go bang a tambourine at the airport because that is the pathway to piety that's not what he says on the one hand he's dealing with false teachers who think that religion is a means of prosperity kind of sounds like a group of preachers today the health wealth and prosperity fellows but then on the other hand there are people in the church of the lord jesus christ who work hard they're diligent they're faithful they show up at their jobs they go above and beyond they get raises they get promotions in the language of solomon he says do you see a man who excels in his work he shall stand before kings in god's moral universe when you do what god says more often than not there is blessing attached to that so with reference to the rich that are in the church not those who are trying to exploit religion in order to get rich he says command those who are rich in this present age verse 17 not to be haughty not to or nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living god who gives us richly all things to enjoy let them do good that they be rich in good works ready to give willing to share they benefit the downtrodden and poor in the context of the local church we don't live on love and fresh air some among the church were making money and paul says don't be proud don't be arrogant don't trust in that money don't worship that money but be willing to share be willing to be gracious be willing to be kind and loving towards your fellows that don't have the same degree of blessing and benefit that you do so he's not contradictory he's dealing with two different people groups false teachers that want to exploit religion to try and make money versus the hard-working soul the salt of the earther in the context of the church whom god had blessed and increased in terms of his physical prosperity and then the final thought notice tucked in in the midst he says how timothy is to function he is to be a fleeing following fighting and faithful man but you o man of god flee these things what the false teachers are in pursuit of follow after righteousness godliness faith love patience gentleness he says fight the good fight and lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses that's the conduct that timothy was to imbibe he was to be a fleeing following fighting and faithful man in order to honor god in his service to him well let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for this book of first timothy for ii timothy and titus and the great practical instruction that they give to the churches of the lord jesus help us to be mindful of these things help us by grace and the power of the spirit to obey these things and may you truly be honored and glorified as our church gathers together for worship and we pray in jesus name amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 243 243 we'll stand as we sing together um is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] girls [Music] is [Music] now oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] you can turn with me in your bibles to psalm 46. we'll return to our exposition of john's gospel god willing next sunday morning but this morning we're going to consider psalm 46. it was said of martin luther that when he heard any discouraging news he would say let us sing the 46th psalm we have looked at this in recent history within the last two years if the government keeps throwing curveballs at us most likely we'll hear it again over and over and over again tyranny martial law and the potential for world war iii seem as good as a reason to reconsider psalm 46 as anything that we have seen in our lifetime so i'll read the passage we'll pray and then we'll look in detail at psalm 46 to the chief musician the psalm of the sons of korah a song for alimoth god is our refuge and strength a 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 salah there is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of god the most 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 raged the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted the lord of god the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge salah 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 our father we thank you for the psalter we thank you for the great instruction concerning our or who our god is and what our god does and may these things encourage our weary hearts this morning may strengthen us with might and the inner man and may we glorify you through perseverance and faithfulness we think of the situation in eastern europe and our hearts go out to the people in ukraine we know this is a very convoluted difficult thing going on in that part of the world and we just pray for a cessation of war we pray for peace we pray god in heaven that you would be merciful in this situation again give wisdom to those in in high places politically and grant them the ability to see things in a way that is most helpful as well our father we see the various things going on again in our own country we just ask that you would give us grace and help and strength and whatever may come tomorrow may we nevertheless respond in a posture that is fitting for the people of god may we know that you are over all things and may we know that you are sovereign in your dispensations may we as well trust in you and in your provision and in your comfort and in what you provide to your saints forgive us now for our sins and unrighteousness settle our minds and hearts under the blessed impression of this psalm and we pray that you would be glorified as we consider who you are and we ask in the name of the lord jesus christ amen well it's always hard or difficult to pinpoint what was going on at the time that the psalmist wrote a particular song john gill says with reference to the composition of this one it seems rather to be a prophecy of the church in gospel times and is applicable to any time of confusion and distress the nations of the world may be in through any kind of calamity when those that trust in the lord have no reason in the least to be afraid and that's one of the emphasis or emphasis or overarching concerns of the psalm is that everything around us is chaotic and everything around us may seem to be falling apart and everything around us is a challenge nevertheless god is in the midst of his people we are to rest in him we are to acknowledge his sovereignty as a reformed church we confess the sovereignty of god we love that doctrine we considered it a bit in our last hour it does not depend upon him who wills or upon him who runs but on god who shows mercy romans 9 16 god sovereign and who he saves we saw ephesians 1 4 he chose us in him before the foundation of the world not because we were holy and blameless but that we might become holy and blameless as gil says election does not find us in christ election puts us in christ or paul's extolling of the glory of god with reference to salvation in romans chapter 8. but there are times when reformed people understanding sovereignty when it comes to the salvation of individual sinners forgets sovereignty when it comes to war when it comes to pandemic when it comes to tyranny when it comes to overreach on the part of the government we need to trust in god even when everything around us argues otherwise and that's the emphasis in psalm 46 the psalmist wants the people of god in a time of tumult to find their solace or their refuge or their comfort in god most high and to that end he sets for uh forth four things first he gives us an assurance of god's pr presence you see that in verses 1 and 7 and 11. secondly he underscores a demonstration of god's power in verses two to six thirdly he gives us an invitation to consider god's works right in the midst of chaos what do we need to do we need to fill our hearts and minds with what god does in the midst of chaos and then fourthly and finally he has a command to rest in god's sovereignty now typically we take verse 10 as only appropriate for the church it's only a comforting tax for the people of god i'll argue it functions in two ways it comforts the people of god but it puts the nations on standby it is a command to the heathen it is a command to the pagan it is an assurance of his sovereign power even over them they need to be still they need to know that he is god and that he will in fact be exalted among the nations and in the earth so let's look first at the assurance of god's presence notice the lord is our refuge and our strength that's how it starts off god is our refuge and our strength he wants the people of god to find their comfort and their consolation in the lord we're not going to find stability in the midst of chaos in our own unstable hearts we're not going to find calm and peace in our own wretched hearts we need to look to god we need to find our solace in him turn over for just a moment to jeremiah chapter 9 where god through the prophet tells man what is most important and i think the same sort of thing is going on in psalm 46 in jeremiah 9 at verse 23 we read thus says the lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdom let not the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches but let him in glory's glory in this that he understands and knows me that i am the lord exercising loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these i delight says the lord in other words in times of trouble in times of safety and times of peace whatever the time may be your ultimate peace and confidence isn't going to come from yourself you must go outside of yourself you must cast the eye of faith upon the living and true god and notice the perfections that are indicated here he exercises loving kindness that's a big one in the church today we all love the loving kindness of god but notice it goes on to say judgment or justice the people of god rejoice in the justice of god the people of god rejoice in the judgments of god the people of god rejoice when god repays with tribulation those who troubled them on earth we looked at several passages last sunday revelation 19 after the judgment of the great harlot and of the false prophet there's this fourfold alleluia in heaven celebrating the justice of god you see in revelation 6 the souls under the altar crying out for vengeance how long lord god until you venge our blood uh uh avenge our blood and they are given that assurance that the lord most high will act with reference to that particular task so the justice the judgment and the righteousness and goodness of god are all perfections of our god and we extol him for each and every one so back to psalm 46 the lord is our refuge and our strength this psalm along with psalms 47 and 48 are songs of triumph and they're classified as the songs of zion this is why it's good to sing the psalms to get this in our minds to get this in our hearts to get this in our lives so that when troubles come we have recourse to the true and living god so god is our refuge and strength and then notice it says he is a very present help in trouble the margin has an abundantly available help you know when we are overcome by distress or hardship or pain or suffering who do we cry out to what's our first recourse do we go first to god or do we go first to someone else we you know god will come to you after we've explored the doctors and after we've gone to our spouses and it's not wrong to talk to people it's not wrong to get consultation but our first recourses into god or is with god himself because he's a very present help in trouble the idea is as well is that he is well proved again john gill says whether inward or outward 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 speedily and effectually so i'm not sure we always trust that experientially we we start to fall apart we become unraveled throw a bit of tyranny at us and we lose our minds now to be faithful to what's happening it's our first bout with tyranny so i guess we have a bit of a learning curve there so it may be a bit of time for adjustment and that sort of thing but the point is is don't lose sight of verse one god is our refuge and strength a very present help and trouble a well-proven a well-tried and proven god that is there for his saints and this is where familiarity with the word of god as all is most helpful i mentioned asaph the psalms ascribed to asaph those psalms are are of a melancholy spirit those psalms are composed by a man who was kind of a glass half-empty sort of a fellow those psalms he he sees the sorrows and the hardships and the aches and the pains of god's people while he sees what appears to be the triumph of the wicked it perplexed him it vexed him but in the absence of an immediate imposition of god's power to destroy the enemies he goes back in redemptive history and refreshes himself with reference to the written word of the living and true god that's where we find god that's where we know god that's where we learn of god it is in the scriptures of both the old and the new testaments and these psalmists practiced what they preached and then notice he emphasizes god's present amongst a presence among his people in three verses so verse one he is a very present help in trouble you see it again at verse seven the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge and then again in verse 11 the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge if i was going to give you a quiz and i asked the question what do you think the main emphasis in psalm 46 says well the lord of god is with us he is our refuge he is our shield he is our protector he is our defender not just in the good times it's easy to see god in the midst of his people in the good times it's easy to praise god at a new job rate or at a raise in your job it's easy to praise god when your relationships are all going right along and going quite well it's easy to praise god when your child makes a confession or a profession of faith it's not always the case when that child rejects the gospel when that child goes wayward when that child wanders into the far country it's a bit more of a different a different scenario we as god's people can be fair-weather fans we as god's people can praise him and show our gratitude to him as long as things are going well but the moment things aren't going well then we say well you know god he's forgotten about us or he just doesn't care perhaps he's busy no the emphasis by the psalmist is that the lord is with his people the lord is with his people what does paul say in romans chapter 8 he says there is nothing that can separate us from the love of god which is in christ jesus our lord there is nothing that gets betwixt to use an old puritan word god and his people jesus teaches that in john 10. there is nobody who can pluck you out of the hand of a sovereign god again we rejoice in that salvifically but we need to rejoice in that temporally practically it is the case that whatever life throws at us whatever agency throws something at us god is not thrown off his uh throne god is not thrown off his game god is always there in the midst of his people spurgeon again says the uh says that this is the reason for all zion's security and 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 brethren that's the way we need to think about life in this present world you see the divine warrior come to joshua's aid during a southern campaign in the book of joshua they going to conquer the land you see this coalition of amorite kings gathering together to resist god's people do they get shaken do they get routed do they get taken unawares no god fights for them god sends hailstones to destroy and decimate them judges chapter 7 is a very intriguing study in the sovereign power of god in the temporal sphere again we all know that god changes the heart we all know that god grants the graces of faith and repentance such that sinners can close with them but do we all rejoice in god's intervention at the time of the midianite incursion among the people of god in israel you've got gideon leading the armies you've got gideon with a very tiny army and then you've got this again a big coalition of midianite and i think amorite warriors at that particular time you know what god does god so confounds the enemy that they take out their swords and they kill each other they turn against one another and they decimate their own armies via his intervention and the the people of god rejoice in that not because they're blood thirsty crazed sadists but because god most high vindicates his bride god most high is our present aid god most high is in the midst of the chaos and god most high delivers his people you've got david in the valley of elah and david bests that philistine uh giant by by uh following him with a stone one smooth stone puts it in the forehead of that man and knocks him dead and then takes the the sword from him and cuts his head off well why does he do that he does that in light of the promise of genesis 3 15. it was typical it was pointing forward to what christ would ultimately do to the devil but it was so that all the earth may know that there's a god in israel and so that the israelites themselves would know they can trust this god they don't have to cower and fear behind saul's skirts while goliath is out there taunting them remember the first recorded words of david is when he comes out and he says who is this who is this philistine taunting the armies this uncircumcised philistine taunting the armies of the living god for david he's like what is happening here saul and his armies are afraid you're cowering in fear david comes from having dealt with animals in protecting the sheep and he says i'm ready to do this not because i'm great but because god is great that's the emphasis we find in scripture he is the lord of hosts which underscores that he's the divine warrior but then it tells us he is the god of jacob that is our refuge that shows us covenantal fidelity it shows his veracity his truthfulness his commitment to his people he's both divine warrior and he is a present savior and aid for all those who find their refuge in him now notice secondly the demonstration of god's power note verse two it's an implication it's an implication of verse one god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble notice verse two therefore we will not fear you see that connection because god is what he just said he is therefore it should affect us in this particular way we're not supposed to fear we're not supposed to tremble we're not supposed to to conduct ourselves the way saul and his armies did in the threat of this philistine a giant we're not supposed to be afraid now brethren again the unknown and the mystery and the again curveballs the the seizure of bank accounts i mean that's not happy news is it so there is that sense where there's a bit of trepidation but if we understand what verse 1 asserts then verse 2 should naturally follow it is a just and necessary consequence from the statement that god is our refuge and strength a very present help and trouble therefore he says we will not fear and then he highlights this contrast he shows the chaos on earth and then he shows us the peace of zion notice the chaos on earth now there are commentators and they try to explain the rivers and all of the tumults and all that sort of thing but again i think the big picture is contrast you've got the chaos of the world and then you've got the the calm dignity of god's throne room that's the contrast that the psalmist is setting forth notice the chaos on earth verses two three and six there is disturbances in the natural order notice in 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 though its waters roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with its swelling boy i'd love to take everybody committed to green energy everybody committed to climate change everybody committed to the worship of the creature rather than the creator and point them to the creator should the earth itself dissolve it does not affect god should the earth implode it doesn't dethrone god should the earth find itself in a nightmarish mess unfortunately at times led by persons nevertheless god is in control so he points to the natural phenomena to underscore that implication therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed even though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea even though its waters roar and be troubled though the mountains shake with its swelling remember jesus walking on the waves walking on the water he says that very thing lord save us we are perishing the one who has the ability to walk on the water is the one who has the ability to preserve his disciples in the midst of the storm he is the ruler over the waves and as a result he is worthy of our trust worthy of our adoration worthy of our confidence worthy of our refuge so he says that though this phenomenon may occur then we will still not fear but then notice with reference to the nations look at verse six it says the nations raged the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted this is still connected to the implication of verse two god is our refuge and strength the very present help and trouble therefore we will not fear verse 6 the nations raged the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice the earth melted again brethren it may not happen tomorrow it may not happen next week not a prophet of the son of a prophet and i certainly wouldn't try to get in the minds of the people that are making decisions but there might not be immediate vindication there might not be immediate deliverance there might be a seasoned and a period where we know experientially what paul says in second timothy 3 all who desire to live godly in christ jesus will suffer persecution and obviously that's one of the assumptions in this psalm isn't it the psalmist isn't treating some polyanna sort of world where everything is just roses and blue birds and and milk and honey he is dealing with calamity he is dealing with pressure he is dealing with hardship our lord makes the same acknowledgement in john's gospel he said in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for i overcome the world remember paul's preaching on the way back to antioch after that first missionary journey he gets stoned outside of derby that means they took rocks and threw them at him i know stoned as a different connotation in the 21st century but in that context they stoned him to within inches of his life so much so that persons thought he was dead and they left him for dead but paul gets up and the next day he goes about 50 miles to preach the gospel some more and one of the texts that he preaches is through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of god they didn't have to raise their hand and have a question time paul what do you mean by that he had just been stoned he says in galatians chapter six from now on let nobody trouble me for i bear in my body the brand marks of jesus see the whip and the stone leave scars it leaves the obvious evidence that one has met with some sort of a challenge and nevertheless paul is able to say that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven so back to psalm 46 it's not just the natural phenomena it's not just the tumults it's not just the earthquakes it's not just the fires it's not just the flooding but it's the people sometimes you're probably inclined to think with me life would be a whole lot better if nobody was in the world i mean we'd have beauty and joy and happiness and it's man that typically mars it and messes it up but he doesn't just stop with the natural phenomena he shines the light upon the nations verse six the nations raged the kingdoms were moved he uttered his voice and the earth melted there is this definitive contrast between what we see in terms of chaos in the world and what we see in terms of dignity and calm in the throne room of god and that piece of zion is described there in verses four to six notice there is a river whose streams 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 raged the kingdoms were a move he uttered his voice the earth melted you've got this natural phenomena that's not always sort of accommodating to human uh habitation but then you've got the nations raging one with another wars and rumors of wars and those sorts of things but does this shake god does this dethrone god does this remove god does god somehow think oh i've lost control over this i need to regain control everything that happens is as a result of god's decree it is the fact that he has decreed whatsoever comes to pass according to his own purposes and for his own glory and the psalmist is filled with that mindset in terms of god's providence and he sets it forth here but it's not just here look at psalm 48 look at verses one to three great is the lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our god in his holy mountain beautiful in elevation the joy of the whole earth is mount zion and the sides of the on the sides of the north the city of the great king god is in her palaces he is known as her refuge so there the psalmist again portrays the calm dignity of god's throne room there's no contrast at that particular point in terms of the chaos on earth go to psalm 2 to see something of that psalm 2 you see the mutinous rage of man who do not want god and his christ to rule over them notice in chapter psalm 2 verse 1 why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing it's a good question isn't it why do they do that don't you know that god is god if you ever had a a kid where you you wanted to kind of assert that authorities why are you doing this you know that i have authority in this particular venture don't you you know that most likely i'm gonna win this exchange don't you i mean after all there's a fifth commandment to provide the context for that and there is the the emphasis of the apostle paul children obey your parents and the lord so you see your children doing things and at times you're just perplexed and puzzled and you wonder why do they do that that's kind of the mindset of david why why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing you do know that that's an exercise in folly you're not actually going to win you're not actually going to be successful you're not actually going to throw off the the fetters of yahweh and his christ you're on a fool's errand so he says why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing he describes their conduct the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together together together against the lord and against his anointed saying let us break their bonds and peace uh pieces and cast away their cords from us it's pretty horrific scene isn't it they're all standing there raising their fists at yahweh and his christ saying we will not have this one to rule over us boy if there was no rest of psalm 2 we might be pretty perplexed and pretty sad at this point but notice verse 4 he who sits in the heavens shall laugh the lord shall hold them in derision then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure yet i have sent my king on my holy hill of zion see while the nation's rage and the people's plot a vain thing yahweh doesn't say uh oh this is spun out of control pretty quickly no he sits in the heavens and he laughs he holds them in derision he will speak to them in his wrath and the means by which he deals with them is the appointment of his son as the mediator to both save and to damn to both save and to judge to both save and to destroy notice the messiah speaks in verse 7 i will declare the decree the lord has said to me you are my son today i have begotten you ask of me and i will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel you see what the contrast is the rage and the mutiny of the nations and then yahweh holds them in derision yahweh appoints his son the lord jesus to conduct a ministry of salvation and a ministry of judgment you see how god responds to this and think great commission go therefore and make disciples of all the nations why do you think jesus says that because the father has given him control and sovereignty over the nations verse 8 ask of me and i will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession so david contemplating this david reflecting upon this it now leads david to the practical application not to israelites but to those kings and judges that surround the nation verse 10 now therefore be wise o kings be instructed you judges of the earth serve the lord with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all those who put their trust in him so back to psalm 46 the obvious contrast is between chaos on earth just the natural phenomena the tumults of the the nature around us but the rage of the nations but that doesn't shake god that doesn't strip god of his authority or sovereignty that does not cause god to bite his fingernails and wonder what his next move is and so the psalmist wants us to focus on that the psalmist wants us to understand that you see the same sort of progression in revelation two to five in revelation two and three john is told to write to the churches of asia minor and each of these seven churches have challenges each of these seven churches are being targeted by the civil state by false religionists and at times by internal threat persons within doing foolish things and then the scene shifts we come out of revelation two and three with the chaos on earth to the calm dignity of the throne room in revelation 4 and 5. what's the emphasis while all this happens down here it doesn't shake up there and while there is this chaos and tumult that you are currently embroiled in you've got divine aid you've got the lord god of hosts with you you've got the god of jacob as your refuge you don't have to fret and fear and worry you can actually live in light of verse 2 in psalm 46 therefore we will not fear one commentator on the book of revelation says when god's people are beset by temptation or persecution a revelation of god's character and glory is the best remedy here's the point of the sermon okay you need to know god you need to understand god you need to see god the church today is choking on practicality the church today is choking on 10 principles for how to raise your kids i'm not necessarily saying that it's wrong to have 10 principles to raise your kids but when we do that to the neglect of what jesus says is eternal life in john 17 3 then we have missed the boat we need to know god we need to know father son and holy spirit we need to know his perfections his authority his glory his power his majesty his omnipotence his sovereignty those are things that encourage the people of god that's the point of this psalm that's the point of psalm two that's the point of the trajectory in revelation two to five you need to focus on the one who has absolute and unrivaled authority don't fret don't fear don't tremble don't be paralyzed don't be so afraid to ever go out with reference to our god your god has you in the palm of his hand every step of the way every moment of every day that's why he's able to say therefore we will not fear back to poythress he says when god's people are beset by temptation or persecution a revelation of god's character and glory is the best remedy 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 rule a solid redemption has already been accomplished even in the midst of trials and persecution god is still the ruler he controls everything that's the point the same thing is seen later in revelation 13 and 14. if you're a prophecy buff you'll know revelation 13. it's the passage about the beast there's actually two beasts one comes from the sea and one comes from the land i take it as one being a political enemy of the church and the other being a religious enemy of the church but the way that the seer composes his narrative the beast is a pretty beastly character pretty scary pretty much has a lot of people following after him the world will follow after him you know what john then moves to the lamb on mount zion with his fair army what's his point his point is is that if you only look at the beastly conduct of civil religious leaders if you only look at the the misery and the pain and the destruction and you never look godward you're going to fear you're going to be filled by and ruled by trepidation you're going to be afraid of your own shadow you've got to get a godward perspective in the midst of the chaos if you do not i'm not suggesting you're going to lose your salvation or you were never saved to begin with but the people that know their god engage in great exploits for him the people who know their god walk confidently what does the psalmist say in 23 though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil what a blessed declaration why is that because thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me notice that the psalmist doesn't say there's no valley of the shadow of death for god's people notice that he doesn't say benny hinn and kenneth copeland are right all it is is health wealth and prosperity he acknowledges the valley of the shadow of death but he also expresses his faith yea though i walk through it the people of god never ever believe they're going to be done done in by that valley of death they know it as a portal they know it as a passageway and they know that on the other side is a blessed christ to receive them into glory remember the stoning martyrdom of stephen stephen is filled with the spirit he gazes into the heavens and he sees the glory of god and jesus standing at his right hand now the book of hebrews emphasizes that after the priestly work of our lord jesus he sat down see the the the levitical priests when they went in they did their thing on the day of atonement and then they got out they didn't sit down they didn't hang out they were in the holy of holies for a specified amount of time they did what they were supposed to do and they got out they wouldn't have sat down in the holy of holies they wouldn't have put their feet up and had a coffee that just wouldn't have happened so in hebrews it emphasizes the fact that jesus the high priest sits down why to underscore that his work is completed to underscore that the work of atonement has been wrought and that now it is applied to his people so why is he standing at the right hand of the glory of god in in stephen's vision well i think there's two responses there in the first place he is showing that he is actually the judge remember stephen is under the scrutiny of the sanhedrin the highest religious and political court in israel at that time so they are judging stephen jesus standing is showing that he's presiding and that he is actually the judge over this particular affair but it's also a great encouragement for stephen because he's standing there ready to receive this man when he breathes his last when he falls asleep it's the most blessed word used for stephen after he's been brutally bashed by stones to death it tells us or luke tells us that he slept that's because christ received him see brethren when you understand who god is when you know his perfections when you know his names when you get the triunity of god down when you get those things there is a world of comfort in that for the heart that is tried and that's the psalmist's point notice thirdly he gives us an invitation to consider god's works that's what i meant earlier there might not be immediate delivery there might not be an immediate imposition of power from on high look at the children of israel they were in bondage for a long time right they had the promises in abraham all the nations of the earth will be blessed god says to abraham i'm going to give you this land it's going to be a beautiful land it's going to flow with milk and honey it's going to be filled with all the good things that everybody would want it took 400 years for that promise to be fulfilled it took several generations for that promise to come to fruition so how do the people of god encourage their own hearts in the midst of what appears it's not but what appears to be silence with reference to heaven asaph again is a good guide so are the sons of korah now david is the one responsible for the entirety of the psalter so if i say david that's what i mean if he didn't write it himself he made sure it was consistent with his theology but notice what he says in verses 8 and 9 come behold the works of the lord 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 into he burns the chariot in the fire see in the absence of an immediate imposition of divine power from on high where does the saint go does he go to the hospital does he go to an inner room and just wait it out he goes to his bible he reads the exodus and sees how god vindicates his people and delivers them with his mighty right arm he studies and sees the frogs and the livestock and he sees the boils and he sees the the various things that god did do to the egyptians to free israel from that bondage he goes on into samuel and he sees the exploits of david david is anointed king in first samuel chapter 16. and then the real trouble begins for david as soon as the spirit comes upon david his life becomes very difficult when he's out dealing in the wilderness protecting his sheep yeah he's got to deal with lions and bears but you know men at times are worse than lions and bears lions and bears kill you instinctually lions and bears just want to eat it's men who despise you it's men who loathes you it's men who hate you david is hunted by saul david is confronted with philistines david has to to flee more times than not so what do we do in the absence of divine imposition from on high we read about david we go to the psalter we read the book of acts we see how the church dealt with persecution we see how they prayed to god in the midst of those particular hardships that's what steadies the soul why because this book leads us to an understanding of father son and holy spirit without which we will fear without which we will be paralyzed without which we won't obey what god says through paul in philippians you know what our job right now is our job right now in the midst of chaos tumult hardship affliction oppression persecution whatever it is anybody ever throws at us we're to shine his lights in a crooked and perverse generation and were to hold forth the word of truth were to do what the psalmist does in verse 8. notice come behold the works of the lord who has made desolations in the earth he is inviting people to consider who god is we're to shine his lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation holding forth the word of truth why so we can tell sinners to look at god so we can tell sinners to understand themselves before a holy god and we can tell sinners of the provision of god in the gospel of his son and salvation by grace through faith in our lord jesus that's our job that doesn't change that's the task now remember in philippi that was the roman empire and it was probably the early 60s that paul wrote philippians and the early 60s is when nero starts to wig out nero wasn't so bad when paul writes romans in 55 but by the time the 60s come nero's a nut he is certifiably a nut john fox referred to him as a as a beast you know that nero would burn christians as human lanterns or lanterns for his garden parties nero had sick fascinations with a whole lot of things but in the midst of that paul doesn't say okay now everybody head out of philippi everybody leave the empire said last night if you're inclined to leave canada if you're inclined to go to montana or or what's the other one new mexico offering asylum to to canadians at that time that's between you and god that is absolutely positively between you and the lord most high scripture doesn't tell you you have to live in canada or you have to live in british columbia that's between you and god but what paul does not say is you can have uh freedom to just bail no he says wherever you are in the midst of the trial in the midst of the travail shine is lights if you go to montana or you go to uh new mexico they they got sin there too brethren they got sinners and sin and a whole bunch of stuff too and you know depending on election cycles and who happens to be in charge at that time i mean what he's talking about florida hey i hope heavy d makes it and i hope he doesn't die and i hope that whoever replaces him is of the same caliber but we have no guarantee so so wherever you might end up there's still going to be two more there's still going to be trial there's still affliction this world is a world that is cursed with sin and as a result there's sin in the world but the task of the christian is to imitate the psalmist and say come behold the works of the lord who has made desolations in the earth 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 whenever we read history it should be with this verse sounding in our ears you know what he's saying read your bible understand the truth in the midst of affliction god is there remember daniel in the lion's den we know that wasn't the lion's den that was the angel's den daniel was a man of god god was purposing to save him there was no fret there was no fear daniel wasn't you know freaking out and they had to throw him in there i could see me you know trying to grab onto the threshold i don't want to go right that's not daniel daniel understands that god will provide in fact turn to daniel 3 even if god doesn't provide immediately even if there is no divine imposition we as god's people still need to live in light of who god is daniel 3 specifically this is with reference to the uh fiery furnace and notice in verse 16. well back up just a bit verse 15. now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn flute heart wire and sultry in symphony with all kinds of music and you fall down and worship the image which i have made good but if you do not worship you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace and who is the god who will deliver you from my hands shadrach meshach and abednego answered and said to the king o nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this matter really you're not duty-bound at every single moment of every single day to give an account to your government no you're just not we have no need to answer you in this matter if that is the case our god whom we serve notice is able to deliver us from the burning fiery fur furnace and he will deliver us from your hand o king now notice the next phrase but if not let it be known to you o king that we do not serve your gods nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up we have confidence of his ability to deliver us we have confidence that he will ultimately deliver us from your hand king we're not going to live eternally under the subjugation of of nebuchadnezzar we know there's a an end date in sight with reference to that but even if god does not deliver us from this particular threat we're not going to betray god we're not going to bow down to an idol we're going to remain steadfast and faithful because that's what god calls us to see it's not contingent upon the circumstances well you know if god vindicates me if he delivers me from this then i will go out and serve him and worship him and shine as a lot no we do that regardless we do that because he has saved us and called us into a particular life now back to psalm 46 and the final observation is the command to rest in god's sovereignty as i mentioned earlier this is twofold it addresses the people of god and there's certainly a world of comfort in this statement in verse 10 be still and know that i am god isn't that great be still and know that i am god not fret fear tremble have your knee shake hide away don't ever come out don't ever do anything no no he says be still and know i am god know this have it settled in your mind and your heart understand that even though the the nations rage and even though the the the rivers swell even though there's problems here on earth be still and know that i am god but it's not just to god's people it's to the enemies of god it is a warning for them j.a alexander says these words were are addressed to the discomfitted foes of jehovah and his people cease from your vain attacks upon my people learn from what you have already seen and felt that their protector is divine and that he is resolved to be acknowledged as supreme not only by his chosen people but by all the nations and throughout the earth now i guess i could best illustrate this by way of a creaturely analogy have you ever been so exasperated and so frustrated as a parent that you've raised your voice and said something like be quiet i think back to a time many many years ago on banford road i'm not proud of that moment but i actually stopped the van and yelled quiet we had one child that for whatever reason was in a particular phase you would tell that child something and he would first say what and then answer now it sounds small and it is small and again i'm not proud of this moment but it was all the time you tell him something what and then he answered so you know he heard you why the what so on the way to school banford road stopped the van and probably yelled something like be quiet now that's a creaturely analogy god doesn't get vexed he doesn't get exasperated he doesn't stop the van but this is kind of the vein in which it's addressed be quiet shut your mouth be still god says to his enemies and know that i am god your idols are fake they are vanity of vanities there is but one only the living and true god who exists eternally as father son and holy spirit and that god not only addresses his church to comfort and encourage them but he threatens his enemies he tells them be still and know that i am god i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth same thing as psalm 2 why do the nations rage you're not going to win you're always going to lose it's a fool's errand to try to pitch yourself against the living and the true god so this be still and know that i am god serves to comfort and encourages people but it serves as a threatened warning to the enemies of his people their time is short their time will cease go back for just a moment in the psalm to verse 9. 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 never forget somebody held that bow somebody wielded that spear somebody was riding that chariot it's not just the instruments of war that god destroys but it's the warriors themselves and so he issues this command to the nations around israel to be still to be quiet to shut their mouths to understand that he is go that he is god and there is no other and that this exaltation will be evident it's not now we don't see it as we will but there are many a promise in the old testament and knew that the knowledge of yahweh will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea and that is to serve as a warning to the enemies of god most high and when he says be still that means composure and encouragement and comfort and then knowledge we need to know that god is god we need to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our lord and savior jesus christ for that comfort and for the enemies we point them to verse nine we point them to exodus we point them to god's dealings with his enemies at the time of the plagues we point them to the new covenant expression of god's faithfulness to his disciples in the midst of great suffering well in conclusion a few thoughts and then we go first the presence of trouble in the life of the believer we're not immune we're not immune i mean i think probably everybody i think i ever knew god omicron i i guess that what it was in december or january hopefully we all have the antibodies and we're now immune from from covet 19. but with reference to trouble in the christian life we're not immune there's always going to be issues again you live in a sin cursed world you have remaining corruption i have remaining corruption we bump into each other our relationships are affected you think that you know one of the reasons why paul writes first timothy chapter five it's so that people in the church can know how they ought to relate to one another because it's not intuitive we're sinners we we spend our lives living in such a way as to serve our own flesh and our own lusts god saves us he justifies us freely by his grace and then he throws us together there's certain rules on how we're supposed to function one with another sometimes we don't always keep those rules sometimes we wreck relationships sometimes we engage in remaining corruption in such a way that it jeopardizes our our status in life so there's always going to be challenges there's trials from within there's trials from without if it were just the philistines that we had to deal with if it were just the exterior enemies of the church that we had to deal with that'd be one thing but you have a first timothy chapter six verses three to ten you've got false teachers you've got men inside the professing church who have an acknowledgement that god is who he is but they have no power of godliness they haven't appropriated it for themselves so we have both external and internal enemies vying for our hearts of course there's going to be trial in the lives of god's people secondly the knowledge of god in the experience of the believer is crucial it is absolutely positively crucial you know what we all need to hear on a regular basis we all need to hear what our bible teaches about who god is again the ten principles for raising happy healthy kids great you know five principles on how to love your wife six principles on wives submitting to your own husbands i don't know why there was an extra one in there sorry but but this practicality that we're all craving and no theology no god we're trying to have the joy of a of an apple tree by by tying apples to an orange tree if we don't know god if we don't understand god if we don't have that jeremiah 9 experience of god then then all of the principles and all the things we we we get into they're not going to avail us when there's calamity when there's hardship when there's collapse in society thirdly we need to understand the the comfort we possess on our pilgrimage as believers verses 1 and 7 and 11. god is our refuge and strength a very present help and trouble the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge the lord of hosts is with us the god of jacob is our refuge we need to understand that comfort and that encouragement that it provides to us in this lower world 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 that's so great we had to actually sing it again i'll never no never no never forsake brethren that's our god and that's not made up in a fit of fancy by a psalmist who wanted to try and impress the people of god deuteronomy chapter 1 the children of israel looked at the wilderness as if it was a curse god says the wilderness was a blessing the wilderness is where i carried you they only whined and grumbled about it deuteronomy 1 29 then i said to you do not be terrified or afraid of them the lord your god who goes before you he will fight for you according to all he did for you in egypt before your eyes and in the wilderness where you saw how the lord your god carried you as a man carries his son in all the way that you went until you came to this place he's readying he's preparing he's getting them fit for the conquest and what does he do he points back to the exodus as god delivered them then so god will bless them when they go into the land to dispossess the land of all of the canaanites that's the emphasis isaiah 41 10 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 i mentioned earlier jesus says in the world or in this world you will have tribulation but he doesn't stop there he says but be of good cheer for i have overcome the world brethren we have comfort in the pilgrimage from our god who is a present aid and a ready help to be with his people and finally brethren the comfort for the believer in terms of be still and know that i am god and the warning for the unbeliever be still and know that i am god contains within it a promise of great blessing in terms of the missionary enterprise i will be exalted among the nations i will be exalted in the earth we do our job we seek to be faithful we preach the word we shine as lights in a quick and perverse generation we hold forth that word of truth but we have a confident expectation of the blessing of god we saw it in revelation chapter five that one who had been a lamb slain from before the foundation of the world he takes that scroll he's able to open up or lose the the seals of that scroll and then he's extolled as the one who saves from every tribe tongue people in nation we have a great promise and an encouraging word here spurgeon says 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 obstinates and pride of man shall god be glorified when grace reigns unto eternal life in all corners of the world with that prospect with that encouragement with that mindset the church should be about missions and evangelism and church planting and the propagation of the glorious gospel of jesus christ our lord the blessed reality that christ was delivered up because of our offenses but he was raised for our justification in the midst of calamity what do you think people need to hear they need to hear this word in the midst of trial what do you think people need to hear in the midst of hardship and woe and uncertainty what do you think people need to hear they need the gospel of the blessed god they need the gospel concerning the life and death and resurrection of jesus christ and if you are here this morning and you are not a believer you have no warrant to be still and to rest in god to find that comfort afforded to you by god the first order of business is to believe on jesus the first order of business is to look unto him and live it is faith and repentance it is look to christ alone for salvation and then you enjoy the promise to be still and know that god is god let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for this comforting psalm and encouragement to our hearts in a discouraging age and we pray that you would bless each and every one in this local church with that knowledge of who you are that we would find a great joy in searching the scriptures and learning of our god learning of you as the divine warrior battling for the nation of israel vindicating and protecting your bride the church in the new testament and as well may we see you as that covenantally faithful god to his people and lord we ask for your blessing and protection upon this church upon all the families here and for us as individuals and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen well you can take your hymn books and turn to 568 568 will sing the doxology in praise to our triune god foreign [Music] so lord bless you and keep you the lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace god may this be true for each of us and may you be glorified in our in our church may you be glorified on this lord's day and bring us back together tonight that we may worship you publicly and corporately together and we ask for your blessing upon the nations of the earth we ask for your blessing upon the the gospel preached that it would run swiftly and be glorified and we pray in jesus name amen you may be seated for a brief time of meditation you